2013 – The Year of Rupees

Another year passes by, time's running fast and as Zelda fans we look back to what I dub the "Year of Rupees". It's the year of rupees, because in the two new Zelda games that were released in 2013 - The Wind Waker HD and A Link Between Worlds - Rupees are very important and because this year unleashed a giant attack on the wallets of the Zelda fans. I'm not kidding, when I say that this was the most expansive year to be a Zelda fan and collector. It makes the 25th Anniversary two years ago look fairly moderate.

Actually the year started with the aftershocks of the 25th Anniversary with Hyrule Historia getting its English release. It's the bible for every Zelda fan and it's nice to have it for the timeline section alone. Also, the Symphony to the Goddesses came to Europe with concerts in London, Paris and Berlin. I visited the one in Berlin and it was an unforgetable experience. In North America the 2nd Quest of the concert started shortly after and there were concerts in Australia as well. So, probably many Zelda fans worldwide visited the event and might count this as one of the most exciting days of the year.

While in 2012 it was totally silent around Zelda, we didn't have to wait long in 2013 to get our first Zelda announcement. Already in Januar Mr. Aonuma presented the first images of The Wind Waker HD, which would be released later this year.

In April we then got our first on the new handheld Zelda game, which was later titled A Link Between Worlds at E3. As I expected last year, they handled the newest Zelda handheld installment similar to Spirit Tracks: show the game in Spring, big presentation at E3 and then release the game before the end of the year. Nintendo likes to keep their games close to the chest lately. But it also turned out to be much more traditional than expected, while the 3D got utilized in a topdown view, the game also returned entirely to the world of A Link to the Past.

To bridge the time until the new release, we got to enjoy some old Zelda games again. Oracle of Ages & Seasons were re-released for their first time on the 3DS Virtual Console after 12 years and there are probably quite some people out there, who actually got to play these game for their first. I personally used this occasion not only to replay these games, but to compile the first thorough Ring Guide for the games, because it was about time that someone did this. I only played two Hero starter gamers though and I plan to replay the Linked Games in 2014 and also collect all 64 rings again for the first time since playing the original games on the GBC!

After the adventures in Holodrum and Labrynna gamers returned to the Great Sea in September/October, but this time in HD. With the Wii U Nintendo decided to take similar paths with Zelda as on the 3DS. They remade/updated an older Zelda and bundled it with special black hardware decorated with golden ornaments from the game. This time with The Wind Waker HD and the black Wii U Gamepad, which nicely matches the black 3DS from two years ago. The game alone probably wouldn't have lured all too many Zelda fans in, since it lacks any new features, but with the bundle one or the other Zelda fan might have bought a Wii U this year. I'm actually one of them. Though I haven't used my Wii U all too much after finishing The Wind Waker HD, however, next year looks quite promising for the Wii U. And if you're still interested in the "limited" bundle, you can still get it pretty much everywhere, which is a little sad.

Harder to get might be the Limited Edition of the The Wind Waker HD, which came with a special Ganondorf figurine. Since Nintendo doesn't bundle physical games anymore (the Wii U bundle only has a download code), the whole thing was a pure collectible item for people, who want the game with disc, box and cover together with something special.

The game itself did a great job to streamline the original The Wind Waker experience. It's all faster and more fluid, mostly thanks to the new Swift Sail. Another new addition are the selfies for the Pictobox and the Miiverse integration via Tingle Bottles, which led to a new and fun way to communicate with other Zelda players. The HD graphics are beautiful, though it doesn't feel as fresh as Ocarina of Time 3D did. Also, you only need to pay for three Triforce Charts this time, so Rupees aren't actually as important in the game as they used to be.

But Rupees are very important in the new game, A Link Between Worlds, which got released at the end of November for the Nintendo 3DS. While it features some new ideas like renting items, it's overall a back-to-the-roots Zelda experience close to A Link to the Past. It's open, non-linear, heavy on exploration, fast paced and lots of fun to (re)play. I like to call it the best Zelda game since Majora's Mask. As a fan of the classic Zelda games, A Link Between Worlds is the answer to all my prayers. Many years I have talked about the issues of linear and slow Zelda gameplay of the recent installments in the series, but A Link Between Worlds is finally a Zelda game that does everything right. Or at least most of it. This makes me really happy and this also marks the year 2013 as the return of classic Zelda.

It's still the "Year of Rupees" though. While Ravio takes all your money ingame, Nintendo and Prima Games aimed to empty your wallets in real life. As if the Wii U bundle wasn't enough, Nintendo also bundled A Link Between Worlds with a 3DS XL. And it's not half as good as the 3DS bundle for Ocarina of Time 3D was (which actually had the game in physical form, an AC adapter and other accessories), but still more expansive. Also, Nintendo released a small treasure chest with sounds to store 3DS cartridges (in case you actually got the game as a cartridge and not as a mere download), which depending on where you live could be quite hard to get. In Germany it was only available in Club Nintendo and sold out after less than 7 minutes.

Another treasure chest got released by Prima Games with the "Zelda Box", literally the heaviest Zelda collectible yet. It contains six of their collecter's edition hardcover guide books, one of them new (Ocarina of Time 3D) and one of them expended (Skyward Sword). They also released new hardcover guide books for The Wind Waker HD and A Link Between Worlds, the latter not included in the Zelda box.

If you add all of this together, Hyrule Historia, tickets for Symphony of the Goddesses, two special hardware bundles, the Wind Waker HD Limited Edition, the Zelda box, other guide books and collectibles, then that's more than 800€/$ spent throughout the entire year on Zelda alone. This is ridiculous, it even makes the 25th Anniversary look cheap. Needless to say that there are probably many Zelda fans, who missed one thing or another, because they simply couldn't effort it.

However, the big storm should be over now. With the exception of the 2DS there's a limited Zelda edition of every current Nintendo hardware out there and considering how badly the current Wii U bundle sells, they probably won't make another Zelda themed bundle for the Wii U. The Zelda Box from Prima Games should be an one time thing (they made make a second box in the future though, starting with the A Link Between Worlds guide). And the Symphony of the Goddesses is on pause next year, so things should go back to normal, where Zelda things are rare and never too expansive and where the wallets of Zelda fans have a chance to regenerate.

And it's nice to see Zelda getting so much stuff and attention without any special occasion like the anniversary.

My little contribution to Zeldathon St. Jude

It's maybe not the best timing considering that there already has been another Zelda marathon two weeks ago, but whatever... I didn't follow the TSG marathon all too much and the new Zeldathon has a nice concept, where they are streaming two different games at the same time. So, if one game bores you, you can switch to the other, which includes some fun stuff like the CD-i games or Minecraft.

McGamer set up a Minecraft server just for this marathon, so you can even play with these guys. And since he's part of the Mindcrack network, even Minecraft developer Dinnerbone might join the fun (he even donated at the last marathon). For me as a Zelda and Minecraft fan this is pretty interesting.

So, I donated and joined the Minecraft creative server and made a little pixel art:

Nothing special, but better than nothing. There's a miniature version of Mabe Village right next to it, which is pretty cool.

Overall the server and the Zeldathon stream are really cool. I've been following the stream for most of the time and it's really enjoyable to watch. There are some fun guys there and they do a lot of fun things to keep it interesting.

Got the Zelda Box

Look what was under my Christmas tree this year (even though I put it there myself, lol):

I love it! When they announced it, it first felt like a rip-off, but for the current price (around 110€ on Amazon) and its quality (you get six 300+ pages books in color), I have no complaints here. The box is sturdy with a glossy outside, the golden bookmark looks amazing, the certificate is high quality and its nice to have all the books in absolute perfect shape. And I can always sell my old guides to get most, if not all the money back.

But one book is new and the other one half new: Ocarina of Time 3D and Skyward Sword:

With the original Skyward Sword Collector's Guide I had various complaints and it feels like this new version was completely overhauled. They didn't just add lists for the Pieces of Hearts and Goddess Cubes, they also improved many sections of the guide. For example the Imprisoned now has the shortcut strategy, where you jump on its head instead of attacking its feet, which is vital for the Lighting Round.

I don't have the original version at my hands (it's in my flat, while I'm currently back home), so I can't draw direct comparisons between the two versions, but just by skipping through the guide I can see that they put a lot more effort into it than with the original.

Completely new is the Ocarina of Time 3D guide in purple. It comes with its own section for Master Quest, where they even have all the mirrored maps for the overworld and new Skulltula lists. It's a really good one, but again I can't really tell the difference to the original paperback version, because I don't have it. It does have new 40 pages though, so there's new content.

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.

72 Hour Zelda Marathon for Charity

In about three hours the guys from TheSpeedGamers.com start a Zelda marathon raising donations for the MercyCorps, who are currently responding to the recent typhoon disaster in the Philippines.

I kind of enjoyed the last Zeldathon hosted by McGamer, so I'm eager to see how this one will be like. But you guys should check it out, you can even win cool prizes, if you donate 10$ at the right time:

99999 Rupees in A Link Between Worlds

I played so much Rupee Rush that I maximized the Rupee counter at the end of the game, lol:

I tried to get above 1000 Rupees in Rupee Rush and kept playing the game for a while. Actually it doesn't take all too long to get 9999 Rupees in this game, once you know the tricks. Maybe not even 30 minutes. Whenever I play through A Link Between Worlds again, my first stop in Lorule will probably be the Rupee Rush... ah, no, you need the Sand Rod, so my first stop will be Thieves' Hideout and then this minigame. And you even have the Rupee eating fairy next door, I could feed her up with 3000 Rupees very quickly. This minigame is really imba.

My current record is 993 Rupees, so close to the 1000:

But you have to be quite lucky to get so much. It really depends on how many of the purple Rupees you're able to get. But I bought about five golden Bees now in the shop for 9999 each, just to get rid of all the Rupees... :-D

 

 

Update:

 

I've also set a new record in Hyrule with 309 Rupees:

 

 

I love Rupee Rush in A Link Between Worlds

I think, this is becoming my favorite minigame in Zelda. Usually I lose interest in the minigames, as soon as I got the price, but I can't stop playing this game. It has everything, a good minigame in Zelda should have.

1) You don't have to beat multiple difficulties to get the price. Just the one game, no tedium.
2) It's not mandatory to beat the game. You can just ignore it.
3) It's a lot of fun and has potential for always making new records without any ridiculous unlockables. (I'm looking at you, Cucco Run...)

The concept is simple. Just run around and collect as many Rupees as possible within 30 seconds. Estimating the 30 seconds is easy by simply listening to the music. The music goes exactly 20 seconds and changes the melody right before the 10 second mark. So, let the music run one time and then end the game right at the time, when the music changes in the middle of the song. If you got the right point, it's very easy to get the x3 multiplier in each game.

However, you can only swap items with quick swap, because going into the menu makes the time stop and therefore changes the timing of the music. So, it's best to select the best tools before the game and never change them. In Hyrule that's the Tornado Rod for the tiles and the Hammer for the rock in the northwest.

This is my current record in Hyrule.

In Lorule I got 915 Rupees. Lorule is somewhat different, because three items are useful here. Sand Rod, Hookshot and the Hammer. I suggest either using quick swap (which is bad though) or ignoring the Hammer. It's possible to navigate the entire area by using Sand Rod and Hookshot alone by using the stairs in the northwest. There's a big purple Rupee i the center, one on the pillar in the north and one on the pillar in the south. However, sometimes those are Rupee Likes (you can spot them by the larger shadow). But if you're lucky, they are all normal Rupees. Also, the pond in the center spits out about two purple Rupees per match.

I usually can score about 600 Rupees in the Lorule version and simply playing this game brings me from 0 to 9999 Rupees in a short time. I'm buying Golden Bees for 9999 just to get rid of all the money... :D

Well, this is a great minigame and probably one of my favorites, if not the best. Yes, it is random, but the good kind of random, where it always stays interesting. It's never frustrating, which I think is important with a minigame. For me it's a nice distraction from all the super frustrating rounds of Cucco Run's endless mode...

Overall I would have liked it, if this game had online leaderboards for its minigames, something where you can compare your highscores with the rest of the world. The minigames in A Link Between Worlds seem like they were made for something like this.