New LEGO: Ocarina of Time Link & Epona

Here is something from last Tuesday's Zelda Direct that I have yet to discuss: they have briefly announced a third The Legend of Zelda LEGO set – one for Link & Epona from Ocarina of Time. Unlike the other two sets, this is more of a small statue, which you can put on display, similar to all those LEGO flower bouquets or the Game Boy.

It's interesting that they have chosen this particular pose, because Link raising his sword while he sits on Epona is first and foremost reminding you of Twilight Princess, because that's the Zelda game that did it first. However, an original artwork for Ocarina of Time exists with a similar pose:

So, it was likely based on that, while also going more into the direction of that famous Twilight Princess moment on Eldin Bridge. But I suppose that they have preferred Ocarina of Time here for various reasons. It's the Zelda game that introduced Epona, it's getting a remake for the 40th Anniversary, and it's probably a better match for all that plastic, visually.

Still, it would be nice if the LEGO sets were to show more variety in the future when it comes to the representation of the Zelda series. If they are just going for Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild, because these are the two most popular Zelda game, it's going to get boring eventually.

LEGO: Ocarina of Time – The Final Battle Revealed

We knew that this was going to happen for a while, but this Friday Nintendo and LEGO have revealed their latest collaboration around The Legend of Zelda. This new set will focus exclusively on Ocarina of Time, depicting the game's final battle exactly as you would remember it – with Link leaping high through the air and Zelda shooting her laser pistol.

To be fair, I think the set is actually quite neat. Ganon looks impressive and you can change its pose like with an action figure. There are three custom mini-figures, where there is also one for Ganondorf, who you can hide under the rubble:

The price points looks to be even more expensive than the Deku Tree set, however. That one had 2500 pieces for 300€, while the new one offers 1003 pieces for 130€. There is probably some special stuff in there, like Ganon's blades, but I'm no expert on the matter and LEGO is generally known to be overpriced. In any case, I have yet to buy any of the LEGO stuff around Zelda and I'm not sure I ever will, mainly because I wouldn't know where to display it.

The animated trailer for this set had me thinking that they might also make a LEGO game based on the Zelda license in the future. There would even be lots of potential here if they were to explore the entire Zelda series, like they did with the newest LEGO Batman game, Legacy of the Dark Knight. It's not necessarily something I want, but I also wouldn't be opposed to it.

Game Boy LEGO Announced

This was announced by Nintendo and LEGO today with some very retro commercial. It's a good, old Game Boy with cartridges for Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, all built out of LEGO. You can even insert the cartridges into the Game Boy and swap out screens, where the one for Link's Awakening shows the scene of Marin and Link sitting on the beach. And all the buttons are pushable.

It's neat and compared to the Deku Tree set not that expensive (but probably overpriced nevertheless, since we're talking about LEGO here, but I'm no expert). And I still have my old Game Boy with these two games, where it would be nice to display the originals right next to their LEGO counterparts. The scale is 1:1, so it has the exact same measurements as the real deal.

Well, let's see. I have yet to buy the Deku Tree, because it's quite pricey and I wouldn't know where to put it. So, this could be something I'd rather get instead...

Great Deku Tree 2-in-1 LEGO Announced

 

Remember the Zelda LEGO leak from early 2023? As with the Nintendo Switch OLED Tears of the Kingdom Edition, which also got leaked around that time, this was the real deal and we finally have an official announcement now. There is going to be a LEGO set of the Great Deku Tree from both Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild.

Unlike the Super Mario stuff, which was made for toddlers, this is a lot more advanced and something for serious collectors and builders. But using The Legend of Zelda was without a doubt right choice to level up Nintendo's partnership with LEGO.

There are so many fantastic details with this. You have the Master Sword, Hylian Shield, Deku Shield and Ocarina of Time as items. You have figurines of the Hero of Time (adult and child), Champion Link, and the Zelda from Breath of the Wild. And there is a Sheikah Slate slate.

In the Ocarina of Time version you get Deku Babas, the Sprout of the Deku Tree, a Gossip Stone, and a part of the "Inside the Deku Tree" dungeon with a Skulltula and a treasure chest on the backside. There also seems to be a mechanic, which lets you drop the Skulltula on a rope. The Breath of the Wild version on the other hand has Hestu and many small Koroks, as well as Walton's spot on top of the tree, the Spore Store on the backside, and a terminal for placing the Sheikah Slate.

This is a 2-in-1 set, meaning that you can't build both simultaneously, it's either one or the other. So, if you want the other at some point, you will have to dismantle it all and then start building from scratch.

The Ocarina of Time version does have Link's house from the Kokiri Forest in addition, however, essentially as this small separate set, where I'm hoping that you can build this in any case. Because then you would have at least something to display the Ocarina of Time figurines and items, even if you have the Breath of the Wild Deku Tree assembled. But I'm not sure about that.

Well, I loved LEGO as a child, but unlike my love for Nintendo this didn't transition into adulthood and I haven't played with LEGOs for over 25 years. Basically, LEGO became uninteresting once I got my Game Boy and Nintendo 64 in the late 90s. But this really has me excited, I totally want this, where this will make three different periods of my life come together in one big nostalgia package.

You can find and preorder this set on the LEGO website. It's 2500 pieces and costs 299€, which is utterly insane. You can get a Nintendo Switch for that money... But if you're buying big, valuable figurines you will end up in this price category as well and this LEGO set is also something that you can put in a display cabinet once you're done.

It's an unreasonable purchase nevertheless, but at least I'm able to afford it, which would have never been the case back when Ocarina of Time was a thing. And from the looks of it, you're able to get these LEGO sets much cheaper from other stores and retailers, so it might be a good idea to wait a little while.

What I'm not going to do is buy two, where I had considered that after the leak, because then you can display both variants right next to each other. But certainly not for that price... And then you have a reason to rebuild it from time to time, which is part of the fun.

They know their target audience for this, though, which has certainly added to the price, alongside the license. It's people who grew up with both LEGO and Zelda, who are now "responsible adults" with more money than time, unable to resist such a blast from the past.

Zelda LEGO Leaked?

Source

Now, I couldn't tell you how often I reported about Zelda-based LEGO IDEAS during my time writing for ZeldaEurope, where there has been a lot of interest in this. Of course they never would go anywhere, because they were made by fans and something like this would require an official license.

But then the official Super Mario LEGO happened during the 35th Anniversary of the franchise and this has opened the doors for other Nintendo collaborations in the future, like for The Legend of Zelda. And this leak looks like the real deal, where to my understanding this possibly comes from some user testing.

This is a two-in-one set of the Great Deku Tree, where you can build either the variant from Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild. This is ingenious, but with 1920 pieces it will be also more pricey and probably aiming at serious collectors. But it makes sense to have something sophisticated for Zelda, after the Super Mario stuff felt more like it came out of the LEGO DUPLO line for small children.

Well, I loved LEGO in any form as a child and got nice collection back then, but it became uninteresting the day I got my GameBoy. And now all of this sitting in boxes at my mother's basement... But I would most likely get this set if it came to the market, and revive my early childhood passion, even it's just for a day or two.