Daily Debate: Which “Hard Mode” Gameplay Mechanic Change Did You Find Most Difficult in a Second Zelda Playthrough?
Posted on August 01 2024 by Jared Eubanks
Since the inception of the series, many Zelda games have included a “hard mode” option for courageous and adventurous players who just can’t seem to put the controller down. The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) included an unlockable Second Quest after defeating Ganon. The Nintendo 64’s Ocarina of Time saw a remix with the Master Quest on the GameCube, which was later integrated into the 3DS version as an unlockable feature. Several games from the series, such as Wind Waker HD, Twilight Princess HD, Skyward Sword HD, A Link Between Worlds, and the 2019 Switch version of Link’s Awakening, included a Hero Mode. With the purchase of the Expansion Pass DLC for Breath of the Wild, players can enjoy hop straight into Master Mode.
The specifics of each one varied, but they carried common themes. Enemies were more abundant, stronger (both in terms of what it took to defeat them and the damage they dealt to Link), and sometimes smarter with more advanced AI for attacking strategies. For the group of games with Hero Mode, hearts and fairies would not drop when defeating enemies, smashing pots, or cutting vegetation. Link would need to rely on potions already on hand in order to heal during a dungeon crawl or boss fight. This can make rupees in the game highly valuable as trips to potion shops will be in frequent order. Before upgrading your wallet, you may find yourself regularly bumping up against the maximum amount you can hold before replenishing your bottles. Others, such as Master Quest, rearranged dungeon layouts, disorienting players who had memorized layouts and strategies for the main quest.
I recently replayed my favorite Zelda game, Breath of the Wild, on Master Mode for the first time. Upon reaching Calamity Ganon, I unfortunately was soundly defeated many times over. The hardest part in my opinion is the regenerating health that all enemies, including bosses, have. In Calamity Ganon’s second phase, he has an impenetrable shield, which is almost always activated. This shield is present in both difficulty modes. However, in Master Mode, when he climbs the arena walls with an activated shield and regenerates his health, any progress achieved through previous attacks quickly slips through your fingers and sets you back to where you started at the beginning of the phase. It can be demoralizing. This forces players into seeking a swift and decisive victory over him as battles of attrition are no longer in Link’s favor.
I’ve also been working through a playthrough of Hero Mode in Wind Waker HD and died more often than I care to admit, especially in the early dungeons. In those beginning stages, Link has a small number of hearts, is limited in his freedom to roam the Great Sea, and is lacking in items/weapons to access heart pieces and bottles. A single swipe of a Moblin’s sword or an errant jump from a precarious platform can be devastating in terms of the fraction of total health lost. I found myself needing to come to terms with the fact that a dungeon will take multiple runs. I needed to be grateful that my progress of keys secured, locked doors opened, dungeon items obtained, and shortcuts created would be saved for the next one. Incremental progress was the name of the game in those moments.
Which gameplay mechanic changes did you find most challenging in a second playthrough of a Zelda game on “hard mode?” How did you overcome the difficulty spike? What new strategies did you have to adapt? Let us know in the comments below.
Jared Eubanks is a staff writer at Zelda Dungeon, and he is also a husband, father, and engineer. He is originally from the Atlanta, GA area and still lives there. He graduated from Georgia Tech and is a proud Yellow Jacket. He loves to play boardgames, build Lego, and read books with his family. He’s been gaming since childhood with the original NES and GameBoy, and he enjoys retro gaming, collecting, and modding consoles and handhelds. His favorite Zelda game is Breath of the Wild but is also fond of the older classic titles.
