Welcome weary traveler! Grab your wooden sword and shield and lets go cut some grass!

In 1986, Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka began what would become one of the most popular game franchises of all time, The Legend of Zelda. Since then there have been a dozen and a half major titles and half a dozen spinoffs over 11 game systems. Recently, the first full trailer for the newest major installment, Breath of the Wilds, was released. It launches on 3/3/17.

I have been a huge fan of the series, I've played nearly every title for it (missed a few spinoffs) and have owned or currently own pretty much every major installment in some form or another.

In celebration of the release of Breath of the Wilds, I have decided to delve back and replay EVERY major LoZ release. I MAY fudge along the way, specifically Four Swords (because it is multiplayer only) and Four Swords Adventure (because it's not available on virtual console and I may not be able to find the GC disc). But I will make a concerted effort to make it happen.

I have also decided to dedicate this playthrough to Gabe Marcelo, and will be making a donation to the Child's Play charity in the amount of $10 per game I can complete, plus $30 for the 30th anniversary, for a total donation of up to $200. Please take a moment to read the announcement post for this and to read Gabe's story linked therein. - Read Here

So how it's going to work is that I will post updates here as I make my way through. I spent some time considering how to go through them, as there are several orders I could do. Release order is one way, or Chronologically via the timeline in the Hyrule Historia. Since the latter would have me starting with Skyward Sword, I decided to start a LITTLE more low key and, for nostalgia sake, play through the original NES games first. From there, I will likely follow the chronological timeline. So without further ado, here we go!


Legend of Zelda 1986 - NES (played on 3DS Virtual Console) - Finished

Zelda no Densetsu was conceived by Shigeru Miyamoto based on his childhood love of exploring forests and caves. The princess Zelda was named after novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife because Miyamoto thought the name sounded "pleasant and significant". Other inspirations include Peter Pan and Tinkerbell (Link's green tunic and cap and the use of fairy companions like Navi) and Arthurian Legend (the master sword emulating Excalibur).

The original game brings us back to an early time in home video games. Whereas modern games have long narratives, cutscenes, guides, etc, LoZ had a short story exposition in the manual but little to no in-game guidance. The player is dropped on an 8x16 grid map and that's it. You are left to explore, find items, and eventually find the 8 shards of Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom that were scattered throughout the land. This also leaves the player open to play ANY of the 8 dungeons in whatever order they choose. (somewhat limited as dungeon 4 can't be reached until you get the raft from dungeon 3, etc)

So being a modern game player, long removed from my days of map drawing and ability to waste hours replaying and replaying to find everything, I decided to cheat with this game a bit. I printed myself out a map showing where to find specific things such as heart containers, sword upgrades dungeon locations and key items. However, from there I left it up to my own wits to find WHERE those items were in each screen and how to progress through each dungeon. It took a few days to complete the playthrough, giving time for work and other obligations. Definitely one of the better games. Not much story progression, but the puzzle solving and enemy difficulty has always been a good challenge. I debated going through the harder 2nd quest before moving on to the next game, but I figured I only have 45ish days to play 17 games, so best to move on. Some great nostalgia here.


Adventure of Link 1987 - NES (played on 3DS Virtual Console) - Finished

Easily the most controversial of the LoZ titles, AoL is a HUGE departure from the first game and the gameplay was all but abandoned for future titles. As far as chronology, AoL acts as the only direct sequel to LoZ as all other releases are said to be prequels or alternate timelines. So it could be stated that this is the "final" story chronologically.

As for gameplay, AoL acts more as a JRPG than the standard puzzle quest formula. Defeating enemies gains experience, most gameplay takes place as a side-scroll instead of top down, Link now directly interacts with NPCs in various towns and Link even learns some magic spells and upgraded attack moves. However, this game keeps the high learning curve and minimal in-game direction theme of the original.

One significant part of all this is that this is the only Zelda game that I have NEVER beaten, nor have I ever even gotten CLOSE to beating it. I played it some as a kid (I was 6 or 7 when it came out) but it was too hard at the time. I acquired it through the 3DS ambassador program back in 2011, but didn't play much. Because of all this, and the same time-constraints mentioned above, I am cheating a bit. I have printed out a walkthrough that shows me what items to pick up between each dungeon and where each dungeon is. I am currently working through the items before dungeon 2. It really is a fun game, but the limited life count (after dying 3 times you are sent back to Zelda's castle and lose any experience since your last level up) and the difficulty of finding key items and meeting key characters definitely makes it a game that could take WEEKS if playing without any guide at all.

1-24-17 - I'm currently on Dungeon 3 of AoL. This probably matches the farthest I've ever been in the game. It also is riddled with what is easily my least favorite enemy, the Iron Knuckle. For those who don't know, these guys are armored knights that hold a shield. You can strike high or low (as can they) but they will move their shields to block you very quickly. So you have to try and psyche them out while at the same time paying attention to their attacks and blocking them. The orange ones you first encounter in previous dungeons aren't too bad, red ones that now appear are faster and take more hits but aren't impossible. The blue ones, on the other hand, are ridiculously fast with their shields and swords and fire sword beams with each strike. They are near impossible at certain levels (almost impossible at my current level) and not only are there a few in the castle, the final boss is a blue one. After some research I have learned that you can actually target their heads with a well timed jump slash and they can't block it, so I'll have to try that out. either way, I'll probably grind a bit to the next level, since I think it is an attack upgrade, which means less hits to kill them.

1-25-17 - Still making my way through AoL. Honestly, once I'm through this one, I'm pretty sure the rest are gonna be really easy, lol. So I tried the jump slash on the Iron Knuckles and realized how easy they really are. Beat the boss in castle 3 on the first try after I learned it. So post castle 3 I finally made my way to east Hyrule for the first time ever. Definitely a lot different. The walkthrough is still helping me avoid hours of useless wandering. I picked up more spells, heart containers and upward slash, and even did a quick level grind to get my lvl 5 attack upgrade. After that, castle 4. I think I died completely only once and that was after I had already picked up the special item, so no huge loss. The final boss (essentially a buffed wizzrobe) was fast, but easy enough with Shield and Reflect cast. Already picked up the newly available heart container and my next stop is castle 5 in the middle of the water. I don't know if death mountain and castle 3 were just much more difficult by comparison or I'm getting more comfortable with the game, but I'm breezing through pretty quickly now. Hopefully I'll have it beat by tomorrow or Friday, which means I'll likely move on to Link's Awakening or Minish Cap. (I'd like to start into Skyward Sword, but I'll be out of town this weekend and carting my Wii would be a hassle. I don't want to take too much of a break, since I'm trying to get through these on a timetable).

1-30-17 - Ok, so post weekend update. I spent Wednesday night getting through the last 2 standard dungeons in AoL. They were pretty simple, compared to lvl 3. So the next step was the "Great Dungeon" where the final boss, Dark Link, resides. getting there was a chore in itself. a lot of erratically moving or heavily defensive monsters sit in the way and if you die 3 times you start ALL over again from back at your home base. After spending most of Thursday just GETTING there I was in for a big battle. Not only were there new enemies that worked like Iron Knuckles, but they moved about twice as fast and could jump now. Most of the dungeon was spent dodging and running away from most enemies. The only saving grace was that dying in this particular castle DIDN'T send me back to Zelda's castle, but just to the beginning of this one, which was CRUCIAL to winning.



Gonna take a quick time out to say I don't know HOW anyone got through this game original because the "Create save point" feature in the Virtual Console is the only way I did it. You can set a restore point right before the boss and just reload it if you die. So helpful.



So speaking of the boss, this castle has TWO. The first is Thunderbird. He floats around the screen and drops fireballs on you. You have to stab him in the face a bunch of times. But that's only AFTER you cast Thunder to destroy his initial impervious armor. So to start the battle you have to cast Shield, Jump and Thunder (skimping on ANY of the 3 makes the battle unwinnable) which takes out all of your MP so no healing spells. Now on my first playthrough of this dungeon, I hadn't done a LOT of level grinding, just gained the standard ones as I went, with one bonus that I did grind for. This was a mistake. I came in at Att 6, Health 7 and Magic 7 (they all max out at 8). After going up against Thunderbird about 20 times I finally decided to bite the bullet and go back and grind. Found a good spot to do it (Random Encounters net 300-350 exp per, plus a local town for healing). I had to grab a total of 23k exp and I did so within an hour or two. Now the next problem, getting BACK to the grand dungeon. The new levels were SOME help on the way, but not really effective when an enemy suddenly changes course and knocks you into a lava pit. and it still didn't help on the hopping shield enemies in the castle itself. But eventually I DID get back to the castle boss(sometime Saturday night). I went in, cast my spells (with a bit of MP left this time, but still not enough for a healing spell) and began the attack. What would have taken 20-25 hits last time now only took about a dozen. I beat him on the second or third try. Advance to the next room for the FINAL boss, Dark Link. After all this, he was a bit of a disappointment. All you have to do is stand at the edge of the screen and attack. he got in one hit before he went down and I won. Definitely an experience on this one. I could now go back through the game for a second time, this time with all my stats and spells saved from the previous adventure. I tried out the first dungeon and beat it handily. I may go back later and beat it again like this, but for now, time to move on. An accomplishment 30 years in the making, so I am proud to finally have knocked it out.

Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap 2005 - GBA (Played via original cartridge on an original NDS and GBASP) - Finished

So technically the first game I should be playing in the chronological playthrough is Skyward Sword. Unfortunately this week I will be spending much of my home time cleaning house for a big gathering this weekend, so wiling away hours in front of the Wii(U) is not going to happen and I'd rather not waste the time on my challenge. So let's go to the next game for now. Minish Cap is the prequel to the Four Swords games as well as the origin story for the secondary LoZ villain, Vaati and the alternate hero weapon, The Four Sword. It is a one of the rare instances where the hero Link is not locked into his destiny to vanquish Ganon with the Master Sword. This particular Hyrule has a unique race of beings, the diminutive Minish (or Picori as they are known to the Hylians). The minish act as sprites and legends who help with all manner of things, but can only be seen by children. Before being corrupted by evil magic, Vaati was once a Minish apprentice, serving the wizard Ezlo. He stole a magical hat that Ezlo had created, that granted the wishes of the wearer. The ambitious Vaati wanted nothing more than to be the most powerful wizard and rule the land. He cursed his former master and set out to find the light force that would help him turn the world to darkness. After Vaati turns Zelda to stone Link is chosen to find 4 elements to restore the legendary Picori blade that once sealed a great evil to it's former glory after being shattered. In his travels Link is assisted by the cursed Ezlo, now turned into a green hat that gives him the power to shrink to minish size and explore all the lands for the elements.

So, after finishing AoL I jumped right into Minish (after digging out my original DS and charging it). The gameplay is pretty standard for a top-down LoZ game. The graphics are definitely top notch for GBA, and while the overworld may not be as big as, say, A Link to the Past, the difference between where you can go as full sized and as Minish size, gives it a bit more depth. I have already gone through 2 of the 4 dungeons so it's going quickly. I should have it finished within a couple days. You could spend a lot longer on it, finding all the items and finishing the game-specific gimmick of Kinstone Fusing, but none of that is really required for a quick playthrough.

2-2-17 - Sadly I've been doing a lot of housework and cooking(and political ranting) this week, or else I probably would have beat the game by now. I made it through the water temple and am now at the wind temple to get the element that was taken from dungeon 3. One thing that this game did, probably more than any of the others, is maximize the "between dungeon" fluff. Most of the games have 8 or more dungeons, some have a split between "early game" and "late game", like the 3/7 split in LttP. This one really only has 5, and that's only because #3 is a waste of time, as stated above. So between dungeons you generally have to wander to a couple different place to unlock the way or get a new item that will lead the way to the next objective. Definitely an interesting play, as it rounds out your time between direct dungeon puzzles and deciphering clues on where you need to be and who you need to speak to.

2-5-17 - 3rd game finished. Finished off the 5th dungeon and made my way back to the castle to get my full power sword. By that time I remembered the castle itself acts as a 6th dungeon. No big items to get, but plenty of rooms to get lost in, big enemies to fight and places to die. After making it through I came up against Vaati for the final showdown. Definitely one of the more difficult final battles in a Zelda game. Most have one or two stages, usually needing a specific item like the light arrows. Fighting Vaati is 3 stages requiring 1 or more different items in each stage, shrinking at points and using the Four-sword duplication in 2 of the stages. All in all a fun game. I could easily see myself coming back after the challenge (or taking it to lunch while I'm playing the non-handheld games) and completing more of the side quests.

Legend of Zelda: Four Swords 2002 - GBA packed with LttP anniv ed. (Played via 3DS limited release on VC) - Completed
Four Swords was an interesting addition to the Zelda mythos. It is included in the official timeline just after Minish cap and before OoT, as a continuation of the Minish cap trilogy (followed by Four Swords Adventure) which details Link's adventures against the lesser villain, Vaati. The game itself was simply an add-on to the GBA rerelease of LttP and could originally ONLY be played as a multiplayer game using GBA link cables. Getting certain achievements would get you certain items in LttP and beating it would open a new optional dungeon within LttP. I was never able to play it, because when I got the cartridge, no one I knew bought it as well. However, during their 25th anniversary in 2012, Nintendo released a Virtual Console port of Four Swords available for a limited time for free and luckily, I heard about it and picked it up. The VC port finally included a solo mode, with one player controlling 2 Links through swapping and leading. The gameplay isn't too tough and the game itself is the shortest in the LoZ family, having no overworld, just a map with 4 locations; 3 initial dungeons and Vaati's palace. Players must play through the 3 dungeons, which are more just environments with a boss at the end, to collect silver keys. Initially you can only get the silver keys by collecting 1000 rupees throughout the level. Once you have all the keys, you can access Vaati's castle and vanquish him. You can play back through these levels now in harder modes where you need more rupees to get keys, up through the 3rd playthrough where you are granted the Hero keys and after defeating Vaati gain access to other sub-areas. For my playthrough, I simply beat Vaati once, to satisfy the storyline. Another interesting part of this game is that it was the midpoint in redesign between the Oracle series and Minish cap. You can see this in quite a few updated enemy designs which were later used in MC, including Like Likes, Bombarossa, Ropes and Kheese. So there's one more done.

Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword 2011 - Wii (Played via WiiU) - Completed

I've been putting off any console versions because of cleaning for a large houseparty, but since that is over and done with, it's time to go back to the start. First game in the Chronology, The Skyward Sword. I've only played through this one once, but it was definitely a favorite. I was a little disappointed with the final villain. The concept of Demise was great, starting the curse of Ganon on generations of Hylians, but the general character design of the character was disappointing IMO. But I was very happy with the characterization of Zelda in this game. Giving her more of a human aspect and not just the royalty persona was a lot of fun. Looking forward to that in Breath of the wild's as well.

2-6-17 - Alright, so Skyward Sword is underway. It's been quite a while since I played it, and I've only gone through once, so there is a ton of stuff that I forgot. I've made it through the exposition and into the meat of the game, through temple 1. I will say, playing a Wii game on the WiiU upscaled by a 4k TV, the graphics suffer quite a bit. Exacerbated by all the light bloom they used in the Wii titles. All in all though, it's as fun as I remember. The use of specific sword swings within the game makes the use of the Wiimote less cumbersome and more skill intensive. And, as I've said before, the inclusion of Zelda as an active story element, rather than just a hostage or "sage" is a welcome change. I forgot how much fun the loftwing flying can be (particularly compared to the often boring sailing used in WW). I'll hopefully get through the Eldin volcano tonight at least. If I recall, this game has 7 or 8 total dungeons, split in 2 groups. I think the only thing that really bugs me, which is just personal gripe, is Fi's constant interruptions, which are on par or worse than Navi in OoT. At least with Navi I could ignore her, but Fi just pops out and starts talking. Hopefully it will slow now that I'm farther into the game. More to come....

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1998 - N64 (Played via 3DS remaster) - Completed

I figured, I have less than a month now and I have around a dozen games to play still, so why not double up! Since Most of the games are on handheld, while I play through Skyward Sword, and eventually WW and TP, I might as well spend the downtime when I can't get on the console continuing my goal. As such, I've also started playing OoT on my 3DS.
It's become pretty second nature by now. I've played it enough times to be pretty autopilot, and compared to the size and scope of TP and TSS the fun is there, but the challenge isn't so much anymore. I went through the Kokiri/Deku Tree stuff within 30-45min and am now in the fields, on my way to the castle, before I go for the second charm.
2/7 - Went to the castle, met Zelda, saw Ganon, learned a song, went back to Saria, learned a song, went to the Goron Village, played a song, went to Dodongo's Cavern. I'm about halfway through the Cavern, but I took a break after the new episode of Kid's Cookoff (Food Network is the best) to get some work done in Skyward Sword. I will say, I forgot how boring travel is in this game before you can ride around or warp. Especially when you get to your destination (Goron Village) and realize you were supposed to go somewhere else (Saria in the woods) first. So ready to be in the second part of the game.
2/8 - So I went through the rest of Dodongo's cavern on my lunch break yesterday. Simple enough, feed him bombs just like in the original game. Spent a little while wandering, meeting 2 faeries to get the spin attack and din's fire. Then I trekked up the river to Zora's domain. One thing I've found interesting in this playthrough is the similarities to the beginning of Skyward Sword. Both start with a Forest, then a volcano. Both give you the slingshot and bombs in those areas (though in SS you get the sling before the dungeon and the beetle IN the dungeon). Both require you to feed bombs to the fire dungeon boss. Very interesting.
2/9 - Made it through Lord Jabu Jabu's belly. I remember that being one of my least favorite dungeons because of the meandering passages and having to tote Ruto around, but I made pretty light work of it this time. This means my next step is the future! Pulled the sword and advanced 7 years. Now I need to find the 5 sages. First stop is Kakariko to get the Hookshot from the gravekeeper and then the forest temple. FINALLY! I can use warp songs! I had forgotten how much more difficult the adult temples were, compared to the first 3. Took a bit, but I beat the ghosts and made it through. Next is either the fire or water temple I believe, but first I'm going to do some time jumping and get me my horse.
2/10 - Went back and did the stuff to get Epona, so now I can ride around instead of running in adult mode. Next stop was a return to Death Mountain to rescue the gorons from Volvagia. Now the dungeons are getting bigger and more convoluted. Ended up going in circles a couple times to pick up keys, but finally made it to the end and took down the dragon. I think the next stop will be the frozen Zora lands and from there the ghost temple in kakariko and desert temple in Gerudo
2/13 - Played a lot of SS, so I didn't make quite as much progress here. I got through the ice cave and procured the Hookshot, at then the Zora tunic from the king. On to my LEAST favorite temple in the game, the ice temple. So convoluted with the 3 levels of water and the different hallways. end up raising the water at the wrong time to get a key so you have to go all the way back through. I managed to make my way through without resorting to a walkthrough though. Next was under the well for the lens of truth and into the shadow temple. This one is pretty straightforward and linear, which was welcome. I got to the boss, but was too tired to try again after he beat me the first time, so that's my next objective. Then just the desert and the final battle and I'm finished! Hopefully I can get to some LttP in a day or two.
2/14 - Skyward Sword - So the last I left off, I had saved just after the desert ship boss and just turned off the game. Loading back up I knew my next destination would be the Eldin volcano again. I made my way over there to complete Din's trial in the Silent Realm. This was definitely the most difficult. There are some odd areas here where you have to slide down the mountain or dash up the mountain and they are very unforgiving. It took me 4 tries before I got the right order to do everything. Completing the trial got me the fire earrings which let me explore the hot parts of the volcano without burning up. As I entered Fi came out to tell me there was a 90% chance the final Goddess flame to strengthen my sword was located here and I should "search out flames". (protip: EVERYTHING in this area is on fire) Oh Fi, you and your sense of humor. But that's where I stopped because of errands and cooking competitions.
2/15 - So it has been a while since I faced the final challenge here. the first step is 5 different rooms, each modeled after one of the temples/areas from the adult half of the game. Next we make our way up the central tower, facing some of the more challenging small enemies, nothing too difficult. Finally up at the top it's the battle with Ganondorf. This part used to give me a lot of trouble, but over the years I've honed my tennis skills so passing energy blasts back and forth wasn't too hard. After beating him up a bit the place starts collapsing so Zelda and I make our way back down the tower. From the rubble comes beast Ganon. After some tumbling that would make a hobbit proud, along with some hammer to the tail and a sword to the face Ganon goes down and another one bites the dust. All in all, a very fun play through. Glad to be done with it, so I can move on, but some great nostalgia. Completed.

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 1992 - Super Nintendo (Played via GBA rerelease on OGDS) - Complete
(Details here)

Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons 2001 - Game Boy Color (Played via Virtual Console on 3DS) - Complete
(Details here)

Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages 2001 - Game Boy Color (Played via Virtual Console on 3DS) - Complete
(Details start Here)

Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening 1993 - Game Boy (DX Version Played via Virtual Console on 3DS) - Completed


Progress
Chronological Order
Skyward Sword (Wii)
Minish Cap (GBA)
Four Swords (GBA, Included with LttP Anniv Ed.)
Ocarina of Time (N64)

Decline Parallel Reality
A Link to the Past (SNES)
Oracle of Seasons (GBC)
Oracle of Ages (GBC)
Link's Awakening (GB)
Link Between Worlds (3DS)
Tri Force Heroes (3DS)
Legend of Zelda (NES)
Adventure of Link (NES)

Twilight Realm Parallel Reality
Majora's Mask (N64)
Twilight Princess (GC/Wii)
Four Swords Adventure (GC)

New World Parallel Reality
The Wind Waker (GC)
Phantom Hourglass (DS)
Spirit Tracks (DS)


Final tally for Child's Play Donation: $100+30=$130

 

It's dangerous to go alone take this! -holds out a cute kitten-

I wish you luck on Link's adventure it took me ten years of attempts to finally conquer it.

 

Best of luck with your quest through an amazing series. At one point I wanted to do the same thing but I can't bring myself to play the DS games or to finish off Skyward Sword.

You should have recorded yourself or stream yourself while playing through these.

 

Adventure of Link is tough but not impossible. It's probably the hardest of all the Zelda games I have played, although I don't think that's saying a whole lot since all the 3D games are pretty easy. I always thought once you get the hammer in AoL it gets easier. Or, at least, getting the hammer is maybe the hardest single item to get.

 

Can't wait for 3/3.

 

@Menasor - Would love to stream but I have limited experience doing so, no streaming capabilities on my handheld and no time really. Most of this is being done on my lunch hour and, for the next couple weeks, between house cleaning for a party.
@ Mark - I would agree. The hammer took me a while, even with the life spell. However I made pretty quick work of dungeon 2 after.

As an update, I'm currently on Dungeon 3 of AoL. This probably matches the farthest I've ever been in the game. It also is riddled with what is easily my least favorite enemy, the Iron Knuckle. For those who don't know, these guys are armored knights that hold a shield. You can strike high or low (as can they) but they will move their shields to block you very quickly. So you have to try and psyche them out while at the same time paying attention to their attacks and blocking them. The orange ones you first encounter in previous dungeons aren't too bad, red ones that now appear are faster and take more hits but aren't impossible. The blue ones, on the other hand, are ridiculously fast with their shields and swords and fire sword beams with each strike. They are near impossible at certain levels (almost impossible at my current level) and not only are there a few in the castle, the final boss is a blue one. After some research I have learned that you can actually target their heads with a well timed jump slash and they can't block it, so I'll have to try that out. either way, I'll probably grind a bit to the next level, since I think it is an attack upgrade, which means less hits to kill them. More soon...

 

1-25-17 - Still making my way through AoL. Honestly, once I'm through this one, I'm pretty sure the rest are gonna be really easy, lol. So I tried the jump slash on the Iron Knuckles and realized how easy they really are. Beat the boss in castle 3 on the first try after I learned it. So post castle 3 I finally made my way to east Hyrule for the first time ever. Definitely a lot different. The walkthrough is still helping me avoid hours of useless wandering. I picked up more spells, heart containers and upward slash, and even did a quick level grind to get my lvl 5 attack upgrade. After that, castle 4. I think I died completely only once and that was after I had already picked up the special item, so no huge loss. The final boss (essentially a buffed wizzrobe) was fast, but easy enough with Shield and Reflect cast. Already picked up the newly available heart container and my next stop is castle 5 in the middle of the water. I don't know if death mountain and castle 3 were just much more difficult by comparison or I'm getting more comfortable with the game, but I'm breezing through pretty quickly now. Hopefully I'll have it beat by tomorrow or Friday, which means I'll likely move on to Link's Awakening or Minish Cap. (I'd like to start into Skyward Sword, but I'll be out of town this weekend and carting my Wii would be a hassle. I don't want to take too much of a break, since I'm trying to get through these on a timetable). More to come...

 

I just completed level 7 on my Nintendo Classic. I can't believe how hard it is to find some of the stuff in this game. I have had to resort to looking on the internet at least a couple of times. I don't know how in the world I beat this game as a child without having the internet to resort to.

 

I hated the Iron Knight found them so annoying but coolest looking for that game.

 

@ABrown - Agreed. Jumping through hidden walls, the hidden town, some of the key items for spells hidden in seemingly random overworld locations. Just ridiculous.

@Grimlock - I finally mastered the jump slash so Iron Knuckle isn't as big a deal, but his successors in the final dungeon....Just run fast, run far.



1-30-17 - Ok, so post weekend update. I spent Wednesday night getting through the last 2 standard dungeons in AoL. They were pretty simple, compared to lvl 3. So the next step was the "Great Dungeon" where the final boss, Dark Link, resides. getting there was a chore in itself. a lot of erratically moving or heavily defensive monsters sit in the way and if you die 3 times you start ALL over again from back at your home base. After spending most of Thursday just GETTING there I was in for a big battle. Not only were there new enemies that worked like Iron Knuckles, but they moved about twice as fast and could jump now. Most of the dungeon was spent dodging and running away from most enemies. The only saving grace was that dying in this particular castle DIDN'T send me back to Zelda's castle, but just to the beginning of this one, which was CRUCIAL to winning.



Gonna take a quick time out to say I don't know HOW anyone got through this game original because the "Create save point" feature in the Virtual Console is the only way I did it. You can set a restore point right before the boss and just reload it if you die. So helpful.



So speaking of the boss, this castle has TWO. The first is Thunderbird. He floats around the screen and drops fireballs on you. You have to stab him in the face a bunch of times. But that's only AFTER you cast Thunder to destroy his initial impervious armor. So to start the battle you have to cast Shield, Jump and Thunder (skimping on ANY of the 3 makes the battle unwinnable) which takes out all of your MP so no healing spells. Now on my first playthrough of this dungeon, I hadn't done a LOT of level grinding, just gained the standard ones as I went, with one bonus that I did grind for. This was a mistake. I came in at Att 6, Health 7 and Magic 7 (they all max out at 8). After going up against Thunderbird about 20 times I finally decided to bite the bullet and go back and grind. Found a good spot to do it (Random Encounters net 300-350 exp per, plus a local town for healing). I had to grab a total of 23k exp and I did so within an hour or two. Now the next problem, getting BACK to the grand dungeon. The new levels were SOME help on the way, but not really effective when an enemy suddenly changes course and knocks you into a lava pit. and it still didn't help on the hopping shield enemies in the castle itself. But eventually I DID get back to the castle boss(sometime Saturday night). I went in, cast my spells (with a bit of MP left this time, but still not enough for a healing spell) and began the attack. What would have taken 20-25 hits last time now only took about a dozen. I beat him on the second or third try. Advance to the next room for the FINAL boss, Dark Link. After all this, he was a bit of a disappointment. All you have to do is stand at the edge of the screen and attack. he got in one hit before he went down and I won. Definitely an experience on this one. I could now go back through the game for a second time, this time with all my stats and spells saved from the previous adventure. I tried out the first dungeon and beat it handily. I may go back later and beat it again like this, but for now, time to move on. An accomplishment 30 years in the making, so I am proud to finally have knocked it out.



(I will add all of the updates to the top post. Check there for my starting post on the next game, The Minish Cap.)

 

1-31-17 - So not much to update aside from working through the game. Beat dungeon 3 where the element of wind SHOULD have been, but it appears it was taken away by the sky people, so oh well, on to the water element, dungeon 4. I did pick up one of the more interesting gadgets that has only appeared in Minish Cap, the digger gloves. A gimmick to close off places until you get this far in the game, really, but pretty cool still. Would have been cooler if I could have attacked enemies with them too.

 

Congrats on beating AOL. that was well done.

 

@Grimlock - Thanks. Definitely feels like an accomplishment.


2-2-17 - Sadly I've been doing a lot of housework and cooking(and political ranting) this week, or else I probably would have beat the game by now. I made it through the water temple and am now at the wind temple to get the element that was taken from dungeon 3. One thing that this game did, probably more than any of the others, is maximize the "between dungeon" fluff. Most of the games have 8 or more dungeons, some have a split between "early game" and "late game", like the 3/7 split in LttP. This one really only has 5, and that's only because #3 is a waste of time, as stated above. So between dungeons you generally have to wander to a couple different place to unlock the way or get a new item that will lead the way to the next objective. Definitely an interesting play, as it rounds out your time between direct dungeon puzzles and deciphering clues on where you need to be and who you need to speak to. More to come...

 

2-5-17 - 3rd game finished. Finished off the 5th dungeon and made my way back to the castle to get my full power sword. By that time I remembered the castle itself acts as a 6th dungeon. No big items to get, but plenty of rooms to get lost in, big enemies to fight and places to die. After making it through I came up against Vaati for the final showdown. Definitely one of the more difficult final battles in a Zelda game. Most have one or two stages, usually needing a specific item like the light arrows. Fighting Vaati is 3 stages requiring 1 or more different items in each stage, shrinking at points and using the Four-sword duplication in 2 of the stages. All in all a fun game. I could easily see myself coming back after the challenge (or taking it to lunch while I'm playing the non-handheld games) and completing more of the side quests.

I've been putting off any console versions because of cleaning for a large houseparty, but since that is over and done with, it's time to go back to the start. First game in the Chronology, The Skyward Sword. I've only played through this one once, but it was definitely a favorite. I was a little disappointed with the final villain. The concept of Demise was great, starting the curse of Ganon on generations of Hylians, but the general character design of the character was disappointing IMO. But I was very happy with the characterization of Zelda in this game. Giving her more of a human aspect and not just the royalty persona was a lot of fun. Looking forward to that in Breath of the wild's as well. More to come...

 

keep up the good work.

 

@Grimlock - Thanks for the support!

Alright, so Skyward Sword is underway. It's been quite a while since I played it, and I've only gone through once, so there is a ton of stuff that I forgot. I've made it through the exposition and into the meat of the game, through temple 1. I will say, playing a Wii game on the WiiU upscaled by a 4k TV, the graphics suffer quite a bit. Exacerbated by all the light bloom they used in the Wii titles. All in all though, it's as fun as I remember. The use of specific sword swings within the game makes the use of the Wiimote less cumbersome and more skill intensive. And, as I've said before, the inclusion of Zelda as an active story element, rather than just a hostage or "sage" is a welcome change. I forgot how much fun the loftwing flying can be (particularly compared to the often boring sailing used in WW). I'll hopefully get through the Eldin volcano tonight at least. If I recall, this game has 7 or 8 total dungeons, split in 2 groups. I think the only thing that really bugs me, which is just personal gripe, is Fi's constant interruptions, which are on par or worse than Navi in OoT. At least with Navi I could ignore her, but Fi just pops out and starts talking. Hopefully it will slow now that I'm farther into the game. More to come....

On another note, I figured, I have less than a month now and I have around a dozen games to play still, so why not double up! Since Most of the games are on handheld, while I play through Skyward Sword, and eventually WW and TP, I might as well spend the downtime when I can't get on the console continuing my goal. As such, I've also started playing OoT on my 3DS. Originally I was going to skip The Four Swords, as I was thinking it was only available as multiplayer on the Anniversary edition of LttP for GBA. I just realized writing this out that I was one of the few that downloaded the free version on 3DS VC when they offered it during the 25th anniv, before it was taken down. This version has a single player mode, so I'll be running through that one tonight before continuing OoT. (TFS is VERY short, so it shouldn't take me more than 30-60 minutes, more on that tomorrow.)
As for OoT, it's become pretty second nature by now. I've played it enough times to be pretty autopilot, and compared to the size and scope of TP and TSS the fun is there, but the challenge isn't so much anymore. I went through the Kokiri/Deku Tree stuff within 30-45min and am now in the fields, on my way to the castle, before I go for the second charm. More to come...

 

So, quick break to get serious on you for a few minutes. I've felt rather silly on this challenge, mainly because I was really just playing for my own amusement and tugging you guys along for the ride. I didn't really have any reason for doing this whole thing except it sounded like fun. That has now been remedied.

My Zelda 30 year playthrough is now being done in honor of Gabe Marcelo. I found his story earlier today and it definitely hit my heart. You can read it in the link below.

And so, I dedicate this undertaking to the memory of Gabe and remind players, it's not how many hearts you have, so long as you have courage within.

The Dying Man Who Found Hope in 'Breath of the Wild' - Waypoint

As part of this, I will be making a donation in Gabe's name on 3/3/17 to the Child's Play charity of $10 for every game I'm able to complete plus $30 for the 30th anniversary, for a total of $200 if I can complete my challenge. Child's Play is an organization started by Penny Arcade artist Mike Krahulik and writer Jerry Holkins, whose goal is to bring games, toys and other items to hospitals and therapy centers worldwide for children to enjoy and provide a vital distraction from an otherwise generally unpleasant situation. I invite anyone else to make a donation in his name of whatever amount you feel comfortable giving, if you so wish.

Cheers.
~Stryyder

 

I played the original. I could never beat it. I finally watched a friend of mine beat the game. I never played another Zelda game after that.

 

GoLion - Wow, that's actually really interesting. Did the gameplay turn you away or you just never really were interested to pick any up?

2-7-17
Four Swords - As per my last update, I found and went through my VC copy of Four Swords. You can read my notes above in the original post.

Ocarina of Time - After finishing FS, I spent a bit of time on OoT. Went to the castle, met Zelda, saw Ganon, learned a song, went back to Saria, learned a song, went to the Goron Village, played a song, went to Dodongo's Cavern. I'm about halfway through the Cavern, but I took a break after the new episode of Kid's Cookoff (Food Network is the best) to get some work done in Skyward Sword. I will say, I forgot how boring travel is in this game before you can ride around or warp. Especially when you get to your destination (Goron Village) and realize you were supposed to go somewhere else (Saria in the woods) first. So ready to be in the second part of the game. More to come...

Skyward Sword - Not too much progress, as I got no sleep Sunday night so I wanted to get to bed on time last night. I returned to the Goddess Statue and opened the way to the next area, Eldin Volcano. On my way back I did the sidequest initializing the gratitude crystals. Seemed prudent so I didn't have to bump into the mom screaming by the statue every time I went back. made my way through the volcano surface, learning the fun art of throwing and bowling with bombs and met the weird mole people griping about their "turf" like a gang out of West Side Story. When I left off I had just made my way below ground to the caverns. Hopefully I can get to the Dungeon and get the next item tonight. More to come...

 

Finally beat the original Zelda on my Nintendo Classic last night. I had to cheat though. That was just too tough to figure out getting through Level 9 without a little help from the internet. I just can not for the life of my figure out how I beat the game as a little kid back in the 80's without the internet to help.