The Destructoid Community looks back at 35 years of The Legend of Zelda

We wanted bloggers and they delivered

If you were to ask me what’s the one thing that’s had the biggest impact on my life, I would say that horrible childhood disease that’s still with me 35 years later. But if you were to ask me what’s had the second biggest impact on my life, my answer would be The Legend of Zelda. I know it’s a cliche for somebody who writes for a video game website to say video games made an impression on their life, but as cliche as it may be, any other answer would be a lie.

I’ve been battling depression for as long as I can remember. When I was at my lowest of lows, this series was there for me. It’d probably be a bit much to say it’s saved my life, but I honestly don’t know where I’d be without that little elf boy in the green tunic.

The Legend of Zelda is the reason I still game, and it will likely be the only franchise I care about when I’m pushing 80. That’s why I wanted to host a Zelda Week on Destructoid, to really show my appreciation for everything this franchise has done. All week, you’ve hopefully been reading what the Destructoid staff has had to say about the series, but right now, I want to highlight the wonderful blogs published this month to mark 35 years of The Legend of Zelda. I put out a Bloggers Wanted call at the beginning of February and the community did not disappoint.

• Robotayon kicked things off this month with a touching look back at how video games can bring people together. It’s a beautiful and heartfelt read, and I implore everybody reading this right now to click the link.
• beatlemaniaxx details why it’s okay for Link to not be a talker. I’m with them on this one. I like my Link like I like my child in a movie theater: completely silent.
• Eggs&BrewsterJr recounts their long and storied history with the Zelda franchise, from Link’s Awakening to Skyward Sword. I hope that someday in the next few years, they finally get to play Breath of the Wild and its upcoming sequel.
• Exber gets poetic on us with memorable Zelda quotes. I assure you, unlike the guy in Zelda II, this blog is not an error.
• HoneyCrisp recalls their first encounter with The Legend of Zelda on the GameCube. Gotta love those collector’s editions.
• Sam van der Meer takes time to shout out the memorable NPCs from the Zelda franchise. Though I will say Sam, that snot boy grosses me out!
• welshmetalhippy didn’t enjoy their time with Wind Waker, but I’m not going to hold that against them. It’s clear from their blog they have a deep love of most of the rest of the franchise.
• A perfect companion piece to Sam’s post, Eggrollbuddy (great name) recounts some of the best moments in Zelda history. The flute boy’s transition in A Link to the Past is burned into my brain.
• Planet P1ss 69 reminds us all that Zelda‘s pretty weird, and that’s part of what makes it so great. Also, who doesn’t love the music in Zora’s Domain?
• A late addition, Gamingnerd gives a quick rundown of the Zelda franchise over the years and why it’s just as important as Super Mario.

And finally, while it was written before the Bloggers Wanted post went live, I won’t pass up a chance to highlight portable outings for the series:

• GoofierBrute looks back at the beautiful and brief The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. It’s an absolutely lovely game if you have access to it and a great candidate for a remake with that Link’s Awakening Switch art direction.