ZD Top 5 – Shops

We all love to go shopping now and again, and Link is no different. Any good adventure will likely require stopping at a shop or two for some cool new supplies, but some stores are better than others. This week, the ZD staff takes a look at some the best shops in the whole series. There are quite a few, but if you think back, no doubt, some will really stand out.

As always, make sure to leave your own favorites in the comments below, so we can hear all your thoughts!

Jon Lett – View Profile

5. “BUY SOMETHIN’ WILL YA?” Shop (The Legend of Zelda)
4. Zunari’s Shop (The Wind Waker)
3. Ravio’s Shop (A Link Between Worlds)
2. Malo Mart Castle Branch (Twilight Princess)
1. The Masked Beedle Shop (The Wind Waker)

I was quite tempted to choose Malo Mart as my number one, as I almost always make a point to pick up the Magic Armour, and the upbeat atmosphere is enough to have you dancin’, but in the end, no shop keeps me coming back like the Mask Shop. Everytime I play The Wind Waker, I always make a point to stop by Rock Spire Island as soon as I can to grab that bottle and Heart Container, and maybe even the chart if I get the chance. His products are pricey, but worth it in the end. Plus, under that TOTALLY inconspicuous mask, it is Beetle, after all. The most lovable of shop owners. The only downside is that he does not do buybacks, but whatever. I still love this place.

Alexis Anderson – View Profile

5. Goron Shop (Twilight Princess)
4. Castle Town Malo Mart (Twilight Princess)
3. Luv and Bertie’s Potion Shop (Skyward Sword)
2. Town Tool Shop (Link’s Awakening)
1. Beedle’s Air Shop (Skyward Sword)

I love when shopkeepers get mad at you! It’s so funny when you don’t buy anything so Beedle kicks you off his airship (all that peddling is hard work) or when you shoplift and the Town Tool Shopkeeper literally tries to murder you. I love the marital tension you can feel at Luv and Bertie’s shop, the music at Malo Mart, and the nice hot spring location of the Goron Shop. I usually wouldn’t spend my money at these places since items are just in the grass or treasure chests, but they were always there whenever I was in a pinch!

Thomas Jacobs – View Profile

5. Linebeck Trading Company (Spirit Tracks)
4. Beedle’s Shop Ship (Phantom Hourglass)
3. Town Tool Shop (Link’s Awakening)
2. Malo Mart, Hyrule Castle Branch (Twilight Princess)
1. The Bazaar (Skyward Sword)

Linebeck The Third’s shop in Spirit Tracks is useful, yet very expensive. Upgrading your train is very useful, and the various parts he has on sale allows you to make your train look like you want. Beedle’s Shop Ship is useful because it moves around the map with you, so you don’t have to keep looking for it. Plus, it carries some rather useful items. The Town Tool Shop has two neat items, the shovel and the bow whose costs are of such a level that you actually have to save for them and can get them around the time you need them. Meanwhile, the Malo Mart in Castle Town is less of a store and more of an experience: it’s grand, colourful, has a great soundtrack, has the best items in the game including the Magic Armor and a fun shopkeeper as well. However, I will have to dock points for the song having what sounds like snippets in it of some fascist speech. So the best store in my eyes is the Bazaar from Skyward Sword. It has a ton of shops all in a single area that requires no loading screens between them. Ihas the Scrap Shop where you can upgrade your gear, the Item Check to store your unneeded items, the Potion Shop to buy and upgrade gear, the regular item shop and of course Sparrot, the big-eyed creepy fortune teller. An interesting feature of the area is that the Bazaar has its own theme, but the various stores have so as well. Get close to one and the music blends into another seamlessly, giving the area an unique feel.

Alasyn Eletha – View Profile

5. Bazaar (Skyward Sword)
4. Happy Mask Shop (Ocarina of Time)
3. Castle Town Malo Mart (Twilight Princess)
2. Ravio’s Shop (A Link Between Worlds)
1. Town Shooting Gallery (Majora’s Mask)

I like to consider the entire Bazaar from Skyward Sword as one of my favorite shops because it’s unique to the series and a one-stop market for a lot of Link’s needs during his journey. The same can almost be said for Ravio’s shop in A Link Between Worlds. I really enjoyed that I could rent whatever item from Ravio that I wanted and at any part in the game rather than receiving them in the temples. It made it more fun to explore and not be so restrained by what point you were at in the game. Now, I know that the Town Shooting Gallery in Clock Town in Majora’s Mask isn’t technically a “shop”, but out of all the shops in the entire series, it’s probably the place I’ve visited the most. I don’t just use it as a way to gain a heart piece, but as a means to quickly gather some rupees. Each time you beat your record, you receive 50 rupees! It’s one of the most fun and easy ways to rack up some cash in my opinion.