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CultureHow Speedrunners Can Now Beat Ocarina of Time In Under Eight Minutes
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, one of the most beloved games of all time, has always had a devoted community of speedrunners—people who try to complete the game as quickly as humanly possible. Ocarina of Time, released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64, usually takes around 20-30 hours to finish. Using bugs and…
By Heather Alexandra Published March 2, 2020 -
CultureAfter Confessing To Playing 300 Hours Of Breath Of The Wild, St. Vincent Realizes She’s Played 300 Hours Of Breath Of The Wild
The above picture is of indie rock artist St. Vincent from a recent interview with Variety. It’s also the face of someone who would rather be playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild than admitting how many hundreds of hours they’ve already spent with it. Variety’s interview with the infamously enigmatic St. Vincent…
By Ethan Gach Published February 21, 2020 -
CultureThe Wii U Games That Still Need To Come To Switch
With Platinum Games bringing The Wonderful 101 to Switch via a Kickstarter campaign, that’s one more former Wii U exclusive that’s being moved to Nintendo’s newer, much more successful console. As of now, there are a few major games still stuck on the Wii U, but only a few that will likely end up on…
By Chris Kohler Published February 3, 2020 -
Actually, It’s Good When Video Games Start With Your Character Waking Up
A whole lot of video games begin with your character waking up. It’s one of those things that you can’t stop noticing once you start. Most Zelda games start this way, as well as any number of classic role-playing games like Chrono Trigger. The awakening scene in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a popular meme.…
By Joshua Rivera Published December 5, 2019 -
Majora’s Mask Glitch Warps Players Into Developer Test Room
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is having something of a glitch renaissance. One particular glitch that allows player to re-write memory values has allowed speedrunners to achieve a Holy Grail trick and warp to the moon. But where else can it go? Well, if done properly, you can even warp behind the scenes. The method…
By Heather Alexandra Published December 4, 2019 -
Players Find Holy Grail Of Majora’s Mask Speedrunning
Every game has the one trick that speedrunners are searching for, the one trick that completely changes the game. Famously, Wind Waker speedruns were blown open once players found a way to break through an impassable barrier. For Majora’s Mask, the Holy Grail has always been warping directly to the final dungeon on the moon.…
By Heather Alexandra Published November 14, 2019 -
Zelda Fan Builds Enormous Wooden Map Of Hyrule
Photographer Mason Drumm is also pretty handy with a set of tools, and this Summer set out to build one hell of a tribute to Breath of the Wild Here’s how he describes it: Inspired by hundreds of hours spent playing “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” I set out to create a…
By Luke Plunkett Published October 23, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryThe Bite-Sized Link’s Awakening Is The Perfect Follow-Up To Breath Of The Wild
How do you create a follow-up to Breath of the Wild? The Switch launch game was a massive rethinking of the Legend of Zelda series, a colossal non-linear open world in which players could create their own journey. As it turns out, the perfect way to follow that was with a Zelda that is as…
By Chris Kohler Published October 3, 2019 -
CultureLink’s Awakening‘s Big ‘Twist’ Is Mind-Blowing When You’re Eight
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is a mystery. Link, the hero of the Zelda games, wakes up after getting shipwrecked on Koholint Island. He meets a mysterious owl who tells him that in order to return home, he must wake the Wind Fish, the guardian of the island, who is currently asleep in a…
By Joshua Rivera Published September 24, 2019 -
ReviewsToysStart Off Your Day With A Bowl Of Legend Of Zelda Lego Cereal
Lego artist Baron Von Brunk, builder of transforming Game Boys and massive working NES controllers, is pioneering a new method of stop-motion animation featuring a mix of custom-built Lego puppets and live-action shots. This new project begins, appropriately enough, with a complete The Legend of Zelda breakfast. Instead of using the iconic Lego minifigure, as…
By Mike Fahey Published September 24, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapan89-Year-Old Grandma Says Video Games Keep Her Mind Sharp
This is Hamako Mori. At 89, she’s not new to video games. She has been playing them for nearly four decades. In an interview with GameSpark, the Tokyo native says the first console she played was the Cassette Vision, which was released in 1981. After that, she was into the Famicom and played The Legend…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 24, 2019 -
Blizzard, Please Put Link In Overwatch
While this animation video looks exactly like something Blizzard would release, as part of some dream Zelda x Overwatch crossover event for the upcoming Switch version, it’s amazingly/sadly just the work of some fans instead. This is actually the third time I’ve posted about this design, imagining Link as a playable character in Overwatch. The…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 23, 2019 -
CultureBreath Of The Wild Player Beats Game Using Only Shields, No Weapons
After recently completing a run of Breath of the Wild making use of only bombs and shields, PointCrow went one better over the weekend and finished the game, Calamity Ganon and all, using only shields. It took around 27 hours in total for him to scrape around the map and get it done, including a final…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 22, 2019 -
Tips & GuidesTips For Playing The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
Link’s Awakening is not a challenging game, but it can be a little abstruse. Originally released for the Game Boy in 1993 and overhauled for Switch in a delightful remake that’s out this week, the fourth Zelda is full of secrets, mysteries, and weird quirks to discover. Here are some tips to help you leave…
By Jason Schreier Published September 19, 2019 -
ReviewsSwitchThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening: The Kotaku Review
The best feeling you can possibly feel while playing a video game is the act of swinging a sword in Zelda. I came to this conclusion recently, while playing the new remake of Link’s Awakening and trying to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes me love Zelda games so much. The answer, I think,…
By Jason Schreier Published September 19, 2019 -
CultureTwo Old Men Rank The SNES Games On Switch
After years of wishing and hoping, Nintendo finally added a selection of Super Nintendo gamesto its Switch online service. Which of the 20 classics should you play first? We had Kotaku’s resident old men, Chris Kohler and Mike Fahey, Statler and Waldorf together a ranked list. 20. Super Soccer Chris Kohler: I played this for…
Chris Kohler and Mike Fahey Published September 6, 2019 -
Tips & GuidesBreath Of The Wild Player Discovers A Ridiculously Easy New Way To Catch Fish
Want to gather a whole lot of delicious virtual fish in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with very little effort? Redditor Charlieboy95 discovered that all you have to do to force fish ashore is purse your lips and blow. It’s like whistling while you work, only whistling is the work. In a…
By Mike Fahey Published September 3, 2019 -
The Brilliant Use of Verticality in Minish Cap’s Palace of Winds
There are so many great, memorable levels in the Zelda series, from Majora Mask’s Stone Tower Temple to the Arbiter’s Grounds in Twilight Princess. But a level that’s always stayed with me from the series is the Palace of Winds from the Minish Cap. Developed by Capcom and Flagship, The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap…
By Peter Tieryas Published August 24, 2019 -
The BestsThe 12 Best Games For 3DS And 2DS
It’s been years since the original 3DS launched. There’s an updated version with better 3D , improved controls, and of course, a wealth of excellent games to play. There’s also a 2DS XL that can do everything its 3D brother can do, aside from 3D. Below, find our 12 favorite games for the 3DS and…
Kotaku Staff Published August 23, 2019 -
CultureKotaku Game DiaryEverything I Did While Waiting For The Rain To Stop In Breath Of The Wild
I recently started a new game in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild after I took my Switch to my sister’s house and my nephews deleted my save. I’d played a few hours of the game last year but never picked it up again. This time, it’s totally sucked me in, and I…
By Riley MacLeod Published August 12, 2019