xThe Zelda franchise has been around since 1986, which makes it older than me, which doesn't sound right, but I'm not going to argue with anything that makes me feel younger.  With a list of titles numbering around 25, there have been a lot of adventures for Link, Zelda and Ganon to have been caught up in, pulling us along for the ride.  An immensely popular game since its' very first game, Zelda has touched millions of people's hearts and minds, so it makes sense that we reach out to each other to share these common experiences.  The games can be delightful, or frustrating, or weird (well, almost always weird) and we need to validate our feelings by making sure that other people are sharing these same experiences.

This being 2018, for the most part, on the internet we communicate through memes and comics.  I'm not here to criticize if this is a good thing or a bad thing, I'm just here to point out that a lot of the stuff that helps us relate to people all over the globe are funny images that we collectively relate to.  So if some brilliant artist can perfectly capture the moment where we all realized Tingle was a creep, that's a good thing.  I needed to confirm that Tingle even happened and wasn't a fever dream I had after too many spicy peppers or something.  So here are some comics about the insane world of Zelda that will hopefully have you all nodding along and saying "same."

28 You're My Sidekick Now

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The wisdom behind accepting a random sword from a random old man in a random cave has always been slightly questionable, but his phrasing has always been incredibly confusing. Instead of saying "It's dangerous out there, take this" he just kind of hands you a weapon and shuffled you off to get attacked by Keese. Sure, braving the world with a sword is better than braving the world without one, but he kind of implied that this was a multi-person undertaking.

Despite the implication that he might help you, even in some sort of mentorship capacity, he does nothing before shoving you out of his creep cave. So I guess Link really is a hero, considering he decides to brave a quest that the first wise elder he met warned him should not have been taken alone. Not only that, Link goes on to complete the whole adventure all by his lonesome, so maybe that old goof didn't know what he was talking about.

27 Don't Lie To Me, Sprout

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The Deku Sprout pops up out of nowhere after you defeat the evils of The Forest Temple. He instantly got on my nerves because of that stupid face he always has. I get it, you’re super jazzed to exist, but I just fought Phantom Ganon and I’m still a little shook from the whole experience, dude. Oh, what’s that, you have information for me about why I’m not a normal Kokiri? Well, that may brighten my day after having to fight a hidden temple full of ghosts.

And then he drops the bomb that you are actually Hylian and were abandoned in the forest.

So not only was your entire childhood a lie, but your birth parents are no longer alive. It’s times like this that I start to think that we may actually over value what “the truth” is actually worth. I mean, I would have gone on to save the world regardless, but now I have to do it with a broken heart.

26 When Nature Calls

via: anocurry.deviantart.com

I’m not sure what bothers me more about this aspect of this comic, the fact that his health becomes full after using the restroom or the fact that he didn’t take his pants down in any way. I know that would be pretty risqué for a game like this, but they could have at least tilted the camera away and let us fill in the blanks.

As someone who had never actually played Skyward Sword (I know, fake gamer, right?) I actually had to look up whether there was a toilet based gameplay section to the game. Turns out, the internet is awash with people who find it hilarious to make Link sit on the toilet for extended periods of time. Which I guess is funny, and is a far better use of a toilet than when that creepy hand came out asking you for paper. What was that about?

25 It Keeps Getting Bigger

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As technology, and more importantly video game development, becomes more and more advanced, so to does its’ ability grow to blow our minds. When we first plugged in Ocarina of Time and we started tooling around Hyrule field, we were blown away at the scope of the thing. If I ever plug in the game, I still get a weird sense of grandeur when I first get a glimpse of the wider world at play in that old game.

Now, we have Link traversing worlds so huge they could eat the worlds of our childhood multiple times. Every successes game, not just in Zelda but across all RPGs, have to boast bigger and bigger worlds. Which isn’t a bad thing, of course, but it definitely makes us all feel foolish for ever being impressed with the miniscule worlds of our childhood. I’m pretty sure in the future we will have games that end up being larger than the actual universe.

24 The Heart In Your Chest

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Sometimes video game logic kind of falls flat under any kind of scrutiny. Sure, my suspension of disbelief will let me believe that drinking potions or milk will restore my health, or that a blue tunic will allow me to breathe underwater. Sure, why not. It’s when you get the Pieces of Heart out of chests (heart pun) or when you pick them up after defeating the spider queen that was living inside your Tree-Father (don’t ask) that things take a turn into absurdity.

Is this genuinely a piece of the heart of a fallen foe, and do you consume it in order to add its’ power to your own? Has the Hero of Hyrule actually had the power of mystic cannibalism this whole time? Or maybe it was the best way to show how collecting these things will affect your health bar, which is represented by a collection of hearts.

23 The Hero Of Time Travel

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It really is true that if Link had just stayed in bed, Ganondorf would have had zero access to the Temple of Time and the Sacred Realm. This is breezing over the fact that the Deku Tree would still be cursed, the Gorons would still not have access to Dodongo’s Cavern and Princess Ruto would still have been swallowed by a giant fish, but let’s not split hairs here. There’s only one real reason to travel back in time like he did.

To exact sweet revenge on that cursed owl.

How many people accidentally asked to hear what the owl had to say again because they were rushing through the dialogue and asked him to repeat it? Aside from the fact that the game relied on this much exposition from a nameless character, I’m also annoyed at the fact that the owl clearly has the ability to help you travel great distances, and does nothing to make your long journey shorter.

22 The Sound Of Silence

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Firstly, Zelda, that isn’t how muteness works at all. Secondly, if it was a vow of silence, you should love him enough to respect it. Thirdly, can we take a hot minute to appreciate that Link is wearing a black tuxedo tunic? Where was that all my life? What kind of bonus perks do you think it gives him when he wears it?

I’ve always loved that the makers of Zelda have never strayed away from the whole “when you get something, hold it above your head and it will float between your hands” aspect. It becomes especially hilarious when he starts floating living things like cuckoos, or as we see here, Princess Zelda herself. If he’s strong enough to pick up and throw Princess Ruto, who’s to say he can’t pick up any princess he wants? Here’s hoping Zelda isn’t too miffed about this and that Link won’t be holding aloft his own divorce papers soon.

21 Hey, Listen

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I don’t think I have ever had a sidekick in a Zelda game that didn’t get on my last nerve. The trend vastly started in Ocarina of Time when Navi introduced herself by criticizing my sleeping habits, while also just running face first into a fence. She then proceeds to want to tell me about every single Stalfo I ever lock on to, despite the fact they I have already defeated 300+ of them.

She starts the game having zero faith in your abilities, and only gets worse from there. Ganondorf even finds a way to knock her out of the final battle, and I was a breath away from thanking him. Being annoyed by Navi is a constant amongst fans, so there are bound to be more than one image out there of Link finally snapping and mashing her into a paste. Maybe he should just capture her in a bottle and give her a timeout?

20 We Tried To Forget

via: simplyzelda.tumblr.com

We have all tried to block the CD-i entries of the Zelda series out of our collective minds. They are next to impossible to play, not due to difficulty, but broken game physics and bizarre level design. This is not the reason we tried to forget it though, since bad games don't need to be forgotten, they need to be learned from. The same cannot be said for The Faces of Evil, The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda's Adventure.

These games need to be purged from the hearts and minds of anyone who wants to maintain their innocence due to the hilariously awful cut scenes.

In case you thought I was exaggerating, here's an eighteen minute video containing every single one of them. Be warned, every time you watch this video, it takes away one year from your life, like that machine from The Princess Bride. Except that movie was cool, and this video is sadness incarnate.

19 That Can Only Mean One Thing...

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Music in video games is meant to augment the mood, much like a soundtrack for a movie. Unfortunately, due to the interactivity of a game and the agency of a player, the music can sometimes be something of a giveaway of the dramatic tension that is to come, which can actually be a useful tool. This is especially handy when the music is alerting you to an enormous beast that has somehow gotten the drop on you.

Game mechanics that inadvertently work in your favor are both a triumph of the medium and one of its’ greatest failings. When you are unable to sleep when an enemy is nearby, it ruins the immersion you had in your survival quest. And when a thunderous piano piece warns you that you are being attacked from behind by an ungodly abomination, well, it is hard to argue that it adds anything to the dramatic tension.

18 Don't Hate The Player

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I don’t know what’s worse, Link’s treatment of Midna or the fact that when he decides to break his vow of silence, he becomes a creepy dude pulling some classic pickup artist nonsense. He even goes so far as to shoo away Midna, which I wouldn’t do to anyone, ever, let alone someone I just spent days with on a harrowing adventure.

This does raise a good point, though. Why is Link almost always portrayed as the romantic interest of Zelda when he actually spends more time with a lot of other females? What is it with those two? Zelda is a great gal and all, capable and intelligent, but people end up forming bonds with people they spend time with, you know what I mean? And Link formed a pretty intense form with Midna, and that was back when she had that weird body and before she took on her true form, which happened to be a super beautiful woman.

17 Still Better Than Tingle's Map

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The Nintendo 3DS boasted a ton of cool features. I remember I was kind of blown away when one of the puzzles in The Phantom Hourglass actually involved me blowing sand off my map, with my human mouth! This included the ability to quickly and easily add notes to your map, to make it easier to traverse dungeons, especially when items or switches needed in rooms far away.

This feature did not work.

As great as the stylus was, it wasn’t the most sensitive of instruments. Add to that the fact that the touch screen you needed for writing was the width of your hand, and suddenly you had something that wasn’t big enough for you to write anything coherent on. Anyone who tried using the note taking ability quickly found out it was reduced to the ability to draw arrows and the occasional “x” to maybe give you a hint as to where to go.

16 Falling To Safety

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We all have that one friend who thought they were a gaming genius because they knew this trick. for those of you not in the know, if you fall a great distance in Zelda, you can avoid receiving damage by engaging a sword swing right before you hit the ground. I'm not even certain this is an oversight on the developer's fault, because I'm pretty sure Ocarina of Time even tells you about this exploit.

Just because everyone knows about it, doesn't mean it makes sense, though.

What exactly was the thinking process behind having this in the game? That you can't be harmed because you putting out so much power in your attack? That the Master Sword is so powerful that it absorbs all the harming qualities the gravity exerts on you? Whatever the reason all I remember is never being able to execute this properly, because I would panic and press the button too soon.

15 Awfully Judgemental For A Cloud

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There are some DLC that will greatly improve your playing experience, as with a lot of the add-ons that the first three Mass Effect games had. They were continuations of the adventure, little side quests that felt like they still had great importance without being distracting from the main quest. The extended the game, made your character stronger, and overall contributed to your playing experience in a meaningful way.

Then there are skins. RPGs love charging you an arm and a leg for skins that benefit you in no way other than to look at. And maybe having a character looking cool is really important to you, and if so, more power to you, I’m glad you enjoyed what you spent money on. But for a lot of us, seeing Link running around in a shirt that we see half the staff in Game Stop wearing, well it kind of ruins the game.

14 There Are Two Kinds Of People

via: allofgaming.com

Link has historically been known to love sleeping. He gets woken up at the beginning of a bunch of the games, and one of the games actually takes place entirely in one of his dreams. In most games, if you leave his sprite alone for long enough, that is, don’t move him in any way, he will lie down and take a nap, no matter where he is. That is some serious dedication to sleeping.

Zelda, on the other hand, has always seemed like something of a go-getter.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not accusing Link of being lazy, I’m just saying that Link is always sort of pulled in to these kind of adventures, whereas Zelda is actively seeking them out and trying to better herself and the world around her. Both people answer the heroes call when it comes for them, but one party tends to hit snooze a few times before springing into action.

13 Ascent Into Madness

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The Hookshot, and by extension (haha) the Longshot, were huge boons when you were playing any Zelda game. If you haven’t played, it’s basically the fantasy equivalent of a grappling gun, making you able to traverse long distances not just horizontally, but vertically too. Any character who has mastered the mechanics of this can use these kinds of items to make your voyage around the world dizzyingly fast. This is especially helpful when you realize how many things it actually sticks to, like even vine-covered walls meant for long, slow climbs.

Many Links over many games have had a similar device, since climbing is only fun for so long, and developers don’t hate you completely. Except maybe the developers for Wind Waker, a game I remember having more climbing than most other titles, but also having absolutely nothing resembling the Hookshot. I guess it’s an adult toy, and child Link wouldn’t be able to handle it.

12 A Balanced Diet

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Throughout most of the Zelda games the only way to replenish your health was through the collection of hearts, which were randomly dropped by enemies, or through potions, which could be purchased in shops. There was also the use of fairies, which could bring you back to life should you perish in battle. RPGs, though, tend to shun this kind of system, since it isn't grounded in reality to simply collect things that you walk over, and be instantly healed.

Breath of the Wild is unarguably a Zelda themed RPG, with its' open world, huge inventory and non-linear storytelling.

It also has the staple of consuming food to heal yourself instead of simply collecting hearts.

These foods range in everything from apples to bugs to gorgeous cuts of meat. As we can see above, that ability to have a choice in what you eat is something the Links of other games must be incredibly envious of. Maybe not the eating bugs part.

11 The Recklessness Of Youth

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This seems to be an especially chatty version of Link, which I don't necessarily hate. And to be honest, I'm not really sure what the punch line is here. is she worried that because Link is Hylian he will break all his little bones when he hits the water wrong? Because normal humans have mastered cliff diving, it isn't all that hard. If you understand the final panel better than I do, feel free to let me know in the comments section.

I chose this comic because Link totally caught a fish with his bare teeth, and then tried to talk around said fish. I've never seen the Zora have to catch fish, but I can see that they have both tools and hands, so I have to assume that they have evolved past the point of catching fish with their mouths. Still, Links look of empowered determination while he breaks the surface holding that fish makes me laugh.

10 The Hylian Economy Is Weird

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I have never understood the mechanic that makes it possible for Link to throw his whole body weight at the trunk of a tree, and that results in the tree being shook.

So shook, in fact, that it somehow produces a rupee, or sometimes a spider, because programmers are needlessly cruel.

This begs the questions: what is the rupee doing up there? I will ignore the physics of how Link doesn't break his spine when he does this, because, at this point, I've seen Link become a shrub creature and was unphased.

Did someone lose a rupee up there? Is the same person losing his rupees in multiple trees, or are they perhaps placing them there? Or do rupees grow on trees? This is the same franchise that has Gorons, who subsist on eating rocks, so it isn't too crazy for all currency to actually be based on some kind of gem shaped fruit.

9 Fetch Quests

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Link has been in a lot of weird adventures. Sometimes those adventures involve him becoming other things, which is a vide game staple. I’ve seen him turn into Deku Scrubs, Gorons, Zoras, whatever the heck a Fierce Deity is. I’ve even seen him turn into a dog. In fact, a huge part of Twilight Princess involves Link playing as a dog.

Clearly Links from other worlds, brought together in this comic for an Alternate Universe kind of thing, like to capitalize on Link’s canine side, forcing him to behave like an animal, even though he clearly doesn’t want to. This begs the question: when Link gets wet, will he end up giving off a wet dog smell? Is this true of all werewolves? And before you tell me that Link isn’t a werewolf, explain to me what else you would call someone who forcibly changes into a wolf?