How Do You Name Link?

Every time you play a Zelda game, there will be an option to pick your own name. You, the player, can write your own name, or pick a name for the hero of the story, which we all know in the Zelda canon as Link. But what’s the point of officially naming the character as Link when you can pick any name for him at the start?

Whenever I play a Zelda game, I always stay long  to think whether I should name my character as “Link” like what it should officially be, or “Michael,” my name. While there is no difference whenever you call him this way or that, there is, in me. I found out that I tend to enjoy it more when I named Link as Michael. I don’t know, do I have a hero syndrome as if I really am enjoying saving the princess and her speaking my name?

Perhaps? No?

Nintendo made a wise choice of letting the players put whatever name they want Link to have. Why? Of course, it gives a more personal sense of attachment when you name the character with your own name. What just puzzles me is that, whenever I play a Final Fantasy game, say 7, which lets me choose a name for the characters, I always end up not naming them at all, and just let Cloud be Cloud and Vincent be Vincent.

But not with Link. I always named him Michael. And I will travel every seas and brave every dungeon to save my princess.

How about you? How do you name Link? Are you like me who always change his name? Or you’ll keep it at default, so that you get attached to the hero every time he returns to Hyrule (or in whatever other place) and grow with him through the years? Let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

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Through the Dungeons: The Shadow Temple plus Sheikah Theories

As one of the five major temples explored by Link as an adult in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the Shadow Temple is known for it’s theme of death and it’s reputation as one of the creepiest locations found in the Zelda universe. The game refers to it as a crypt for the Sheikah tribe, but dark objects found within suggest the dungeon served a more sinister purpose. In this article, I will walk you through the dungeon, pointing out interesting objects and symbols, as well as giving my own personal opinion on such things. Now, without further ado, let’s get to it.

 

Before actually entering the temple, you come to a room with a pedestal in the center and torches all around it. Here, your objective is to use the item Din’s Fire to light all of the torches simultaneously in order to open the door. The interesting thing, however, is the symbol on the floor. At first glance it appears to be just circle made up of what Hylian text, but if compared closely enough, the marking greatly resembles the Mirror of Twilight from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. There are some theorists out there who hold the idea that the Sheikah, possibly later called the Interlopers, who are the builders and guardians of the Shadow Temple, later become the Twili, the race that Midna is from. Both of these groups practice dark magic and have similar tribal/racial symbols. This marking on the floor acts as a significant support to their theory, and we will be talking a lot more about that theory later.

 

Continue forward a bit and head through a fake wall (Yeah, there are a lot of those). You’ll now find yourself in a somewhat large room with a bird statue in the center. This image of a bird will come up quite a bit throughout the dungeon, yet nobody really knows the true symbolism behind it. It could very well a crow, a bird of darkness and despair, in which a flock is known as a “murder.” You will see how ironic that is in a bit. Anyway, turning the statue toward the correct direction will open “the demon’s mouth.” Quite literally, in order to proceed through the dungeon, you must cross a large chasm and enter the mouth of a monster. There are quite a few mythological creatures that this could represent, such as the Japanese Jikininki, who are spirits that feast upon human corpses, or the Egyptian Devourer of Souls, who devours the souls of the unrighteous. Either way, you’ll have to find a way to cross the gap in order to continue.

 

Using the Lens of Truth, a Sheikah artifact found in the well under Kakariko Village, head through a labyrinth of false walls in order to find the map and a room containing one of the scariest enemies in the Zelda series: the Dead Hand. A zombie-like creature with four to six hands and covered in blood stains, the Dead Hand tries to capture and eat Link. Yes, actually eat him. It is for this reason that some fans speculate that the Dead Hand was a form of torture and execution by the Sheikah. It could be believed that the Shadow Folk would lead their captives through the false walls and skull filled rooms in order to demoralize them, and then throw them in the room with this monster. Their blood can still be seen on its body, or so a theory can go. Defeat the Dead Hand to get the Hover Boots, another reference to mythology, this time Greek. Link now possesses the boots of the Greek god Hermes, who traveled to the Underworld in the story of Demeter and Persephone. And believe me, this temple will soon seem like hell.

 

Backtrack to the Mouth of the Demon and enter it with the Hover Boots. Continue forward and you’ll eventually end up in what I like to call “The Decapitation Room.” Here, it is easy to imagine multiple victims being knelt down with their necks over blocks of wood, two twin scythe blades rotating around the room to finish them off. Moving forward, you must traverse a hallway filled with dropping guillotine blades. The purpose of said hallway may have been to stop escaping victims who could not turn back due to the chasm, but that is just my speculation. The hallway eventually opens out into a larger room with what appears to be a bottomless pit below a series of platforms, called the Guillotine Cavern. The platforms eventually verge into two directions. One way just leads you to a room with another twin scythe mechanism, except this time it’s invisible, while the other way leads you to the next part of the dungeon.

 

Here, you must navigate through a room where spiked traps fall down on you from the ceiling. While this room only contains a small key, it offers yet another prime example of torture instruments being implicated throughout the Shadow Temple. One more interesting set of objects in this room are what appear to be statues of hell hounds. These also appear frequently in the dungeon and can be related to both the Inugami of Japanese culture and the Hell Hounds of Hades in Greek mythology.

Backtrack to the Guillotine Cavern and head north to what appears to be a dead end. Use the Lens of Truth and the Hover Boots to continue into a room with invisible spike traps on the ground. In here you will find a common enemy of the Shadow Temple that I have yet to cover: the ReDead. ReDeads, along with their sister enemy, the Gibdos, are restless souls that wander The Kakariko Well, The Shadow Temple, and the future Castle Town Market. It’s no surprise that such a creature would exist here, in this brutally gruesome environment.

 

Kill the ReDeads and collect the silver rupees scattered around the room to unlock a door. The following room contains a giant skull lit with a blue flame, but skulls can be seen all around the temple, so it’s nothing too special. Grab a key here and backtrack to the last area. Unlock the door and you’ll be in a room with fans blowing at you. These fans, however, happen to be shaped like pig heads, which I interpret as a symbolization of the slaughtering the Sheikah were conducting. Pigs are animals often killed for their meat, and the fans may have been built like that to send a message to victims heading down that hallway. Man, were those Sheikah sick people or what!

 

Advance to the next area, the epicenter of the temple. Here, you will find a large boat afloat on a still river. Hop aboard and you’ll see a Triforce symbol on the deck of the ship. This tells you that you need to play Zelda’s Lullaby to get the vessel moving, but I thought it was interesting that it even had a Triforce on it to begin with.  I mean, in a building that looks like it was designed to gruesomely torture and kill people, why would the symbol of Hyrule’s cherished goddesses be there? The only answer I can come up with refers back to the theory suggested in the second paragraph. Maybe the Sheikah were the Dark Interlopers!

 

A little Zelda history lesson for those who haven’t played Twilight Princess, the Interlopers were a mysterious group of sorcerers that practiced dark magic and were most likely a main enemy in the Hyrulean Civil War, a power struggle for control of the Sacred Realm and the Triforce. The Interlopers are also the ancestors of the Twili race, though little more fact is known about them. But for the sake of this argument, let’s say that the Sheikah who built the Shadow Temple really were the Interlopers. Well why would the race of people chosen by the goddess Hylia to protect the royal family turn against them? One answer could be that the Interlopers didn’t consist of the entire Sheikah race, rather just a sect of Sheikah that practiced dark magic and wanted to obtain the Triforce. If you want evidence of this, look to Zant’s throne from Twilight Princess and the back of the Fused Shadow pieces. Directly linked to the Twili, these locations bare the Sheikah symbol: the teardrop eye with three lashes. So the Sheikah very well could have been the Dark Interlopers, in which case the Triforce on the boat could have symbolized their long-term goal, mocked the goddesses, contributed to their pagan rituals, or all of the above. Once again, this is all just a theory created through speculation of objects and symbols.

 

Back in the Shadow Temple, you’ll need to play Zelda’s Lullaby to get the ship moving down the foggy river. Here is yet another clear reference to Greek mythology. In the stories, when a mortal loses his or her life,  he or she must pay the ferryman Charon to catch a ride on his boat down the River Styx. At the end of this trip lies life in the Underworld, the final destination for departed souls. I have no doubt that the end of the river in the Shadow Temple marked the final destination for the victims of whoever was running the facility, be it the Sheikah or any other group of people.

 

Jump off of the ship and enter the door closest to the dock. Navigate a maze of invisible walls crawling with floor masters using the Lens of Truth. There are three doors at the ends of the maze available to you. The first room contains two wooden posts crossing each other with a pool of blood on the floor. Here it is easy to imagine people being tied up and tortured. The second room contains more of those giant skulls with the blue flames we talked about earlier and not much else. Finally, the third room is equipped with a trap intended to kill Link. Two wooden walls armed with protruding spikes on either end will slowly make their way towards you. While at first it seems that you can do nothing else but kneel down and accept defeat, a quick spell of Din’s Fire will nullify any threat. Open the chest that was hidden behind the right wall to get the boss key, then make your way back to the dock.

 

One thing here should immediately become clear: you must proceed through the door on the other side of a daunting pit. The question at hand is how to get there, since the Hover Boots won’t carry you across the gap. Well on the other side of the pit is our good friend the bird statue, and conviently there is a set of bomb flowers just below it! Fire an area at the flowers and the statue will come tumbling down, acting as a bridge. Enter the door on the other side and make your way into the boss chamber.

 

It isn’t hard to guess that Nintendo created a creepy boss to finish off a creepy dungeon. Phantom Shadow Beast: Bongo Bongo is nothing less than a giant headless shadow with brutally severed hands. Prior to the events of the game, Impa, Zelda’s Sheikah guardian, sealed Bongo Bongo away at the bottom of Kakariko Well. However, once Ganondorf seized power seven years after Link entered the Temple of Time, Bongo Bongo was able to break free, set Kakariko Village on fire, and retreat to the Shadow Temple. How Bongo Bongo came to exist is unknown, but unlike other monsters and bosses found in Ocarina of Time, it is made clear that the Shadow Beast existed before Ganondorf rose to power, since Impa sealed it away. Therefore, we know that Ganondorf did not create Bongo Bongo himself. It is my personal theory that Bongo Bongo is a byproduct of the Sheikahs’, a.k.a. the Interlopers’, dark magic. Bongo Bongo was likely once a victim of the Sheikah, and through sorcerery forbidden by the rest of the country, was reanimated as a shadow beast to protect the temple. This is just a theory with no real solid evidence to back it up, but it is something to think about, isn’t it?

 

In conclusion, the Shadow Temple really is a dark and interesting place holding some of Hyrule’s vilest history. It contains a myriad of torture devices and strange markings possibly used in evil rituals. I do think the Sheikah used the building, or more specifically, the group of Sheikah I believe to be the Dark Interlopers, for whatever dark schemes they were conducting. The theory I try to support in this article is summarized as follows. I hope you enjoyed reading it!

 

Towards the beginning of Hyrule’s history, a great war broke out for control of the Triforce and the Sacred Realm. The Royal Family, whose members contained the blood of the goddess Hylia, was protected by the loyal Sheikah in their struggle against the uprising Gerudo race. Unfortunately, not all of the Sheikah were devoted to the Royal Family. Practicing dark magic and sacrificing human lives in the process from within the bowels of their Shadow Temple, this rebellious group of Sheikah became known as the Dark Interlopers. Their goal was the same as any others’: capture and control of the Triforce. Possessing great power and a relic known as the Fused Shadow, the Interlopers were on the verge of success when the three goddess sent down guardian light spirits to stop them and banish them to the Twilight Realm. Here they eventually morphed into the Twili race. Even so, the Shadow Temple still bares the scars of their malicious acts. Torture devices stand and run while a mangled shadow beast roamed the halls until Impa, a good and noble Sheikah, sealed it away to hide the dark history of her race. Again, this is all just a theory based off of in game text and speculation. You can chose to believe it or not. Either way, you’ve now seen most of what the Shadow Temple has to offer, and the darker side of the illustrious country of Hyrule.

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Zelda Symphony – Should We Cheer While The Orchestra Plays?

Given all the video games published these days, only a large handful gets their music to be played by a symphony orchestra. Final Fantasy was one, Zelda is another. The Legend of Zelda series has some of the most memorable pieces of video game music ever. It is a rare moment to finally listen to the music of a game being played by a large ensemble of people. But when attending an orchestra, people are supposed to listen aren’t they? No?

Are they supposed to clap their hands or shout in appreciation of the music while the music is playing?

Ms. Susan Schuyler from SchuylrPR attended a Zelda Symphony concert in San Francisco and observed that there was something, let’s just say, a bit awkward. While proper orchestra manners dictate that there should be respect for the ensemble, what she found was

A constant smattering of applause, deep throated cheers, and cries of outrage during each piece of a medley, effectively ruining both the otherwise deep acoustics and general enjoyment of the concert.

While the statement above was like saying she did not enjoy the orchestra because of that, turns out she actually did enjoyed it in the next statement

The compositions alone, when reviewed in tandem and without the vocal audience’s opinion, were at times superior to the original tracks.

She just felt that even though the symphony orchestra was enjoyable (and really superior,) it was somehow hard to hear everything due to the surroundings which disrupts the general feel of the tracks as a whole. If you take a look at this YouTube video, you’ll find out that there are people who feel the same way as her.

However, we have two sides to every coin.

While general manners dictate that in an orchestra, we are supposed to listen while just clapping our hands occasionally in appreciation, the fact that the show is targeted to an age group that grew up with the Legend of Zelda may also say another thing. Why? Because as Zelda fans, we can say that they were astonished to hear the tracks live and in an orchestra in addition. We can also say that that is their way of appreciating the music that they have heard in all the Zelda games they played. On the other side, perhaps it really wasn’t supposed to be that way. Perhaps it really matters that we stay collected during a symphony. And being silent while the orchestra is playing is what’s expected of the audience that’s listening to them.

While I realize this may be a sensitive issue to discuss, if you have attended one of the Zelda concerts that has been touring the States and Canada right now, what is your opinion of the show? Did you also experience what Ms. Schuyler had? Let us know your thoughts!

Source:

PWR After Class

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Thoughts on Zelda’s Music – Setting the Mood to Save The Princess

Whenever someone first plays a Legend of Zelda game, he or she may be impressed with tons of things – the boomerang, the puzzles, the constant sword and shield. The fact that there are so many things just validates how amazing the franchise is. But wait, I forgot to tell what always fascinates me with Zelda – its music.

Over the years, the fans have heard Zelda’s theme over and over again in various formats and bitrates – that sound from the NES to the Wii. It goes without saying that the theme perfectly describes the adventure-ish feel of the game. Take for example Minish Cap. As Link was instructed by the King of Hyrule to go forth to find a way to defeat Vaati, that moment when you entered Hyrule field… that sound… you can feel as if everything was on your shoulders and there was an inkling feeling that you need to save the princess no matter what.

And doing that time and time again with every game is never tiring. Why? Because of the music that accompanies the setting – be it in the dungeon, or in Hyrule Field. I almost always max out the speaker every time I play a Legend of Zelda game. Because the music never gets tiring to listen to even though it is just a different arrangement of the theme.

And when you hear Princess Zelda’s Lullaby, there is always a heartfelt emotion that will always fill you, telling you that this princess is pure and needs saving, and you are the only one who can do that.

Perhaps, you also can’t even avoid music either in almost any Legend of Zelda game. Just like the Ocarina in Ocarina of Time or the Spirit Flute in Spirit Tracks, various musical instruments are always present in every game in the series and play a vital role in the stories. You either use them to do a number of things – to teleport, to beat a boss, to perform a task, the use of these instruments ranges from simple to complicated. One cannot simply avoid music in Zelda, you’ll be the one playing the songs most of the time!

If you are going to ask just how popular Zelda music is, just browse on YouTube and search for people playing Zelda music. Just ask the people who think Ocarina of Time has the best music in all of video games. Ask the hundreds, if not thousands of people that attended The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess Tour across North America, and those that are anticipating to attend it.

Koji Kondo, the Nintendo composer for the Legend of Zelda series may have had some wonderful thoughts right now about his music being performed with a symphony. We all give thanks to Shigeru Miyamoto for creating the franchise, but we should also give credit to Kondo-san for making the music and therefore bringing life to the Legend of Zelda series.

Just a quick note, we at Zelda Chronicles has a Zelda Music player on the lower right. You might want to check that out. I did while writing this post. And yes, I’m the new guy.

Pic Source:

Zeldapedia

Zelda-Symphony

 

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The Legend of Zelda Timeline Officially Revealed

The latest Zelda publication entitled Hyrule Historia has revealed what thousands of fans have speculated since the release of Ocarina of Time in 1998, the timeline. This is an official publication as Eiji Aounuma is the supervising editor of the book. Although it is all in Japanese at the moment, thanks to the website GlitterBerri, we have a translated timeline available. So, check out the official Zelda timeline below!

Legend of the Gods and the Hero of Time

Era of Creation
Heaven and Earth is created.
Era of the Goddess Hylia
Skyward Sword takes place, Goddess Hylia reincarnated as Zelda, ancient battle.
The Sky Era
N/A
Era of Chaos
Sacred Realm is sealed.
Era of Prosperity
The kingdom of Hyrule is established.
The Force Era
The Minish Cap takes place, Vaati is born. Four Swords takes place, Vaati is resurrected.
Hero of Time Era
Hyrule unification war, Ocarina of Time takes place. Dark World formed in the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf becomes Ganon the demon king.

Timeline Split Into Three

Hero of Time is defeated

A Link to the Past
Oracles
Link’s Awakening
Legend of Zelda
Adventure of Link

Hero of Time is successful (Young Link’s Time)

Majora’s Mask
Twilight Princess
Four Swords Adventures

Hero of Time is successful (Adult Link’s Time)

The Wind Waker
Phantom Hoursglass
Spirit Tracks

This post will be updated through the next few days, so stay posted! When we get a full translation of the detailed timeline, we will be sure to post it all!

Source: Glitter Berri

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What Does Zelda Mean to You?

Believe it or not, but there are people in this world who are unaware of the Legend of Zelda series. Kotaku was actually sent a question in regards of this fact, and in response to this reader, they replied with their very own answer to what “Zelda” actually is. It is quite an interesting read, so you should give it a read yourself below.

There is a moment in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker when you’re sailing across a vast sea and you see a speck in the distance. It could be a small island close by or a vast one far away. You sail toward it, wondering, not knowing if you’re about to find a speck to inspect of a mountain to scale. That’s Zelda.

In Ocarina of Time, or in any game in the series, really, you find yourself in a dungeon, possibly unsure how to open a locked door. You can trust that the people who made the game only allowed you to enter the dungeon because you had everything you needed to get through it (except for one key item that will be in that dungeon and will probably then allow you to access new places outside of that dungeon). In the dungeon, for a moment, you may be stumped. How in the world does that door open? Eventually you will sort it out and find your path… a path that leads you to a room inside of which is a monster. The monstrous boss may kill you, sending you back to the beginning of the dungeon. Your time wasn’t wasted. You will discover that something you did while puzzling through the dungeon had opened a path—you hadn’t realized this before—and now you can trot from the beginning of the dungeon to the boss battle, none of your time squandered thanks to that masterful architectural clockwork you’re inside of. That’s Zelda.

In the original Zelda, if you burn a certain bush, you’ll hear a memorable chime and find that, where that bush grew, a staircase to a surprise. You find it by accident. The next day, at school, you tell your friends about it. That’s Zelda.

In just about any of the games in the series, you will find the boomerang. Again. And the bow and arrow. And the bombs. You have to rescue the princess, ride the horse (ok, that one’s not so frequent), collect the jars, fight Ganon and be reminded how much a red rupee is worth. That’s Zelda.

In The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, you spend three game days helping the farmer, the postman, the kid and the mom, the innkeeper, the bartender and, as the clock ticks down and the world is seconds away from destruction, you help two people finally get married. And then… you must turn back the clock and try harder, because that’s not heroic enough for a boy named Link, who is destined for even greater things. That’s Zelda.

So, going by this, what is Zelda to you? Discuss in the comments. There are so many other ways to write “what Zelda is” going by this standard.

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A Look Back on Zelda II The Adventure of Link

Game Spite has posted a pretty nice and in depth article review of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. The article does a great job describing the inspiration from this game and how it basically created the formula for the Legend of Zelda series. You can read the entire review here!

Live Action Zelda Adventure of Link

The Zelda series walks a precarious tightrope. Many decry the lack of innovation recent entries have shown and demand that future entries try something different. On the other hand, the games that are held up as the best in the series are the ones that embody the formula completely. It’s not that there haven’t been any games that diverged from the norm. After all, Majora’s Mask was a completely weird mix of Zelda and Shenmue that tends to be regarded in hindsight as a divisive experiment, even though it was mechanically similar to Ocarina of Time.

Zelda II, however, is maligned precisely because it threw out the mechanics from the first game in favor of a side-scrolling adventure. It is seen as the black sheep precisely because it is viewed as being too different to be a Zelda game. It is fitting, then, that The Adventure of Link is arguably the most influential game to the series at large and an engagingly offbeat game in its own right.

NES development was a hotbed of experimentation. Designers were throwing things against the wall to see what stuck, often mashing together different gameplay styles. This is why you often saw sequels that were wildly different than their predecessors. Castlevania II, for instance, took the action platforming of the first game and opened the design to non-linear exploration. But much like Zelda, it quickly reverted back to the gameplay style that brought the series to the dance in the first place and abandoned its failed experiment as a mere footnote. Of course, you saw Castlevania return to the non-linear concepts of Simon’s Quest with Symphony of the Night, which was enough of a kick start to help the series endure even today. Zelda, on the other hand, clung to the template established by A Link To The Past even when it was experimenting in Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker.

Meanwhile, Zelda II never gets its day in the sun to evolve into something more polished, as Nintendo never saw fit to give the style a second look. And only a handful of developers outside of Nintendo bothered to try, with Faxanadu and Battle of Olympus being the only notable successes. What would have eventually become its own genre evaporated before the Super Nintendo even gained traction, which is why you see people referring to Zelda II when trying to describe this type of gameplay.

Zelda II cements itself as an outlier right away by recasting overhead segments as a traditional RPG map, random encounters and all. In fact, the general flow of the game mimics the RPG formula almost exactly. The town-dungeon-town pattern you see in most games of the genre is upheld almost perfectly. You still have to clear all the palaces like in the first game, but dungeon items are used mainly as a means to move on to the next part of the map. Magic spells fill the utilitarian niche that items did in the first game, but this too more closely resembles RPG Magic Point systems.

Magic and maps were not the only part of the game that resembled RPGs, though. Zelda II’s most striking mechanic was the fact that you could level up Link’s stats through experience points. Up until this point, you never really saw anything other than hardcore RPGs utilizing a character growth system, let alone a side-scrolling platformer. This was a far cry from the original Zelda, where your power was solely dependent on a few swords of differing power and a bigger shield and set the stage for other games to try leveling systems in genres that didn’t traditionally have them, like Crystalis and Symphony of the Night. Most importantly, it provided the opportunity to skip bosses until you were sufficiently powerful enough, something hinted at in the first game but broadened here. Not only can you wait until you have more life bars, but you can come back to a boss with more attack power, more defense, or more magic spells.

Even the game’s continue structure resembles RPGs like Dragon Quest, though it seems fairly conventional at first blush. You begin with a set amount of lives and losing a life will start you back at the beginning of the room you died in. But if you lose all your lives, you are promptly kicked back to the beginning area. However, all your progress remains. This means that accomplishing certain goals acts as a checkpoint, allowing the player to tread new ground almost immediately. The non-linear nature of the palaces helped immensely, as a key would often be in a completely separate part of the palace than the boss. Dying right after picking up a key meant that the player was free to explore a different portion of the palace without treading familiar ground. Picking up the palace item opened the next section of the overworld, meaning the player could leave and work on another palace, all the while building levels in preparation for a tricky boss. If you really stretch, you can make a vague claim of a roguelike element to the game, as Link loses all unspent experience if he runs out of lives.

It’s pretty clear to see that Zelda’s developers looked at contemporary RPGs with envy. After all, the very sense of exploration and progression that the first game represented was being replicated on a more epic scale than Link’s humble freshman outing. Better still was the fact that RPGs approximated an entire world, something the first Zelda had no claim to. But while it seems like shameless mimickry on the surface, it actually serves to expand the original mission statement of the Zelda series, enriching the setting by actually establishing it as a fully realized world and bringing with it all the benefits of a traditional overworld.

That’s not to say that all of Zelda II’s innovations were aped from role-playing games. It also did some really fun things with combat in the side-scrolling perspective. Namely, it increased the complexity of battling by simply increasing Link’s moveset. The fact that he can now duck means that he can attack from two height levels, something that forms the basis for the flow of combat through the entire game. Enemies begin to employ shields, meaning that you can’t just mindlessly hack away at the enemy. Spells and combat skills help to make battling even more varied. You can attack with projectile fire that flies across the screen, bounce enemy projectiles back at them, or even skip a screen altogether by turning into a fairy and flying off to the next screen. And let’s not forget the down-stab, the special move that is guaranteed to be the most fun you have with combat. Anyone who has played DuckTales knows the joy of bouncing on the head of an enemy over and over.

You would think that the legacy of a black sheep would stop at the game itself, but you’d be wrong in Zelda II’s case. Many of the tropes that exist in the Zelda series began life in The Adventure of Link. The RPG-like overworld ended up forming the basis for the structure of the world in A Link To The Past, setting the tone for the entire series. Where there were once NPCs tucked away in caves there are now vibrant worlds complete with towns, houses, and unique NPC types. Link’s increased versatility in battle thanks to magic and combat skills have also been expanded on, with magic meters making an appearance in many of the sequels along with a greater emphasis on useful combat alternatives in items. And though purists mourn the loss of the pure open ended design of the first game, Zelda II introduced a more focused structure that still left some room for players to decide how to tackle the world. Zelda as we know it would not exist without The Adventure of Link.

And though its game design never blossomed in into its own genre, Zelda II still influenced a handful of 2D games that strived to be more than your average platformer. A handful of side-scrolling games picked up the RPG flag and bent it to their individual wills. Games like Symphony of the Night and Odin Sphere ran with the idea of RPG elements in a 2D environment, but more striking was the unusual perspective Zelda II offered. Metroid proved that you could do more than just move right constantly. In much the same way, Zelda II proved that you could do more than just stick to one perspective or gameplay type. The experimental nature of NES games like Zelda II meant that future games weren’t afraid to follow suit, especially given how many modern games mix and match gameplay with the greatest of ease.

The popular opinion on Zelda II is hopelessly split, but that doesn’t stop it from being an enduringly influential game. The Zelda series at large certainly wouldn’t be what it is today without the developments that The Adventure of Link brought. Its wild experimentation lead developers to take more chances with game design. But removed from history and influence, it’s just an impossibly interesting game with a unique structure that hits a lot of enjoyable notes in one fell swoop.

That it succeeded in the NES era with so many different concepts thrown against the wall is nothing short of amazing.

So what did everyone else think of this classic Zelda game? Discuss in the comments below!

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Majora’s Mask Game of Death

When you thought the experience from Majora’s Mask could not become even more twisted and creepy to this day, you thought wrong. A speculated fan has submitted an in-depth haunting experience he recently had with Majora’s Mask in full detail. To read his (long) story on the matter, visit Zelda Informer. The experience follows the two videos below in which he also provided. Please note this is meant for entertainment purposes only, as it is obviously fake but very interesting nonetheless. Oh and props to whoever gets the name pun in the title of this article.


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Majora’s Mask Time Cycle

Majora's MaskOur affiliate and partner Zelda Dungeon put together a nice article concerning the infamous time cycle aspect from Majora’s Mask. Although this subject can become somewhat controversial, the arguments made are presented well and is definitely a good read for any Majora’s Mask fan.

We all know Majora’s Mask to be a rather infamous Zelda title. Don’t get me wrong, the game is great, but heavily criticized. Why? This is mostly because of the time cycle. Even a lot of people who like the game a lot are frustrated with this fact as well. I, for one like the cycle, it separates it from the other games. On the first half of the game, the cycle lasts for about a half-hour so you can get the Ocarina of Time back faster. Once the second half starts, the time cycle extends to one hour of game play. However, playing the Song of Time backwards will slow time down by 1/3. One hour is actually longer than you think. I usually spend the time to unlock a dungeon, then go back in time and complete it. This did not work sometimes on a player’s first play through though, since the dungeons can be difficult, and the only items that go back in time with you are main items. The dungeon completely resets.
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Featured ZC Material: Ocarina of Time Triforce Rumors

Triforce Zelda 64 Ocarina of TimeI have just recently finished a major portion of a new addition to our Zelda 64 (OoT) content. This first piece of exclusive material includes an archive of the rumors in the quest for the Triforce in Ocarina of Time.

Speculation of physically obtaining the Triforce in Ocarina of Time first struck the fans when a beta screenshot of Link obtaining the full Triforce was released through the internet, magazines and other publications. However, this was a screenshot taken during the development of Zelda 64 and cannot be found in the final version due to that portion of development being a demo version.

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Majora’s Mask: Monster Behind the Mask

Skullkid Majora's MaskThis Majora’s Mask editorial comes from LegendofZelda.com and it theorizes on where the mysterious Majora’s Mask came from and what exactly its purpose is.

Majora’s Mask is arguably the darkest Zelda game to date. From the moment Link appears on the screen, you can tell that Majora’s MaskMajora’s Mask isn’t going to be a nice walk in the park. From the three day system of game play to the long sidequests to the fact that you can murder a NPC, Majora’s Mask includes the darkest themes in Zelda. The main enemy himself, Majora through Skull Kid, has to be the most mysterious and confusing part of the game. Why is Majora in a mask? What is he trying to accomplish besides killing everyone? Does he have any other purpose? This week we delve into the enigma that is Majora’s Mask, and we’ll discuss theories associated with it starting with the ancient tribe.

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E3 2010: Let the Countdown Begin

Today is June 8th, 2010. In exactly one week Nintendo will take the stage at E3 and unveil not only their new portable console (the 3DS) and the Wii vitality sensor, but also their mysterious new MotionPlus-exclusive Zelda game for Wii.

As one more (and probably last) reminder, Nintendo’s media briefing is June 15th at 9:00 a.m. PT. That’s pacific time, so click here to find out exactly when that is in your time zone.

You don’t need to be at E3 in person to experience Nintendo’s announcements as they happen, because Nintendo has setup an official website where you can watch the show live. Just visit http://e3.nintendo.com on June 15th at 9 am PT and you’re good to go! Of course we’ll be reporting all the Zelda news as soon as possible with our own reactions too, so don’t forget to visit Zelda Chronicles that day as well.

To pass the time until some big E3 news or leaks, here’s a few Zelda related news stories from the past week that we didn’t think warranted a full separate post:

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