Recommendation Report
The Legend of Zelda
By:
Tyler Watson
Haley Fitts
iii
Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................... 4
Background ...................................................................................................... 4
Wind Waker - GameCube .................................................................................. 6
Twilight Princess – Wii Version (Originally built for GameCube) ......................... 8
Ocarina of Time – N64..................................................................................... 11
Majora’s Mask – N64 ....................................................................................... 13
Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 15
Recommendation ............................................................................................ 15
Works Cited .................................................................................................... 17
Index .............................................................................................................. 19
4
The Legend of Zelda
Introduction
Zelda is a game series mostly about Link, a silent protagonist, helping Princess
Zelda regain peace in the lands. Many of the games are some alteration of that
story or even thought to be a continuation of it in other cases. The main factor that
changes throughout the series is the “sidekick,” (or whomever hangs around Link
and tends to help, willingly or not), the map/layout, and variations of the evil
presence that threatens the peace. Most gamers either have started this series
when it came out or have not touched it at all. To those who have never had the
experience of playing Zelda, and who are interested in doing so, we are narrowing
down four of the twenty-three released games to one that is ultimately worth
starting out on and gets the best bang for your buck based on the story line,
graphics, side quests, game play, and the “sidekick.” We will rank these four
games on a scale of one to four compared to the others specified. The one with the
most points at the end ranks the best of them all.
Background
Link is a destined hero of the past that somehow (depending on which game you
play) crosses paths with Princess Zelda in some form. They ban together to fight
the evil that is inevitably growing. In every game, Link is accompanied by a helper
of a sort that is in some stories willing while others is forced or maybe headed in
the same general direction and got stuck together. In all the series, you face
bosses on every level (usually called dungeons) that grow harder as the game goes
on, with optional side quests along the way that offer substantial rewards. The
rewards are items that help you out in game play. An example of an item you
would find in the dungeons would be a hook shot which can kill enemies, pull
levers, and can hook on to a target and pull you to it (when you need to get to
places otherwise unreachable or you need to be higher up).
That is typical equipment found in the dungeons because of its important roles in
other dungeons or the game in general. Some of the side quests will get you things
like heart pieces that provide extra health points, or jars to hold valuable potions.
Introduction
5
The levels get harder as the game progresses, with more chances to take heavier
damage, but it is common for gamers to do the “three heart challenge” in which
you start with three hearts and get all the way to the end without picking up any
health upgrades. In later levels, this means taking damage from an enemy even
once results in instant death. The jar is just for whatever you decide to use it for; it
is useful but not entirely needed. The main use for the jar is to get the fairy beside
each boss door to heal you if you die. This is important because while the
dungeons are tricky and fun, a good portion of the game play is collecting
equipment and becoming stronger for the final facedown with the main source of
‘evil’.
6
The Legend of Zelda
Wind Waker - GameCube
In this game, the land of Hyrule is flooded, and Link has
Story Line - 1
family: a sister and a grandma. While innocent child Link
looks through a telescope, he witnesses a massive monster
drop a girl into the abandoned woods above. After
gathering equipment, he goes to the rescue. The same
monster attacks again and takes his little sister away.
Being a good big brother, he will now leave his safe little
hometown in pursuit of the safety of his little sister. Along
the way, Link discovers that there is a growing evil and he
just might be the bloodline of the destined hero.
Graphics - 1
The graphics in this game are unique to the entire series.
Prior to this game’s release, every Zelda game had the best,
most realistic graphics for its time. This game explored a
new approach. Wind Waker displays cartoonish characters
with lively faces. Though strange for the series, this gives it
a timelessness that a broader target audience can enjoy,
and will not grow out of style quickly through the
generations. It takes away a lot of realism but adds nice
variety.
Side Quests - 2
The side quests are typical with nothing that really stands
out among the rest. The only difference is that this game is
not a land map like the others. Wind Waker consists of
many islands scattered out among a vast ocean. This
means that Link does not have a horse in this game and
has no way of speeding up the travel time. The time it takes
to get from island to island is a great downfall in this game.
Game Play -1
The graphics may give it timelessness, but taking away
from the realism also makes the story less relatable. Wind
Waker is an enjoyable game, but the younger they player is
the higher the advantage. The older you are makes it hard
to take the talking birds and angry cartoon dragon
seriously. Many generations can enjoy this game because of
the cartoon characters, but the older gamer cannot enjoy it
as much. It does not grow with the player but stays
popular throughout the same age group.
Sidekick - 3
The sidekick of this game is the King of Red Lions. Not the
most relatable or realistic character throughout the series,
but he is well ranked in usefulness. He usually leaves you
Wind Waker
7
alone and only gives useful information. He is not
redundant and you can skip his advice, which is a bonus
from other games, but he is still annoying. He is slow. King
of Red Lions is painfully slow. The only thing keeping you
at the controller is the slim possibility of an attack by a
random monster in the ocean. It is horribly tempting to let
Link float along to the next island and rejoin the controller
twenty minutes later. Island hopping is the majority of the
game’s time length. Lastly, the whole talking boat thing
takes away from the realism more where all the other
games have strength in that.
Total - 8
8
The Legend of Zelda
Twilight Princess – Wii Version (Originally built for GameCube)
Link in Twilight Princess is again without a family and
Story Line - 4
grows up in a small village where the people love and trust
him. While surrounded by the children of the village, a
monkey comes from the forest and snatches one of the little
boys. As always, Link leaps to the rescue unaware of his
role and destiny. The forest had always been a safe place
until now… After Link’s heroic rescue, he plans to leave his
small town for the first time to go to the castle for a delivery.
Before heading out, he heads to the forest’s “holy” spring of
sorts to get his horse. Monsters invade and attack leaving
Link unconscious. When Link awakens again, he finds
himself chained down in a cell with a new form. Link is now
in Twilight and has taken a different form… Twilight is
perpetual darkness. In this game, to understand Twilight,
just think of it as the other side of the shadow; this is also,
where the evil dwells in this series.
Graphics – 4
For the time when this game came out, the graphics are
superior. It gives the game a relatable feel to it and adds to
its interest. The game is also extremely good at reacting to
his presence. Not to give away anything, when Link is in his
other form, the villagers will run and scream. Link can also
inch closer to other villagers and listen in on conversations
without his presence known. Link can walk past some jars
and accidently knock them over and alert surrounding
people or monsters. Some buildings have pictures on the
wall that you can look at and sometime even get the
villagers to share the history behind them. Instead of
connecting with a few main characters, the player can really
grow to like towns and the people in them. The graphics and
how everything reacts with your movements just give the
game extra value.
Side Quests - 4
The side quests are new and enjoyable with the inevitable
couple that is a bit tiresome and difficult. There are many
new types of mini games in this one and the only one of
complaint is the water rafting which is near impossible to
control. To make up for that game, the developers really
took the fishing area to a whole other level in Twilight
Princess. All Zelda gamers can admit to wasting time at the
pond fishing in Ocarina of Time, so when developing
Twilight Princess
9
Twilight Princess, they made it hard to leave the pond. The
game is actually good at convincing you to leave your house
and actually go fishing. It is just a lot of fun and
unparalleled in killing time.
Game Play - 4
This game was originally set for the GameCube and
converted to fit the Wii controller. Some will complain about
this because it changes Link from a left-handed person to a
right-handed person therefore making the game’s map a
mirror to the original. If you are starting out in this serious,
that really does not matter. I did not even notice until
someone pointed it out. I believe that to be fussy because
there were two versions of Ocarina of Time released with two
different maps so that gamers can replay without knowing
where everything is. If you get easily lost like me, this just
makes the game fun to play multiple times and still have
the fun of searching around. The games have always been a
type of maze.
Sidekick - 4
The sidekick’s name is Midna in Twilight Princess. This is
not the first time that the sidekick is also on the enemy’s
side, but this is the first time that the sidekick also plays a
huge role in the story development. This character tags you
along in “her” adventure and help each other get to the
same place or current goal. The term “enemy” is used lightly
though. She is not exactly against you, but she holds no
value in your objective or well-being. Heading in the same
direction, you two will tag along and prove to be extremely
helpful for each other. Midna is not annoying like the
sidekicks have been previously and instead really grows on
you. Her identity in the ending is a huge twist and surprise
that is exciting to watch. Lastly, she can enable you to
switch back and forth between forms a little later in the
game that is great for travel time. Twilight Princess is the
least irritating in time spent getting from place to place,
which is a major plus.
Total - 20
Ocarina of Time
11
Ocarina of Time – N64
At the beginning of this game, Link is a child living in Kokiri
Story Line - 4
forest among a population of short forest people. He soon
learns of an evil plaguing the guardian spirit of the forest,
the Great Deku Tree. After obtaining a sword and shield,
and defeating the evil within the tree, the tree speaks to
Link and reveals his destiny to him. An evil man named
Ganondorf is threatening the kingdom of Hyrule and Link
must travel the world to collect magical stones to open the
Temple of Time. Upon entering the temple, Link sees the
Master Sword (much like Excalibur) in a stone pedestal.
Being of pure heart, he is able to lift the sword from the
pedestal, but doing so seals him within the Sacred Realm
for seven years. He awakes as an adult capable of wielding
the Master Sword, but finds the world he knew as a child
infested by evil. He must travel the world to free the Seven
Sages, prevent Ganondorf from obtaining the Triforce (which
grants its holder wishes), reunite with Princess Zelda, and
save the world from evil.
Graphics - 3
Ocarina of Time was the first Zelda game for the Nintendo
64, which was the first Nintendo console to have threedimensional graphics. It was the first Zelda game to have a
camera floating behind Link, and was the best-looking game
of its time.
Side Quests – 3
Ocarina of Time has a wide variety of collectibles and
upgrades. There are many heart pieces to collect, larger
wallets and quivers to find, and tokens to look for in every
corner of the world. There is one particular side quest chain
that takes Link all over the world in hopes of crafting a two
handed sword.
Game Play - 3
This game introduces Epona, Link’s horse. The main tool in
this game is the Ocarina of Time, a magical musical
instrument that can manipulate the world around Link.
Throughout the game, Link learns new songs that the player
must memorize as button combinations. The dungeons and
12
The Legend of Zelda
temples throughout this game are heavily themed in the
elements, taking Link deep into the forest, into the mouth of
a volcano, deep under water, and several other incredible
places. Link dons several different tunics for these different
environments, finds different boots, different shields, and
many different weapons including the bow, boomerang, and
hook shot. Seeing the world before and after Ganondorf’s
takeover in two different ages creates a sublime feeling that
players have loved for years.
Sidekick - 2
Total -15
Every child of the forest has a fairy partner. Even though
Link is not of the same species as the forest people, he
receives a fairy at the start of the game named Navi. Navi
helps Link target onto enemies, and gives him tips about the
environment and enemies. Even though this seems helpful,
she has become infamous for her “Hey! Listen!” phrase that
interrupts Link throughout the game.
Majora’s Mask
13
Majora’s Mask – N64
Majora’s Mask begins with Link traveling through an
Story Line - 3
unknown forest, searching for his fairy companion Navi
from Ocarina of Time. This game is a direct sequel to
Ocarina of Time, but takes place in a parallel universe.
Link stumbles into the world of Termina where a spirit
curses him to be small Deku child, a plant creature
capable of shooting bubbles and gliding with plant petals.
He learns from a traveling mask salesman that a small
forest creature named Skull Kid stole an evil mask from
him called Majora’s Mask and it has corrupted Skull Kid
into wanting to destroy the world; the moon will crash into
the central town in three days and he must travel the world
to save four giants to catch the moon before it strikes the
Earth. No normal person could do so many things in three
days, but Link, the Hero of Time, equipped with the
Ocarina of Time, is able to relive the same three days until
he has made all the differences he needs to.
Graphics - 3
Majora’s Mask uses the same graphical engine as Ocarina
of Time, but with small texture upgrades. The game did
look better than Ocarina of Time, but it was not as
groundbreaking, graphically speaking, as its predecessor.
Today, the graphics are clearly outdated, but other aspects
of the game make up for it.
Side Quests - 3
There are many heart pieces and masks to collect
throughout this game through side quests. The masks can
prove quite difficult to collect at times. One particular quest
entails following two lovers across their respective
schedules for three days, arriving at specific places during
specific parts of the day. These times and locations are
difficult to find through conversational lines and clues
throughout the world. As with all Zelda games, there are
quiver upgrades for the bow and wallet.
Game Play - 4
The gameplay in Majora’s Mask is incredibly varied and
makes it stand out from other games in the series.
Throughout the game, Link collects many masks that
endow him with special powers. Near the beginning of the
14
The Legend of Zelda
game, he breaks the curse of the Deku child, and is able to
don a mask to return to that form at any time. He also
finds a dying Goron, a mountain dwelling rock creature,
and a dead Zora, an amphibious humanoid creature, and
uses his ocarina to save their spirits in the form of a mask
that transforms Link into those forms. The other masks
grant him different abilities, such as increased running
speed. Rolling down a mountain side as a Goron or flying
through the water as a Zora, and using all of these different
abilities throughout the different dungeons in this game
provides a great gaming experience. This game is slightly
more difficult than its predecessor is, but the experience is
well worth the increased difficulty.
Sidekick - 2
Total -15
Link meets Tatl in his encounter with Skull Kid in the
mysterious forest. Much like Navi, Tatl helps link with
targeting and hints throughout his quest. She is slightly
less annoying than Navi, but the core mechanics are the
same as in Ocarina of Time.
Conclusion
15
Conclusion
All of these games are fantastic and deserve everyone’s time, but choosing one to
begin with proved to be difficult. Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess both have
strong stories. Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker have some of the most original
gameplay. Wind Waker has a graphical style all of its own. Many game critics and
gamers across the world hold Ocarina of Time to be one of the best games ever
made. We had to choose just one game to start with, though.
Recommendation
We decided that Twilight Princess receives our official recommendation as a first
Zelda game. Its good graphics, strong story, and immersive world proved to be the
most inviting to new players. The dungeons in this game are somewhat easier than
the other games we looked at, which will ease new players into the series. Its
graphics are still new enough to not distract gamers or make the game feel dated.
Overall, the game is very charming, and will leave players wanting to play more
Zelda games, which is our ultimate recommendation.
Works Cited
Works Cited
Images taken from
http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/2800000/Triforce-Wallpaper-thelegend-of-zelda-2832807-1680-1050.jpg
zeldadungeon.net
17
Index
19
Index
hearts, 5
hook shot, 4, 11
King of Red Lions, 6
Majora’s Mask, 3, 13, 15
Midna, 9
Navi, 12, 13, 14
Ocarina of Time, 3, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14,
15
potions, 4
Tatl, 14
Twilight Princess, 3, 8, 9, 15
Wind Waker, 3, 6, 15