Zeldapedia: The Book
In my library, which is what I call the large shelf high up in my closet, sits my small but growing collection ofZeldakeepsakes. Perusing the shelf you’ll find the excellentLegends of Localization Book 1: The Legend of Zelda, my copy ofHyrule Historia, a reprint of the Nintendo PowerA Link to the Pastcomic, the now obsoleteThe Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am, a few Link action figures, some pre-order swag, and the complete set ofZeldamanga. It sounds like a lot, but the shelf is actually quite big and I’m always on the lookout for moreZeldagoodies.
The Legendary World of Zeldawill not be added to my shelf.
Most of the chapters in Hilliard’s book follow a rigid outline. He talks about each game in general, giving an often brief overview of its plot, the items, and its rereleases if applicable. Hilliard repeats himself throughout and often contradicts his own writing. He also writes in weird declarative statements that aren’t exactly opinions, but more of assumptions. For instance, he writes “Every game in theZeldaseries has its fans that will say it is the best, butLink to the Pasthas the most.” In another passage, he says “The console [NES] came packed withSuper Mario Bros., and much of the console’s success is thanks to the plumber brothers. But,The Legend of Zeldashowed players how much fun an interactive video game could be.”
Going through the book, it became evident to me that Hilliard really doesn’t have much to say aboutThe Legend of Zelda. He knows his history or at least knows how to look it up online before regurgitating the information, but I couldn’t find an original thought in these pages. The unyielding structure I mentioned before seems like a good way to organize its content, but it actually disguises the fact there really isn’t much here. It would have been nice to see him lean in and take a deep dive into even one subject, but instead, he left us with a book that barely scratches the surface.
There are a lot of strange omissions as well. When talking about theOraclegames, there is no mention of the Advance Shop even though it’s explicitly said the game released right before the launch of the Game Boy Advance. There’s not a whisper of the Chris Houlihan room in the chapter aboutA Link to the Past. When talking aboutThe Wind Waker, the words “The Great Sea” do not appear. Hilliard also brings up the initial fan reaction toWind Waker’s graphics but fails to mention the Space World 2000 video of the supposedThe Legend of Zelda 128. There is a chapter dedicated toFour Swords Adventures, but the originalFour Swordsis rarely mentioned.
There is also neither a mention of the series’ inclusion inNES Remixnor the fan-createdZelda Classic. The 1988The Legend of Zeldaboard game and Japan-onlyThe Legend of Zelda The Hyrule Fantasyboard game are also absent. I get those two are obscure, but they feel like ridiculous exclusions from aZeldamerchandise section that only features amiibo, recent action figures, andThe Legend of Zelda Monopoly; you know, recent crap that you don’t have to bother putting a little effort into researching.
It’s an incredibly sparse read that only took about two hours cover to cover. Even just glancing through it, a few errors stood out. Typos and poor picture placement I could ignore, but one passage has stuck with me. Hilliard writes “In Japan,Link Between World’s title translates roughly toA Link to the Past 2.” This is false. The Japanese title forA Link Between WorldsisTriforce of the Gods 2as it is a follow-up toA Link to the Past, which was calledTriforce of the Godsin Japan. This seems like a good time to point out Hilliard is sold as having an “encyclopedic knowledge and passion for all thingsZelda.”
Though not its biggest problem, the timing of this book is also quite unfortunate.Breath of the Wildwill be two months old when this hits store shelves. Because this was written before that game’s release, all the information in it is based off pre-release interviews, trailers, and press conferences. The book will be outdated by the time you have a chance to buy it.
Triumph Books saysThe Legendary World of Zelda“represents a wonderful keepsake for longtime players and essential read for the next generation.” Half of that statement is true. If you know of or have a young child who is just getting intoZelda, this wouldn’t be the worst thing you could give that introduces them to the series. But for me, one of those longtime players mentioned above, the book’s a joke.
