Triangular Voices With Tony Tone

The Legend of Zelda - Old vs New | with Chico Gonzalez

Tony Tone

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Talk to Tony Tone

In this episode Tony Tone talks about the legend of Zelda. What was better, the original games or the new open world games.

SPEAKER_00

Good day. Welcome to Triangular Voices, a subsidiary of Ascendall Entertainment. This is your host, Tony Tone. This is our inaugural show. And today we'll be discussing Zelda, the whole mythology of it. And uh for you gamers and non-gamers, everyone's had to heard of Zelda, but um you've experienced it. And I have my guest today is uh Chico Gonzalez. Hello, and he um we would call him a Zelda noob, but uh I wouldn't say that anyway. So uh Zelda's come a long way from 1986, I believe. The first one came out. I was in high school, and that game used to have to draw your diagram your little maps because it never saved, and you it was just but it was a fun game and it evolved. The next one wasn't good, but um I think and I guess you would agree that Ocarina Time came out and boom. I was that's yeah, I played that before. Okay, so you you're familiar with that.

SPEAKER_01

Yep. Well, I played the original, I played two because um it's a little outside my time. I wasn't born yet, but obviously using like the Nintendo Wii, yeah, I was able to play the original one, two, and then Oak Marine Time, Majora's Mask is kind of when I was a kid, so I grew up with those.

SPEAKER_00

Um and just to dwell out number two was more fashioned towards like Mario World, and where you're just moving diagonally, I mean uh horizontally, yeah. And um probably the lamest of the Zelda games.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I didn't like it myself.

SPEAKER_00

So question. This is the one, the debate that a lot of people are having is uh open world or dungeon quest. I mean Ocarena, Majora, Majora Majora's Mass, and the complaint was there wasn't enough dungeons, and here we have Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, where it's just open world and zero dungeons.

SPEAKER_01

Right, and and the stark contrast to those is that you could tell it's it's they designed it for the times because Ocarina Time, the whole purpose was to go defeat the dungeon and collect the essential, like the key, right? I think it was like the medallions and the the emblems or something, and and the actual equipment to uh help you in the next dungeon. So you you you got equipment, you you know, as to where Breath of the Wild, which for the listener, we've played pretty much every Legend of Zelda game. Yes. Um, I haven't uh beat Breath of the Wild just yet. I got pretty far, but you know, I have enough understanding of the game. You know, I probably could go and beat Ganon right now with my character, and you could probably do the same thing. Oh, yeah, I would think I would think so. And then um, but yeah, the the debate is what is better, the dungeon lit the linear dungeon experience or the open world?

SPEAKER_00

I I it it's um what does Tony Tone think? Well, I was totally um biased towards the dungeons, right? And then um I had some guests that my grandchildren would come and they each started an account, and you know, I had to help them, and yeah, and that was just frustrating because kids do everything different, like you know you want to do it, you see it, and they're not right, you're yelling at them, it's right there, and and yeah, so they told me to start my own account, and I did reluctantly because I'm still such I was devoted to the dungeon premise that you know you go, you go in a dungeon, you figure out puzzles, you fight enemies. And again, I was apprehensive going into the Credit and the Wild experience, and um I gotta say, uh I'm um been overwhelmed by how wonderful the game is, the experiences, the uh sights, the sounds, the music, and um it's just in ways you don't miss dungeons, but then in ways you do, because I mean it's such a big world, and at first you're thinking, you know, what do we need all this world for if the quest is because you're right in the very I mean I can go fight Ganon and win the game right now, right? Yeah, without experience, and I have only beat one divine beast, right?

SPEAKER_01

So as as have I, I've only beat the elephant when I yeah, that's the same one I beat.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and I'm doing the lizard one, but see, my thing is this is that's that's still what bothers a little bit is that you have that ability to just go and fight the boss, and it almost is like, well, what's the world for?

SPEAKER_01

Right, you know, you know what I mean? You right, it's like a sandbox, right? It's like, okay, you could kind of create your own story, your own path. Um, although if you my my main gripe with the game is if you stray off their intended paths, the the game feels very empty.

SPEAKER_00

And and and here's here's my rebuttal to that though, and this is what I was thinking that was that same point. But as as you're moving along, you start to understand there's patterns, and there's same sequences that happen where uh the monsters are attacking civilians, you know, just yeah, and um you go to the rescue, and um I always run by those people. I don't even know. That's terrible. Poor people are yelling for help, and they run in lay on the floor with them little stars.

SPEAKER_01

I watched a guy get hit in the head with the club and he goes and gets passed down. I was like, all right, I'm gonna go. The little stars are like, all right, sorry.

SPEAKER_00

Oh my god, you're one of them. But anyway, um so you know, I find that intriguing, and and um I really started to get a kick out of the cooking and how you can uh you know create certain dishes and elixir. So I get that point, but is it better than the well in Ocarina? Right.

SPEAKER_01

Or well, to to me, the the thing is is that Wind Waker is very similar to Breath of the Wild in terms of but you still had that philosophy of dungeons, exactly.

SPEAKER_00

That's what I was about to say. Would you agree that starting with Majora's Mass, other than Twilight Princess, they lessened the dungeons, they decreased the number of them.

SPEAKER_01

Well, yeah, they I think what happens is they when the Wii came out, they wanted to design a game with the motion controls, and that's where the Skyward Sword came in, and apparently that had some pretty negative reviews.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so I we did it, and uh I mean I we I did it, and yeah, it was uh it wasn't a good experience, right? But then I got the game without the controllers, and it was a much more enjoyable.

SPEAKER_01

As to where like Twilight Princess was an amazing experience. Oh, yes, where it's like remember, like you don't even know you're in a dungeon yet, and you go into that little snow mansion, and you're just like, Oh, is this just and then it's a dungeon, and you're like, Oh wow, this is something. Yeah, they did they did do that, and don't you get the ball in chain, you throw it, and remember all that?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, and you swing it. Yeah, yeah, that was fun. That was and and and um you would think with that that they would develop you know a pattern, you know. Cause I don't mind if it's not such a big open world if it were just right be like that, but I'd be in the minority because this Breath of the Wild is the highest, even more than Tears of the Kingdom, yeah, is sold.

SPEAKER_01

See, in and the thing about Breath of the Wild, so when I was playing it, my first playthrough, you know, you you claim I'm a Zelda noob, but you know, I I stomped through my way through that game. Keep in mind I haven't played it until this year, and so I played games like Elden Ring, which you probably don't know what Elden Ring is, but it's a Dark Souls game where it's pretty challenging, right? Where it's like one of it's known as like some of the hardest games out there. And so coming to play Breath of the Wild, I learned the combat quick, and the game turned more monotonous. Where I'm like, okay, well, if I go kill this lynx or whatever they are, the Lynels, I'm like, I can't I can kill it, I know how to kill it, it does the same four moves, but now the issue is that I'm gonna use all the durability for like four of my weapons.

SPEAKER_00

And and um that's funny, I still haven't killed one, and I fought several of them, and and um you're right because and this is another frustrating part is the weapons, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

The the them breaking is so annoying, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And um you build an arsenal just to fight a major player and you lose half your arsenal right, and then you get one sword for it. Yeah, if that so you're trading four or five weapons for the one. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01

So then, like when you kill a Lionel, you're gonna get a bow, you're gonna get some arrows, you're gonna get a sword or an axe or a shield, whatever he has on him. But to me, that's like, is it worth it? Is it even worth it going kill these guys? I haven't yet, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And and and I have the master sword, and the lowest weapon I have is I think 36. Right, right. And um, so in that sense, as far as accumulative behavior in a game to where you're just roaming the world, I've seen the whole world, did all the towers, and um lately I've been just uh exploring. Oh, it's fun, yeah. Yeah, and and uh have you done the island yet where uh I got lose all your gear? Yeah, I got thrashed pretty quick. Oh man, I love that island. That was so fun.

SPEAKER_01

I I was doing all right, but um well and see, and I'm so I don't look anything up. I refuse to oh no, no, no, I'm the exact same way. So it took me forever to realize that you need a leaf to make your boat move.

SPEAKER_00

Well, I figured that out right from from swinging it because I used it as a weapon, yeah. Oh wow, yeah, and it was like uh so it works on like uh bees and bats for a little bit. Yeah, but see, and that's the beauty of that game, is like there's all these little mechanics of the game that you figure out, it yes, and there's secrets I don't want to reveal so many, but uh you know, off air, I could tell you a couple that I've learned. Um well the game's been out for a long time, yeah. Well, you could use the chest to push the boats too. Oh handy metal. If you put it there and just keep pushing forward, it'll move the boat. Oh, wow, okay. Yeah, and I found that, and you can fly your boat from a place with them um octo the balloon, they're balloons, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, it's right attached on there, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You gotta be quick and you can lift it straight. But yeah, there's there's so many things that little little things that that the game and I've been playing a couple months now, yeah. Yeah, and uh yeah, I've opened the whole world and I have yeah, me too. Before I quit playing, I have the master sword, um, and I haven't beat any line. I've seen Ganon, I've been in the castle, um fighting the guardians, I can defeat them, but as you were saying, it's like almost to a point where why do you even fight? Right, you know, why even fight? You could go around and have a great time saving people every now and then and just enjoy, cook food, give food away, I mean sell it.

SPEAKER_01

Well, and when I first start playing it, see the thing is that like the original Zelda's Legend of Zelda games, like you have to do it, beat the dungeons to progress, you know, and that was fun, yeah, and that made the game it gave it purpose to where you could jump on Breath of the Wild and say, uh, I'm gonna go swimming today and catch fish, or I'm gonna go skiing.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, um snow, what is that on your snowboarding, yeah? Snowboarding, yeah, or I'm gonna do that on the hills, and I've been doing that, but um you could do horse, you know, racing your horse, you can gamble on in the village, and there's so many things you can do that are abstract from defeating the game. Right. You can have so much fun and never even think about fighting.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And you don't even have to fight any of the beasts. Well, yeah, you can technically beat the game, but I do think they're gonna be a good one. No, I'm saying you could you could no, they do. They do each one, but it it's almost like I find myself now that I'm in a second, the second Divine Beast, do I want to finish?

SPEAKER_01

Right.

SPEAKER_00

Because then Well, I'm even if you beat the game, though, you could continue to play. Well, yeah, yeah, but yeah, I'm one of them people that when you beat it, you and replayability. I just recently played, replayed Ocarina. Um, you know, my roommate, he bought a Wii U and it had all these Zelda games. So I played A Link to the Past, awesome, Minish Cap, awesome. Uh Spirit Rider, whatever, Spirit Train, horrible. And um yeah, that was about it. Uh so they're older Zelda titles, but all with the same premise until now. Right. And we have the 40th anniversary coming up, and there's hints that they're gonna remake Ocarina, Majora, and Wind Waker in some type of package and reveal the newest Zelda. And uh it should come out the year after the movie, which the movie slayed it for next year. Okay, so 28.

SPEAKER_01

I wonder if the movie's gonna be any good.

SPEAKER_00

I think if they do it right, if they do it right, and the early indications that they're gonna make it a trilogy, but if they do it right, how can you screw up Zelda? I mean, you could, you really could.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, I obviously it's linked. I know, it's just it's oh boy. And so you'll get confused. You'll be like, wait, I thought the other person was Zelda. Maybe a lot of people call him Zelda.

SPEAKER_00

Well, because that's the name of the game. It's it's ironic. You're playing a game called Zelda, you're the hero, and his name's not Zelda.

SPEAKER_01

No, and Zelda has no part in the game. She doesn't, especially in um Breath of the Wild. You kind of I kind of dislike her. I'm like, what is this? What is her? But I'm just like, what does she do? Well, does she like treats Link like trash? It's like, hey, I'm like typical woman, yeah. I guess you're right, right?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and after the game, she probably takes half, yeah, half all his inventory, his rubies. Yeah, yeah. But um, let's let's go back, okay. Storyline. So there really isn't a storyline in Breath of the Wild, and that's one good thing is you create your own story, you create it, but it is weak, right?

SPEAKER_01

Where it's like you were trapped in time, you were reborn, you're learning the ancient technology. And to me, they're pretty much what they did was they um erased the old lore and said this is the new age of Zelda. Because even back in the day, the guardians, the Sheikah mask, you know, thing or the uh the lens of truth, things like that, right? Yeah, they were limited to the the technology of the time, right? Now they say, Oh, cool, you can like pick up a rock or you know, magnetize something, or freeze a and so they added all these new mechanics, and then in Tears of the Kingdom, it's essentially Breath of the Wild 2, where it's like the same exact type of gameplay mechanics.

SPEAKER_00

But from my understanding, is Tears of the Kingdom is most almost like being an engineer in that game because all you're doing is contracting vehicles to get ordered.

SPEAKER_01

But you know, I I haven't even played it, so I don't know. Neither have I. I played a little bit, and uh I will though eventually.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, I guess so. Once if I ever do decide to beat. Right. But okay, and this is I'm putting you on the spot. Best Zelda game that you've played in beat.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, um Majora's Mask.

SPEAKER_00

Agreed. Yep. Um well let's see if you agree with me. A great story. The storyline is wonderful from Majora's Mask?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, yeah. No, uh, I think that Majora's Mask is kind of similar to where it's like it's not like a fresh game from Okraine and Time, right? It it's pretty much Okra and Time, but like an alternate story. But that story in Majora's Mask is amazing. Yes, and every mask has a story behind it, and there's all there's all these like uh remember the what is it called? The sketcher book you get where you keep track of everyone's story, and then some people have a notebook, notebook, yeah. The notebook, and and some people have like three-day stories, like when you're yeah, when you have the the the mailman, you figure out the his story, his storyline, and you save him, and um yeah, I thought it it's there's certain love is is the main thing of that game, I think. Well, love and emotion loss, yeah, and loss, love, loss, and and the three-day system is amazing.

SPEAKER_00

It it it really it and to go back and forth in time and speed and slow days.

SPEAKER_01

Well, and it's just such a it's it's such a good game because there's nothing like it at the time, right? And then when you restart your day, you're like, okay, uh, now I need to go over. Let's let's just say um the Goron place, the snow mountain. And you're like, okay, now I gotta rush over there, you know, teleport with the owl, right? And then rush over there, get into the dungeon, you know, and then and then now I'm gonna go to dick and I got two and a half days to finish this, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's fun, it makes you anxious. It the story's great, it's the best story, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_00

I I agree. And um, one of the things that was a drawback that you have to kind of you know, you learn the dungeon because a lot of times you finish a dungeon, and then after you're done, you know, there's all those good things you could do around that area because it's freed and the day runs out.

SPEAKER_01

So I know, and then you have to, you know, you have to do it all over and do it that much quicker, and um yeah, but as far as but that's the beauty of the game, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, a quick side note though, it my answer would have been Twilight Princess, but the issue is Twilight Princess is too easy. You think yeah, they gave you too much movement and abilities to fight, and no boss ever felt like a challenge in that game.

SPEAKER_00

I guess well, the the skeleton when you're when you're uh on the a roller and you're going in a circle, and he's not that that would yeah, it wasn't so much a challenge, but I thought that was pretty fun, right?

SPEAKER_01

But it it it's almost a testament to like are the older controllers better, right? Yes, I would agree. Because then you're like it's more of a challenge navigating the controls and fighting the boss.

SPEAKER_00

Well, and to go a little bit further, I think in the Twilight Princess, I think the whole premise of the dungeon was the dungeon itself, and the exact and the boss was sort of an afterthought.

SPEAKER_01

And but and that's what was sad because I just remember I forgot his name, but remember when you go to like the shadow realm or the twilight realm and you fight that guy, like he's like the main evil guy there, and he like does it. Um what's the girl was the princess, right?

SPEAKER_00

Memphis or something like that.

SPEAKER_01

No, something it was, but he like spins around and he has like the swords, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He takes you to all the maps, and it's just like to me, I'm like, that was the one of the easiest fights. And you're like, I wish it was just a little bit harder, you know, a little bit more difficult. Um, as to where Majora's Mask is tough because the controls you're doing, you know, like fighting the in the Goron mountain when you're fighting the bull, right? You're like racing, you have to be the Goron and spin.

SPEAKER_00

Because in the when I first played it years, 20 years ago, and um it was a struggle. Yeah, and I recently beat Majora's Mask, and um I found that the bull was so easy, yeah. Right, and there was ways that you could not even roll and beat it, right?

SPEAKER_01

You could shoot it, and well, and and in um the the final boss of Majora's Mask. That was fun, yeah. And then so essentially I remember uh like you could either get all the masks and then get the deity mask, and then I beat him without the deity mask.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I've won them both ways, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And then so, and but then I've beaten him with the deity mask, and it's it gets much easier, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

It is, yeah, but even then that's cheating.

SPEAKER_01

I yeah, that that gives you too much of an advantage to me. The Majora's Mask fight is you know, the Majora's Mask has more difficulty than like Twilight Princess. As to where you can argue, though, that the Breath of the Wild game is one of the one of their most difficult games because you're getting destroyed by the guardians.

SPEAKER_00

There's there's there's elements to that game that are, and I don't know how the game knows, but they're the um I guess we'll call them the little goblins that you fight. Yeah, once you start getting good weapons, they introduce white ones, red ones, different colored ones, they start fighting, and there's their weapons are leveled up to the highest.

SPEAKER_01

And then what's funny is the hardest part of that game is the beginning. Then once you start getting your armor and your weapons and you upgrade your armor, it's it becomes easy because I've gotten to the point to where like I'm just destroying everything with bows and arrows. So am I, yeah. Where you're just like, okay, yeah, it's fun, but it it it beats the butt.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, again, off track. I don't know if you would agree. The greatest experience, greatest fight, shadow link, and Ocarina of time in the water temple, yeah, shadow link. Ooh. It just your first time through. Tell me that wasn't one of the funnest experiences you've ever experienced.

SPEAKER_01

See, it it it's gonna be okay. That that is a tough one. That that fight's great when he jumps on your sword and and slices you. That that's fun. But Okraine Time also has the Shadow Temple boss where he's drumming. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

That's a hard one, too. That's hard, very hard. But that whole dungeon, and that's that is what I'm saying about the experience of that dungeon is probably that and the forest temple. Oh, the forest temple is hands down one of the greatest levels.

SPEAKER_01

Greatest music, greatest level designs of any game of all time. It is really great.

SPEAKER_00

Where you go and fight the witches, you solve the puzzles, but the puzzles and how it's just it's funny, and that there's beautiful pieces.

SPEAKER_01

No, yeah, it gives you this like mysterious feeling, and then you fight the Ganon for the first time, his like clone or whatever. Yeah, Shadow Ganon. Yeah, yeah. But no, Shadow Link's definitely up there for me. It's gonna in um the Shadow Temple. It sucks where that, you know, we're we're not too big of nerds where we know every single boss name. I bet people who are listening are probably like these guys are news, they're the news. Yeah, but um honestly in Majora's Mask as well, when you're fighting um the what's his name? The the gosh, what is it called? The first temple, when you're the Deku, you fight that first boss, the guy that dances some of the biggest. Yeah, that's a fun fight too much. Waller Waller, yeah, yeah. That's a lot of fun, you know. Because it because the first boss in Oak Rand time is easy. You just hit him in the eye with your slingshot, he falls down, you slice him up, it's a super easy boss. Even my first playthrough, I'm like, wow, this is so easy. Then you go into Majora's mask, you're like, Oh, this is not easy, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And the frogs on the bubbles, oh yeah, it was fun. And um, and if you want to complete the three-day cycle, you have to go back to the dungeons to save those frogs so that they sing at the end, yeah. So, yeah, right, and then the fairies, you how you have to go get the fairies.

SPEAKER_01

So, no, Majora's mask to me is still it's oh I agree.

SPEAKER_00

I I well, yeah, because Ocarina was the catalyst that I think opened up the world of Zelda to the common gamer.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And and um wow, look at where we're at. Yeah, Tears of the Kingdom and Zelda will be 40 years next year.

SPEAKER_01

That that's impressive. It is impressive, and it's one of the the top gaming franchises of all time.

SPEAKER_00

And uh again, we're gonna go back to the movie. Is it good or bad, you think?

SPEAKER_01

Unfortunately, I think it might be bad. Oh the the reason why is because it you need to animate that movie, right?

SPEAKER_00

Well, the with with the blue screen and and the um the AI the way it is, I think you can you can because if if if they follow the storyline of just just open world but with dungeons and that whole philosophy where he's trying to save Zelda, I mean it could they could do it really well and they can blow it, they could butcher it.

SPEAKER_01

It's gonna be it's up, it's up in here. I'm not gonna get my hopes up. But I kind of am. I I really uh if they pull it off right, it's gonna be amazing, you know. Yeah the story of uh Zelda Link Ganendorf with the Sheikas and all that. It's endless. Oh, and the Gorons, and they have all the characters they need. Yeah, they have all the characters they need to make it an amazing, you know, probably uh end up becoming a series or something. So well, it's endless what they can do. Yeah, yeah. There's there's you know, people love like you know, Game of Thrones or um any all these other medieval magical things, and I'm like, dude, Legend of Zelda is right, it's right there with them.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so last question. If and we haven't played Tears of the Kingdom in order to I have not.

SPEAKER_01

I know that's another thing that people are probably gonna be mad about. Like, you guys haven't beaten either of the games, we're new, we're new here. Uh we're we're we're uh but we've beaten all the originals, so we have a ton of you know, and I still prefer ochre in time and majora's mask over Breath of the Wild right now, you know.

SPEAKER_00

And I'm I'm kind of in that that realm too, and then you throw in um Wind Waker, that ocean exploring.

SPEAKER_01

I think that was the bridge to Breath of the Wild, that that exploring Wind Waker, and you know what's crazy is a lot of people like the reviews for Wind Wakers are like it's one of the worst ones.

SPEAKER_00

But I'm like, I loved Wind Waker, and it's the highest, it's it's right now if you try to buy it, it's over a hundred dollars. Oh, for like it's a cult classic now. Yeah, now that it was disregarded when it was out, right, and now everyone, you know, it's just one of those things. But you're in on death row, and they say, Okay, you could play one Zelda game for 24 hours. Which one is it?

SPEAKER_01

Ooh. You know what? I'm gonna have to go honestly, I'm gonna have to go to Wind Waker. Ooh. Because every little island, you know, that's not a bad challenge. And plus it's the one where like I've least experienced it, and it it's it's open, you know. Yeah, or yeah, where it's like, okay, I've beat I've beat Wind Waker, right? But to me, I'm like, but I haven't like remember going for the bit the sunken treasure and all that, yeah and trying to get the rare treasure. Yeah, no, yeah, I'd have to pick Wind Waker. What about you? Uh Arena. Ocarina? Without a doubt, yeah, without a doubt. Majora, sorry, but um Ocarina, that that whole which is funny because we both picked Majora's Mask as our top one, yet we're on the last death level. I would play Ocarina. Yeah, and I would do Wind Waker. Only reason why I would do Wind Waker is because that cartoon feel of the game and the exploration. Yeah, and here's the thing about Wind Waker.

SPEAKER_00

Um I just went to finish it. I didn't explore it. And there's so much you can do, and that's one of the reasons that um, and we'll leave this for the next conversation. Why I like Breath of the Wild in a sense that you can do, yeah. And I just recently discovered cutting grass, and you can get frogs and lizards and pharaohs. Yeah, and so I can make apple pie. Right, there you go. So, anyway, well, Chico, thank you for your time. All right, thank you for having me. And um hope you enjoyed the inaugural Triangular Voices, again, a subsidiary of Ascendol Entertainment. And um, thank you for your time. We'll talk to you soon. All right, Tony Tone out, Chico out as well.