The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes is coming to the Nintendo 3DS this week, and you can check out my review of the game on GodisaGeek.com, and I’ll put a link to that review in the description of this video. It might not be the sort of epic quest that the average Zelda fan craves, but its item-based puzzles are a reminder of some of the series best tools and weapons. The series is known for and occasionally even defined by the many Legend of Zelda items, with many of them found in each dungeon and later used to defeat that particular labyrinth’s boss.
Some of this iconic tools of the trade have returned for Triforce Heroes, so I thought it seemed like a good excuse to talk about some of my favourite items, some of which make a return in Link’s latest quest. Need I remind you that this is my own opinion, which I am not stating as fact – So by all means tell me your Top 5 items!
Top 5 Legend of Zelda Items
Skyward Sword made exceptional use of the original Wii’s MotionPlus accessory, in a way very few games did. Waving a remote to swordfight or roll bombs around wasn’t for everybody, but personally I found it a rather exciting addition, as was this newly introduced item, the Beetle.
This rather unique utility was found very early on, and had many uses, from cutting cobwebs, hitting switches, collecting rupees and hearts, and even carrying bombs to places Link would otherwise be unable to reach. It was also incredibly simple to use with the MotionPlus controls, as players simply tilted their Wii Remote as if they were playing with a toy plane. Fun, practical and one of the coolest uses of the underutilised MotionPlus controller.
One of Link’s most iconic tools of the trade has to be the humble bomb. From its debut in the original Legend of Zelda, the standard cherry bomb has made multiple appearances, and in some instances, its basic design has even been improved upon, like the insanely powerful (and fabulously pink) Super Bomb in A Link to the Past, to the organic Bomb Flowers of Ocarina of Time and beyond, that can be picked and must be thrown before the fuse runs out, or more recently, stored in a Bomb Bag for later.
Yet, no matter the size or appearance, the bomb has always been an essential tool, initially useful for finding new passages to hidden areas, or as an explosive way to dispatch enemies. It’s as versatile as any tool in Link’s Adventure Pouch, and that’s why it’s on this list.
Time for an off-beat choice, from one of Link’s stranger adventures. Link’s Awakening remains an excellent Game Boy follow up to the classic Link To The Past, and a big part of that is due to how different the tone of this game is when compared to the previous three entries. Not only does this portable adventure offer a few twists to the standard gameplay we know and love from the series, it also adds a few unique Legend of Zelda items, such as Roc’s Feather.
Found in the Tail Cave, this item allows Link to jump – Which is incredibly useful for passing gaps in the floor, or to pickup winged items such as small hearts. Combine this with the Pegasus Shoes, and you can jump distances that would even make a long jumper jealous. It hasn’t been seen much, as Link tends to jump most small distances rather easily since Ocarina of Time, but who knows if this item will return to future games?
Here’s another great item that was introduced in Link’s Awakening, and you might have gone through the game without even noticing it existed! It was possible to equip different item to the A & B buttons, and if you assigned the Bow and Bombs to their own buttons and pressed them at the same time, you could fire Bomb Arrows.
This deadly combination made it’s return in Twilight Princess, in which they were practically required to get past some areas, and they also returned again in the long-forgotten Link’s Crossbow Training. Judging from trailers for Zelda Wii U, it looks like Link’s Bow will have quite a few different arrow combinations – Maybe a Bomb Arrow will be one of them?
When I was young, whenever someone mentioned the Legend of Zelda, I would think of the Boomerang, even more so than the Master Sword, Bow or Bombs. Its uses are plentiful, acting as a means of stunning enemies, to collecting far away items and in Triforce Heroes it’s even possible to grab other players with them. In more recent games, it can be used to hit multiple switches when required, and in many cases can even be upgraded to the mighty Magical Boomerang, which is much faster and can be thrown much further.
No matter what Zelda game I’m playing, if a Boomerang is available and I have one, it practically stays equipped on my person for most of the game. It’s that damn useful. Like a sheriff in the Old West should always keep a gun by it’s side, an adventurer should always keep a Boomerang close. This is my favourite Zelda item, and I hope it remains an integral part of Link’s arsenal.
I hope you enjoyed this list. Pug Hoof Gaming finally reached 100 subscribers over the past week, so if you are one of those wonderful people, thank you so much. If you haven’t subscribed yet, why the Hell not? It only takes a few seconds to click Subscribe, and it keeps you up to date with all the weekly videos I make.
Whether or not you’re a subscriber, thanks for watching this video. I’d love to know what your favourite Legend of Zelda items are, so why not tell me in the comments! Until next time, keep gaming positive.
