Will video games as a medium be forever relegated to the pop cultural ghetto? Or will they establish themselves alongside such revered media as film, literature, and music? Designer Chris Hecker tackled this question in a keynote address covered by Gamasutra. As I reviewed his points, they strengthened my conviction that the game industry could learn a lot through a closer examination of Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series.
Timeline “enthusiasts” (y’all know who you are!) may be looking at the title of this article with some amount of shock, disbelief, perhaps even disgust. The very thought is probably absurd to nearly all of you, and already you are probably dividing yourselves into two different camps. On one side, some may have already decided that I, in my many months of hiding, have somehow had my head stuck in the sand and haven’t heard about the confirmation of the Split Timeline. (I assure you that you are all dead wrong on that one.) And then, in the other corner of the ring, others would believe me to be some raving lunatic that is either delusional, mad, or simply desperately trying to hold onto the way things were years ago. (Mad? Me? Mad, you say? Hahaha! Hardly! You haven’t seen me get going yet!)
a part of The Missing Link series of articles
Article By Demo
Combat has been the bread and butter of every Legend of Zelda game since their humble beginnings in 1986. The gameplay of the series has been, and always will be, centered around action-filled encounters between Link and his adversaries. Although Link’s adventures may also include puzzle-solving from time to time, from a gameplay point of view combat always takes a front seat, and has evolved with each new installment to the series. The intention behind this article is to analyze and explore these combat mechanics, and to realize how they have changed over time.
When someone thinks of the Legend of Zelda, it’s hard to believe that they have one definitive image in their head. When you envision the franchise, do you really see an individual representation of it? More than likely, you imagine a wide range of depictions, being that the series has grown to a grand level with over a dozen titles. A second reason, and arguably the greatest one, is something that a lot of fans probably haven’t given much thought to over the course of the series; Zelda doesn’t adhere to just one style, in any regard. To say the least, the world you see in one game is going to be completely different from another game.
Spirit Tracks, the sequel to 2007’s Phantom Hourglass, reportedly takes place 100 years after Link bested Bellum on the Great Sea. Phantom was an immediate successor to The Wind Waker, but for our next trip into Toon Link’s world we’re going to the far flung future. Again.
By Hylian Dan
Restless souls wander where they don’t belong…
—Ocarina of Time
As Link roams across the mysterious Koholint Island, a ghost begins to follow behind him. It whispers, “…The house… …take me… …the house… …at the bay…” Link brings the ghost to its former home. The floors are cracked, the lights have dimmed. The spirit sadly drifts across the room. “…Nostalgia… …unchanged… …boo hoo…”
“…Enough… …cemetery… …take me… …my grave…”
There is a common theme that runs through Link’s Awakening and Ocarina of Time. It is expressed more fully in Majora’s Mask, and summarized at the end of The Wind Waker. These four stories express what it means to live bound to the flow of time. They are stories about the beauty of mortality, the journey from childhood to adulthood and from life to death. They are about growing up and leaving behind the immortal playground of childhood, letting go of the familiar to venture out into the world that lies beyond.
Hello, everyone – Crab Helmet here, to introduce something big coming to ZU very soon. I speak of The Missing Link, a brand new article series from Zelda Universe. The Missing Link is, in essence, a revival of the old Behind the Rupees series. Many of you might remember a select few top writers from around ZU gathering together to write insightful articles about every aspect of the Zelda series. After an incredibly long wait, we’re ready to do it again – and better than ever before.
To get everyone acquainted with the new writers in The Missing Link, we’ve prepared a roundtable article, in which certain site staff bounce opinions of each other in a general debate and discussion about a subject. This is more of a teaser than anything else, as I want to show you how these things work. Plus, I’m itching to get an article on Spirit Tracks out.
Today The Missing Link team will be discussing their first thoughts on the Spirit Tracks trailer. As you probably know, a new Zelda for DS has been announced, and while we know little about it, we are more than ready to discuss it. Here we go!
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