Tag: A

The Legend of Zelda series has, for most of its lifespan, been viewed as a franchise with a quality story. Nowadays, we have rich lore to draw from, to formulate complex theories about multiple timelines and Hyrules, multiple versions of the main characters and side characters. But things weren’t always like that. The original Legend of Zelda was straightforward. The story was simply a quest from point A to point B, and the gamer was left to fill in the…

From the very beginning, Ganon has been the main antagonist of the Zelda series appearing in most titles. For a long time, he was the rarely seen enemy to Hyrule and kidnapper of maidens. Yet it was not until 1998 when Ocarina of Time was released that fans learned of his true origin. It is well known among fans that Ocarina of Time had an enormous impact upon the series as a whole. More than bringing Zelda into 3D, the…

What makes a game difficult or easy? Good question. Game designers walk a delicate balancing act of making a game challenging without causing it to be frustrating. Like any job, there are techniques to accomplish this goal. Major points that contribute to difficulty are the implementation of a navigator, success of game controls and mechanics, and in Zelda games the puzzle quality. However, the most important factor for determining difficulty in any game is the use of patterns. The balance…

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a game with some truly revolutionizing techniques that helped shape the rest of the series. It also enhanced many of the techniques from the older games and built upon their themes and stories. But was it a truly amazing game, or was it just an average game that people have over-glorified? Well, we think that it was an amazing game, even though it could be very much improved with today’s…

Hyrule has been portrayed as a very magical place, from its creation, the hidden structures hidden throughout, to the very people that inhabit the land. Magic is everywhere. The mystical forces that few can use and fewer can master appear in every Zelda title— sometimes as a direct intervention from a deity or fairy, sometimes as a spell cast from a character, and most often in the form of a helpful item that Link can carry and use when needed….

There’s a saying that “You can’t please everyone.” Yet this is often the challenge game designers face in the process of creating a game: to release a game that appeals to a wide variety of players, from young to old, from new gamers to veterans. When it came time to begin designing Ocarina of Time, it’s not hard to imagine that there were many challenges in transitioning the game play from 2D to 3D. One advantage, however, is easy to…

Nintendo is always very creative when it comes to Zelda races. We all know Nintendo doesn’t need to use biology facts to explain their creations, but still it is fun to figure out if a Zelda race could be possible in the real world. I already tried to explain the Gorons and the Zoras, but if there is one aspect about the Zelda series that can make a biologist go insane, it definitely has to be the Gerudo. The Gerudo…

Perhaps one of the most argued topics in Zelda timeline debates today is the Seal War, also at times referred to as the Imprisoning War. Theorists often question if what was once the story of the Seal War has become something different or altered today. Players first learned of the Seal War in A Link to the Past, but since, Nintendo has made multiple efforts in altering or changing the story. However, no title thus far has taken place during…

So here it is, guys, the last Curiosity Shop before E3! Next week’s going to be one hell of a party, expect some big things! Until then, I’ll try to keep you satiated with some discussion videos. The questions and their timestamps are: (00:30) – You said you wanted less dungeons, but what if the dungeons were done well? (01:15) – What do you think is the hardest game in the series? (02:18) – Do you think Midna will be…

Alrighty, guys! Unlucky #13! Weird stuff might happen this time because of the unlucky number. Wonder what, though? And hey, 13 questions! Most I’ve ever answered! About half the questions are Zelda Wii related, which should be a relief to those who didn’t like the Zelda Wii focus last week. Enjoy! Questions and their timestamps: (00:19) – Do you think Twilight Princess’ bosses were big to hide how easy they were? (01:15) – What do you think of the original…