The Legend of Zelda x Animal Crossing: New Horizons

It is finally happening! After more than five years, Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be hosting a collaboration with The Legend of Zelda. You can learn all about it in today's announcement, but let's get through everything shown. There are new furniture and clothing items, as well as Tulin and Mineru as new villagers.

Like in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, you will need amiibo from the Zelda series to unlock these things. We don't know any specifics, but in the very least you should be able to use Tulin's and Mineru's. Speaking of, we don't have a release date yet for the latter, but it might be available on January 15th at the latest, which is when the 3.0.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons launches. (It's also possible that other Zelda amiibo can unlock Tulin and Mineru – we don't know yet.)

On Nookipedia you can find a complete list of all the Zelda contents in past Animal Crossing games, where most of it was in New Leaf. Some of these contents will return, but not all of it. From what we could see in the footage, it's at least the following:

• Heart Container (now in the Breath of the Wild style)
• Rupee (with different colored variants)
• Fairy Bottle 
• Master Sword (with pedestal)
• Triforce 
• Majora's Mask
• Hero's Cap, Clothes & Pants
• Champion's Wig & Outfit

In addition to the returning items, you can spot a variety of new things:

• Ancient Princess outfit set
• Tulin's garbs
• Mineru's garbs
• Master Sword & Hylian Shield backpack
• Ocarina of Time
• Decayed Guardian
• Silent Princess
• Zonai Authentication Crest
• Tri
• Tri Rod
• Korok Forest Wall
• Korok Forest Floor 

Most of it is from three most recent Zelda titles on Nintendo Switch, which makes sense, but there could have been a bit more variety. At least one item from The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword would have been nice. But maybe there is more that they haven't shown...

The most important additions are the two new villagers, though. We have Tulin as a jock bird, who has "gust" as his catchphrase. And Mineru is a snooty deer saying "construct". They look both very detailed, which is also thanks to the new outfit items that come with them.

Sadly, there is no news on the four Zelda villagers from New Leaf:

• Ganon (cranky pig)
• Wolf Link (smug wolf)
  
• Epona (peppy horse)
  
• Medli (normal bird)

There would be no overlap between the personalities of the old and new Zelda villagers, where you could cover 75% of all personality types with them, leaving only lazy and big sister. I originally had planned my island with these four characters in mind, but now I have to rethink who I'm going to keep.

And it's understandable that they wanted to replace Medli with a more recent Rito, but it's still a shame about the other three. In the very least they could have brought back Pig Ganon, since he was featured in Echoes of Wisdom. Maybe this will still happen or maybe they haven't announced all of the collaboration items yet, but I very much doubt it. I'm just happy that this collaboration is happening at all, after all hope seemed lost years ago.

Update (Nov. 7):

The official Japanese website now has a complete list of who each amiibo will summon. The good news is that you have a lot of options for Tulin and Mineru, so you don't need to purchase their specific amiibo. The bad news is that none of the previous Zelda villagers will return, which is very disappointing.

Those have been the main reason why I wanted this collaboration to happen, but it wouldn't be Nintendo if they didn't leave something to be desired. They just can't help it.

The Legend of Zelda in Mario Kart X

Mario Kart 8 opened the gates for other franchises to join the kart racing madness, where the next Mario Kart game could explore this even further. This would mean more courses, vehicles parts, and characters from the existing guest franchises, while even more franchises get thrown into the mix. A key change for this "Mario Kart X" would be the return of special items for all characters, like in Double Dash!!, which allows to feature items from a variety of other franchises, next to the Mario Kart core items.

Now, since this is a Zelda blog, let's use The Legend of Zelda as an example of how things could get expanded for the franchise in the next Mario Kart game in all departments. We're bringing back everything that was already there in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, of course, but we'll add some more drivers, courses, and vehicle parts on top.

Drivers:

• Link (Skyward Sword) – Clawshot
• Link (Breath of the Wild) – Remote Bomb
• Zelda (Skyward Sword) – Goddess's Harp
  
• Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom) – Recall
  

Both Links from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would return here, but they would also be more different from each other thanks to the different special items. The classic Link would go with the Clawshot, which lets you easily get past an opponent in front of you. It may also be used to bring yourself back on track or to take shortcuts.

The Link from Breath of the Wild (and Tears of the Kingdom) on the other hand doesn't even know what a Hookshot is, so it makes sense for him to have something different. The Remote Bombs were already a good choice for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and they would work similar to the normal bombs from Mario Kart, but with the difference that you can detonate them yourself.

This time Link will also bring Princess Zelda with him, where she also could come in two different variants. The classic Link is mainly based on Skyward Sword and that Zelda would also work really well in Mario Kart with her outfit. She could even bring some music into this, which is something very traditional for the series, and play her lullaby on the Goddess's Harp to make nearby drivers fall asleep. Alternatively, we could see a Zelda from a different game, who has the Bow of Light as her special item. So, there are lots of possibilities here and this is just one.

Last but not least, we have the Zelda from the newest Zelda game, Tears of the Kingdom. She could wear the Zonai dress for karts and her outfit from the beginning of the game / from Breath of the Wild for bikes. Her special item would be Recall, which acts defensively. You can use it on yourself to undo mistakes, like driving off the track. Or you can use it when you are about to get hit to send the incoming projectile back to its sender. Yes, this would even work with Blue Shells, but these special items tend to be stronger, so it's not something that you would get front-running.

While it's easy to imagine that both Zelda and Link would join the karting fun, Ganondorf on the other hand might come off as goofy and out-of-character. But if Nintendo wants to make him work, I'm sure that they could pull it off.

Courses:

• Wii U Hyrule Circuit
• Death Mountain Driftway
  
• Zora's River Ride
  
• Lost Woods Wrong Turns
  

The Hyrule Circuit from Mario Kart 8 would simply return and function as the basic circuit track for the Zelda franchise, which mainly covers Hyrule Field and Hyrule Castle. For the new courses we could be visiting other signature locations from the series, like Death Mountain, Lake Hylia, and the Lost Woods. All of these would be designed specifically for Mario Kart and not come from a certain Zelda game.

You would drive all around the treacherous terrain of Death Mountain and maybe this course could also take inspiration from the Goron Racetrack in Majora's Mask, where in the very least we should got lots of excited Gorons as spectators. And a part of the course should go right through Goron City.

The "Zora's River Ride" will be a sectioned course, like Big Blue, where you start at Zora's Domain and drive down the Zora's River all the way to Lake Hylia. It will be a different journey through Hyrule with lots of underwater gameplay.

Finally, the Lost Woods could become a course where you can take multiple pathways with some indication of what's the right one. If you take the wrong route, it will bring you back to the starting line. Now, this would probably become the meanest course in Mario Kart history, but we could also make it look similar to the Lost Woods in Ocarina of Time and turn this into Zelda's entry for the Battle Mode.

Vehicle Parts:

• Master Cycle
• Triforce Tires
• Hylian Kite
• Master Cycle Zero
• Ancient Tires
• Paraglider
• Sailcloth
• Zonai Sled
• Zonai Wheels
• Zonai Wing
  

Both Master Cycles and all their parts need to return, without a single doubt. In addition, the Sailcloth from Skyward Sword could serve as an excellent glider for the respective Zelda, where possibly they could also design a trike based on a Loftwing.

But they don't really have to invent something crazy like the Master Cycle again, because the Zonai Devices from Tears of the Kingdom were practically made for the vehicle customization system, which was introduced in Mario Kart 7. You could use a smaller version of the Big Wheels as wheels and make a glider based on the Wing, where this is already perfect.

A new kart could be something glued together with the Ultrahand, like a Sled with a Steering Stick in its middle and a light at the front. For underwater parts a Fan could appear in the back. It would be ugly and basic, but that's how vehicles built with the Ultrahand are meant to be and it's a good representation for Tears of the Kingdom.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Zelda Contents?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the second most successful Nintendo Switch title, having outsold the evergreen Breath of the Wild by ten million already, and the biggest game in the Animal Crossing franchise. Still, there are lot of things missing from previous titles, like the contents from The Legend of Zelda, which includes special clothing, furniture and even villagers.

Almost all of this was present in Animal Crossing: New Leaf on the Nintendo 3DS, where most of it stemmed from the "Welcome amiibo" update, as well as the "Nintendo set". Next to the four amiibo-exclusive villagers, there were 26 clothing items, 15 furniture items and more. This is actually one of the biggest crossovers the Zelda series has seen so far, next to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

On the crossover wiki you can find an excellent overview of all of this, but below is also a list of all the Zelda things in New Leaf.

Villagers:

• Ganon (cranky pig)
• Wolf Link (smug wolf)
  
• Epona (peppy horse)
  
• Medli (normal bird)

 

Outfits:

• Epona outfit
• Fi's Mask
• Ganondorf wig, Ganondorf outfit, Ganondorf pants
  
• Hero's Cap, Hero's Tunic, Hero's Pant, Hero's Boots
• Link hat, Link outfit
  
• Majora's Mask
• Makar's Mask
• Medli outfit
  
• Midna's Mask
• New Hero wig, New Hero's outfit
  
• Outset Shirt
• Princess Zelda Dress, Zelda Wig
• Sheik mask, Sheik outfit, Sheik pants
  
• Tingle Hood
• Wolf Link outfit
  

 

Furniture:

• Bomb
• Cucco Ornament
• Fairy Bottle
• Gossip Stone
• Heart
• Heart Container
• Hero of Time Scroll
• Hylian Shield
• Hyrulean Treasure
• Lon Lon Milk
• Master Sword
• Piece of Heart
• Rupee
• Termina's Moon
• Triforce
  

 

Wallpaper / Flooring:

• Hyrule Wall
• Zelda Floor

Now, in New Horizons you can get a Leaf Mask and a pair of maracas for an excellent Hestu impression.  You can also craft an ocarina and play random notes on it. While these things already have a Zelda vibe to them, none of the above items have made a return yet, which is quite suspicious.

But earlier this year the game got an update for the 35th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros., where items from the Super Mario franchise became available for purchase, including the very useful pipe. And it seems likely that Nintendo will do the same for the 35th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, where they could bring back most of the missing Zelda contents from New Leaf and maybe even add some new Zelda goodies.

Maining the Master Cycle Zero

 ... in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

So, what to do with a new Nintendo Switch, now what I've completed Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity? Playing all those good Wii U games again, of course, where I'm busy with Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, as well as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Well, both of these titles can be played together with someone else, so that's always good, and they also offer something new over their Wii U counterparts, which is certainly nice to have.

 

And other than the new Battle Mode, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe got a couple of new drivers and karts, which includes Link and the Master Cycle Zero from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And for completing the game I decided to primarily use this bike and character. So, no Waluigi and Wild Wiggler for me.

I already liked the Master Cycle Zero quite a lot when it got released via a free update in 2018, because it comes with an outward drift, instead of an inward drift like the original Master Cycle. While I preferred bikes in Mario Kart Wii, like pretty much everyone, I really don't like the behavior and camera for most of them in this game. But the Master Cycle Zero drives more like your typical kart, so this is great.

To be fair, I didn't go with the full setup all the time. I use the Paraglider, but I like to change the tires to something else. However, my favorite wheels, the "Hot Monster", didn't unlock for me yet, while I'm already done with three-staring all the cups in all the modes... Which was kind of frustrating, but this game loves to frustrate you anyway.

For example the bots are clearly cheating in 200cc, where they can take even the sharpest turns at full speed. Luckily, they aren't as good with dodging obstacles, which may give you an advantage after all, where you will need it, because with bots it's like you're playing alone against a whole team. Everyone is against you... And then there's the whole star system, which makes playing cups simply not fun, because it forces you to rank 1st place every single time, like some Michael Schumacher. Though, at least it doesn't ask you of utmost perfection any longer, like it did in Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii.

In 200c I also dropped Link for Dry Bones at first, who is new in the Deluxe version as well, because I certainly prefer driving as a light weight character in that mode for the reduced speed. Less speed and more acceleration is actually a good thing here, or so I thought at first, because with some of the cups having more weight made things actually easier, where I personally like one of the metal characters best. And instead of taking away the speed from your stats, it's better to sometimes avoid the things in 200cc that make you go too fast in the first place, like stunts or even mini-turbos (you can quickly let go of gas to avoid them).

But despite some experimentation, I stuck with the Master Cycle Zero and will continue using it in the future, because I love this bike. It may not be the optimal Waluigi Wild Wiggler meta, but I personally prefer to find a compromise between what characters and carts appeal to me and what characters and carts work well.

Link in Super Mario Maker 2

This week Link got added to Super Mario Maker 2 via the Master Sword power-up in the 2.0.0 update and he seems to be quite versatile, with lots things you can do with his shield, arrows, bombs, down thrust and dash attack. There are even some Zelda music pieces and sound effects while playing as Link, mainly from the first The Legend of Zelda game.

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be any music or anything from Zelda II - The Adventure of Link, which probably would have been a better fit for the whole thing, even if the game overall is less popular these days.

But overall this feels like a great addition and makes me truly interested in Super Mario Maker 2. I have the first Super Mario Maker on Wii U, but I've rarely ever used it, where both Link and the Super Mario Land Mario (my first Mario game) could get me finally into this tool. The Wii U version also had different Links available via amiibo and updates, but having a unique moveset makes this so much more interesting.

Well, let's also hope that Nintendo might be willing to update the Chamber Dungeon in Link's Awakening somewhat to put some more value behind the current "Zelda Maker". It's been half a year that Super Mario Maker 2 has been released, so they could be taking their time with Link's Awakening as well.

Breath of the Wild x Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate

image source

After today's release of the Breath of the Wild DLC for Mario Kart 8, we're getting yet another Breath of the Wild themed crossover DLC for a game on Nintendo Switch: Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. You can watch the trailer on Youtube.

They are putting Breath of the Wild in everything! It's that popular! This isn't the first crossover content for a Monster Hunter game with Zelda and like the others it won't make me play that series, but it's certainly a cool feature for everyone, who likes to play it. I especially like the Korok Felynes. Not as crazy as the Cat Link ones, but still funny.

Breath of the Wild x Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

We just recently talked about the possibilities of updates and DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (here) and this morning already came the nice surprise of some free DLC additions via 1.6.0 update. And look at that, it's even more Zelda contents...!

It's Link from Breath of the Wild, together with the Master Cycle Zero, the Ancient Tires, and the Paraglider. Besides this being essentially a re-skin of existing content, the attention to detail is quite nice. Breath of the Wild Link even got his own symbol, which is the Sheikah Eye. He's using an Guardian Sword++ instead of the Master Sword and they even incorporated some Sheikah Slate menu sounds.

It's also remarkable how things went back and forth here. Link's Master Cycle originated in Mario Kart 8, then made its way as DLC into Breath of the Wild as the Master Cycle Zero, which now gets featured in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Luckily, I already own the game, because I won a copy in a raffle on ntower.de. I could also borrow a Nintendo Switch from someone, where I was able to try the update this morning already.

And the Master Cycle Zero is awesome, yet again! Normally, I don't like bikes, because for me they handle awkwardly with the inward drifting. This includes the original Master Cycle, where I never really got to use it. But the Master Cycle Zero has an outward drift, like most normal karts do, so I like it quite a lot. I might even "main" the Master Cycle Zero, whenever I'll complete the game for myself.

 

Future Content Updates?

It would be nice, if they kept supporting Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with free updates from time to time with even more additional content. Mario Kart 8 had the Mercedes Benz crossover for that, but more Nintendo contents probably would be more exciting for the fans. Here are some ideas:

• Princess Zelda from Breath of the Wild
• Captain Falcon
• Kong Family Pack with Diddy, Dixie, Cranky and Funky
• More returning racers
• New Retro Battle Courses: N64 Block Fort and Wii Funky Stadium
• A New Donk City Battle Course

Princess Zelda from Breath of the Wild feels like a must-have addition at this point. She would suit the game quite well in her normal outfit and she would certainly have fun trying the Master Cycle Zero herself. It would be a great fit.

Another important guest racer, who is still missing, would be Captain Falcon. He already has his own kart (the Blue Falcon) and two courses, so all it would need now is the Captain himself to complete this masterful crossover between Mario Kart 8 and F-Zero.

But... it would also mess up the current character select screen. Wild Link and Link were implemented as variants of the same character (like the Villager or the different colored Yoshis), which makes sense, but Zelda or Captain Falcon would really need their own slots, which doesn't fit the current roster in any way.

To make new characters fit nicely, they would need to add at least six of them. And this brings me back to one of my previous DLC ideas: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze x Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I originally envisioned this as a free DLC outing, where you would get four additional racers from the Kong family: Diddy, Dixie, Cranky, and Funky. Maybe also add some old DK karts like the Barrel Train, but this mostly about the characters.

Other than Diddy and Funky Kong, there are even more potential racers, which they could bring back from past Mario games: Birdo, Wiggler, the Honey Queen or even Petey Piranha. So, there's lots of potential here to fill another row or column of the character select screen, even without the Kongs.

I wouldn't expect any new cups or any other crossovers (like Kirby) as free DLC, however. That would be in the paid DLC category, where Nintendo might not want to go that route.

But the new Battle Mode is certainly something which they could expand on all fronts. Two, four, or even more Battle Courses and maybe even a new game type would be possible additions. Block Fort and Funky Stadium would already be two great returning courses, where the latter could go hand in hand with a "Donkey Kong Country x Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" update. For new courses they could do something based on Super Mario Odyssey, like a New Donk City Battle Course. People sure would love that.

Rumor: SoulCalibur VI on Switch Starring Link?

Following these rumors on Reddit, SoulCalibur VI will be announced soon and for the first time since SoulCalibur II will also be present on a Nintendo system, where Link will finally be a guest character again.

This is what the source had to say:

The game should be revealed by the end of the year and make its 21st anniversary at least. One trustworthy source told me it would be revealed at PSX. If the Switch version is not announced in a matter of fact way alongside it like multiplatform games do when revealed at a specific console's event, then it should be announced during the Nintendo Direct in January that I keep hearing about. The source who told me about the Switch version is different from the one who told me of the game's existence, I might add. They also told me that Link would return as a guest character on that version.

I'm not really interested in discussing, whether these rumors are trustworthy or not, since most of them are so superficial that they might as well be true. We will see soon enough. In general the 3rd party support for Nintendo Switch seems to be really good at the moment and whenever SoulCalibur VI is coming, a Nintendo Switch version seems very likely. And I like the thought a lot!

SoulCalibur II was one of my favorite games on the Nintendo GameCube and Link being a guest character played a big role in that. But overall I like the franchise, where I enjoyed its Beat'em Up qualities. SoulCalibur II also had this amazing Weapon Master Mode, but from what I've understood, this wasn't present in later titles. I haven't had the chance to play any of the successors, but if there's another Nintendo version in the future, I won't hesitate to purchase it.

For Link it would be nice, if his primary design is based on Breath of the Wild, but with an alternate Tunic of the Wild costume present. His arsenal should also take all the games into consideration, which came after SoulCalibur II, where they have lots of different options. But primarily I would like to see some of the technological weapons from Breath of the Wild.

Cat Link on the Hunt

Toon Link always looked like a cat, now he finally became one in Monster Hunter Generations:

Watch the trailer here.

I'm not a Monster Hunter fan, but this looks really funny. It also reminds me of this scene:

(art by Purrdemonium)

Zelda's Dress in Project Zero V

Project Zero V, also known as Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, will come with costumes based on Princess Zelda and Zero Suit Samus. The Zero Suit is for the protagonist, Yuri Kozukata, and the Zelda dress for one of the other two playable characters, Mia Hinasaki.

You might recognize this dress from Hyrule Warriors, where Koei Tecmo has been the developer (and partly also publisher) of both these games. Anyway, it looks pretty awesome and might be a strong incentive to get this game for me personally, where it looks quite good overall.

However, there is a catch: these costumes replace some sexy swimsuit and lingerie outfits from the Japanese version. And I think this is ridiculous. This horror game is rated 18+, where it's certainly not for the faint-hearted, but it couldn't include some outfits that show more skin? Come on... I personally can't stand such censorship, where apparently violence is a non-issue, but something perverted is too problematic to make it into a game for adults.

2014 – The Year of Crossovers

Another year has passed and for a year, which didn't see a new title in the The Legend of Zelda main series, this was probably a very lively one, especially when compared to the voids in 2008 and 2012. It all began end of January, where Iwata announced in an investor briefing that Nintendo is going to be less protective about their character IPs:

We will actively expand our character licensing business, including proactively finding appropriate partners.

And this ultimately led to various cameos for the Zelda series in other video games this year. There was the "The Legend of Zelda Zone" in Sonic Lost Word, where Sonic runs through Hyrule Field and the Goron Mines in the traditional green garbs. Speaking of, a Link costume also made it into Bayonetta, Bayonetta 2, and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

One of the highlights of these cameos was without a doubt Mario Kart 8, however. In its first DLC pack Link was added together with the Master Cycle Zero and the Hyrule Circuit, where you collect Rupees and activate switches for a shortcut.

As a perfect fit for this "year of crossovers" we saw the release of the next Super Smash Bros. game, both on Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Though, nothing much happened with the Zelda franchise in the next iteration of Nintendo's allstar fighting game. We got new stages with the Spirit Train from Spirit Tracks, the Gerudo Valley from Ocarina of Time 3D, and Skyloft from Skyward Sword.

The Zelda franchise also saw a significant upgrade in the field of items in Smash – the Gust Bellow, the Beetle, Bombchus, a Fairy Bottle, Cuccos, and three new assist trophies: Skull Kid, Midna and Ghirahim. But there were no new playable fighters from the Zelda series and the recurring ones only changed a little, so overall the new Smash probably wasn't all this exciting for Zelda fans.

However, Zelda finally got its own well deserved all-star fighting game with Hyrule Warriors. You could probably even name this the "year of Hyrule Warriors", because this title was huge. Speculating about new characters and weapons, marveling at artwork and of course playing the game, where you can easily invest hundreds of hours – Hyrule Warriors dominated the free time of Zelda fans in the latter half of the year. And it will still keep going. Two more DLC packs are coming in early 2015, one about Majora's Mask and one adding new game modes, where Hyrule Warriors will probably keep the fans busy until the next Zelda game get released.

Otherwise we got a small blast from the past with The Minish Cap on the Wii U Virtual Console, as well as some NES goodness with NES Remix 2 (Wii U) and NES Remix Pack (Nintendo 3DS).

The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8 (Review)

This review was originally published on ZeldaChronicles (formerly known as ZeldaEurope) and got translated for this blog in 2021 by the same author.

Have you ever imagined what a "Zelda Kart" would be like? Well, the new pack of DLC for Mario Kart 8 might give you an idea – in there you'll ride as Link on the Master Cycle over the Hyrule Circuit. So, let's take a look how this has turned out...

Content

DLC is still an undiscovered country for Nintendo. After the overpriced course packs for New Super Mario Bros. 2, the company banks on a new model for Hyrule Warriors and Mario Kart 8, where the DLC seems to more worth it from a price point and can also be pre-ordered. Already since end of August, you can get the two packs: "The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8", which has been released last Thursday, as well as "Animal Crossing x Mario Kart 8", which is scheduled for release next May.

Each DLC pack comes with three new drivers, four new karts and eight new tracks (split into two cups) and costs 8€ on its own. Combined they'll only cost 12€, saving you 25%. This is a fair price, especially if you consider that the total of 32 tracks from the main game gets increased by 50% here. This will add a lot of fresh air and more variety to the game.

If you pre-order both DLC packs, you'll also get different colors for Yoshi and Shy Guy, similar to the Dark Link outfit in Hyrule Warriors. It's kind of cheap that this gets withheld from all other players, since these are just colored reskins, but it's a nice bonus nonetheless.

Otherwise this is all content that clearly was made after the main game got finished. So, nothing was held back to make more money, where instead this is a serious expansion for an already content-rich title, which got released at the end of May.

In general Mario Kart is one of Nintendo's best suited series for DLC. You could always keep adding to the game with new courses, drivers and vehicle parts. In the following you get a complete list of all the content in the "The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8" DLC pack.

 

New Drivers:

• Tanooki Mario
• Cat Peach
• Link

New Vehicle Parts:

• Blue Falcon
• Tanooki Kart
• B Dasher
• Master Cycle
• Triforce Tires
• Hyrule Kite

New Courses:

• GCN Yoshi Circuit
• Excitebike Arena
• Dragon Driftway
• Mute City
• Wii Wario's Gold Mine
• SNES Rainbow Road
• Ice Ice Outpost
• Hyrule Circuit

Link, the Racer

Apart from the Super Smash Bros. series, it's actually quite rare that our hero Link gets a cameo appearance in other games. After he has done well in SoulCalibur II eleven years ago, Link now finds himself on the racetracks of Mario Kart 8, where it's up to the fantasies of the players how he got there. Maybe he asked the Triforce to have some fun with many beautiful princesses? Kart racing is probably not what he had in mind there, but the Triforce has its own way of fulfilling wishes, as you all know...

But such questions aren't of importance in Mario Kart anyway. What's really important is how well Link got integrated into the game and here you could say that he looks absolutely ridiculous. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing. There's a certain humor to it how Link squeezes himself into a tiny kart with a serious look on his face, just to then celebrate a victory in joy like a child. If you perform stunts, he will either swing his sword or hold up the Triforce, which feels a little bit more dynamic than with most other characters.

Link's design is based on the one from Skyward Sword, which fits Mario Kart 8 rather well and makes him look more friendly than in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. He's a heavyweight driver, sharing the same class with Donkey Kong, Waluigi, Roy and Rosalina. If you like any of these drivers, he could be an interesting alternative and in general Link has a certain charm to him, which probably will make him a popular pick overall. So, it shouldn't be of surprise that Link is currently outranking Rosalina online. The hero of Hyrule is everywhere.

Also, Link gets the "Master Cycle" as a new toy – a fancy bike in the shape of a horse. The Hylian Shield as decors are a nice detail and in addition there are the "Triforce Tires" and the "Hylian Kite", which you can use in combination with any other vehicle, if you want.

 

Hyrule, the Racetrack

Link as a driver is certainly great, but the new courses are what you really want out of the DLC. And there's something for Zelda enthusiasts in here as well with the "Hyrule Circuit", where you drive around and through Hyrule Castle. Nintendo managed to capture the overall charm of The Legend of Zelda in a relatively compact way and came up with some special features for this track.

For starters, you don't collect the usual Coins, but Rupees, which already makes this course more fun for Zelda fans. Also, if you get an item from an Item Box, it plays a quick version of the classic treasure chest jingle. And next to the usual Toads, you'll find some Hyrule Soldiers in the audience, which are similar to the ones from Spirit Tracks, meaning that they all wear Link's green garments. The last section of the course also has some Deku Babas and Keese as classic enemies from the Zelda universe.

The real ingenuity is found inside Hyrule Castle, however, where for the first time there is a puzzle waiting for you in Mario Kart. There are three anti-gravity boost pillars in the form of Crystal Switches and if you activate them all in a row, this will make a boost ramp appear right in front of the Master Sword for an impressive short cut. Hitting all three switches on your own isn't exactly easy, which adds an interesting component to the track. Sometimes other drivers might activate the switches that you've missed, so that there is still a chance for you to make that shortcut.

All in all the Hyrule Circuit is well-made and a worthy representation for the world of The Legend of Zelda inside Mario Kart in one compact course.

 

Nintendo Kart

While Link is the only guest driver (for now), there are some trips into other Nintendo universes via the new racetracks as well. One is the "Excitebike Arena", where you simply go in circles, but the track elements are different with each race. There are ramps, mud spots and such, where their order, height and so on vary each time you play the course.

Another highlight is "Mute City" from F-Zero, a turbulent track with the classic music, which whets your appetite for a new F-Zero game on the Wii U. As a special gimmick there are "pit areas", which will fill your coins while driving over them. In addition, there is the Blue Falcon as a new kart waiting for you to be used here or anywhere.

The DLC pack might be named "The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8", but all of these things show that this is not just a simple crossover, where shows a lot of potential. The idea of a "Nintendo Kart" isn't exactly new and this DLC is a first, small step in that direction, probably to see how the fans are going to like it.

Overall this is already quite nice, but Nintendo certainly could have gotten more out of this idea already. Like, the only new drivers next to Link are "Tanooki Mario" and "Cat Peach". While they might be cute, veterans like Diddy Kong are still nowhere to be found. And why not also add Zelda or maybe even the legendary Captain Falcon himself?

More Courses, More Fun

Next to the three courses based on other Nintendo games, there are also three classic courses and two entirely new courses in this DLC pack. Among the retro tracks is "Yoshi's Circuit" from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! on the GameCube, where its only gimmick are the many curves, which take a good amount of driving skills for you to score first place. This course also already re-appeared in Mario Kart DS, so this is actually the third time you can race here.

For the "SNES Rainbow Road" it's even the fourth time, where it was available in Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart 7 as well. This marks also the first Mario Kart game, which has three different Rainbow Roads to offer. But there is no denying that this course has a special appeal, especially for long drifts, where this remaster looks incredible. But it's mainly a visual overhaul, where gameplay-wise it's not much different from the Nintendo 3DS version.

The new version of "Wario's Gold Mine" on the other hand makes good use of the anti-gravity feature, where you now might want to collide with the mine carts instead of avoiding them. This way this track is more fun than it used to be in Mario Kart Wii.

One of the completely new course is the "Dragon Driftway", offering some East Asian flair, which is rare for Mario games (the Chai Kingdom from Super Mario Land comes to mind). And there is also the "Ice Ice Outpost", where you have two differently colored roads running in parallel. A similar idea can be found on other courses already, like the "Sweet Sweet Canyon", but this time this concept has been expanded to the entirety of the course.

Aside from some of the new gimmicks, these additional courses are actually quite basic. Yoshi's Circuit, the Excitebike Arena and the SNES Rainbow Road don't employ any special methods of racing at all. The other courses mainly use the anti-gravity feature and only two of them have short glider sections, so you won't see that new Hyrule Kite very often. None of the new courses have underwater segments whatsoever. But this doesn't necessarily harm the new cups, quite the opposite. It's a collection of some really well-made courses, maybe even some of the best racetracks in Mario Kart 8.

What's completely missing, however, are any additions to the lackluster Battle Mode, which doesn't seem to get any love in the DLC either... In the very least some of the new courses, like the SNES Rainbow Road, could have worked there as well, but there is nothing. And that's a shame for everyone who likes to pop some balloons.

 

Conclusion

Even though Nintendo could have made more out of the entire concept, Mario Kart 8 now offers a successful first guest appearance of Link and Hyrule with the "The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8" Pack. And there is some good new content in addition, breathing new life into the game, scratching on the surface of a potential "Nintendo Kart" by including Excitebike and F-Zero as well. If you already own Mario Kart 8, then getting the DLC should be a no-brainer. And it might even get some Zelda fans interested in the game...

The only downside is that there are no additions or improvements to the Battle Mode and that the selection of new drivers leaves quite a bit to desire.

Link in Mario Kart 8

Remember my post about potential Mario Kart 8 DLC? Well, I certainly didn't see THIS coming:

Don't now, if I'm supposed to hate this or if I'm finally getting a favorite driver in Mario Kart...? It's not like this is a new idea and I'm glad that they're not making a "Zelda Kart" instead, but it's certainly not "Mario Kart" anymore. When Nintendo said that they're going to be less protective about their IPs earlier this year, they really meant it.

For Zelda this has become the "year of crossovers". The level in Sonic Lost World, the costume in Bayonetta, Hyrule Warriors, Super Smash Bros. 4 and now Mario Kart 8. Let's see, how they will jump the shark next.

But it looks like these Mario Kart 8 packs have lots of content (16 new tracks!) for a fair price. So, that's good DLC there! Definitely getting it.

The Legend of Zelda Zone

So, this got released today:

I don't have Sonic Lost World, nor do I have any interest in getting it at the moment. Maybe rent it to try this level, but it looks exactly like Hyrule Warriors. It's a ragtag mix of Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword visuals, which looks very cheap and nothing like the harmonious graphics of an official Zelda game.

And it's only purpose is to sell the damn game. Much like Hyrule Warriors does absolutely nothing for Zelda, but helps Tecmo Koei to actually sell their Warrior games.

This is what Iwata said last January in an investor briefing:

Also, we are planning to utilize Nintendo’s abundance of character IP more actively. I think the reason that Nintendo is now considered to have this “abundance of character IP” is perhaps because of our passive approach toward the character IP licensing business, which tends to have a high risk of damaging the value of the character. In other words, we think that spending time to develop our approach of having our characters appear mainly in our carefully selected games has created our current fortunate circumstances. However, we are going to change our policy going forward.

In other words: they are going to butcher Zelda. Take whatever little dignity the series has left.

The Zelda IP has been protected very well for the most part. Because if they sell it's licenses carelessly, then you get something like the Zelda Animated Series or even worse: the CDi games. The only other cheesy thing that came from Zelda were the Tingle spin-off games, but with one exception they were Japan exclusives. But for the most part Zelda has been quite strong and consistent. Even the other spin-off games, the BS Zeldas, the Game & Watch game and Link's Crossbow Training had a certain level of quality to them, which didn't leave a stain on the series. And Link's appearance in SoulCalibur 2 was excellent.

The Zelda series got treated like an high quality product and unlike Mario or Pokémon it didn't create tons of weird merchandise and spin-off games. No Zelda cornflakes or Zelda Kart. Because that would just silly.

But that might change, because Iwata officially announced that they are ready to license their IPs to "carefully selected partners", which probably means anyone, who pays good. I'm a little worried about this development, simply because both the Zelda Zone and Hyrule Warriors look really quirky.

Hyrule Warriors Announced

Well, I was hoping that they would reveal DLC for A Link Between Worlds on today's Nintendo Direct (for example a boss battle mode), some people hoped for Majora's Mask 3D, but instead we got something that probably noone saw coming... Hyrule Warriors. The new Warriors game taking place in the Zelda universe.

Last year the Dynasty Warriors series already got a Link costume, but looks like this collaboration just entered a whole new level... I haven't played any game of Tecmo Koei's Warriors franchise yet, but the One Piece game looks not too bad and I will probably get Hyrule Warriors, since I do have the Wii U and it looks somewhat fun.

But it also looks very cheap. The way they threw in all the models from Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess... ouch. It doesn't look very appealing and I'm not happy with the fact that Nintendo sold Zelda to a 3rd party developer like that. The only similar spin-off to Zelda would be Link's Crossbow Training, but this was just a small side game developed by Nintendo. Hyrule Warriors seems to be the next big game from Tecmo Koei, maybe even their biggest hit yet.

And that's not even all... Sonic Lost World will get a Zelda themed level...! Seriously? What's next, Zelda Kart? It seems like 2014 will be the year for (bad) Zelda crossovers.

SoulCalibur II HD not for Wii U?

Soul Calibur II gets an HD re-release. But of course this will only appear on Xbox360 and PS3, not on the Wii U. At least nothing has been announced yet. Which is really disappointing. I consider the GameCube version of SoulCalibur II as my favorite fighting game, the fighting mechanics are awesome, Link was a really good character (at least imho) and the excellent Weapon Master mode is the best and most enjoyable singleplayer experience, which I've ever seen in any fighting game.



I don't have a Wii U, but it would be one of the first Wii U games, I'd buy. The GameCube version was pretty successful, probably because Link was in it. However, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (which also had lots of Nintendo extras) bombed completely on the Wii U, which is probably why Namco is resistant to make more games for the system. It's a shame really. I was also hoping that SoulCalibur V might appear on the Wii U with a new Link cameo, but this doesn't seem to be the case either.

Nintendo really, really needs to get the Wii U going or otherwise it will miss more gems like this.

Link and Samus Costumes in Dynasty Warriors Vs.

Dynasty Warriors Vs. for the 3DS will feature Link's Skyward Sword outfit and Samus' Zero Suit as unlockable costumes:

I've never played Dynasty Warriors, but I doubt that this will change my mind. Damn, this looks weird. Especially Samus. I understand that these are Dynasty Warrior characters wearing Nintendo outfits. But it looks really weird.

Normally I'm into these kind of cameos, for example I love SoulCalibur II for the sole reason of having Link as a character and I got DOA:Dimensions for the Metroid stage. So, having both Link and Samus as a cameo would be pretty exciting. Maybe there are characters in the game, where the costumes don't look completely weird. But I doubt it...


Source: Kotaku (news) / NintendoEverything (pictures)

Super Mario 3D Land, World 5-2: The Zelda Level

It'se Meeee, Touriaaaaannn!!

Well, I bought Super Mario 3D Land today. The game is okay, but the most fun and interesting part for a Zelda fan is definitely World 5-2, the Zelda dungeon stage made for the 25th Anniversary. Like most stages so far this level is pretty short, but it's a neat one. It's entirely displayed in an overhead view and you switch between the rooms with classic Zelda scrolling. There are spiked cylinders that make a similar sound to the ones from the Nintendo DS Zelda games, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, though I think this is the case with all spiked cylinders in the game. And there's a room with four torches and a closed gate. If you light all four torches with the (hidden) Fire Flower power up, the "solved puzzle"-jingle from Ocarina of Time is played and the gate opens to a secret room with a Star Coin. Also, I thought that the first Star Coin was cleverly hidden. If you don't have the game, you can watch a video of the stage at IGN.

I think this level gives a nice impression of how the 3DS Zelda game could look like. It looks amazing in 3D, specially in the "pop up" mode, where the camera is closer to the floor and Mario jumps out of the sceen. I think the 3DS Zelda game doesn't have to be a 3rd Person view Zelda game like Ocarina of Time 3D, the overhead style of this Mario level is so much more charming. It could actively use the 3D in many creative ways and be a very classic and old school Zelda experience at the same time. It would also fit Aonuma's statement that they are going to built on what was done in the Nintendo DS Zelda games.

Also, I still think that re-releasing A Link to the Past as part of the 3D Classics would be awesome, it would be similar, though maybe not as impressive.

Super Mario 3DS to include Zelda Stage

Here we goooo. To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Zelda franchise, Super Mario 3DS will include a special "Zelda scrolling dungeon style level".



It's top down view, classic Zelda dungeon room screen scrolling, you will light up torches with fireballs, there will be Zelda chimes and even spiked floors. I would qualify this as yet another wonderful Zelda cameo.

This is really cool. And probably a motivation for some Zelda fans to buy this game. I actually prefer the New Super Mario Bros. games over the Galaxy ones and I was undecided, whether I should get Super Mario for 3DS or not, but this might be a good reason to get the game anyway. :D

Source: E3 roundtable footage & Zelda Informer

SoulCalibur II

What's the best Zelda cameo in a video game? Super Smash Bros? Melee? Brawl? Most people probably will pick a game from the Super Smash Bros series to answer this question. And while they're not wrong, there's another great game you should consider when it comes to Zelda cameos: SoulCalibur II for the Nintendo Gamecube. Each version of the game had it's own big cameo, the XBox Version had Spawn, the PS2 version some guy from Tekken and the Gamecube version none other than Link from the The Legend of Zelda series. I guess for a lot of Zelda fans including myself Link's appearance was the main reason to get this game. And I love it.

For those of you, who are not familiar with the SoulCalibur series, it's a fighting game, which heavily utilizes different melee weapons like swords. Unlike in most fighting games, you can move around freely in the environment, while you face the enemy. You can strike horizontally and you can strike vertically, with lots of different combos and variations of course. You can kick, you can guard and you can press multiple buttons at once for different actions. For example pressing attack and guard near the enemy at the same time results in a throw. There are quite some "paper, rock, scissors" dynamics between all those actions. Moving around your enemy usually dodges vertical strikes, while horizontal strikes are effective against those dodges and vertical strikes beat horizontal ones. There is also the "Soul Charge", that powers up your offense or defense, but leaves you vulnerable while you're charging. It's overall quite simple and you don't need any complicated combos to win, but that's what makes the game so fun.

SoulCalibur II offers familiar fighting game types like Arcade, Time Attack, Survival, Team Battle and Practice, but there's also the amazing Weapon Master mode. It's an adventure mode, divided in different chapters, where each chapter covers an area of the map. Those chapters/areas include multiple missions, which have their own story and rules. These fights are much richer in variety than in the default gametypes. You may fight against the clock, your health might be draining or the enemy regenerating. The arena might be trapped with mines or caged or there might be special rules like increased knock back. Or some enemies can only be beaten by using special techniques and so on. But not only that it offers more variety than playing the normal game types, it's also much more rewarding. The Weapon Master mode is where you unlock new characters, arenas, costumes and weapons, as well as some galleries, videos and extra gametypes, which are like the default gametypes with the difference that you're allowed to use the unlocked weapons. Character, additional arenas and the extra modes are unlocked by beating individual missions, all other stuff can be bought in the shops. Each chapter has its own shop with different weapons, costumes and maybe other extras like videos. You receive gold for every fight, even if you fail, and it's not hard to culmulate all the necessary money to buy everything. But some weapons and costumes can also be won in some missions to save some money. Most of the playable characters have a set of ten unlockable weapons, which includes their own version of the disgusting Soul Edge, a legendary blade and a joke weapon. Of course each of the unlockable weapons has its ups and downs, so you have to choose wisely which weapon suits your playing style the most. The Weapon Master mode also has a 2nd Quest, where each mission becomes harder and where you can play two additional chapters with the hardest dungeons.

Talking about dungeons, they are definitely the coolest part of Weapon Master mode. Those are special missions, where you conquer a maze. You start with one room and each room features a fast 1on1 fight. If you beat one room, the neighboring rooms become accessible. The dungeons usually offer some choices where to go next and your goal is to fight your way to the boss room, which finishes the dungeon. But it's always wise to fully explore the dungeons, because there might be hidden weapons. The rooms additionally may have special environments, like an ice floor, quick sand or mines. But the fights are always fast and fair, unlike some later missions in the game, which can get quite frustrating. If you fail to beat a room, you can easily repeat it without any consequences. Only leaving the dungeon is considered to be mission failure. It's a lot of fun to beat the dungeons with Link. You might even joke about how the dungeon experience of Soulcalibur II beats the dungeon experience in modern Zelda games. It actually reminds me of the classic NES Zelda dungeon ways. It heavily focuses on combat and there are multiple ways through the dungeons, while it lacks on puzzles.



I've beaten the entire Weapon Master mode and unlocked everything by only using Link, the secret star of the game. Namco used the Hero of Time for Link's story, which is about a mage who attacked Hyrule and was controlled by the Soul Edge. Link then seeks out to destroy the evil blade. That's basically it, but it suits the game well and it doesn't conflict with the Zelda storylines, even though the game isn't "canon" anyway. Link is quite the exceptional character in this game, in many ways. Well, first of all, he looks a little misplaced. They used the Ocarina of Time art as a base for Link's model, however the other characters have realistic proportions, Link is usually a little smaller than the other characters, while his head is bigger and so on. But you'll get used to it and won't notice this after a while. Also, he's the only character with more than one unlockable alternate costume. However, all his costumes just feature the same familiar tunic in the different colors from Four Swords. Other characters' costumes are far more creative and may let the character look completely different. And Link is the only character to use any other weapons than his melee weapons and even ranged weapons during a fight. He can throw his boomerang or bombs and use his bow to shoot arrows. But I have to say that they're quite inconvinient to use, I usually just rely on a good combination of vertical and horizontal strikes and guarding, like you would with all the other characters. But bombs can be fun if your enemy is on the ground. Link's weapon set is awesome and reminds me how cool blades used to be in Zelda back in the day, today all you get is some Master Sword copy cat. , Well, of course the Master Sword and Hylian Shield are his default weapons, but you can also unlock ten others coming from the N64 Zeldas and the classics. The first one is the Razor Sword from Majora's Mask with shorter reach and lower defense, but higher damage. Then there's the Armos set, which is a really cool idea. Link can also use the Megaton Hammer for heavy damage but short reach. The Cane of Byrna from A Link to the Past heals you during Soul Charge, perfect for missions with low health, but it's weak against other weapons since it's not a real weapon. The Biggoron's Sword offers higher reach and higher damage, which can be really deadly combined with Link's fast stabbing attack, but it also causes some self damage. The Mirror Shield from Ocarina of Time on the other hand causes your enemies to get take some damage when they hurt you. The Magic Sword and Shield set from the NES classics is not only awesome fan service, it also damages through guard. It used to be my favorite weapon before I got the Great Fairy's Sword from Majora's Mask. The latter is Link's legendary weapon, it heals you constantly, offers great range and high damage. It's guard is lower though, but since I'm more the offensive player, it suits my playing style perfectly. I used it in all the later missions of the Weapon Master mode and I love it. And then there's the Bug Catching Net from A Link to the Past as Link's joke weapon. It's obviously not a real weapon and makes funny noises, but every character has a weapon like that. Each of the weapons is well designed and has it's own little story in the Weapon Gallery. (For more information look here.)

Well, expert SoulCalibur players say that Link is low tier, but he's definitely my favorite character in the game. I've beaten the Arcade mode with all characters and Link is the one I'm best with. I can't beat the final missions in the Weapon Master mode with anyone but Link. But I'm bad at this game, I don't know any combos, I rarely kick or use the Soul Charge. I usually don't get the Guard Impact technique working right and I don't use any special attacks like Bombs or Arrows. I would probably suck hard against a skilled SoulCalibur player, but I was never really good at fighting games and I don't like the Gamecube controller, it's very uncomfortable and not suited for a game like this in any way. However, I still could beat the Weapon Master mode and unlock everything with the help of Link and his awesome Great Fairy Sword. But I have to say the game doesn't demand any brutal stuff for unlocking everything. Challenges like beating the Survival mode would have been impossible and extremely frustrating for me.

While there's just Link, his weapons and some Zelda tunes in this game, no Zelda arenas or any other Zelda characters like in Super Smash Bros, it's still an awesome cameo. I could imagine that many copies of this game just were sold because of Link. I know that I got the game just for that, because I wanted it for my Zelda collection. And it's not a bad strategy from Namco, this game might get you interested in the Soul Calibur franchise that way. They even kept the strategy of including big cameos until today, SoulCalibur IV for example features three characters from the Star Wars franchise. But while Star Wars might be more popular than Zelda, I don't think it fits the game so well, Zelda was much more awesome and fitting. Of course the newer Soul Calibur games weren't released for a Nintendo system, so there was no place for a Zelda cameo. But SoulCalibur II definitely shows how a well made Zelda cameo looks like.