STACK #223 May 2023

GAMING FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

A

IN TIME

LINK

Nintendo’s intrepid sword-wielding hero Link has rocked more looks than Madonna since the ‘80s – well, almost.With the keenly awaited The Legend of Zelda:Tears of the Kingdom landing this month for Nintendo Switch, we take a trip through the Link fashion archives. Words Amy Flower

1986 The Legend of Zelda (NES) Blocky beginnings.

1991 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Super Nintendo) Looking more resolute.

1993 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Game Boy) Classic black and whi- erm, green!

1998 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64) Oh pointy ears, oh pointy, pointy!

2006 The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii) A new resolution.

2004 The Legend of Zelda:The Minish Cap (Game Boy Advance) Looking smooth!

2002 The Legend of Zelda:The WindWaker (GameCube) What big eyes you have!

2001 The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons (Game Boy Color) Step back in time.

2007 The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) A bit of a retro thing going on.

2013 The Legend of Zelda: A Link BetweenWorlds (3DS) Simply glowing!

2017 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of theWild (Wii U) Now we’re (s)talking.

2019 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch) Aww, an ever so cute makeover!

A SWORD FOR THE WISE It may have been known as Breath of theWild II while in development, but there’s a raft of new and improved stuff to look forward to in The Legend of Zelda:Tears of the Kingdom that takes it far beyond being merely more of the same.

The game’s developers prefer to describe the vast lands to explore as “open air” rather than “open world”. DYK?

If you thought that Breath of the Wild had a vast world then the one in store in Tears of the Kingdom will possibly blow your mind, as it’s even larger and introduces a whole new level of play via floating sky islands to explore. One way that

we can reach them is via a new 'Recall' function, which allows Link to reverse the direction of objects, ranging from fallen rocks to enemy weapons. There’s also an updated HUD, all manner of new enemies to

encounter, and the capacity to call upon exciting fresh abilities such as weapon fusing, vehicle crafting, and ‘Ascend’, which allows Link to pass through ceilings. And that’s really only scratching the surface of the exciting new things to discover.

• The Legend of Zelda:Tears of the Kingdom is out on May 12

MAY 2023

jbhifi.com.au

8