After 40 years working at Nintendo, producer Kensuke Tanabe is retiring from the company. Tanabe, who was essential to the development of the Zelda and Metroid franchises, confirmed that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be his final title with Nintendo. This marks the end of an impactful career for one of Nintendo’s most influential producers. …
The Legend of Zelda is 40 years old! Happy anniversary! I remember when I first got my hands on a copy of Skyward Sword. I hadn’t played many Zelda games at that point — only Ocarina of Time, a bit of Majora’s Mask, A Link to the Past, and everyone’s favorite: Four Swords (it was…
A Link to the Past starts off in a rather auspicious way. Link hears the voice of a woman in his mind and rushes out and into the storm to save her. It’s a quick way to establish two things. First, Link is the hero and he needs to save people. Second, there is something…
While the King of Hyrule has shown up in several Zelda titles, he doesn’t always have a very big role to play in the game. Even though there have been games like The Wind Waker where the King of Hyrule was a very central character, it is actually much more common for a King of…
I can still see myself sitting on the carpeted floor of our living room, the Super Nintendo beneath a small rolling cart that held our family TV. My brother was the one holding the controller, and my eyes were locked on the screen as he delivered the final blow to Ganon. In a burst of…
What better way to close out 2025 or start 2026 off with a bang than to watch talented speedrunners play Zelda games all week long to help children in their greatest need? The Zeldathon team is doing just that, and their next epic adventure is a charitable Legend of Zelda game speed running benefit for…
In a franchise full of companions, is funny to see how many don’t want really want to be there. In this month’s edition of the Zelda Universe Podcast, Connor, Jason, and Caitlin take a quick look at the newly released “Age of Imprisonment” before looking back at recurring friends and a familiar face-off. Then, in…
A final boss battle is the cherry on top of a great game. It tops off the experience and rewards the player’s patience and perseverance. And The Legend of Zelda certainly has the vibes going for it. The treacherous trek through Death Mountain with its ominous music and the unsettling breathing of the enemy you’ve…
Starting from humble beginnings, the Nintendo Music app has slowly added a greater selection of games, and A Link to the Past‘s iconic soundtrack has now joined the bunch. This transformative collection of songs helped forge Zelda‘s musical identity by introducing many themes that would become series staples. This includes Princess Zelda’s theme, later known…
Sweet toothed Deku Scrubs, Zora turf wars, trident-wielding Gerudo, and glimpses of what could be the biggest top-down map of Hyrule we’ve seen yet – welcome to Echoes of Wisdom, the newest 2D Zelda title that’s full of surprises. While the twenty-first entry into our beloved series is certainly making a splash with Princess Zelda…
The Legend of Zelda regularly follows traditional fantasy tropes with its castles, cathedrals, and enchanted woods. One trope that it often skipped is the great library. There are only two examples I can think of throughout all the games of libraries: the Hyrule Castle Library from Breath of the Wild that appears in Tears of…
The charity speedrunning marathon Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) has reached new records in several speedrunning categories in 2024, as well as a lifetime total achievement of raising over $50 million USD. SGDQ 2024 raised a total amount of $2,546,290 USD for Doctors Without Borders, a nonprofit organization that sends critical emergency aid and medical…
It’s a good time for Zelda fans in the United Kingdom to shout “huzzah!” because the Game Boy Advance (GBA) classics A Link to the Past and Four Swords are now available for Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) Expansion Pack members in the United Kingdom to play right away. Nintendo UK made the announcement today on…
Well, that was one of the best Nintendo Directs in a long while. Light on the remakes, heavy on tons of crazy new stuff! And sure, we have a brand new Zelda game Echoes of Wisdom (starring the princess herself!) that we will talk about much more very soon, but there’s a lot of other…
During the June 18 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced A Link to the Past and Four Swords would be ported to their online service. Players with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will have access to the game through the system’s collection of Gameboy Advance games. Four Swords will be playable through online multiplayer. The release…
