The Legend of Zelda Series

[talonmalon333]

I rescued all the Sages, and the next step in the story is heading to Lorule Castle!

... And I still haven't found the Pegasus Boots. Seriously, where are those things?

[Nel_Annette]

I rescued all the Sages, and the next step in the story is heading to Lorule Castle!

... And I still haven't found the Pegasus Boots. Seriously, where are those things?

That one got me too. You have to think about the way the new game mechanics work. 

Unless you want to just have me tell you.

Spoiler

You have to hide in the wall and pop up behind the guy who stole them. If you approach him any other way, he bolts.

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[talonmalon333]

Thanks. For now, though, I'm probably just going to avoid opening that spoiler tag. When I go back to the game I'll probably just try to find the boots.

[Nel_Annette]

Yeah, it really is one of those feel-good moments when you figure it out.

[talonmalon333]

I just finished A Link Between Worlds (still don't have the Pegasus Boots, so I'll just have to get those some other time). Overall, I was very pleased with the game. It's really Zelda done the right way. It doesn't feel dumbed down in the way that the DS games did. Actually, it's one of the tougher Zelda games in a while, and I really loved the world and the exploration. It's easily a game that can just pull you in for hours and have you looking forward to picking it back up after you turn off your 3DS. I'd say, as far as portable games go, it might not be as well made as something like Oracle of Ages. However, it's incredibly enjoyable, and I might be inclined to call it more fun than that game. The story is nothing special, and Yuga isn't a particularly interesting villain (in fact, in the ending, he felt more like a plot device than a villain of any importance), but it didn't need to be. This game was completely about your adventure.

So overall, great. In my book, it's by far the best game since Twilight Princess.

... But Ganon being "sealed" before the events of the game still doesn't line up with me.

[Spark Of Spirit]

... But Ganon being "sealed" before the events of the game still doesn't line up with me.

Spoiler

Ganon has no physical form or body and has to take Yuga's to even live at all. In other words, he was still destroyed from ALTTP so nothing is really out of whack here. He's exactly as destroyed as he was in that game, having no way to return on his own, but only because Hilda and Yuga were easily for him to manipulate that he was almost able to take everything over. Otherwise he'd still be dead.

He isn't properly "rebuilt" until Zelda 1.

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Anyway, this game makes me wonder why everyone wants Girahim for Smash Bros. I'd much rather have classic Ganon.

[talonmalon333]

... But Ganon being "sealed" before the events of the game still doesn't line up with me.

Spoiler

Ganon has no physical form or body and has to take Yuga's to even live at all. In other words, he was still destroyed from ALTTP so nothing is really out of whack here. He's exactly as destroyed as he was in that game, having no way to return on his own, but only because Hilda and Yuga were easily for him to manipulate that he was almost able to take everything over. Otherwise he'd still be dead.

He isn't properly "rebuilt" until Zelda 1.

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Anyway, this game makes me wonder why everyone wants Girahim for Smash Bros. I'd much rather have classic Ganon.

Spoiler

The thing is, though, he was brought back briefly without taking Yuga's form, and in a physical form.



The way that Ganon is brought back is through the Sages, which is exactly how he was unsealed in ALttP. Plus, the game frequently referred to him as being sealed before the game's events.

Also, I didn't really get the feeling that Ganon manipulated anything. He just seemed like the most logical solution for Yuga and Hilda to obtain the Triforce, as if he were a tool. And Yuga seemed to be the one in control when they merged together. Actually, I don't see Ganon manipulating from this point on in general. In ALBW, he seemed just as empty and devoid of humanity as he is in LoZ.

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Ghirahim just managed to receive a lot of fans. To be fair, he was one of the more likable parts of that game. Yuga reminded me of him, but to be honest wasn't as charming as Ghirahim. As for Ganon, I'd like to see him in Smash, too, but they could maybe make it a transformation for Ganondorf, in the same way that Zelda can turn into Sheik.

I will say, in my last post, I called ALBW one of the harder games in the series. That's as far as puzzles go. I had to put a lot of thought into many of them. As far as the combat goes, it wasn't too tough. I only got one Game Over (though I used a handful of fairies throughout the game), but that's not really important in Zelda. It's surprising because this could have easily just turned into fan service for ALttP. And though I wouldn't argue that ALBW is as good as that game, I would likely argue that it's on the same level.

[talonmalon333]

Oh, and can I just mention how awesome the soundtrack was? It's almost the complete opposite of Skyward Sword's soundtrack. That game's soundtrack was fully orchestrated, but for a sizable chunk of the songs, I could barely even tell they were orchestrated. The songs in ALBW are apparently all midi, but the quality is so strong, and the songs are so great, that they come off as sweeping orchestrated renditions.

These songs in particular are among my favorites.

Hyrule Field: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jux1PCGJb1Y
Hyrule Field 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTww6juWsAM
Death Mountain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bTtFJC0hb0
Lorule Theme 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ZEYeanOW4
Lorule Castle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g75HDyL2BGc
Final Battle 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fU5IN_kTZI
Final Battle 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e-naJHw-Y4 (How can any longtime Zelda fan not get pumped at the part from 0:26 to 1:20?)

I'll stop there, but to be honest, I could keep going. The game also has what might be my favorite remix of the Kakariko Village theme. The only problem I have with the game's soundtrack is the credits theme. I didn't find it to be a worthy remix of ALttP's ending (it almost reminded me of the ending theme of DKC Returns, where it really didn't even try to be a remix of the ending theme from the game it's a homage to, and in both cases, I wish they tried).

[Spark Of Spirit]

Lorule Theme 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ZEYeanOW4

Best remix of the Dark World theme ever.

Though the other one is no slouch either. I hope both are in Smash Bros.

[talonmalon333]

Lorule Theme 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ZEYeanOW4

Best remix of the Dark World theme ever.

Though the other one is no slouch either. I hope both are in Smash Bros.

The first remix was fine, but it didn't particularly stand out to me during the game. I don't like it as much as the original version.

When I heard the second remix, it was bliss. I honestly think the soundtrack as a whole is on par with ALttP's.

Also, having been so pleased with ALBW, and looking back at the preview for Zelda Wii U, I think I'm feeling the Zelda spirit in me finally reawakening after being absent since the disappointment of SS three years ago. I'll admit that I had a few doubts about where the Zelda team was taking things. I mean, by the time ALBW was released, the last great game, Twilight Princess, had been released in 2006, seven years prior to ALBW (and some people on this forum weren't even fans of TP, so for you, the gap in time was even bigger). But ALBW has taken steps that really got the franchise back on track, and I'm really optimistic about where Zelda is going.

This game dropped most of its storytelling for the sake of adventure and exploration, and it was a worthwhile trade. However, I'd like to see Zelda Wii U bring some of it back, balancing a great story with that open world we saw at E3.

[Spark Of Spirit]

It is funny because ALBW pretty much does EVERYTHING the opposite of SS. It's like everyone on the team realized that they messed up on that one and judging by their reaction to ALBW's success, Zelda Wii U should be really interesting.

[talonmalon333]

It is funny because ALBW pretty much does EVERYTHING the opposite of SS. It's like everyone on the team realized that they messed up on that one and judging by their reaction to ALBW's success, Zelda Wii U should be really interesting.

It's mainly in the two major downfalls of SS. Extreme linearity and handholding. ALBW, on the other hand, is open, and it doesn't tell you how to do anything at all.

What are their reactions to ALBW's success?

[Spark Of Spirit]

It is funny because ALBW pretty much does EVERYTHING the opposite of SS. It's like everyone on the team realized that they messed up on that one and judging by their reaction to ALBW's success, Zelda Wii U should be really interesting.

It's mainly in the two major downfalls of SS. Extreme linearity and handholding. ALBW, on the other hand, is open, and it doesn't tell you how to do anything at all.

What are their reactions to ALBW's success?

The open world was chosen specifically because ALBW's lack of handholding and choose-your-own-dungeon set up was massively successful. I remember reading it in an interview not long after ALBW came out.

As long as they don't try to pad the overworld like in Twlight Princess (FIVE heart pieces? lazy.) and keep it as stuffed as ALBW it should be really interesting and fun to explore.

[talonmalon333]

The open world was chosen specifically because ALBW's lack of handholding and choose-your-own-dungeon set up was massively successful. I remember reading it in an interview not long after ALBW came out.

Admittedly, the game did make less money than SS, I think. But that could maybe be attributed to the fact that the Wii had many years to establish a fanbase by the time SS came out. Plus, handheld Zelda games don't seem to sell as well in general. But it's good that people liked ALBW's changes.

As long as they don't try to pad the overworld like in Twlight Princess (FIVE heart pieces? lazy.) and keep it as stuffed as ALBW it should be really interesting and fun to explore.

The five heart piece system in TP wasn't too bad. Most of them were hidden well all around Hyrule, which in general was just well designed in that game. Some of them were just randomly stuck in chests, sure, but if they weren't then we would have just found rupees in those chests anyway, so it doesn't change much. So really, if the game stuck to the four heart piece system, I don't think it would've been any better or worse.

ALBW succeeded at having a relatively small but dense world. The Wii U game is going to have a bigger world, so let's hope that they can pull off the same quality of content in ALBW's world, on a larger scale. I have faith in Nintendo.

[talonmalon333]

By the way, I'm left wondering about this game's ending...

Spoiler

Exactly how did Ganon die? I mean, it was by the Master Sword. However, in each game, we've seen that the Master Sword alone doesn't have the strength to kill him when he's in possession of the Triforce. It was established early on back in ALttP and has remained true since then. In fact, I'll go over his deaths in each game.

LoZ: Killed by the Silver Arrows, which were established from the beginning to have the power to kill Ganon.

ALttP: Killed by the Silver Arrows, though this time it took multiple arrows to kill him instead of one, which could maybe be attributed to the fact that Ganon is powered by the complete Triforce in this game, whereas he only had the Triforce of Power in LoZ.

OoT: Not killed in this game. Merely sealed away.

OoS/OoA: Killed by regular weapons, but in this game, it was revealed that this was just a shell of Ganon and that the ritual to revive him failed, so him being killed by regular weapons isn't much of a big deal.

WW: Stabbed in the head by the Master Sword alone, but it was after losing the Triforce of Power. So, at that point, he was completely mortal, thus making it impossible for him to survive that sword blow.

TP: Stabbed by the Master Sword in the wound that was inflicted by the Sages long ago. The sword alone probably wasn't enough to kill him, but the Sages created a massive weak spot on him that probably made him able to be killed easier.

In ALBW, Link destroys him with the Master Sword, and that's about it. Not to mention, in this game, Ganon had both the Triforce of Power and the Triforce of Wisdom, plus he had merged with Yuga's strength. So, in this game, he should have been stronger than he was in any game except ALttP.

And on that note, it's weird how Yuga Ganon didn't seem all that powerful despite possessing two Triforce parts. He mostly just shot small energy balls out and hid in the walls. Technically, as I said above, this should be Ganon's 2nd most powerful version in the entire series.

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