My hot take would be that we 100% need to go back to just a limited amounts of potions, Link shouldn’t be able to pause the game and eat a 5 course meal, another hot take would be that Ocarina of time and majoras mask have the best art style of all Zelda’s
@ Ocarina of time has a very classic fantasy style that I really like, akin to like final fantasy 7, the 90s Zelda just reeked of coolness , and I would say it perfectly blends Disneylike fantasy with 90s anime, all with classic Nintendo charm. BOTWs art style is good, however I think some of the design choices are bad such as the character simplicity, in ocarina of time almost every NPC had some crazy design that’s iconic, BOTW goes for semi realism with cel shading, so 99% of NPCs look very bare and just boring. I also think Majoras Mask has the coolest art style because the harsh shadows in concept art, aswell as the 5 regions of termina are vastly different then the usual hyrule.
But what's the point of having either cooked meals or potions if the enemies can just kill you in two or three hits? I think Zelda games just need more stronger enemies. I rarely find myself having to use potions in the older games due to how much damage Link can tank before easily finding a free heart in tall grass or a pot.
I'm 100% with you on the water temple. The fun of a dungeon comes from unraveling the layout, making sense of it and mastering it. The water temple and the forest temple are the 2 best in OoT in this regard
I never had an issue with the Water Temple being confusing. I only had issues in the whirlpool section as I didn't notice the Hookshot targets and brute forced my way past the whirlpools instead lmao
It's incredibly annoying how the Zelda series continues to use the trope of ancient advanced technology because it means there were multiple eras in the timeline where the world was high tech and we just so happened to never get to see them. This trope is really cool, and it's amazing in games like Xenogears, where it adds so much mystery and intrigue into the history of the world. But in Zelda I don't feel any such mystique because it's clear they have no intention of going beyond "Here's a cool high tech relic link gets to play with" Before Skyward Sword there was a high tech era that regressed for some reason, then there was a high tech era of Zonai that died out for some reason, then a high tech era ruled by Rauru that regressed for some reason after he died, and then a high tech era ruled by Sheikah that regressed for some reason. Yet we don't know anything about these multiple prosperous eons outside of "Here's a cool ancient motorcycle." "Here's another cool ancient robot" "Here's 2 iPad's" If the next Zelda game adds another era of robots and lightsabers off screen inbetween games I'm gonna lose it. People were quite angry at Spirit Tracks when it was new because of the trains, but are all of a sudden oddly silent about this. Which is a shame because Spirit Tracks handled it's tech perfectly. The game is full of symbolism of rebirth, like the focus on the plentiful bunnies that were overhunted to extinction on the old Hyrule continent. It feels like the perfect follow-up to the ending of Wind Waker, their industrial revolution showing that they have finally broken the cycle and are moving forward instead of endlessly being in a medieval period. Personally I still like to headcanon that the adult timeline leads to Hyrule advancing to the stars, because it's the least fitting of the three timelines to end up converging at BOTW regardless of the past. This implies that eventually everyone just left New Hyrule when the sea levels dropped and regressed to primitive tech repeatedly 3 times in a row. Which is just incredibly sad to keep in mind while playing Spirit Tracks where the game is trying to convince you of this hopeful vibe that they are finally moving on. I don't think the child or downfall timeline's have this same tonal dissonance with the wild era.
....I remember when people were talking about epona motorcyle and master gun during the WII era... actually kinda curious what a proper Sci fii zelda would look like.
No one can explain how timelines converge and its funny lmao. people need to accept that BOTW is self-contained. but for real, a space game with TWW/PH/ST's artstyle would go hard.
@AnAverageGoblin I think you're misunderstanding the concept entirely. It's not saying that a massive magical event happened that caused three worlds to collide and fuse. It's saying that at some point all three timelines ended up identical to each other. Imagine that you get to watch the Star Wars prequels from a different timeline where George Lucas had other writers to butt heads with or etc. They would be completely different movies but canonically they would still end up leading into the original trilogy just like the prequels we got did. For example, we know how the Rito came to be in the adult timeline, the Gods realized that flooding Hyrule would essentially enable the Zora to effortlessly conquer the world and become supreme and they weren't keen on that so they turned them into the Rito. In adult timeline BOTW that's their origin and presumably the Zora were allowed to exist again at some point. But in the child timeline BOTW the Rito were created at some unknown point of time and the Zora lineage was unbroken. The people of BOTW Hyrule have zero records or clue which one of these is true, or if the Zora threw their hat in with Ganon and became hostile to Hylians in the downfall timeline at some point before coming back around, or whatever else. Since the people of the wild era have no hope of finding out the truth neither do we, and you're free to imagine your BOTW or TOTK playthrough is in any timeline you prefer, because the events of BOTW happen in the future of all three timelines completely identically. That's the "convergence" Personally I just headcanon it as in the downfall timeline because that made the most sense to me when BOTW came out and showed a ruined and wild Hyrule terrorized by a mindless beast Ganon. But I guess Calamity Ganon was just Ganondorf's fart cloud rising from his crypt or something now. Agree though I really want Sci-fi Zelda, with a tone like Xenosaga so it doesn't step on the toes of Metroid's Alien/horror themes
@@AnAverageGoblin Personally I always thought it was just obvious from the vibe and how much the devs said they modeled it after the original NES game. It's also their primary focus with the other Zelda games on switch also being in downfall
I actually really like em too. They were so much better than the beetle searches in Twilight Princess. Skyward Sword’s version was incredibly suspenseful and exciting, to an extent that we rarely experience in a Zelda game.
Hot take: after you defeat Ganon in BOTW there needs to be a recovered Hyrule with no bad guys and you can just run around and be happy. Once you save after you defeat him, the game needs to carry on like you did defeat him and let you complete side quests in peace. 😊
If they did that, they should also give you some way to still fight Ganon again. I'm on board with the idea of any video game letting you explore the world post-bad guy's defeat, but it shouldn't also lock me out of being able to redo the final boss fight.
I think there should be monsters still, but the blood moons stop. Maybe a counter in the corner of the HUD showing how many monsters are left. And then you get to hunt them all down.
My Zelda hot takes: 1. BotW and TotK are brilliant games, but they don't have that Nintendo "magic" that Zelda used to have. 2. Wind Waker is the 2nd best Zelda ever, behind only Ocarina. 3. I love TP, but the character models and that goofy looking Link kinda hurt the game for me. 4. That said, Midna is the best side character in any Zelda, and the scene where she's hurt is the most emotionally compelling scene in any Zelda. 5. Majora's Mask is a game I'll never revisit. The time limit gives me anxiety.
My hot takes 1. Zelda 2 is a great game 2. Skyward Sword is extreme underrated, it has fantastic dungeons. 3. A link between worlds is in the top 5 best Zelda Games
1. someone has to like it. 2. No one hates the dungeons in SS. 3. is an ice cold take. Everyone loves that game. A Link Between Worlds is the only perfect Zelda game.
@ No they’re not, you can break them apart with items you shouldn’t be supposed to have and the rewards suck without an actual dungeon item to tip the scales, it’s the same problem with echoes of wisdom. The best dungeon in Albw was the desert palace because it was the only one that had true progression and a dungeon item, the others are piss easy and boring.
My hot take is that BOTH Open World Zelda and “Traditional”(cause the first 3 were more owish lol) Linear can coesit without scrapping one for the other. Like yeah Linear games are more diffucult than open world games but let’s not deny that fans were at a time getting burned out in that style of games and OW Zelda did tripple the danbase so it’s not like they can abandon that style. Just switch between the two every so often
My hot takes: 1. Temple of the Ocean King is a fantastic dungeon. 2. Breath of the Wild's story is good, not the best in the series, but above average for a Zelda game. 3. The original NES Zelda game is still fun without a guide. 4. Navi isn't actually very obtrusive. And my responses to your hot takes: 1. I got stuck in the water temple as a kid due to that one key under the platform, but other than that I thought it was fantastic and going through it is a highlight every time I replay the game. 2. I don't like sailing the great sea. It really agitates me when I feel like a game is wasting my time. I can't be too mad though because the music is so good. 3. Horses are okay in Breath of the Wild, but entirely useless in Tears of the Kingdom. 4. Agreed. I liked the simplicity of the color swap. In the newer games I tend to switch outfit for a niche situation and then quickly change back to my go to outfit. 5. Skyward Sword would be S tier for me if it wasn't for the pacing issues. I like the motion controls and the story, and the dungeons and music are maybe the best in the series.
Wind waker aged so fucking well. People didn't like the cartoony graphics, but now they're just charming. One of the absolute best entries in the franchise
Another hot take: I thought the way you use controllers in skyward sword control is fantastic, back then I wanted every new Zelda game to be like Skyward sword. Fi was amazing, extremely underrated.
Agreed. I have zero problems with Wii controls. I don't understand how people have so much trouble with something so incredibly intuitive. Perhaps unnecessary in a lot of games where buttons could've been used, but even still, the motion controls are a fine replacement. Skyward Sword used the controls exceptionally well.
@@calebdonaldson8770 the problem is that people never calibrated them correctly and I know this because I used to do it in a lazy way and it had an impact.
I can get the controls thing But Fi is not a good character she talks about every tiny thing and she has no emotion or intrigue Midna is way better as a partner and character
Based first hot take but no jabu jabu belly from the oracle of ages is even harder Those that are crying about dungeon difficulty in a zelda go play to something else
My hot take is that the temple and dungeon themes are the best part of every Zelda games’ OST. One of the themes always end up being my favorite. Everyone always praises an overworld or characters’ theme as being the best.
I have to disagree, most games since wind waker just use ambient sounds for most dungeons, although i think there is always at least one dungeon with a memorable theme. At least Echoes of Wisdom kinda cooked in that regard especially in the last 3 dungeons
Mini-hot take: Morpha should’ve been a mini boss, and dark link should’ve been the main boss. By the way, I wholeheartedly agree with your first three. Those 3 are very necessary things that need to be said in the fandom and you said them well. But: Links outfit shenanigans are a good part of the game. The problem about the stuff you need to wear looking ridiculous is a fair point, but in one point or another, games like BotW give you the ability to wear an alternative that has the same in game benefit. You just have to go out of your way for it. I think that’s just part of playing Zelda And as for skyward, it WOULD be S tier if not for the controls. However, the story, atmosphere, world building, and oh my god the music are all s tier and should be celebrated as such.
To me, I don't think either Morpha or Dark Link should be the final boss of the Water Temple, they're both too easy for a final boss in my opinion, and neither make good use of the Hookshot. That being said, I guess Dark Link would be the better choice between the two, but I still don't think he would work out super well
@ Maybe, but I was just referring to the fact that people say morpha is underwhelming, while dark link is a cool and iconic idea that stuck with a lot of people who played. I’m not tryna call you a hater cuz I see what ur saying, but like it doesn’t matter how bad the hookshot works with dark link he’s still awesome
my personal hot takes? IMO: -A Link to the Past is better than A Link Between Worlds -Twilight Princess, despite its multiple problems, is one of the most enjoyable Zelda Games -Although I finished BoTW on release and enjoyed it somewhat, I have yet to beat TotK and I find it sort of boring. -Much like how you mentioned the Water Temple not being that bad (which I agree with) I also feel Great Bay Temple from Majora's Mask isn't as annoying as some folks say - Spirit Tracks is a fun game that doesn't get enough love (One of, if not, my favorite interpretation of Zelda as a character)
I agree about the horses. I wish they were more relevant. We need a Zelda game where she goes around taming horses and cuddling all the dogs and cats. 😂
My hot take with Skyward Sword is that dexterity options should have been included for the Switch remake. I am left-handed and prefer to use sword related motion controls with my left hand. Sadly, due to the implementation of the motion controls for SS HD and the design of the joycons, I can’t comfortably use the sword controls in my left hand because they are mapped to the right joycon and that joycon is designed to be used in the right hand. If you are a lefty and want to use the sword controls in the left hand, play the Wii version due to the ambidextrous design of the Wii remote.
1. Twilight Princess has the most poorly aged graphics in the series. The gorons look downright revolting. 2. Tears of the Kingdom is extremely unreplayable. It starts out almost as tediously as Twilight Princess and takes more hours to get truly fun than some Zelda games take to beat. 3. WWHD is so delightful that it's worth the price of a brand new WiiU. All of its dungeons are awesome. It has the most timeless graphics in the series. Everything about it is a joy.
Twilight Princess doesn't have poorly aged graphics, its the artstyle thats the problem but even then I like fugly things so meh. agree on TOTK. I like the game but it is so hard to boot up a new file. same with BOTW but at least TOTK is fun. based WW enjoyer.
Hot take: Majora’s Mask has the best replay value of the “traditional” 3D Zelda games. Optimizing routes and getting the most out of every cycle is still so fun to me, even though I’ve played the whole thing several times already
I find majora’s mask kind of hard to go back to because you need to pay so much attention and plan ahead and it’s always fun when I do that, but it’s just tough to start a new game. Oot is that comfort game for me.
In BotW I liked to explore and climb mountains to look for mysteries, using a horse I couldn't explore the way I like. Also, in OoT and TP using a horse was literally a game changer, not so in BotW. So I travel all the map on foot
My responses to you: 5) I love how the Water Temple is considered the hardest but its virtually impossible to get killed by enemies (except maybe Shadow Link) Combat wise, its acrually a breeze to get through so even if you get stuck figuring stuff out, at keast you arent going to be bombarded by a ton of tough enemies. For me, yeah, the Water Temple if tough to figure out and yeah, I got stuck the first time I played through it, but I never found it to be so hard that it ruined it for me. I wouldn't call it a favorite (switching between regular and iron boots can get tedious) but it was a fun dungeon from a great game. And yeah, I'll take it over the "Dungeons" from Tears of the Kingdom that are among the easiest in any Zelda game (I think I got through that game's water temple in less than 10 minutes). 4) Wind Waker....yeah I'm in the "traveling the sea is tedious" crowd. I think the biggest problem for me is that you had to buy the overworld map one section at a time (minus the few the game gives you automatically), which was just annoying. Why can't I just have the overworld map like every other game?! It was also a similar issue I had to the Sky and Depths portion of Tears of the Kingdom. Everything just looks the same! In Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time, where Hyrule Field is sort of a central hub that connects and provides a gateway to the other locations, it was actually fun to explore because each area looked and felt different. If I'm just sailing around the water, or in the case of TOTK, walking around in a mostly unlit underground or hopping from one sky island to another, everything just looks too similar and I feel like I almost each a state of hypnosis where I forget where I'm going to and why. I almost feel like I've been walking up the endless stairs from Mario for an hour or something, lol. 3) 100% agreed. Getting Epona in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Twilight Princess felt like a huge achievement and instantly made the game more fun to play. In the open world games...not so much. Like you said, the map is huge, but once you unlock enough travel points, the horses become more and more insignificant. BOTW at least had a couple mini-games for them, but TOTK didn't even both with that. There is litereally no point to the horses at all in either game unless you are a completist. I remember when I found the Horse Fairy thing that can upgrade your horse's stats and I was like "Why in the hell would I even bother with this?" 2) I'm kind of split on this one. I like some of the designs for some of the newer armors and they can be fun to wear (I myself was partial to wearing Zant's mask and Midna's Helmet alot in TOTK) but to your point, they can make you look really out of place or just plain look ridiculous in general (The Barbarian outfit for example). And when it was just the colored tunics, I distinctly remember sticking with the Red Tunic for most of OoT once I got it and only switched when I absolutely needed to wear the blue (Water Temple for example). I just liked Red Link! In BOTW and TOTK, there were so many outfits that there is no way I found time to wear all of them. Maybe there is room for both. Have a few colored tunics, and a few specialy outfits that look good. 1) Again I'm kind of torn here. I actually didn't mind the controls that much in Skyward Sword (except for the final fight with Ghirahim where executing a perfect forward stab was near impossible) and to your point, it looks great, the dungeons are great, the combat generally worked well, and the music is phenomneal. There is a lot to appreciate about it. However, my biggest issue was how linear the game felt. When I first got the game, I expected something a bit more free range where I'd be flying around the world with my bird companion and getting to explore. However, eventhing just kind of guides you into the same three locations and compared to other Zelda games, it felt relatively small rather than vast and expansive. Its probably my least favorite of the 3D OoT style Zeldas. But even then, I'd probably give it a C+ on the Zelda scale. Not bad, I don't regret playing it, but I just wish it they ironed out some of the rough edges and expanded on a few things. Its funny you bring up the Wii controls, because there was a period where people disagreed with me that Twilight Princess was one of the best. I loved it, but most of my friends were like "Meh" on it. I finally got a response from a friend who said "Wait, did you play it on Gamecube or Wii?" and I said "Gamecube" and he immediately understood the disconnect and told me "You played the better version. That's why you like it." I never played the Wii version to compare, but it was interesting.
The other thing that makes the horses useless in botw and totk is that the horse whistle is useless beyond a certain (criminally small) range. Since you're likely to be hopping around a lot with fast travel and climbing, it makes it hard to keep track of the horse. And since it's so finicky on where it can and can't go, they become more of a hinderence than a help.
The problem with Wind waker's Great sea is how barren it felt and how so many islands are tiny. Look at Golden Sun the lost age for how to make a great seafaring adventure. When you get the boat, the entire eastern sea opens up, with islands and continental coastlines to explore, several civilizations to uncover and many dungeons to complete. The main goal is about finding a lost island and open a way to the western part of the world. This game came out on the GBA in the early 2000's and is what the Great sea should have been. It looks like an actual sea on a world map, and not a stupid 7×7 grid with a few large islands and a ton of useless tiny rocks.
Hot take…OoT has way too many items that don’t get fully realized and used to their full potential 1) the half damage spell…only attainable with golden gauntlets (more on that later) and only right before final battle with Ganon. Would’ve been useful earlier in the game. 2) Golden gauntlets…only attained in Ganon’s castle and only used for 3 rocks (accessing the fairy fountain, completing the fire barrier, and opening the light barrier) 3) Golden scale…only used for getting 1 heart piece 4) Ice arrow… literally don’t even need it to beat the game 5) 4th bottle…only attained after killing all the big poes, but having a 4th bottle would be most handy when hunting all the Big Poes. With Fairy’s and blue potion, even an average gamer should really only need 2 bottles at most for magic and health recovery. 6) the reward for killing all 100 Skulltulas is basically limitless cash. First of all there are other ways to get 500 rupees (sell fish and bugs to the beggar) and by the time you kill all the skilltilas you’re almost done the game and don’t really need the money. 7) just my opinion but Bombchus were such a cool idea and had nearly NO practical use outside the bowling alley. Memory serves me, you only need 2 in the whole game (breaking a rock to shine light on a sun switch in spirit temple when you’re a kid, defeating the spirit barrier in Ganon’s castle). Would be great if they were an essential weapon for defeating a boss somewhere.
I completely agree on Skyward sword, My only personal complaint was the 4 Trials where you can’t get noticed, But aside from that VERY solid game with a really cool world to explore.
Take 1: 100% agree. People hate on the Water Temple more for the memes than anything else at this point. Specially after the 3DS fixed the only real problem the templenhad, which was equipoing the iron boots through the menu screen. And that wasn't even a problem of the temple itself. Take 2: The boat speed wasn't the problem. It was having to change the wind direction, which was essentially torture. The Swift sail's biggest fix was that you no longer needed to do that, far more than doibling the speed. Although I'll say the double speed didn't reduce the sense of long travel in the slightest. Take 3: Horses' utility depends on whether or not you can teleport them. If you can, then they are objectively the best way to travel. Yes, even better than the bike, which I swear to god, I don't know what the hell were they thinking when they designed that horrible control scheme for it. Not to mention, you can just relax and move the camera around. Actually, I will say it: you enjoying sailing in TWW but not the horses in BotW is a contradiction. That is... In BotW. In TotK they took the teleporting out completely, which I will never forgive them for it. Well, I won't forgive them for the game as a whole, but that's a story for another day. Take 4: This one is... Bizarre. I can see the point in TP, but BotW? You can wear any outfit you want, so if they are that unpleasant for you, just cook a buff meal and there you go. Although the designs are fine for their intended context. I don't know what were you trying to oroof by wearing the fire prrof suit in the middle of Hyrule Field, were you are NOT supposed to wear it. Take 5: Agree to an extent. It was misunderstood, altough not in the way you claim. The problem was not the motion controls at all. People who complain just about that have no real game design insights to speak of. Where SS truly fail was in how hand holding it was. And no, I'm not talking about just Fi interrumping you constantly, albeit that's part of it. It's a flaw that permeates the entire game.
I loved all of your hot takes! I never really thought about them (well maybe I did about the water temple and about the simpler tunics), but i do agree witj all of your opinions. And Skyward Sword’s motion controls actually were quite good, BTW. It made every encounter with an enemy feel more interesting.
My thing with liking the more unique-looking tunics is that I find it boring when it’s the same outfit just colored differently. Though I'm someone who likes when you get to dress up your character in different outfits. It's more fun that way.
I didn't use fast travel so horses were my main method of travel. It feels a bit like sailing in Wind Waker. 1) ALttP, I enjoy it enough but for some reason it never clicked with me the same way pretty much every other Zelda has, even including Zelda 1 and ALBW. I think it suffers from a Seinfeld Effect where it's difficult for me to truly appreciate because I wasn't around back then, on top of being the most "vanilla" Zelda in retrospect relative to others. 2) The champion's tunic is ugly. The shade of blue is too bright, the texture's just flat, and there's a rubbish little master sword shape squiggled on the front. Looks like it's made of crafting paper. Bro is saving Hyrule looking like Thomas the Tank Engine. Make the green tunic the main marketing outfit again.
Super agree with the tunics and Skyward Sword (Though i probably would say mid A tier instead of S for me). When I played BoTW, I actively wore worse armor throughout the whole game because I hated how a lot of the armor looked. My own hot take would be I despise both BotW and TotK. Fully open world like them doesn't suit the series in my opinion. And if a Zelda game were to be open world I'd rather it be like Zelda 1 open world, where you just have a good amount of options and secrets to find rather than literally everything. I have a lot more to say about them, but I don't want to ramble so I'll simply leave it at that.
I just randomly clicked on this video cuz it was recommended and then I heard your voice and I was like “holy crap, that’s Jonny!” I had no idea you had another channel where you talk about Zelda and Metroid😂 skyward sword is my personal favorite Zelda game, so I agree that it’s S-tier and very underrated. I also completely agree that the water temple is one of the best dungeons ever. I recently replayed OoT and I still think the design is fantastic. Would love to see your ranking of all the Zelda games or at least your top 10 favorites or something!
Lol, that’s awesome! Always cool to see someone naturally discover this channel. I’m definitely gonna rank the Zelda games in the future. There’s just like 2 I need to actually play through before I do that, but it’s definitely in the plans 👍
Yes, sailing the great sea is amazing. When I played the original on GameCube, I found it so much more interesting and immersing than when I just had the swift sail.
My 5 hot takes: 1. TotK is not a good Zelda game. It took a 6 year wait to have Zelda but Gmod. It has good stuff in it but it just missed the mark in my opinion. 2. Temple of the Ocean King wasn't bad. You can use your items for shortcuts and the time limit isn't bad I found it very forgiving actually. Speaking of the DS games. 3. The touchscreen controls in the DS games were not bad. 4. Great Bay is more confusing than the Water Temple. 5. Skyward Sword had the best dungeon theming. My response to the hot takes. 1. Based take. It's easily one of the best temples and the 3ds version made it easier. 2. Swift sail easily made it better. 3. I only got a horse for the final boss. I never used a horse. They could've been removed from TotK and nothing would'e changed. 4. I agree but I do like the Twilight Princess magic armor. But in newer Zelda games I'll use the new armor maybe once than go back to the default. 5. Yes Skyard Sword is a great game my 3rd favorite actually. And what most people didn't realize about the Wii Version is that the response of the motion controls is tied to the sensor bar. Switch version made it 100 times better.
@@voltron77 not the best in the series but the bosses were still so much better and unique and challenging (in hero mode only) and the concept of the rifts made for extremely unique dungeons so environmentally, I’d say they still succeeded Totk by a landslide. Totk dungeons looked cool from a distance but once you were in em, all the spectacle was gone and the terminal system is just so ass
@ Yeah, they were better than totk’s dungeons but they were still mid compared to most if not every classic Zelda dungeons. The rewards were garbage, the dungeons were insanely short and the aesthetic, while cool the first time, I’d get boring in the end because they were all in the rifts.
I agree with everything except Skyward Sword. B-Tier Zelda game, and I have played all of them so yes I can say that. The music was underwhelming for me. Too much orchestra, too little identifiable themes. Too much backtracking, I hated the fact that unique boss fights were sacrificed to give Sir Spandex more fight time, The Imprisoned battles stunk, and it was all just way too linear. There was a lot that I liked about the game, including the controls. To this day I don't understand what bothered people so much about them. I thought it was so cool to be swinging my arm and pretending to be Link. The Koloktos and Demise boss fights were S-Tier, and the Ancient Cistern and the Sandship were S-Tier dungeons. But those flaws I mentioned are just too glaring to overlook. That's just my opinion though.
I agree with sailing. I loved sailing. I never thought twice about it until I read about how other people hated it. I hated Skyward Sword mainly because of Link's face. He looks like Michael Jackson after x amount of surgeries. I hate open world Zeldas. I know the new generation of gamers loves Breath and Tears, but I hate them.
When the first art for Skyward Sword dropped, I HATED it. They had just returned to realism with Twilight Princess, then they turned around and went cartoony again?! Then I played it. And I instantly fell in love lol Easily in my top 3, which hurts to say as it dethroned Majora's Mask.
Due to financial issues in my family, I was sort of forced to grow out of 3D Zelda games after Wind Waker…until BoTW. I remember thinking BoTW was pretty cool, but was so underwhelmed by the dungeons and the story that I never went back to play it a second time. Actually that’s not true, I tried to play it again and quickly got bored. Meanwhile I’m contemplating replaying OoT and MM yet again, and I’ve lost count how many times I’ve played those since childhood. I gotta get Skyward Sword on Switch now that that exists, too.
Ever since I played MM3D and suffered through the Great Bay Temple I stopped all my complaints on the Water Temple. I don't think I had ever been so close to throwing a controller away
Agreed on the Water Temple. I mean the whole reason I fell in love with the franchise in the first place is because of the challenging puzzles that test your creativity and ability to "think outside the box", as it were. Also agreed on SS having some of the best music of any title, but that said, OoT will always be #1 in my book. The Forest Temple track is the GOAT
My first Zelda was the Adventure of Link on the NES, and I've been playing every Zelda game since. I played OoT when it came out - the Water Temple was tough, but we managed it without guides or any help - it still stands out as one of the best temples I've played in any Zelda game. If you grew up with NES-era games, everything on the N64 (Ocarina included) was a step down in difficulty. Wind Waker sailing was never a problem - navigating from island to island was always fun - the main problem was the end part where you have to go searching the ocean for things burried at the bottom. I think the horses have their place in BotW & TotK - it's a shame they aren't better used, but it would feel wrong not to have them there. And can't you just go to the dye shop in Hateno to get colour swaps of the same armour? I dunno man, it's nice to have some variety in the armour Link can wear. But totally agree about Skyward Sword - some of the best combat in any Zelda game - some of the best boss fights too - plus that desert part with the time stones was incredible. And let us not forget Groose. My hot take would be that some of the fans need to chill out and stop complaining about the new direction of Zelda - the classic 3D/Ocarina style will return just like the 2D style came back - have some faith in the developers, after all, they have made some of the greatest gaming experiences of all time.
Kinda agreed with everything here, but especially the horses in BotW and TotK. They are horrible to control so I never bothered with them. Also, Skyward Sword is in my Top 5. The motion controls and constant recalibrating didn't really affect my enjoyment of it at all!
The only problem whit botw and totk is the healing in the menu. You want to make food? Is ok, but you can only eat cooked meals, not 1 of 999 apple. And then limit the space of that inventory from 3 pages to just 10 slots(and that's a lot)
I’ve always agreed on Skyward Sword! From the moment I played it, the story’s incredibly emotional, and the mystique of SS’ world is one I haven’t experienced in any other Zelda game personally.
With a few exceptions I have always felt that the majority of dungeons in Ww, Tp, and Ss have been "dumbed down" in comparison to the Water Temple and several Mm Temples. I think this due to people complaining about the Water Temple and not wanting to "get lost". But getting lost and figuring things out later is part of the fun. It sucks though cause if we ever do get dungeons back on Zelda they probably won't reach the heights of complexity of the Water Temple.
1. Twilight Princess' story is good, but not the best in the series. Midna and Zant are great characters but there are a lot of characters that are bland or undercooked. Zant's character shift is also way too abrupt. 2. Tears of the Kingdom has a good story, it just stumbles a bit in execution. Make the dragon tears go in chronological order, do the light dragon reveal after Crisis at Hyrule Castle, and be a bit more explicit with the ending and you solve a lot of issues. I personally don't care about the Sheikah tech or whether every single NPC refers to Link by name. 3. Four Swords Adventures is a really good game, even in single player.
My hot take: Breath of the Wild, whether or not it's a good game, is a bad _Zelda_ game. Most elements that I believe made the most popular Zelda games before BotW beloved are very clearly lacking in BotW. My second hot take: Tears of the Kingdom's story is more frustrating than good. I would go as far as to say that I prefer BotW's minimal story to TotK's story that feels incohesive to the previous titles. The way I see it: if you're making a story in the Zelda franchise, either make it fit with the rest of the series, OR, make it clear that the game is a reboot.
TOTK's story problem is that it has massive padding, was clearly stretched thin, and struggles to function coherently to the freedom of pace thing the game has going for it. also it wasted Ganondorf.
Oh no I agree with the horse thing too. I don't even use one in Skyrim. They always make horses handle way too much like how a horse actually handles, which isn't a great gameplay mechanic. They should handle like a vehicle would.
I completely skipped Skyward Sword back in the day because I didn't like the Wii. I've played the hd version on switch and I hated it mostly because of the motions controls. I came back to the game one year later with a different mindset and I did enjoy my Time. Skyward Sword is at times annoying but it also does a lot of things right. For example you can uprade your items. Parying with the Shield is fun, there are some great items and a few memorable bosses and locations. It's a good game, not my favorite but it's in my top 10 Zelda games. I don't know if it's a hot take but here we go. Phantom hourglass and spirit tracks are great Zelda games. If you have troubles with the controls it's not the game's fault it's yours. The controls works perfectly, you need to get good
My takes on the series in general and for each entry (based on my experience; haven’t played them all…): Ocarina of Time - It still holds up to this day. Those of you who say that the game didn’t age well… You lack the nostalgia goggles to appreciate the game for what it was. You want a game that didn’t age good at the slightest? Look at the original Medal of Honor on PS1. A solid game that’s long overdue for a modern makeover… (Why haven’t you done this yet, EA?!) Majora’s Mask - Most worthy Zelda sequel than any other in the series. Back when it came out, people wrongfully misjudged it for being too much like its predecessor, Ocarina of Time. But it did so many things that strayed away from the series running gag. A time limit, the dreadful atmosphere, the darker tone, and the overarching theme that represents grief. What else can be said about this game? Except for that the 3DS version is a b!tch slap to veterans of the N64 original!? The Wind Waker - Regardless of which version you play this game on, you can’t go wrong. It was misjudged for its art style. Just be glad this game exists, because if not for Wind Waker, then games that inspired it like A Hat In Time would not have existed as well… Twilight Princess - The ultimate Zelda experience! The dark tone, the combat, the attachment to Midna, this game is one of a kind, there can never be another Zelda like it. Also, despite the lack of screentime, this game has my favorite iteration of Princess Zelda ever!… And then, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate came along with my overall favorite Princess Zelda that dominates most of them. Skyward Sword - If you disliked this game, your either: A.) Someone with a disability (I can respect that.) B.) You’re too lazy for motion controls. Still has a strong narrative that changes the way we look at Zelda lore. Breath of the Wild - There is no value in exploration. Shrines, shrines, and more shrines… That’s pretty much the bulk of the exploration… Nothing else worth noting besides a little to non-existent narrative. A much needed direction to the series indeed, but does it pay off if we continue this course? Side note: the horses aren’t useless, but my biggest worry for them is what if I accidentally stumbled upon a Guardian or Lynel? I’m at the risk of getting the horse killed, and I don’t want Malanya to think I’ve been on a horse killing spree! Tears of the Kingdom - Pretty much the same as BOTW, but more tedious… 6 years of reused assets and you wonder if something went wrong during development? Side note: Era of the Wilds Princess Zelda is too overrated… Whines a lot, and has such an annoying accent! Her strengths don’t make up for her… Not by a longshot… A Link To The Past - Never had the nostalgia goggles for SNES, but lost my nostalgia goggles for GameBoy Advance long ago… Oracle series - The codes… THE CODES!!! Too long to write down… Minish Cap - A fun Zelda game that garnered the least amount of references… Echoes of Wisdom - A step in the right direction for the titular Princess, but not in the manner I was hoping… Misc.: The series hasn’t fleshed out Princess Zelda’s magic in the capacity Hyrule Warriors and Smash Bros. already have… “Princess Zelda: Showdown”, anybody? Good-Feel, I got some ideas… that got lost in the paper shredder…
*To further BotW's sheer superiority, I will say this:* TotK's story is bad, Fs with pre-established key lore aspects, absolutely shatters all the Master Sword's reputation, unga bunga buff Dorf with little to no ambition other than "me strongest there is" uninteresting, nearly everyone forgot who you were despite this game taking place a mere 4-6 years after Wild, Rauru existing is an insult, no Fi, no breaking of the Demise curse despite it being falsely hinted being the case what with all the Skyward Sword PR this game got (I distinctly remember Skyward Sword being advertised as heavily linked to TotK somehow which, again, is misleading as on Nintendo's part), no dog petting, no hookshot spiderman swinging with the physics being suuuuch a driving factor in these newer Zelda games, no underwater exploration instead a damp dark smelly overgrown cave can't see jack, COLLOSAL missed opportunity to hitch the princess with her handsome knight in shining armor, no stakes since Zelda's sacrifice was reversed giving the story little to no agency or consequence, Link as a protagonist felt nonexistent feels like everyone else was the star of the show not the guy who's saving all their 🫏s, no Link backstory before any of this went down aka no Arryl 2 or Granny 2 aka NOT WIND WAKER, didn't make me cry like Twilight Princess, dungeons are STILL NOT dungeons (pulling a couple levers to open a door and then be treated with literally the same copy-paste cutscene at the very end with each champion? Yeah naw), sky islands hardly anything worth noting although they are pretty asf to look at, I was expecting a totally NEW revamped endgame super Saiyan master sword golden tier 4 legendary new hilt new everything but naw same design with a booboo scar and hilariously less powerful... hoverbike autobuild pales in comparison to THE Master Cycle As a game, sure, it's leagues above BotW but BotW will never be topped as a one-in-a-lifetime *experience* TotK was an overblown $70 DLC and I'm tired of pretending it's not. Mid.
Sure but the water temple's greatness hasn't been a hot take in over a decade. That's a good thing too since it really is one of the best levels in a Zelda game.
Here is one of my many hot takes: People say the chest rewards in Botw/Totk arent great, but Chest rewards have ALWAYS been pretty useless. (Key items don't count as those are essentially runes) You would either get rupees that you already have a surplus off, or a useless collectable. I'm not saying the chest rewards in Botw/Totk are never underwhelming, simply that they ALWAYS have been pretty underwhelming.
as someone who spends a lot of rupees both from preparation and from not handling money that well, I don't think rupee chests in dungeons are worthless.
@AnAverageGoblin That's understandable, But I feel like it's really easy to get rupees in practically any Zelda game, and specifically in older games, there usually isn't much to buy besides potions. That combined with the limitation of the wallet made it pretty disappointing when you solve a tricky puzzle only to find the reward is a handful of rupees.
Great video, I feel like a lot of complaints about The Water Temple, Twilight Princess' opening, Sailing in the Wind Waker etc come from today's generation of lazy attention deficit gamers. You all know what I mean. The one's with Tik Tok brain. The one's who only watch Instagram reels and UA-cam shorts. BOTW/TOTK totally catered for these types of gamer. Gone were the in depth labyrinth dungeons you had to get lost in and unlock puzzles to progress. Now we just have bite size shrines with 1 puzzle that you can solve in 2 minutes. Nobody wants to explore a map anymore. We have fast travel every 20 meters.
I definitely agree about the tunics, I was so disappointed when I first saw the TP Zora tunic. Speaking of tunics, it bothers me so much that Link didn't have an original green tunic in TOTK. I don't know if you'd call that a hot take, just something dumb that bothers me 😅
My hot take is that in the 3D Zelda games, the way the dungeons contribute to the story, world building, and progression of their respective game is vastly more important than the gameplay.
#5 As much as I love TOTK I genuinely don’t like building vehicle’s and using Zonai devices #4 The Wind Waker being “too easy” is actually a good thing and makes it one of the more replayable games in the series #3 If we’re sticking with the Open World formula from BOTW and TOTK. Then I want the next game to actually have a smaller more condensed map with more side quests and towns to explore. #2 Fi is the second best companion after Midna y’all are just mean and don’t like reading #1 Twilight Princess is the best 3D Zelda game in terms of Story, Dungeons, Atmosphere, Pacing, and arguably Combat. I just think the exploration and map design is a bit on the weaker side.
Honestly agree on all takes except Ocean exploration (but that’s just cus WW is not my fav). With the water temple, the only non skill issue complaint is the menu pausing for boots and the unmarked water level changes, both of which are fixed in OOT 3D so there really should be no complaint
I'd go a step further with Skyward Sword by saying it's the best "classical" (= pre BOTW era) 3D Zelda ever made. Not only is the story and the characters, the music and the dungeon roster so good, but its overall level design and sword play are amazing as well. Just like with OoT's water temple, lots of the hate on SS motion controls comes from a massive skill issue. I played the game at 11 and learnt how to actually get the best out the controls (aka doing small wrist swings instead of waggling like a monkey with a stick) just by doing trial and error and actually try to understand what's best in a given situation. I believe a lot of the hate has to do with narrow-minded gamers how can not get out of their comfort zone and don't even wanna try a control scheme that they're not used to because they're afraid to be bad at first. But guess what gamers : every single one of us was bad at video games when se started them, that's the point of learning something. Now about level design, and specifically the fragmented world. Skyward Sword is a linear game, like every other 3D Zelda. But unlike them, it does not pretend to be some semi open-world game by showing you a huge map with almost every region being locked behind an item (thus behind story progression). It's a game that understands what it is and what it aims to do : a linear game with puzzle solving using new items all the time. It is the 3D Zelda that makes the most out of your items outside of dungeons. The overworld being filled with puzzles and giving you one item like the dungeons do creates a continuity in the game's overall flow, making the transition between the overworld and the dungeons feel much more fluid and natural gameplaywise.
Elden Ring is more of a Zelda game than TOTK and BOTW. BOTW is just Assassin's Creed with Half-Life physics to trick the player into thinking it's deep, but it's the same Ubisoft slop people that game outside of Nintendo have been complaining about since 2014. TOTK is the same, but Banjo Kazooie Nuts n Bolts jankery. Not everything has to be the next Minecraft. The survival-craft genre can not be dethroned, and the outrageous kaiju mech inventions by players decimate any and all challenges the game has to offer. It's just not Zelda anymore. I just want an Ocarina of Time style game to get the A Link Between Worlds treatment. Nintendo keeps trying to reinvent the wheel instead of refining what already works.
Hot take. BOTW & TOTK are trash. Some great ideas. Exploration is fun for a bit. However, both fail to provide that authentic Zelda feeling. Even as standalone games, they are extremely repetitive and imo developers were lazy when creating them.
my take on the water temple: it absolutely sucks and is not a fun dungeon... the first time you play it. upon replays you know what the puzzle is, you have a general idea how the dungeon works and where to change the water level. but the first time u dont even know you are completing a puzzle until you stumble upon the sollution. thats the truth. both sides are valid. the dungeon does have a great puzzle, but it does not teach you enough about the puzzle before completing it. thw water temple feels like its building onto ideas that have not been introduced. like reaching super saiyan 2 before 1. it dont make sense. the water temple is poorly designed an tedious, while also being a good puzzle dungeon. it doesnt have to be one way or the other. thats not really a hot take on my part though since i think people will agree with me on this.
My hot take is that I think no one would have cared about BOTW and TOTK if they weren’t Zelda titles. For me, they’re a 7 and 7.5 out of 10. Not awful but nothing special either! I’m ready for some classic Zelda!
Oh I've got some hot takes 1. If you can get used to stylus control Phantom Hourglass and Spirt Tracks were both really good Zelda games. 2. While BOTW and TOTK may have the most expansive combat in the series. They also have the most stale combat in the series because of how repetitive and unvaried the enemy encounters are. 3. Ancient technology is not even close to being as good of a setting or aesthetic design for a Legend of Zelda title as magical fantasy is. 4. Pound for pound the Oracle games may have the best designed dungeons in the series, and I wish more people had played them. 5. I couldn't care less about being able to play as Zelda in a Legend of Zelda game. I just want to play as Link. 6. While i cant say the same for every boss. The Twinmold boss fight was definitely better in the 3D remake of Majora's Mask. 7. Age of Calamity has the worst story, and some of the most unpolished gameplay I've seen out of something published for The Legend of Zelda next to the CDI games, and was a huge missed opportunity. 8. Hyrule is becoming a stale setting for The Legend of Zelda. They need to branch out to other lands more. 9. You've never truly conquered Zelda II if you used the rewind feature on the Switch version. And i say that as someone who has finished but not yet conquered Zelda II. 10. Skyward Sword is a top tier Zelda title, Tears of The Kingdom is a bottom tier Zelda title.
Yeah skyward sword is cracked, it has the most engaging boss fights in the whole series, the bosses in all other zelda games are way too easy. Also has the coolest crafting and upgrade system Zelda has ever had. (also swinging the sword is FUN)
Hot take #1: Ocarina of Time isn't that impressive of a game. It came out in a time when 3D was a new thing for video games, and there weren't blueprints for how to create 3D games at that time. Which results in OoT being a very crude and basic experience. Outside of nostalgia, or wanting to experience a 3D game before devs had a better grasp on it, there's basically no reason to play it over any other 3D Zelda. Hot take #2: I don't care if you pronounce it as ah-carina or as oh-carina. I know what you're talking about so why do we have to fuss about it? Both pronunciations are technically correct, I would add. Ah-carina is the proper English pronunciation of the word, but the word is Italian in origin and the Italian pronunciation is oh-carina. Oh, and I say oh-carina. Said that since playing OoT as a kid in the 90s. Hot take #3: Nintendo is iffy at best with a lot of their not-Ganondorf villains, and the villains Koei Tecmo made in Hyrule Warriors (Cia, Volga, and Wizzro) are better than any not-Ganondorf villain we've had after Ghirahim.
pretty much agree with all of these, the tunics could go back to something more simple but still not just different colors they should look cool everywhere not just good on water and bad everywhere else and skyward sword is a bit like windwaker when it came out people didnt like it and the port of it was greatly enchaned
I am surprised the triforce chart change in WWHD was not in your top 5 of hot takes since the swift sale was. I have seen a few forums of a few casual players advocating that the triforce quest change was the worst thing for wind waker despite the majority of casual players praising the change as tedium for the sake of tedium is boring, as you had to grind 397 rupees or something similar per chart just for that fuck. Honestly I wished that the entire chart quest was removed entirely as it's just padding for the sake of padding no one gives a fuck about it, at least make it optional like the sail as everyone can agree that the triforce quest was the worst part of Wind waker especially paired with the boats movement speed in the GameCube version. Hell the Japanese version of the GameCube was even more tedious as you are searching for charts that eventually leads to the Triforce chart that leads to the damn shard, It's no wonder Twilight Princess sold more as no one in their right mind would subject themselves to something so tedious for free
The zora tunic in twilight is the best Zelda armor it's the blue tunic with a perfect swim mechanic and with the iron boots works no different than ocarina and the magic armor I can understand the change because there is no need for the red tunic so a high cost high reward battle focused feature works great at the end game of the game so the only hot take I disagree with was that one because the aesthetics didn't bother me so it's a minor point all together either way I agree with the reasons for all of your other takes
I don’t think the Water Temple is one of the goats but I’ve always thought it was good. Never had a problem with the Iron Boots thing (though I played OoT3D first but even then, I don’t have a problem with it in the original game)
What are your Zelda Hot Takes??
Horses Are best mount in botw/totk
(Not counting motocycle, because Its dlc )
Not mine, but my coworkers: Zelda II is better than Majora's Mask
The map and compass are two of the most useful items in Zelda
I still don't like the super deformed bobblehead doll art style of Wind Waker.
@myaalvarado3096 that's a wild hot take
My hot take would be that we 100% need to go back to just a limited amounts of potions, Link shouldn’t be able to pause the game and eat a 5 course meal, another hot take would be that Ocarina of time and majoras mask have the best art style of all Zelda’s
I invite you to elaborate on that second one to me. I LOVE the BotW art style and I’m just genuinely curious about why you’d put OoT ahead of it
@ Ocarina of time has a very classic fantasy style that I really like, akin to like final fantasy 7, the 90s Zelda just reeked of coolness , and I would say it perfectly blends Disneylike fantasy with 90s anime, all with classic Nintendo charm. BOTWs art style is good, however I think some of the design choices are bad such as the character simplicity, in ocarina of time almost every NPC had some crazy design that’s iconic, BOTW goes for semi realism with cel shading, so 99% of NPCs look very bare and just boring. I also think Majoras Mask has the coolest art style because the harsh shadows in concept art, aswell as the 5 regions of termina are vastly different then the usual hyrule.
@ Alr cool
But what's the point of having either cooked meals or potions if the enemies can just kill you in two or three hits? I think Zelda games just need more stronger enemies. I rarely find myself having to use potions in the older games due to how much damage Link can tank before easily finding a free heart in tall grass or a pot.
I'm 100% with you on the water temple. The fun of a dungeon comes from unraveling the layout, making sense of it and mastering it. The water temple and the forest temple are the 2 best in OoT in this regard
yup replayed it today got stuck many times but overall it was fun and cool and fun to figure out
So true! I understand why people don’t like it, but if they play the 3d version then the platform is clearly shown
I never had an issue with the Water Temple being confusing. I only had issues in the whirlpool section as I didn't notice the Hookshot targets and brute forced my way past the whirlpools instead lmao
Never had any trouble with the dungeon, it’s always a highlight for me.
Don’t forget spirit temple.
It's incredibly annoying how the Zelda series continues to use the trope of ancient advanced technology because it means there were multiple eras in the timeline where the world was high tech and we just so happened to never get to see them.
This trope is really cool, and it's amazing in games like Xenogears, where it adds so much mystery and intrigue into the history of the world. But in Zelda I don't feel any such mystique because it's clear they have no intention of going beyond "Here's a cool high tech relic link gets to play with"
Before Skyward Sword there was a high tech era that regressed for some reason, then there was a high tech era of Zonai that died out for some reason, then a high tech era ruled by Rauru that regressed for some reason after he died, and then a high tech era ruled by Sheikah that regressed for some reason. Yet we don't know anything about these multiple prosperous eons outside of "Here's a cool ancient motorcycle." "Here's another cool ancient robot" "Here's 2 iPad's"
If the next Zelda game adds another era of robots and lightsabers off screen inbetween games I'm gonna lose it.
People were quite angry at Spirit Tracks when it was new because of the trains, but are all of a sudden oddly silent about this.
Which is a shame because Spirit Tracks handled it's tech perfectly. The game is full of symbolism of rebirth, like the focus on the plentiful bunnies that were overhunted to extinction on the old Hyrule continent. It feels like the perfect follow-up to the ending of Wind Waker, their industrial revolution showing that they have finally broken the cycle and are moving forward instead of endlessly being in a medieval period.
Personally I still like to headcanon that the adult timeline leads to Hyrule advancing to the stars, because it's the least fitting of the three timelines to end up converging at BOTW regardless of the past. This implies that eventually everyone just left New Hyrule when the sea levels dropped and regressed to primitive tech repeatedly 3 times in a row. Which is just incredibly sad to keep in mind while playing Spirit Tracks where the game is trying to convince you of this hopeful vibe that they are finally moving on. I don't think the child or downfall timeline's have this same tonal dissonance with the wild era.
....I remember when people were talking about epona motorcyle and master gun during the WII era... actually kinda curious what a proper Sci fii zelda would look like.
No one can explain how timelines converge and its funny lmao. people need to accept that BOTW is self-contained.
but for real, a space game with TWW/PH/ST's artstyle would go hard.
@AnAverageGoblin I think you're misunderstanding the concept entirely. It's not saying that a massive magical event happened that caused three worlds to collide and fuse. It's saying that at some point all three timelines ended up identical to each other.
Imagine that you get to watch the Star Wars prequels from a different timeline where George Lucas had other writers to butt heads with or etc. They would be completely different movies but canonically they would still end up leading into the original trilogy just like the prequels we got did.
For example, we know how the Rito came to be in the adult timeline, the Gods realized that flooding Hyrule would essentially enable the Zora to effortlessly conquer the world and become supreme and they weren't keen on that so they turned them into the Rito. In adult timeline BOTW that's their origin and presumably the Zora were allowed to exist again at some point. But in the child timeline BOTW the Rito were created at some unknown point of time and the Zora lineage was unbroken. The people of BOTW Hyrule have zero records or clue which one of these is true, or if the Zora threw their hat in with Ganon and became hostile to Hylians in the downfall timeline at some point before coming back around, or whatever else.
Since the people of the wild era have no hope of finding out the truth neither do we, and you're free to imagine your BOTW or TOTK playthrough is in any timeline you prefer, because the events of BOTW happen in the future of all three timelines completely identically. That's the "convergence"
Personally I just headcanon it as in the downfall timeline because that made the most sense to me when BOTW came out and showed a ruined and wild Hyrule terrorized by a mindless beast Ganon. But I guess Calamity Ganon was just Ganondorf's fart cloud rising from his crypt or something now.
Agree though I really want Sci-fi Zelda, with a tone like Xenosaga so it doesn't step on the toes of Metroid's Alien/horror themes
@@vanilla8956 Oh shit, we both came to the same conclusion on what timeline BOTW could fit on. Nice.
@@AnAverageGoblin Personally I always thought it was just obvious from the vibe and how much the devs said they modeled it after the original NES game. It's also their primary focus with the other Zelda games on switch also being in downfall
My hot take is that the silent realms are one of the best parts of Skyward Sword. I said what I said.
I actually really like em too. They were so much better than the beetle searches in Twilight Princess. Skyward Sword’s version was incredibly suspenseful and exciting, to an extent that we rarely experience in a Zelda game.
Yes! I forgot to add that to my own hot takes.
Hot take: after you defeat Ganon in BOTW there needs to be a recovered Hyrule with no bad guys and you can just run around and be happy. Once you save after you defeat him, the game needs to carry on like you did defeat him and let you complete side quests in peace. 😊
If they did that, they should also give you some way to still fight Ganon again.
I'm on board with the idea of any video game letting you explore the world post-bad guy's defeat, but it shouldn't also lock me out of being able to redo the final boss fight.
Nintendo never does that kind of thing in Zelda games and it's so frustrating.
that's the coldest take I've ever heard
I think there should be monsters still, but the blood moons stop. Maybe a counter in the corner of the HUD showing how many monsters are left. And then you get to hunt them all down.
I've been wating this since I first be OoT back in the day
My Zelda hot takes:
1. BotW and TotK are brilliant games, but they don't have that Nintendo "magic" that Zelda used to have.
2. Wind Waker is the 2nd best Zelda ever, behind only Ocarina.
3. I love TP, but the character models and that goofy looking Link kinda hurt the game for me.
4. That said, Midna is the best side character in any Zelda, and the scene where she's hurt is the most emotionally compelling scene in any Zelda.
5. Majora's Mask is a game I'll never revisit. The time limit gives me anxiety.
My hot takes
1. Zelda 2 is a great game
2. Skyward Sword is extreme underrated, it has fantastic dungeons.
3. A link between worlds is in the top 5 best Zelda Games
1. someone has to like it.
2. No one hates the dungeons in SS.
3. is an ice cold take. Everyone loves that game. A Link Between Worlds is the only perfect Zelda game.
@@MarshallTheArtistLink between worlds ain’t perfect, it’s piss easy and the dungeons are mid.
@ It's dungeons are excellent! You take that back!
@ No they’re not, you can break them apart with items you shouldn’t be supposed to have and the rewards suck without an actual dungeon item to tip the scales, it’s the same problem with echoes of wisdom. The best dungeon in Albw was the desert palace because it was the only one that had true progression and a dungeon item, the others are piss easy and boring.
Facts Skyward Sword is a S Tier Zelda game and the water temple is goated. Other Zelda fans just need to get good.
My hot take is that BOTH Open World Zelda and “Traditional”(cause the first 3 were more owish lol) Linear can coesit without scrapping one for the other. Like yeah Linear games are more diffucult than open world games but let’s not deny that fans were at a time getting burned out in that style of games and OW Zelda did tripple the danbase so it’s not like they can abandon that style. Just switch between the two every so often
Honestly i think they can do both at the same time
My hot takes:
1. Temple of the Ocean King is a fantastic dungeon.
2. Breath of the Wild's story is good, not the best in the series, but above average for a Zelda game.
3. The original NES Zelda game is still fun without a guide.
4. Navi isn't actually very obtrusive.
And my responses to your hot takes:
1. I got stuck in the water temple as a kid due to that one key under the platform, but other than that I thought it was fantastic and going through it is a highlight every time I replay the game.
2. I don't like sailing the great sea. It really agitates me when I feel like a game is wasting my time. I can't be too mad though because the music is so good.
3. Horses are okay in Breath of the Wild, but entirely useless in Tears of the Kingdom.
4. Agreed. I liked the simplicity of the color swap. In the newer games I tend to switch outfit for a niche situation and then quickly change back to my go to outfit.
5. Skyward Sword would be S tier for me if it wasn't for the pacing issues. I like the motion controls and the story, and the dungeons and music are maybe the best in the series.
Wind waker aged so fucking well. People didn't like the cartoony graphics, but now they're just charming. One of the absolute best entries in the franchise
Another hot take:
I thought the way you use controllers in skyward sword control is fantastic, back then I wanted every new Zelda game to be like Skyward sword.
Fi was amazing, extremely underrated.
Agreed. I have zero problems with Wii controls. I don't understand how people have so much trouble with something so incredibly intuitive. Perhaps unnecessary in a lot of games where buttons could've been used, but even still, the motion controls are a fine replacement. Skyward Sword used the controls exceptionally well.
@@calebdonaldson8770 Agree!
As you mentioned, very intuitive, also I had a lot of fun!
I love skyward sword, and I agree with the motion controls. They’re easy to use.
@@calebdonaldson8770 the problem is that people never calibrated them correctly and I know this because I used to do it in a lazy way and it had an impact.
I can get the controls thing
But Fi is not a good character she talks about every tiny thing and she has no emotion or intrigue
Midna is way better as a partner and character
Based first hot take but no jabu jabu belly from the oracle of ages is even harder
Those that are crying about dungeon difficulty in a zelda go play to something else
My hot take is that the temple and dungeon themes are the best part of every Zelda games’ OST. One of the themes always end up being my favorite. Everyone always praises an overworld or characters’ theme as being the best.
I have to disagree, most games since wind waker just use ambient sounds for most dungeons, although i think there is always at least one dungeon with a memorable theme. At least Echoes of Wisdom kinda cooked in that regard especially in the last 3 dungeons
@GreatGonzalez just because a theme is quieter, doesn't mean it's just ambient sounds
@@SoulTwinky i know but most of them still are just ambient sounds at least in the 3d games
@@GreatGonzalez not really, but whatever
Mini-hot take: Morpha should’ve been a mini boss, and dark link should’ve been the main boss.
By the way, I wholeheartedly agree with your first three.
Those 3 are very necessary things that need to be said in the fandom and you said them well.
But: Links outfit shenanigans are a good part of the game. The problem about the stuff you need to wear looking ridiculous is a fair point, but in one point or another, games like BotW give you the ability to wear an alternative that has the same in game benefit. You just have to go out of your way for it. I think that’s just part of playing Zelda
And as for skyward, it WOULD be S tier if not for the controls. However, the story, atmosphere, world building, and oh my god the music are all s tier and should be celebrated as such.
To me, I don't think either Morpha or Dark Link should be the final boss of the Water Temple, they're both too easy for a final boss in my opinion, and neither make good use of the Hookshot. That being said, I guess Dark Link would be the better choice between the two, but I still don't think he would work out super well
@ Maybe, but I was just referring to the fact that people say morpha is underwhelming, while dark link is a cool and iconic idea that stuck with a lot of people who played. I’m not tryna call you a hater cuz I see what ur saying, but like it doesn’t matter how bad the hookshot works with dark link he’s still awesome
@VGMenjoyer that's true, Dark Link is really cool, I just wish there was an even cooler boss
my personal hot takes?
IMO:
-A Link to the Past is better than A Link Between Worlds
-Twilight Princess, despite its multiple problems, is one of the most enjoyable Zelda Games
-Although I finished BoTW on release and enjoyed it somewhat, I have yet to beat TotK and I find it sort of boring.
-Much like how you mentioned the Water Temple not being that bad (which I agree with) I also feel Great Bay Temple from Majora's Mask isn't as annoying as some folks say
- Spirit Tracks is a fun game that doesn't get enough love (One of, if not, my favorite interpretation of Zelda as a character)
Your first take is almost the complete opposite for me lol
My favorite Zelda game is ALBW and ALttP is bottom 3 ☠️
Yes, a link to the past is way better than Albw.
I agree about the horses. I wish they were more relevant. We need a Zelda game where she goes around taming horses and cuddling all the dogs and cats. 😂
But the big question is.... do the cat costumes return?? 😂
@ I mean it let her talk to the cats soooooo… link had glowing eyes, Zelda can be a cat. 😂
As someone who wasn't a fan of Wind Waker I will say sailing across the sea was the most enjoyable part of the Game for me.
Sailing the great sea is awesome isn’t a hot take. It’s just a fact.
Real. People who say they don’t like the great sea just have bad attention span ngl
@VGMenjoyer for real
My hot take with Skyward Sword is that dexterity options should have been included for the Switch remake. I am left-handed and prefer to use sword related motion controls with my left hand. Sadly, due to the implementation of the motion controls for SS HD and the design of the joycons, I can’t comfortably use the sword controls in my left hand because they are mapped to the right joycon and that joycon is designed to be used in the right hand. If you are a lefty and want to use the sword controls in the left hand, play the Wii version due to the ambidextrous design of the Wii remote.
Button time, brother
i'm left handed and it isn't hard to train your dexterity. just keep trying and it feels better.
1. Twilight Princess has the most poorly aged graphics in the series. The gorons look downright revolting.
2. Tears of the Kingdom is extremely unreplayable. It starts out almost as tediously as Twilight Princess and takes more hours to get truly fun than some Zelda games take to beat.
3. WWHD is so delightful that it's worth the price of a brand new WiiU. All of its dungeons are awesome. It has the most timeless graphics in the series. Everything about it is a joy.
Twilight Princess doesn't have poorly aged graphics, its the artstyle thats the problem but even then I like fugly things so meh.
agree on TOTK. I like the game but it is so hard to boot up a new file. same with BOTW but at least TOTK is fun.
based WW enjoyer.
@ I have enjoyed restarting BotW. I like the tutorial zone of that game. To each their own.
@@MarshallTheArtist the tutorial zone isn't the entire game tho, and thats what drags down replays of BOTW/TOTK.
Hot take: Majora’s Mask has the best replay value of the “traditional” 3D Zelda games. Optimizing routes and getting the most out of every cycle is still so fun to me, even though I’ve played the whole thing several times already
Yesterday I watched some speed runner beat the game within the first cycle. Truly insane stuff lol
I find majora’s mask kind of hard to go back to because you need to pay so much attention and plan ahead and it’s always fun when I do that, but it’s just tough to start a new game. Oot is that comfort game for me.
In BotW I liked to explore and climb mountains to look for mysteries, using a horse I couldn't explore the way I like.
Also, in OoT and TP using a horse was literally a game changer, not so in BotW. So I travel all the map on foot
The ocarina of time tunic take is a great example of how simple is just better.
My responses to you:
5) I love how the Water Temple is considered the hardest but its virtually impossible to get killed by enemies (except maybe Shadow Link)
Combat wise, its acrually a breeze to get through so even if you get stuck figuring stuff out, at keast you arent going to be bombarded by a ton of tough enemies.
For me, yeah, the Water Temple if tough to figure out and yeah, I got stuck the first time I played through it, but I never found it to be so hard that it ruined it for me. I wouldn't call it a favorite (switching between regular and iron boots can get tedious) but it was a fun dungeon from a great game.
And yeah, I'll take it over the "Dungeons" from Tears of the Kingdom that are among the easiest in any Zelda game (I think I got through that game's water temple in less than 10 minutes).
4) Wind Waker....yeah I'm in the "traveling the sea is tedious" crowd. I think the biggest problem for me is that you had to buy the overworld map one section at a time (minus the few the game gives you automatically), which was just annoying. Why can't I just have the overworld map like every other game?! It was also a similar issue I had to the Sky and Depths portion of Tears of the Kingdom. Everything just looks the same!
In Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time, where Hyrule Field is sort of a central hub that connects and provides a gateway to the other locations, it was actually fun to explore because each area looked and felt different. If I'm just sailing around the water, or in the case of TOTK, walking around in a mostly unlit underground or hopping from one sky island to another, everything just looks too similar and I feel like I almost each a state of hypnosis where I forget where I'm going to and why. I almost feel like I've been walking up the endless stairs from Mario for an hour or something, lol.
3) 100% agreed. Getting Epona in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Twilight Princess felt like a huge achievement and instantly made the game more fun to play. In the open world games...not so much. Like you said, the map is huge, but once you unlock enough travel points, the horses become more and more insignificant. BOTW at least had a couple mini-games for them, but TOTK didn't even both with that. There is litereally no point to the horses at all in either game unless you are a completist. I remember when I found the Horse Fairy thing that can upgrade your horse's stats and I was like "Why in the hell would I even bother with this?"
2) I'm kind of split on this one. I like some of the designs for some of the newer armors and they can be fun to wear (I myself was partial to wearing Zant's mask and Midna's Helmet alot in TOTK) but to your point, they can make you look really out of place or just plain look ridiculous in general (The Barbarian outfit for example). And when it was just the colored tunics, I distinctly remember sticking with the Red Tunic for most of OoT once I got it and only switched when I absolutely needed to wear the blue (Water Temple for example). I just liked Red Link! In BOTW and TOTK, there were so many outfits that there is no way I found time to wear all of them.
Maybe there is room for both. Have a few colored tunics, and a few specialy outfits that look good.
1) Again I'm kind of torn here. I actually didn't mind the controls that much in Skyward Sword (except for the final fight with Ghirahim where executing a perfect forward stab was near impossible) and to your point, it looks great, the dungeons are great, the combat generally worked well, and the music is phenomneal. There is a lot to appreciate about it.
However, my biggest issue was how linear the game felt. When I first got the game, I expected something a bit more free range where I'd be flying around the world with my bird companion and getting to explore. However, eventhing just kind of guides you into the same three locations and compared to other Zelda games, it felt relatively small rather than vast and expansive. Its probably my least favorite of the 3D OoT style Zeldas. But even then, I'd probably give it a C+ on the Zelda scale. Not bad, I don't regret playing it, but I just wish it they ironed out some of the rough edges and expanded on a few things.
Its funny you bring up the Wii controls, because there was a period where people disagreed with me that Twilight Princess was one of the best. I loved it, but most of my friends were like "Meh" on it. I finally got a response from a friend who said "Wait, did you play it on Gamecube or Wii?" and I said "Gamecube" and he immediately understood the disconnect and told me "You played the better version. That's why you like it." I never played the Wii version to compare, but it was interesting.
Sailing the great sea IS awesome. I loved it. It lets the game breathe and adds to the sense of adventure
The other thing that makes the horses useless in botw and totk is that the horse whistle is useless beyond a certain (criminally small) range. Since you're likely to be hopping around a lot with fast travel and climbing, it makes it hard to keep track of the horse. And since it's so finicky on where it can and can't go, they become more of a hinderence than a help.
The problem with Wind waker's Great sea is how barren it felt and how so many islands are tiny.
Look at Golden Sun the lost age for how to make a great seafaring adventure. When you get the boat, the entire eastern sea opens up, with islands and continental coastlines to explore, several civilizations to uncover and many dungeons to complete. The main goal is about finding a lost island and open a way to the western part of the world. This game came out on the GBA in the early 2000's and is what the Great sea should have been. It looks like an actual sea on a world map, and not a stupid 7×7 grid with a few large islands and a ton of useless tiny rocks.
Hot take…OoT has way too many items that don’t get fully realized and used to their full potential
1) the half damage spell…only attainable with golden gauntlets (more on that later) and only right before final battle with Ganon. Would’ve been useful earlier in the game.
2) Golden gauntlets…only attained in Ganon’s castle and only used for 3 rocks (accessing the fairy fountain, completing the fire barrier, and opening the light barrier)
3) Golden scale…only used for getting 1 heart piece
4) Ice arrow… literally don’t even need it to beat the game
5) 4th bottle…only attained after killing all the big poes, but having a 4th bottle would be most handy when hunting all the Big Poes. With Fairy’s and blue potion, even an average gamer should really only need 2 bottles at most for magic and health recovery.
6) the reward for killing all 100 Skulltulas is basically limitless cash. First of all there are other ways to get 500 rupees (sell fish and bugs to the beggar) and by the time you kill all the skilltilas you’re almost done the game and don’t really need the money.
7) just my opinion but Bombchus were such a cool idea and had nearly NO practical use outside the bowling alley. Memory serves me, you only need 2 in the whole game (breaking a rock to shine light on a sun switch in spirit temple when you’re a kid, defeating the spirit barrier in Ganon’s castle). Would be great if they were an essential weapon for defeating a boss somewhere.
I completely agree on Skyward sword, My only personal complaint was the 4 Trials where you can’t get noticed, But aside from that VERY solid game with a really cool world to explore.
Take 1: 100% agree. People hate on the Water Temple more for the memes than anything else at this point. Specially after the 3DS fixed the only real problem the templenhad, which was equipoing the iron boots through the menu screen. And that wasn't even a problem of the temple itself.
Take 2: The boat speed wasn't the problem. It was having to change the wind direction, which was essentially torture. The Swift sail's biggest fix was that you no longer needed to do that, far more than doibling the speed. Although I'll say the double speed didn't reduce the sense of long travel in the slightest.
Take 3: Horses' utility depends on whether or not you can teleport them. If you can, then they are objectively the best way to travel. Yes, even better than the bike, which I swear to god, I don't know what the hell were they thinking when they designed that horrible control scheme for it. Not to mention, you can just relax and move the camera around. Actually, I will say it: you enjoying sailing in TWW but not the horses in BotW is a contradiction.
That is... In BotW. In TotK they took the teleporting out completely, which I will never forgive them for it. Well, I won't forgive them for the game as a whole, but that's a story for another day.
Take 4: This one is... Bizarre. I can see the point in TP, but BotW? You can wear any outfit you want, so if they are that unpleasant for you, just cook a buff meal and there you go. Although the designs are fine for their intended context. I don't know what were you trying to oroof by wearing the fire prrof suit in the middle of Hyrule Field, were you are NOT supposed to wear it.
Take 5: Agree to an extent. It was misunderstood, altough not in the way you claim. The problem was not the motion controls at all. People who complain just about that have no real game design insights to speak of. Where SS truly fail was in how hand holding it was. And no, I'm not talking about just Fi interrumping you constantly, albeit that's part of it. It's a flaw that permeates the entire game.
I loved all of your hot takes! I never really thought about them (well maybe I did about the water temple and about the simpler tunics), but i do agree witj all of your opinions. And Skyward Sword’s motion controls actually were quite good, BTW. It made every encounter with an enemy feel more interesting.
I agree so hard on the sailing, compared to the new games with their fast travel it actually feels rewarding to arrive at the next location.
My thing with liking the more unique-looking tunics is that I find it boring when it’s the same outfit just colored differently. Though I'm someone who likes when you get to dress up your character in different outfits. It's more fun that way.
I didn't use fast travel so horses were my main method of travel. It feels a bit like sailing in Wind Waker.
1) ALttP, I enjoy it enough but for some reason it never clicked with me the same way pretty much every other Zelda has, even including Zelda 1 and ALBW. I think it suffers from a Seinfeld Effect where it's difficult for me to truly appreciate because I wasn't around back then, on top of being the most "vanilla" Zelda in retrospect relative to others.
2) The champion's tunic is ugly. The shade of blue is too bright, the texture's just flat, and there's a rubbish little master sword shape squiggled on the front. Looks like it's made of crafting paper. Bro is saving Hyrule looking like Thomas the Tank Engine. Make the green tunic the main marketing outfit again.
Super agree with the tunics and Skyward Sword (Though i probably would say mid A tier instead of S for me).
When I played BoTW, I actively wore worse armor throughout the whole game because I hated how a lot of the armor looked.
My own hot take would be I despise both BotW and TotK. Fully open world like them doesn't suit the series in my opinion. And if a Zelda game were to be open world I'd rather it be like Zelda 1 open world, where you just have a good amount of options and secrets to find rather than literally everything.
I have a lot more to say about them, but I don't want to ramble so I'll simply leave it at that.
I just randomly clicked on this video cuz it was recommended and then I heard your voice and I was like “holy crap, that’s Jonny!” I had no idea you had another channel where you talk about Zelda and Metroid😂 skyward sword is my personal favorite Zelda game, so I agree that it’s S-tier and very underrated. I also completely agree that the water temple is one of the best dungeons ever. I recently replayed OoT and I still think the design is fantastic. Would love to see your ranking of all the Zelda games or at least your top 10 favorites or something!
Lol, that’s awesome! Always cool to see someone naturally discover this channel.
I’m definitely gonna rank the Zelda games in the future. There’s just like 2 I need to actually play through before I do that, but it’s definitely in the plans 👍
Yes, sailing the great sea is amazing. When I played the original on GameCube, I found it so much more interesting and immersing than when I just had the swift sail.
My 5 hot takes:
1. TotK is not a good Zelda game. It took a 6 year wait to have Zelda but Gmod. It has good stuff in it but it just missed the mark in my opinion.
2. Temple of the Ocean King wasn't bad. You can use your items for shortcuts and the time limit isn't bad I found it very forgiving actually. Speaking of the DS games.
3. The touchscreen controls in the DS games were not bad.
4. Great Bay is more confusing than the Water Temple.
5. Skyward Sword had the best dungeon theming.
My response to the hot takes.
1. Based take. It's easily one of the best temples and the 3ds version made it easier.
2. Swift sail easily made it better.
3. I only got a horse for the final boss. I never used a horse. They could've been removed from TotK and nothing would'e changed.
4. I agree but I do like the Twilight Princess magic armor. But in newer Zelda games I'll use the new armor maybe once than go back to the default.
5. Yes Skyard Sword is a great game my 3rd favorite actually. And what most people didn't realize about the Wii Version is that the response of the motion controls is tied to the sensor bar. Switch version made it 100 times better.
Jabu-jabu’s belly in oracle of ages in tougher than water temple though.
hot take: echoes of wisdom is an S tier zelda game
So much better than Totk and I only had to wait several months, not years
Better than totk, but the dungeons were still meh.
@@voltron77 not the best in the series but the bosses were still so much better and unique and challenging (in hero mode only) and the concept of the rifts made for extremely unique dungeons so environmentally, I’d say they still succeeded Totk by a landslide. Totk dungeons looked cool from a distance but once you were in em, all the spectacle was gone and the terminal system is just so ass
@ Yeah, they were better than totk’s dungeons but they were still mid compared to most if not every classic Zelda dungeons. The rewards were garbage, the dungeons were insanely short and the aesthetic, while cool the first time, I’d get boring in the end because they were all in the rifts.
hot take:
botw was needed and the purists saying we need to go back have to know that the series will keep evolving
I agree with everything except Skyward Sword. B-Tier Zelda game, and I have played all of them so yes I can say that. The music was underwhelming for me. Too much orchestra, too little identifiable themes. Too much backtracking, I hated the fact that unique boss fights were sacrificed to give Sir Spandex more fight time, The Imprisoned battles stunk, and it was all just way too linear. There was a lot that I liked about the game, including the controls. To this day I don't understand what bothered people so much about them. I thought it was so cool to be swinging my arm and pretending to be Link. The Koloktos and Demise boss fights were S-Tier, and the Ancient Cistern and the Sandship were S-Tier dungeons. But those flaws I mentioned are just too glaring to overlook. That's just my opinion though.
I agree with sailing. I loved sailing. I never thought twice about it until I read about how other people hated it.
I hated Skyward Sword mainly because of Link's face. He looks like Michael Jackson after x amount of surgeries.
I hate open world Zeldas. I know the new generation of gamers loves Breath and Tears, but I hate them.
When the first art for Skyward Sword dropped, I HATED it. They had just returned to realism with Twilight Princess, then they turned around and went cartoony again?!
Then I played it. And I instantly fell in love lol Easily in my top 3, which hurts to say as it dethroned Majora's Mask.
Due to financial issues in my family, I was sort of forced to grow out of 3D Zelda games after Wind Waker…until BoTW. I remember thinking BoTW was pretty cool, but was so underwhelmed by the dungeons and the story that I never went back to play it a second time. Actually that’s not true, I tried to play it again and quickly got bored. Meanwhile I’m contemplating replaying OoT and MM yet again, and I’ve lost count how many times I’ve played those since childhood. I gotta get Skyward Sword on Switch now that that exists, too.
Agree with everything. And the weapons always breaking is stupid.
Ever since I played MM3D and suffered through the Great Bay Temple I stopped all my complaints on the Water Temple.
I don't think I had ever been so close to throwing a controller away
Agreed on the Water Temple. I mean the whole reason I fell in love with the franchise in the first place is because of the challenging puzzles that test your creativity and ability to "think outside the box", as it were. Also agreed on SS having some of the best music of any title, but that said, OoT will always be #1 in my book. The Forest Temple track is the GOAT
0:42 “this is quite possibly the most difficult to complete zelda dungeon to date”
*ZELDA II INTENSIFIES*
Lol, fair 😂
@ some zelda 2 enemies alone are harder than wind waker or twilight princess lol
My first Zelda was the Adventure of Link on the NES, and I've been playing every Zelda game since. I played OoT when it came out - the Water Temple was tough, but we managed it without guides or any help - it still stands out as one of the best temples I've played in any Zelda game. If you grew up with NES-era games, everything on the N64 (Ocarina included) was a step down in difficulty. Wind Waker sailing was never a problem - navigating from island to island was always fun - the main problem was the end part where you have to go searching the ocean for things burried at the bottom. I think the horses have their place in BotW & TotK - it's a shame they aren't better used, but it would feel wrong not to have them there. And can't you just go to the dye shop in Hateno to get colour swaps of the same armour? I dunno man, it's nice to have some variety in the armour Link can wear. But totally agree about Skyward Sword - some of the best combat in any Zelda game - some of the best boss fights too - plus that desert part with the time stones was incredible. And let us not forget Groose. My hot take would be that some of the fans need to chill out and stop complaining about the new direction of Zelda - the classic 3D/Ocarina style will return just like the 2D style came back - have some faith in the developers, after all, they have made some of the greatest gaming experiences of all time.
Kinda agreed with everything here, but especially the horses in BotW and TotK. They are horrible to control so I never bothered with them. Also, Skyward Sword is in my Top 5. The motion controls and constant recalibrating didn't really affect my enjoyment of it at all!
The only problem whit botw and totk is the healing in the menu.
You want to make food? Is ok, but you can only eat cooked meals, not 1 of 999 apple.
And then limit the space of that inventory from 3 pages to just 10 slots(and that's a lot)
I’ve always agreed on Skyward Sword! From the moment I played it, the story’s incredibly emotional, and the mystique of SS’ world is one I haven’t experienced in any other Zelda game personally.
Skyward Sword is amazing! If the haters are gonna complain about the controls, play the HD version!
With a few exceptions I have always felt that the majority of dungeons in Ww, Tp, and Ss have been "dumbed down" in comparison to the Water Temple and several Mm Temples. I think this due to people complaining about the Water Temple and not wanting to "get lost". But getting lost and figuring things out later is part of the fun. It sucks though cause if we ever do get dungeons back on Zelda they probably won't reach the heights of complexity of the Water Temple.
1. Twilight Princess' story is good, but not the best in the series. Midna and Zant are great characters but there are a lot of characters that are bland or undercooked. Zant's character shift is also way too abrupt.
2. Tears of the Kingdom has a good story, it just stumbles a bit in execution. Make the dragon tears go in chronological order, do the light dragon reveal after Crisis at Hyrule Castle, and be a bit more explicit with the ending and you solve a lot of issues. I personally don't care about the Sheikah tech or whether every single NPC refers to Link by name.
3. Four Swords Adventures is a really good game, even in single player.
My hot take: Breath of the Wild, whether or not it's a good game, is a bad _Zelda_ game. Most elements that I believe made the most popular Zelda games before BotW beloved are very clearly lacking in BotW.
My second hot take: Tears of the Kingdom's story is more frustrating than good. I would go as far as to say that I prefer BotW's minimal story to TotK's story that feels incohesive to the previous titles. The way I see it: if you're making a story in the Zelda franchise, either make it fit with the rest of the series, OR, make it clear that the game is a reboot.
TOTK's story problem is that it has massive padding, was clearly stretched thin, and struggles to function coherently to the freedom of pace thing the game has going for it. also it wasted Ganondorf.
Completely agree with the tunics
Oh no I agree with the horse thing too. I don't even use one in Skyrim. They always make horses handle way too much like how a horse actually handles, which isn't a great gameplay mechanic. They should handle like a vehicle would.
I completely skipped Skyward Sword back in the day because I didn't like the Wii. I've played the hd version on switch and I hated it mostly because of the motions controls. I came back to the game one year later with a different mindset and I did enjoy my Time. Skyward Sword is at times annoying but it also does a lot of things right. For example you can uprade your items. Parying with the Shield is fun, there are some great items and a few memorable bosses and locations. It's a good game, not my favorite but it's in my top 10 Zelda games.
I don't know if it's a hot take but here we go. Phantom hourglass and spirit tracks are great Zelda games. If you have troubles with the controls it's not the game's fault it's yours. The controls works perfectly, you need to get good
I think the reason TOTK was so disappointing is because we were all expecting it to be a sequel to BOTW, but instead, we got a remake.
My takes on the series in general and for each entry (based on my experience; haven’t played them all…):
Ocarina of Time - It still holds up to this day. Those of you who say that the game didn’t age well… You lack the nostalgia goggles to appreciate the game for what it was. You want a game that didn’t age good at the slightest? Look at the original Medal of Honor on PS1. A solid game that’s long overdue for a modern makeover… (Why haven’t you done this yet, EA?!)
Majora’s Mask - Most worthy Zelda sequel than any other in the series. Back when it came out, people wrongfully misjudged it for being too much like its predecessor, Ocarina of Time. But it did so many things that strayed away from the series running gag. A time limit, the dreadful atmosphere, the darker tone, and the overarching theme that represents grief. What else can be said about this game? Except for that the 3DS version is a b!tch slap to veterans of the N64 original!?
The Wind Waker - Regardless of which version you play this game on, you can’t go wrong. It was misjudged for its art style. Just be glad this game exists, because if not for Wind Waker, then games that inspired it like A Hat In Time would not have existed as well…
Twilight Princess - The ultimate Zelda experience! The dark tone, the combat, the attachment to Midna, this game is one of a kind, there can never be another Zelda like it. Also, despite the lack of screentime, this game has my favorite iteration of Princess Zelda ever!… And then, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate came along with my overall favorite Princess Zelda that dominates most of them.
Skyward Sword - If you disliked this game, your either:
A.) Someone with a disability (I can respect that.)
B.) You’re too lazy for motion controls.
Still has a strong narrative that changes the way we look at Zelda lore.
Breath of the Wild - There is no value in exploration. Shrines, shrines, and more shrines… That’s pretty much the bulk of the exploration… Nothing else worth noting besides a little to non-existent narrative. A much needed direction to the series indeed, but does it pay off if we continue this course?
Side note: the horses aren’t useless, but my biggest worry for them is what if I accidentally stumbled upon a Guardian or Lynel? I’m at the risk of getting the horse killed, and I don’t want Malanya to think I’ve been on a horse killing spree!
Tears of the Kingdom - Pretty much the same as BOTW, but more tedious… 6 years of reused assets and you wonder if something went wrong during development?
Side note: Era of the Wilds Princess Zelda is too overrated… Whines a lot, and has such an annoying accent! Her strengths don’t make up for her… Not by a longshot…
A Link To The Past - Never had the nostalgia goggles for SNES, but lost my nostalgia goggles for GameBoy Advance long ago…
Oracle series - The codes… THE CODES!!! Too long to write down…
Minish Cap - A fun Zelda game that garnered the least amount of references…
Echoes of Wisdom - A step in the right direction for the titular Princess, but not in the manner I was hoping…
Misc.: The series hasn’t fleshed out Princess Zelda’s magic in the capacity Hyrule Warriors and Smash Bros. already have… “Princess Zelda: Showdown”, anybody? Good-Feel, I got some ideas… that got lost in the paper shredder…
*To further BotW's sheer superiority, I will say this:*
TotK's story is bad, Fs with pre-established key lore aspects, absolutely shatters all the Master Sword's reputation, unga bunga buff Dorf with little to no ambition other than "me strongest there is" uninteresting, nearly everyone forgot who you were despite this game taking place a mere 4-6 years after Wild, Rauru existing is an insult, no Fi, no breaking of the Demise curse despite it being falsely hinted being the case what with all the Skyward Sword PR this game got (I distinctly remember Skyward Sword being advertised as heavily linked to TotK somehow which, again, is misleading as on Nintendo's part), no dog petting, no hookshot spiderman swinging with the physics being suuuuch a driving factor in these newer Zelda games, no underwater exploration instead a damp dark smelly overgrown cave can't see jack, COLLOSAL missed opportunity to hitch the princess with her handsome knight in shining armor, no stakes since Zelda's sacrifice was reversed giving the story little to no agency or consequence, Link as a protagonist felt nonexistent feels like everyone else was the star of the show not the guy who's saving all their 🫏s, no Link backstory before any of this went down aka no Arryl 2 or Granny 2 aka NOT WIND WAKER, didn't make me cry like Twilight Princess, dungeons are STILL NOT dungeons (pulling a couple levers to open a door and then be treated with literally the same copy-paste cutscene at the very end with each champion? Yeah naw), sky islands hardly anything worth noting although they are pretty asf to look at, I was expecting a totally NEW revamped endgame super Saiyan master sword golden tier 4 legendary new hilt new everything but naw same design with a booboo scar and hilariously less powerful... hoverbike autobuild pales in comparison to THE Master Cycle
As a game, sure, it's leagues above BotW but BotW will never be topped as a one-in-a-lifetime *experience*
TotK was an overblown $70 DLC and I'm tired of pretending it's not. Mid.
Sure but the water temple's greatness hasn't been a hot take in over a decade. That's a good thing too since it really is one of the best levels in a Zelda game.
Here is one of my many hot takes: People say the chest rewards in Botw/Totk arent great, but Chest rewards have ALWAYS been pretty useless. (Key items don't count as those are essentially runes) You would either get rupees that you already have a surplus off, or a useless collectable. I'm not saying the chest rewards in Botw/Totk are never underwhelming, simply that they ALWAYS have been pretty underwhelming.
as someone who spends a lot of rupees both from preparation and from not handling money that well, I don't think rupee chests in dungeons are worthless.
@AnAverageGoblin That's understandable, But I feel like it's really easy to get rupees in practically any Zelda game, and specifically in older games, there usually isn't much to buy besides potions. That combined with the limitation of the wallet made it pretty disappointing when you solve a tricky puzzle only to find the reward is a handful of rupees.
@OChunks fair point, better rewards would be enticing in BOTW/TOTK.
Great video, I feel like a lot of complaints about The Water Temple, Twilight Princess' opening, Sailing in the Wind Waker etc come from today's generation of lazy attention deficit gamers. You all know what I mean. The one's with Tik Tok brain. The one's who only watch Instagram reels and UA-cam shorts. BOTW/TOTK totally catered for these types of gamer. Gone were the in depth labyrinth dungeons you had to get lost in and unlock puzzles to progress. Now we just have bite size shrines with 1 puzzle that you can solve in 2 minutes. Nobody wants to explore a map anymore. We have fast travel every 20 meters.
I definitely agree about the tunics, I was so disappointed when I first saw the TP Zora tunic. Speaking of tunics, it bothers me so much that Link didn't have an original green tunic in TOTK. I don't know if you'd call that a hot take, just something dumb that bothers me 😅
Yes, green tunic is goated.
My hot take is that in the 3D Zelda games, the way the dungeons contribute to the story, world building, and progression of their respective game is vastly more important than the gameplay.
#5 As much as I love TOTK I genuinely don’t like building vehicle’s and using Zonai devices
#4 The Wind Waker being “too easy” is actually a good thing and makes it one of the more replayable games in the series
#3 If we’re sticking with the Open World formula from BOTW and TOTK. Then I want the next game to actually have a smaller more condensed map with more side quests and towns to explore.
#2 Fi is the second best companion after Midna y’all are just mean and don’t like reading
#1 Twilight Princess is the best 3D Zelda game in terms of Story, Dungeons, Atmosphere, Pacing, and arguably Combat. I just think the exploration and map design is a bit on the weaker side.
I see no hot takes here. And I am SO happy to see another Skyward Sword lover
Man Ganondorf has some big ears lmao.
Makes me so happy to see others love skyward sword as much as myself
Honestly agree on all takes except Ocean exploration (but that’s just cus WW is not my fav). With the water temple, the only non skill issue complaint is the menu pausing for boots and the unmarked water level changes, both of which are fixed in OOT 3D so there really should be no complaint
I'd go a step further with Skyward Sword by saying it's the best "classical" (= pre BOTW era) 3D Zelda ever made. Not only is the story and the characters, the music and the dungeon roster so good, but its overall level design and sword play are amazing as well.
Just like with OoT's water temple, lots of the hate on SS motion controls comes from a massive skill issue. I played the game at 11 and learnt how to actually get the best out the controls (aka doing small wrist swings instead of waggling like a monkey with a stick) just by doing trial and error and actually try to understand what's best in a given situation. I believe a lot of the hate has to do with narrow-minded gamers how can not get out of their comfort zone and don't even wanna try a control scheme that they're not used to because they're afraid to be bad at first. But guess what gamers : every single one of us was bad at video games when se started them, that's the point of learning something.
Now about level design, and specifically the fragmented world. Skyward Sword is a linear game, like every other 3D Zelda. But unlike them, it does not pretend to be some semi open-world game by showing you a huge map with almost every region being locked behind an item (thus behind story progression). It's a game that understands what it is and what it aims to do : a linear game with puzzle solving using new items all the time. It is the 3D Zelda that makes the most out of your items outside of dungeons. The overworld being filled with puzzles and giving you one item like the dungeons do creates a continuity in the game's overall flow, making the transition between the overworld and the dungeons feel much more fluid and natural gameplaywise.
100% Based, not one thing I disagree on, subbed
Ganondorf should have narrated the Blood Moon scenes in TOTK. it makes no sense for zelda to still do it.
Elden Ring is more of a Zelda game than TOTK and BOTW.
BOTW is just Assassin's Creed with Half-Life physics to trick the player into thinking it's deep, but it's the same Ubisoft slop people that game outside of Nintendo have been complaining about since 2014.
TOTK is the same, but Banjo Kazooie Nuts n Bolts jankery. Not everything has to be the next Minecraft. The survival-craft genre can not be dethroned, and the outrageous kaiju mech inventions by players decimate any and all challenges the game has to offer. It's just not Zelda anymore.
I just want an Ocarina of Time style game to get the A Link Between Worlds treatment. Nintendo keeps trying to reinvent the wheel instead of refining what already works.
6:12 100% agree with you Skyward Sword is the greatest Zelda Game NO the greatest Video Game ever made!
@@theterribleclaw4285 I got no problems with that take! It’s crazy how replayable it is.
Hot take. BOTW & TOTK are trash. Some great ideas. Exploration is fun for a bit. However, both fail to provide that authentic Zelda feeling.
Even as standalone games, they are extremely repetitive and imo developers were lazy when creating them.
my take on the water temple: it absolutely sucks and is not a fun dungeon... the first time you play it.
upon replays you know what the puzzle is, you have a general idea how the dungeon works and where to change the water level. but the first time u dont even know you are completing a puzzle until you stumble upon the sollution.
thats the truth. both sides are valid. the dungeon does have a great puzzle, but it does not teach you enough about the puzzle before completing it. thw water temple feels like its building onto ideas that have not been introduced. like reaching super saiyan 2 before 1. it dont make sense.
the water temple is poorly designed an tedious, while also being a good puzzle dungeon. it doesnt have to be one way or the other.
thats not really a hot take on my part though since i think people will agree with me on this.
My hot take is that I think no one would have cared about BOTW and TOTK if they weren’t Zelda titles. For me, they’re a 7 and 7.5 out of 10. Not awful but nothing special either! I’m ready for some classic Zelda!
With the recent Switch I can totally see Skyward sword being an amazing Zelda game one of the best ones
Oh I've got some hot takes
1. If you can get used to stylus control Phantom Hourglass and Spirt Tracks were both really good Zelda games.
2. While BOTW and TOTK may have the most expansive combat in the series. They also have the most stale combat in the series because of how repetitive and unvaried the enemy encounters are.
3. Ancient technology is not even close to being as good of a setting or aesthetic design for a Legend of Zelda title as magical fantasy is.
4. Pound for pound the Oracle games may have the best designed dungeons in the series, and I wish more people had played them.
5. I couldn't care less about being able to play as Zelda in a Legend of Zelda game. I just want to play as Link.
6. While i cant say the same for every boss. The Twinmold boss fight was definitely better in the 3D remake of Majora's Mask.
7. Age of Calamity has the worst story, and some of the most unpolished gameplay I've seen out of something published for The Legend of Zelda next to the CDI games, and was a huge missed opportunity.
8. Hyrule is becoming a stale setting for The Legend of Zelda. They need to branch out to other lands more.
9. You've never truly conquered Zelda II if you used the rewind feature on the Switch version. And i say that as someone who has finished but not yet conquered Zelda II.
10. Skyward Sword is a top tier Zelda title, Tears of The Kingdom is a bottom tier Zelda title.
Age of Calamity is so sloppy the writers for the story screwed up the lore and thought ancient depictions of the champions were Link and Co.
4: Link’s awakening beats them.
Am I the only person that loves 2D Zelda but has zero interest in any of the 3D games? I've played them all, and I think they're just ok games.
Water temple was always amazing.
Finally someone with some common sense.
Yeah skyward sword is cracked, it has the most engaging boss fights in the whole series, the bosses in all other zelda games are way too easy. Also has the coolest crafting and upgrade system Zelda has ever had. (also swinging the sword is FUN)
Hot take #1: Ocarina of Time isn't that impressive of a game. It came out in a time when 3D was a new thing for video games, and there weren't blueprints for how to create 3D games at that time. Which results in OoT being a very crude and basic experience. Outside of nostalgia, or wanting to experience a 3D game before devs had a better grasp on it, there's basically no reason to play it over any other 3D Zelda.
Hot take #2: I don't care if you pronounce it as ah-carina or as oh-carina. I know what you're talking about so why do we have to fuss about it? Both pronunciations are technically correct, I would add. Ah-carina is the proper English pronunciation of the word, but the word is Italian in origin and the Italian pronunciation is oh-carina. Oh, and I say oh-carina. Said that since playing OoT as a kid in the 90s.
Hot take #3: Nintendo is iffy at best with a lot of their not-Ganondorf villains, and the villains Koei Tecmo made in Hyrule Warriors (Cia, Volga, and Wizzro) are better than any not-Ganondorf villain we've had after Ghirahim.
The Skyward Sword take is super based!!!
pretty much agree with all of these, the tunics could go back to something more simple but still not just different colors they should look cool everywhere not just good on water and bad everywhere else and skyward sword is a bit like windwaker when it came out people didnt like it and the port of it was greatly enchaned
The gameplay loop in Majoras Mask gets tedious
I definitely agree with the tunic one
I am surprised the triforce chart change in WWHD was not in your top 5 of hot takes since the swift sale was. I have seen a few forums of a few casual players advocating that the triforce quest change was the worst thing for wind waker despite the majority of casual players praising the change as tedium for the sake of tedium is boring, as you had to grind 397 rupees or something similar per chart just for that fuck. Honestly I wished that the entire chart quest was removed entirely as it's just padding for the sake of padding no one gives a fuck about it, at least make it optional like the sail as everyone can agree that the triforce quest was the worst part of Wind waker especially paired with the boats movement speed in the GameCube version. Hell the Japanese version of the GameCube was even more tedious as you are searching for charts that eventually leads to the Triforce chart that leads to the damn shard, It's no wonder Twilight Princess sold more as no one in their right mind would subject themselves to something so tedious for free
I don't feel like any of these are hot takes. People are just afraid to publicly disagree on this stuff for some reason.
SOMEONE SAID IT, THE HORSES IN BOTW ARE VERY USELESS AND ANNOYING TO USE
The zora tunic in twilight is the best Zelda armor it's the blue tunic with a perfect swim mechanic and with the iron boots works no different than ocarina and the magic armor I can understand the change because there is no need for the red tunic so a high cost high reward battle focused feature works great at the end game of the game so the only hot take I disagree with was that one because the aesthetics didn't bother me so it's a minor point all together either way I agree with the reasons for all of your other takes
I don’t think the Water Temple is one of the goats but I’ve always thought it was good. Never had a problem with the Iron Boots thing (though I played OoT3D first but even then, I don’t have a problem with it in the original game)