Zelda Game Reviews 1-6

These reviews are my own personal reviews of each Zelda game. I am reviewing each as if it were the year of release, so I won't fault older games for poor graphics or hardware limitations of the time. In other words, I'm trying to not commit the sin of presentism. Also, I'm only considering the actual game, gameplay, puzzles, and other things like graphics and sound while leaving out the story. The review of the storylines will be a separate post. And please understand that my purpose isn't to criticize the games to tear them down, but to improve them. Most of them I would give a 9.5/10, and in my view, the changes I would suggest would make them 9.9/10 or better. 

Title: The Legend of Zelda

NA Release Date: 22 Aug 1987

System: NES

Game Format: 2D Top-down perspective, open world, non-linear

New innovations: Basically everything. Sword that beams with full life, boomerang, bomb, bow, raft, exploration, armor upgrades, warping, power bracelet, rupees, candle, fairies, dungeon map/compass, keys, caves.

How it compares to past Zelda games: Since it’s the first, there’s nothing to compare to.

What I liked: It took elements from other adventure type games and gave it great controls, cool monsters to fight, and plenty of secrets to find. In fact, about 3 out of 5 overworld map screens have some kind of cave or hidden secret on it. Another great feature is that almost every part of the overworld is explorable from the start, and levels can be completed in almost any order despite them being numbered. It’s not hard to see why this game was so successful.

Personally one thing that really sold it for me was the sword beam with full hearts thing. Link has 8 usable items (bombs, arrows, boomerang, etc.), as well as more that are used automatically or at the right place (ladder, raft, rings, etc.). 

What I didn’t like: My only real complaint is the uselessness of the “bait,” aka the “grumble meat” as my friend used to call it. It seems odd to have one item slot for something that’s used only once or twice.

Where it fits in the timeline: Eighth game in the “Fallen Hero” branch after the 3-way split. Preceded by EoW, followed by AoL.

What I would have changed: While some of the messages from the old man have become popular memes and examples of bad translation, I would change a few of them to make more sense. Also, I would call the Magic Sword the Master Sword in the instruction manual and item screen. Other than that, it’s a masterpiece and needs no changes to the actual game or gameplay. Despite its age, it’s still fun to play.

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Title: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

NA Release Date: 1 Dec 1988

System: NES

Game Format: 2D Top-down map, 2D side-scrolling platform action, gated, linear.

New innovations: Magic meter, spells, most items are passive, jumping, side-scrolling, a much expanded Hyrule, towns and villages, hammer, leveling up system, Down Stab. 

How it compares to past Zelda games: The format is very different from the first game. All items Link finds are either used automatically or on the map screen, and instead of an item button it’s a jump button. 

What I liked: Most people consider this to be the black sheep of the Zelda games because of the different format, but plenty of games go a different direction for the second game of a series. Part of the complaint is about the difficulty, but my 4-year-old son beat the game, so how hard can it be, right? There’s a lot to this expanded version of Hyrule that still hasn’t been seen in any game to date. I did enjoy the intense action, especially against Iron Knuckles.  

What I didn’t like: Some of the spells had limited usefulness. The first 3 spells are used constantly, while some of the later spells are used only once or twice. It would be nice to have a couple more spots where each would be used. 

Where it fits in the timeline: Ninth and final game in the “Fallen Hero” branch after the 3-way split. Preceded by LoZ. 

What I would have changed: About the only thing I can think of is would be to let players start at the Palaces on a continued game, lengthening and strengthening the sword beam, and maybe add a little variation to the townspeople’s messages that don’t actually convey any information. I realize that memory space was limited back then and so they did everything they could to maximize what they had, but a few more interesting hints and some added variety would have made it even better. Other than that, I would rename it to be The Legend of Zelda: The Adventure of Link to be more in line with the rest of the series like it is in Japan. 

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Title: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

NA Release Date: 13 Apr 1992 (Original), 2 Dec 2002 (GBA Version)

System: SNES (Original), GBA (Re-release)

Game Format: 2D Top-down perspective, slightly restricted dual open world.

New innovations: Incorporated plot development, dual worlds, Master Sword, multi-use action button, hookshot, bottles, Pegasus boots, swimming, pieces of heart, ocarina, Cane of Somaria, magic powder, shovel, mirror shield, chickens, Big/boss key, detailed overworld map, spin attack.

How it compares to past Zelda games: The format is very much like the first one, but with the addition of an action button and a greatly expanded item/equipment system. 

What I liked: This is the game where they perfected the 2D Zelda formula. While mostly

sticking closer to the original LoZ, it incorporated a few elements from AoL (magic and spells like Bombos) and added many more new things never seen before. Between the 13 dungeons, the dual overworlds, the definitive version of the Zelda theme, and much, much more, this game is nearly perfect. They added a lot of new things that became Zelda staples such as bottles and the spin attack. The opening gets you pumped up and into the game quickly, and is probably the quickest for getting the player into a dungeon. The music is excellent, as nearly every track from the game has been re-used or remade for later games. This was also the first one to have a little plot development as part of the game. 

What I didn’t like: Link didn’t get to keep the shovel, and saving/turning off counted as a “death,” but those were corrected in the GBA version. 

Where it fits in the timeline: First game in the “Fallen Hero” branch after the 3-way split. Preceded by OoT, followed by OoS. 

What I would have changed: My only beef with the game is the upgrading of the Master

Sword (especially in light of ALBW). I guess I would make it more like OoT where you can have a selection of sword choices – but only the Master Sword could kill Ganon. It just feels wrong to have to upgrade what’s supposed to be the best sword for fighting evil. I don’t mind having a bigger/sharper/etc. sword that inflicts more damage to the average enemy, but it needs to be the Master Sword to kill Ganon.

Thoughts on the GBA version: I liked the addition of the riddle quest and the Palace of the Four Sword, that saving no longer counts as a death, and the slight textual changes. I’m even cool on the ability to start from multiple locations, new shops, and pretty much everything else. But one thing I didn’t like was the addition of Link’s yell when swinging the sword. It gets annoying after a while. Also, I didn’t like how the functions of the start and select buttons were swapped. The only other thing I would like is an alternative way to unlock the Riddle Quest and Palace of the Four Sword without needing to play Four Swords (sorta like what they did with the Anniversary Edition of Four Swords).

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Title: The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

NA Release Date: 6 Aug 1993 (Original), 15 Dec 1998 (DX version), 20 Sept 2019 (HD version)

System: Game Boy (Original), Game Boy Color (DX Version), Switch (HD version)

Game Format: 2D Top-down perspective, gated, linear

New innovations: Shield is now an active item, equipping multiple items, trading sequence, Nintendo character cameos, fishing, different dungeon music, bomb-arrows, photographs, secret seashells.

How it compares to past Zelda games: For being a Gameboy game, it is incredibly detailed with graphics resembling A Link to the Past more than, say, Zelda 1. Also for being able to pull off SNES type moves with only 2 buttons was impressive. But mostly it was like a Gameboy version of ALttP.

What I liked: This was the first “gaiden,” or side-story Zelda game, and as such it was originally regarded as a little weird compared to the other 3. But now in retrospect, it fits right in and blazed the path for other gaiden games. It borrowed heavily from ALttP (and with good reason), but added its own little charm and had to do many of the same things with only 2 buttons. It’s kind of a sad tale, but one that is satisfying to complete. 

What I didn’t like: Not being able to see how many pieces of heart Link had found (corrected in the DX/HD version). Having a more plot-based story makes non-linear exploration impossible – but each game has to find a balance between plot and open explorability. Having 2 options for the first picture, and that getting one of the pictures results in everyone calling Link “THIEF” for the rest of the game (both in the DX version). 

Where it fits in the timeline: Fourth game in the “Fallen Hero” branch after the 3-way split. Preceded by OoA, followed by ALBW. 

What I would have changed: Restoring the ability to skip conversations in the DX version and the ability to re-equip the green tunic. Also, the music for the Piece of Power/Acorn gets old if the player is good at not getting hit. I would change it to more of a 20 second loop. 

Thoughts on the DX version: Color made it better. And the additional dungeon and picture quest are great as well. But I would have added the ability to go back to a green tunic. Also, for some reason they cut out the ability to skip past dialogue boxes, which is particularly annoying when Link runs into cracked blocks or weird objects, or when he gets a Guardian Acorn. I’m also not a big fan of “forever-gones,” meaning things that can be missed and never recovered. In this case, some of the pictures can only be taken while Marin is around and if the player doesn’t know this might skip past it. 

Thoughts on the HD version: This version kept all the charm of the past versions and only upgraded the visuals and music. But since there are more than two buttons available, the controls are much better. The inclusion of a dedicated Shield, Run, Lift, and Sword button means far less item switching. More heart pieces and seashells means more scavenging/searching, which adds a little depth, and there's even a log of found pieces/seashells. The fishing and crane mini-games were given new features, and the bosses are a bit harder (which is good), but not completely different (à la Majora's Mask 3D). The only thing taken out were the pictures from the DX version, but it was replaced by a Mario Maker-like feature to make your own Zelda dungeon. It's not quite as deep of a feature as I was hoping for, but I think with a future update it could be made even better (Narrator: it never got updated). One other nice thing is that the one thing I wanted on the DX version was included - the ability to switch back to the green tunic. My only real gripe with the game is the name - it should have been called Link's Awakening HD or something. Overall a nice remake, but I think full price ($60) was perhaps a bit too high. If there's a future update making the dungeon maker better then I will retract that statement. And also, here's hoping they use the same engine to make an Oracle games remake on the same cartridge (they did, but not for the Oracle games).

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Title: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

NA Release Date: 23 Nov 1998 (Original), 17 Feb 2003 (MQ), 19 June 2011 (3D Version)

System: N64 (Original), GameCube (MQ), 3DS (3D Version)

Game Format: 3D, mostly linear, gated

New innovations: 3D, horse, Equipment options, Light arrow (instead of silver), fire/ice arrows, Z-targeting, constant companion, slingshot, Deku and Goron and Gerudo races, playing music instead of pre-made songs, wallet upgrades, skulltullas, rolling, masks, bombchus.

How it compares to past Zelda games: This was new territory, as 3D games in general were newer. It retained many elements of past games, such as stepping on switches and pushing blocks, but did so in an additional dimension. There were many new kinds of puzzles that couldn't have been done in previous games. 

What I liked: This was an extremely groundbreaking game. Many 3D games owe their control scheme, GUI, and gameplay elements to this game. It transitioned a 2D series into 3D perfectly. It had many new musical cues that continue to be used. Going back and forth between adult and child times was cool, as it let the player see the difference having a hero makes. The plot made the game more cinematic than any of the previous games. The game was perfectly balanced as far as dungeons, overworld, and side-quests.

What I didn’t like: Hyrule field seemed really open and vast, ripe for exploring, but it was actually quite empty. I’m guessing that part of it was by design to make Epona more desirable, but I wish it had more character and features. I also wish that game makers would have stuck a little more closely with past Hyrule maps unless they have specific reasons in the story. Also, Navi was quite annoying, sometimes revealing the answer to a puzzle before the player had a chance to try it. She should have been more of a guide to consult rather than a spoiler alert. Overall the game seemed a little too easy and I wish there was a Hero Mode. Also, I didn’t like how fairies filled up all 20 hearts, making red/blue potion completely superfluous.

Where it fits in the timeline: Last game in the unified (i.e. pre-split) timeline. This game’s outcome is what makes the split happen. Preceded by FS, followed by ALttP, MM, or WW.

What I would have changed: About the only change I would make is so that the Biggoron

Sword can’t be used in the Deadman’s Volley fight with Ganondorf, and tweak the economy and make grass rupees scarcer, and bomb/arrow/magic refills less common to force players to stock up at the shop. Also, Hyrule field seemed kinda empty (I realize that it may be this way to highlight Epona’s usefulness, but still). And the ability to turn off Navi. Most other gripes were fixed in the 3DS version. Fairies should only fill 7 hearts like on ALttP. And adding in the traditional Zelda theme somewhere in the game.

Thoughts on the Master Quest version:

I thought this was a great alternate version of the game. The overworld is all the same, but all of the dungeons have been remixed and made considerably trickier. Besides having more obscure solutions to the puzzles and traps, some are made intentionally deceptive by subverting patterns learned by playing the regular version of the game multiple times. There really is no downside to it, especially since the game was free with a pre-order and gives a harder challenge to those who want it. But it is in an odd place when it comes to classifying it - is it a remake, or a spin-off? In a way it almost feels like an official ROM-hack, and not unlike the BS-Legend of Zelda games. 

Thoughts on the 3D version:

The graphics and animations look way nicer. The addition of the Sheikah Stone helper was a bit unnecessary, as Navi already gives too much away, but at least it’s voluntary to use. However, I wish there was an option to turn off the Stone entirely. Being able to organize your equipment your own way was nice, I guess. But changing the boots to an item instead of equipment was a godsend. Having 4 items open plus the Ocarina instead of just 3 also made things a little more convenient and required less pausing for switching equipment. Finally, adding the traditional Zelda overworld theme to the 3D remake credits was a nice touch. Plus including the mirrored Master Quest as a bonus was the first opportunity for a lot of people to play it if they missed out on the original limited release for the GameCube. 

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Title: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

NA Release Date: 26 Oct 2000 (Original), 13 Feb 2015 (3D Version)

System: N64 (Original), 3DS (3D Version)

Game Format: 3D, gated, mostly linear, recurring

New innovations: Transformation masks, pictobox, Tingle.

How it compares to past Zelda games: Extremely similar to Ocarina of Time but with a new twist, a smaller overworld, and fewer dungeons. However, it made up for it with a lot of personality and charm.

What I liked: This is one of my favorite Zelda games. I love getting to know all the

characters and how they are three dimensional who do/say different things at different times of the day. The time system is very unique and cool. The return of the Zelda theme was nice, but at the same time, it felt out of place in Termina. Playing as different races was very interesting and added a lot of challenges and possibilities. The size of Termina Field and its features was pretty good for the game (IOW, it seemed less empty than OoT’s Hyrule Field) and it had plenty of small things to discover. It improved the graphics slightly using the expanded RAM.

What I didn’t like: This game runs low on dungeons. If Ikana Canyon and the Mountains had a small mini-dungeon (like the spider houses), it would have been nice.

Where it fits in the timeline: First game in the Child branch of the timeline. Preceded by OoT, followed by TP. 

What I would have changed: Tweak the economy like I suggested in OoT. Other than that,

there's not a whole lot I would do to change the game. Perhaps one more dungeon would be nice. It seemed like Link ran into a wall when he changed areas (i.e., going from Termina Field into the Swamp) so I would extend those out just a little.

Thoughts on the 3D version:

Like the 3D version of Ocarina, it looks much better. The new Bomber’s notebook is too easy to obtain, and it gives too many hints. Changing all the bosses to have a Majora’s Eye weak spot really alters the way those battles are fought, and I’m not sure if it makes them better, worse, or just different. I’m not a big fan of the fishing, so including it didn’t add any value to me. And the change to the Zora swimming wasn’t welcome. But the fan-made patch that restored a lot of these things makes the game quite a bit better and closer to the original version. 

Zelda Reviews Part 2

Zelda Reviews Part 3

Zelda Reviews Part 4

My Zelda Music Medley

I have wanted to do something like this for a while, and started this project in earnest back in February 2017 as a way to keep my mind busy while waiting for Breath of the Wild to release. I got about halfway done before the game released, and then did nothing about it for about 6 months (because I was playing so much BotW). But I just finished it and added some pictures to make it more interesting. 


My goal was to put 2 pieces of music from each game that did not appear in other games. So for example, "Ganon's theme" was a good piece of music, but it appears in multiple games. But when you hear "Gerudo Valley," you immediately think Ocarina of Time since that was the only game in which it appears. I was able to mostly accomplish this (a few games have 3 pieces each, and a couple of songs appear in multiple games).

The second thing was that I wanted to keep to using fully orchestrated pieces as much as possible. I was able to find great versions of almost everything, but was unsuccessful on a few and had to use the original game music. However, since the last few games had orchestrated music to begin with, I could use it without needing to find a remix. 

The only thing that I would love to do is to have someone take my medley and record it all using the same instrument set and in the same key so it doesn't seem like we're switching from piano to guitar to orchestra and back. I appreciate all the fine musicians who made each version of the song I used and thank them for their contribution. 

A Musical Journey Through Hyrule (YouTube link)

.mp3 only

The Zelda Timeline videos from Game Trailers

The Zelda Timeline has always been one of my side hobbies. I love talking Zelda lore with others who can stand to do the same. I realize that it’s not as deep as the lore for, say, The Lord of the Rings or other fantasy works, and I also realize that the philosophy of Shigeru Miyamoto kinda disallows it to develop into a great work of coherent fantasy fiction. And then there’s the fact that the format (video games) is more concerned with making a game fun than for it to be a medium of lore delivery.

BUT – I still love it. I have to rely a lot on my head canon, and can make some justifications for gaps and inconsistencies in stories by remembering that in medieval/fantasy times there was more weight in oral tradition than in meticulous written records so some of the details can get a little sketchy from game to game.

Several years ago, Screw Attack Game Trailers made a trio of videos detailing the history of the Zelda Timeline, and it is extremely accurate to how I thought growing up. If I could make changes to it to make it better, the only things I would change are:

1. OH-ca-ree-na, not AW-ca-ree-na. Get it right.

2. He uses the word “scapegoat” when talking about Ganon defeating Link, when he should have used the word, “escape hatch.” A scapegoat is someone to blame that didn’t actually commit the transgression in question, while an escape hatch is an easy way out of a tough situation. In this case, the tough situation is reconciling conflicting historical details from separate games.

3. A couple of the music transitions are a little awkward (specifically at the introduction of the ALttP and SS sections). I would just cut the music slightly differently.

4. The expectation that the story (or what little there is of it) would take place in the game for Zelda 1 & 2. That's how games are now, but back in the NES and early SNES days, any semblance of story was almost always in the manual, prologue, and epilogue. It just seems like they're imposing modern standards on older games. 

Other than those very minor changes, the videos were perfect. But now they are incomplete, as there have been 5 more mainline Zelda games that have been made since then.

Enjoy!

My Experience with Zelda Part 4

Previous Entries:

My Experience with Zelda Part 1

My Experience with Zelda Part 2

My Experience with Zelda Part 3

Late in 2013, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds came out. I bought it release night at midnight in November. It was intended as a Christmas present, which meant I wasn’t supposed to play it, but I did a little. It was just too tempting when I would StreetPass someone who was playing it. I loved the nostalgia, and liked the new rental system that lessened the linearity, but felt that it could have been a little more different from ALttP. But this game’s version of the Zelda overworld theme is now my favorite (previously it was ALttP). I also loved the subtle references to Majora's Mask, as fans were hoping for a 3D remake like Nintendo had previously done with Ocarina of Time.

My only real criticism is that now that they have an established Zelda timeline and seemed to be focusing a little more on narrative, they wasted an opportunity to have it connect to past titles in a meaningful way. 

My nephew got a 2DS for Christmas that year, so now my kids (and I) had someone new to play games with during family visits. Not long after this, A Link Between Worlds was named as the game of the year. To celebrate, Nintendo let 3DS users (but not DSi owners) download Four Swords: Anniversary Edition again for 4 days. Knowing that this was unlikely to happen again, we went out and bought a fourth 3DS, intending to give it to Logan. I also alerted my brother about it so my nephew could get the game. We got it, set it up, got FS:AE, and then were planning on keeping it a secret for a while, but ended up giving it to Logan within the week. We told him he had to earn some of the money through chores, which he did. So now all four of us had the game and we could play 4 player without the need of the GBAs, the Game Boy Player, and the cords. 


Nearly one year later, I got Hyrule Warriors for Christmas. It’s really not an official Zelda game, but it was ok. I'm not much of a "hack and slash" kind of game person, but the "Zelda coat of paint" overtop of a Dynasty Warriors game made it enticing enough for me to want it. It’s nice that it was 2-player, so someone could use the TV and someone else could be on the Wii U Gamepad. But ultimately, once I got through the game there doesn’t seem to be much replay value to me, unfortunately. And unlike every other Zelda game, I wasn’t a completionist for this one. 

So while Hyrule Warriors was a nice little diversion, the thing that really got me excited was when Nintendo finally announced what we had all been hoping for – the Majora’s Mask remake. There had previously been a fan-led awareness campaign to let Nintendo know of the desire and demand for this game called Operation: Moonfall. It seems that Nintendo had been trolling and stringing along the fans in the various forums, panels, and interviews in the years leading up to its announcement. 

I picked up The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D from Gamestop on the midnight release. There were a few little changes to the game - mostly to one area of Clock Town and the 4 bosses, some mechanics changes, and a couple of additions like fishing. But overall the improvements and the new detriments sorta cancel each other out, but it's an okay remake. 

An "adventurer’s pouch" was released that was a leather case intended to hold a 3DSXL, 2 game cards, and 2 included special styluses shaped like the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield. I got one after I saw someone at the 3DS Meetup get one.

Later that year, the next new Zelda game debuted – The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes. This game was made in the same vein as Four Swords, only this time there’s only 3 players, and the strategy involves wearing different costumes to gain abilities as well as picking up the others to make a totem pole. Fortunately, it worked better than previous multi-player games and even works online pretty well; and the single player version is basically the same, and only requires additional multi-tasking skills.

A demo was released a bit before the game came out. We could play locally or single player whenever we wanted, but they opened up the servers for a few select times to allow people to experience the online version of the game. The really cool thing was the little communication buttons that allowed the players to indicate what someone else needs to do without words – preventing trolls and 13-year-olds from bragging about how they banged someone’s mom.

I got it release day from Wal-Mart, but soon learned that it (like the 3DS itself) was designed to have a single user file. The solution was, of course, to buy 2 more copies for the kids so we could play 3 player locally. 

 

At some point around this time, I saw a YouTube video with a recipe for making the Pumpkin Soup from Twilight Princess. It was quite a process and sorta expensive, and the soup was . . . okaay? It was a bit of an acquired taste to get goat cheese, pumpkin, and salmon flavors all at once. 

Just before I got a NN3DSXL, Anne and I started to play Phantom Hourglass together. She played the bootleg version on the DS Lite and I played the official version. The plan was to trade items and ship parts, but we ran into a problem. Not only was the bootleg unable to work in a 3DS, but it is also Asian region coded, meaning it won’t connect to my American version. So we bought another copy of Phantom Hourglass and ended up giving the bootleg to my niece (who has a DS Lite). We also got a second copy of Spirit Tracks to do the same thing.

The next Zelda release was another remake – this time was Twilight Princess HD. It was getting the same HD treatment that Wind Waker had gotten previously. Personally, since the Wii U was the most current console, and the Wii was still ubiquitous, I thought it odd to remake something that was so recently released. I would have thought it more wise to update FSA, since it can’t be played on modern equipment (all other Zelda games could either be played on the 3DS or Wii U Virtual console at the time). But the result was beautiful. They didn’t update any music (which was already great), animations, or polygon count. The only real update was quality and resolution of the textures and the ability to connect it to an HDTV via HDMI. It also included the ability to play it like the GameCube – the non-mirrored map and without motion controls. It also had a new dungeon and the ability to accept amiibo. In a way, it’s very similar to the DX remake of Link’s Awakening, but now I had the disposable income to get it even if it wasn’t as big of an upgrade. One additional perk was that it was promised that the Wolf Link amiibo (that was included) would be usable in the next Zelda game.

Early in the Summer of 2016, we got word that my brother’s family would be moving, and I got the idea of buying my nephew a copy of Tri-Force heroes that we could play online occasionally. The idea was to set up regular times to play with him, but it hasn’t really turned out that way. Oh well.

In the year leading to the next game release, Anne completed several Zelda games, something she hadn’t really done since we were first married. Before Avery came along, she finished ALttP, LA, OoT, and got about halfway through MM. Later she finished WW but has been too busy with life to do much in the way of gaming. But having her own 3DS has helped because she doesn’t have to wait for a turn on the TV or someone’s handheld. She completed PH and ST with me so we could trade items, making the games more fun. She’s finished the Oracle series, ALBW, and gone back to the classics and just completed Zelda 1 & 2 with copious use of Save States. 

Nintendo announced that the next Zelda game would be simultaneously released on the Wii U and their new console, known as the NX at the time. It was very similar to the release of the Wii, when a new Zelda game debuted with a new system while also being released on the previous console. I had planned on getting the Wii U version so I didn’t feel obligated to buy a new system, originally. But after seeing the Switch presentation in February, I decided to get a Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The next day I stopped by GameStop on the way home from work and pre-ordered a Switch. Avery also ended up getting his own Switch and copy of the game after waiting in line for 8 hours on launch day.

I absolutely loved the new direction of this game. Having such a huge world to explore and little direction spoke to one of the main reasons I loved the series. I know that it is good practice to have a notebook (or something) to keep track of side quests or other notes to go back and investigate an area after a new item is obtained in these kinds of games, but I usually don’t because I like just trying to remember everything. However, this game kept track of most major things automatically.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent over 625 hours on the game (the Switch keeps track of it for me) finding every secret and unlocking every item. At that point, if I had divided out the cost of the system and game by how much time I put into it, it would have been about $0.61 per hour of play. It’s hard to beat that kind of value on enthralling entertainment. The best part of the Switch was that I could take it with me and play Zelda whenever I have free time.

Within a week of getting the new system and the game, I got a Zelda themed case to hold the Switch, as did Avery. I felt like I was set, until I went to the next 3DS Meetup. There I got to use the amiibo someone had brought, and I realized that there were a lot of unlockable items that I couldn’t get without owning 1 of every kind of Zelda related amiibo. I didn’t want to spend the $400 it would probably take to find all of them online (especially in light of the fact that I had just spent that much on a new system, game, and case). But I found a cheaper alternative that let me unlock everything I wanted – NFC215 Tags - the chips that are in the base of the amiibo figurines. Using my phone with a new app, a bunch of NFC215 tags I bought online for around $0.85 each, and some files I downloaded, I was able to spoof some amiibo. I printed out pictures on cards so I can tell them apart. So now I effectively have one of every Zelda related amiibo, as well as many of the Mario series and other characters I’m particularly fond of. Later I converted the individual tags to laminated cards (the same size as a standard deck of cards), each with 2 NFC tags on opposite corners.

A few days before the Switch and BotW came out, I got a book called The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts. It was the second book in the series began by Hyrule Historia. It’s mostly the official artwork and a few pre-production sketches for all of the games so far. Like Hyrule Historia, it’s a beautiful book and I look forward to the third one coming out in 2018. 

Something I had known about but didn’t look into all that much were 3 Zelda games I had never played before. No, not those CDi monstrosities, but the BS-X games. They were only playable if you a) lived in Japan in the mid 90’s, b) owned a SNES, c) also owned a Satelliview add-on, d) had a subscription to the world’s first satellite radio service, and e) were free for about an hour on particular nights. I only qualified for categories B and E.

Anyway, the basic gist is that the games were sent via satellite radio (sorta like the 90’s version of Wi-Fi) and were only playable for 1 hour a week. The first game, called BS-The Legend of Zelda (Map1), which was basically Zelda 1 but with a slightly remixed and shrunk overworld, and all new dungeons. Also, you didn’t play as Link, but as either the Boy or Girl avatar from the BS-X system menu. But the biggest twist is that actual audio of “the Old Man” was broadcast over the game with updates and hints, coinciding with timed temporary buffs (like unlimited bombs). Each week had specific goals, like getting 2 Triforce pieces and finding a certain number of heart containers.

Some time later, Nintendo released a Map2 version with a very different overworld and 8 new dungeons (which spelled out NINTENDO, sorta like how Zelda 1's Second Quest's dungeons spelled out ZELDA), but otherwise was pretty similar in concept. They also released A Link to the Past (with no changes or time limits) over this same system for those who hadn't bought the game 6 years earlier.

The final BS Zelda game was called BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets. It was the same concept as the first 2 BS games (voice-over hints, 1 hour playtime per week, remixed dungeons, playing as the Boy/Girl avatar) but using the ALttP map and engine.

Thankfully some nice people in Japan were able to save the ROMs and release them to the web, and hackers have more or less pieced them back together. In my post-BotW lull of Zelda, I decided to play through these on emulators. As I suspected, I wasn’t missing much in the way of Zelda lore/story but they were fun to play through. Unfortunately they can’t recreate the exact game, but have done the best they can. But with a little imagination, it's not hard to fill in the gaps to get a sense of what it would have been like back when it was live, and it helps if you see an actual VHS recording of it. 

Here’s a small chart detailing the differences between the original broadcast and the hacked ROMs. 

BS Zeldas	ROM Hacks
Players already have an Avatar in the Town whose name was stolen (kinda like a Mii, but the only customization choice is boy or girl).	Players must go through a registration screen not unlike the LoZ and AoL name registrations with the added task of picking boy or girl.
Players can walk around the town and go into the tent where there’s an entrance to BS-LoZ, and are treated to a scene that looks like it’s from Mario RPG.	The ROM just shows static pictures of these events.
While the game is loading, information about the history of the Zelda series is read aloud, and Zelda herself (voice actor) asks you for help.	While the game is loading, information about the history of the Zelda series is printed on screen, as well as a written plea from Zelda to save her.
During the 50 minutes of playtime, pre-recorded and remixed versions of Zelda music are played. The songs are played in full regardless of whether the player is in the overworld or a dungeon, similar to how listening to an FM radio broadcasting music while playing won’t affect the in-game music.	While playing upgraded versions of the music from LoZ is played and is functionally no different than playing the LoZ.
Throughout the game the Old Man will communicate with the player. A message saying “Open your Ears” will appear (in Japanese, obviously) and then his voice can be heard telling the player about a temporary feature like unlimited bombs.	Throughout the game, the Old man will communicate with the player. A screen of text will appear on the screen (in English) with a translation of what he said.
A second voice giving general tips and hints, like what each button does, can be heard throughout the broadcast.	Not present in the ROM.
When time is up, your score and progress is shown and then a reminder to play next week is shown.	When time is up, your score and progress is shown, and then there’s a prompt to continue to the next chapter of the game. In AST, you must migrate a file to play the next chapter
A VHS recording of an original playthrough for reference.	A great video from Clan of the Grey Wolf explaining the games and ROM hacks.

My Experience with Zelda Part 5 

My Experience with the 3DS

After years of missing out on the latest handheld system, I finally decided to get a 3DS. I had never owned a DS, DS Lite, or DSi before, and had hardly even held one. This was mainly due to a lack of funds and my reluctance to play portable systems due to problems like batteries, lack of lighting, and hand cramping. But after reading some things online, I made the choice to get one so I could catch up on 2 of the Zelda games I had never played. Part of what motivated me was the realization that I was now 2 iterations of games behind, and that between my GBA and a 3DS I could still play any portable game Nintendo had made. I had seen some commercials, and had never actually seen the 3D work myself, but I was curious.

I deemed the 3DS to be a reward for getting a little elective surgery done on the Friday before Superbowl Sunday in 2012. We took the family to Wal-Mart and I gave the color choice to Avery, who picked out Aqua Blue (he chose . . . wisely). I took it home, got it set up, and started messing around with it and reading the instruction manual.

I had read online about how 3DS owners got 20 free games, but after a little research I was disappointed that it only applied to those who had bought it before the $80 price drop, so I was about 6 months late (but about $80 richer less poor). I hopped onto eBay and bought myself a new copy of Phantom Hourglass, which wouldn’t be delivered for about a week, but in the meantime I continued to learn more about my new handheld. I also played the included games, such as Face Raiders, the AR games, and the StreetPass Plaza games (Find Mii and Puzzle Swap).

I discovered the eShop, and loved browsing through all the games. I also like watching the Jessie Cantrell videos, Nintendo Direct, and some of the game preview videos. For the first time in a long time, I felt kinda “connected” to Nintendo (more so than I had felt with the Wii), and could keep up on current events. I found Link’s Awakening DX and downloaded it so I could play the one dungeon that had eluded me, but found that the game was much more colorful than I had expected, not a 4-color upgrade like the Super Game Boy. I also found Four Swords Anniversary Edition for free! I got both games and decided to play those while I waited for my first physical game in the mail.

I also downloaded a bunch of demos and tried them out. But finally Phantom Hourglass arrived, and I started playing almost immediately. I loved the innovative controls and interaction, in addition to the fact that it was a direct sequel to one of my top 3 favorite Zelda games. Since I had no other games, I left it in the 3DS all the time. I bought a protective screen cover set that came with a couple of cases and a cleaning cloth. I started leaving the cloth in the system when not in use so it would soften the blow when the two halves were closed, as I think the impact had scratched the inside camera.

Like the Game Boy Advance and Game Boy, I played it mainly at home, treating it almost like a mini-console. My kids and I took turns playing the games, but we slowly came to the realization that there couldn’t be multiple “profiles” on the system – it was meant as a personal system for one person. This meant they would be playing my quest on Find Mii and finishing my puzzles.

I kept the system on my nightstand mostly, except for a few times when I took it to school with me. When I was done playing it, I turned it off like I had done with every game system I had ever owned. It would be some time before I started leaving it on all the time in sleep mode. I didn’t get StreetPass Tags very often, so when I did I was very excited about the fact that I didn’t have to pay with Play Coins to do the StreetPass games. I learned the trick of changing the date and manually shaking it to rack up play coins, but I also started experimenting with taking it with me when I went out in public to see if I could tag someone. While on car trips I would shake the system to rack up coins, and give it to Anne to change the date when necessary (safe driving and all that).

After my 3DS dropped out of my pocket onto a hard tile floor (it only fell a couple inches), I decided to also buy a hard plastic case for it. I picked out a green Ocarina of Time 3D case that had a beautiful painting of Link on Epona riding through Hyrule field. Unfortunately, the picture soon rubbed off in my pocket, but the case kept the system safe and gave it a little more weight and bulk.

I soon found out about 2 others who had a 3DS – a current student of mine, and the father of one of my Cub Scouts. I started bringing it to school to tag my student once each day, and also driving by the Cub Scout’s house to try and tag his dad. Besides wanting tags, I was also curious about how far away the systems needed to be, how much time it took to transfer the data, and how well it went through walls. We discovered that we could tag him by surreptitiously visiting a parking lot behind his house and waiting for 5 or 10 minutes.

My friend James’ son also upgraded his DS Lite to a 3DS so I could run over there and tag occasionally as well and become 3DS friends. In the next few weeks, both James and his daughter would also get a 3DS, as would Avery, bringing our total to 5 between the two families. We started calling what I did, “Ninja Tagging,” where I would sneak around at night and get close enough to their house to tag (they would occasionally do it to me as well). Besides tagging, we would also send SwapNotes with funny messages bragging about how sneaky we were being.

Around this time, I started taking the 3DS with me everywhere I went in an effort to get StreetPasses (and also get play coins). I would get one here and there, but what I started noticing was how convenient it was to have a system to play when I had to sit around and wait for something. Between the physical game, a few downloads, and the demos, I had at least 10 games I could potentially play. And because closing the system put it into sleep mode, I didn’t have to save and turn it off like I would with the GBA (to be fair, games that were released after the SP was out often had some kind of sleep feature but it was cumbersome to get it in and out of sleep mode). Also, I grew to love the convenience of having games on a handheld. One of my main reasons for preferring a console growing up was that I never had to fight anyone for the TV in my house, since the TV I used for the SNES and N64 was a dedicated one for games and wasn’t hooked up for anything else. Unfortunately, now I had several people in the house all vying for TV time, and I couldn’t play my consoles on a whim like I could with the 3DS. Also, the issue of fitting a small handheld in my hands and unlit screens made them seem less attractive to me, but both these issues were resolved with the 3DS.

After a couple months, I bought Spirit Tracks to complete my Zelda collection. I enjoyed it more than Phantom Hourglass, but for some reason I stalled out on playing it 3/4th of the way through (I would later go on to complete it). I also noticed a strange problem with my 3DS – it stopped StreetPassing for some reason. A little research turned up that it happened after the system was completely drained of power, and that somehow this affected the internal clock making it think it had always just StreetPassed someone. The result was that I could get new people, but if I had already tagged them once I wouldn’t get them ever again. I sent in the system to Nintendo for repairs, but they determined it to be caused by the time I dropped it a few inches. They seemed to act oblivious to the fact that lots of people were posting about this online, calling it the “StreetPass bug.” The only solution was to do a complete system reset/restore, which meant I would lose all my progress in Puzzle Swap and Find Mii, but it had to be done. At some point later a system update corrected this bug, and a simple change of Miis will fix the issue should it ever come up again.

Avery’s 3DS also came with a copy of Pilotwings, and I had also bought a Rubik’s Cube game, so we now had 4 physical games, in addition to some of the downloaded games (such as a chess simulator). He also bought a fabric zipper case for his 3DS that held about 20 games, the AR cards, and the 3DS altogether. I started keeping all the games in that rather than the little 1 or 4 game holders I had gotten with the screen protector.

Then a curious thing happened – Phantom Hourglass stopped working, and I was perplexed. I had a student who also had a 3DS and a copy of the game. His worked in both of our systems, and mine didn't work in either system. On a whim, I tried it in the DS Lite, and it worked. I did a little research, and found out that my copy was most likely a bootleg version, and a recent system update had rendered it unplayable. Some of the telltale signs included a badly printed manual, and the game's sticker code doesn't match the code printed on the back of the game card. I found both to be true in my case. Also, as I looked through the manual, I noticed that one of the pages had the Spirit Tracks logo and not the Phantom Hourglass one. Had this been a legitimate copy, there's no way the Spirit Tracks logo could have been printed 2 years before the game came out. To resolve the situation, I bought a used copy from eBay, but kept the bootleg copy as well. 

One day I was looking up stuff about the 3DS online when I stumbled upon a meetup group. Apparently there was a group of Nintendo enthusiasts who meet monthly in SLC. I told James, and both of our families went down to a park in Murray. Never before had I seen my 3DS blink green so much! It was awesome how many puzzle pieces we were able to get, as well as so many free Miis to use on Find Mii. Afterwards we went out to lunch for Philly cheese steak sandwiches. A couple months later, Avery and I went again to one held in a mall, and then after that they started meeting most often in a library. We now go almost every month, and it makes for a great time to talk with everyone about games.

Occasionally at these meetups they will hold a contest to give away a prize. Avery won a used copy of Kid Icaraus: Uprising there by guessing someone’s favorite past Nintendo console. Another time we won a Zelda amiibo in a contest.

Another time Avery and I were seeking tags was at the first ComiCon  FanX in SLC. We drove down expecting to just walk around the exterior of the building, but found an open door. We waltzed in and were amazed at how many tags we were getting. We even got to go in to see Adam West and Shatner for free because they wanted to fill the auditorium.

My brother Brady (who had owned a DSi for some time) got a new DSi for Christmas because his had broken, and they were cheap on the Black Friday. My niece also got one the same year. In the year following, Aurora received a used DS Lite for Christmas along with a Littlest Pet Shop game. She liked it, but traded it in (read: I kept it and gave her the money she would have gotten for it because GameStop wouldn’t take it) and upgraded the present for a 3DS around the New Year. She was excited to have her own Netflix device and some of the other features the 3DS has, and I tried to find a way for the DSi and 3DS to message each other to no avail. Later the 2DS would come out, and I told my brother about them. My niece and nephew looked like they were going to each get one for Christmas, so we could all SwapNote. But less than 2 months before Christmas (Halloween night, actually), Nintendo cancelled the SpotPass features (aka regular internet) so it wouldn’t be possible. My niece opted for a tablet and her DSi instead of a 2DS, but my nephew got one.

When Nintendo re-released Four Swords Anniversary Edition to celebrate the latest Zelda game being named Game of the Year, I made sure that Avery and Aurora downloaded the game, told Brady about it, and informed my brother Matt to get it on their DSi and 2DS. Even though it was a DSi game, they only allowed 3DS/2DS users to get it this time around, so Brady and my niece couldn’t get it. I also realized that the opportunity couldn’t be wasted, so I bought another 3DS and got FSAE intending to give it to Logan for Christmas the following year, but the kids found out about it within the week and we gave it to him. It was probably one of the last 3DS units in town (I checked 5 places to find one), as there were only 2DS or 3DSXL units available. Later I would find out that it was because the “New” Nintendo 3DS would be coming out soon.

Using points from Club Nintendo, I got a hard plastic Zelda-themed case to carry 18 games in it, as well as several games that we share as a family.

We helped my brother Brady upgrade his DSi to a 3DS so he could join in on the fun and play some of the games he had been missing out on. Now that he’s in college, he’s been a little behind while I have been able to catch up.

In early April of 2016, I upgraded to a "New" 3DS XL. The main reason was because the virtual console on this new system could handle SNES games, so I could get A Link to the Past on my 3DS. Anne inherited my old system and she has been playing Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, and the Oracle games, as well as the Mii Plaza games. The finish on some of the buttons and the D-pad started to crack or wear off, so we replaced them with new purple buttons, giving it a unique look. I also replaced the circle pad in Logan's 3DS, as the wear and tear Logan put into it tore the rubber covering off. 

I got my NN3DSXL some Zelda-themed armor to help protect it, as well as a pouch to carry it in. Additionally, my mom found a good deal on some 3DS cases (which hold 6 games and the system) and purchased them for Aurora and Logan. 

This has been the first system where we have really downloaded a lot of software for it. I would normally rather have the cartridge or disc version of a game because of the potential problem of having a system crash and dealing with transferring games from one NNID to another is a pain from what I've heard. But the biggest reason is that once downloaded, it can be only played on that one system. So, for example, if I want to play Mutant Mudds (which Avery has purchased), I have to use his 3DS. By contrast, we can all share a Zelda game cartridge between us. However, there are a lot of games that are only available digitally, including those games that are given in return for a rewards program. 

But despite that, I have quite a few VC titles, including the first Metroid Trilogy, every Zelda possible, Mega Man 1 through 4, and Super Mario Land 1 & 2. I also have downloaded Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures, Shovel Knight Treasure Trove, The Legend of Dark Witch, and several of the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney games. 


Many of the games I end up getting are on sale. I have built up quite a backlog, so if I see something on sale that looks interesting I will get it for cheap, then play it later when I can get around to it. I got a Professor Layton game for $10 new on sale while in St. George on vacation, and Crush3D (used) for $3 in California. 

The final chapter in the 3DS story (at least for now) is hacking it. I had heard about people doing it and put it off until I was reasonably sure that I wouldn't be banned by Nintendo or have the system bricked, and also until we had a spare. Avery had recently upgraded to a NN3DSXL, so I used his old one as a guinea pig. Once I got the hang of it, I hacked all of the 3DS systems in our house, as well as several family members' and friends' systems. This opens up a world of new possibilities, including having digital copies of all my Zelda games so I don't have to bring the game case with me.