LogFAQs > #975106972

Link, the Silent Protagonist: You know, I'm going to be a huge hypocrite here. Normally, I don't like silent protagonists, but I'm just going to grandfather clause Link into being allowed. I'm fine with it for Link because, and I can't say this enough times, Link isn't a real character. Link is less of a character than like Mario; they're both just avatars for the idea of a hero. They're as simplistic as possible on purpose. If you want an example of what Link would be like if he was a real character, then you'd want to look at like Luke Skywalker, he's a good example. But Link himself? Not a real character, he's just a body for you to control, and in that regard, it makes sense for him to never speak or really show much emotion beyond righteous fury or whatever. That's probably why WW Link stands out so much; he actually shows emotions and even says words ("Come on!").
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Groose
Ghirahim
Medli
Saria
Jeremy: Look, I promise to play TotK at some point. I can see that the point of the game is to make silly vehicles. God, remember Half-Life's physics? Remember how those were groundbreaking? I remember in 2002, reading someone on Board 8 talking about how the NPCs in Morrowind could turn their heads to face you as you walked by, and how games could never get more realistic than this, this was the best we'd ever have. And now, a Zelda game of all things can semi-accurately simulate things like weight distribution.
Hyrule Warriors
The Mask Salesman: As the only returning OoT character in MM besides Link (Zelda's flashback doesn't count), the Mask Salesman is just so... creepy. Everything about him just screams that something is wrong, like he's the embodiment of the guy who offers you candy to get into his van. And the handful of times he loses it and makes a scary face, it's great. You never learn what his ****ing deal is, just that he obviously is into some scary magical stuff and takes care of dangerous masks, and his very presence in the game raises questions about his actions as an unimportant sidequest giver in OoT. They did the right thing by never explaining anything about him.
Rolling in Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Using Ocarina of Time to speedrun Paper Mario
Ezlo
Dragon Roost Island (Music)
Drgn roost island
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Gameboy Zelda Aesthetic: When I think of the Zelda series, I think of three distinct styles. 1. Semi-realistic and dark (OoT, MM, TP). 2. Colorful cel-shaded and happy (WW and so on). 3. The 2D overhead spritework. I obviously know that there are games that don't fit into this, like AoL, and games that tried to update one of the previous and sort of failed (LBW), and games that ride the line between two of them (BotW), but mostly this is how I conceive of the series' aesthetic, as opposed to Mario, which has a very strong, definite visual style that it basically never deviates from except for very specific spin-offs like Paper Mario. The Gameboy aesthetic is obviously a variation of the 2D overhead version, with the Gameboy/Color limitations in mind, and it's... pretty good. It's different from LttP and its ilk not just because of the graphical limitations, but also because the games are actively sillier on purpose (compare OoX Impa to any other version, or OoX mounts to Epona, etc).
The Legend of Zelda (Rabbit Joint)

Does it Really Make Everybody... Happy?
Nintendo Power LttP Comics: I skimmed through these for this topic, and they're... fine. They're exactly what I expect from a 1992 tie-in comic. I can't possibly imagine anything less 'exactly what you expect' than this, even down to the particulars of the art style. All I'll really say is this: OoT turning the main villain from a demon pig into a sexy green-skinned Arab man was a good decision. Ganon was always just a discount Bowser, there, I said it. And we already have discount Bowser, his name is King K. Rool! And even within Mario itself, there's already ANOTHER discount Bowser in the form of Wart. So when I read this comic, and Ganon is just a big pig monster who has no particular goals beyond being evil, yeah, you know what, Ganondorf > Ganon. The classics aren't always right. Ganon is a good idea as Ganondorf's like monster form he turns into when he gets too corrupted by evil magic or whatever, but I vastly prefer human Ganondorf... is he human? Are Hylians human? Are Gerudo?
David Jr.
Makar
Kass
Gohma: To me, Gohma is the definitive first boss of video games. When I think of the first boss you have to fight, who's like harder than standard enemies and is there to force you to understand the game mechanics and not just power your way through, I think of Gohma... even though Gohma is only the first boss in one game. And again, this is such a good example of the Zelda aesthetic. How many fantasy games have giant spiders? They're like the most common enemy after skeletons. But Gohma is like this disgusting one-eyed spider-scorpion, like God, it's fantastic. Such a masterfully-designed enemy, at least from a visual perspective... from OoT-on, that is. You look at the earlier versions of Gohma from the older titles and it's like yeesh, I could draw a better spider monster.
xenosaga's Impulse Link/Epona Figure
Legend of Zelda (NES)
Nintendo Cereal System
Ancient Cistern: Alright, look, the aesthetic of this dungeon is okay. Lots of colorful clockwork areas juxtaposed with dark spooky caves. That's fine. But like... how many times have we seen this by now? This is the eight-hundredth Zelda title, you need something REALLY special to stand out in your dungeons. I won't tell you my favorite dungeon or boss (they're from different games, anyway), but neither is from SS. I guess... I guess what I can say about the Ancient Cistern is that it's like the Platonic ideal of a video game dungeon, you know? Ancient technology, big pirate chests to open, spooky caves, the only thing it's missing is skeletons laying on the ground that wake up when you get too close to a door. Those are in OoT, though. By the way, don't ask me to remember the gameplay details of a dungeon I played through forever ago. That game was for the ****ing Wii, give me a break. I do like the boss of this dungeon, though, this big robot guy with a bunch of arms. Although, honestly, if SS is meant to be the FIRST Zelda title, it could have done with not having ancient forgotten super technology, I'm just saying.
Rod of Seasons
Frostare: I had to look this one up. I mean, I played FSA, so I must have fought this thing, but it obviously left zero impression on me. Why are eyeballs such common monsters in fantasy games? Eyeballs are like the least intimidating part of a person or animal. They're like the most common weakpoint in real life! There is zero reason for eyeballs to be this common as enemies. And like... I'm sorry, but Zelda enemies aren't usually named for puns. This is the name you would give to an icy eyeball in Pokemon, the Zelda version should be like ANCLOPS: MYSTICAL OPTICAL OCTOPUS, and be an eyeball with eight tentacles or something.

Well ExcuuuuUUUUuuuuuuUUUUuuUuuuUUUUse Me, Princess!
Forced Stealth Sections
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Equipment Rental

You've Met with a Terrible Fate
Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland