I can’t deny that I was surprised by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild last year. I hadn’t been impressed with the game since Wind Waker. Wind Waker was amazing! It had story and heart, things that have been missing from Zelda games since then. Until Breath of the Wild.

I don’t personally think Breath of the Wild is better than Wind Waker, but it certainly does deserve the celebration it’s been given in the past year. It’s the best Zelda game released in a long time (since 2002, in my personal opinion).

Getting to the topic on hand, I’m sure that the magical world of Hyrule has its own laws of logic and that they have plenty of reasons for all I’m about to poke fun of. But if those reasons aren’t explored during gameplay, then they’re not reasons. Link’s journeys to defeat Ganondorf are filled with convenience, kindly strangers and logic puzzles.

While this can certainly make for good gameplay, it doesn’t really fit into the hero’s adventure. Some of the traps left and dungeons Link goes through just have me scratching my head, wondering why the “bad guys” think these were good security measures or why they hid this treasure in their dungeon. I’m sure some of these can be brushed off as the magic of Hyrule, but there are some that even the most devoted Nintendo fan can’t defend.

25 Mover Of Boxes

One of the things I like most about Wind Waker is that Link isn’t destined to become the legendary hero of Hyrule and doesn’t have to pass a test like this to prove it. He just wants to rescue his sister and will do anything to do it. He’s not selected for the quest because he proved himself, but because he volunteered!

Proving that you’re the chosen one must be standard for all prospective chosen ones, but the ability to move boxes probably isn’t the best way to test people. Granted, there's a lot of moving boxes in Link's adventures, but surely Link isn’t the only person in Hyrule who can move boxes.

Comic by VGCats.

24 Just Because

Logic in Link’s world is very selective. I’ve been playing Zelda games many times and thought that doing “A” then “B” would probably solve the problem, but the game won’t give me that option.

Granted, this is something that could be said of pretty much every video game ever. They’ll always be a point where you’ll see a quicker way out or a way to complete a puzzle, that the game just says no be. But in Zelda, it’s a little more annoying, since there is a lot of logic to it. You’re encouraged to pay attention to your surroundings and use what you’ve found to overcome situations. If you have, say, a “gust bellows” and a “sailcloth” that can get you out of a situation, then you should be able to use it.

Comic by CorpseRunComics.

23 Carrying Bombs

Wind Waker might be my Zelda game of choice, but that doesn’t mean it’s without its faults. In this game, bombs are so big and heavy that Link has to carry them with two hands above his head (the bombs almost matching the size of his head). Despite this, he manages to acquire a “magic” bag that allows him to carry ninety-nine of the things! But bottles that can contain things like soup, potions, and fairies? You can only get four.

Firstly, you don’t really need the magic bag. Hyrule rains bombs, given how often you find them in the grass and Ganon’s left a load around his dungeons for you. Secondly, why are there only four bottles in all of Hyrule? I have four in my kitchen right now! And where did everyone keep their drinks whilst Link was using them?

22 Don’t Mess With Chickens

There is one solid rule in every Zelda game. Don’t mess with the animals! Whilst the bad guys in Hyrule explode if you hit them with your sword a couple times, the animals in Link’s world are made of much tougher stuff. I’ve certainly never taken a sword to a chicken or a pig in the real world, and never plan to, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be as hard to defeat as Nintendo seems to think they are. If you hit a chicken (or a pig) with your sword, it’ll flash red, get surprised and run off. If you try again, you’ll probably get the same result. And if you’re persistent... well then, that little farm animal is going to kick your butt! Screw Link, let’s just send that big piggy on Windfall to get Ganon!

21 Money Grows On Trees

I touched upon this a little bit when I was talking about bombs, but the amount of money people drop in the grass is ridiculous. Not to mention the amount of money the bad guys hide in their dungeons for no explained reason.

I suppose it doesn’t matter, really, as Hyrule’s economy is a bit broken. There are never more than five stores and they all sell things that you’d only need if you were on some quest to save the world. What if you just want to go to the grocery store and get some milk or something? No such store exists, so there’s no point in having money! I guess you could use the money to buy bigger houses or something. Or just throw it on the grass.

20 He’s Not Zelda

I’ve seen several discussions in the community about why the games are called The Legend of Zelda, not The Legend of Link, if Link is the hero and the playable character. My personal theory is that traditional fairy tales are normally named after the Princess, such as Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, even though it’s the Prince that does the saving. The legend is about Princess Zelda. Link is the night in shining armor who comes to rescue her. I’ve no sources from Nintendo to back this up, it’s just my thoughts.

Despite this, when I hear kids shrieking outside “I’m playing Zelda” then running around with a sword, I feel nerd bile rise inside me. Unless they want to be Zelda and have decided the Princess can save herself... then good for you!

Comic by MeeeLifer.

19 Link Can’t Jump

If Link takes a run-up, he can jump over fairly impressive distances. He can jump over gaps in staircases, over gaps in bridges, over cliffs, down stairs, up stairs (if running), and can fly with the help of a chicken (we’ll get to that later). But he can’t jump up and grab a key. He can drag a box over to jump onto, to jump onto the shelf to get the key, but he can’t jump high enough to actually get the key. Or he could run against the wall, roll hard against it and maybe the shelf will break, and the key will fall to the ground. Also, home security 101. Don’t put the key to a locked door in the same room as the locked door.

Comic by Domics.

18 Breaking Stuff

Just a quick message to the kids: If you’re in someone’s house, or out and about in public, don’t go around to break people’s vases. They bought those vases, and breaking them is destruction of property. Even if they have money or goodies in them, then the money and goodies belong to the owner of the vase. They’ve probably put them in there to keep them safe and don’t want you breaking them.

I don’t know who taught Link that it was okay to run around breaking vases for the rupees inside them, but that’s certainly not a great life lesson. And with those tiny slender arms, Link certainly could just reach inside to grab whatever it was he wanted to steal. He’s just breaking them to be annoying!

17 Link’s Disguises

I don’t know about you, but never when I’m playing a video game have I stepped aside to put on a disguise. Partially because I can’t be bothered but also because I find it stupidly funny. It literally doesn’t matter if a guard is standing right in front of you when you put on your disguise, so long as you’re wearing it the game can progress.

As much as can argue about the lack of logic in this move, it’s not something I want video games to evolve out of. It’s one of those little quirks that make games fun. So what if the guard saw you put on the mask and transform into “Mikau” before their eyes. You look the part now, so come on in!

Comic by Humanoid-Magpie.

16 Link’s Weapons

A weapon is only as powerful as the game decides it is.

While we all have different perceptions about what is fun, sometimes a weapon that looks super boring actually turns out to be pretty deadly. I mean, we all know how destructive fire can be, but since you can literally blow a candle out or put it out with your fingers, one wouldn’t think it would set a whole bunch of stuff on fire. Also, I know Link’s boomerang can stun enemies, attack smaller ones and the all-important "turn a bunch of switches on at once" factor. Whoop whoop! But that has to be one of the duller weapons you acquire. Surely bows and grappling hooks open up more possibilities. A boomerang isn’t exactly a classic weapon.

15 Don’t Play With Fire

Moving on from the powerful (or not so powerful) weapons, fire as a concept in Hyrule is very selective. You can use a flame from a candle to set everything on fire and destroy stuff, but carrying a flaming torch inside a literal tree doesn’t pose any problems.

I have no doubt that setting fire to a spiderweb would clear the way and cause the spiders to flee. But considering that there are probably a bunch of dry leaves around that could catch fire easily, and the tree being made of wood which we all know to be flammable, this seems like a much more realistic scenario. Also Link has a sword which he could have used to clear the spiderwebs. They’re not that strong.

Comic by VGCats.

14 Convenient Iron Boots

This is something that didn’t even get pass wonder filled eight-year-old me! The iron boots make Link heavier, so he isn’t blown away by strong winds and can sink in water. When he puts them on he can’t move very fast, because the boots are weighing him down. But when he takes them off, what does he do with them? He still has them on his person, so they must still be weighing him down even if they’re not on his feet.

The only explanations I’ve been given for this is that when he’s not wearing them they go inside his “magic bag” or that the boots are magic and only weight you down when they’re on your feet. That’s all well and good, but when Link gets the item he always describes them as “heavy.”

Comic by TheGamingDrawer.

13 Carrots Make Things Fast

Another example of why Link is a terrible role model. Food has a bizarre relationship with video games. It’s a gaming rule that eating food helps you recover and improves your health, even though that’s not really how food works. If you’ve been hit or shot repeatedly and are bleeding furiously, a cupcake isn’t going to solve all your problems. It won’t make things worse, but it won’t fix the situation.

And giving food to your animals won’t improve their health or their speed! I’m not sure where the idea of giving carrots to your horse to make it go fast came from. Maybe it’ll motivate your horse, if it realizes that it’ll get a treat for going fast it might try harder. Or you’ll get greedy and overfeed your horse.

12 Safe And Sound

I love it during Zelda games when you get to play as other characters. Not necessarily Zelda, as it’s also pretty cool during Wind Waker when you have to play as Makar and Medli. But since she is the title character, I’m always up for Zelda being more involved in the story, rather than just being Link’s damsel in distress.

This moment from Spirit Tracks, however, required a little too much dexterity for the DS to be possible on the first go. If you did get it right first time, then well done, you're very talented and I don’t want to hear about it. Considering that Zelda crashes into bushes so easily, it’s understandable that the guards don’t want her out of the castle.

Comic by AwkwardZombie.

11 Rules Of Time Travel

I’ll be honest and say that I’ve never played Majora’s Mask all the way through before. I know it’s supposed to be one of the more unique and classic Zelda games, but I’ve just never gotten to the end.

I have asked this question whilst playing though. Granted, yes, the Song of Time only lets you go back three days. But why can’t you play it over and over again until you’re back before Skull Kid turned you into a Deku Scrub, then abandon your quest? I know you made a promise to the Mask Salesman, but screw him. It’s a terrible deal that he has the power to turn you back but will only do it if you do him a favor in a time limit!

10 Cut The Grass

So, as we’ve already established, the people of Hyrule have no need for their money or personal possessions and are more than happy to throw them in the grass. But it’s okay, because the most powerful warrior in all of Hyrule is here with the hero’s sword and he’s going to cut the grass for you.

In defense of the people of Hyrule, grass is a complete pain in the behind. You can spend your time cutting down every blade of grass surrounding you, then pop into a house to open a chest, talk to a spider person or get some of Grandma’s soup. By the time you go outside, all the grass has grown back! That’s some evil enchanted grass, and Ganon’s probably behind it anyway.

9 Special Red Shirt

I’m sure the Gorons of Ocarina of Time have developed the technology to make heat resistant clothing. You know, especially considering they’re a people who can already withstand heat from living next to a volcano and a people who don’t wear clothes. But the technology behind the Goron Tunic isn’t really explained. It’s just red. And red prevents hot stuff, I guess.

Okay, so it would be totally boring if every time you were given an item you had to sit there and wait for everything to be explained in a way you probably don’t care about. But let me point out that while the red tunic and hat are fire resistant... what about the rest of Link that isn’t covered by the tunic and hat? What happens if his feet touch the lava?

8 Spooky Doors

There are a lot of bizarre things about Link’s world. There are guardian fairies, rock people, magical songs, a race of bird people who deliver post, skull kids, giant butterfly caterpillars that fire their babies at you, spiders with skull faces, giant talking trees and time travel.

But a door that doesn’t open. Well that’s just weird. We mastered the technology of locked doors centuries ago! Link encounters locked doors plenty of times during his adventures and has to search the dungeons for the keys. Maybe this door doesn’t open because someone has locked it. When someone else is in the bathroom, do you stand outside pulling on the doorknob wondering what the heck is going on? Honestly, Navi, I thought you were smarter than this!

7 Side Quests

The side quests are something that I do love about Zelda. You can just do the story campaign straight through, go through all the dungeons and defeat the boss. Or you can spend some time running around doing cute little side-quests, gaining things that make the journey easier and unlocking new things. One of my favourite things about Breath of the Wild is that you could go straight to the final boss. You’ll get your behind kicked, but you can do it!

But some of the side quests do seem a little trivial. You’re supposed to be the hero who will save the world and the princess, but everyone still expects you to gather up all their chickens or bring them something they can’t be bothered to go get themselves or gather your spider tokens. I’m sure Zelda can sit tight until you’re done.

6 The Mute Hero

I’ve never been sure whether or not Link really is a mute. This made me laugh, but it is very harsh to claim that Link doesn’t love you just because he can’t say it out loud. Especially if he just rescued you from a tower and defeated the enemy of all of Hyrule in your name. If he really is about to marry you, I’m sure he truly loves you, even if he is mute. Demanding someone who can’t talk to speak is like demanding a deaf person hear you.

I know in Breath of the Wild, Zelda explains: “he feels it's necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden,” but that isn’t really a reason. But whether or not Link is actually mute or just choses not to speak, he shouldn’t be pressured into it.

Comic by Lethalityrush.