PixlBit

BaD #21

 Hello Pixlbit how are you? Today marks the 30th anniversary of the first Legend of Zelda game and the franchise as well. As you know, I love the Zelda series, I've enjoyed all the games I've played.

Credit to original artist

I never got to try Ocarina of Time back in its heyday, but my first Zelda game was The Wind Waker. I really loved it as it was an entirely new gaming experience for me. The graphics looked like nothing I hadn't seen before. They really made the characters really expressive. That and the huge world to explore. I had never played a game like it before. I really loved sailing and found it relaxing and was always excited when I saw a new island on the horizon. The story was amazing. I never really played such a story focused game before. This game made me love the franchise and made me want to try other games in the series. I had replayed it since then every year. In fact, I'm going to replay it later as I've been replaying it for a while now.

My first portable entry was Oracle of Seasons for the GBC. I always loved the mechanic to change the seasons in the game. Changing the seasons allowed you to access new areas, like changing the season into summer would dry up a lake and open up a new path and so forth. Really wish they would use that mechanic again, or at least remake the game.

From there I tried as many Zelda games as I could. I got OoT on the Gamecube as a pre-order bonus from Wind Waker. I really enjoyed it. I then rented Majora's Mask and I could never make any real progress because my save file would always erase my save file. So from there I decided to just buy a copy. Thing is that it had been out of print for a long time so I had to find a used copy. It was one of the few rare times I had to buy a game used. I really enjoyed that as it had a different tone from the previous games I played.

From there I read news that a new Zelda game was in development and they showed screenshots. It looked amazing. It would then be known as Twilight Princess and it is the one game I was hyped for the most. A friend of mine was also hyped, we were so hyped. I searched for any news I could get, any screenshot, rumor, anything. Unfortunately my only sources of info were magazines and visits to my school library.

Eventually 2005 came and there were rumors that it would release that year. I remember buying a Nintendo Power magazine and it was their E3 issue where they had tons of Zelda footage. It was revealed to be known as Twilight Princess officially. It remains to be one of my 2 most favorite NP issues. The next issue came with a preview dvd of E3 trailers and came with a preview of Twilight Princess. Unfortunately it was delayed. That year I got A Link to the Past on GBA and really enjoyed it.

The next year, the only thing I wanted was Twilight Princess. I got it for xmas and to me was really worth the wait. I enjoyed it. It had everything I loved about OoT, but better in my opinion. I replay it every year since then.  I think from there I played Phantom Hourglass and really enjoyed it. Spirit Tracks was pretty good in my opinion. I really enjoyed the train mechanic.

From there on was Skyward Sword. I was excited for it. I really liked it the first time I played it but really didn't anymore the second time I tried it. They had some interesting ideas, but were not executed well.  I then got to try Minish Cap as part of the 3DS Ambassador Program. Really enjoyed the shrinking mechanic as it made the game had 2 worlds. That and none of the items become useless after you beat the dungeon. A Link Between Worlds was fantastic, it restored your faith in the franchise if you didn't like Skyward Sword. You could tackle the dungeons in any order in ALBW as you get access to the weapons very early by renting them. 

To me, the games I love the most when it comes to the console Zelda games are Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. For handheld, Oracle of Seasons, Minish Cap, and ALBW are my favorites.

I really do enjoy these games for many different reasons. The stories, the characters, the music, exploration, the dungeons, puzzles, and saving the world. You wonder how can a kid (sometimes adult) can do this by himself? Be it a destined hero or lazy island kid, you know you're in for an adventure as soon as you pick up the controller and get your sword. And it's all thanks to an old may in a cave who gives you a sword because it's dangerous to go alone.

I'm really excited to see what comes next. Next is Twilight Princess HD, which I'm excited for and can't wait for Zelda Wii U, whenever that hits. 30 years of great games, Happy 30th. 

So, what are your favorite Zelda games? Any great memories? Thanks for reading and...