The Architecture of the Legend of Zelda
  • Home
    • Legal Disclaimers
    • Introduction and Intent
    • An Appreciation of Zelda
    • The Zelda Ethos
    • Recommended Readings
  • Articles
    • Ocarina of Time >
      • The Great Deku Tree
      • Dodongo's Cavern
      • The Forest Temple
      • The Fire Temple
      • The Water Temple
      • The Shadow Temple
      • The Spirit Temple
      • Fairy Fountains of Hyrule
      • The Temple of Time
      • Ganon's Castle
    • Majora's Mask >
      • A Thematic Unmasking of Majora's Mask
      • Clock Town and the Heart of Termina
      • Woodfall and the Southern Swamp
      • Snowhead and the Lands of the North
      • Great Bay Temple and the Western Coast
      • Ikana Kingdom and the Eastern Desert
      • On Spider Houses and Greed within The Legend of Zelda
      • Majora's Mask 3Ds — An Enumeration of Changes
    • The Wind Waker >
      • Outset Island
      • Dragon Roost Island
      • The Forsaken Fortress
      • Tower of the Gods
      • The Earth Temple
      • The Wind Temple
      • Ganon's Tower
      • Ancient Hyrule Castle
    • Twilight Princess >
      • Ordona Province and the Meaning of Twilight
      • Faron Woods and the Forest Temple
      • Cultures of Eldin Province
      • Lakebed Temple and the Lands of the Zora
      • The Arbiter's Grounds
      • Snowpeak Ruins
      • Sacred Grove and the Temple of Time
      • The City in the Sky
      • The Twilight Realm and the Palace of Twilight
      • The Hylian Architectural Tradition
    • Skyward Sword >
      • Skyloft and the Provenance of Legend
      • The Sealed Grounds and Intentions of the Goddess
      • Faron Woods and Skyview Temple
      • The Earth Temple of Eldin Volcano
      • Ancient Cultures of Lanayru Desert
      • Lake Floria and the Ancient Cistern
      • The Lanayru Sand Sea
      • The Fire Sanctuary
      • Sky Keep and the Isle of Songs
    • Breath of the Wild >
      • Breath of the Wild — Review
      • Ancient Sheikah Art and Architecture
      • Kakariko Village
      • Hateno Village and the Ancient Tech Labs
      • Lurelin Village
      • Tarrey Town and Modular Hyrulean Architecture
      • Stronghold of the Yiga Clan
      • Gerudo Town and the Great Desert
      • On Stables
      • Zora's Domain
      • Goron City and Death Mountain
      • Rito Village and the Wild's Frontier
      • Great Fairy Fountains of Hyrule
    • Random Articles >
      • The Great Deku Tree: A Triumph of Aided Discovery
      • Are the Arbiter’s Grounds the Spirit Temple of Antiquity?
      • The King of Red Lions
      • A Bathhouse in Hyrule
      • The Mirror of Demise
      • To the Fishing Hole
      • The Fang & Bone — The Hunt Across Hyrule
    • Riddles >
      • A Rough Guide to Riddling
      • Simple
      • Middling
      • Challenging
  • About the Author
  • Discussion
  • Contact

Terminating with Termina

12/3/2016

4 Comments

 
With the semi-final literary polish put on my article: On Spider Houses and Greed within The Legend of Zelda, I have just about finished with everything I have planned concerning Termina and the story of Majora's Mask. The one thing that remains to be done is a playthrough of Majora's Mask 3D, and a documentation of major architectural and design changes in the updated game. Once that is finished (I have just rescued Epona and am off to Great Bay!), I will post a pretty informal enumeration of changes in the Majora's Mask category, with any pictures I can find. (Finding adequate pictures from games has long been a challenge for me, and any assistance in that area that anyone can render would be greatly appreciated.)

And, at this point now, I am rather at a loss as to my direction. As I see it, there are two pretty obvious choices I can make, though they are starkly different: I can choose to find another Zelda game worthy of exploration and analysis (though many of the earlier games would be almost impossible to analyze meaningfully), or I can simply sit back and wait for Breath of the Wild. In my opinion, analyzing the major console games was always going to be the purpose of this website, simply because I connect more with those games - they are generally richer, more thoughtful, and more well-conceived than many of the handheld games, which are more geared toward informal, on-the-go play; because of this, they almost all lack depth or substance. Perhaps that is a controversial statement (one could argue that A Link Between Worlds breaks with that trend), but it is, generally speaking, how I feel.

If anyone has comments on this, or suggestions as to where to go from here, please do let me know. I am also not opposed to revisiting the games I've already covered - especially if I have missed something critical or interesting.

My best on this cold day, 


Talbot
4 Comments
Moe
12/4/2016 07:48:25 pm

Hey, I just want to say that all of the work you've done so far in analyzing the architectural themes and designs in the Legend of Zelda series has been superb! As for the future direction you may take, personally I think it would be best not to jump into another past Zelda game and instead hold off until Breath of the Wild comes along. As you said, there wouldn't really be much to analyze with some of the older or handheld games while staying true to the style and substance of your past articles. Consistency is what makes the 'Architecture of Design' series such a compelling read.

Anyway, moving forward, I think one idea to play with is to revisit the five major console games that you've covered in some form. Perhaps an article that discusses some of the unifying themes and design elements found throughout those five games? With regards to content, I would have liked to see a bit more of Ocarina of Time 3D and Majora's Mask 3D images represented, as I feel like they would complement the text much better, not to mention showcasing the richer design elements those editions had to offer. Those are some of my thoughts. Either way, I look forward to your next analytical adventure :)!

Reply
Talbot
12/6/2016 04:00:16 pm

I agree with everything you said. I think I will indeed take a break from certain games, and try to focus on some cross-title analyses. I'm very excited for Breath of the Wild, and don't want to be knee-deep in another game when it comes out (hopefully) next year. Also, when I give my brief enumeration of changes within the 3DS Majora's Mask game, I'll try to include as many pictures as I can from the update. Once again, the problem is finding quality pictures - as most of them are too small, or have interface all over them. I don't use any pictures with UI, because I find it distracting, which means that my choices are severely limited.

Thanks for the praise, Moe. Much appreciated.

Reply
Eric
12/12/2016 11:03:40 pm

I'd just like to say I've greatly enjoyed every article of yours. Years ago I'd play through these games and ask the same questions brought on by the haunting or mysterious images within the games. Your architectural analysis has greatly improved my experience. I'm a student of history myself but you offer a terrific perspective. Being as old as the series itself I'd be fascinated by any nuggets you could glean from any of the other games in the series. I look forward to your future articles whatever they may be.
P.s. I own one of the first run cartridges of OoT and the original music for the Fire temple is so much more fitting in my opinion. I recall it was changed after initial release.

Reply
Talbot
12/16/2016 01:33:36 pm

Eric,

Thanks for the kind words. I'm as pleased as punch that my writing has helped you enjoy the locations in Zelda more so than before; history is a fascinating mentor, so to keep studying it would be my humble recommendation.

Concerning the first-run cartridge, that's delightful! I've never played Ocarina of Time with the original Fire Temple music, but I would definitely relish the experience. It certainly does detract from the temple that they changed its music so drastically.

Again, thanks for the praise and thoughts!

Best,

Talbot

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    The universe of The Legend of Zelda is replete with multifarious architectural oddities, beautiful and resonating structures, and ineffably-mysterious temples hidden in the remote corners of the world. It is my hope to explore said places, shedding light upon some of their salient features, and fulfilling the goals laid out by the introduction, the main goal of which is to help people understand and appreciate the unspoken, yet deeply-felt, allure of these locations and structures.

    Archives

    August 2022
    February 2022
    November 2021
    August 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014