HeroOfTim
Absolutely baller soundtrack, really cool presentation and atmosphere in some sections as well. Has some problems but it's a fun time.
The first half of this game is pathetically easy and is kind of a boring slog, but the second half... actually kinda goes hard. It's not amazing or anything but the bosses after the halfway point are actually really good. For the whole duration, the game is visually stunning, with immensely detailed environments making for some of my favorite atmosphere in the series, and the soundtrack is like... one of the best in the entire series. That first half really does drag it down overall though.
Probably the most fun I've had in this series since Ecclesia. It's not perfect, it's a little bit too easy for my liking, but man it's so fun nonetheless and does a ton of things right like the controls and synergy between the characters. Solidifies the DS as THE best set of games in the series. Probably the best soundtrack of the 3 as well.
Also it is cute. Cute game that is cute and makes you go ":)"
Also it is cute. Cute game that is cute and makes you go ":)"
1999
By far my hottest take of the series. I'm slightly biased towards the N64 but this game is legitimately perfectly fine. It's definitely a bit janky and the combat is terrible, but I genuinely don't see why this game gets all the hate over other games of the era with the exact same issues. And let's not ignore the things that this game does well. The atmosphere is the best in the series, full stop. Like, it's amazing, and it's only enhanced further by the soundtrack (which is beautiful at times). That's the game's main appeal and I'm personally a huge sucker for good atmosphere, so I enjoyed my time here and expect Legacy of Darkness to fix the other issues.
As most people have already said, this game is just CV64 but better. Henry's mode feels a bit tacked on but Cornell is pretty good and the two from the previous game are the same with some updates to make them a bit better. This game gives you all that delicious atmosphere and music from 64 in a context that actually controls well and has a decent camera.
Not much to say. It's a fun time. Also Christopher is the best Belmont thank u.
I've played worse games, to be completely honest. It's still terrible but I mean, I would rather play this over Castlevania Legends. At least this game is about 30 minutes long. At least this game actually has kinda nice backgrounds! Also, at least this game actually makes me feel something. Playing this game in this current day and age of the internet is a surreal out of body experience that everybody should go through.
1986
(Replay) I have begun my replays of the series, and the first game... is not good! The dungeons aren't actually too terribly designed (besides Death Mountain which is ridiculous) but everything else here sucks ass under the condition that you don't use a guide. It is quite enjoyable with a walkthrough, and there's an undeniable sense of adventure and wonder in this world, but yeah nobody can defend the bombable walls, burnable bushes, etc etc etc and it amounts to a game that once was great but has not aged well.
(Replay) Always thought this game was mid and overrated, but on this replay I enjoyed it more than I ever have. The dungeons are pretty good, but the best thing here is the exploration in the overworlds. It's so much fun. Some people dislike how the game hides required items in out of the way locations you're never told about but I like that personally, I love being forced to explore and find stuff on my own and I see no reason why you wouldn't want to do that in a Zelda game. I don't care for the soundfont but the OST was undeniably pretty influential as it started so many iconic recurring songs.
(Replay) I genuinely enjoy the first half of this game. It's a pretty well designed NES game. Compare it to something like Castlevania 2, the secrets actually have sufficient hints (for the most part...), the palaces are fairly well designed... but after the first half I lose so much interest. It's not even that hard. It's just boring and I wished it would be over sooner. It's definitely better than Zelda 1 but I ain't replaying it anytime soon.
This review contains spoilers
(Replay) I don't agree with the take that this story is meant to question Link's morals, or that he is the villain. But I do agree that saying goodbye to Koholint Island is so much easier said than done. It's a beautiful place and Link meets many wonderful people, improving their lives. But no matter how happy dreams are, it can't stay like this forever. You always have to wake up, even if it's the hardest thing in the world for you to do. There is intrinsic carefree bliss in dreams, but sooner or later we all have to face our real lives, no matter how hard they may be.
"Verily, it be the nature of dreams to end!"
Oh and the dungeons are great too. And holy shit I forgot how hard Tal Tal Heights bangs.
"Verily, it be the nature of dreams to end!"
Oh and the dungeons are great too. And holy shit I forgot how hard Tal Tal Heights bangs.
This review contains spoilers
(Replay) When a game has this good a story, one of the best dungeons in the series, and an absolutely masterclass ost, it's a sight to behold.
The Hero of Time, further elevated by Majora's Mask, is far and away my favorite silent protagonist of all time. There's a reason my username is what it is. And furthermore, these two games combined are probably my favorite coming of age story of all time as well. The arc that Link undergoes in this game teaches that maturity is not solely dependent on your age or appearance. Forced to skip most of his impressionable years, Link has to undergo adulthood with the mind of a child and learn what it truly means to grow up. The Sages represent various challenges of adolescence, the situations Link finds himself in force him into responsibilities he shouldn't be ready for yet. And after all his experiences, he matures as a person despite reverting back to the body of a child, and the guardian that represented childhood innocence flies away forever to symbolize this. And let's not forget how well the game sets up Ganondorf's character and the rest of the timeline. The final boss is also still stunning to this day and gives me chills every time.
And yeah Water Temple is goated, no questions asked.
The Hero of Time, further elevated by Majora's Mask, is far and away my favorite silent protagonist of all time. There's a reason my username is what it is. And furthermore, these two games combined are probably my favorite coming of age story of all time as well. The arc that Link undergoes in this game teaches that maturity is not solely dependent on your age or appearance. Forced to skip most of his impressionable years, Link has to undergo adulthood with the mind of a child and learn what it truly means to grow up. The Sages represent various challenges of adolescence, the situations Link finds himself in force him into responsibilities he shouldn't be ready for yet. And after all his experiences, he matures as a person despite reverting back to the body of a child, and the guardian that represented childhood innocence flies away forever to symbolize this. And let's not forget how well the game sets up Ganondorf's character and the rest of the timeline. The final boss is also still stunning to this day and gives me chills every time.
And yeah Water Temple is goated, no questions asked.
This review contains spoilers
(Replay) Man, I knew I loved this game, but I didn't know I loved it this much.
To get it out of the way, this game has easily the best gameplay in the entire series to me, it's not even close. We'll see if TotK tops it (I doubt it will) but this game has three fantastic dungeons (Great Bay and Stone Tower have been my top 2 in the whole series for a while now, and they probably still are), fun movement, fun minigames, and the game as a whole is a phenomenal exercise in routing that, in my opinion, make it the absolute best 100% run in all of gaming (I 100% every playthrough). Time management IRL is like my favorite thing ever, this game was literally made for me.
But the gameplay isn't even half the reason I love this game. The story is both a masterful continuation of OoT's themes and is also great on its own. Link went through a journey with a child's mind in an adult's body, learning what it truly means to mature and grow up, and now Link has an adult's mind in a child's body. The details of him being able to use all the adult weapons that he couldn't as a child in the last game (like the hookshot and hero's shield) are great at showing his maturity, but he also has to deal with adult responsibilities and fears that he can no longer run away from. We all wish we could go back to those days where we had no real worries or stress (just like how Link in this game is trying to find Navi, the one who represented his carefree childhood innocence and who has now left him). The sad truth is that we can't just run away from or ignore our problems forever (the unstoppable force that is the moon representing this fact on top of the fear of inevitable death), but we can put in the effort to live our lives so that when our fate catches up with us, we won't have any regrets. As so many of the wonderful story moments and side quests in this game try to tell us, strengthening your relationships with those you love is always worth it in the end.
Clock Town has the most humanized and realistic NPCs in all of gaming to me and learning about how much of their lives they've built up, how intricate their schedules and relationships with others are, only to have to watch their varying reactions and responses to all of that being washed away in a single moment during the haunting final hours segments is one of the most immersive experiences I've had in a game in a long time. Even putting aside Clock Town, there are so many tiny details packed into the NPCs of this world, so many interactions and conversations you'll discover for the first time on each playthrough. Some of them gave me chills.
"By doing one good deed, a child becomes an adult." The line that bridges the gap between OoT and MM.
I'm not used to writing reviews as long as this, but the ultimate point is that with great gameplay and an amazing story, MM has always been, and always will be my favorite Zelda, and I'm ranking it higher on my top 10 immediately.
To get it out of the way, this game has easily the best gameplay in the entire series to me, it's not even close. We'll see if TotK tops it (I doubt it will) but this game has three fantastic dungeons (Great Bay and Stone Tower have been my top 2 in the whole series for a while now, and they probably still are), fun movement, fun minigames, and the game as a whole is a phenomenal exercise in routing that, in my opinion, make it the absolute best 100% run in all of gaming (I 100% every playthrough). Time management IRL is like my favorite thing ever, this game was literally made for me.
But the gameplay isn't even half the reason I love this game. The story is both a masterful continuation of OoT's themes and is also great on its own. Link went through a journey with a child's mind in an adult's body, learning what it truly means to mature and grow up, and now Link has an adult's mind in a child's body. The details of him being able to use all the adult weapons that he couldn't as a child in the last game (like the hookshot and hero's shield) are great at showing his maturity, but he also has to deal with adult responsibilities and fears that he can no longer run away from. We all wish we could go back to those days where we had no real worries or stress (just like how Link in this game is trying to find Navi, the one who represented his carefree childhood innocence and who has now left him). The sad truth is that we can't just run away from or ignore our problems forever (the unstoppable force that is the moon representing this fact on top of the fear of inevitable death), but we can put in the effort to live our lives so that when our fate catches up with us, we won't have any regrets. As so many of the wonderful story moments and side quests in this game try to tell us, strengthening your relationships with those you love is always worth it in the end.
Clock Town has the most humanized and realistic NPCs in all of gaming to me and learning about how much of their lives they've built up, how intricate their schedules and relationships with others are, only to have to watch their varying reactions and responses to all of that being washed away in a single moment during the haunting final hours segments is one of the most immersive experiences I've had in a game in a long time. Even putting aside Clock Town, there are so many tiny details packed into the NPCs of this world, so many interactions and conversations you'll discover for the first time on each playthrough. Some of them gave me chills.
"By doing one good deed, a child becomes an adult." The line that bridges the gap between OoT and MM.
I'm not used to writing reviews as long as this, but the ultimate point is that with great gameplay and an amazing story, MM has always been, and always will be my favorite Zelda, and I'm ranking it higher on my top 10 immediately.
The Oracle games are some of the only Zelda games I haven't beaten before. The reason being I thought they were mid and boring, but giving it a much fairer shake this time, I actually really enjoyed it. Every single dungeon is good to great, with some great puzzles and fantastic navigation, plus a few really unique dungeon items used in creative ways. It makes me really excited for Ages, since I hear that game focuses more on the puzzles.
The overworld exploration is also extremely fun with the season switching, and is perfectly nonlinear without ever dipping into "what the fuck do I do" territory like Link's Awakening does at times. Overall, not an amazing game or anything, especially right after finishing two of my favorite games of all time, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.
The overworld exploration is also extremely fun with the season switching, and is perfectly nonlinear without ever dipping into "what the fuck do I do" territory like Link's Awakening does at times. Overall, not an amazing game or anything, especially right after finishing two of my favorite games of all time, but I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.
I have genuinely no idea why everyone says this game is more focused on puzzles than Seasons, in the slightest. There's a couple okay dungeons in the second half of the game but everything else about this game was a linear snoozefest I really didn't feel like playing. The puzzles and overworld design never get anywhere close to the creativity and depth that Seasons consistently churned out, which really surprised me as these games came out on the same day. The music was way worse than Seasons too. The story is better but that's not saying a whole lot.
Better than Zelda 1, I guess, but this game is what I thought the Oracle games were before I had played them fully.
Better than Zelda 1, I guess, but this game is what I thought the Oracle games were before I had played them fully.