Daily Debate: What Is the Most Memorable Piece of Heart in the Zelda Series?

Before Breath of the Wild came along and simultaneously shook the series up and brought it back to its roots, collecting Heart Pieces was Zelda‘s signature side quest.

Appearing in virtually every iteration since the SNES era, Heart Pieces were the grand prize and ultimate reward for any minigame or impulsive curiosity.  One of Zelda‘s best design attributes is its ability to reward the player for exploring and following subtle clues. And also for honing the skills associated with each game’s unique mechanics. So, earning them is tied to some of my favorite moments in the series.

For my answer to this debate question, I limited myself to Heart Pieces that were difficult to the point of almost looking up their solution, but still collecting them on my own. In that category, two really stand out for me.

My runner-up is the piece in Angular Isles in The Wind Waker. It combined a challenging block puzzle with the sea exploration of that game I loved so well.

Even better, though, is the piece you earn from the Fabulous Five Froggish Tenors in Ocarina of Time. Not only do they eventually earn you a Heart Piece, but those little guys factor into the game in multiple  creative ways. Yet, a focused player would be forgiven for completely missing them. I had so much fun trying to puzzle out why they were there. And since they grew and multiplied as time passed in-game, I always looked forward to trekking back down to Zora River to check on them after each dungeon.

So which is it for you? Are there Heart Pieces that you hunted down all on your own that have stuck in your memory? Which was your favorite? Let’s hear it in the comments!

Andrew Millard

Andrew is a writing teacher in the American Upper Midwest. He has been playing Zelda games since 1990.