Previous parts of this article series:
The first part
The second part
Before the release of Nintendo’s new console called the Wii, my then-girlfriend and I pre-ordered the console well in advance at the local Gamestop store. A store I would get a job in just a couple of weeks after the release. However, there were rumors of a huge shortage of the console, but when the store manager called and said we had a console to pick up, the household cheered.
The girl I lived with had a little “ritual” that before you sat down to enjoy a whole weekend of video games, the apartment would be thoroughly cleaned, so that it was done and so that you could play in peace and quiet. I remember that during this whole procedure, I couldn’t think about anything but seeing Link again. I still don’t really know what I think of Twilight Princess, although it was fantastic then and there. Dark, poignant, beautiful, epic. But somehow the ravages of time have been a bit harsher on the game than others in the series. Maybe Ocarina of Time had already given us the perfect Zelda in 3D and we needed something different? Anyway, it was an experience there and then, but I can’t say that the game has since lived on very well. But with an HD Remaster for Wii U, this will actually be replayed at some point. It had a lot of elements I liked, with good dungeons and great atmosphere, so maybe I’ll appreciate it a little more on a replay.
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The year after Link’s Wii adventure we got Spirit Tracks which also became a bit of a Zelda game “in the crowd”. Absolutely nothing wrong with either that, or the sequel Phantom Hourglass, as of course the concept always works well and the Zelda games fit perfectly portable. I played them when it started but nothing more after that.
In 2011 we got a 3DS remake of Ocarina of Time but it was mainly Skyward Sword that felt like the next real big game. And if I mentioned that I was a little divided about some other games in the series, that’s nothing against what I am against Skyward Sword. In many ways it is of course a classic Zelda, with several good ideas, a story with surprisingly many cutscenes and many other things that make it memorable. But there’s something at its core I never quite came to terms with. There are parts here that I even think are quite boring.
The game also had the misfortune of clashing with Skyrim and you would think that I, as a huge Zelda fan, would give Link all my attention, instead it didn’t happen at all, but the game was completely overshadowed by Bethesda’s phenomenal game. I remember playing Skyward Sword for an hour or so every now and then, but fell in love with the countless hours I spent playing Skyrim.
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I have acquired the vast majority of Nintendo consoles upon release or shortly thereafter. However, I didn’t own a 3DS until quite recently and am still busy playing through the games I missed. So also this. Because while waiting for the upcoming Switch game that was actually the inspiration to write these nostalgic articles, the idea is that I will be able to cope with Link’s portable adventure for the 3DS. I’ve played a bunch of hours and like it so far, because as with its portable predecessors, there’s a big dose of charm in all the simplicity that the portable format offers.
As you probably understood, the multiplayer games are something I don’t play. Nor then the Tri Force Heroes released in turn. I have mentioned them in these texts to summarize all the titles, but have no memories associated with it at all – either as a game or the period in which they were released.
On Friday, March 3, 2017, I took the day off from work. I had planned my morning carefully; take the bus to the nearest Elgiganten two hours before opening to be sure to get Nintendo’s new console, and of course the new Zelda game. I haven’t stood in line for so many things in my life, I did it a couple of hours before the ticket release for Star Wars: Episode I. I did it for the first two Hobbit movies and I’ve been to some midnight openings but then had the game booked.
I was so nervous during the bus ride. What if there was a long line? What if Elgiganten only got a couple of consoles? What if they didn’t get it in at all?
The initial apprehension quickly disappeared when there was only one guy in line when I arrived. I still sometimes laugh at the memory that I thought I was a little crazy to go there so early and that there was already a guy there. Once the store opened, I hurried over to the gaming section, quickly grabbing a console and the collector’s edition of Breath of the Wild. A father of small children called my attention, wanted to know if the almost 500 kroner more expensive edition differed in terms of gameplay, but I said that it was just a little extra knick-knacks in it.
On the bus ride home, it turned out that the guy standing in line in front of me was going in the same direction, and we talked briefly about our expectations. Once home, I plugged in the console, and then it was time.
We had already seen the sequence when Link runs up to the ledge and looks out over Hyrule in a trailer. But it still felt like a little bit of magic. This past weekend was truly magical, because Breath of the Wild really felt like everything I wanted, almost. In retrospect, I can feel a certain lack of classic dungeons, but still liked the Shrines you got. But exploring the open world was so amazing in so many ways. I think it was during day five of persistent gaming that I took a picture and posted it on Facebook with the caption; “The best Zelda game ever.”
Sometimes you have to digest statements like that. Because they are often based on the euphoria that comes when love is brand new. But I think I would stand by the statement even today. There was so much entertainment in Link’s latest adventure that I personally enjoyed it. The very essence of what I love about games was presented magnificently in Breath of the Wild and while you can point out small flaws, it didn’t really matter when the adventure was so great.
So here we are. In the middle of a winter at the start of 2023 with a new Zelda adventure around the corner. At the time of writing, Tears of the Kingdom is barely three and a half months away and the same feeling I had before most releases in this series, they appear at regular intervals: nervousness (you want it to be so very, very good ) but most of all expectation. Some reason that it is not too good to have too high expectations, but I have always followed the premise that the game will be as good as it is anyway, regardless of what I think and think in advance.
I’m kind of hoping that Tears of the Kingdom is among the best I’ve ever played, and at the same time, it’s totally okay if it doesn’t fully meet those expectations. If it’s a great game, so be it, and if I’m disappointed it’s because the game makes me so, not what I hoped for before.
If you don’t count on the fact that during this wait we got a remake (Link’s Awakening) and a remaster (Skyward Sword HD), this is the longest period that has passed between two completely new Zelda titles. It is of course only one of many reasons that the expectation is a little extra big and on May 12 it is finally time.
During all these nostalgic flashbacks, there is one thing above all that I notice and that is mainly how much of my life I can actually remember thanks to the games. It’s like most games in the series become some kind of milestone for so much and that I can remember place and time, just based on something as simple as a game. I don’t think there is any other game series, at least not as consistently and over such a long period of time, that can be compared to this one. With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, first of all, I finally get to see Link again. But also create a new such memory.
Previous parts of this article series:
The first part
The second part
