Daily Debate: What Zelda Game or Moment Made You Set Down the Controller and Walk Away?
Posted on January 28 2025 by Kat Vadam
Guys, let’s talk. We all at bare minimum enjoy the Zelda series, and at most absolutely adore it to a point of thinking about, talking about, and endlessly playing these games until friends and family reach out to ask, “Hey, you ok?”
It’s not a phase, Mom!
Jokes aside, that doesn’t mean that every time we play, it’s all sunshine and rainbows and glorious stories. Sometimes, there are frustrating moments that make us question: why do we love these games?
And that’s ok! That’s totally normal. If these games didn’t challenge us, they wouldn’t keep us coming back. We seek the joy of overcoming and finding success. We persevere, we fight, and eventually, we conquer…typically.
Still, there is no shame in saying, “Enough is enough.” When we, as players, get to the point where the reward no longer feels worth it at that moment, there is nothing wrong with putting down the controller for some time to recoup. And since this choice is not shameful — better to walk away than launch a controller through a television screen — let’s talk about those moments today.
Is there a Zelda game or moment that made you walk away? Did you, like many, get partway through Zelda II and realize it’s not for you? Did you get to Spirit Tracks and find the train not quite your thing, or a bit clunky to control? Perhaps you got to the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time on the ol’ 64, hit your limit, and set the game down for ten years? (Hi, my name is Kat, and I have since finally beaten the game.) What game or moment in the Zelda series made you set down the controller and walk away? Let us know in the comments below!
Kat Vadam is a mother of one, proud cat mom, and wife to someone far nerdier than she could ever hope to be. She also works by day as an analyst, writer, and editor. Here at Zelda Dungeon, she has worn many hats, but her heart has always been in the writing. Someday, she plans on giving up all her worldly possessions to move to the forest and become best friends with a korok. Were it so easy.
