For those of you who somehow don't know, I love playing video games, specifically Legend of Zelda, but we will get to that.
I grew up being a "watcher" instead of a player, as I wasn't really allowed to play video games as a young kid, but I would watch my brothers constantly. They'd play Halo, Call of Duty, Zelda, Assassin's Creed, and much more, while little 6-year-old me just sat on the bed, couch, or floor next to my brother, watching very intently. My mother absolutely hated it but couldn't really stop it. It was my brothers and I's bonding time. They'd make stupid remarks while playing and I'd be "back-seat-gaming" even though I had no idea what was going on and I had never played.
The first real video game I actually played was Super Smash Bros Brawl. We'd play it on our Wii and I absolutely sucked at it, therefore throwing fits every time I lost. The other actual video game I played was Halo. I'd build stuff with my brother and then he would promptly blow me up with a rocket launcher. We would also play as a group and I'd die quite often, but every once in a while I would swoop in with a sword or something stupid and one hit K.O. one of them. Granted, after they respawned, they targeted me, but it was worth the points. Still didn't win.
Those two games might've been the first I actually played, but Legend of Zelda was the one that I had watched my brothers play the most. Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Skyward Sword, Twilight Princess, and Majora's Mask were the main ones I remember watching. These are also the ones that most rooted themselves in my brain. I had always wanted to play all of these games, but I was young and my brothers, of course, were overprotective of their expensive games and consoles.
The first Zelda game I ever played was Ocarina of Time. Usually, one of my brothers would watch me and back-seat game which annoyed me, because I wanted to figure things out for myself. Since I had watched my brothers play these games so often, I knew mostly everything that I needed to do.
Fun fact: I've never finished Ocarina of Time
As we got older, I played video games less and less because, as I said, the consoles I played on weren't mine, and I had to ask permission to play said video games.
But when the Nintendo Switch came out was when that fact changed.
My brother split up the cost of the Switch between two of his friends, and they just borrowed it from each other. This meant that when the Switch was at my house, I was allowed to play it! The only game I played was Breath of the Wild and I played it as much as I possibly could. But unfortunately, once again, I had already watched my brothers play most of the game, therefore I wasn't going in blind like I wish I could've, but hey, at least I could play it.
And then my brother moved out and let his friend have the Switch. No more Zelda for me. The Wii console was also his, so he, of course, he took that with him.
Now we only had the Xbox which was fine, I guess, but I had made so much progress on Breath of the Wild, and I vaguely remember being very upset about it. "It wasn't yours, to begin with," my brother had told me. I understood but was still upset.
But just because I didn't have Zelda doesn't mean I wasn't obsessed with it still. It was insane the amount of space this world took up in my brain. I created a ridiculously well-planned fan-fiction of what happened after Breath of the Wild if Link and Zelda got married. Crazy nerd.
Then, another Nintendo Switch came into play (pun intended) when my brother bought a Switch for him and his wife! And he let me borrow it on occasion! I'd play Breath of the Wild, of course, Pokémon, Minecraft, and whatever other games piqued my interest.
Then Tears of the Kingdom was announced.
I wanted/needed a Switch.
I couldn't go on borrowing my brothers. I wanted one for myself.
I began saving up money and needless to say, I was nowhere close, but with a combination of birthday and Christmas money that year, I had it. I did it. I could afford a Switch. I was overjoyed. Only problem? It was Christmas time and hardly any stores had them. We determined that I would have to wait, and my mother had said to me that she would look for different places that might have one.
One day, she surprise picked me up from school. I opened the back door and there. It. Was. Right there. On the seat. Did I scream? Yes, yes I did.
I bought Breath of the Wild when I got home, and that was the only game I had on there for a while. Since then, I do have more games.
But literally, all I could think about through this entire journey of playing video games and wanting a console was solely just to play Zelda.
I could go on for hours about my personal theories about the Legend of Zelda world. I have. I will definitely tell you more in future posts.
I know this might sound cheesy, but my love for the Legend of Zelda is completely unexplainable. It is such a core part of my being that playing it and talking about it, just sends an absurd amount of euphoria through me. It brought me close to my brothers in ways nothing else probably could have.
I've literally cosplayed Zelda from Breath of the Wild and I have plans to cosplay other characters from the stories, so stay tuned for that.
My favorite Zelda game?
My favorite Zelda game to play?
Most nostalgic Zelda game?
Zelda game I really want to play? (I've only watched it)
What consoles do I play on?
I have a Wii U & a Nintendo Switch