It's time to kick it old school with another entry into our Definitive Ranking series, this time, examining the game that started it all: The Legend of Zelda! We’re going through ten critical categories that make up the ingredients to a Zelda game – world, story, pacing, art style, dungeons, bosses/enemies, items, gameplay, extras, and music – and assigning them each a score to see how the original game stacks up against all of the legendary entries that came after it! Some of the scores will...

We're back this week continuing the discussion around Tears of the Kingdom, except this time, we're comparing and contrasting it to three other direct sequels in the Zelda franchise: Majora's Mask, Phantom Hourglass, and A Link Between Worlds! We go over what makes a game a direct sequel in our eyes, how each game changed up the gameplay from its predecessors, if there was enough new content to make the sequel feel distinct, and so much more! We're also covering the reaction to our Tears of...

It's hard to believe, but it's been one year since the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, so this week, we're reflecting back on the game and talking about how our thoughts or opinions have changed or been cemented now that the dust has settled. We discuss Tears' legacy as a sequel, as a standalone Zelda game, and where it ranks among our favorite Zelda games. Andy and Al both have strong opinions on the game, and they don't necessarily agree either, so get ready for a...

Unfortunately, Andy is out sick this week. So we thought we’d take it easy and discuss some of ZD’s latest Daily Debates! And joining Al in place of Andy is The Zelda Cast’s podcast producer extraordinaire, Adrielle! Here’s what’s up for discussion: What is the best final dungeon in the Zelda series? Is Adventure of Link really that bad? What is our favorite item in our personal Zelda collections? And also, what the heck are the snapper turtles saying in Majora’s Mask? Absolutely riveting...

Al's away and Andy's taking a spa day this week, so we have a first for our show: we're unlocking the very first episode of the Zelda Cast Top Tens that we ever did! For our debut episode, the one and only Alasyn Eletha joins the show for a double header Top Ten list: The moment emotional moments in the Zelda series, and the cheeky-but-fun Top Ten Ugliest Twilight Princess characters (paying off a running joke that's been running hard since episode one!). From waking the Wind Fish to parting...

It's time for the triumphant return of the best game in this Legend of Zelda business - The Zelda Cast's Guess That Zelda Character! The premise is simple - we have 16 yes or no questions to guess a Zelda character from any game in the series! This time around, our competitors are "The Canadian Nightmare" Andy Spiteri, "The Rain Waker" Alasyn Eletha, and "Main Event" Jules Gia. Come play along with us and try not to pull your hair out as we try and one up each other putting our Zelda...

Welcome back to the show this week, as we delve into a fantastic new Zelda fan album from acclaimed producer Jokabi and record label GameChops called "Zelda's Lofi Kingdom"! This is a soothing, melodic album that remixes some of the best tracks from Tears of the Kingdom, so this week, we delve in and review the album, talking our favorite tracks, nicest remixes, differences between this album and the Zelda & Chill series, what tracks we might have left off and what tracks we would have...

Recently, our Zelda Dungeon Writing Staff released a feature that collected the various writers' SPICIEST Zelda hot takes, and just like we did on the podcast a few months ago, we're now reacting to each take and assigning it a SPICE meter. On the table: is the downfall timeline the only logical conclusion for the timeline to go following the events of Ocarina of Time? And speaking of that game, is nostalgia the only thing keeping it atop our Best Zelda Ever lists? Is Ballad of the Goddess...

Welcome to a nice and cozy edition of the show today, as have a chill time answering some of the amazing Daily Debates our Writing Team ha created! On the docket today: is 5-6 years between 3D Zelda games the new norm now, and if so, should it be? What's one of the more underrated themes in the series? What's our favorite piece of Zelda content in Super Smash Bros.? Why wasn't underwater exploration included in Tears of the Kingdom? Could the age of online play give Four Swords Adventures a...

Welcome to another episode of the show, where this week, we have the honor of closing out Zelda Dungeon's Four Swords Week celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the single most unheralded Zelda game of them all: Four Swords Adventures! Andy and Al recount their memories of the game from the time it was first announced, to the first time they played together at the Zelda Dungeon Marathon, and reflect on the things that held it  back from being a huge sales success. We also talk about our...

Welcome to the Zelda Cast, where this week, we're not really talking about Zelda! Well, that's not entirely true, but this week's show is all about the sequel to one of the best new franchises we've played in recent years: Horizon: Forbidden West! Listen as we explore our thoughts on what this sequel did differently than Tears of the Kingdom, being an open world sequel itself, and what areas Forbidden West did better, and what areas Zelda came out on top. Plus, we talk about the new machines,...

Another year, another chance to vote for your favorite song in Zelda Dungeon's sixth annual Musical March Madness!! The 64-song single elimination tournament returns yet again, and we're going through and picking out what songs we think are going to end up winning this year! Joined by Omega Metroid's Doominal Crossing, the gang go through match-by-match, song-by-song until there's only one champion left! With music from Tears of the Kingdom entering the fray this year, the field is wide open,...

In a followup to last weeks episode ranking all of the amazing bosses of Twilight Princess, we thought we would keep the good times rolling by judging all of the different mini-bosses of Link's Twilight Realm adventure! Luckily for us, the mini-bosses in this game are as good if not better than a bunch of the main bosses, so come hang out as we determine where personal fights against good characters like Ook and Dangoro stack up against menacing monsters like Death Sword or Darkhammer, and...

We're kicking it old school this week, as we're dialing it back to 2006 to talk about Twilight Princess, and specifically, the bosses! We're conducting a good ol' fashioned boss ranking this week, and no Zelda game has a stronger selection of baddies than Link's adventure through the Twilight Realm! From the fun-incarnate race against Stallord and the emotional confrontation with Blizzeta all the way to the epic sky battle versus Argorok to the amazing final confrontation again the Dark Lord...

The future of the smaller, quainter 2D Zelda games seems to be in question now that there's no dedicated handheld-only console, but never fear! We're keeping the hope alive by detailing things we would want to see from a new top-down 2D adventure! Everything is on the table as we look at things that games like A Link Between Worlds, Tunic, and Blossom Tales did well to get an idea of what we want. A new art style? Must have! An original setting outside of Hyrule? Yes please! Improved combat...

What's up everybody? It seems that the announcement of the Switch 2 is imminent, so this week, the gang get together to talk about what we'd like to see from Nintendo's next console! Things like an upgraded dock, "transformer" controllers, official battery packs, revamped eShop, and Discord support are all discussed, PLUS we predict some of the games we envision the Switch 2 having in it's first year on the shelf (spoiler: unfortunately, neither of us are sure a new Zelda game is gonna be on...

While any news or announcements on the upcoming live-action Legend of Zelda movie may not be forthcoming for a while, that didn't our Zelda Dungeon writing staff from putting together an amazing feature called Dreams for the Silver Screen: Our Zelda Movie Pitches where, as the title suggests, they laid out their best ideas and scenarios for the upcoming flick, so this week, we're reacting and analyzing all the great thoughts found in the article! We debate things like how much, if at all,...

We're back for another action packed episode as we take to answering some of our incredible Zelda Dungeon Writing Team's Daily Debate questions! We're talking a lot about Tears of the Kingdom specifically, giving our answers to questions like: would a new map have increased our enjoyment of the game? Could the Master Cycle Zero have worked in this version of Hyrule? Where would we have added an extra dungeon on the map? Is Tears the most replayable Zelda game of all time? What story plot...

Way back when, we pitched a (not to pat ourselves on the back, but a GREAT SOUNDING) cyberpunk Zelda game that would blend the traditions that we love in the series with some features and themes often associated in the cyberpunk genre. After three long year, we're BACK to give our ideas to TWO MORE cyberpunk Zelda titles! We're joined by Zelda Cast producer Adrielle Munger as she gives her vision for The Legend of Zelda: The Silent Sisters, a narrative focused survival based Zelda game with...

Welcome welcome to our THREE HUNDREDTH EPISODE CELEBRATION! This episode is a special one, as we're celebrating six years of The Zelda Cast, five years of Virtual Theater, and four years of Omega Metroid by getting all of our amazing hosts (sans Gooey!) into one place to answer some Zelda, Metroid, and Virtual Theater trivia in the form of Jeopardy! This is an episode where, if you can, you should check out the video version to get the best experience (click here to watch on YouTube). This...

Welcome to 2024! We're getting the year started off on the right foot by doing what we do best: basely speculating! We look forward to the end of 2024 and talk about which, if any, Zelda games we could see released and what scenario's would lead to that. Of course, the elephant in the room that will determine so much in 2024 is the Switch 2 and when it might be revealed and released, so we also spend some time covering our thoughts on that. Lastly, we look forward to more updates on the live...

The year that was 2023 has come to a close, so the gang decide to reflect back on the year that! After a pretty lacklustre 2022, Zelda returned to form in 2023, thanks in no small part to the release of Tears of the Kingdom (finally!). We review the lead up to the game coming out, the trailers, the no-DLC confirmation, all the other Zelda games that made their way to NSO, midnight release stories, the hilarious tweet announcing the live action Zelda movie, and talk about some of the other...

It's the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas - Zelda Dungeon's Best Zelda Ever list is out, and as always, we're breaking it down game by game, entry by entry to see what we agreed with, disagreed with, were shocked by, and what pleasantly surprised us! The biggest questions this year were what kind of impact Tears of the Kingdom would have on the list, and if it could possibly dethrone Ocarina of Time as the list's champion after a dominant five year stretch! Plus, how does...

The 2023 Game Awards have come and gone, and just like in years past, we've watched it so you don't have too! We break down Tears of the Kingdom's performance and debate whether it deserved to win GOTY or not, as well as give our thoughts on some of the other winners and the format of Geoff Keighly's extravaganza as a whole! We also talk about what announcements got us excited and what games we're looking forward to! PLUS, we break down series producer Eiji Aonuma's recent thoughts on Tears...

After a long, long layoff, Definitive Ranking returns to the Zelda Cast, and what better game to usher its return than the most recent entry into the series: Tears of the Kingdom! We're going through ten critical categories that make up the ingredients to a Zelda game - world, story, pacing, art style, dungeons, bosses/enemies, items, gameplay, extras, and music - and assigning them each a score to see where Tears ranks among the hallowed halls of greatest Zelda games of all time! Some of the...