What games are being covered?
The Legend of Zelda
Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
What is this and why is this a thing?
I really like Zelda games. While some games didn't stick the landing for me, various games in the series have often been among my favorites for their respective generations. After having some discussions with some friends regarding my issues for Breath of the Wild, I was convinced to do something that seems crazy, but which I feel will become a fun exercise: play through the whole console Zelda series, start to finish, in an attempt to trace a through line from the first Zelda game to Breath of the Wild. I think this is an interesting experiment for a number of reasons: it lets me play some of the older Zelda games, which I have not had the chance to so far (and playing the older NES games today as a newcomer, but still a fan of the series, leads to an interesting perspective); it lets me replay some of my older favorites, and see how well they hold up; and finally, it lets me recontextualize Breath of the Wild as a game, and lets me try to assess it distanced from my expectations from the game around its launch, and hopefully better appreciate the progression of the series to where it is now.
So: I am going to be playing through the whole series, from the NES games down to the Switch. Only console games for now: the handheld games are often divergent and parallel, so they don't fit into the larger purview for this marathon anyway, and also, playing through 19 games would have driven me crazy. Each thread will be a lttp style topic on the whole game (so full spoilers) and have each game build upon the last (so only retrospective analysis, BotW can be compared to Zelda 1, but Zelda 1 won't be compared to what BotW does).So with that here we go.
Additional Note
I should mention that I have played through all the games in the covered list and have a write up written up. I started this a little over a year ago and amassed all of the analyses and will be releasing them intermittently. So if there was a certain game I didn't get to, I apologize, the core were picked out as a through line from the beginning of the series until BotW. Something like the multiplayer Zelda titles seemed kind of divergent from this and Link's Awakening was actually announced almost half a year since I had started, so before that it was grouped in more with the handhelds. For now, these are the games I have gone through.
Also please note there are full spoilers
--The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time--
Initial release Date: November 21, 1998
Version Played: N64
With the series' first leap into the 3D space, I was quite worried about how Ocarina of Time would hold up, but in so many ways it manages to play better than anticipated. Things I expected to be outdated surprised me in how complex they really felt, despite the criticism that has become synonymous with the structure OoT put forward. Ocarina of Time is an amazing game that elevates the Zelda franchise to a new scale and is still an astonishing adventure today.
Gameplay
The 3D environment brings a whole new perspective to that combat that feels more akin to Zelda 2 than the other entries in the series. Enemies will jump around and Link can perform jumping slashes from above, giving the game a real sense of verticality. The Z targeting system the game introduces makes the battles feel faster paced without losing much command over Link's movements as you can flip around to dodge or place attacks in specific areas. It really feels like it takes the best aspects of Zelda 2 and the top down Zelda's combat and then builds upon it with flashy commands.
The enemies themselves I felt were actually really well done even for today, which is an area I was concerned about. The idea that the game revolves entirely around the "wait for enemy to attack" loop while having some merit, is ultimately a generalization that really just says more about the methodology of the player than what they are being engaged with. The game gives you a bunch of tools to work with and there are various different types of enemies throughout the world. Some you may have to wait for that attack or lean into a certain side, but others can be dispatched a lot easier with a well placed arrow or bomb. When I was fully using the tools that were given to me, I felt like the combat was at its best since situations depended more on the circumstances than they relied on a simple "block hit" dynamic. The Iron Knuckle in particular was an amazing combat focused enemy that lent itself to strategic dodging.
The one place I do think OoT can be considered to be a step down in terms of combat from Link to the Past is within these items. OoT gives the players a large variety of items, but because the child Link can only use certain items and the adult Link uses the opposite set, there is a lot of overlap to the items. The boomerang and the hookshot are similar, the arrows and the slingshot are similar, while the amount is large, the variety is not. This gives your interactions with the world a little more narrow view, which ultimately may have been due to the newness of 3D environments, largely this fells like a minor complaint given what they do give you works fairly well.
Another weird thing I would like to touch upon since I have talked about the obtuseness of the series, OoT for the most part lacks this obtuse element, but instead goes in the complete opposite direction. Using the ocarina to call Saria or Navi is a fantastic implementation for anyone who doesnt know where to take their next step. Navi giving information on enemies that you lock on to as well is a great way to add information if the player needs it. But then Navi has to bug you to tell you the same information that would be given to you if you called upon her. It is too much and feels like an overcorrection for the series that could be toned down. It is not enough to completely detract as it has been overblown a bit as a critique, but none the less should have more restraint.
World
The world itself feels like another huge leap from where the series was at in LLTP, while that game brought in the various areas that made a sense of community, OoT of time takes this idea and runs with it. The world has various areas that feel alive as the citizens of Hyrule dance around in the courtyard during the or the Zora swimming through the lake. The cities not only feel the most alive and dense as they ever have in the series so far, but they are also the most diverse. It is far more interesting to see how the environments of the Gorons differs from that of the Kokiri or the Gerudo. With so many ecosystems it makes it feel like a fleshed out world with depth and culture than just a change in the environment.
The systems within the world add to this sense of fullness as time and day/night cycles add extra depth to your surroundings. The town square switches from the bustling crowds to quiet and various enemies are timed by the time of day, all of which is not a detriment to the player as it is within their control after some time with the game. It gives a level of progress to the journey as you can see the days turning over and the differences between them. Time is the more important mechanic in the game as it mechanically changes which enemies you encounter as well as makes for interesting growth between young and adult Link. Blow up some boulders in the Goron city as young Link to get a sword as an adult, plant a seed as a kid to see it grew into a helpful platform when you jump forward, all of these give a sense of impact as you feel you are effecting the world.
The one sense in which I think the game is noticeably playing around with 3D spaces is within Hyrule field specifically. While I think this is partly hardware or time limitations, the field feels somewhat empty, not to a degree in which its boring since the game gives you fantastic movement options. There are little secrets hidden about, but they feel too few and far in between, largely it just feels like it is there to be padding than it feels like a lived in area like all the other areas of the game.
Story
Link to the Past got started with the story aspect of Zelda in a meaningful way, but Ocarina of Time is where we have fully fleshed out a really meaningful adventure. Before Link was just a guy who goes on an adventure for justice, now you are a Kokiri who just got a fairy on a journey from a talking tree in which you have to defeat the only male Gerudo in the world. Everything feels a lot more unique and detailed, Link is given a narrative, Impa exists now as a ninja warrior, the lore of the triforce is finally given meaning within the world, Ganandorf has personality and conjurers a organ to play menacingly, etc... There feels like much more rich lore to be had within the Zelda universe that was sorely missing. Two things I want to focus on specifically character wise is the Sages and Zelda herself. The sages I think are a stark contrast to the ones seen in LttP, before they were simply some damsels you knew nothing of, but now you grow to know every single one before they play that important role. Saria is your childhood friend, Darunia is a leader who cares for his people, Ruto is your fish fiancée, Nabooru is trying to undermine Ganondorf... Everyone feels fleshed out enough that I feel invested in their roles as Sages and their willingness to fight alongside you.
The most important one Zelda, is the best she has been in the series. Rather than her being the damsel that the games prior had her solely as, she is given the role of Sheik, a mysterious force in the world that is extremely important and helpful. Zelda feels just as important as Link in this game, she is always there with a new song or looking into some lead, simply put, Link needs her to succeed. She is a fully fleshed out, independent character that has a lot of depth as she hides for 7 years and the remorse of taking away Link's life for that time is noticeable. She feels like a character worthy of such importance within the series.
Now the most important thing OoT does that I think LttP also did very well that I do quickly want to touch upon is the difference between the past and future. The lively areas within the past are replaced with the soulless contrast of the future where the Gorons are gone, the Zora are frozen over, or the ReDead walk where people once did, even personal stories like the Lon Lon Ranch are rewarding for those that engage with the people. It is striking because it gives you that time in these areas, the contrast is so noticeable because we as the player know how these things should be. I think this is the most important motivator, you as the player know that this isnt right because you have played through a better world and now seek to fix that.
Dungeons
The dungeons are another thing that struck me within this game, with the jump to 3D, there were various advantages they gained. The water temple in particular gave a great sense of verticality and different physics that wasnt possible before, even though the swamp palace in LttP was great in its own right. Each dungeon felt like it had an interesting mechanic that I really didnt find myself bored through the majority of them. The most interesting improvement is in the context of the dungeons, before you were always playing through a structure that felt somewhat generic. LttP improved upon this by making the locations themselves in diverse areas, but OoT kicks it up a level by making some of them interesting in themselves. You arent going through a building, you are going through a fish lord's stomach or through a volcano. All of these given weight by the limitations they have as Link cannot be in too hot an environment or breath underwater for too long. All of the dungeons feel like they have more personality than anything before them.
The Bosses I think were surprisingly good, I went in expecting the "3 hit with item" kind of gameplay that has kind of become a easy critique of Zelda bosses, but I think there was more to it than that. Various bosses let you switch between certain tactics, while it holds true that the item within the dungeon will play a huge factor within the battle, there are changes to your style that makes the bosses more manageable. Maybe you can hookshot over to the boss, maybe the hover boots would help you get over that pit... While I feel some of the combat focus of LttP was kind of lost, there is enough that its still engaging.
The one thing I will say was really disappointing was Ganon's tower which segmented off its areas. While it does act like a culmination, the powers are all kept separate, unlike LttP's Ganon tower which had all of the powers switching constantly as you fully grasped the mechanics. It feels like less of a challenge and more of a refresher which ultimately was a letdown after they did it so well before.
Presentation
The music in the game is fantastic. Building upon the great music in LttP, the central mechanic of the ocarina adds so much to the score, often times I would find myself trying to play the tunes in the correct time even though that wasnt necessary. Each area is given unique sounds which contributes to the atmosphere, the sound design was fantastic as I would usually keep an ear out for the sound of a gold skulltula. While they are all Polygons, the expressions are fairly decent enough to convey some emotion that wasnt possible prior. It may not have the beautiful simplicity of the LttP sprites and could be construed as a little more generic, it is a great leap into the 3D space.
Overall
The game is simply a masterpiece, even today an incredibly enjoyable experience. With any other game of incredibly high stature, it does get some criticism and while it by no means is a perfect experience, it is a shining example of iconic design, an incredible first attempt for moving Zelda into a new dimension and it is way better than anyone could have hoped for.
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