ScrumpKid
2024
Lethal Company but for people who use the right side of their brain.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 18/20:
To say I beat Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a bit of an exaggeration. Thank the lord for save states because this game is a motherfucker. I thought the original Legend of Zelda was difficult and enemy placement was a bit arbitrary but still a fun time overall. Zelda II, from the very beginning, kicks you in the shins and spits in your face. Whether it be the erratic overworld enemy encounters, the esoteric item usage or retrieval (maybe the manual cleared this up) or the fact that I just can't seem to fucking figure out to consistently hit those god damn iron knuckles. Every single enemy is extremely annoying to deal with. I'm not a huge fan of the level up and magic systems either. All it really resulted in was me grinding before dungeons to get my levels up so I'd stand a chance. At least 3 hours of my 9 hour playthrough was grinding. The dungeons are a series of dead ends and required secret passageways that are easy to miss unless you accidentally stumble upon them. Not that the first Zelda had too many actual puzzles but the game at least made me enjoy experimenting with bombing walls, burning bushes, etc. Zelda II feels like beating your head against a brick wall and then sometimes your head goes through the wall and actually that wall was a secret passageway, didn't you know that? You stupid fucking idiot! You dumb bitch!
However, despite all this, I weirdly do enjoy the combat. If the enemies fought a little more fair, I could see myself really getting into improving at this game. With everything Link can do with his sword in this game, it feels snappy and in player control way more than any other Zelda game. At some points, I found myself having a weird amount of fun with the amount of time the game was telling me to go fuck yourself. I could see Zelda II being fun. You've just gotta be like, REALLY good. And I'm not. I'm dogshit. I also like the music.
Even though I enjoy the gameplay at the most basic level, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a frustrating, overly difficult, esoteric grindfest of a game and absolutely deserves the reputation it has.
To say I beat Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a bit of an exaggeration. Thank the lord for save states because this game is a motherfucker. I thought the original Legend of Zelda was difficult and enemy placement was a bit arbitrary but still a fun time overall. Zelda II, from the very beginning, kicks you in the shins and spits in your face. Whether it be the erratic overworld enemy encounters, the esoteric item usage or retrieval (maybe the manual cleared this up) or the fact that I just can't seem to fucking figure out to consistently hit those god damn iron knuckles. Every single enemy is extremely annoying to deal with. I'm not a huge fan of the level up and magic systems either. All it really resulted in was me grinding before dungeons to get my levels up so I'd stand a chance. At least 3 hours of my 9 hour playthrough was grinding. The dungeons are a series of dead ends and required secret passageways that are easy to miss unless you accidentally stumble upon them. Not that the first Zelda had too many actual puzzles but the game at least made me enjoy experimenting with bombing walls, burning bushes, etc. Zelda II feels like beating your head against a brick wall and then sometimes your head goes through the wall and actually that wall was a secret passageway, didn't you know that? You stupid fucking idiot! You dumb bitch!
However, despite all this, I weirdly do enjoy the combat. If the enemies fought a little more fair, I could see myself really getting into improving at this game. With everything Link can do with his sword in this game, it feels snappy and in player control way more than any other Zelda game. At some points, I found myself having a weird amount of fun with the amount of time the game was telling me to go fuck yourself. I could see Zelda II being fun. You've just gotta be like, REALLY good. And I'm not. I'm dogshit. I also like the music.
Even though I enjoy the gameplay at the most basic level, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a frustrating, overly difficult, esoteric grindfest of a game and absolutely deserves the reputation it has.
1986
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 17/20:
The Legend of Zelda is a game that needs to be experienced in the context of the time it released. I've heard again and again how fun it was to discover secrets and share them with your friends. Figuring out how the world works and making incremental progress to strengthen Link is the whole game. And I'm sure it was really good at that in 1986. Yeah, I used a guide for the whole thing (minus the dungeons), got all the good items immediately and made a beeline for each of the dungeons. And for the most part, the game is still a good time. I think I do appreciate how much it trusts the player to just figure it out. It's not the game's job to make sure you win, it's your job to beat it, despite everything.
And boy, levels 6-9 (7 not so much) are brutal. Which is where most of my frustration comes from. It stops being difficult (good connotation) and starts being an NES game (bad connotation). Death Mountain especially just feels like the devs loaded every single room with wizzrobes for no other reason than to piss me off. It feels like a 10 year old putting 5 Bowsers on screen at once in Mario Maker and calling the level "FINAL BOSS!!!!" The Ganon fight? Horrible.
The Legend of Zelda is a product of its time for better or for worse, and although I mostly still had a good time with it, I'm seething with rage and I do not want to play it ever again.
The Legend of Zelda is a game that needs to be experienced in the context of the time it released. I've heard again and again how fun it was to discover secrets and share them with your friends. Figuring out how the world works and making incremental progress to strengthen Link is the whole game. And I'm sure it was really good at that in 1986. Yeah, I used a guide for the whole thing (minus the dungeons), got all the good items immediately and made a beeline for each of the dungeons. And for the most part, the game is still a good time. I think I do appreciate how much it trusts the player to just figure it out. It's not the game's job to make sure you win, it's your job to beat it, despite everything.
And boy, levels 6-9 (7 not so much) are brutal. Which is where most of my frustration comes from. It stops being difficult (good connotation) and starts being an NES game (bad connotation). Death Mountain especially just feels like the devs loaded every single room with wizzrobes for no other reason than to piss me off. It feels like a 10 year old putting 5 Bowsers on screen at once in Mario Maker and calling the level "FINAL BOSS!!!!" The Ganon fight? Horrible.
The Legend of Zelda is a product of its time for better or for worse, and although I mostly still had a good time with it, I'm seething with rage and I do not want to play it ever again.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 16/20:
If you're playing single player like I was, Tri Force Heroes is rough. The game simply isn't built for a single player, and honestly, why isn't it? Four Swords Adventures created a wonderful 4-player co-op game that could also be equally as enjoyable in a single player setting and Tri Force Heroes seems to just not want to try. Instead of controlling all the links at once, you have to switch to each of them one at a time. Some of the puzzles and combat encounters are damn near impossible playing like this. Your timing has to be PERFECT. Instead of leading to a challenging but fun experience, it's extremely frustrating and feels like you're fighting the game as it throws borderline unfair challenges at you towards the end. In multiplayer, I can imagine the timing of some of the puzzles being more lenient or the combat encounters being a bit more forgiving since enemies will go after all three players instead of just me. The story and characters are goofy and fun, but they're so far removed from the Zelda universe that this may as well not even be a Zelda game. Some of the puzzles and bosses can be fun (I especially enjoyed Prismantus). I also adore the music in this game, it's chock full of bangers.
In multiplayer, I could see Tri Force Heroes being a fair bit of fun. In single player, its an exercise in frustration and is certainly not worth playing.
If you're playing single player like I was, Tri Force Heroes is rough. The game simply isn't built for a single player, and honestly, why isn't it? Four Swords Adventures created a wonderful 4-player co-op game that could also be equally as enjoyable in a single player setting and Tri Force Heroes seems to just not want to try. Instead of controlling all the links at once, you have to switch to each of them one at a time. Some of the puzzles and combat encounters are damn near impossible playing like this. Your timing has to be PERFECT. Instead of leading to a challenging but fun experience, it's extremely frustrating and feels like you're fighting the game as it throws borderline unfair challenges at you towards the end. In multiplayer, I can imagine the timing of some of the puzzles being more lenient or the combat encounters being a bit more forgiving since enemies will go after all three players instead of just me. The story and characters are goofy and fun, but they're so far removed from the Zelda universe that this may as well not even be a Zelda game. Some of the puzzles and bosses can be fun (I especially enjoyed Prismantus). I also adore the music in this game, it's chock full of bangers.
In multiplayer, I could see Tri Force Heroes being a fair bit of fun. In single player, its an exercise in frustration and is certainly not worth playing.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 15/20:
A Link Between Worlds works remarkably well as a direct sequel to A Link to the Past and provides a Zelda experience that's entirely unique. Once you reach Lorule, the game just shrugs and says "yeah, go wherever you want, I'm not a cop." Being free to tackle the dungeons in any order you choose and having the items be unlocked through a shop rather than in dungeons does wonders for the dungeon design. In my opinion, having the items and dungeons work this way allows for the most free-form, puzzley, fun dungeons to explore. In a way, it reminds me of Breath of the Wild's design in that "every direction is the right direction." Even though each dungeon isn't necessarily tied to an item, the dungeons still have strong identities and fantastic theming, even if they're nearly all borrowing from A Link to the Past. Puzzling out these dungeons is absolutely the best part of this game. Not having dungeons to rely on, the items themselves lack a bit of identity, I think. For example, beyond the house of gales, I used the tornado rod maybe once? I didn't feel much incentive to use my entire arsenal like I did in ALttP. While part of me enjoys how much of A Link Between World's identity is owed to A Link to the Past, it also lacks some identity because of it, which is probably why I forget about this game a lot. The music is great, the story is great and the wall merging mechanic is wonderful. It's over pretty quick but it's so much fun to blast through I don't care.
I love A Link Between Worlds and how its non-linear structure lends to engaging dungeon design even if it feels a bit lopsided at points.
A Link Between Worlds works remarkably well as a direct sequel to A Link to the Past and provides a Zelda experience that's entirely unique. Once you reach Lorule, the game just shrugs and says "yeah, go wherever you want, I'm not a cop." Being free to tackle the dungeons in any order you choose and having the items be unlocked through a shop rather than in dungeons does wonders for the dungeon design. In my opinion, having the items and dungeons work this way allows for the most free-form, puzzley, fun dungeons to explore. In a way, it reminds me of Breath of the Wild's design in that "every direction is the right direction." Even though each dungeon isn't necessarily tied to an item, the dungeons still have strong identities and fantastic theming, even if they're nearly all borrowing from A Link to the Past. Puzzling out these dungeons is absolutely the best part of this game. Not having dungeons to rely on, the items themselves lack a bit of identity, I think. For example, beyond the house of gales, I used the tornado rod maybe once? I didn't feel much incentive to use my entire arsenal like I did in ALttP. While part of me enjoys how much of A Link Between World's identity is owed to A Link to the Past, it also lacks some identity because of it, which is probably why I forget about this game a lot. The music is great, the story is great and the wall merging mechanic is wonderful. It's over pretty quick but it's so much fun to blast through I don't care.
I love A Link Between Worlds and how its non-linear structure lends to engaging dungeon design even if it feels a bit lopsided at points.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 14/20:
A few months ago, I beat Oracle of Seasons for the first time, and it kicked my ass. Maybe it's that I've played 13 other Zelda games before this and I was taking advantage of the linked game mechanics but it felt like a cakewalk this time around. I had a much better time with it the first go-around, but still found a lot to enjoy playing through it again as a linked game and completing the duology. I genuinely love how the two games interact and it makes for a unique experience playing the oracle games back to back. It makes for a really cool finale fight as well. I think I prefer Ages over Seasons but they're pretty similar in quality overall. Both have highs and lows, but Seasons feels a lot more even throughout, and as a result, a little more bland. None of the dungeons really stand out to me. I think an unfortunate symptom of playing the Oracle games back to back is that a lot of the dungeons from both games start to blend together into a gameboy dungeon soup. I couldn't tell you what item I found in the Dancing Dragon dungeon and I played that today. The rod of seasons is a good mechanic, but not as interesting as the time travel in Ages. Oh and the music in these games? Not good!
I like this game, but I find myself having very little to say about Oracle of Seasons when it comes down to it. I don't think it does anything particularly better or different than its counterpart or any other game in the Zelda franchise.
A few months ago, I beat Oracle of Seasons for the first time, and it kicked my ass. Maybe it's that I've played 13 other Zelda games before this and I was taking advantage of the linked game mechanics but it felt like a cakewalk this time around. I had a much better time with it the first go-around, but still found a lot to enjoy playing through it again as a linked game and completing the duology. I genuinely love how the two games interact and it makes for a unique experience playing the oracle games back to back. It makes for a really cool finale fight as well. I think I prefer Ages over Seasons but they're pretty similar in quality overall. Both have highs and lows, but Seasons feels a lot more even throughout, and as a result, a little more bland. None of the dungeons really stand out to me. I think an unfortunate symptom of playing the Oracle games back to back is that a lot of the dungeons from both games start to blend together into a gameboy dungeon soup. I couldn't tell you what item I found in the Dancing Dragon dungeon and I played that today. The rod of seasons is a good mechanic, but not as interesting as the time travel in Ages. Oh and the music in these games? Not good!
I like this game, but I find myself having very little to say about Oracle of Seasons when it comes down to it. I don't think it does anything particularly better or different than its counterpart or any other game in the Zelda franchise.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 13/20:
Honestly, I'm pretty torn on Oracle of Ages. There's a lot I love about the game. I think the dungeons and bosses are spectacular from a puzzle-focused Zelda game. For my tastes, nothing was overly obtuse or difficult, but it was all perfectly challenging. I really really enjoyed these as they made me think far more than a typical Zelda dungeon would. Veran is a fun villain as well, I quite enjoyed the story, simple as it may be. The overworld and the time spent between the dungeons is a bit of a mixed bag, however. The Harp of Ages iterates and improves on the light world/dark world concept from A Link to the Past. I love how it's used to progress through the world. What I don't really enjoy is the sequences of going to a place and tediously walking back and forth between screens to trade items or play goron minigames or solve the fairies' forest maze. These all vaguely annoyed me and felt like they were wasting my time instead of making me think outside the box. The overworld isn't exactly packed with interesting things to discover this time around either. I love the weird and wacky items in this game, but dear lord I hate the mermaid controls so much.
I can't imagine Oracle of Ages being for everybody, but for me this is a super fun puzzle game that made me feel like a genius- with a good amount of tedium thrown in for good measure.
Honestly, I'm pretty torn on Oracle of Ages. There's a lot I love about the game. I think the dungeons and bosses are spectacular from a puzzle-focused Zelda game. For my tastes, nothing was overly obtuse or difficult, but it was all perfectly challenging. I really really enjoyed these as they made me think far more than a typical Zelda dungeon would. Veran is a fun villain as well, I quite enjoyed the story, simple as it may be. The overworld and the time spent between the dungeons is a bit of a mixed bag, however. The Harp of Ages iterates and improves on the light world/dark world concept from A Link to the Past. I love how it's used to progress through the world. What I don't really enjoy is the sequences of going to a place and tediously walking back and forth between screens to trade items or play goron minigames or solve the fairies' forest maze. These all vaguely annoyed me and felt like they were wasting my time instead of making me think outside the box. The overworld isn't exactly packed with interesting things to discover this time around either. I love the weird and wacky items in this game, but dear lord I hate the mermaid controls so much.
I can't imagine Oracle of Ages being for everybody, but for me this is a super fun puzzle game that made me feel like a genius- with a good amount of tedium thrown in for good measure.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 12/20:
If Twilight Princess is my depression comfort game, Link's Awakening is my cozy comfort game. The emotions it elicits from me are so hyper-specific and something no other game can do. I love this world, its goofy characters and how compact it all is. It's a small adventure in the Zelda canon, but that makes it one of my favorites. While A Link to the Past has a ton of well-designed dungeons, the hardware limitations (I assume) forced these dungeons into being the most tightly designed, compact lil puzzle boxes ever. Although the first couple dungeons are baby mode, the last four are some of my favorites in the series. There are some weird requirements for progression that the game doesn't do a very good job at conveying to you, and even on my fourth playthrough, I forgot about the rooster.
I debated for a long time whether to play the original or the remake, but settled on the remake for the enhanced music and atmosphere alone (although having a dedicated shield and Pegasus boots button helps as well). I'm willing to look past how iffy the game runs (and Dampe's half-baked Zelda maker (I'm really not a fan)) for arguably the best soundtrack of any Zelda game ever. I also love the animated portions that bookend the game.
Link's Awakening is an extremely dense, short and sweet Zelda adventure that I could replay forever.
If Twilight Princess is my depression comfort game, Link's Awakening is my cozy comfort game. The emotions it elicits from me are so hyper-specific and something no other game can do. I love this world, its goofy characters and how compact it all is. It's a small adventure in the Zelda canon, but that makes it one of my favorites. While A Link to the Past has a ton of well-designed dungeons, the hardware limitations (I assume) forced these dungeons into being the most tightly designed, compact lil puzzle boxes ever. Although the first couple dungeons are baby mode, the last four are some of my favorites in the series. There are some weird requirements for progression that the game doesn't do a very good job at conveying to you, and even on my fourth playthrough, I forgot about the rooster.
I debated for a long time whether to play the original or the remake, but settled on the remake for the enhanced music and atmosphere alone (although having a dedicated shield and Pegasus boots button helps as well). I'm willing to look past how iffy the game runs (and Dampe's half-baked Zelda maker (I'm really not a fan)) for arguably the best soundtrack of any Zelda game ever. I also love the animated portions that bookend the game.
Link's Awakening is an extremely dense, short and sweet Zelda adventure that I could replay forever.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 11/20:
I've tried beating A Link to the Past 5 or 6 times now, and never really got into it before, even going as far as saying it hadn't aged well and it wasn't for me. I was super wrong, this game fucking rules. If there's one thing that I have absolutely no patience for in games, it's boss runbacks. It's why I can't get into soulslike games (Elden Ring not included) and why I couldn't get into A Link to the Past. Using save states to bypass the horrible slog of going through the same rooms over and over again finally made this game incredibly fun instead of frustrating. I felt, even though I did this, the game was overall quite challenging, which was great. The overworld is small and simple. I never felt overwhelmed and the whole thing felt intuitive to explore. The process of exploring the overworld and finding useful upgrades in places you don't expect is magic, and this game rewards you for being curious about its world more than any other Zelda I've played. There are TWELVE dungeons in A Link to the Past, and they're ALL good. They all feel so free-form in how you approach them and after playing Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, it's a breath of fresh air. It doesn't do anything too unique in the face of every other Zelda game except accomplishing being arguably the definitive Zelda experience.
I finally understand why this is many people's favorite Zelda game and I'm proud to have finally completed it in a way that was fun for me.
I've tried beating A Link to the Past 5 or 6 times now, and never really got into it before, even going as far as saying it hadn't aged well and it wasn't for me. I was super wrong, this game fucking rules. If there's one thing that I have absolutely no patience for in games, it's boss runbacks. It's why I can't get into soulslike games (Elden Ring not included) and why I couldn't get into A Link to the Past. Using save states to bypass the horrible slog of going through the same rooms over and over again finally made this game incredibly fun instead of frustrating. I felt, even though I did this, the game was overall quite challenging, which was great. The overworld is small and simple. I never felt overwhelmed and the whole thing felt intuitive to explore. The process of exploring the overworld and finding useful upgrades in places you don't expect is magic, and this game rewards you for being curious about its world more than any other Zelda I've played. There are TWELVE dungeons in A Link to the Past, and they're ALL good. They all feel so free-form in how you approach them and after playing Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, it's a breath of fresh air. It doesn't do anything too unique in the face of every other Zelda game except accomplishing being arguably the definitive Zelda experience.
I finally understand why this is many people's favorite Zelda game and I'm proud to have finally completed it in a way that was fun for me.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 10/20:
Spirit Tracks is a direct improvement to Phantom Hourglass in almost every way, but not by too much. The dungeons are more substantial, the music is stronger and the story is more compelling (and Linebeck III is here). I love the concept and feel of this world. Chugging around in the train, at a base level, feels great. I love to choo choo and go fast! It doesn’t take advantage of the DS nearly as much as its predecessor barring excessive use of the microphone to blow. Overall, it still ends up feeling a little bit meager as a Zelda game. The Tower of Spirits, while having some of the best puzzles in the game, require you to use Zelda. She ends up being a really interesting puzzle mechanic in some places while most of the time she made the dungeon drag with how slow she controls. The train is probably technically better than Phantom Hourglass’s boat, but it takes far too long to traverse the world, especially when you’re retreading the same tracks over and over. Any shortcuts must be unlocked through delivering people or materials in a sidequest. The sidequests? Not fun.
While I do overall enjoy Spirit Tracks more than its DS counterpart, it’s more about that it has a clearly defined identity than anything spectacular it does gameplay-wise.
Spirit Tracks is a direct improvement to Phantom Hourglass in almost every way, but not by too much. The dungeons are more substantial, the music is stronger and the story is more compelling (and Linebeck III is here). I love the concept and feel of this world. Chugging around in the train, at a base level, feels great. I love to choo choo and go fast! It doesn’t take advantage of the DS nearly as much as its predecessor barring excessive use of the microphone to blow. Overall, it still ends up feeling a little bit meager as a Zelda game. The Tower of Spirits, while having some of the best puzzles in the game, require you to use Zelda. She ends up being a really interesting puzzle mechanic in some places while most of the time she made the dungeon drag with how slow she controls. The train is probably technically better than Phantom Hourglass’s boat, but it takes far too long to traverse the world, especially when you’re retreading the same tracks over and over. Any shortcuts must be unlocked through delivering people or materials in a sidequest. The sidequests? Not fun.
While I do overall enjoy Spirit Tracks more than its DS counterpart, it’s more about that it has a clearly defined identity than anything spectacular it does gameplay-wise.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 9/20:
It's been a decade since the last time I played Phantom Hourglass, and my memories of it were always pretty hazy. I went into this game hoping to be pleasantly surprised since its reputation is that of one of the "lesser" Zelda titles. Unfortunately, I was not pleasantly surprised, and the game is, in fact, one of the lesser Zeldas. It's still fun to play, of course, but it comes up short in pretty much every area. The dungeons all end up feeling quite bland, linear and uncreative. Most of the bosses I forget immediately after beating them. The overworld feels held back by its island concept rather than bolstered, like in Wind Waker. The story is a smaller one with your tasks feeling more like, well, tasks, than part of the progression of the story. Although Linebeck does get a shoutout for being one of my favorite characters in a Zelda game. Sometimes the DS is used in very creative and fun ways. Pretty much anytime the two screens are utilized is fun. I especially enjoy when you have to close the DS to imprint a marking onto the other screen. But most of the time, it feels held back by the touch screen being used for movement, attacking, item usage and menu naviation. (I especially hated when it made me yell into the microphone, I played most of this on a plane so people around me weren't very happy) It all verges on gimmicky and is a tad imprecise, especially during combat. But despite getting hit constantly because of this, I was able to breeze through the game easily. And the Temple of the Ocean King is pretty much as bad as everyone says it is. It's not particularly fun to play through the first time and there's not enough substantial sequence breaking with later items to make it interesting on multiple playthroughs.
It's pretty clear why my memories were foggy about the details of this game. It's a relatively forgettable Zelda experience. Much like the world of the Ocean King, now that I'm finished playing, it's already fading from memory.
It's been a decade since the last time I played Phantom Hourglass, and my memories of it were always pretty hazy. I went into this game hoping to be pleasantly surprised since its reputation is that of one of the "lesser" Zelda titles. Unfortunately, I was not pleasantly surprised, and the game is, in fact, one of the lesser Zeldas. It's still fun to play, of course, but it comes up short in pretty much every area. The dungeons all end up feeling quite bland, linear and uncreative. Most of the bosses I forget immediately after beating them. The overworld feels held back by its island concept rather than bolstered, like in Wind Waker. The story is a smaller one with your tasks feeling more like, well, tasks, than part of the progression of the story. Although Linebeck does get a shoutout for being one of my favorite characters in a Zelda game. Sometimes the DS is used in very creative and fun ways. Pretty much anytime the two screens are utilized is fun. I especially enjoy when you have to close the DS to imprint a marking onto the other screen. But most of the time, it feels held back by the touch screen being used for movement, attacking, item usage and menu naviation. (I especially hated when it made me yell into the microphone, I played most of this on a plane so people around me weren't very happy) It all verges on gimmicky and is a tad imprecise, especially during combat. But despite getting hit constantly because of this, I was able to breeze through the game easily. And the Temple of the Ocean King is pretty much as bad as everyone says it is. It's not particularly fun to play through the first time and there's not enough substantial sequence breaking with later items to make it interesting on multiple playthroughs.
It's pretty clear why my memories were foggy about the details of this game. It's a relatively forgettable Zelda experience. Much like the world of the Ocean King, now that I'm finished playing, it's already fading from memory.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 8/20:
The Wind Waker is a game I've played through several times. I think a large part of the enjoyment I get from Wind Waker is the exploration. The first few times I played this game, I had a blast exploring every island, filling out my sea chart and just getting lost in the great sea. It's a magical experience your first few times through. Now that I'm on playthrough 5(?), I know where everything I need to get is. I'm no longer exploring, I'm just kind of doing. Without the fresh joy of exploration and discovery, the game feels a little small. It's not as robust as other Zelda games, at least in the core content. The dungeons are some of the weakest in the series. The Earth and Wind temples are the only things that feel like full dungeons in my opinion. There was a lot of times during the Triforce quest and the final dungeon where I found myself saying "oh okay, I've just got to fight a bunch of guys again." The overworld might be the best in the series, but everything around it felt lacking this time around. Unlike Twilight Princess, which still kept me engaged, even on my 12th(?) playthrough of the game due to its great core design in the dungeons and lategame pacing, this one left me feeling like something was lost in the replays. I don't think these things detract from the fact that this is still a wonderful time, especially on your first or second playthrough. I still love this game. It's charming as hell, all the characters are fun to look at and talk to, the music is great and the story ends so well.
If I could erase my memory of any game and play it for the first time, Wind Waker would be that game. Unfortunately, it loses some of the je ne sais quoi on multiple playthroughs.
The Wind Waker is a game I've played through several times. I think a large part of the enjoyment I get from Wind Waker is the exploration. The first few times I played this game, I had a blast exploring every island, filling out my sea chart and just getting lost in the great sea. It's a magical experience your first few times through. Now that I'm on playthrough 5(?), I know where everything I need to get is. I'm no longer exploring, I'm just kind of doing. Without the fresh joy of exploration and discovery, the game feels a little small. It's not as robust as other Zelda games, at least in the core content. The dungeons are some of the weakest in the series. The Earth and Wind temples are the only things that feel like full dungeons in my opinion. There was a lot of times during the Triforce quest and the final dungeon where I found myself saying "oh okay, I've just got to fight a bunch of guys again." The overworld might be the best in the series, but everything around it felt lacking this time around. Unlike Twilight Princess, which still kept me engaged, even on my 12th(?) playthrough of the game due to its great core design in the dungeons and lategame pacing, this one left me feeling like something was lost in the replays. I don't think these things detract from the fact that this is still a wonderful time, especially on your first or second playthrough. I still love this game. It's charming as hell, all the characters are fun to look at and talk to, the music is great and the story ends so well.
If I could erase my memory of any game and play it for the first time, Wind Waker would be that game. Unfortunately, it loses some of the je ne sais quoi on multiple playthroughs.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 7/20:
I had never played this one before, and Four Swords Adventures surprised me a lot. Coming from Four Swords, I wasn't looking forward to playing this, but this is just a purely fun experience. Condensing 2D Zelda into a focused, segmented level-by-level game creates a beautifully paced, wholly fun experience. Playing single-player might not be the way the game is meant to be played, but it works remarkably well and using the four links in puzzles and combat is a lot of fun. Speaking of puzzles, there were a lot more than I was expecting that really required some out-of-the-box thinking. I especially enjoy the levels that are a condensed area that you have to talk to people and trade weapons to progress through. Pretty much every level was fun, the bosses were unique and enjoyable, even when borrowed from Wind Waker. My only real complaint is that you're not going to get anything terribly interesting in the story or the locales offered. It's pretty standard Zelda fare. And it's pretty easy, since the Force Fairies are completely broken.
It feels really good to thoroughly enjoy something that's as fun and rewarding to play as this. I only wish I had played Four Swords Adventures sooner. I was missing out.
I had never played this one before, and Four Swords Adventures surprised me a lot. Coming from Four Swords, I wasn't looking forward to playing this, but this is just a purely fun experience. Condensing 2D Zelda into a focused, segmented level-by-level game creates a beautifully paced, wholly fun experience. Playing single-player might not be the way the game is meant to be played, but it works remarkably well and using the four links in puzzles and combat is a lot of fun. Speaking of puzzles, there were a lot more than I was expecting that really required some out-of-the-box thinking. I especially enjoy the levels that are a condensed area that you have to talk to people and trade weapons to progress through. Pretty much every level was fun, the bosses were unique and enjoyable, even when borrowed from Wind Waker. My only real complaint is that you're not going to get anything terribly interesting in the story or the locales offered. It's pretty standard Zelda fare. And it's pretty easy, since the Force Fairies are completely broken.
It feels really good to thoroughly enjoy something that's as fun and rewarding to play as this. I only wish I had played Four Swords Adventures sooner. I was missing out.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 6.5/20:
Link's Crossbow Training boldly asks: what if the shooting gallery from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask was fun?
I expected to just play through each stage once and call it a day but I was enjoying myself so much that I went ahead and got a platinum medal on all the levels. This game rocks and it's a shame more people haven't played it.
Link's Crossbow Training boldly asks: what if the shooting gallery from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask was fun?
I expected to just play through each stage once and call it a day but I was enjoying myself so much that I went ahead and got a platinum medal on all the levels. This game rocks and it's a shame more people haven't played it.
Beating every Zelda in timeline order 6/20:
Twilight Princess was my first Zelda game and the one that I've beaten the most. By a lot. I love this game. After returning to it with a fully developed brain, it's not everything I'm looking for in a Zelda game, but it's damn near close. This is by far the easiest Zelda game I've played so far, and although all the bosses LOOK super cool, they are some of the most brain-dead easy sequences in the game, excluding the final boss sequence. The game takes a bit to get going in general, having you run back and forth in Faron Woods for like, 2 hours. Once you're in it though, the meat of the game is all great stuff. I love nearly all the dungeons in the game, and although they're not always difficult, they're always fun to work through. Their theming and designs are some of the best in the series. I still pick up on new things every time I experience the story, which speaks to its longevity. And I like the vibes. These are great vibes, all around. Makes me wanna be under a big blanket and play in a dark room until 3 am.
Twilight Princess is without a doubt the most nostalgic Zelda game for me, and anything I have to say about it probably doesn't hold up under scrutiny. But I fuckin love this game.
Twilight Princess was my first Zelda game and the one that I've beaten the most. By a lot. I love this game. After returning to it with a fully developed brain, it's not everything I'm looking for in a Zelda game, but it's damn near close. This is by far the easiest Zelda game I've played so far, and although all the bosses LOOK super cool, they are some of the most brain-dead easy sequences in the game, excluding the final boss sequence. The game takes a bit to get going in general, having you run back and forth in Faron Woods for like, 2 hours. Once you're in it though, the meat of the game is all great stuff. I love nearly all the dungeons in the game, and although they're not always difficult, they're always fun to work through. Their theming and designs are some of the best in the series. I still pick up on new things every time I experience the story, which speaks to its longevity. And I like the vibes. These are great vibes, all around. Makes me wanna be under a big blanket and play in a dark room until 3 am.
Twilight Princess is without a doubt the most nostalgic Zelda game for me, and anything I have to say about it probably doesn't hold up under scrutiny. But I fuckin love this game.