Here’s a new scanlation of a quite obscure Legend of Zelda manga!
Subjective game reviews, comic translations, pixel art, and other video game bits & bobs.
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Projects About+Links Ask me anything
August 29, 2021
[Comic] Zelda Gaiden: Quark and the Fairy Queen
April 26, 2021
April 12, 2021
[Review] Link’s Awakening (GBC/NS)
I finally got around to one of the few Zeldas I’d never played through properly. And it’s good!
December 7, 2020
[Review] Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (NS)
Hyrule Warriors is actually factually my favourite Zelda game, maybe. So even though I ultimately had mixed feelings on Breath of the Wild, I was very keen on Omega Force’s next look at mixing the Dynasty Warriors formula with the Zelda world. Spoilers ahead!
December 25, 2019
July 22, 2019
[Review] The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS)
There’s highs and lows to the experience of Tri Force Heroes. The premise seems pretty player-unfriendly, but by connecting with an active online community I was able to wring some enjoyment from it.
November 21, 2018
[Comic] Famicom Manga - Adventure of Link
Another short manga translation. This one comes from a Famicom Manga pack-in booklet included with the May 1987 Ninensei edition of Shogakukan’s Shogaku Gakushu Zasshi magazines. The raw scans come from Ragey; he also cleaned these up before I got to them! I took these and translated them into English with the help of Horseypope.
The comic is printed in a striking red-and-green two-colour style. It’s read Japanese-style, right-to-left, and was done by Shigeto Ikehara, who I know for his work on the Rockman manga in Comic Bombom. This shares his signature cute style, and looks great. It’s a sort of tutorial for the game, teaching you things about how to play it through a light choose-your-own-adventure/puzzle format. It’s pretty simple, as it’s aimed at 8-year-olds.
My other scanlations are in this folder or the blog’s tag
May 21, 2017
[Review] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U)
Let’s make this quick. BotW is good, yes, but I have criticisms. There’s clunky systems, not enough variety in content such as enemy types, and a frustratingly underdeveloped plot. That didn’t stop me playing it for a month straight and loving every minute, though.
September 2, 2016
This is my submission for the Uniqlo “design a Nintendo t-shirt” contest thing. I call it “Pixels on the Great Sea”; obviously, it’s based on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. I’m queueing this up to post after the contest submissions have finished, so you can’t steal my sweet art and win the contest.
This is the first pixel art I’ve done that puts the characters in some kind of setting. Link and Tetra are aboard the King of Red Lions, and they’re being watched from an island by the Fishman, Makar, Medli, and Tingle. In case you couldn’t tell.
April 17, 2016
[Review] The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
A while ago I chose between this game and Spirit Tracks, its sequel. I reasoned that they would have refined any niggles in their experimental control system for the sequel. Having now finally played both, the main difference is they changed how the roll works; it is annoying to pull off in this game, but barely ever used so it’s not a big deal. On the whole I enjoyed this first game a lot more.
Phantom Hourglass is an early first-party DS game, so it goes all-out with mandatory touch screen controls, using the microphone, etc. It works fairly smoothly, and apart from some overlap between moving, interacting, and attacking (not to mention forgetting that blowing the microphone was a valid input from time to time) I had no problem controlling Link; this time I knew from the beginning that the shoulder buttons were used for items, which I discovered halfway through Spirit Tracks. Oh, I just remembered the final battle which dumps a symbol-drawing thing out of nowhere. Had to watch a video for how to do that. Apart from the gimmicks, the double screens are used excellently, with gameplay and maps, the ability to make notes on your maps, and both being used during certain boss battles for an epic feel.
The story is a direct continuation of Wind Waker, but the cast is all new apart from Link and Tetra. It’s this generation’s Link’s Awakening really, with an existing Link entering a sort of alternate world governed by a whale deity (although you only find this out at the end). Having it carry on the story from another game is nice, and the new characters are ace, especially Linebeck. His bickering with fairy companion Ciela are a great source of humour and personality, and travelling with them in the ship has a great adventurous feel. This is helped by the ability to upgrade and customise the ship, although it gets tedious to be “rewarded” with duplicate ship parts as the game progresses.
Speaking of rewards, the Spirit Gems are a good idea; your fairy companions can be upgraded, affecting your abilities, by finding these collectibles. Unlike Spirit Tracks, I was motivated enough to obtain them all, and all the Heart Containers. But why, what’s the difference? It might be as simple as the ship being more fun to control than the train. It’s freeing to be able to sail anywhere at any time: open seas adventure to uncharted islands. ST has Zelda as a main companion character, which is a huge plus; but the party of Link, the earnest Ciela, and the loveable scoundrel Linebeck made for a better dynamic.
PH has a fishing minigame, which earns it points from me. This was strangely missing from Wind Waker. Treasure salvaging returns, but there’s a minigame attached to that as well. Overall the game feels like a mini Wind Waker, with a smaller world and streamlined mechanics for the control scheme and format, but with additions and expansions in some areas. I think the ending undermines it slightly but the game is well executed, there’s lots to do, and it’s very endearing. If you’re going to pick only one of the DS entries as I did long ago, choose this one.
April 15, 2016
[Review] My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (3DS)
It’s another Picross game. The distribution method for it is the main story, with it being made available with the launch of Nintendo’s new loyalty program and costing not money but points gained through engagement with Nintendo’s services and apps. But that’s big time news fodder, let’s talk about the game.
The presentation is like a traditional “e-series” Picross game as opposed to Pokemon Picross, but with fantasy-ish themed UI, and backgrounds and music ripped from Twilight Princess. The puzzles represent characters, items, or scenes from the game, and it’s quite nice to see Oocoo or Midna as a solution; it’s been so long since franchise themed Picross puzzles have been a thing.
Perhaps because it doesn’t cost any real money, this is a much smaller offering than any of the “e” games. It has only 3 pages of puzzles compared to, say, e6’s 10. This is much like Japan’s Club Nintendo Picross. Like e6 though (and indeed Pokemon Picross) the pixel images are recycled for normal and Mega modes, which is a bit of a letdown with so few images. There’s also 1 Micross image, and the scene it presents isn’t super impressive.
There’s been one minor change to the controls that had a significant impact on my ability to play and enjoy the game. In all previous Picross iterations, the stylus controls primarily involve you holding up or down on the D-pad (or X and B) to engage the fill or erase function respectively while the button is held. In this one, the buttons instead toggle the fill or erase mode when they’re pressed once. This makes it much harder to slip into a groove, as you have to constantly check or remind yourself what mode you’re in (null mode is also useful for pondering your next move or counting). Having the stylus state tied directly to the current action or inaction of my off hand made for a much smoother and more intuitive experience, and I’m very disappointed by this change. I hope it doesn’t continue to future instalments or can at least be changed as a setting.
But apart from the inexplicable change to the controls and “dearth of content” as they say, it’s easy to recommend this game. It’s not terribly hard to get the necessary points through My Nintendo, but WarioWare Touched may present better value all the same. However, the exclusive nature of this game and the quite well-done Twilight Princess theming make it a pleasing bonus for Nintendo loyalists. Plus it has Midna as a tutorial guide, which is fun and makes this totally canon to the Zelda series. Trust me.
December 16, 2015
Hyrule Warriors Legends, low-res pixel style!
My original Hyrule Warriors pixel art was one of my very early ones. Since then I’ve refined my style and colour selection somewhat, so I’ve updated it and added the new characters for the 3DS version. I can’t wait for this game, very excited!
Link, Impa, Sheik, Lana, Zelda, Ganondorf, Darunia, Ruto, Agitha, Midna, Zant, Fi, Ghirahim, Cia, Volga, Wizzro, Twili Midna, Young Link, Tingle, Cucco, Toon Link, Tetra, King of Red Lions, Skull Kid, Linkle
September 12, 2015
Hyrule Warriors hopefuls part 2, low-res pixel style!
I made some cruel, harsh decisions when deciding who to include in my previous speculative Hyrule Warriors post. So here’s another, and with slightly relaxed conditions: I’m less concerned this time if a potential moveset is already covered in the game to some extent. This let me draw and consider some fun and nostalgic characters, as well as alternate costumes from a broad range of Zelda games. Some of them to add interest use a common or unique item from the games that aren’t necessarily associated with them, but Hyrule Warriors already does that so it’s cool. Now for a breakdown of origins, weapons, and concepts.
Pig Ganon (Zelda 1 etc). Dark Trident -> Nightmare Trident -> Trident of Power (Darkness). Swings his trident and uses dark magic bolts. Like a smaller version of Boss Rush mode Ganon, with a more versatile moveset. Costume: Great Moblin from Oracle of Seasons/Ages.
Sahasrahla (Link to the Past, etc). Cane of Pacci -> Cane of Somaria -> Cane of Byrna (Light). Uses his cane to summon crushing blocks and waves of force. Costume: Old Man from Zelda 1.
Happy Mask Salesman (Majora’s Mask etc). Happy Mask Sack -> Grateful Mask Sack -> Faithful Mask Sack (Darkness). Swings his sack and throws masks; combo finishers use the effects of various masks, such as the Blast Mask for an explosion, Gibdo mask for a paralyzing scream attack, etc. Costume: Lake Scientist from Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask.
Din (Oracle of Seasons). Rod of Seasons -> Rod of Change -> Rod of Nature (Fire). Din moves acrobatically, swinging the Rod of Seasons to call forth sudden plants, snow squalls, or burning sunlight. Costume: Rosa Sisters from Majora’s Mask.
Nayru (Oracle of Ages). Harp of Ages -> Harp of Echoes -> Harp of Time (Water). Sings and plays her harp, sending waves of flowing energy out. Costume: Marin from Link’s Awakening.
Farore (Oracle of Seasons/Ages). Gust Jar -> Gust Bellows -> Whirlwind Jar (Lightning). The Gust Jar sucks enemies in and blows them away with gusts of wind. It was borderline whether to swap her weapon with Makar’s slingshot, either would work. I also envisioned her using Lana’s Book of Sorcery, as happens in some DLC Adventure maps. Costume: Jim of the Bomber Society in Majora’s Mask.
Ricky (Oracle of Seasons/Ages). Boxing Gloves -> Blaino Gloves -> Tornado Gloves (Lightning). Ricky gets up close with flurries of punching attacks and makes use of his special Tornado Punch. Costume: Moosh from Oracle of Seasons/Ages.
Onox (Oracle of Seasons). Gerudo Flail -> Subrosia Flail -> Dark Dragon Flail (Fire). Like Link’s Gloves but with fiery explosions and partial transformations to his dragon form, as with Volga and Ganondorf. And yeah my sprite looks crap but moving on. Costume: the Magic Armour from Twilight Princess.
Veran (Oracle of Ages). Shadow Medallion -> Quake Medallion -> Nightmare Medallion (Darkness). Similar to Cia’s dark magic but also summons swarms of insects. Focus Spirit uses her fairy-like form. Costume: Queen Ambi from Oracle of Ages.
Beedle (Wind Waker etc). Hook Beetle -> Tough Beetle -> Horned Beetle (Lightning). Beedle uses Skyward Sword’s Beetle item similarly to the Spinner, shooting out copies of it that grab enemies and fling them. Some of his specials use bait to call seagulls or pigs to attack. Costume: Business Scrub.
Medli (Wind Waker). Grappling Hook -> Grappling Whip -> Dragon Whip (Fire). Similar to Cia’s whip attacks, the Grappling Hook swings around and can grab and throw enemies. It also has fiery effects and her Focus Spirit finisher summons Valoo. Costume: Laruto from Wind Waker.
Makar (Wind Waker). Fairy Slingshot -> Hyper Slingshot -> Scattershot (Water). The slingshot can fire multiple seeds, and the combo finishers use different seeds from the Oracle games for different effects. Could swap with Farore’s Gust Jar, I can’t decide. Costume: Monkey from Majora’s Mask.
Uncle Rupee (Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland). Green Rupee -> Huge Rupee -> Rupoor (Darkness). Smacks foes around with a large rupee with an evil aura, also shooting out streams of rupees. Some specials involve transforming into his giant rupee head form and slamming the ground. Costume: a Giant from Majora’s Mask.
Hero’s Shade (Twilight Princess). Blue Lantern -> Magic Lantern -> Flame Lantern (Fire). The spirit uses a combination of his sword and a lantern to throw sheets of flame. Costume: His armour parts are recoloured green to resemble Link.
Phantom (Phantom Hourglass etc). Phantom Greatsword -> Darknut Greatsword -> Phantom Ganon Greatsword (Darkness). The Phantom takes mighty swings with its large sword, with the occasional flame or rolling attack. Costume: Silent Realm Guardian from Skyward Sword.
Scrapper (Skyward Sword). Sand Wand -> Nice Sand Rod -> Lanayru Sand Sceptre (Lightning). This Ancient Robot floats around, summoning pillars and streams of sand to attack. Special attacks throw a pot of water or pumpkin soup. Costume: Kakashi from Tingle’s Love Balloon Trip.
See also: my pixel art of existing HW characters.
September 1, 2015
Zelda’s costumes, low-res pixel style!
After my post on Link’s different outfits, I needed a Zelda one too. It’s a lot of her costumes that aren’t your basic pink dress, except for the Zelda 1 version so I guess I have no consistency!
Basic dress (Zelda 1), Animated Series Zelda, casual dress (Link to the Past), Sheik persona (Ocarina of Time), Tetra persona (Wind Waker), dark cloak (Twilight Princess), Phantom Zelda (Spirit Tracks), ritual dress (Skyward Sword), fancy pants outfit (New 3DS Kisekae commercial)
May 23, 2015
Hyrule Warriors, low-detail pixel style!
Now I know that the game already has 8-bit versions of its characters, but mine have even less bits. Maybe I’ll call them 4-bit? This was fun with a range of humanoids, but the outfit designs are sometimes very complex, which makes them difficult to reinterpret.
Link, Impa, Sheik, Lana, Zelda, Ganondorf, Darunia, Ruto, Agitha, Midna, Zant, Fi, Ghirahim, Cia, Volga, Wizzro, Twili Midna, Young Link, Tingle, Cucco
EDIT: Check out the updated version here!
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