The Legend of Zelda - Softonic English

‘The Legend of Zelda’ triumphs once again and becomes the most desired game of the season

Pero hay un futuro lanzamiento que los ha eclipsado a todos. Y no importa que sea cenital, que no tenga la profundidad de los últimos títulos de la saga ni las quejas previsibles y tiquismiquis de unos pocos.

Sometimes it seems like we have more games we want to play than free time to do it. Just in the next few months, titles like ‘World of Warcraft: The War Within’, ‘Star Wars Outlaws’, ‘Astro Bot’, ‘Silent Hill 2 Remake’, and ‘Assassin’s Creed Shadows’, which are not few, will be accumulating on our shelf. But there’s a future release that has overshadowed them all. And it doesn’t matter if it’s top-down, if it doesn’t have the depth of the latest titles in the saga or the predictable and nitpicky complaints of some.

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For Hyrule!

I’m talking, of course, about ‘The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom’, which already dominates the most desired and most anticipated games lists. According to IGN Playlist, which usually gets it right, in second place is ‘Doom: The Dark Ages’ and in third place is ‘Astro Bot’, leaving ‘Gears of War: E-Day’ off the podium. It’s been 38 years since the release of the first ‘Zelda’ on NES, and if one thing is clear, it is that the audience always wants more.

Everything seems to suggest, moreover, that the Nintendo Switch end-of-party fireworks (accompanied by sagas like ‘Metroid’, ‘Mario Party’, and ‘Mario & Luigi’) will make the audience want to keep playing Nintendo instead of forgetting about the company after a few months of abandonment (as it easily could have done).

In fact, ‘Mario & Luigi: Fraternal Connection’ is ranked 6th on the list, ‘Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’ is in 10th place, ‘Super Mario Party Jamboree’ is in 19th place, and much further down, ‘Donkey Kong Country Returns HD’ is in the 24th spot. There are always those who want to declare Nintendo dead, but over the past four decades, there is only one absolute truth in the world of video games: never believe Nintendo is finished.

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Where does the new Zelda fit in the timeline? Fans have been looking at the clues

Finally, all the pieces of the puzzle have come together: after the new Princess Peach game following 18 years without her own title, Nintendo has now announced that the protagonist of ‘The Legend of Zelda’ will finally be playable beyond ‘Super Smash Bros.’

Finally, all the puzzle pieces have come together: after Princess Peach’s new game after 18 years without having her own, Nintendo has now announced that the protagonist of ‘The legend of Zelda’ will finally be playable beyond ‘Super Smash Bros’. And of course, among the multiple memes from the community (which has suggested that it should be called, for once, ‘The legend of Link’), a question has arisen: Where does ‘Echoes of Wisdom’ fit within the already complex chronology of the saga?

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Ven a salvar a la princesa Zelda

At the moment we only have a few minutes of trailer that have focused on the main plot and the main ability of Zelda (copying objects and even enemies), but for some it has been enough to find all the clues that lead to the solution of the enigma. The biggest hint is that it seems to use the same map as ‘A Link to the past’ and ‘A Link between worlds’. In fact, it is literally the same design in the parts we have been able to see. It is true that some places are unpublished but it is probably because the map will be expanded and not because it is located before or after.

Therefore, the game takes place in the timeline where the hero is defeated in ‘Ocarina of Time’ and where there are also games like ‘Oracle of Seasons/Ages’, ‘Link’s Awakening’, ‘Triforce Heroes’ and the first two games that started it all, ‘The Legend of Zelda’ and ‘The Legend of Link’. Some would be satisfied with this, but fans have gone further by noticing that both versions of the Zora, river and sea, appear in one scene. Until now, they had only been seen together in one game: ‘Oracle of Ages’.

And while in that title they didn’t seem to know each other, in the trailer we can see them chatting calmly. At first glance, there is no doubt: ‘Echoes of wisdom’ takes place shortly after ‘Oracle of ages’. That being said, Nintendo doesn’t really care about the saga’s timeline (neither does Eiji Aonuma, the creator of ‘Zelda’), so it’s most likely that even after the release we won’t have official news about where it fits. If it overwhelms you, think that not even its creators care too much, maybe you shouldn’t think about it too much!

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Playing the best The Legend of Zelda on PC at maximum quality? Now it’s possible to do it in a simple way

Although the Nintendo 64 has never been the most popular console, that might change thanks to this project that will allow its games to be played on PC.

Despite being almost 30 years old, the emulation of the Nintendo 64 is still not perfect. It is a console with a very particular structure and, due to its relatively low popularity, progress has been slow. In addition, many people have trouble adjusting everything to achieve the best possible emulation experience. This makes it a less remembered console than it should be.

But that may change soon. A developer named Wiseguy has created a tool called N64: Recompiled, which allows recompiling Nintendo 64 binaries into C code. This means that it would be possible to convert a Nintendo 64 ROM into a piece of software that can run on any computer, without the need for any technical knowledge.

What is the advantage of doing recompilations instead of using an emulator? It allows all the things that, through emulation, would be much more expensive. For example, this way, it would be possible to improve the frame rate, play in 4K or higher resolutions, add ray tracing to games, or include support for different screen resolutions.

Although this is hypothetically possible with all Nintendo 64 games, at the moment only one game has been made available: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. This version of the game allows us to play it natively on the computer, with all the improvements we mentioned before. In addition, Wiseguy has already managed to make ports of three other Nintendo 64 games: Banjo-Kazooie, Rocket: Robot on Wheels, and Superman 64. This opens up the possibility that, in the future, we will have versions of all the games in the catalog on PC.

This would allow rediscovering a machine that has been somewhat forgotten. With great games, including some of the best in Nintendo and Rare’s history, this is news that has the potential to revolutionize the world of retro gaming. Something we can’t wait to see how it evolves.

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Project64 is a free Nintendo 64 emulator for Windows that allows you to play all the games from this legendary Nintendo console.

The creators of Tears of the Kingdom do not see it possible to make a Zelda Mario Maker

The creators of Tears of the Kingdom don’t see it possible to make a Zelda in the style of Mario Maker, although their reasons are rather unconvincing.

Super Mario is a franchise with decades of history. With numerous games under its belt, it’s difficult to point out a single game as the most beloved. What is undeniable is that few have caused as much sensation as Super Mario Maker. A game that allows us to create our own levels of the franchise and that, due to its attention to detail and care, has allowed us to recreate all the fantasies of the 2D Mario games that we can imagine.

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That’s why, among Nintendo fans, there has always been a desire for them to do this with other franchises. In particular, with The Legend of Zelda. But if there’s one thing they have recently made clear, it’s that The Legend of Zelda Maker is not something that is on the table for the developers of the franchise.

In an interview with Polygon, journalist Mike Mahardy asked Eiji Aonuma, producer of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, about the possibility of a game in the franchise similar to Super Mario Maker. Unfortunately, his response left little room for hope in that regard. “When we create games like Tears of the Kingdom, I think it’s important that we don’t make creativity a requirement.” He also added, “I don’t think it fits well with The Legend of Zelda for people to necessarily require building things from scratch and forcing them to be creative.”

Although their arguments are reasonable, reality says otherwise. In the Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, they introduced Dampé’s Shack, a place where we could design our own dungeons and then share them with other people through the franchise’s amiibos.

Despite everything, in the end it’s a decision of Nintendo. If they don’t see it feasible to make a Zelda Maker, it’s difficult for us to see it in the future. That doesn’t mean that other developers haven’t seen the opportunity and the possibilities that it opens up, creating games as remarkable as Super Dungeon Maker. Essentially a dungeon creation game in the style of Zelda. So, if Nintendo doesn’t want to do it, at least the community can work on similar projects to fill that gap they don’t want to fill.

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Do you want to play with Zelda instead of Link? Nintendo says it might happen.

“There may be the possibility of something similar in the future. Maybe. Maybe, maybe.”

It is the oldest mistake in the world: assuming that the protagonist of ‘The Legend of Zelda’ is called Zelda. However, the truth is that from its beginning in NES in 1986 until now, we have never been able to control the princess beyond titles like ‘Super Smash Bros‘, the failed horrors of CD-i or ‘Hyrule warriors’. However, only one game in the main saga gave you the honor of being able to control the princess, and it can’t be said that in ‘Spirit tracks’ it went beyond being an anecdote. However, that is about to change.

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You have to wash yourself, don’t be lazy

Eiji Aonuma, who has been in charge of the saga since ‘Ocarina of Time’, is always looking for a way to innovate in ‘Zelda‘ and in an interview with IGN he has stated that anything is possible: “Link has always been the main character, and Zelda has been in the middle, they have a relationship and their own rules in each of the games”. Is there a catch? Of course.

“But it is true that I believe that you can always think about these kinds of things and the role of Zelda. And there may be the possibility of something similar in the future. Maybe. Maybe, maybe”. Perhaps after the ‘Zelda’ movie or after the new games in the franchise, away from the ‘Tears of the Kingdom‘ scheme, make their appearance, we can finally see what kind of gameplay the good princess could have.

If you have played ‘Tears of the Kingdom’, precisely, you will know that Zelda has a very important presence in the game, but she never becomes the main character. If Peach has had the opportunity to play alongside Mario and company, when will it be the moment for Hyrule to be saved by a female hand?

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Is it necessary to play other installments of the franchise to understand the story of Tears of the Kingdom?

We solve all the doubts about the games you need to play so as not to miss anything from the history of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

In video games, continuity is usually less important than in other media. In movies, literature or series it is always important to know the previous installments of a franchise, but that is something that is rarely true in video games. A medium full of reboots, remakes, and, on many occasions, franchises that even when they have continuity, are constructed in such a way that each installment can be played independently of all the others. Something in which The Legend of Zelda stands out in a particular way.

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Each installment of The Legend of Zelda, with very few exceptions, stands on its own. Although virtually all take place in the same world, each Link and each Zelda is a new reincarnation of the chosen hero and the princess who must guide him, destined to defeat the primordial evil known as Ganondorf, and to fall in love over and over again in each of their incarnations. Now, in a few cases there is continuity between games. Which seems to be the case with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

As a direct sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the game’s events take place after everything that happened in the previous game in the series. While Zelda and Link explore a subway temple, they find a mummified body. It will come to life, raise Hyrule Castle to the heavens and take Zelda with it, forcing Link to save her once again.

In this sense, it is logical to think that it is necessary to know the events of, at least, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. A relatively simple story, and that Nintendo itself has recently compiled in a video to refresh our memory, but that does not cover the entire history of the world. Because in 2020, from the hand of Omega Force, Nintendo would release Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, a game that takes place a hundred years before the events of Breath of the Wild, explaining the events that led to the situation of that game. While narratively deeper, it’s not necessary to understand the entirety of what happens in Breath of the Wild, as it’s self-explanatory, but it’s true that it adds a handful of extra layers that make the events that occurred in both games more memorable. Which is presumably why the same thing will happen with Tears of the Kingdom.

In any case, none of this is absolutely necessary to get into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. In principle, and unless Nintendo says otherwise, knowing very much about the events that transpired in Breath of the Wild should be more than enough to enjoy the adventure. But if you want to know more, Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity are waiting for you to unravel one of the richest stories ever developed in The Legend of Zelda saga.

The Legendary Impact of Zelda: The Characters that Captivated Gamers and Influenced Pop Culture

The Legend of Zelda and its characters have had a great influence on pop culture, something that we are going to show you with a few examples.

With thirty-seven years behind it, The Legend of Zelda is one of the most influential sagas in the history of videogames. Within the medium, it has shaped entire genres. Outside of it, its influence has been no less. Link is recognizable even to those who have never touched a controller in their lives, and Zelda is a name that resonates in everyone’s mind. That’s why it seems interesting that we stop for a moment to think about how it has influenced our culture, both inside and outside the video game. Because few video game franchises can claim to be as iconic as one of Nintendo’s two main swords.

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Although the game is called The Legend of Zelda, we cannot deny that its best known character is Link. Known by parents and grandparents around the world as Zelda, despite being a boy, but in many occasions also confusing his gender because of his androgynous beauty, he has appeared on more than a few occasions in movies, television and other video games. Particularly in animated series.

Among the series in which Link has made cameos is South Park. In the three-part episode Imaginationland he appears briefly, passing in front of the camera, as one of the characters who inhabit the world where all the things we humans have ever imagined exist. More subtly, in the background, Ganondorf, better known as Ganon, the main villain of the saga, can also be found. Within the sardonic series, another one that would make its own homage is Rick & Morty. In the episode of the second season called Total Recall where an alien manipulates the minds of the whole family, making them believe that there are all kinds of imaginary beings, and forcing Rick at one point to sell the Nintendo 3DS Zelda Edition to the others. A rather subtle detail that only the most fanatical fans of the saga will notice.

Speaking of irreverent series, Robot Chicken have made a lot of humor, particularly of the relationship between Link and Zelda. In the third season episode Shoe, in the sketch Rescuing Zelda, Link saved Zelda only for Zelda to point out that she barely knew him and was already tired of all the guys who had come to her rescue before him. In the episode sketch Fridge Smell, from season eight, Link and Zelda sleep together in the same bed, only to be woken up by Zelda’s farts, part of the joke being how he calls her “wind-waker”, in reference to the installment of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker saga. And in the eighth season, a sketch called Hopefully Salt features Link trying to get Zelda’s bra off, only to sound the sound of discovered treasure when he finally succeeds.

More recently, in Supergirl’s tenth episode, Childish Things, a person shows up dressed as Link at the National City Toy Convention. Something that shows that the influence of The Legend of Zelda transcends the space of the animation world.

As we have already said, in addition, in the video game world there have been a thousand tributes to the characters of the franchise. Something that has led them to talk about more characters besides Link. For starters, in the much-loved The Simpsons Game, in the Enter the Cheatrix level, Lisa shouts that she hopes to meet Zelda, in reference to Princess Zelda. Similarly, in the NeverQuest level, Homer appears dressed as Link and Marge as Zelda. In Neverwinter Nights, Obsidian’s 2002 role-playing game, there was a boss named Ganon. Something that also happens in Enter the Gungeon, where a boss named Evil King, Cannon, mimics Ganon’s fight in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Now, if we transcend the characters to embrace the influence that symbols have, then we can extend to infinity. Because the triforce appears in so many games that it doesn’t make any sense. It’s appeared in N+, League of Legends, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, and The Binding of Isaac, just to name a handful of the most well-known. Because the triforce is one of the most famous video game symbols.

As is Link’s master sword. So it should come as no surprise that the master sword and how to get it are things that have been parodied many times, one of the most notable being Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak. A Game Boy Advance game where Hamtaro must remove the legendary spoon from a pedestal that mimics that of the legendary sword, for which he must collect three stones, blue, red and green, in the same way Link must get them in order to claim the master sword in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Now, let’s not kid ourselves: we’ve saved the sweetest for last. The sadly deceased Robbie Williams was a great lover of the saga. So much so that he named one of his daughters Zelda, after the princess from The Legend of Zelda. Something that earned them both to appear in a TV commercial for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and to make a special appearance at the London Zelda Symphony Concert at the Hammersmith Apollo for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the franchise. Thus being a living demonstration of how the love of fiction can materialize in people. Transcending something that for others may be a hobby to become something that is as intrinsic a part of our lives as a daughter.

In the end we have left a lot of things by the way. Lots of references, winks, influences. The Legend of Zelda is a very influential saga that will continue to be so in the future, because it never ceases to inspire new generations. And as long as that continues to happen, as long as Link, Zelda and Ganon continue to be a source of inspiration, there will always be reasons for us to want to remember them. Or introduce them into our lives.

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A closer look at the wackiest characters that have graced the Zelda franchise

The Legend of Zelda is a very rich universe with some very unique characters. In this article we review the most peculiar of all of them.

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most famous video game franchises in the world. Despite the misunderstandings generated by the title and the fact that the main character is called Link, its characters are well known and loved by the general public. This doesn’t mean that the saga doesn’t have a good handful of quite peculiar characters. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. Of the strangest characters, when not directly insane, that populate Hyrule and all the worlds we have visited by the hand of Link and Zelda. Because although it may not seem so, this is a world full of peculiar characters.

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Salvatore

Few things are funnier than a man who is unnecessarily serious. A boring man, who doesn’t make sense to be there, but somehow, doesn’t clash at all with everything he does. And that’s Salvatore’s role in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass: to be strangely hilarious in his utter lack of enthusiasm for his work.

Salvatore, a man with a blank stare and minimal mustaches, is in charge of the Sink the Fleet and Cannon Game mini-games who always greets us with a bored and disinterested gesture. But when he has to explain the games to us, he impersonates other characters in the game, pirate captains or damsels in distress, all with wooden cutouts with a hole in which to fit his face. He shouts. He voices. He changes his accent and the way he speaks. But not his enthusiasm. Salvatore always comes across as bored and completely disinterested in what’s going on happening. On the other hand, that’s exactly why we like him. He never stops being funny even though, in reality, we know he’s still looking for another idea to take on.

Skull Kid

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is a game that many of us still remember today with a mixture of reverence and dread. Its setting was strange, it was full of mystery and its main antagonist during most of the game, Skull Kid, made everything even stranger. Child-sized, colorfully dressed and very mischievous, influenced by Majora’s Mask, he seeks to bring down the Moon in order to destroy Thermina. But the strangest thing of all is that Skull Kid is not the only skull kid in the franchise, because they are a whole species.

Usually found in the Lost Forest, a labyrinthine forest where the pedestal of time where the master sword is hidden, it is said that adults who die in the forest become skeletons and children become skull kids. Kind to children and hostile to adults, something that is represented in how they are friendly with Link as a child and attack him as an adult, are one of the great mysteries of the Zelda saga. A recurring species, with importance in the lore, but the more we know about them, the more mysterious and distant they seem to us.

The ghost hunter

Although it is always said that the darkest game is Majora’s Mask, it is undeniable that Ocarina of Time also has some disturbing aspects. Ultimately, after Ganondorf gains the power of the Triforce, no one in the village of Hyrule Castle can live there anymore, except for one person: the ghost hunter. A mysterious character who makes a living selling ghosts and loves to create trouble.

But who is this character? The game never makes it clear. But everything seems to point to the fact that he is probably the gentleman who remains standing exactly where the ghost hunter is sitting seven years later. He is a knight who encourages you to break vases and who wears clothes with the triforce symbol, just like the ghost hunter. If both are located in the same place, wouldn’t it make sense that the impudent and mischievous soldier would become the impudent and mischievous ghost once Ganondorf takes over the place?

Tingle

Finally, we have to talk about the strangest character of the franchise. The man who has starred in two of his own games. Who has appeared in almost all the installments. Who’s very appearance has caused countless nightmares, who’s obsession with forest fairies is disturbing, and who, despite working as a cartographer, seems more qualified as a lowly inventor than a geographer. We speak, of course, of Tingle.

This 35-year-old Hylian made his first appearance in Majora’s Mask and since then has not stopped appearing in one way or another. Believing himself to be the true reincarnation of a fairy, as Zelda is the reincarnation of the legendary hero, he’s always comic relief, sometimes in the form of an ally, sometimes in the form of a minor antagonist, as well as the originator of the phrase “kurulin…PA!”. Essentially, a romanization of the Japanese phrase “kuruinpa”, the sound the Japanese make to say that someone is cuckoo. Something that already tells us everything about what we should think about the strangest man in all of Hyrule.

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Legend of Zelda love interests, ranked from worst to best

Despite the fact that Link constantly voyages to save Princess Zelda and stop the evil Ganon/Ganondorf/Calamity Ganon, he actually has a plethora of love interests throughout the series!

As everyone knows: love makes the world go ’round, and we’re certainly suckers for romances stories. And guess what? Link’s relationships are fun to follow and make his grand adventures all the more interesting!

Before going on, we should be clear about two things:

1. “Worst” doesn’t mean bad. Even the lower relationships have their merits. Usually…

2. This isn’t shipping. There’s nothing wrong with shipping, of course, but there is a difference: shipping combines any two random characters for the pleasure of adoring fans, while we’re examining relationships that have been canonically established. Usually…

Now that’s finished, let’s get to it and check out the-

Love interests in Legend of Zelda from worst to best!

(And yes, many of these will be different Zeldas)

Just Friends – The Kiddos

Sometimes, Link is a kid! Since there could clearly be a relationship with these folks when everyone grows up, we’ll give them recognition. However, until they’re older, these are simply Link’s candidates for BFF:

Medli (Wind Waker)

I’ve been looking for a cute wallpaper and i found this. I instantly fell in love. from zelda

Medli has a great story that we find incredibly sad: after saving Dragon Roost Island and helping her brother find courage, Link realizes that sages need to constantly worship the gods to actualize the Master Sword’s power. Poor Medli is then dropped in an underground temple indefinitely, likely to become one of the withered sages from Breath of the Wild.

But if that wasn’t the case, Link could’ve been great friends with this adorable Rito kid. Hopefully, Link will bring the pirate ship around every once in a while to say “hello” and “thanks for saving us”!

Oh, and for Makar as well.

Purah (Breath of the Wild)

Purah from Zelda Breath of the wild #Zelda #ゼルダの伝説 pic.twitter.com/cqMDyBtcKd

— Daz / Arthur Charlon (@ArthurCharlon) February 15, 2019

Ah, one of Link’s many platonic Breath of the Wild crushes! It becomes especially platonic when she turns herself from a 100-year old woman into an intelligent and peppy child of, what, 7 years?

Still, now that Link and Zelda are back together and scouring the land for new horizons, we’re sure they’ll enjoy the occasional visit to Hateno Ancient Tech Laboratory every once in a while.

Tetra (Wind Waker)

Yeah, she’s also Zelda. However, we call her Tetra because – much akin to Sheik’s character switch – she has an entirely different personality in and out of costume! Tetra plays up the swank, smack-talking pirate queen role and constantly jokes with Link. Frankly, she’s pretty badass for a kid! The moment she becomes Zelda in Hyrule’s ruins, Tetra suddenly reverts a delicate princess in need of saving.

For that reason, Tetra, not Zelda, is our top choice for Link’s friends!

Relationships

Now begins the true quest!

Princess Ruto (Ocarina of Time)

Overly Attached Ruto from zelda

Full disclosure: while relationships with Zoras like Ruto and Mipha are blantantly obvious, they make us a bit sad. Why, you ask? Because their love is almost totally unrequited and yet they’re unswayed regardless! We might even consider this particular relationship “bad”…

Here’s why: Princess Ruto sees Link for the first time and says, “You’re gonna be my husband, deal with it, yo”. That would be okay if the decision was passed off as the capitulations of a strong-willed young princess, but when they grow up she’s still chasing the pipe dream of a relationship. Link had a relationship with Mipha, but no love has formed here.

The necessary time to develop a connection is important for story and relationships in general.

Now, we aren’t going to claim this relationship only gets attentions because some fans find adult Princess Ruto hot… We WILL say that she was intended to be comedic relief and works well as such! It can be pretty funny to watch her chastise Link for taking his time showing up to save Hyrule.

But is this a good, healthy relationship? No. Absolutely not.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time turns 20. Here’s how it changed gaming forever

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Zelda (Zelda II: The Adventure of Link)

Zelda from “Zelda II” is the only one we’ve included from the originals. Why? Because most of these titles don’t show anything between Link and the princess! In the first game, you simply quest to find Zelda as a heroic night, and in “A Link to the Past” the princess telepathically butt dials calls you to her aid shortly before your uncle gets brutally killed in Hyrule’s defense.

So, yeah, not much there…

At the very end of Zelda II, however, Link gets a solid hug from Zelda, which is enough to imply there’s something romantic happening. It’s happens quick, it’s at the very end, but it’s there!

And sorry about your uncle, Link. Press F.

Saria (Ocarina of Time)

Always Saria over Zelda from gaming

Ah, poor Saria.

Aside from having a great song and taking care of the Kokiri people, Saria supports Link with the other sages. Similar to poor Medli, that means she’s destined to be a sage for a very, very long time.

Still, she’s a great character that takes care of others and even journeys to the Forest Temple in response to spirits calling her to help. Props to her!

Unfortunately, once she becomes an adult there’s not much between Saria and Link. They meet briefly and he helps her before she’s sage-ified. Otherwise, this relationship would have way more potential!

Ilia (Twilight Princess)

Ilia won last month's patreon character poll ? pic.twitter.com/LWy9h97uXw

— Luisa (@_lulles_) May 14, 2018

Sometimes, Link has a relationship with Zelda. But in “Twilight Princess” he had an actual girlfriend and only meets Zelda a few times for frivolous things like getting info, saving Midna, and defeating Ganondorf!

Saria and Link start the game in Ordon village, where her father is the mayorchief. Long story short, she gets captured and loses her memory, then spends much of the game helping out in a bar and being used to torture Link with creepy visions, the weirdness of which rivals Major’s Mask!

Still, what screen time she gets is actually pretty good: Saria helps Link, makes sure he takes care of his horse, and helps save Prince Ralis, a wounded Zora. After Ganon is defeated, love is entirely possible!

Mipha (Breath of the Wild)

Mipha’s Grace from zelda

Aw yeah, Mipha’s awesome!

A great trident wielder with unrivaled fluidity and grace in battle, Mipha brings the bearing of a princess and the sweetness of a soft-spoken battle medic to this metaphorical table of romance.

So why does she fall so low?

Well, for one, she’s dead. Two, Link clearly has a relationship with Zelda that begins before and ends after his relationship with Mipha, making love a little difficult. Finally, like Princess Ruto, she declares Link to be her husband of choice! To be fair, though..

Mipha doesn’t delude herself: she understands Link cares deeply for Zelda and opts for helping him when possible, with healing and fitted Zora armor (a symbolic gift from a Zora to her beloved). We’ve decided to accept these actions as a commendable acceptance of their relationship status.

That’s very mature of you, Mipha!

Ghirahim??? (Skyward Sword)

Ghirahim is fabulous from zelda

Haha! Just making sure you’re paying attention.

Ghirahim is a ship, folks: there’s no reason Link would get together with this flamboyant, closeted demon sociopath. Still, he does have the Joker’s odd lovability, along with a few great boss fights, so we’ll give him that.

But only that. Don’t lick Link, dangit!

Zelda (Skyward Sword)

Zelda and Link begin the game as good friends with romantic inclinations, and they end with the decision to leave their floating home in Skyloft so they may live together happily on the surface world until the end of their days…

Which is AWESOME! It’s nice to have a relationship in Legend of Zelda that ends successfully with a loving companionship.

Of course, let’s address the elephant: Skyward Sword is hated by a lot of people. It’s one of the easiest Zelda titles and the controls (many of them being tested in preparation for the beloved Breath of the Wild, like the stamina mechanic) were a tad wonky, but…frankly, we thought it was nice!

It’s a good-looking game, we enjoy the pastel artwork, there are some good new characters introduced, the background into Hyrule’s past fills in some gaps, and the romance between Zelda and Link is wonderful!

Midna (Twilight Princess)

Midna and Link from RoleReversal

What can we say? Twilight Princess, despite all odds, is a favorite!

Midna is the twilight princess, a member of the Twili people, who were sent to a prison realm that was created by the gods to punish ancient wannabe triforce thieves. You meet her in an impish form as she accompanies you on a journey to stop Zant from bringing endless Twilight. In the end, the two worlds are separated once more and Midna, in her full form, gives Link a sad farewell before closing off a portal between the worlds.

Not only did we like their transition from arguing couple to good friends, we found her sacrifice impressive and sad. Anyone who’s played the game (and enjoyed it) probably found her departure as sad as Fi’s.

But hey, sometimes sadness can be a good thing.

Marin (Link’s Awakening)

I made Link and Marin at the beach! (22,000 perler beads and 6 full days of my life) from zelda

While one of the handheld games, we needed to include Marin for obvious reasons! She and Link have a worthy, well-formed relationship that ends with tragic beauty.

Link meets Marin on a mysterious island and they form a budding relationship before realizing the world is a dream formed by the Wind Fish. Basically, their quest to awaken it will terminate in the destruction of their universe! Still, they complete their noble quest and share a tearful farewell as the world disappears. Link is saved at the last moment…

When he awakens, the Wind Fish says his memories will always exist in his heart, and a secret ending reveals Marin has been granted her wish of becoming a seagull, truly free as a bird.

We might’ve cried. Seriously, no lie.

Zelda (Breath of the Wild)

Link and Zelda sleeping together [BotW] (crosspost from r/gaming) from Breath_of_the_Wild

Ah, a relationship 100 years in the making!

This particular Zelda met Link when he became her personal guard and the champion of Hyrule after being chosen by the Master Sword. From then on, they were inseparable and went on numerous quests together. Finally, at the end of Breath of the Wild, they’re reunited a century after their bitter defeat at the hoofs of Calamity Ganon!

Aside from being an amazing game, the relationship between Link and Zelda is well-established in the numerous flashbacks gathered throughout the game. Link may not talk, but their mutual love is clear to everyone, including the other members of the Divine Beasts Riders.

Finally, though this probably shouldn’t be permissible as evidence, the teaser trailer for Breath of the Wild’s Sequel shows the two back on the trail of mystery. While it probably won’t go well for them, we sure hope it ends happily this time around. Happy trails, you two!

Top 10 NES games of all time

From the field of Hyrule to the Mushroom Kingdom, these games defined a generation.

The Nintendo Entertainment System was a monumental video game system. After Atari caused the great video game crash, consumers weren’t ready to buy back into video games again. However, after games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda hit the mainstream, anybody who was anybody had to have one of those giant gray boxes.

For this list, we looked at the games that made the NES the legend it is today. If your favorite game didn’t make this list, let us know in the comments below!

Top 10 NES games

10. Metroid

Back in the day, video games had a simple concept: you take your character from the left side of the screen to the right side. Metroid took that concept and threw it out the window. In this game, you navigate a labyrinth with bad guys and power-ups hidden everywhere. Once you get some of those power-ups, you can circle back to areas you’ve already explored and then uncover more secrets hidden in this world.

On the NES, there were dozens of games that mimicked Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. However, there was only one Metroid and it is still untouchable.

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9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game

The first Ninja Turtles game on the NES is pretty bad, to say the least. It is notoriously difficult and almost impossible to control. Despite that game being a massive flop, the Ninja Turtles were sucking down quarters at the arcade like crazy. Nintendo decided that the best course of action was to port the arcade game to the NES.

Guess what? The game was phenomenal.

The game had much of the same moves and mechanics as the arcade game. The best part of it was that you didn’t need to put in a quarter every time you lost!

8. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse

The Castlevania games on the NES were notorious for being difficult. However, people who loved these games were willing to brave through the relentless difficulty to reach the best parts of the game. From the gothic ambiance to the phenomenal musical scores, there is plenty to like about the games.

Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse had all of the best parts of the previous Castlevania games, but included another great feature: three new characters. The new characters provided a breath of fresh air from the typical whip-toting Belmont boys.

If you’re willing to play one of the most difficult games on the NES, you won’t be disappointed.

7. Contra

UP UP DOWN DOWN LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT B A START

If you’re a gamer, you know better than anyone that the above cheat code is the secret to “eternal life.”

Well, not really. The above cheat code is the famous method players frantically inputted on their controllers to start Contra with 30 lives. Contra is easily one of the best shooters of all time. You play as a ‘roided-out soldier that’s out to thwart an alien-invasion with nothing but the gun strapped to his shirtless back.

The game was notoriously hard, and the 30-man code was absolutely necessary for first-timers. Pick this game up if you’re ready to lock and load. Also, don’t be embarrassed if you need more than 30 lives.

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6. Punch-Out!!

Punch-Out!! is a right-of-passage. You’re not much of a gamer unless you’ve watched Glass Joe hit the canvas like a sack of bricks. Punch-Out!! was one of those games that really united kids back in the day. These were the days before you could just look up on the internet how to beat a boss. Kids were reliant on playground knowledge. If you didn’t know how to beat King Hippo, you sometimes needed to have your buddy come over to show you that you needed to punch him in the mouth at the right moment.

Punch-Out!! is a legendary game. It hasn’t lost any steam in the time it has already spent on this planet, and we don’t expect it to any time soon.

5. Tecmo Bowl

In the beginning, there were jocks and there were gamers. Then, by a twist of cruel fate, there were video games about sports. Your average gamer doesn’t want to play football, baseball, or soccer when they have the option to stop an alien invasion or save the princess from a dragon. As a result, there was a huge divide in video games between those that play sports games and those that despised their existence.

That’s where Tecmo Bowl came in. Sure, it’s a sports game. However, it’s one hell of a good game. It’s easy to pick up and jump into, and playing it is wildly addictive. Nowadays, there are games like Madden that have insanely huge followings. Madden and its following would not exist if Tecmo Bowl had not paved the way.

4. Tetris

There are games on here with wild storylines, gameplay, and trend-setting mechanics. Then there is Tetris. Tetris is a brutally simple game. If you hand the game to a three-year-old, they could figure it out in a matter of minutes. However, Tetris is brilliant because it is so simple. Any person of any age can play Tetris and be great at it. It doesn’t take any sort of special skill or knowledge to be a Tetris champ; it just takes practice.

Tetris has gone through a bunch of cosmetic changes throughout the years, but the core game has mainly remained unchanged.

Do we really need to sell this game any more to you? Tetris has been around for this long already, and we won’t be surprised if it outlives every game on this list.

3. Mega Man 2

The phrase “ahead of its time” is used so much these days that it has lost a lot of meaning. With that being said, Mega Man 2 was so wildly ahead of its time. It’s downright crazy just how complicated of a game the developers were able to fit on an NES cartridge. The game feels like it came out one or two generations earlier than it was supposed to.

Each level is so iconic from the enemies, to the music, to the boss battle at the end. Even after you beat the game, all you want to do is start over again and replay those same wonderful iconic moments.

Need more convincing? Here’s a mariachi band playing the music from the game:

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2. The Legend of Zelda

What can we really say about The Legend of Zelda that hasn’t been said already? It’s one of the most iconic games ever made on top of being one of the best games ever made.

It has all of the best qualities of the rest of the games on this list, and it has so much more. So, instead of talking about why the game is great, we’ll talk about why the game is not the best game on the NES in our opinion.

The Legend of Zelda is cryptic, to say the least. It was a game that made you have to buy a subscription of “Nintendo Power” in order to beat it. There are things in the game that you couldn’t figure out on your own in a million years. The Legend of Zelda is quite literally a living legend, but it is not our top pick.

1. Super Mario Bros. 3

It’s 1989. You dragged your parents to the movie theater to see “The Wizard.” With not much time left in the movie, you’ve realized what your parents probably knew 10 minutes into the movie: “The Wizard” really sucks.

However, all of a sudden the movie takes a turn. It looks like they are showing a new game that you’ve never seen before. How could this piece of garbage movie have such a hidden gem inside? Well, it did. And man-oh-man did it blow our minds:

Movie aside, Super Mario Bros. 3 is a masterpiece. It is simply a cut above the rest, proving to be a once-in-a-lifetime type of game. You do the same stuff you do in the previous two games, but this time there’s more everything. There’s fresh mechanics, new challenges, new power-ups, enemies you’ve never faced before, a new level to the story, and a jolt of electricity in it that makes you hungry for more.

Wrapping up

Did you agree with the list? What do you think should’ve made the list? Let us know in the comments below!