#why include a level up system? in a zelda game?

[dravidious]

I rest my case.

-

Fuckin BULLSHIT the one on the right is way better you only need 1 stroke to draw it!

Speaking of some things being objectively better than others for very important reasons, I booted up my brother’s old copy of Hyrule Warriors yesterday and tried to get A-ranks in the adventure mode, only to gradually realize just how important the level-up system is, meaning that no matter how good you are, the only way to have a chance of getting A-ranks on the later stages is to grind until the enemies don’t take 5 whole minutes each to kill.

Then I ranted to myself in my room about how Ultrakill’s P-ranks are way better

[aikoiya]

LoZ: Wild - Gerudàn Cuisine

Ya'll, I have a frankly dumb amount of recipe ideas for the Wild Series.

Part of it has to do with the idea that, in Link's house, he could cook more complex recipes, including 2nd Tier Ingredients. Which are ingredients made of other basic ingredients. A number of these 2nd Tier Ingredients could be used to substitute multiple base ingredients in a recipe, thus giving you more room to work with.

He'd also be able to cook in bulk, which is something I feel like is holding the cooking system in the Wild Series back.

Another idea I had was that the more you cook, the better you get at it, thus the more ingredients you can use in a recipe.

So, Link would start with only being able to use 5 at a time, but the amount can increase up to 6, then 7-8. Then, maybe even 10.

The list itself isn't complete in any capacity.

Affects & Recipes beginning with a * indicates that it is already in the games in one way or another.

※ Will be beside things that were planned to be part of the official series at one point, but for whatever reason, were cut.

Some 2nd Tier Ingredients use the same ingredients, but the end result depends on which kitchen utensil is used to make it. For instance, Pastry Dough & Soup Stock are both made with the same basic ingredients, but you get Pastry Dough using a Rolling Pin & Soup Stock using a Pot. In this way, it would sort of soft block certain recipes behind a specific kitchen utensil.

Kitchen Items:

Cooking Pot, Rolling Pin, Mortar & Pestle (later upgraded to a Spice Grinder), Food Mill, Crank Blender, White Frying Pan, Zonaite Brewing Keg, Brick Oven, Saucepan, Cheesecloth, Hōchō-Kaku (A full Sheikah knife set in a knife block), Makisu (a sushi mat), Oil Distillery, Fermentation Jar, & Frost Box (basically a fridge/freezer that uses Ice Runes).

Gathering these things also have another affect. They improve the quality & effectiveness of your final dish, as well as increase the likelihood of getting cooking crits.

Also, unless certain ingredients are specifically listed in the name, many ingredients can be substituted for another one from the same category or sub-category. The ingredients listed here are just how the specific settlement makes it.

---

For more information on the ingredients I'm using, go here: Flora & Fungi, Fauna & Byproducts, & 2nd Tier Ingredients.

I've decided to split thing up:

Kakariko Food Culture

Ordon Food Culture

Gerudàn Cuisine

- Ealiyah Town Food Culture - Highland Gerudo Settlement

Koholint Food Culture

I'd also recommend checking out the Wild Cultural Recipe Ideas & Wild Ruined & Non-Canon Town Recipe Ideas.

For quick travel, go to LoZ Cultural Masterlist. You'll find other recipe lists there under the Food section.

---

List of Effects:

☆Acro = Wall Climb Speed Up. - EoW: Climbing.

Aerodynamic = Skydive Control Up.

Amorous = Aphrodisiac. This is a secondary effect, allowing it to remain even after being cooked with something else. (This is mostly for flavor & wouldn't actually do anything in a game setting. Though, it specifically only activates when a sufficient level of dopamine & norepinephrine is found in the body, it can likewise be cured when a sufficient enough supply of oxytocin is introduced into the bloodstream or by simply avoiding those who cause such reactions until the Amorous food has made its way out of their system. So, it only takes effect if in the presence of someone you legit are attracted to & are in love with, which is why Link wouldn't be affected. He's Zelda's & it'd only work on him in her presence. It also doesn't work on anyone who hasn't finished puberty. It's also known to increase the possibility of reproduction.)

Erogenous = Aphrodisiac. Unlike Amorous, Erogenous needs no emotional attraction for it to work. In this way, it's actually much more dangerous. (Would not appear in games beyond the story. Known to increase the possibility of reproduction.)

Battle Ready = Hearty, Enduring, & Mighty all in one. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of specific places.)

*Biting = Cold Weather Attack.

☆Bubble = Hold Breath Underwater For Longer.

*Dark/Warding = Gloom Resistance.

Depths Stride = Dark/Warding & Glow at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of the Depths.)

Dawing/Dusky = Twilight Blade Attack Up. (Doubles the damage dealt by Sheikah weaponry, Moonlight Scimitars, knives, sickles, & scythes by generating a crepuscular razor, thus dealing twilight damage. Mirror Sheilds are also more effective. Sheikah/Yiga weaponry fused with Silver Lizalfos Horns deal thrice as much damage as normal. Twilight also deals extra damage to undead enemies & Poes, this sets the spirit trapped inside free & results in a Poe Soul. Twilight damage is also noted to be purifying, so defeating Wolfos, Furnix, Bullbos, & Iron Knuckle enemies with Twilight purifies them, thus returning them to their natural state.)

Detox = Helps one fight back against toxins by cutting down on the damage done by said toxins as well as the time until those toxins get out of their system. Can also be used in cooking with Toxic ingredients to negate the Toxic affect. However, it takes a degree of toxicological/botanical/medical knowledge to do so. Also, the higher the toxicity, the higher the Detox effect needs to be in order to counteract it.

Dreamy = Sleep Induction. This is a secondary effect, allowing it to remain even after being cooked with something else. (More for story flavor as somnolents just make you sorta sleepy &, thus, won't just knock Link out cold. Actual gameplay uses would only be included when you use Fuse Weapon to attach the item to an arrow or other weapon, which I'm saying concentrates & amplifies the effects, which allows you to knock enemies out cold. Without the Fuse Weapon rune, you'd need to make a concentrated sleep extract to apply to the arrow/weapon tip by hand. By default, Dreamy items don't work against boss or mini-boss enemies. However, if you go to sleep in a bed within an hour of being affected by Dreamy, you'll get bonuses when you wake up.)

Potent Dreamy = Powerful Sleep Induction. This is a secondary effect, allowing it to remain even after being cooked with something else. (Unlike Dreamy, Potent Dreamy will absolutely knock Link the fuck out. It's basically a tranquilizer. Note that only the scent of a Mawkap will wake him up afterwards.)

Eclating/Glaring = Light Blade Attack Up. (Doubles the damage dealt by swords, knives, axes, sickles, & scythes by generating a cutting light, thus dealing light damage. Light-based weapons such as the White Sword of the Sky, the Master Sword, the Sword of the Six Sages, the Bow of Light, & other such weapons deal triple damage. However, damage dealt from using a Light Weapon fused with a Light Dragon part is quadrupled. Light attacks also deal extra damage to dark enemies. Light damage is noted to be purifying, so defeating Wolfos, Furnix, Bullbos, & Iron Knuckle enemies with Light purifies them, thus returning them to their natural state.)

*Electro = Shock Resistance.

*Enduring = Adds Stamina.

*Energizing = Restores Stamina.

*Fireproof = Fire Resistance.

Fortune = Great Deal. Briefly increases the amount of rupees you get for selling things.

Freezeproof = Freeze Resistance.

☆Piping-Hot = Freezeproof & Spicy. A Hidden Effect. You can’t normally access a Hidden Effect without certain Infusion techniques.

Frost Guard = Spicy, Freezeproof, Biting, & Snowdrift at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of Hebra & Ealiyah Town.)

Gills = Breathe Water.

*Glow = Glow.

*Hasty = Speed Up.

Sanddrift = Sand mobility up & prevents from sinking in quicksand.

Snowdrift = Snow mobility up & prevents you from sinking in deep snow.

*Hearty = 1-5 Extra Hearts.

Hydrophilic = Gills & Rapid at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the Zora. Also pairs swimingly with Zora weaponry.)

*Icy/Chilly = Heat Resistance.

Lava Guard = Fireproof & Rapid. Allows to swim in lava. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the Gorons & Mogma of Gorondia.)

Lightningproof = Nullifies Lightning.

Lightning Guard = Lightningproof & Stormy/Charged at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of Faron, Ordona, & the Gerudo Desert.)

*Mighty = Attack Up.

Nucturnepid - Can see farther in darkness.

Photosynthesis = Sunny & Recovery at once. Allows you to slowly recover hearts over time so long as you're in direct sunlight or under a Lightroot, even if those hearts are effected by Gloom. (This effect isn't normally natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the Mogma.)

※Puissant = Allows one to jump twice. (Turns out that a Twice Jump cooking effect was cut from the final TotK game. So, you gotta know that I'll be effing with that!)

Pyrophilic = Flameproof & Scorching at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of Eldin & Gorondia.)

*Rapid = Swim Speed Up.

Recovery = Allow someone to slowly recover hearts over time.

Reforge = Repairs Weapon or Shield, but must be applied directly.

Auto Reforge = Automatically repairs Weapon or Shield upon breaking.

Revitalizing = Hearty & Enduring at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of specific places.)

Revival = Revives after death with 8 hearts. (Only Fairies & recipes that require Fairies have this effect. Don't worry, no Fairies are harmed during this process. The only thing used is the Fairies' dust.)

Full Revival = Revives after death with full ♡s +1-10 extra ♡s. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of specific places. If you get a crit while cooking, you'll also get up to 10 extra hearts as well.)

Riptide = Water Spear/Blade/Whip Attack Up. (Doubles spear, blade, & whip damage by generating a pressurized stream of water, thus dealing water damage. Zora weaponry does triple. Weapons fused with Silver or Water Lizalfos Horns, Water Lizalfos Tails, Opals, or Pearls do triple as well. But Zora weaponry fused with Silver or Water Lizalfos Horns, Water Lizalfos Tails, Opals, or Pearls do quadruple.)

*Scorching = Heat Weather Attack.

*Sneaky = Stealth Up.

Shadow Sneak = Dark/Warding & Sneaky at once. Stealth increases even more in darkness. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of Kakariko.)

*Spicy = Cold Resistance.

*Sticky = Grip Up.

*Stormy/Charged = Stormy Weather Attack.

*Sunny = Heals Gloom Damage.

Sun Guard = Chilly, Hydrating, Scorching, & Sanddrift at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of Gerudo Desert.)

Tenebrating = Dark Blade Attack Up. (Doubles the damage dealt by Sheikah/Yiga weaponry, Gloom weaponry, sickles, & scythes by generating a vicious dark force, thus dealing dark or shadow damage. Sheikah/Yiga weaponry fused with dark monster parts triples the damage dealt.)

*Tough = Defence Up.

Toxic = Inflicts Poison. This is a secondary effect, allowing it to remain even after being cooked with something else. (Note that certain Toxic ingredients can be prepared specially to be made edible or to make things like medicines.)

☆Vitality = Temporary Stamina Use Reduction.

Max Vitality = Max Energizing & Stamina can be used freely for a certain amount of time. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs.)

Windshear = Wind Blade Attack Up. (Doubles the damage dealt by swords, knives, axes, sickles, & scythes by generating a cutting wind, thus dealing wind damage.)

---

Special Attention: Whenever a recipe says "Any Butter," just assume that that also includes Browned Butter. Likewise, whenever a specific type of butter, such as Ordon Butter or Lon Lon Butter, is called for, that also includes their Browned variants.

The reason for this is because Browned Butter is just an overall improvement on regular butter & can be used in damn near anything. From savory, to sweet, to vegetables.

It's just a simple way to elevate your cooking.

Of course, there is also an in-game reason. The better quality the ingredients you use, the better the results you get from the final product with a higher chance of getting crits.

---

In Kàra Kàra Bàzaar, the Stand sells 2 Electric Safflina, 7 Hydromelons, & 5 Oil Jars.

While in Gerudo Town, the Fruit Stand sells 3 Voltfruit, 3 Hydromelons (Hydrating 2), & 3 Palm Fruit (Hydrating). The Mushroom Stand sells 1 Razorshroom, 1 Ironshroom, 1 Sunshroom, 1 Zapshroom, & 1 Chillshroom. And the Grain Stand sells 2 Rock Salt, 3 Tabantha Wheat, & 2 Hylian Rice.

Voltfruit, Hydromelon (Hydrating 2), Shock Fruit (Charged/Stormy & Hydrating), Warm & Electric Safflina, Spicy Peppers, Zapshrooms, Desert Aloe (Chilly & Recovery), Prickly Peaches (Erogenous & Hydrating), Boltshield Houseleek (Lightningproof), Brushberries (Sanddrift & Hydrating), Rainfall Pansies (Hydrating), Moonblooming Argus (Dawning/Dusky), & Sàbaar Fruit (Recovery) are all very common in the Gerudo Desert with Palm Fruit, Dune Ants, Amorous Fig (Amorous) trees, Jànnulitza (Aerodynamic), Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox), & Sāqmàla Honey (Erogenous 2 & Vitality) largely appearing in the Oasis.

And, while you wouldn't expect it, Bayou Bellpeppers, Freshwater Cucumbers (Rapid & Hydrating), Water Cabbages (Bubbles), & Swamp Celery all grow fine there, so long as they're grown in freshwater. As such, they're cultivated in the Oasis at Kàra Kàra, as well as a number of Vai in Gerudo Town having their own hydroponic gardens where they raise them.

Along with them, you'll also find Wasteland Coyotes, Sand Sparrows, Sandrunner Ostriches, Shimmering Mayflies (Fortune), Scarab Beetles, Sand Cicadas (Sanddrift), Quick Darners (Hasty), & Firesting Scorpions (Scorching).

There is also Wave Saffron (Gills), Barricade Cloves (Tough), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Mother of Millions (Erogenous 3), Passion Lily (Scorching & Amorous), as well as Hoy Mustard Greens & Seeds (Spicy) growing in the region, but the Saffron can only be found in the Gerudo Canyon, near the edge of the Faron Sea.

They also have Arrōyorice (Sanddrift), but it's still a very new crop to them & they're still working out how best to grow it.

They can also grow Sun Pumpkins (Sunny), Shadow Yams (Dark/Warding), Hylian Tomatoes (Hydrating), Càrïtàn Beans (Toxic), Pyre Beans (Scorching), Endura Carrots, & Tabantha Wheat in the desert.

Though, the Càrïtàn Beans aren't for eating, so much as for feeding silkworms which produce the fine, luxurious silks that the Gerudo are so well-known for. However, they are also used for making bathing oils.

Gerudo Town also regularly trades with Ealiyah Town, Ordon Town, & Lurelin Village for goods. And due to Ealiyah's close proximity, whenever a recipe requires dairy products, they always opt for the Ealiyan's Yak products, or Bōsa. Though, due to having Bighorn Sheep, they also have immediate access to Sheep dairy products which are called Ghanam. The products being Ghamïchaa (Sheep Milk), Ghasudrï (Sheep Butter), & Ghachurkha (Sheep Cheese), while Bōsa products are Bōmïchaa (Yak Milk), Bōsudrï (Yak Butter), & Bōchurkha (Yak Cheese). Wild Ordon Goats also tend to migrate from Ordona during certain seasons, which also gives the Gerudo infrequent access to Ordon products themselves. They also have a few Dunerunner Ostriches & Oasis Peacocks, which gives them access to Bird Eggs & Ostrich Eggs.

Gerudo Town also makes good use of the Cool Safflina & Chillshrooms that they get from trading with Ealiyah.

The Gerudo also find Sand Cistanche (Vitality & Amorous) throughout the desert & canyon, though it's exceedingly rare. However, it is a very healthy herb that has a lot of health benefits, so they are always on the lookout for it. Some are actually trying to learn to cultivate it, but the process is slow-going & a major time investment.

Then, there's the Satori Tree nearby, which gives them access to Satori Cherries (Hasty & Hydrating), Satohana (Hasty 1 & Amorous), & Endura Carrots.

- Locally Made 2nd Tier Ingredients:

Fall Seasoning = Akkala Cinnamon (optional; Hasty), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), & Barricade Cloves (Tough). - A festive seasoning most commonly used in the fall.

Gerudàn Seasoning (Spicy 2) = Stambulb, Akkala Cinnamon (optional; Hasty), Barricade Cloves (Tough), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Spicy Pepper, & Hoy Mustard Seeds (Spicy). - A must for Gerudàn cooking.

Baking Buddy (Stormy) = Any Egg, Shock Fruit, & Rock Salt. - Basically just baking soda & baking powder.

Grape Jelly (Chilly & Hydrating) = Bloodberry Grape (Chilly & Hydrating), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), & Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin.

- Brushberry Jelly (Sanddrift & Hydrating) = Bushberry (Sanddrift & Hydrating), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), & Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin.

- Hydromelon Jelly (Hydrating 2) = Hydromelon (Hydrating), Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox)/Sàbaar Fruit (Recovery), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), & Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin.

- Fig Preserves (Amorous) = Amorous Fig (Amorous), Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox)/Sàbaar Fruit (Recovery), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), & Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin.

- Pepper Jam (Spicy) = Spicy Pepper & Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin.

- Satori Jelly (Hasty & Hydrating) = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), & Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin.

Vinegar = Brushberry (Sanddrift & Hydrating)/Bloodberry Grapes/Prickly Peach/Tabantha Wheat/Shadow Yam/Tundra Potato/Arrōyorice (Sanddrift). - Made from alcohol from fermented plant foods, then exposed to oxygen, then fermented again. When you use a Keg, you are given the option to either make alcohol or Vinegar.

*Oil Jar = Any Plant. - Aguacaté are especially good for making oil.

Honeyed Sugar = Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing) & Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox)/Sàbaar Nectar (Recovery). - Just brown sugar.

Confectionary Sugar (Mighty) = Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing) & Zonai Corn (Mighty). - Basically just powdered sugar. It has corn in it because powdered sugar is made by blending together sugar & cornstarch in a mortar & pestle or spice grinder. When using a mortar & pestle though, it's much more tedious & time consuming.

Lebnah (Stormy & Hydrating) = Ordon Milk, Rock Salt, & Shock Fruit. - A type of yogurt cheese or cheese yogurt only made in the Gerudo Desert. See, wild Ordon Goats tend to migrate from Ordona during certain seasons, which gives the Gerudo the chance to milk them.

Bread Mix = Tabantha Wheat/Eimmerdàq (Sanddrift) & Rock Salt.

Eimmerdàq (Sandrift) = Arrōyorice (Sanddrift). - Flour made from milling Arrōyorice. Can also be used whenever Mochiko is needed.

- *Wheat Bread = Bread Mix (using Tabantha Wheat). - The most basic & common bread.

Rice Bread (Spicy/Electro 1-2) = Bread Mix (using Eimmerdàq), any Mïchaa, & Warm/Electric Safflina. - First invented by a Sheikah & Gerudo couple, the 2 having bonded over their mutual love of food & baking. Considered a 2nd Tier Ingredient due to its use in making sandwiches. Pairs well with soups & stews. The Gerudo call it Rāz'khubz.

Safflina Rice (Spicy/Chilly/Electro) = Arrōyorice (Sanddrift), any Safflina, & Rock Salt. - A staple of Gerudo Desert cooking. While Swiftfin Rice comes out clean, Safflina Rice tends to still have remnants of the Safflina clinging to it. The Gerudo call it Safrïna Rāz.

- Safflina Fried Rice Base (Spicy/Chilly/Electro & Hydrating) = Any Safflina Rice, any Egg, Palm Fruit, & Stambulb. - A staple of Gerudo cooking. Is technically a 2nd Tier Ingredient, but can be eaten as is. The Gerudo call it Safrïna Lobmàg'úl Rāz.

Porridge Base = Arrōyorice (Sanddrift)/Safflina Rice, any Mïchaa/Broth, & Rock Salt (optional). - Whether the Porridge is sweet or savory depends on what liquids you cook the rice in.

Egg Noodles = Tabantha Wheat, any Egg, & Rock Salt.

Broth = Rock Salt, Oil Jar, & Meat/Sand Fish/Vegetable/Bone.

Thin Soup Stock = Any Mïchaa & Rock Salt. - A light soup stock.

- Soup Stock = Any Mïchaa, Rock Salt, & Tabantha Wheat. - Same ingredients as Pastry Dough, but the end results are different depending on whether you use a Rolling Pin or Pot. Good for making stews.

- Creamy Soup Stock = Any Mïchaa, any Sudrï, Rock Salt, & Tabantha Wheat.

Pastry Dough = Tabantha Wheat/Eimmerdàq (Sanddrift), any Sudrï, & Rock Salt. - Same necessary ingredients as Soup Stock, but the end results are different depending on whether you use a Rolling Pin or Pot. Can also be used as pie crust.

Choux Base = Tabantha Wheat/Eimmerdàq (Sanddrift), any Sudrï, any Egg, Rock Salt, & Cane Sugar. - Invented in Goponga, but Castle Town uses it quite often too.

Cake Mix = Tabantha Wheat/Eimmerdàq (Sanddrift), Cane Sugar, & any Sudrï.

- Recipes:

*Herb Sauté = Warm Safflina, Electric Safflina, Goron Spice/Gerudàn Seasoning (Spicy 2). - "A fragrant mixture of herbs & spices. It's easily recognized by its unique aroma."

*Poultry Pïlàf = Bird Meat (Cucco), Arrōyorice (Sanddrift), any Egg, & any Sudrï. - "Sautéed Arrōyorice steamed in poultry broth. Cook on low heat until the rice is fluffy."

- *Prime Poultry Pïlàf = Prime Bird Meat (Cucco), Arrōyorice (Sanddrift), any Egg, & any Sudrï. - "The rice permeates the savory taste of the poultry in this Gerudo-region favorite."

- *Gourmet Poultry Pïlàf = Gourmet Bird Meat (Cucco), Arrōyorice (Sanddrift), any Egg, & any Sudrï. - "Made with the highest-quality poultry, every bite of this pilaf floods your mouth with flavor." Typically served at get-togethers due to the portion size.

*Curry Pïlàf = Goron Spice, Arrōyorice (Sanddrift), & any Sudrï. - The Goron spice used in this pilaf has given it a rich, spicy aroma.

Tropical Curry (Spicy 2) = Faron Pineapple (Spicy & Hydrating), Palm Fruit, Spicy Pepper, Arrōyarice (Sanddrift), & Goron Spice. - This fragrant curry is served in a pineapple bowl.

Kàko Risotto with Palm Fruit = Arrōyorice (Sanddrift), any Sudrï, Rock Salt, Bird Meat (Cucco), & Palm Fruit.

Kàko Màchbōs = Hylian Rice or Arroyōrice (Sanddrift), Meat Broth (Cucco with Gerudàn Seasoning, Gomi Togarashi, Bayou Bellpepper, Stambulb, Hylian Tomato, & Oil Jar), any Nut, Rock Salt, Wave Saffron (Gills), & Goron Spice. - A cucco & spiced rice dish that is very popular in the Gerudo region. The rice is very specifically made in the same pan with the rest of the ingredients, which imbeds the flavor into everything. First, make the broth by sautéing the Stambulbs & bellpeppers in oil until soft & fragrant, add spices, brown Cucco on all sides, then pour broth on top along with Tomato paste. Mix the Oil with salt, saffron, Stambulb, & Goron Spice. After which place Cucco pieces from the broth in pan & coat with oil & spice mixture until crisp & golden. Then toast the nuts. Then, soak the rice, drain, & cook it in the Cucco Broth. Finally, assemble altogether by layering the Cucco on top of the rice & garnish with nuts. - Gerudo equivalent to Dejaj Machbous.

Koshàrï (Spicy/Chilly/Electro & Hydrating) = Any Safflina Rice, Egg Noodles, Stambulb, & Hylian Tomato. - A Gerudàn-style street pasta.

Hamàm Mahshi (Spicy) = Bird Meat (Squab), Warm Safflina Rice, Chickaloo Tree Nut, & Goron Spice. - Warm Safflina is recommended. A Gerudàn-style stuffed squab.

Fàtta = Wheat Bread, any Safflina Rice, Stambulb, & Red Meat. - Toasted bread covered in a sort of meat gravy.

Mombàsa = Red Meat, any Safflina Rice, Stambulb, Hylian Tomato, & Chickaloo Tree Nut. - 

Yaki Onigiri (Stormy 2) = Oil Jar, Lebnah (Stormy), Safflina Rice (Electro), Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), & Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing). - Combine the soy sauce, mirin, & stevia for the glaze. Then fry the Onigiri in a Frying Pan until lightly browned before brushing the glaze onto both sides. Then, return to the pan & fry until both sides are crispy. The Gerudo tend to put cheese inside, so this results in the cheese inside melting until gooey. Referred to as Lobmàg'úl Churkha Arrōyokurà by the Gerudo.

Bàba Gànoush (Stormy/Charged & Hydrating) = Oil Jar, Shock Fruit, Stambulb, Electric Safflina, & Chickaloo Tree Nut. - Electric Safflina is recommended as it doesn't negate the effects of the Shock Fruit. A sort of dip. An appetizer.

Boltbutton Sliders (Stormy 3) = Langostail (Riptide)/Zapshroom, Ordona Cheese, Starlight Rosemary (Glow), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Calmomile (Dreamy), Shock Juice (Stormy), Thunder Button (Stormy), & Wave Saffron (Gills). - As the Calamity took place, these delectable sliders were discovered when a traveling chef was caught in a storm. Running low on supplies, he used the caps of the mushrooms as bread with the cheese sandwiched between, believing that would work well together along with some rosemary & a couple other ingredients. However, he'd nearly been sundered by the heavens themselves. Only to find in the bolt's wake, a singular, crisped mushroom with perfectly melted cheese oozing out the sides. He's noted as saying that the taste was like a shock to the senses. He became obsessed with replicating the flavor experience. It's later learned that it might be due to fungi's strange affinity to electrical currents, which can be used to improve mushroom yield. He is later noted to have bonded with a lovely Gerudo lady who appeared to be a budding mycologist. - Inspired by Pixar's Ratatouille & the mission with the wandering chef at Diggdogg Suspension Bridge at the entrance to Gerudo Canyon in AoC.

Savory Chimaki = Arrōyorice (Sanddrift), Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), Rock Salt, Fudkarràck, Zonai Corn (Mighty) or Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Baking Buddy (Stormy), Oil Jar, & Red Meat (Pork). - Triangular sticky rice dumplings filled with savory fillings that are cooked by boiling or steaming. They are typically steamed in Lotus, Corn, Banana or Ginger leaves. Learned from the Sheikah, they have become a Gerudàn & Faron festival treat. Called Ladhahï Rāzxï by Gerudo & Ono Laikimahu by Lurelinites.

Knoutfish Paella = Knoutfish (Hydrating), Safflina Rice, Stambulb, Spicy Pepper, Wave Saffron (Gills), Rock Salt, Huakiao Spice, Hylian Tomato, any Sudrï, & Oil Jar. - Do not use the meat of the Knoutfish, instead heat it up so that the juices flow out & use that to flavor your rice. The dish is called Gàl'bàtacha Paīlla by the Gerudo.

Nikogori = Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin (Lynel Hoof), Knoutfish (Hydrating), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Stambulb, Windblade Leek (Windshear), Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3). - A jellified fish broth. Basically fish aspic. A Knoutfish is actually ideal for this recipe. Again, don't use the meat itself & instead heat the fish up so that the fat renders. The Gerudo would refer to this as Gàl'bàtacha Jerï.

Fish Porridge = Porridge Base (using Safflina Rice & Broth (Shark Bone)), Stambulb, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), any Egg, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Gerudàn Seasoning (Spicy 2), & any Sand Fish. - This version of the dish is more heavily spiced than it is in Ordon. The Gerudo call this dish Gàl'màtsya Rāzaji. Based on My Time in Sandrock.

- Meat Porridge = Red Meat (Mutton), Sand Cistanche (Vitality & Erogenous), Porridge Base (using Safflina Rice & Broth), Frostbite Mint (Biting), Goron Spice, Shock Fruit (juice), any Carrot, any Sudrï, Swampland Celery, & Gerudàn Seasoning (Spicy 2). - The Gerudo refer to this dish as Lugïdō Rāzaji.

Polenta = Masa (Mighty), Broth (Cucco/Veggie) or any Mïchaa, Rock Salt, any Sudrï, & any Churka. - Something of a cornmeal porridge. A Deyan staple. Often paired with meats, stews, & sauces. Milk results in a far more rich & creamy product while broth infuses it with more flavor. Inspired by Echo of the Plum Grove.

Qàranfu Pancakes = Voltfruit, Tabantha Wheat, Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox), Bōsudrï, Ghamïcha, Stamstall Stevia (Energizing), & Rock Salt. - Voltfruit pancakes. Inspired by Echo of the Plum Grove.

Ful Medàmes (Electro) = Oil Jar, Rock Salt, Electric Safflina, Shock Fruit (Charged/Stormy & Hydrating), Pyre Beans (Scorching), & Stambulb. - Sort of a bean stew.

Desert Stew (Sanddrift 3) = Sandscimmer (Sanddrift), Sand Tuna (Sanddrift), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Stambulb, Pyre Beans (Scorching), Bayou Bellpepper, Arrōyorice (Sanddrift), & Broth (Hylian Tomato). - A sort of bean & rice stew.

Lugïdō Arrōzūxï (Spicy 2) = Safflina Rice (Spicy), Rock Salt, Vinegar, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Pepper Jam (Spicy), Stambulb, & Red Meat. - A sort of Gerudo-style Musubi.

- Gàl'xïtïr Arrōzūxï (Sanddrift 2) = Safflina Rice, Rock Salt, Vinegar, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Pepper Jam (Spicy), Stambulb, & Sandscimmer (Sanddrift). - A sort of Gerudo-style Sushi.

- Gàl'tana Arrōzūxï (Sanddrift 3 & Hydrating 2) = Safflina Rice, Rock Salt, Vinegar, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Tomato Jam (Energizing & Hydrating), Stambulb, Oil Jar, Shock Fruit, & Frostbite Mint (Biting), & Sand Tuna (Sanddrift 2). - A sort of Gerudo-style Tuna Sushi.

- Shifa Arrōzūxï (Spicy 2 & Hydrating 2) = Safflina Rice (Spicy), Rock Salt, Vinegar, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Tomato Jam (Energizing & Hydrating), Stambulb, Spicy Pepper, Shock Fruit, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), & Sandacuda (Scorching). - A sort of Gerudo-style Barracuda Sushi. The intense umami in the meat makes for a wonderful dining experience. The liver has been steamed & mixed with the Shōyu, which is a wonderful accompaniment to this dish.

- Samàq Arrōzūxï (Spicy 2) = Safflina Rice (Spicy), Rock Salt, Vinegar, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Pepper Jam (Spicy), Stambulb, Tempura Batter (Spicy), Oil Jar, Ponzu Sauce (Shadow Sneak), & Cobra Shark Meat (Mighty). - A sort of Gerudo-style Shark Tempura Sushi.

- Shànké Arrōzūxï (Spicy) = Safflina Rice (Spicy), Rock Salt, Vinegar, Gerudàn Seasoning (Spicy 2), Pepper Jam (Spicy), & Desert Viper (Toxic)/Sand Cobra (Toxic). - A sort of Gerudo-style Snake Sushi. The meat is mild & slightly fishy with a Cucco or fish-like texture. It is often thought to be delicate & lean, which actually works quite well for Sushi. However, it also takes seasoning like a champ.

Shish Kebàben (Stormy 2 & Hydrating 2) = Any Red Meat, Shock Fruit, Vinegar, Hoy Mustard (Spicy), Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Oil Jar, Lebnah (Stormy), & Gerudàn Seasoning (Spicy 2). - Gerudo-style skewered meat.

- Shish Kàkōn (Stormy 2) = Any Poultry, Lebnah (Stormy), Shock Fruit, Oil Jar, Gerudàn Seasoning (Spicy 2), & Hylian Tomato. - Gerudo-style skewered poultry.

- Shish Vuran = Any Desert Lizard, Rock Salt, Vinegar, Stambulb, Gerudàn Seasoning (Spicy 2), Lebnah (Stormy), & Wave Saffron (Gills). - Gerudo-style skewered lizard. Not that anyone else has tried it yet.

- Shish Shànkén = Any Desert Snake, Rock Salt, Vinegar, Gerudàn Seasoning (Spicy 2), any Mushroom, Bayou Bellpepper, Hylian Tomato, Stambulb, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), & Deya Wine (Energizing & Hydrating). - Gerudo-style skewered snake.

- Shish Selqeten (Spicy) = Firesting Scorpion (Scorching), Shock Fruit, Oil Jar, Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), Rock Salt, Hoy Mustard (Spicy), Spicy Pepper, Stambulb, & Frostbite Mint (Biting)/Starlight Rosemary (Glow). - Gerudo-style skewered scorpion. Not that anyone else has tried it yet.

- Shawàrma (Hydrating) = Any Red Meat or Bird Meat, Wave Saffron (Gills), Gerudàn Seasoning (Spicy 2), Oil Jar, any Fudkarràck, Vinegar, & Shock Fruit. - A delicious grilled meat prepared by wrapping seasoned meat around a rotisserie & layering it on top of itself.

Sweet & Sour Pork = Red Meat (Pork), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), Tabantha Wheat, Vinegar. - Based on My Time in Sandrock.

Dàlla wahl'Lugïdō Maezi'lobmàga = Hydromelon (Hydrating 2), Red Meat (Beef), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), Rock Salt, Stambulb, Oil Jar, & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - The ingredients are stir-fried together to make a surprisingly well-balanced sweet & savory combination. Based on My Time in Sandrock.

Steamed Meat Pie with Eggs (Spicy 3) = Ostrich Egg, Red Meat, Arrōyorice (Sanddrift), Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Rock Salt, Gerudàn Seasoning (Spicy 2), Oil Jar, Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), & Spicy Fudkàrrack. - This meat pie is steamed in a casserole dish with a Dunerunner Ostrich Egg on top. When finished, it's quite fragrant, soft, & glutinous. Best eaten at night when you have work to do outside. Based on My Time in Sandrock.

Churkha Pideyer = - A cheesy, melty savory handpie. Inspired by Cheese Fatayer.

Braised Meat = Red Meat, Sand Cistanche (Vitality & Amorous), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), Stambulb, Vital Sage (Enduring), & Gerudàn Seasoning (Spicy 2)/Gomi Togarashi. - The bright, attractive color of this meat is only matched by its succulent flavor. Based on My Time in Sandrock.

Grō'jï Za'benzen = Freshwater Cucumber (Hydrating), Bayou Bellpepper, Shadow Yam (Dark/Warding), Stambulb, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky), Oil Jar. - Loosely translates to “earth's three treasures.”

- Desserts:

Hydromelon Bread (Hydrating 2) = Hydromelon (Hydrating), Eimmerdàq (Sanddrift), Rock Salt, & Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing). - First invented by a Sheikah & Gerudo couple, the 2 having bonded over their mutual love of food & baking. Made in an attempt to merge Gerudo flavor into the bread. Called Wahē'dàlla Khubz by the Gerudo.

Agekiji = Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), Oil Jar, Baking Buddy (Stormy), any Sudrï, any Mïchaa, & Eimmerdàq (Sanddrift). - Sugar-covered donuts that originated in Kakariko. Often given to customers as before dinner snacks.

Umm Àlï (Hydrating) = Stamsalk Stevia (Energizing), any Mïchaa, any Nut, Eimmerdàq (Sanddrift), & Palm Fruit. - A delicious bread pudding made in the desert.

Resyawa Kemmun = Bōmïchaa/Ghamïchaa, Sweetener, Lovely Rose (Hearty & Amorous), Shock Fruit (juice), Tabantha Wheat, Baking Buddy (Stormy), Wave Saffron (Gills), Bōsudrï/Ghasudrï, Oil Jar, & Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox). - These deep fried dough balls are made with rosewater & are soaked in a honey syrup. Inspired by Gulab Jamun.

Honey Sàmbo (Sun Guard) = Voltfruit, Hydromelon, Fire Fruit, Brushberry (Sanddrift & Hydrating), Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox), Pricklepad (Hydrating), & Desert Queen (Chilly/Icy 2). - Sort of a sweet fruit salad dessert. Based on My Time in Sandrock.

Sweet Chimaki (Photosynthesis) = Arrōyorice (Sand Haste), any Desert Fruit (Brushberry is most popular), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), Baking Buddy (Stormy), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Oil Jar, & Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox). - Triangular sticky rice dumplings filled with sweet fillings that are cooked by boiling or steaming. They are typically steamed in Lotus, Corn, Banana or Ginger leaves. Learned from the Sheikah, they have become a Gerudàn & Faron festival treat. Called Xōkàr Rāzxï by Gerudo & Momona Laikimahu by Lurelinites. Based on My Time in Sandrock.

Voltfruit Rice Bowl (Electro 2 & Hydrating) = Voltfruit, Electro Safflina Rice, Stamsalk Stevia (Energizing), Palm Fruit, & Rock Salt. - Sticky aromatic rice cooked in a sauce pan with sugar, salt, water, & Palm Fruit milk then ladled into a bowl with Voltfruit.

Amàhrta Handpies (Hydrating 2) = Sun Pumpkin (Sunny), Bloodberry Grapes (Chilly & Hydrating), Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin (Lynel Hoof), & Pastry Dough. - Handpies dedicated to the Gerudo Goddess of the Moon, Mirrors, Dreams, Prophecies, & Visions, Vah Amàhrta.

Oasis Brulée Tart (Lightning Guard & Amorous) = Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox), Amorous Fig (Amorous), Lebnah (Stormy), Choux Base (Energizing), Frostbite Mint (Biting), Heavy Cream, Farore Hazelnut (Lightningproof), & any Mïchaa. - A delicious tart often served on Bondsday & weddings. The Gerudo refer to it as a Wahē Faela'xōkàr Yàrïtira.

Voltfruit Cake = Voltfruit, Zonai Chocolate (Spicy & Amorous), Cake Mix, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), & Confectionary Sugar. -

Pyre Bean Cake = Pyre Beans (Scorching; blended), Farore Hazelnut (Lightningproof; blended), Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox), any Egg, any Sudrï (melted), & Baking Buddy (Stormy). - Yes, the recipe is odd, but trust the process! The resulting cake is soft, dense, & rich despite its odd ingredient choices.

Màtukākï (Lightning Guard & Amorous) = Eimmerdàq (Sanddrift), Baking Buddy (Stormy), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), Amorous Fig (Amorous), Farore Hazelnut (Lightningproof), Confectionary Sugar, & Oil Jar. - A very delicious cake. Perfect when drizzled with a thin, sugary icing. While it has nuts inside the cake itself, it's also covered with caramelized nuts for decoration. Often eaten during the celebration after weddings.

Bàsbōsa (Stormy 3 & Detox) = Baking Buddy (Stormy), Cane Sugar, Palm Fruit, any Sudrï, Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox), Tabantha Wheat, any Nut, Shock Fruit, & Lebnah (Stormy). - A nutty cake baked in a pan topped with nuts & soaked with citrus syrup.

Melon Mousse (Hydrating 2) = Hydromelon (Hydrating), Tabantha Wheat, any Egg, Stamstall Stevia (Energizing), & any Mïchaa. -

- Drinks:

Honeymilk = Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox), any Mïchaa, & Akkala Cinnamon (optional; Hasty). - This simple, yet comforting drink originates in Ordon, but is now enjoyed Hyrule over. A favorite for children everywhere.

Urbōs fé al'Zūja (Lightning Guard & Hydrating) = Shock Fruit, Boltshield Houseleek (Lightningproof), Thunder Butten (Stormy), & Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox). - A sort of smoothie that protects from lightning & gives a boost in storms. It's name translates to "Lightning in a Bottle."

Samàh Punch (Dawning/Dusky & Hydrating 4) = Bloodberry Grapes (Chilly & Hydrating), Moonblessed Melon (Dawning/Dusky & Hydrating 2), Palm Fruit, Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox)/Sàbaar Fruit (Recovery), & Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing). - A yummy summer drink. The melons are imported from Kakariko, so the drink is a bit expensive.

Melon Milk (Hydrating 2) = Hydromelon (Hydrating) & any Mïchaa. - A favorite of little Vai.

Safflina Tea = Any Safflina, Oasis Honey (optional; Recovery & Detox), Stamstalk Stevia (optional; Energizing), Shock Fruit (optional), & any Mïchaa. - A floral tea.

- Brewing:

Fudkarràck (Spicy/Electro & Hydrating) = Warm/Electric Safflina, Bloodberry Grapes (Chilly & Hydrating), & Tabantha Wheat. - A Gerudo alcohol brewed from Warm or Electric Safflina & Wheat. Is traditionally what Noble Pursuits are made of. They also frequently use Chilly Fudkarrack, but it isn't a product that Gerudo Town themself makes, instead they often buy it from their fellow Gerudo settlement of Ealiyah.

Fashïna Amrïta (Amorous & Hydrating) = Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox), Amorous Fig (Amorous), & Palm Fruit. - While a simple mead, it has a mild sweetness & nuttiness to it that lends well to the Palm flowers used to make it. This causes it to be sweet, milky, & effervescent. Traditionally imbibed by brides & grooms after the wedding near the end of the following celebration.

Mútakïla (Erogenous 3 & Vitality 2) = Prickly Peach (Erogenous & Hydrating), Sàbaar Fruit (Recovery), Stamegranate (Vitality & Hydrating), & Sāqmàla Honey (Erogenous 2 & Vitality). - Infamous, illicit, & strictly regulated in this day & age. Often used at Pleasure Palaces or by illegal sex ringleaders. Was once used quite often when the slave industry was still in swing.

Màlàkshedeh (Chilly 3 & Hydrating) = Cool Safflina, Bloodberry Grapes (Chilly & Hydrating), Desert Queen (Chilly/Icy 2), & Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox). - A very special Gerudo alcohol that is delicious & sweetly spiced inspired by Shedeh, which was the most precious wine in Egypt. It was originally only reserved for the Chief's family, but since Riju's decree, other Gerudo are allowed to imbibe it, though only on important holidays. Is very difficult to brew, which was a large contributor to why it was originally so exclusive.

Sàtrï Shedeh (Spicy/Chilly & Hydrating 2) = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Warm/Cool Safflina, Bloodberry Grapes (Chilly & Hydrating), Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox), & Frostbane Blossom (Spicy)/Desert Queen (Chilly/Icy 2). - A precious, springtime spirit brewed for the Hanami Festival. Gerudo Town typically teams up with Ealiyah Town to produce it. They tend to switch between the 2 recipes they use depending on what's most abundant that year. - Inspired by Shedeh, which was the most precious wine in Egypt.

- Cocktails:

Noble Pursuit (Electro 2-3 & Hydrating 4) = Palm Fruit, Hydromelon (Hydrating), Voltfruit, Rock Salt, & Electro Fudkarràck (Electro & Hydrating). - The original recipe. Can technically be made with any Fudkarrack, but Electro Fudkarràck is recommended as it doesn't negate the effects of the Shock Fruit.

Shockonàna (Stormy/Charged 2-3 & Hydrating) = Shock Fruit, Frostbite Mint (Biting), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), & Electro Fudkarràck (Electro & Hydrating). - A relatively new cocktail only made after the Upheaval. A sweet & sour drink with some serious zing & a nice fizz on the tongue. A favorite among young adults. Can technically be made with any Fudkarràck, but Electro Fudkarràck is recommended as it doesn't negate the effects of the Shock Fruit. - A reference to Limonana which is a Middle Eastern mint lemonade.

Spiced Pineapple Shrug (Spicy 2-3 & Hydrating 2) = Spicy Pepper, Faron Pineapple (Spicy & Hydrating), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), & Spicy Fudkarrack (Spicy & Hydrating). - Very popular at night when the desert gets very cold, but the fact that they need to import the Feron Pineapples from Lurelin means that the drink tends to be more expensive. Ealiyans, Tabanthans, & Ritos also tend to greatly enjoy it.

Hydromelon Daiquiri (Chilly & Hydrating 3-4) = Ice Fruit, Chilly Fudkarràck (Chilly & Hydrating), Hydromelon (Hydrating), & (Splash Fruit). - Made with Ealiyan Gerudo bartending techniques, who are often hired in Gerudo Town to be bartenders & it's absolutely extremely popular in Gerudo Town, especially in midday when it's hottest. Can technically be made with any Fudkarràck, but Chilly Fudkarràck is recommended. The Splash Fruit is both optional & expensive due to it being an import, but it makes for an even better & more effective drink. Very hydrating which is perfect for desert living.

Reminiscent Jaunt = Brushberry, Wildberry (juice), Ice Fruit, Frostbite Mine, Shock Fruit (juice), & Rama/Vodka. - This drink is cool & refreshing, known for eliciting a feeling of nostalgia. It's almost magical in how it causes the drinker to recall a fond memory. One that is specifically able to make all your troubles seem far away. Inspired by My Time At Sandrock.

Sàtrï Slush (Hasty 2-3 & Hydrating) = Ice Fruit, Sàtrï Shedeh (Spicy/Chilly & Hydrating), & Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating). - Made with Ealiyan Gerudo bartending techniques, who are often hired in Gerudo Town to be bartenders. Only available during spring.

Chieftain's Resolve (Electro 2-3 & Hydrating 2) = Shock Fruit, Desert Queen (Chilly 2), Rock Salt, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), & Electro Màlàkshedeh (Electro & Hydrating). - Electro Màlàkshedeh is recommended as it doesn't negate the effects of the Shock Fruit. A very special occasion sort of cocktail meant only for celebrations. Was made in honor of Chief Riju & Sir Link's success against the Gibdos &, later, the Demon King.

- Virgin Cocktails:

*Virgin Noble Pursuit (Electro & Hydrating 3) = Palm Fruit, Hydromelon (Hydrating), Voltfruit, & Rock Salt. - 

Virgin Shockonàna (Stormy/Charged 2 & Hydrating) = Shock Fruit, Frostbite Mint (Biting), Electric Safflina, & Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing). - A relatively new cocktail only made after the Upheaval. A sweet & sour drink with some serious zing. A favorite among young adults. Kids love it because of the fizz that the Shock Fruit provides, especially on hot days. - A reference to Limonana which is a Middle Eastern mint lemonade.

Virgin Spiced Pineapple Shrug (Spicy & Hydrating) = Spicy Pepper, Faron Pineapple (Spicy & Hydrating), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Warm Safflina, & Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing). - Very popular at night when the desert gets very cold, but the fact that they need to import the Feron Pineapples from Lurelin means that the drink tends to be more expensive. They can't be grown at oases, but not in large quantities the way they can in Faron. Ealiyans, Tabanthans, & Ritos also tend to greatly enjoy it. Not really a favorite of kids, but very much liked by those who like spice, but are unable to hold their liquor.

Virgin Hydromelon Daiquiri (Hydrating 3-4) =  Ice Fruit, Hydromelon (Hydrating), Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), Splash Fruit (Rapid & Hydrating), & Cool Safflina. - Made with Ealiyan Gerudo bartending techniques, who are often hired in Gerudo Town to be bartenders & it's absolutely extremely popular there, especially in midday when it's hottest. Kids love it. The Splash Fruit is both optional & expensive due to it being an import, but it makes for an even better & more effective drink. Very hydrating which is perfect for desert living.

Virgin Satori Daiquiri (Hydrating) = Ice Fruit, Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), & Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating). - Made with Ealiyan Gerudo bartending techniques, who are often hired in Gerudo Town to be bartenders & it's absolutely extremely popular there, especially in midday when it's hottest. Kids love it.

Virgin Chieftain's Resolve (Hydrating) = Shock Fruit, Desert Queen (Chilly/Icy 2), Rock Salt, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Electric Safflina, Stamstalk Stevia (Energizing), & Oasis Honey (Recovery & Detox). - A very special occasion sort of virgin cocktail meant only for celebrations. Favored by kids.

---

Other:

Rocktorok Wax (Reforge) = Rugged Rhino Beetle, Skyloft Mantis (Windshear), Deku Hornet (Toxic), & Rock Octorok Stomach. - Repairs your shield. (Inspired by SS's Revitalizing Potion & BotW/TotK's Rock Octoroks.)

- Advanced Rocktorok Wax (Auto Reforge) = Rugged Rhino Beetle, Skyloft Mantis (Windshear), Deku Hornet (Toxic), Dune Ant, Sand Cicada (Sanddrift), & Rock Octorok Stomach. - Automatically repairs your shield upon breaking. Has 2 servings. (Inspired by SS's Revitalizing Potion+ & BotW/TotK's Rock Octoroks.)

Desert Travel Elixir (Sun Guard) = Ice Chu Jelly, Splash Fruit, Hydromelon (Hydrating), Sand Cicada (Sanddrift), Opal, Chillfin Trout, Summerwing Butterfly, & Water Octorok parts. - Often made for Zora's so they can venture into the desert without worry. As such, it sells for a high price in the Zora's Domains, as well as in Goponga.

---

LoZ Wild Masterlist

LoZ Cultural Masterlist

[arkus-rhapsode]

What's going on with the Emio developer?

So quick post cause I saw some news that caught my eye relating to the making of Nintendo's newest game, Emio-The Smiling Man.

So before I go into this, a little bit of context, Mages was the developer behind the remakes of the first two Famicom Detective Clubs. Now a third party developer working on a remake makes a whole lot of sense. Why devout internal resources to remaking a game? But this got me intrigued.

Because this is something I think most people just don't realize with the games industry, a game only gets made if a team is there. That's why a bunch of the franchises you like may not get consistent updates. Many may not be aware but current Nintendo the developer is actually made up of ten internal development teams, called EPDs, that focus on specific franchises and usually only that.

So for example-EPD 3 is the Zelda team. They are group that exists to make and manage nothing but Zelda. Meanwhile, EPD 4 is focused on general entertainment games so this includes things like Brain Age or Nintendo Labo or Nintendo World Championships. Then there's EPD 5 which makes Animal Crossing and Splatoon and only those.

This of course can apply to First Party teams like Monolithsoft or Next Level Games which also seem to have their own franchises they're privy to working on like Xenoblade and Luigi's Mansion respectfully. And even 2nd parties like Intelligent Systems and Hal Labs who are almost always going to be the teams behind Fire Emblem and Kirby respectively.

But now of course this begs the question of, what if a franchise doesn't have a team? Well then you are out of luck unless someone else is willing to work on it. Last Wario Land game we got wasn't made by Nintendo but by Good Feel on the Wii. But then you got WarioWare which keeps coming cause InSys is willing to keep making them.

So here we have Mages. A developer who seemed to be trusted by Nintendo and enjoy remaster Famicom Detective Club so much that they were the ones pitching a brand new game. And that got me thinking, what if Mages were to become the team that makes more Famicom Detectives if Emio is a success story? We could potentially see this niche franchise that was already very obscure be pushed up to a regular release schedule? We could be seeing Mario and Zelda and Animal Cross and SPlatoon be the Nintendo line up that's always guaranteed to get a new game. And it's Famicom Detective Club?

[everygame]

The Mysterious Murasame Castle

Developed/Published by: Nintendo R&D4, Human Entertainment / Nintendo Released: 14/04/1986 Completed: 31/01/2024 Completion: Finished it (with quicksaves at the start of levels and before bosses.)

1986 is a huge year for Nintendo. They released the NES in North America at the tail end of 1985 and will launch it in Europe by the end of 1986. After nearly 3 years of spotty releases and arcade ports an avalanche of games are going to start showing up. But most fascinatingly, as they begin to conquer the world, they take a massive right turn in Japan by releasing the Famicom Disk System in February.

I assume that even if you’re not a scholar of video game history, if you’re reading this you already know all about the system, but in précis, Nintendo made a business decision. The Famicom was successful; producing cartridges was expensive. Retailers and consumers wanted cheaper games. Nintendo hadn’t created a licensing scheme for the Famicom (as they would for NES) so they weren’t seeing any sweet, sweet fees either. Seemingly, a floppy disk add-on solved all those problems, while also allowing games to be larger, have more sound channels, and include saving.

You can debate the success of this business decision. They sold 4.4 million of them by 1990, and the hardware pushed their game design forward leaps and bounds. But it seemed to come at the exact wrong time. Within four months of launch cartridge games were being released with larger capacities than the disks offered. Saving becomes available on carts; newer and better mapper chips meant games on the disk system were stuck in the past. It was simply a technological dead end. The first original game to released for it would be The Legend of Zelda, and by the time of its release in North America not quite a year and a half later it would be on cartridge without any major concessions.

Interestingly, though, the second original game to be released would be Nazo No Murasame Jou, aka “The Mysterious Murasame Castle” which would not be released outside of Japan at all. Why this is I have no idea and can find nothing concrete, because when considered contemporaneously, this is a perfectly successful run-and-gun adventure that feels like an early example of what the system would become known for via companies like Capcom: arcade ports that have been expanded into something more suitable for the home console (think Bionic Commando and that.) Here it’s like someone, noticing that Nintendo had The Legend of Zelda engine lying around, decided that they should make a version of Sega Ninja with it–and in fact, I’m not sure that’s not what they did, considering the SG-1000 version of Sega Ninja has flick-screen scrolling too.

Cast as the samurai Takamaru, you have to make your way through five castles by first fighting your way through their castle grounds (taking one or two maps) and then the castle interior (one more map.) You do this by melee combat (which tends to kill everything in one hit) or throwing projectiles (which tends not to.) Movement feels very much like The Legend of Zelda, including very boxy collision detection. The maps, too are like The Legend of Zelda dungeons, but not exactly: you travel about them in a non-linear fashion and have to pick up certain power-ups to advance (sandals, for example, that allow you to travel over water) but you’re not really ever forced to fight any enemies, and most power-ups follow the Xevious system of just being invisible and you have to shoot where they are to get them (thankfully, they’re predictable once you’ve found them).

While I can’t guarantee this was inspired by Sega Ninja, it’s very much like it in one respect. The Mysterious Murasame Castle is relentless. Multi-colored ninjas are throwing themselves on the screen constantly, and if you stop moving or stop attacking you’re dead–it really is that simple. Most of the game is played trying to get off screen as quickly as possible and working out the optimum route through the castle–it’s almost a racing game in that respect. 

It is very hard. Not impossible, but made, er, impossible-adjacent by how strict it is. You can only take three hits, health restoring items are rare (and invisible) and and every time you die you lose everything (but you do start on the screen you just died on–and you can backtrack to try and get some power back, so that’s nice.) While it feels stupidly difficult for 2024, I can imagine how for the right kind of player in 1986 this was the straight razor compared to The Legend of Zelda’s, uh… quill pen. Play a hard action game surviving and mapping out the levels, learning new things, new efficiencies every time rather than doodling about. It feels perfect, actually, for the American audience of the era, which makes its absence all the more puzzling–I suspect that the setting was considered “too Japanese” and reskinning it felt like too much work, the kind of thing that kept Ninja JaJaMaru-kun stuck in Japan too. 

Now, there are some absolutely brutal skill checks in this that I can only see as requiring you reset the system every time you die (most notably the last few bosses) that just make it feel old-school cruel, but I had a fairly decent time trying see how far I could get “for real” once I’d learned the maps (not very far, it turns out.) And I still enjoyed the challenge of this even letting myself do some judicious quick-saving. This isn’t the great leap forward for design that The Legend of Zelda was, but it sort of offers an interesting counterpoint–would games look completely different if Nintendo decided this was the one to get released in the west instead of Zelda?

Probably not actually.

Will I ever play it again? It’s fun, but it’s too hard. Probably not on this one too.

Final Thought: Nintendo really haven’t returned to this one very much. It’s not a complete black sheep, getting a GBA re-issue and (bizarrely) a 3DS release in Europe and Australia, but one of the strangest has to be that in Samurai Warriors 3 for Wii (Nintendo published in the west but otherwise a Koei game through and through) Nintendo EAD made an entire “Murasame castle mode” which is a remake in the Musou style. That’s an even odder decision than not releasing this in the west in the first place.

Support Every Game I’ve Finished on ko-fi! You can pick up a digital copy of exp. 2600, a zine featuring all-exclusive writing at my shop, or join as a supporter at just $1 a month and get articles like this a week early.

[vellatra]

I don't really know any characters from your story besides Vellatra herself, so how about #1, #8, and #9 for the most important character who is not her?

Oh dear! You know what, I'd never really considered who was "second-most important"! So I did some pondering... and mulled it over with my advisor and confidante (@reneethegreatandpowerful), and have come to the conclusion that Zac is second. HOWEVER! The story has a few different groups it follows, with their own side plots and stuff, so I have also included perhaps one of the more interesting folks from each of these groups. Thanks for the tough question! Those are the ones that help me fine tune stories. 😁 And now, your answers.

(Apologies - I committed the cardinal sin of using a "skin color" marker in this drawing, thereby turning him into Donald Trump. Sorry! 😅)

Q: Full name and occupation?

A: "I'm Zachary James O'Connor. Most people just call me Zac. I'm in training to eventually join the army in the Merfaen tiz Ornaru - if I don't find a way back to Earth first, that is!"

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: "My favorite pastime is playing video games! Especially fantasy swordplay stuff, like Zelda, Xenoblade, and Final Fantasy. They don't have electronics in this world though, so nowadays I tag along with Aileev and get into mischief with her, mostly." 😆 (Author's note: Aileev is Vellatra's teenage firecracker of a daughter. I'll have to introduce her sometime soon!)

Q: What is your greatest achievement, and why do you think so?

A: "I learned Flunibu, the Merfaen language, to a conversational level in a couple of weeks. Never thought I'd learn a new language that fast!"

Q: Full name and occupation?

A: "Vexina Katrina Fini. I'm a specialist in the natural sciences, and at the moment I'm on a government funded mission to investigate some strange phenomena near the edge of our solar system. ... Admittedly I've been pretty sidetracked lately! But Silen Fah is full of interesting new flora and fauna to discover, so I'm not too upset." 😁

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: "I enjoy reading up on the most recent scientific discoveries, and mulling over the unexplained mysteries of the universe. Did you know, for example, that nobody's yet come up with a satisfactory theory for how the mammoths were frozen so quickly and preserved so perfectly? The temperatures and conditions you'd need-"

Q: Ahem, next question! What is your greatest achievement and why do you think so?

A: "By a long shot, the discovery of this new world! No earthly scientist has ever been able to catalogue so many new species and geological formations as I have, and all thanks to a happy accident on our travels through space! I worry, though, that no one will ever find OUT about my achievement. I haven't found a way back home, or a way to send my findings to Earth.... But hope is not lost and I won't give up!"

Q: Full name and occupation?

A: "I am Fabian, son of Henry. I am a squire for Sir Galahad of Camelot."

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: "I enjoy practicing swordplay, hunting, and riding horseback when the time may be spared."

Q: What is your greatest achievement and why?

A: "I have done little worthy of renown as of yet, but I am only a youth. I trust that, in time, great things shall be done. Perhaps I shall become a knight of King Arthur's court? Slay wicked beasts? Save fair maidens? What the Lord willeth, I stand ready to do."

This is the second time I've typed all this out... sure hope Tumblr doesn't delete it all again! This is getting tedious. 😵

Anyway, it was fun to figure all this out! Thanks again for the question!

[lilycutesmith]

Top 25 Formative Games/Series For Lily Cutesmith, Dipshit Game DevTM here's a long ass post about these and my thoughts if that's something you're interested in

anyways I made a long ass thread about my choices here so I'm formatting it better here under a readmore (games are done in no particular order really)

7th Dragon Code VFD is a fun game that's probably the weakest in the series but it is the only one that came out over here and while the others have fan-translations i havent gotten too far in any of them. They're good games imo! VFD just sorta came out and was there when I needed it. It's not good once you play the other games and find out the developmental history of VFD is "the company making it went under and SEGA basically finished it for them and its a fucking miracle it even came out this side of the pond." The 2020 games (there's two) for the PSP have Hatsune Miku in them and you can unlock the Miku version of the OSTs by saving her in a side mission in those games and they have some REALLY cool environmental art direction/design so I think they're worth checking out. The series was started/directed by the director of the first EO game and you can very easily see the shared DNA in the series, despite the different design direction it took. VFD is VERY easy to break once you reach a certain point in the game so its by far the easiest, and in all of the games the random encounters are only really threatening for the first few levels, but the real meat of the combat is in the Dragon and Boss encounters. The party size is a more standard 4-members in 1, with a row system too and it plays largely like what one may consider a standard rpg combat system with the React Turns being kinda there. 2020 takes the React Turns and turns it into a genuine part of the game's action economy once you get access to the buffs that grant them upon fulfilling the conditions. This is vital due to the game's 3 Member party size! Its cool. I like it a lot and would love to explore the design space of that further, because i think its a much more interesting system then SMT's Press Turn System. It's something that's really got my brain juicing.

It was a bloody battle between Link to the Past and Link's Awakening but I think the randomizer specifically pushes LTTP to the finish line for me. I really like both and other zelda games though so tough choice. I like a lot of zelda games to be fair and am a known Zelda 2 enjoyer (ill beat it one day…) but like, Link's Awakening sticks to me because a) played it a lot as a kid, and b) man it's story is pretty good and I read someone's take on it as being a farewell to the like, more simple stories of a hero vs the dark lord that most adventure stories had at the time as they shifted to being much more in-depth and grown-up in a sense? And I think that's neat. However, Link to the Past won over it for me here because like, man, I did 100% the GBA version including the four swords content/bonus dungeon, and also like, I spend a lot of time with the randomizer and I've really come to appreciate the like, toolset and layout of the game. It's cool as hell. I don't really have strong opinions on the 3D games frankly. I like the setting of the series though, its a p huge influence on me, and I would be loathe to not include a representive on this list.

I'd probably put Pokemon Scarlet here instead but i didnt see it in the fucking thing and apparently Pokemon Ruby wasn't there either (was not into the remake) so Red version it is (i played yellow but lol) realistically this just represents the entire series for me tho. So you might go "lily why the fuck Scarlet?" and like, man, its probably the most fun I've had in a mainline game and the story was a lot of fun to go through. I havent played the DLC and tbh I'm probably not going to but I like what I've heard of it. The ost also fucks but that's pretty much the standard for pokemon, there's always bangers in there. ANYWAYS, the point here is that pokemon is hugely influential on me and that's why it's on the list baby!!!!!!! I have a million thoughts on the design of pokemon games but that's something for an Ask and another time.

Kirby Super Star is also here bc I played it a SHITTON as a kid and the cart we had was faulty so we often had to do the entire game in one go typically but the nature of the game made that mostly fine and it was fun so like!! Like, I would probably rank Planet Robobot or Forgotten Lands or even Star Allies higher then KSS, but I think in terms of like, once again, influencing my Entire Identity And Existence, KSS takes the cake!! I don't think I have much more to add to this point tbh, I just really like Kirby games!

Fairune Collection is here partially bc I did really like it and it kinda made me think about what a game IS. Also i really like the games by the dev and the worlds they've built so it goes here. This point also includes Kamiko and Transiruby by the same dev as well. I really like how their pixel art looks and the overall visual direction of their works. Also cute girls. That's vital here. I think if you like, puzzle adventure games, the Fairune Collection is a good pick up. They're funny lil games.

you dont play Fall Guys to win, you play it to be the Biggest Clown in the show, and sometimes that gets you the win. I play with a friend only though so the clowning IS twofold. But also like, honestly, the game controls in a very specific way that sucks but Purposefully So? It feels good to play. It's a very interesting game design-wise in that way, and the level creator really lets you explore that and that's cool. The like, """kaizo""" level potential is honestly really high and we've seen some cool stuff in that regard too. Obviously I am obligated to say that it is a F2P game with microtransactions for funny outfits and animations, so obviously if that's bad for you then don't play it. I DID drop money on it for the miku outfit and concert emote myself bc like, miku. We also discovered that you can grab-cancel emotes and if they make a sound at the start you can beep very aggressively and its VERY funny. It fucking rules to beep around someone and then they figure out how to do it and join us and like, the game really stands out when you do the classic "jump and emote at someone to communicate in an mmorpg" activity.

"Why no souls games?" I enjoy souls games but they weren't ever particularly like, influences to me? Code Vein however is where I got my current sona/vtuber design idea from and its a fucking unhinged 6-7/10 game ever it rules. Like where do I even start with this game really? It's a mid to bad story with pretty fun combat and systems and a very funny character creator and its impossible to take seriously with most of the level design being Whatever with the exception of the Cathedrel of Sacred Blood which is a huge fucking part of the game that actually tests your observational skills outside of the enemy encounters, and the game is fucking FUN as hell! incredible game changed me as a person, made me feel like I was starting to really understand video games as a medium when i finished it.

Shadowbringers is specifically the expansion and not like the entire FFXIV game; its an incredibly strong story about fighting for a future you may not even see and that's extremely resonate to me. makes me want to make an rpg. I'm not gonna lie, I kinda soured on FFXIV after Endwalker for a variety of reasons (shoutouts to the raid series though, Scream is a banger song), so I dont really play it anymore. Shadowbringers is still in my heart though, and like, man, its hard to describe. Ardbert is fantastic, the conclusion with Elidibus is incredible, going through whats left of the First really drives home the despair of the situation while showing the resilience of the people still remaining, emet squelch is there. And like, really, I think the story as a whole just very much resonates with me especially with gestures at the world as a whole going on so like, idk maybe I'm saying the wrong words then what I mean too. I'm into it. Shoutouts to Eden 8's pre-final phase with Gaia being Gay As Hell. That part in conjunction with the song live rent-free in my head, esp as inspiration for one of my pairs of OCs.

Zero 2 is here bc its a fucking good game that greatly influenced my tastes in gameplay and aesthetic. why arent people making MMZ-style games where are you people. Anyways I don't know how much I could add or explain this because really the "MMZ-Style Games" bit doesnt make sense unless you're familiar with how the games feel to play lmao. There's a niche for incredibly tight movement + combat in a 2d Platformer with levels that you can play for Rank to test yourself and i am just not seeing them tbh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Iji is the first game to make me cry as a teen. one of the strongest standouts from the early western indie game scene by far. I dont think I particularly cared for the gameplay thinking on it, but I also think that's like fine because its a very unique game and it plays well enough for exactly the kind of game it needs to be. The fact this is one of the first games to go "hey, you don't actually need to kill anyone, and in fact, you probably really don't want to anymore once you get the fuller picture of what's going on because god DAMN the situation is bad" is really important to me and like, man, maaaaaaan, the game's good. Shoutouts to Asha, worst funniest cockiest dipshit ever 10/10.

An Untitled Story is just a solid game from celeste dev who is responsible for the game maker platformer engine I eventually adapted into my own form. I think the game itself is like fine and I really like that one of the MAIN upgrades you get for progression is straight up hatching from an egg. Ultimately, the game is on here because it greatly affected my game dev trajectory. "Why not Celeste tho?" i havent played it and really just havent felt like playing it, its not the time yet.

I picked Double Dealing Character as the touhou representative because while Ten Desires is the first touhou game I truly got into and beat repeatedly, DDC is like, the one that REALLY got me into the series and made friends during. I think if you're looking to try playing any of the mainline touhou shmups this is a good starting point; there aren't any like, game specific mechanics you need to worry about and there's some really fun/funny spellcards that'll trip you up, the challenge is just in the right spot I think. Touhou as a SERIES is a huge inspiration for me (I literally made several fangames at this point) so it resides in a special place in my heart.

tetris attack is a game that i wish i could play against other people like i straight up plan on implementing online into touhou panel date pon for this explicit reason i crave violence that only swapping panels can sate. i really dont need to add more to this, but I also enjoy Dr Mario and Tetris. I don't think I'm MASTERFUL at them but I fall into a weird spot of "Not Pro but Super Not Casual" for them so its hard to play Versus in these games (not that there's easy ways to play falling block match 3 versus games that aren't Tetris or Puyo but i mean…)

the probably big ???? here for most people who are familiar with it is Mystic Quest and a) dude that game's soundtrack FUCKS b) I played it a lot as a kid whenever my family stayed at my aunt's house and it was so much fun. S/o to Shining in the Darkness for the same reason (and is probably why i latched onto EO in the first place tbh). Listen, FFMQ is the most baby shit rpg ever but it is a vital piece of my soul as a game designer/developer/person. You have to respect it, if nothing else for the OST.

La-Mulana, Baba is You, and Ittle Dew get the same entry on here as they are more or less on here for the same reasons. They're all puzzle games on wildly different axis and really made me think about what challenge means for a video game. La-Mulana (this includes 2 for the record) because the game asks you "ok dipshit, how good are you at taking and using notes and remembering what verbs you have? Also here's some slapstick jokes for your enrichment lol". Its great. You have to respect the game because it WILL throw a banana peel in front of you and you WILL slip if you aren't paying attention. Baba Is You is just a phenomal take on sokoban. Rules are fake actually as it turns out. Ittle Dew I struggle to remember any actual puzzles from (granted its been a Hot Minute since I played it) but I DISTINCTLY remember that both 1 and 2 do the funny joke of "hey if you know how to do weird shit with your tools you can get into Places You Shouldn't Be In" and that owns. It's similar to Baba Is You in that regard but it feels like a very different angle, imo. These games helped me sort of like, come to terms with and grasp the idea of games challenging you from different angles? Its not ALL about execution, after all!

shoutouts to crocomire jumpscare, got me good when i was like, 8-9. Super Metroid really sticks in my mind as a result of playing it a lot as a kid, but especially because of that part. I picked Super Metroid specifically bc its the game I probably played the most of when I was younger, though realistically that title might actually belong to Zero Mission bc I did nearly everything in that game except for the Low% Runs bc jesus christ those are hard as hell. Anyways I really like Metroid Primes 1 and 2 (didnt particularly care for 3? wii-mote aiming doesnt do it for me either) and most of the games and like, I've talked about how the gamefeel of the 2D ones is very unique and I dislike the term metroidvania bc there's usually way more emphesis on the -vania part then anything like Metroid lmao. But yeah, samus cool and gay. Would love to see people make metroid-style games with a slower n more methodical gameplay style tbh. I should also make that at some point.

Etrian Odyssey V is my pick for EO because imo its probably the most solid one in terms of the team figuring out how to design the games and just has REALLY fun class and encounter design. I get why ppl might shy from it bc its different aesthetic from the others but its good. Each class has a Base Set of Skills that sort of gives you an idea of how they'll play but then you unlock the Master Sets and you have to pick one for each class (each class gets two) and that allows you to really focus your characters and the teambuilding aspect really pops off at this point. The FOE puzzles and dungeon layouts are fun and the random encounters will explode you for fucking up, its great. Just a really strong and focused entry to the series, and I feel like the one that really delivers on the EO experience. I don't really wanna talk about the other games otherwise we'd be here all night but I do want to make a note that if you're looking to play the first 3 games, the HD Remasters are probably your best bet as the QoL shit (+ slight balance changes to how some skills work/they behave properly now; Beast notably still works the same but is better now due to the Provoke changes; "but Loyalty still sucks?" welllllllll there's quirks to how you can use that to your advantage actually; remember these are team building games!) really helps make them easier to play and get through. Anyways big fan of EOV, its decidedly my favorite after getting thru most of my second replay (i need to get back to it lol). Recommend if you're itching for an RPG with teeth that's not overwhelming you with a bajillion numbers and has a lot of depth to how you can build your team.

Order of Ecclesia is here bc gender. also bc its my second castlevania game (i started with Dawn of Sorrow) and i managed to 100% somehow. idk its a fun game and i think it might've been one of the first games where I REALLY started to understand the concept of game mechanics, because idiot baby me finally realized that "oh enemies have RESISTANCES and WEAKNESSES and my weapons can HIT those weaknesses for MASSIVE DAMAGE" after trying to genuinely master the game for the hitless medal rewards (unhinged btw, but i mean you also got the Death Ring bc well if you're using that you HAVE to do hitless lol). Anyways I dont care much for Castlevania as a series tbh, but OoE (and by extension DoS) were formative games for me so they go on here. Shanoa is also Gender so like, lol lmao

I dont actually have much to say for Knytt Stories. I cant remember as much as I would like but I feel fondness recalling it and I think it definitely influenced how I think about games. This goes for Knytt too, the first one. I think if nothing else, these games were probably the first games I played where the primary focus was simply area atmosphere and VibesTM and they were cute and fun to play.

dragon's dogma is on here bc i think its one of the first games where I actually thought about my character's gender and tried out the name Robin for a bit there. also its a fun fucking game and I liked how wild it gets past a point. Really just, primarily hoping that 2 has a much larger enemy variety pool. Clambering around on shit and stabbing it was hella fun. But yeah this is really just on here for the gender reasons lmao.

Wonder Girl 3 The Dragon's Trap (the remaster/make/whatever) is the game to bring up whenever "does animation affect game feel" as a topic comes up because its THE shining example of it doing that imo. its also just a good fucking game I think about a lot. good ost to boot. Like, I think about the game itself and its like just a really solid fun action platformer with exploratory elements and minor ""rpg"" elements? but it really vibes with me aesthetically. It's an inspiration for me, because frankly I love making these sorta games? I wish there were more like it.

ok last game. Potato Flowers in Full Bloom is such a good fucking game. its cute. its good. I would kill for Chief, love her. she just wants to feed the world dude. 10/10. its kind of like a puzzle rpg in a sense? I really like it. DRPGs are a niche genre, and I think PFiFB is a very unique take on it, and like, I really recommend it if you're juicing for something that's a bit different. Last I checked you can cheese a lot of it by building an evasion character turbo hard but like I think that's fine, there's plenty of variety in terms of how you can build characters and its fun. It's cute. It made me rethink how I approach game design? I think? Idk. It's just a game i really enjoyed and I think you should try out if you like RPGs.

I forgot to talk about the X Series since the thing didnt have X1 on there for some reason so the Collection is there (for the PS2). The series quality is all over the place but damn if it aint a formative series for me, in much of the same vein as the Zero series.

In conclusion you need to have played at least 75% of this list if you want to stand even a chance of dating/fighting me.

EDIT: actually I have a couple of notes I want to talk further about to.

a. "Why no Mario games? Sonic games?" So While I Do Enjoy Mario Games, none of them are what I would call necessarily formative for me? They're all more like, games I take inspiration from rather then affecting my brain on the level the other games did. As for Sonic, I just have not play the games LOL.

b. "Undertale?" Man, I like Undertale a lot, its just not on the list for a similar reason to the above.

c. I did try to stick to one game per series/developer but that sorta fell apart as I racked my brain for games lmao. shit's hard when you have a lot of thoughts and poorly processed words.

[dragmiire]

thoughts on the big ganondorf fight(s)! i totally forgot to post them, but i got THOUGHTS INDEED.

okay first off, RLY wish we had a cooler arena for the humanoid fights. Just A Dark Room(TM) felt boring and dull. it would've been neater to slowly walk into deeper and deeper darkness, until finding a light root. then when you light it up, you're face-to-face with The Horrors(TM) (like idk a bunch of gibdo corpses, creepy gloom, whatever) and ganondorf awaiting you. and then you gotta fight in the creepy depths arena lit only by the light root with all the outside edges of the arena pitch-dark and very spooky scary. just. just anything, pls.

MY MAN CAN FLURRY RUSH OUT OF MY FLURRY RUSH?? WHAT. the way i actually screamed when i did a flurry rush (which i rarely do successfully i am SO bad at timing) and he flurry rushed out of it and beat the shit out of me. or when i'd do a flurry rush and he'd just do a sick backflip. what the fuck. why is he so AGILE.

again, HOW IS HE SO AGILE?? he is HUGE and was doing backflips and front flips and flying through the fucking air PRE-DEMON KING MAGIC FORM. if i didn't have to do the stupid army bit every time id love to just go back to watch him do his insane acrobatics.

to beat him i literally had to shove him into a corner against the wall so he'd stop back-flipping away from me. literally every time i would try to hit him he'd slow-motion backflip away and i was going to lose if i did not fudge it a little.

apparently when a dragon dies it causes a NUCLEAR EXPLOSION? PARDON?

also why is it HIS secret stone ends back up on his forehead, but zelda's remains in her tummy?? both of them ate their stones, it made zero sense.

god his demon king form is SO sexy.

lowkey him eating the secret stone, just the intensity of how he seemed to shove it down his own throat? also kinda sexy im weird im sorry.

it took me a total of three hours-ish to beat him, including my first try. as cited to blue, i needed the following to beat him: fierce deity armor (all save for the headpiece at 3 star, headpiece at 2 star), gloom-resistant food, defense-up food, LOTS of gloom removal food, LOTS of heart-up food, and so many prayers.

OH AND I FORGOT, THE FACT HE CAN PERMANENTLY REMOVE YOUR HEARTS?? I WAS SCREAMING?? BRO WHAT THE FUCK??? if i didn't have all that fucking extra heart food he'd have KILLED ME. literally was about to go into a rage if i lost after struggling SO hard.

the dragon fight was super fun and i found it very rewarding, personally, after getting my ass beaten into a blood stain. i honestly don't mind a super easy final fight after a really hard fight, it feels like a lil 'u did it!' final lap.

all in all, i was caught between being SUPER pleased at how hard he was and how they made him rightfully super tough, and also dying because PLEASE nintendo i JUST want to see the last few cutscenes my GOD.

not ganondorf related, but i did like how the game ends with link finally being able to grab zelda, and it was nice to yknow, do it urself. i almost wanted to see what happens if u let zelda go splat but i didnt wanna replay the boss fights if it restarted u. STILL do not like everybody swearing fealty, i didn't like it with the og sages and rauru, ESPECIALLY did not vibe with it and zelda.

idk how to exactly put it into words, it just puts everyone on a subservient level to her when they rly should be kicking the outdated monarchy system to the curb and functioning as equals each trying to boost up their individual societies and hyrule as a whole. but it was rly funny to see link wearing his usual resting bitch face while everyone else is fumbling thru their vow.

[owlixx]

Mega Man Ideal Game (for me)

So, playing Mega Man 11 made me realize what my ideal Mega Man game looks like.

Basically: Mega Man Universe/Powered Up meets Halo: The Master Chief Collection

From Mega Man 11/Powered Up/Universe

Cutsey, chibi-ish, 2.5D art style

Lots of options for controls, playable characters, etc.

Maybe even just uses the MM11 engine

Double gear system as option (circle back later)

Opposite philosophy from the Legacy Collections - more about representing the old games rather than preserving

From Master Chief Collection (especially when it went to PC):

Unite the entire series under a single application

Start early access, adding one game at a time

Universal controls and settings

Introducing new levels of customization not seen before in original games

Singular hub the whole thing, universal features

Cross-game playlists (all ice levels back to back, that kind of thing)

Tons of leaderboards and achievements

Unique timed challenges

Incentives to play all the games in every style

So more specifically, I don't really need any more robot masters or plot. I feel like we have covered all the bases already. Instead, I want to see every Mega Man game rebuilt from the ground up in a unified engine. They could be sold as a la carte DLC, or perhaps in chunks of "season passes" with maybe 3 games coming out a year. Capcom already does something similar with their arcade collections. Just like those, I want tons of accessibility options and challenge modes across the board, universal screen filters, cute unlocks tied to achievements.

I would settle for something like the recent retro remakes that just redo the graphics but let you toggle with a button, but I'd prefer to have deeper QoL changes.

Specifically, my vision for this game hingers on encouraging players to replay these games over and over again with something a little different every time. Not just by offering achievements, but by offering a myriad of modes that don't actually require huge changes to implement, but make the games feel very different.

This is why I would want the games rebuilt in a new engine, almost like a map pack for Mega Man 11: so that we can add something like Roll as a playable character without having to hard code that into every single game. Admittedly, 7-8 and (hopefully included) MM&Bass are different enough to require some more work, but I think this isn't an impossible vision.

Again, here is just an example of what I am imagining: you go to boot up any of the Mega Man games, 1-11, and you are presented with an overwhelming grid of options, like:

Playable characters: Mega Man (with variants for his ability sets, maybe we can find a way to dynamically alter stage obstacles when he doesn't have slide, for example. Maybe that is asking too much, but the folks in the Metroid/Zelda randomizer communities seem to know a thing or two about stretching games to their limits without making them unplayable), Roll (again, just give her one tiny change like a double jump or altered buster to give her a totally different feel), Proto, Bass, Duo, maybe even X/Zero, maybe even Mega Man.EXE and Volnutt if we are getting crazy, or even potentially every single robot master like Powered Up does. Again, that would require reworking the stages, which wouldn't be manually feasible, but I am sure there is a way this could be accommodated. I would also love the ability to specifically go through each Mega Man game as a fully powered Mega Man from any other game, but again that demands reworking stages, especially ones like Sword Man that use earlier abilities.

Modes: hardcode in restricted modes like buster only, weakness only, no weakness, no charge shot, no slide, one hit, etc. as well as toggles for stuff like pits, spikes, higher health, etc. plus challenges like randomized weapons, reverse screen, time trials, boss rush, things like that.

Even just those two things alone could multiply to create a nearly unlimited amount of new replay value.

As for new QoL changes, I basically just want to see everything from Mega Man 11: hotswapping with buttons or right stick, new character model for each weapon, expanded tutorial, lots of difficulty options, auto shoot, auto charge, optional dedicated slide button, and I would love to see the option to bring the double gear system (or at least the speed gear in the form of a limited-use slowdown) in all the old games as an optional mode. Same with having the slide in 1-2, charge shot in 1-3, jetpack in earlier games, characters in games they shouldn't be in, etc.

TLDR: I want a unified remake of the Mega Man 1-10 in the MM11 engine.

I feel like The X series is too all-over-the-place to do this with, while the Zero and ZX games are too similar to be worth cross-pollinating this way, although again I would love to see X and Zero adapted to classic Mega Man, even if they end up being overpowered.

The other pitch for this game is basically to just...make Mega Man Universe and have it contain the official levels packed-in. Mario Maker has really proven how to do a AAA retro DIY game already, and so has the fangame Mega Man Maker as far as I can tell.

Alternatively, just make something like Power Fighters but include all 88 robot masters. That is still a hefty game, especially if you can build any kind of replay value in.

[ryanmeft]

Nintendo Games That Should be Re-Released, Part 1

Yesterday, Nintendo announced a smorgasbord of updated re-releases, including Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and Mario vs. Donkey Kong, as well as new info on that much-anticipated Super Mario RPG remake. Naturally, this has people talking about what other games Nintendo should re-release, but most of these people are wrong. They largely want their favorite games on the Switch, even if those games have already been re-released several times. What the fandom needs is more of what Nintendo announced in their direct: good games that no one remembers or has played in a long time because they're stuck on their original systems. These are those games.

Fire Emblem Awakening

Intended to be the final entry in the FE series due to slumping sales, Awakening’s relationship-based team building, more forgiving difficulty options and intriguing narrative instead revitalized the series from DOA to a real strategy contender. All the more a shame, then, that it remains stuck on the 3DS. A bit of a graphical upgrade and the DLC being included in the purchase price would make this classic worth revisiting on a modern system.

The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass

Along with Zelda II and Spirit Tracks, this is generally regarded as one of the least essential Zelda games, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have plenty going for it. The problem with the original release is many people, even Zelda die-hards who bought it on the strength of the name, never saw most of it due to Nintendo’s frustrating insistence on pimping the DS’s touch screen for everything they could. A re-release that got rid of the mandatory touchscreen controls and maybe added a couple new whiz-bangs as a thank you would allow a lot more people to experience the game.

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Currently the only mainline DKC game that is not playable on any modern system, DKCR was a resounding critical and commercial success that not only re-galvanized the series after a long hiatus, but gave it a new direction just as compelling as the old one. The most updated way to play it is in a 3DS version, which is not the way to experience this game’s visual creativity. If Nintendo let it off the hook with new content similar to that in their Tropical Freeze re-release, we’d all go ape for it.

Mother 3

I’ll level with you: I tried the first Earthbound and couldn’t get into it at all. That said, I understood why the series was special back in the day, and why fans are understandably POed that Nintendo of Japan has been sitting on the third and final game for 17 years. Back in 2006, there was a logical business argument against releasing it in the west due to poor sales, shipping and packaging costs and localization, but digital delivery has lessened many of those obstacles, and after they did it with the first Fire Emblem, this would be a great show of support for the Big N’s loyal fans.

Wario Land Virtual Boy

Perhaps the biggest white whale in Nintendo history, the game was well-reviewed and even originated the idea of jumping between foreground and background, but the dismal failure of the Virtual Boy and the eye-splitting red and black visuals have relegated this to a game only the hardest of hardcore Nintendo fans have played. A bit more content to combat short length, a graphical overhaul to make it actually look good, and I’ll bet fans would snap this up.

That's it for part 1. Please like, share or comment, and I'll get the second part out as soon as I can.

[powdermelonkeg]

Hello! I saw one of your fmab reblogs on my dash and in the tags you said that Zelda was a franchise guilty of the « our heroes are good bc they’re heroes » trope, esp ww, oot, botw, and tp. If that’s not a bother, could you elaborate on why these games make you think that? I’m not criticizing at all, I’m just genuinely curious as to what in these games brought you to that conclusion. Thought I would ask but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. Have a nice day!

Without going on my "Hi the Hyrulean Royal Family is irresponsible at best" rant, I'm gonna give the really simple breakdown:

Twilight Princess is the least egregious offender, Wind Waker is the most.

Twilight Princess: Arbiter's Grounds is never addressed. We don't get told anything about it, but it's very clearly a Gerudo temple, a holy place, that's been converted into a torture prison. More on that here. There's also the fate of the Twili; we're told by Lanayru that the "dark interlopers" were banished, but Midna says the following line:

Not "descendant of the criminals."

Descendant of the tribe.

The interlopers' entire tribe was banished for what they did. A tribe includes old people. It includes children. Regardless of if it's a community as small as Ordon Village, or a whole race as big as the Gerudo, this specific line is pretty damning.

But it's brushed aside because the interlopers were after the Triforce, and the goddesses are good...right?

Ocarina of Time: First of all, the Hyrulean Royal family's influences are EVERYWHERE. How many dungeons need Zelda's Lullaby or the Song of Time to open?

They even control the water levels in the Zoras' own lake. That rubs me all the wrong ways, but hey, the Hyrulean royals are good, right? We love Zelda, and she'd never do anything bad here—it was probably instated by her parents or grandparents.

The fact that these are called, specifically, "temples" though? Yeah...

And then the Gerudo. Regardless of what you think their relationship with Hyrule was before the civil war, because Ganondorf is the bad guy, it's suddenly okay to infiltrate their village, shoot their guards, steal their stuff, then raid their temple. Link isn't just ignored for doing this, he's actually respected for it. (Yes, I know, the Gerudo locked up a handful of carpenters, and they're thieves. That's a whole different problem about how the Gerudo are handled)

Maybe if it was a case of Link going to the front gate and delivering a direct challenge, sure. And we really don't like to make Link into the bad guy, I know. But if this happened in any kind of real setting, do you think it'd fly?

No consequences.

Wind Waker: EVERYTHING. OKAY. EVERYTHING.

"Oh no, Ganon's back, we're going to DROWN HALF THE POPULATION AND DESTROY EVERYONE'S HOMES"

Daphnes orchestrated this. He's the "good guy" to the very end.

Where are the Gerudo? We get a passing mention of "rival pirates" that Tetra's fighting against, but we don't know who those are.

This happens right after OOT, too. The Gerudo's water source is a RAVINE. Do you really think they can swim?

What about the Zora? They were forced to FLEE THE WHOLE WATER SYSTEM. Or the Gorons, how many of THEM are left?

Where's the Sheikah? What about the forest the Kokiri called home—they had houses too! Where are the Deku Scrubs?

What about animals? Horses, cows, fish?

The entire world FLOODED. All that's left are MOUNTAIN VILLAGES. And Daphnes is the hero here?!

...I have very strong feelings about Wind Waker. I adore that game for making Ganondorf more than just "haha evil man bad" but I never liked the KORL.

[ottspot]

Why I’m Excited for Sonic Origins

Let me preface this entry by saying this: I am not the biggest Sonic the Hedgehog fan in the entire world. I know, what a shocker! Why on earth would Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and all the other characters in the franchise be the air I breathe, the food I eat, and the blood that runs through me? This is absolutely ridiculous!

But, what can I say? I was always a Nintendo person growing up. I loved Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon. I never had much exposure to Sonic outside of playing Sonic 3 on the Wii Virtual Console and knowing that he was in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I always knew of him as that one blue hedgehog guy and nothing more.

As the years went on, though, I got to learn more of his past and the games he appears in. I can recall staying over at a friend’s house and playing some of the Sonic Classic Collection for the Nintendo DS and experiencing some of the older games that way, too! But one fateful day- on my birthday in 2015, I received a present that would open the door to the entirety of Sonic’s past: the Sonic Mega Collection for the Nintendo GameCube.

This was an incredible collection full of charm and nostalgia (I’m absolutely not the only one to think so!), and I had so much fun playing it. Although, I never actually beat any of the games on there, not even once! Sure, I unlocked all the games by tediously starting and exiting them so it would register in the in-game counter, but outside of that I only played each game for about half an hour at most. Maybe it was the GameCube controller, or the fact that I wasn’t used to the expansive levels or unfair deaths, but the games never entirely stuck with me.

Years later, of course, I did go back and beat the first Sonic game with the 3D re-release on 3DS, albeit with save states, but it’s a feat I will never forget. The first Sonic game I have ever finished. Period. Over the years I did try to finish Sonic 2, 3 & Knuckles, CD, and even Sonic Mania, but I never got too far with them. As I played, the drive to finish them just lessened and lessened. They were still fun, of course, but something about them just wasn’t clicking with me. There was no “push” for me to complete them.

Fast forward to today, and I am filled with more determination than ever before, as I’m one of the people eagerly awaiting an all-new Sonic collection from Sega: Sonic Origins.

Sonic Origins is a new collection featuring Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, 3, Sonic & Knuckles, and Sonic CD. Not only is this the first time Sonic CD has been included in the same collection as the other Sega Genesis titles (something that was originally going to happen in Sonic Mega Collection, but was ultimately scrapped), but these are also the first time that these “remastered” editions are coming to consoles! It is also the debut of the Sonic 3 & Knuckles remaster, a long-requested game from Sonic fans.

The other remastered games have been released previously only on mobile devices, with the exception of Sonic CD, which also released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Steam. They feature widescreen support, extra levels, enhanced special stages, and bonus playable characters.

Not only will Sonic Origins include those features, but they will feature an all new story mode with animated cutscenes, missions, and other tweaks and additions to make the games more beginner-friendly. The “Anniversary Mode” features unlimited lives and a new coin system that lets players retry special stages to get all those pesky Chaos Emeralds.

This mode alone has me very eager and excited to try the games again, and actually beat them this time. As stated before, I was never a big fan of the unfair deaths and challenges that led to me giving up after running out of lives. Some might say “But that’s Sonic! If you just give up and don’t learn how they work, you’re just not a real gamer.”, but it’s just how I like to play! This isn’t a piece on easy modes in video games, though. That’s another tale for another day.

One thing that people have voiced complaints about is the cost of this collection. The standard edition retails for $39.99 USD, while the deluxe edition including all the DLC is another 5 dollars on top of that. Some think that the price is a bit much for what is essentially 4 Sega Genesis games and one Sega CD game, some of which have already been re-released many times beforehand. It didn’t help that the initial pre-order chart that Sega released was the most confusing thing to read on the planet, and made it seem that things were locked behind certain editions and DLCs, reminiscent of some Ubisoft games.

Thankfully, the chart was updated later on to further clarify that some things were pre-order bonuses, and that you get everything by pre-ordering the digital deluxe edition. This didn’t exactly stop the complaining, though.

I may be a tad biased being a bit of a newcomer and all, but personally I don’t really see a reason to complain here. These are five fully remastered titles, in full widescreen with many enhancements and extra modes. For years there has been a demand to put these remasters on platforms other than mobile and an even higher demand to make one for Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and I was definitely one of those people hoping for both. After years of waiting, Sega had finally given them what they had been asking for.

I have heard many great things about the widescreen remasters of these Sonic games, that they were made by veteran Sonic hackers that know the classic games very well, possibly even more than the original developers! Their expertise with past hacks, the remasters, and even creating Sonic Mania makes me very excited. Finally, no more of having to play on a touch screen!

To end things off, I would just like to say that the release of this collection makes me hopeful that Sega will set these as the standard for future releases of older Sonic games, and that other companies like Nintendo and Capcom will take note and faithfully remaster their older games and package them up in a nice bundle like this.

And no, Nintendo. We don’t mean sticking a SNES ROM from 1993 onto a disc. Again.

Thank you for reading this all the way to the end, everyone! This is my very first post of (hopefully) many on here, and the fact that you stuck around means a lot. If you have any suggestions on this post or ideas for future blogs, please feel free to leave a comment or send me a message! Socials can be found on my Contact page.

Next up: I Might Be a Bit of a Crackhead for Finishing All of Final Fantasy XIV in Just About a Month

[aikoiya]

LoZ - Kakariko Food Culture

Ya'll, I have a frankly dumb amount of recipe ideas for the Wild Series.

Part of it has to do with the idea that, in Link's house, he could cook more complex recipes, including 2nd Tier Ingredients. Which are ingredients made of other basic ingredients. A number of these 2nd Tier Ingredients could be used to substitute multiple base ingredients in a recipe, thus giving you more room to work with.

He'd also be able to cook in bulk, which is something I feel like is holding the cooking system in the Wild Series back.

Another idea I had was that the more you cook, the better you get at it, thus the more ingredients you can use in a recipe.

So, Link would start with only being able to use 5 at a time, but the amount can increase up to 6, then 7-8. Then, maybe even 10.

The list itself isn't complete in any capacity.

Affects & Recipes beginning with a * indicates that it is already in the games in one way or another.

※ Will be beside things that were planned to be part of the official series at one point, but for whatever reason, were cut.

Some 2nd Tier Ingredients use the same ingredients, but the end result depends on which kitchen utensil is used to make it. For instance, Pastry Dough & Soup Stock are both made with the same basic ingredients, but you get Pastry Dough using a Rolling Pin & Soup Stock using a Pot. In this way, it would sort of soft block certain recipes behind a specific kitchen utensil.

Kitchen Items:

Cooking Pot, Rolling Pin, Mortar & Pestle (later upgraded to a Spice Grinder), White Frying Pan, Zonaite Brewing Keg, Brick Oven, Saucepan, Cheesecloth, Hōchō-Kaku (A full Sheikah knife set in a knife block), Makisu (a sushi mat), Oil Distillery, Fermentation Jar, & Frost Box (basically a fridge/freezer that uses Ice Runes).

Gathering these things also has another affect. They improve the quality & effectiveness of your final dish, as well as increase the likelihood of getting cooking crits.

---

For more information on the ingredients I'm using, go here: Flora & Fungi, Fauna & Byproducts, & 2nd Tier Ingredients.

I've decided to split thing up:

Kakariko Food Culture

Ordon Food Culture

Gerudàn Cuisine

- Ealiyah Town Food Culture - Highland Gerudo Settlement

Koholint Food Culture

I'd also recommend checking out the Canon Settlement Recipe Ideas & Ruined & Non-Canon Town Recipe Ideas.

For quick travel, go to LoZ Cultural Masterlist. You'll find other recipe lists there under the Food section.

---

List of Effects:

☆Acro = Wall Climb Speed Up. - EoW: Climbing.

Aerodynamic = Skydive Control Up.

Amorous = Aphrodisiac. This is a secondary effect, allowing it to remain even after being cooked with something else. (This is mostly for flavor & wouldn't actually do anything in a game setting. Though, it specifically only activates when a sufficient level of dopamine & norepinephrine is found in the body, it can likewise be cured when a sufficient enough supply of oxytocin is introduced into the bloodstream or by simply avoiding those who cause such reactions until the Amorous food has made its way out of their system. So, it only takes effect if in the presence of someone you legit are attracted to & are in love with, which is why Link wouldn't be affected. He's Zelda's & it'd only work on him in her presence. It also doesn't work on anyone who hasn't finished puberty. It's also known to increase the possibility of reproduction.)

Erogenous = Aphrodisiac. Unlike Amorous, Erogenous needs no emotional attraction for it to work. In this way, it's actually much more dangerous. (Would not appear in games beyond the story. Known to increase the possibility of reproduction.)

Battle Ready = Hearty, Enduring, & Mighty all in one. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of specific places.)

*Biting = Cold Weather Attack.

☆Bubble = Hold Breath Underwater For Longer.

*Dark/Warding = Gloom Resistance.

Depths Stride = Dark/Warding & Glow at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of the Depths.)

Dawing/Dusky = Twilight Blade Attack Up. (Doubles the damage dealt by Sheikah weaponry, Moonlight Scimitars, knives, sickles, & scythes by generating a crepuscular razor, thus dealing twilight damage. Mirror Sheilds are also more effective. Sheikah/Yiga weaponry fused with Silver Lizalfos Horns deal thrice as much damage as normal. Twilight also deals extra damage to undead enemies & Poes, this sets the spirit trapped inside free & results in a Poe Soul. Twilight damage is also noted to be purifying, so defeating Wolfos, Furnix, Bullbos, & Iron Knuckle enemies with Twilight purifies them, thus returning them to their natural state.)

Detox = Helps one fight back against toxins by cutting down on the damage done by said toxins as well as the time until those toxins get out of their system. Can also be used in cooking with Toxic ingredients to negate the Toxic affect. However, it takes a degree of toxicological/botanical/medical knowledge to do so. Also, the higher the toxicity, the higher the Detox effect needs to be in order to counteract it.

Dreamy = Sleep Induction. This is a secondary effect, allowing it to remain even after being cooked with something else. (More for story flavor as somnolents just make you sorta sleepy &, thus, won't just knock Link out cold. Actual gameplay uses would only be included when you use Fuse Weapon to attach the item to an arrow or other weapon, which I'm saying concentrates & amplifies the effects, which allows you to knock enemies out cold. Without the Fuse Weapon rune, you'd need to make a concentrated sleep extract to apply to the arrow/weapon tip by hand. By default, Dreamy items don't work against boss or mini-boss enemies. However, if you go to sleep in a bed within an hour of being affected by Dreamy, you'll get bonuses when you wake up.)

Potent Dreamy = Powerful Sleep Induction. This is a secondary effect, allowing it to remain even after being cooked with something else. (Unlike Dreamy, Potent Dreamy will absolutely knock Link the fuck out. It's basically a tranquilizer. Note that only the scent of a Mawkap will wake him up afterwards.)

Eclating/Glaring = Light Blade Attack Up. (Doubles the damage dealt by swords, knives, axes, sickles, & scythes by generating a cutting light, thus dealing light damage. Light-based weapons such as the White Sword of the Sky, the Master Sword, the Sword of the Six Sages, the Bow of Light, & other such weapons deal triple damage. However, damage dealt from using a Light Weapon fused with a Light Dragon part is quadrupled. Light attacks also deal extra damage to dark enemies. Light damage is noted to be purifying, so defeating Wolfos, Furnix, Bullbos, & Iron Knuckle enemies with Light purifies them, thus returning them to their natural state.)

*Electro = Shock Resistance.

*Enduring = Adds Stamina.

*Energizing = Restores Stamina.

*Fireproof = Fire Resistance.

Fortune = Great Deal. Briefly increases the amount of rupees you get for selling things.

Freezeproof = Freeze Resistance.

☆Piping-Hot = Freezeproof & Spicy. A Hidden Effect. You can’t normally access a Hidden Effect without certain Infusion techniques.

Frost Guard = Spicy, Freezeproof, Biting, & Snowdrift at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of Hebra & Ealiyah Town.)

Gills = Breathe Water.

*Glow = Glow.

*Hasty = Speed Up.

Sanddrift = Sand mobility up & prevents from sinking in quicksand.

Snowdrift = Snow mobility up & prevents you from sinking in deep snow.

*Hearty = 1-5 Extra Hearts.

Hydrophilic = Gills & Rapid at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the Zora. Also pairs swimingly with Zora weaponry.)

*Icy/Chilly = Heat Resistance.

Lava Guard = Fireproof & Rapid. Allows to swim in lava. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the Gorons & Mogma of Gorondia.)

Lightningproof = Nullifies Lightning.

Lightning Guard = Lightningproof & Stormy/Charged at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of Faron, Ordona, & the Gerudo Desert.)

*Mighty = Attack Up.

Nucturnepid - Can see farther in darkness.

Photosynthesis = Sunny & Recovery at once. Allows you to slowly recover hearts over time so long as you're in direct sunlight or under a Lightroot, even if those hearts are effected by Gloom. (This effect isn't normally natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the Mogma.)

※Puissant = Allows one to jump twice. (Turns out that a Twice Jump cooking effect was cut from the final TotK game. So, you gotta know that I'll be effing with that!)

Pyrophilic = Flameproof & Scorching at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of Eldin & Gorondia.)

*Rapid = Swim Speed Up.

Recovery = Allow someone to slowly recover hearts over time.

Reforge = Repairs Weapon or Shield, but must be applied directly.

Auto Reforge = Automatically repairs Weapon or Shield upon breaking.

Revitalizing = Hearty & Enduring at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of specific places.)

Revival = Revives after death with 8 hearts. (Only Fairies & recipes that require Fairies have this effect. Don't worry, no Fairies are harmed during this process. The only thing used is the Fairies' dust.)

Full Revival = Revives after death with full ♡s +1-10 extra ♡s. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of specific places. If you get a crit while cooking, you'll also get up to 10 extra hearts as well.)

Riptide = Water Spear/Blade/Whip Attack Up. (Doubles spear, blade, & whip damage by generating a pressurized stream of water, thus dealing water damage. Zora weaponry does triple. Weapons fused with Silver or Water Lizalfos Horns, Water Lizalfos Tails, Opals, or Pearls do triple as well. But Zora weaponry fused with Silver or Water Lizalfos Horns, Water Lizalfos Tails, Opals, or Pearls do quadruple.)

*Scorching = Heat Weather Attack.

*Sneaky = Stealth Up.

Shadow Sneak = Dark/Warding & Sneaky at once. Stealth increases even more in darkness. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of Kakariko.)

*Spicy = Cold Resistance.

*Sticky = Grip Up.

*Stormy/Charged = Stormy Weather Attack.

*Sunny = Heals Gloom Damage.

Sun Guard = Chilly, Hydrating, Scorching, & Sanddrift at once. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs. Or via well-guarded cultural secret known only to the residents of Gerudo Desert.)

Tenebrating = Dark Blade Attack Up. (Doubles the damage dealt by Sheikah/Yiga weaponry, Gloom weaponry, sickles, & scythes by generating a vicious dark force, thus dealing dark or shadow damage. Sheikah/Yiga weaponry fused with dark monster parts triples the damage dealt.)

*Tough = Defence Up.

Toxic = Inflicts Poison. This is a secondary effect, allowing it to remain even after being cooked with something else. (Note that certain Toxic ingredients can be prepared specially to be made edible or to make things like medicines.)

☆Vitality = Temporary Stamina Use Reduction.

Max Vitality = Max Energizing & Stamina can be used freely for a certain amount of time. (This effect isn't natural to a single ingredient & can only be achieved via special recipes, using special cooking techniques known only to the best chefs.)

Windshear = Wind Blade Attack Up. (Doubles the damage dealt by swords, knives, axes, sickles, & scythes by generating a cutting wind, thus dealing wind damage.)

---

Special Attention: Whenever a recipe says "Any Butter," just assume that that also includes Browned Butter. Likewise, whenever a specific type of butter, such as Ordon Butter or Lon Lon Butter, is called for, that also includes their Browned variants.

The reason for this is because Browned Butter is just an overall improvement on regular butter & can be used in damn near anything. From savory, to sweet, to vegetables.

It's just a simple way to elevate your cooking.

Of course, there is also an in-game reason. The better quality the ingredients you use, the better the results you get from the final product with a higher chance of getting crits.

Also, unless certain ingredients are specifically listed in the name, many ingredients can be substituted for another one from the same category or sub-category. The ingredients listed here are just how the specific settlement makes it.

---

Kakariko is a Sheikah settlement in West Necluda.

High Spirits Produce sells 12 Swift Carrots, 3 Fortified Pumpkins, 5 Bird Eggs, 5 Goat Butter. In AoC, they sell 10 Swift Carrots, 10 Fortified Pumpkins, 5 Bird Eggs, 5 Goat Butter, & 5 Cane Sugar.

The Sheikah cultivate Swift Carrots, Fortified Pumpkins, Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox; basically a Soybean mixed with an Edamame), Kakariko Adzuki, Shadow Yams (Dark/Warding), Freshwater Cucumbers (Rapid & Hydrating), Kakariko Plums (Sneaky & Detox), Shade Rice (Tenebrating & Detox 2), & Snowdrift Buckwheat (Snowdrift). Not to mention the Cucoos having a little Hideaway nearby where you can find plenty of eggs.

You can find Sanke Carp in Lantern Lake.

Silent Shrooms, Blue Nightshades, & Ironshrooms can be found out & about.

You can also find Sneaky River Snails & even some Water Cabbages (Gills & Hydrating) in some of their patties & Rushrooms on the sheer cliffaces nearby. Maybe 3 Hylian Tomato (Hydrating) plants & 1 or 2 Apple trees.

There are Hearty Truffles, Silent Shrooms, & Fairies in the Kakariko Village Cave. And a couple of Brightcaps grow in the Kakariko Village Well.

Then, there is the Satori Trees in the Zora's Domain, which gives them relatively easy access to Satori Cherries (Hasty & Hydrating), Satora Blossoms (Hasty & Amorous), & Endura Carrots in the spring.

Kakariko Plums are a famous staple of the village & the village is close enough to Lanayru Bay that they have relatively ready access to Frostclaw Lobsters (Biting), Necludic Seaweed (Gills), & other such Necluda Oceanic delicacies as Hideaway Halibut (Sneaky), Venin Pufferfish (Toxic), Statictail (Electro), Endura Tuna (Enduring), Vicegrip Octopus (Sticky), Tigerstripe Mackerel (Hasty), & other Necludic fish. As well as having access to Hearty Roe (Hearty) due to the Endura Tuna.

An Oxen Shark (Mighty) will even wander through occasionally. However, due to this being an infrequent thing, the Sheikah still haven't perfected the cooking of shark the way they have in Lurelin. There have also been Lynelfish (Toxic) showing up in the bay, which is concerning as they are a very invasive species.

There are also Fleetstream Eels (Rapid) from nearby rivers.

You can also find Dreamdrop (Dreamy & Detox; basically loquats) bushes growing wild in the mountains, which Everlost Silkworms (Glow) live in, giving the Sheikah access to silk. Those silkworms eventually turn into Everlost Moths (Glow), which are an important creature for the Sheikah due to their association with spirits. You can harvest fruit & leaves from these Dreamdrop bushes. There's also Stamstall Kudzu (Vitality) growing all over the mountains around there too. Which is good for business, because kudzu roots make the highest quality starch in Hyrule.

There are also Hyrule Bass & Staminoka Bass in the nearby Telta Lake.

And while not native to Kakariko, some Sheikah farmers have begun cultivating Hydromelons (Hydrating 2) as many in the village quite enjoy the flavor. They have since mutated into Moonblessed Melons (Dawning/Dusky & Hydrating 2).

Plus, they have strong trade agreements with the fishing villages of Hyrule, meaning they have access to a lot of the various other fish around the country.

The Sheikah actually have a secret Shōyu that they've had fermenting for over a century. The aroma is super intense, but the flavor is deep & rich, like something between a sauce & chocolate. It's super nutty. They use it to make a tea that is drunk before especially important meals as it's supposed to open up your palette & detox your gut.

Not to mention, something that you can't typically buy anywhere else; Kakarikōji (カカリ糀) & Sheikōji (精麹). This is a type of mold that grows on Hylian Rice, Shade Rice (Tenebrating), or Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky), either as plants or cooked, otherwise, it can also be grown on Mochiko. The major reason that it can really only be bought in Kakariko is because it takes an understanding of culturing to produce & harvest reliably. This is partly due to the substance needed to inoculate them so that the Kakarikōji can grow. It is regularly used as a fermentation culture, especially by the Sheikah who do an unusual amount of fermenting, as well as brewers from all over Hyrule.

As for Sheikōji (精麹), it is made by crushing Tabantha Wheat & rice into blocks & allowed to have mold & yeast grow on them. Which is weird, but hey, it works! Mainly used in the creation of Sheikan alcohols.

- Locally Made 2nd Tier Ingredients:

Splash Juice (Rapid) = Splash Fruit. - The Juice of a Splash Fruit. Smells slightly Palm Fruit-y, but is often used as the primary alternative to Water.

Monster Gelatin = Bones, Hooves, a/o Scales (Blin, Lynel, or Dragon). - More expensive & dangerous alternative to Animal Gelatin or Boiled Chuchu Jelly. The jellies & whatnot that it makes also tends to be much more incrementally high quality for how strong the source is.

Apple Jam = Any Apple, Cane Sugar, & Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin.

- Tomato Jam (Hydrating) = Hylian Tomato, Cane Sugar, & Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin.

- Moonmelon Jelly (Dawning/Dusky & Hydrating 2) = Moonblessed Melon (Dawning/Dusky & Hydrating 2), Courser Honey, Cane Sugar, & Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin.

- Kakariko Jelly (Sneaky & Detox) = Kakariko Plum (Sneaky & Detox), Cane Sugar, & Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin.

- Dreamdrop Marmalade (Sunny & Dreamy) = Dreamdrop (Dreamy & Detox), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Sundelion, Cane Sugar, & Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin.

- Satori Jelly (Hasty & Hydrating) = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Cane Sugar, & Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin.

Mochigome = Hylian Rice, any Vinegar (optional), any Salt (optional), any Spice or Sweetener (optional), & Water/any Milk/Splash Juice (Rapid). - Glutinous rice cooked, strained. For more flavor, add Seaweed, Spice, or simply cook in broth or milk instead of water. Written as Mochigome (もち米) in Kakariko.

- Kagemochigome = Shade Rice (Tenebrating), any Vinegar (optional), any Salt (optional), any Spice or Sweetener (optional), & Water/any Milk/Splash Juice (Rapid). - Glutinous rice cooked, strained. For more flavor, add Seaweed, Spice, or simply cook in broth or milk instead of water. Written as Kagemochigome (影もち米) in Kakariko.

Mochiko = Mochigome. - A type of sweet rice flour made from cooked Mochigome (もち米) or glutinous rice. Spelt Mochiko (餅粉).

- Kagemochiko (Tenebrating) = Kagemochigome (Tenebrating). - A type of sweet rice flour made from cooked Kagemochigome (影もち米) or glutinous rice. Spelt Kagemochiko (影餅粉).

Sobako (Snowdrift) = Snowdrift Buckwheat (Snowdrift). - Buckwheat flour. Can also be used in place of other flours.

- Rice Bread = Mochiko, any Milk, & Rock Salt. - First invented by a Sheikah & Gerudo couple, the 2 having bonded over their mutual love of food & baking. Considered a 2nd Tier Ingredient due to its use in making sandwiches. Pairs well with soups & stews. Called Shokupan in Kakariko.

- Milk Bread = Bread Mix, any Milk, Cane Sugar, Heavy Cream, & Courser Honey.

- Soba Bread (Stormy 2) = Sobako (Snowdrift), Baking Buddy (Stormy), Rock Salt, & Buttermilk (Stormy). - Considered a 2nd Tier Ingredient due to its use in making sandwiches. Pairs well with soups & stews.

Kakariko Anko (Rapid & Hydrating) = Kakariko Adzuki, Splash Fruit, Cane Sugar, & Rock Salt. - Used to make wagashi.

- Taidai Karaan (Lightningproof) = Farore Hazelnut (Lightningproof), Kakariko Adzuki, Sheikah Tōnyū (Sneaky & Detox), Cane Sugar, & any Rum (optional). - A chunky sweet bean paste made from hazelnuts. Perfect for desserts.

Vinegar = Any Apple/Dreamdrop (Dreamy & Detox)/Kakariko Plum (Sneaky & Detox)/Hylian Rice/Shadow Yam (Dark/Warding). - Made from alcohol from fermented plant foods, then exposed to oxygen, then fermented again.

*Oil Jar = Any Plant. - Aguacaté are especially good for making oil.

Porridge Base = Hylian Rice, any Milk/Broth, & Rock Salt (optional). - Whether the Porridge is sweet or savory depends on the liquids you cook the rice in.

Baking Buddy (Sneaky & Detox) = Bird Egg, any Apple/Kakariko Plum (Sneaky & Detox) & Rock Salt. - Basically just baking soda & baking powder.

Kuzudenpun (Vitality) = Stamstall Kudzu (Vitality). - Starch made from the roots of kudzu. The highest quality starch in Hyrule.

Egg Noodles = Tabantha Wheat, Rock Salt, & Bird Egg.

- Rice Noodles = Hylian Rice & Salt.

- Kudzu Noodles (Vitality & Hydrating) = Kuzudenpun (Vitality), Shadow Yam (Dark/Warding), & Splash Fruit. - Noodles made from Kudzu starch. Doesn't have much flavor, but has a silky-smooth texture. Commonly used in sweet deserts.

- Soba Noodles (Snowdrift) = Tabantha Wheat, Sobako (Snowdrift), & Kuzudenpun (Vitality). - The Buckwheat is mostly only grown in fall & winter, so it's typically a cold weather ingredient. Has a nutty flavor.

- Ramen Noodles (Mighty & Hydrating) = Mochiko, Rock Salt, Masa (Mighty), Bird Egg, & Kansui (Stormy/Windshear & Hydrating).

- Rice Dumpling Dough = Mochiko, Rock Salt, & Oil Jar.

Fried Rice Base (Energizing/Enduring & Detox) = Hylian Rice, Bird Egg, Rock Salt, any Carrot, Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox), & Stambulb. - Endura Carrots are best because they don't clash with the Stambulbs. However, because neither are the focus of the ingredient, it does make it so figuring out which affect is kept is a coin toss.

Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox) = Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox) & Kakarikōji. - A savory dipping sauce best paired with fish. The Sheikah just call it Shōyu. Just soy sauce.

Sheikah Tōnyū (Sneaky & Detox) = Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox). - Soy milk.

- Sheikah Tofu (Sneaky 2 & Detox 2) = Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox) & Sheikah Tōnyū (Sneaky & Detox).

Sheikah Daizudori (Sneaky 2 & Detox 2) = Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox), Oil Jar (Sheikah Edadaizu), Hylian Rice. - Thin wrappers made from compressed beans.

Harumaki = Mochiko, Rock Salt, & Splash Fruit/Palm Fruit/Hydromelon/Moonmelon (Dawning/Dusky). - Rice wrappers. Depending on the liquid you use, it can be for sweets or savories.

Sly Miso (Sneaky & Detox) = Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox), Rock Salt, & Kakarikōji. - A sort of brown soy paste made using a Fermentation Jar. A super food that is known to be very healthy. Especially good in soups.

Kansui (Stormy/Windshear & Hydrating) = Baking Buddy & Shock Fruit/Windfall Lime (Windshear & Hydrating). - Primarily used to make ramen noodles.

Mayonnaise = Any Egg, Rock Salt, & Oil Jar. - Originally made in Ordon.

- Spicy Mayo (Spicy) = Mayonnaise, Spicy Pepper/Goron Spice, Cane Sugar, Stambulb, Shock Fruit, & Oil Jar.

Seeker Tamari (Sneaky 2 & Detox) = Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox), Rock Salt, Hylian Rice, & Silent Shroom.

Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding) = Shadowfolk Shochu (Dark/Warding), Mochiko, & Kakarikōji.

Unagi Sauce (Shadow Sneak 2 & Detox) = Seeker Tamari (Sneaky 2 & Detox), Kakariko Umeshu (Sneaky), Cane Sugar, & Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding).

Shadowsneak Hoisin (Shadow Sneak & Detox) = Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox), Shadow Yam (Dark/Warding), Hylian Rice, Cane Sugar, Rock Salt, Stambulb, Vinegar, & Spicy Pepper.

Gomi Togarashi (Spicy) = Spicy Pepper, Akkala Cinnamon (Hasty), Swampland Celery/Windblade Leek (Windshear)/Heartichoke (Hearty), Barricade Cloves (Tough), & Thunder Button (Stormy). - Just five spice.

Ume Marinade (Sneaky 2 & Detox) = Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Courser Honey, Stambulb, Kakariko Umeshu (Sneaky), & Cane Sugar.

Dashi =  Any Saltwater Fish & Necludic Seaweed (Gills)/Water Cabbage (Gills & Hydrating), any Mushroom (optional), any Shrimp (optional), Kakariko Adzuki (optional), & Sheikah Edadaizu (optional; Sneaky). - Used in making Sheikah-style soups. Depending on the type of flavor you want, you can use a variety of different ingredients, but saltwater fish & Necludic Seaweed/Water Cabbage are required.

Narutomaki = Any White Fish, any Seafood, Rock Salt, any Egg, & Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding). - Little cakes made from minced fish. Typically used in soups.

Takoyaki Sauce (Shadow Sneak 2-3 & Detox 2) = Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3 & Detox), Cane Sugar, & Hylian Tomato.

Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3 & Detox) = Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Sheikah Sake (optional; Sneaky), Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), any Mushroom (Silent Shroom recommended for greatest effect), & Dashi. - A Kakariko noodle soup base.

Tempura Batter (Spicy) = Tabantha Wheat, Tundra Potato (Spicy), & any Egg.

Ponzu Sauce (Shadow Sneak & Detox) = Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Vinegar (Hylian Rice), Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), Cane Sugar, Dashi, & Citrus Zest (Lurelin Orange & Shock Fruit).

- Recipes:

*Meat-Stuffed Pumpkin (Tough 1-2 - 2:10 & 3-7♡) = Fortified Pumpkin, any Meat, & Armoranth. - 'This hollow, meat-filled pumpkin is a local specialty of Kakariko Village.'

*Mushroom Rice Balls (Sneaky 1 - 4:00 & 3♡) = Silent Shroom, Mochigome, & Necludic Seaweed (Gills). -

- *Veggie Rice Balls (Sneaky 1 - 9:00 & 2♡) = Blue Nightshade, Mochigome, & Necludic Seaweed (Gills). -

- *Seafood Rice Balls (Sneaky 1 - 4:00 & 4♡) = Stealthfin Trout, Mochigome, & Necludic Seaweed (Gills). -

- *Meaty Rice Balls (Rapid 1 - 4-8♡) = Red Meat, Mochigome, & Necludic Seaweed (Gills). -

Yaki Onigiri (Shadow Sneak & Detox) = Any Rice Ball, Oil Jar, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), & Cane Sugar. - Combine the soy sauce, mirin, & sugar for the glaze. Then fry the Onigiri in a Frying Pan until lightly Browned before brushing the glaze onto both sides. Then, return to the pan & fry until both sides are crispy.

*Sundelion Porridge (Sunny - +5💖 & 3♡) = Sundelion, Courser Honey, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), & Porridge Base. - The Sheikah refer to it as Taiyōyuri Okayu.

- Tea Porridge (Energizing - ) = Korok Frond/Dreamdrop Leaves (Dreamy & Detox), Courser Honey, & Porridge Base. - The Sheikah refer to it a Ocha Okayu.

- Plum Porridge (Sneaky & Detox) = Kakariko Plum (Sneaky & Detox), Courser Honey, & Porridge Base. - The Sheikah refer to it a Ume Okayu.

- Fish Porridge (Detox) = Porridge Base (using Broth; bone is best), Stambulb, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), any Egg, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), & any White Fish. - This version of the dish is more heavily spiced than it is in Ordon.

- Medicinal Porridge (Detox) = Deadly Mandrake (Toxic), Dreamdrop Leaves (Dreamy & Detox), Hoy Mustard (Spicy), Sauerkraut (Gills & Hydrating), Hearty Radish (Hearty), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Broth, & Porridge Base. - A very nourishing, medicinal porridge.

Shrimp Tempura (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Any Shrimp, Tempura Batter (Spicy), Sheikah Sake (Sneaky), Dashi, Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - Crispy fried shrimp.

- Crab Tempura (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Any Crab, Tempura Batter (Spicy), Sheikah Sake (Sneaky), Dashi, Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - Crispy fried crab meat.

- Lobster Tempura (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Any Lobster, Tempura Batter (Spicy), Sheikah Sake (Sneaky), Dashi, Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - Crispy fried lobster.

- Vegetable Tempura (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Any Vegetable (Fleet-Lotus Seeds or Freshwater Cucumber recommended), Tempura Batter (Spicy), Sheikah Sake (Sneaky), Dashi, Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - Crispy fried veggies.

- Mushroom Tempura (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Any Mushroom, Tempura Batter (Spicy), Sheikah Sake (Sneaky), Dashi, Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - Crispy fried mushrooms.

- Crustacean Tempura Feast (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Any Shrimp, any Crab, any Lobster, any Vegetable (Fleet-Lotus Seeds or Freshwater Cucumber recommended), any Mushroom, Tempura Batter (Spicy), Sheikah Sake (Sneaky), Dashi, Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - A veritable feast of fried seafood.

Deep-Fried Dolphinfish (Shadow Sneak) = Swiftcurrent Dolphinfish (Rapid), Oil Jar, Tempura Batter (Spicy) or Dashi, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), & Rock Salt. - Dolphinfish is best deep fried. The Sheikah refer to this dish as Hayai-Nagare Shīra no Tō-Age, but Faronites have their own recipe for it that they call Māmā-Kahe Mahi-Mahi Palai.

Shark Karaage = Shark Meat (Mighty), Oil Jar, Tabantha Wheat, Rock Salt, Charred Pepper (Scorching), Stambulb, Spicy Pepper, & Hylian Tomato. - Crunchy, yet also soft, this shark meat has been deep-fried to perfection. Based on Dave the Diver.

Sheikazushi (Sneaky 2-3 - 8:00 & 5♡) = Mochigome, Necludic Seaweed (Gills), Stealthfin Trout, Silent Shroom, Blue Nightshade, & Sheikah Shōyu (optional; Sneaky). - A sort of Sheikah seafood platter. Is often served in celebration of a Sheikah completing their training, typically after said Sheikah has had their ears pierced.

- Unagi Nigiri = Mochigome, any Eel, Necludic Seaweed (Gills), & Unagi Sauce (Sneaky). - Slices of seared BBQ Eel on top of formed rice & tied with nori.

- Kaikōmutsu Nigiri = Marine Trench Perch (Gills), Mochigome, Sheikah Shōyu (optional; Sneaky), & Gleam Ginger (optional; Sunny). - The fish is known for its velvety richness.

Toge Uni Nigiri = Barbed Urchin (Toxic), Cane Sugar, Mochigome, Oil Jar (Vegetable), Windblade Leek (Windshear), Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), & Gleam Ginger (Sunny). - While briny, Uni is also sweet.

- Necluda Sashimi = Hideaway Halibut (Sneaky)/Endura Tuna (Enduring)/Statictail (Electro), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - Thin slices of fish arranged artfully upon a plate & served without rice. Any combination of the abovementioned fish will work. Can even use all of the fish to increase the amount of hearts recovered from the dish. Is technically a 2nd Tier Ingredient, however it can be eaten as is.

- Tora Saba Sashimi = Tigerstripe Mackerel (Hasty), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Shock Fruit, & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - Is technically a 2nd Tier Ingredient, however it can be eaten as is.

- Tōsokurui Sashimi = Vicegrip Octopus (Sticky)/Abyssal Squid (Dark/Warding), Rock Salt, Necluda Seaweed (Gills), Hearty Radish, Ponzu Sauce (Shadow Sneak), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - Is technically a 2nd Tier Ingredient, however it can be eaten as is.

- Baradai Sashimi (Stormy & Amorous) = Hearty Sea Bream (Hearty & Amorous), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Windblade Leek (Windshear), Ponzu Sauce (Shadow Sneak), & Shock Fruit. - Is technically a 2nd Tier Ingredient, however it can be eaten as is.

- Seiteki Buri Sashimi (Electro) = Statictail (Electro), Windblade Leek (Windsheer), Oil Jar, & Ponzu Sauce (Shadow Sneak). - Is technically a 2nd Tier Ingredient, however it can be eaten as is.

- Doku-Fugu Usuzakuri = Venin Puffer (Toxic), Gleam Ginger (optional; Sunny), Sheikah Shōyu (optional; Sneaky), & Rock Salt (optional). - For those who want to live dangerously. Puffer is commonly eaten by Sheikah who've gotten to a specific level in toxin immunization. The meat is sliced thinly & arranged into an artful lotus shape.

-- Rainerukasago Usuzakuri = Lynelfish (Toxic), Gleam Ginger (optional; Sunny), Sheikah Shōyu (optional; Sneaky), & Rock Salt (optional). - Not nearly as dangerous as Puffer so long as you're careful not to get stuck while preparing it, but delicious all the same. Without seasoning, the white meat is firm & flaky with a mild flavor.

--- Rainerukasagozushi = Lynelfish (Toxic), Tidal Grapes (Riptide), Mochigome, & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - Not nearly as dangerous as Puffer, but delicious all the same. Without seasoning, the meat is firm with a mild flavor. This delicate-tasting fish is served over Tidal Grapes hidden inside rice. The salty-sweet taste of the Tidal Grapes complements the flavor well.

- Sheikah Temaki = Hideaway Halibut (Sneaky)/Endura Tuna (Enduring)/Hearty Salmon (Hearty)/Statictail (Electro)/Tigerstripe Mackerel (Mighty)/any Crab/any Shrimp, Mochigome, Necludic Seaweed (Gills), Hylain Tomato/Stambulb/any Mushroom, Freshwater Cucumber (Rapid & Hydrating), Lon Lon Cream Cheese (optional), & Aguacaté (optional; Rapid). - These small rolls have nori on the outside with rice & other ingredients on the inside. It's recommended that you only use one of the abovementioned fish.

- Spicy Sheikahmaki = Endura Tuna (Enduring)/any Crab/any Shrimp, Mochigome, Necludic Seaweed (Gills), Hylain Tomato/Stambulb/any Mushroom, Freshwater Cucumber (Rapid & Hydrating), Spicy Mayo (Spicy), & Aguacaté (optional; Rapid). - These small rolls have nori on the outside with rice & other ingredients on the inside. Typically comes in spicy tuna & crab. It's recommended that you only use one of the abovementioned fish.

- Kani to Sake Futomaki = Any Crab, Mochigome, any Salmon, Necluda Seaweed (Gills), Aguacaté (Rapid), any Veggie, Spicy Mayo (Spicy), Sheikah Shōyu (optional; Sneaky & Detox), & Gleam Ginger (optional; Sunny). - A giant roll stuffed with crabmeat & salmon sashimi. Gives a bunch of hearts.

- Zephos Chirashizushi = Mochigome, Necluda Sashimi, Necludic Seaweed (Gills), Bird Egg, any Carrot/Hylian Tomato/any Mushroom/Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox), & Hearty Roe (Hearty). - A seasoned rice bowl topped with slices of fish, vegetables, & roe.

- Tempura Sushi = Any Shrimp, Tempura Batter, Mochigome, Necludic Seaweed (Gills), Sheikah Shōyu (optional; Sneaky & Detox), & Gleam Ginger (optional; Sunny). - Fried shrimp on rice.

- Keatonzushi (Sneaky 2) = Mochigome, Sheikah Tofu (Sneaky 2 & Detox 2), & Oil Jar. - A fried tofu dish. Said to be the Keaton's favorite treat. Often made in the fall for Sheikioku.

- Sky Sashimi Set = Solarscale Bream (Sunny), High-Flying Fish (Aerodynamic), Stratusailfish (Windshear), Sheikah Shōyu (optional; Sneaky & Detox), & Gleam Ginger (optional; Sunny). - A very new dish only recently created after the Sky Islands first appeared. The ingredients are hard to get, but worth the effort. - Inspired by Fantasy Life's Sky Sashimi Set.

- Fancy Sashimi Set = Hearty Sea Bream (Hearty), Iridescent Berata (Glow), Legendfish (Mighty), Hearty Salmon, Hearty Roe (Hearty), Hylian Loach (Gills), Necluda Seaweed (Gills), Sheikah Shōyu (optional; Sneaky & Detox), & Gleam Ginger (optional; Sunny). - An extremely fancy & expensive Sashimi Set, using only the highest-quality ingredients. While the overall flavor is mild, it's also extremely complex with definite umami. The various different light tastes are somehow able to melt together while also remaining distinct. - Inspired by Fantasy Life's Fancy Sashimi Set.

Nikogori = Boiled Chuchu Jelly/Gelatin (Lynel Hoof), any Fish, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Stambulb, Windblade Leek (Windshear), Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3). - A jellified fish broth. Basically fish aspic. A Knoutfish (Hydrating) would actually be ideal for this recipe. Using Gelatin results in a higher quality Nikogori.

Seiteki Buri Daikon (Electro) = Statictail (Electro), Hearty Radish, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Sheikah Sake (Sneaky), Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), & Cane Sugar. - A wintertime dish. It's important to simmer it in the broth for 25 minutes.

Miso Salmon = Any Salmon, Sly Miso (Sneaky), Courser Honey, Vinegar (using Hylian Rice), Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Cane Sugar (optional), Oil Jar (optional), Windblade Leek (optional; Windshear), & Huakiao Spice. - This glazed fish is wonderful when paired with Hylian Rice. First, pat the Salmon dry, then whisk together all the other ingredients (except the leeks) in a bowl to make a marinade. Brush half the marinade over the fish. Let sit for 15 minutes, then bake at 400° F for 7 minutes. Brush more marinade, then keep baking until cooked. Around 6-8 minutes. Finally, place on a place & garnish with leeks.

Nabemono (Sneaky 3 & Detox 3) = Any Vegetable, any Meat, any Seafood, Sheikah Tofu (Sneaky 2 & Detox 2), Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox), Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), & any Noodles. - Kakariko's take on the Hot Pot.

Doku-Fugu-Kimo (Toxic) = Venin Pufferfish (Toxic). - The liver is thought to be the tastiest part of the Puffer, but it is also the most poisonous. Only chefs with the registered knowhow in the preparation of Puffer are allowed to make it &, even then, only Sheikah who've mastered toxin immunization training & have the tattoo to prove it are allowed to eat it.

Savory Chimaki (Sneaky 3) = Mochigome, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Cane Sugar, Rock Salt, Sheikah Sake (Sneaky), Fleet Lotus (Hasty), Baking Buddy (Sneaky), Oil Jar, & Red Meat (Pork). - Triangular sticky rice dumplings filled with savory fillings that are cooked by boiling or steaming. They are typically steamed in Lotus, Corn, Banana or Ginger leaves. Learned from the Sheikah, they have become a Gerudàn & Faron festival treat. Called Ladhahï Rāzxï by Gerudo & Ono Laikimahu by Lurelinites.

Chashu (Shadow Sneak 3) = Red Meat (Pork), Courser Honey, Shadowsneak Hoisin (Shadow Sneak 2-3), Gomi Togarashi, Sheikah Tofu (Sneaky 2), Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), & Sheikah Sake (Sneaky). - A type of sweet, sticky barbequed meat with a lot of umami.

Toryufu Yakiniku = Red Meat (Beef; Striploin), Rock Salt, Cavern Sorrel (optional; Dark/Warding), Starlight Rosemary (Glow), Charred Pepper (Spicy), & Hearty Truffle. - Grilled meat filet topped with Hearty Truffle. Perfect flavor pairing.

- Hoy Yakiniku = Red Meat (Beef; Sirloin), Rock Salt, Cavern Sorrel (optional; Dark/Warding), & Hoy Mustard Seeds (Spicy). - Grilled marbled sirloin topped with Hoy Mustard Seeds. Really elevates the dish & cuts through the fat just a bit.

- Ganbari Yakiniku (Shadow Sneak) = Red Meat (Beef; Ribeye), Rock Salt, Cavern Sorrel (optional; Dark/Warding), Stambulb, & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky; made specifically using Stambulb & Apple). - Grilled ribeye topped with Stambulb chips & Sheikah Shōyu. This one's a bit chewier, but the flavor just keeps going.

- Ume Yakiniku (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Red Meat (Beef), Rock Salt, Cavern Sorrel (optional; Dark/Warding), & Ume Marinade (Sneaky 2). - Traditionally made using the Yukinoyono Niku method, where the meat is transferred back & forth from grill to Ice Fruit, making the meat very tender. The most soft & tender of Sheikah-style barbeque, by far.

- Aino San-Sō Niku (Sneaky 2) = Red Meat (Beef; Tri-Tip), Hearty Truffle, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Stambulb, Sheikah Sake (Sneaky), Cane Sugar, Windblade Leek (Windshear), & Starlight Rosemary (Glow). - A grilled tri-tip soaked in a Truffle San-Sō juice, then after being cooked, is cut extremely thinly & placed into a pile. The extremely chewy texture of the tri-tip balances out the wonderful flavor profile. Many say that it tastes like love. Either way, it'll certainly send you on a ride.

- Kakumaku Yakiniku = Red Meat (Beef; Hanger Steak), any Apple, Stambulb, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Spicy Pepper, & Aguacaté (Rapid). - A cut of diaphragm meat, otherwise known as hanger steak. Often said to be the best cut of meat. It's marinated in a blend of apple juice, Aguacaté oil, soy sauce, Stambulb, & Spicy Pepper.

Kani no Marine = Brighteye Crab, Rock Salt, Spicy Pepper/Goron Spice, & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - Raw Brighteye Crab marinated in a spicy, fermented soy sauce.

Takoyaki = Bird Egg, Tabantha Wheat, Dashi, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Vicegrip Octopus (Sticky), Windblade Leek (Windshear), Takoyaki Sauce, Spicy Mayo (optional; Spicy), & Oil Jar. - Little fried octopus balls!

Kimchi (Spicy) = Water Cabbage (Gills & Hydrating), Rock Salt, Mochiko, Cane Sugar or Honeyed Sugar (Energizing), any Radish, Swift Carrot, Gomi Togarashi (with Windblade Leek, plus Gleam Ginger), & Stambulb. - Pickle & let ferment.

Necludic Tokoroten (Gills) = Necludic Seaweed (Gills). - Jellified seaweed.

Kamameshi (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Hylian Rice, any Carrot, Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3), any Meat or Seafood or Fruit or Nut. - A mixed rice dish cooked in an iron pot.

Nanbanzuke = Tigerstripe Mackerel (Hasty), Tundra Potato (Spicy), Stambulb, any Carrot, Windblade Leek (Windshear), Vinegar (made with Hylian Rice), Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3), Cane Sugar, Spicy Pepper, & Oil Jar. - Fish marinated & fried in vinegar sauce & vegetables.

*Pumpkin Soup (Tough 1 - 5:20 & 4♡) = Fortified Pumpkin, Armoranth, & Creamy Soup Stock. - 'Simply simmer a pumpkin to make this dish. A favorite in Kakariko Village.'

*Carrot Stew (Hasty 1 - 5:40 & 4♡) = Swift Carrot, Swift Violet, & Creamy Soup Stock. -

Spicy Shrimp Soup (Spicy 2) = Spicy Pepper, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), any Shrimp, any Herb, Gomi Togarashi (Spicy), & Soup Stock.

Spicy Kimchi Stew (Spicy 2 & Hydrating) = Red Meat (Pork), Stambulb, Kimchi (Spicy), Sheikah Tofu (Sneaky 2 & Detox 2), Windblade Leek (Windshear), Rock Salt, Huakiao Spice (Spicy), any Radish, Necludic Seaweed (Gills), & Creamy Soup Stock.

Nikujaga (Shadow Sneak 3) = Red Meat, Tundra Potato (Spicy), Stambulb, Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3), Cane Sugar, Kudzu Noodles, any Carrot, & Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox). - A Sheikah-style meat & potato stew. This Stew was adapted from Hebran cooking.

Kake Udon = Soba Noodles (Snowdrift), Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3), Cane Sugar, Windblade Leek (Windshear), & Gomi Togarashi. - A noodley soup where simplicity shines.

- Creamy Uni Udon = Barbed Urchin (Toxic), Soba Noodles (Snowdrift), any Mushroom, any Butter, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Shadow Mirin (Dark/Warding), Stambulb, Windblade Leek (Windshear), & Necludic Seaweed (Gills). - A mild, delicate-tasting noodle dish with a creamy texture.

- Keaton Udon = Soba Noodles (Snowdrift), Keatonzushi (Sneaky), Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3), Narutomaki, & Windblade Leek (Windshear). - This soup is thought to be favored by the Keaton.

Chawanmushi (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Any Egg, any Shrimp, Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3), any Shrimp/Poultry, & any Carrot. - Steamed egg custard appetizer.

Yume no Ochazuke (Dreamy & Detox 2) = Dreamdrop Leaves (Dreamy & Detox), Hylian Rice, Dashi, Kakariko Plum (optional; Sneaky & Detox), Windblade Leek (optional; Windshear), any Sashimi (optional), & Hearty Roe (optional; Hearty). - A soup featuring rice steeped in tea & topped with savory ingredients.

Poultry Ramen (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3 & Detox 2), Ramen Noodle (Mighty), Bird Egg, Stambulb, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Zonai Corn (Mighty), Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox), Bird Meat, & any Mushroom.

- Meat Ramen (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3 & Detox 2), Ramen Noodle (Mighty), Bird Egg, Stambulb, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), any Meat, & any Mushroom.

- Shrimp Ramen (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3 & Detox 2), Ramen Noodle (Mighty), Bird Egg, Stambulb, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), any Shrimp, & any Mushroom.

- Crab Ramen (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3 & Detox 2), Ramen Noodle (Mighty), any Crab, Citrus Zest (Windfall Lime & Shock Fruit), Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox), Spicy Pepper/Goron Spice, Windblade Leek (Windshear), Stambulb, & Gleam Ginger (Sunny). -

- Poultry Tonkotsu Ramen (Shadow Sneak 2-3) = Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3 & Detox 2), Ramen Noodle (Mighty), Bird Egg, Bird Meat (Cucco), Red Meat (Pork), Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox), Windblade Leek (Windshear), Zonai Corn (Mighty). - Tonkotsu Ramen uses a broth made from pork bones, the best are also made with pork skin. The broth is super creamy packed with umami no matter what the rest of the ingredients are. The cucco meat & pork bone broth pair very well together.

- Shōyu Tonkotsu Ramen (Shadow Sneak 3) = Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 3 & Detox 2), Ramen Noodle (Mighty), Bird Egg, Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox), Red Meat (Pork), Chashu (Shadow Sneak 3), Windblade Leek (Windshear), Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Stambulb, & Necludic Seaweed (Gills). - Tonkotsu Ramen uses a broth made from pork bones, the best are also made with pork skin. The broth is super creamy packed with umami no matter what the rest of the ingredients are. This version has a soy sauce-based flavor that pairs well with the Chashu pork.

- Miso Tonkotsu Ramen (Shadow Sneak 3 & Detox 2) = Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 3 & Detox 2), Ramen Noodle (Mighty), Bird Egg, Sly Miso (Sneaky), Bird Meat (Cucco), Oil Jar, Spicy Pepper, Charred Pepper (Scorching), Zonai Corn (Mighty), & Windblade Leek (Windshear). - Tonkotsu Ramen uses a broth made from pork bones, the best are also made with pork skin. The broth is super creamy packed with umami no matter what the rest of the ingredients are. This version has a more spicy kick to it.

Koibito Ushio-Jiru (Hearty 3 & Amorous 3) = Hearty Sea Bream (Hearty & Amorous), Kakariko Mentsuyu (Shadow Sneak 2-3 & Detox 2), Rock Salt, Stambulb, Hearty Radish, Lovely Rose (Hearty & Amorous), & Sweetheart Orchid (Hearty & Amorous). - Lurelin has their own iteration of the soup called Ipo Holika Saimin.

Fukahire Sūpu = Oxen Shark Fin (Mighty), Poultry (Whole Cucco recommended), Red Meat, Bird Egg, any Mushroom (Hearty Truffle recommended for taste), Zonai Corn (Mighty), & Oil Jar. - This soup uses the filaments of a boiled down, dried shark's fin as noodles & a mainly poultry-based broth with a little bit of red meat to flavor. (Note that while you can use any kind of poultry, that Whole Cucco gets the best results as it gives a very rich, delicious broth.) DO NOT use the water you boiled the fin in! Remember to strain & skim the poultry broth until clear & uniform, but you'll be returning the poultry meat to the soup later. Add the broken up poultry & mushrooms to the broth. Later, add beaten egg yolks & cornstarch. Once done, ladle the soup over the shark fin filaments in a bowl. Finally, sprinkle a dash of sesame seed oil onto the soup. - Note that while the soup is delicious, Shark Fin actually doesn't have any flavor to it. The fin is really bland & the cartilage is an interesting texture. See, the fin is supposed to complement the broth itself. As such, it's really just a means to use up all the pieces of the shark so it didn't die for nothing. Last thing we want is food waste. On a side-note: Shark Meat is actually fantastic.

Fukahone Shuon Sūpu = Oxen Shark Bone (Mighty), Red Meat, Gleam Ginger (Sunny), Stambulb, Swampland Celery, Rock Salt, & Shadow Yam (Dark/Warding). -

- Desserts:

Rice Cake = Mochiko & Cane Sugar. - Is a regular treat in Kakariko, but is also made for festivals.

Agekiji = Cane Sugar, Oil Jar, Baking Buddy, any Butter, any Milk, & Mochiko. - Sugar-covered donuts that originated in Kakariko. Often given to customers as before dinner snacks.

Dango (Detox) = Mochiko, Korok Frond/Dreamdrop Leaves (Dreamy & Detox), Kakariko Plum (Sneaky & Detox), & Silent Princess (Amorous). - Is a regular treat in Kakariko, but is also made for festivals.

- Chuchu Dango = Boiled Chuchu Jelly, Mochiko, Cane Sugar, & any 2 Plants. - A treat made with ChuChu Jelly. The bitter coating & sweet filling of this unusual snack is often enjoyed by the Sheikah Tribe during the Hanami Festival. Based on the Second Wind mod.

- Sheiki Dango (Tough & Amorous) = Mochiko, Silent Princess (Amorous), Cane Sugar, & Fortified Pumpkin. - Usually eaten during the Sheikioku Festival in fall.

Kakariko Mochi (Sneaky & Hydrating 3) = Mochiko, Kakariko Anko (Rapid & Hydrating 3), & Kakariko Plum (Sneaky & Detox). - Is a regular treat in Kakariko, but is also made for festivals.

- Lavender Mochi (Rapid 2 & Hydrating 3) = Mochiko, Cane Sugar, Swiftsail Lavender (Rapid), Kakariko Anko (Rapid & Hydrating 3), & Courser Honey. - The Mochi dough is a lovely shade of light purple that young women very much like. But inside is a sweet bean paste made with honey.

- Yam Mochi (Dark/Warding & Hydrating 3) = Mochiko, Cane Sugar, Shadow Yam (Dark/Warding), Kakariko Anko (Rapid & Hydrating 3). - The sweet Yams used to make it has caused the dough to turn a very fetching shade of deep purple.

- Kuzumochi (Vitality) = Kuzudenpun (Vitality), Sheikah Edadaizu (Sneaky & Detox), Honeyed Sugar (Energizing), Dreamdrop Leaves (Dreamy & Detox), & Kakariko Anko (Rapid & Hydrating 3). - A wagashi made of Kudzu starch instead of rice flour.

- Satorimochi (Hasty 2 & Amorous) = Mochiko, Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Satora Blossom (Hasty & Amorous), & Kakariko Anko (Rapid & Hydrating 3). - Usually eaten during the Hanami Festival in spring.

- Karina Daifuku (Vitality & Amorous) = Karina Fragria (Amorous), Kakariko Anko (Rapid & Hydrating 3), Mochiko, Cane Sugar, & Kuzudenpun (Vitality). - A wagashi typically gifted to a significant other on Bonds Day.

- Sheimono Daifuku (Dawning/Dusky & Hydrating 5) = Mochiko, Moonmelon Jelly (Dawning/Dusky & Hydrating 2), Cane Sugar, Kakariko Anko (Rapid & Hydrating 3), & Soleda Cream (Sunny). - A favored Sheikioku wagashi. These cute little rice cakes are a refreshing shade of green that matches their taste. A very recent culinary creation. Sheimono being the Sheikah word for Moonblessed Melon, meaning "moon gift."

Sheikkei = Mochiko, Kakariko Anko (Rapid & Hydrating 3), & Fleet-Lotus Seeds/Bird Egg/Chickaloo Tree Nut. - Also called Mooncakes. Usually eaten during the Sheikioku Festival in fall. - Based on IRL festival pastry Yuèbǐng (Chinese) or Geppei (Japanese).

Zenzai = Kakariko Anko (Rapid & Hydrating 3), Mochiko, Cane Sugar, Rock Salt, & any Milk. - A sort of sweet bean dessert soup.

Ringo to Yamaimo no Kuzuni = Any Apple, Kudzudenpun (Vitality), Shadow Yam (Dark/Warding), Cinnamon Sugar (Hasty), & any Rum. - Apples & sweet potatoes simmered with kudzu starch.

Sweet Chimaki = Hylian Rice, any Kakariko Fruit, Cane Sugar, Baking Buddy (Sneaky), Fleet Lotus (Hasty), Oil Jar, & Courser Honey. - Triangular sticky rice dumplings filled with sweet fillings that are cooked by boiling or steaming. They are typically steamed in Lotus, Corn, Banana or Ginger leaves. Learned from the Sheikah, they have become a Gerudàn & Faron festival treat. Called Xōkàr Rāzxï by Gerudo & Momona Laikimahu by Lurelinites.

Taiyaki = Mochiko, any Butter, Sugar Cane, any Milk, Courser Honey, Kakariko Anko (Rapid & Hydrating 3), & Oil Jar. - A fried, fish-shaped pastry.

Yam Pie = Shadow Yam (Dark/Warding), Bird Egg, any Milk, Cane Sugar, & Courser Honey. - While it's called a pie, it really isn't.

Fruit Sandwiches = Milk Bread, Whipped Cream (uses Gelatin), & any Fruit. - A nice summer treat.

MoonMelon Bread (Dawning/Dusky) = Moonblessed Melon (Dawning/Dusky & Hydrating 2), Mochiko, any Milk, any Mushroom, Rock Salt, any Egg, any Butter, Oil Jar, Honeyed Sugar (Energizing), & Cane Sugar. - First invented by a Sheikah & Gerudo couple, the 2 having bonded over their mutual love of food & baking. Has a wonderful, crispy, cookie-like crust. Made in an attempt to merge Gerudo flavor into the bread. Called Shei'okurimonopan (精贈り物パン) by Sheikah. - While relatively new, has become a beloved part of Sheikioku Festival fair.

Pumpkin Pie (Tough 1 - 5:20 & 3♡) = Fortified Pumpkin & Pastry Dough (Tabantha Wheat, any Butter, & Rock Salt). - 'The intense sweetness of Pumpkins makes this dessert popular among children.'

Moonmelon Cream Cake (Dawning/Dusky or Stormy/Charged 2) = Moonblessed Melon (Dawning/Dusky & Hydrating 2), Shock Fruit (Juice), Cane Sugar, Gelatin, Shock Cream (Stormy), & Castella Cake. - Starts with a base of Castella Cake, then combine the Shock juice, Cane Sugar, Gelatin, & Moonmelon puree to make a creme fraiche that you layer on top of the Castella Cake. Cool until solid, then cut & serve.

Honey Moonmelon Cake (Energizing & Hydrating) = Cake Mix, Courser Honey, any Egg, any Milk, Heavy Cream, Cane Sugar, & Moonblessed Melon (Dusky). - This dessert has thin layers of honey cake with thick layers of cream & chunks of Moonblessed Melon between.

- Drinks:

Honeymilk (Energizing - ) = Courser Honey, any Milk, & Akkala Cinnamon (optional; Hasty). - This simple, yet comforting drink originates in Ordon, but is now enjoyed Hyrule over. A favorite for children everywhere.

Dreamy Herb Tea (Dreamy & Detox) = Dreamdrop Leaves (Dreamy & Detox) a/o Swiftsail Lavender (Rapid & Dreamy), Korok Frond, & Courser Honey (optional). - A somnolent tea that cures poison as you sleep. Referred to as Yume no Yōna Yakusōcha (夢のような薬草茶) by the Sheikah.

Sundelion Tea (Sunny - +3💖) = Sundelion, Korok Frond/Dreamdrop Leaves (Dreamy & Detox), & Courser Honey (optional). - A gentle & comforting tea with a warm, pleasant flavor that's easy on the tummy. Good way to stay hydrated when you have tummy troubles. Referred to as Taiyōyuri Ocha (太陽百合お茶) by the Sheikah. Use Dreamdrop Leaves at night for pleasant dreams.

Sheicha = Dreamdrop Leaves (Dreamy & Detox), Fleet Lotus (Hasty), Swiftsail Lavender (Rapid), Sundelion, Spirit Iris (Toxic), & Goldenmerry (Sunny). - Sheikah training their Mind's Eye would often consume this before meditation.

Gyūnyūcha Kōfī (Dreamy) = Zonai Cafégranos (Energizing), Dreamdrop Leaves (Dreamy & Detox), Korok Frond, any Milk, Cane Sugar, Courser Honey, & Akkala Cinnamon (Hasty). - A type of milk tea coffee.

Shōyucha (Sneaky & Detox 2) = Dreamdrop Leaves (Dreamy & Detox) & Sheikah Shōyu (Sneaky & Detox). - Used to open up your palate & cleanse your gut before a meal. Has a very natural umami flavor.

- Brewing:

Kakariko Umeshu (Sneaky & Detox) = Kakariko Plum (Sneaky & Detox), Cane Sugar, Hylian Rice, & Kakarikōji. - An alcohol made in Kakariko from plums. Typically drunk during Kakariko's Hanami Festival.

Shadowfolk Shochu (Dark/Warding) = Shadow Yam (Dark/Warding), Hylian Rice, Cane Sugar, & Tabantha Wheat.

Sheikah Sake (Sneaky) = Hylian Rice & Silent Shroom or Kuzudenpun (Vitality). - A very basic, but classic style of wine. Most common Sheikah imbibement.

Kuzu Sake = Stamstall Kudzu (Vitality), Kuzudenpun (Vitality), & Cane Sugar. - A kudzu blossom wine.

- Satori Sake (Hasty & Hydrating) = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Hylian Rice, & Kakarikōji. - Made every spring when the Satori Trees bear fruit. It is then drunk along with Umeshu during the Hanami Festival. The best yield is offered up to Satori as thanks for allowing them to use his trees' cherries.

Satora Kirakira (Hasty 3 & Amorous) = Satori Cherry (Hasty & Hydrating), Satora Blossom (Hasty & Amorous), Cane Sugar, & Rushroom. - A sugar spirit liqueur infused with Satora blossoms & Satori Cherries. This gives it a delicate, fruity sweetness with notes of Sundelion & Lovely Rose. Has an aroma of Satori Cherries & Karina Fragria with subtle hints of Lovely Rose. Much like Satori Sake, the best yield of Satora Kirakira is also served up to Satori during the Hanami Festival. However, the rest is kept in reserve for next year's Bondsday or is otherwise served during weddings.

LoZ Cultural Masterlist

[guerilla935]

My Favorite Fishing in Video Games Where Fishing is Not Core Game Play

A really awesome surprise for me is always to boot up a game that is full of action and suspense to be introduced to a fishing side activity. I have toiled away at fishing in games for hundreds of hours at least. It has gotten so bad in some instances that my friends have asked me why I haven’t just taken the plunge into real fishing. It’s definitely because that is a lot of work and in real life I don’t catch a fish every 30 seconds. They have also wondered why I don’t just play a fishing simulator like Planet Fishing (Shout out to Planet Fishing that’s a great game). And that’s where I have to think for a while. Fishing while you have better things to do like save the world is very special. You aren’t fishing because it’s the objective of the game or because that’s why you are there, you are fishing because it’s fun and maybe you need a break to swing a fishing rod instead of a sword. And then you can stop, and get back to fighting or whatever the rest of the game entails. Below are games that have fishing in them for mostly no reason at all. I have shamelessly spent way to long with my bait in these waters and absolutely loved every second of it and I hope that you (the reader) can find a lot of relaxation in these waters as well.

Pokemon Series

Since the very first Pokemon game there has been fishing. You get the old rod from some guy and then you are free to fish up as many goldfishes that you want hoping that one of them will grow up to be a 21 foot tall dragon. Pokemon has combined their fishing with their main game play and makes you at least start a battle with the fish you drag onto shore. Now fishing in Pokemon is pretty subpar mainly because a single Pokemon game hasn’t really been known to have more than a handful of Pokemon that you can fish for. Also if you are looking for a strong water type Pokemon you could do a lot better than fishing for it. Typically a Pokemon player will fish about 5-10 times total. And although fishing for Pokemon isn’t all that great it has been in every game for over 20 years and that is pretty impressive. It’s a small detail that makes the world of Pokemon feel like a real world of wild creatures.

Sonic Adventure DX

In Sonic Adventure DX you are given the choice to play as a lot of different characters, one of which is named Big the Cat. Most of the characters are combat characters that rely on speed and attacks to get through levels, some even wielding rocket launchers and extremely oversized hammers. However when you start the story of Big the Cat you are thrown in a completely opposite direction. Big the Cat is a giant purple cat who lives in the jungle with his best friend Froggy. Froggy accidentally swallows one of the most powerful objects in the Sonic universe and Big the Cat must chase him all over the world trying to fish him out of where he is hiding so that he can eject the Chaos Emerald out of him and they can return to their life in the jungle. The fishing mechanics in this game actually are really good and this is probably because Sega had just put out a series of mildly successful Bass fishing games before releasing this game. Either way its absolutely hilarious that Big the Cat gets to defeat Chaos 6 right before Super Sonic has his showdown with Chaos Perfect.

Final Fantasy XV

In Final Fantasy XV you play as Noctis and his favorite hobby is fishing. When I first played this game I sped through it and never fished once and reached the end of the game never indulging Noctis in his hobby. When I replayed Final Fantasy XV I fished for 50 hours and then ejected the disc from my console. The fishing in Final Fantasy XV is surprisingly deep with a lot of the vendors supporting what you could call a fishing road trip. In the game it is extremely dangerous to be out at night so I would plan day trips to lakes to maximize the amount of fishing I would get to do. I would prepare days in advance to make sure I could afford the trip and that I had enough supplies to both protect myself at the lake and have enough supplies to last the whole day. Final Fantasy XV really is a game about getting really distracted and fishing is probably its best distraction. My days on the lake were the perfect balance of peaceful and rewarding, this game offers an awesome reward of well planned trips and a good haul of fish.

Final Fantasy XIV Online

Final Fantasy XIV is the only game I have ever played where the fishing played exactly like its combat. When you are fighting enemies in a dungeon in FFXIV you are constantly adding buffs, landing hits, using consumables, and managing resource bars. When you are fishing in FFXIV you are constantly adding buffs, landing hits, using consumables, and managing resource bars. Note you are doing so at a much more leisurely and less life threatening pace but you are still doing it. I never maxed out the fisher class but I got it into the expansion content which was a really long and relaxing experience. Yet another Final Fantasy title where the real meat of the game is in getting distracted. When you fish you also sell on a player market that fluctuates based on market price just like real fish. You get the relaxing fishing side of the game and also an aggressive economic number crunching side as well. I spent way too long with a real pen and paper deciding how much I should sell for on any particular day and bossing around my two cat girl employees.The MMO aspect of the game adds so much to what you would expect to be a very solitary experience.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Have you ever gone fishing for hours to receive an empty bottle? That is exactly what kick started my addiction to fishing in Twilight Princess. An empty bottle in Twilight Princess means another way to heal yourself, another way to add oil to a lantern, another way to carry useless water around. The only way to get the 4th bottle in the game is to go to a dedicated fishing spot and fish until you pulled it out of the pond. The actual fishing is pretty weird, it involves motion controls which I still am not entirely sure what they do or how to properly use them but it is really fun to hold the pole in gyroscope and set the lure in the water waiting for fish to come get a nibble. Although the physics with the water make it difficult to see if you have actually gotten a bite or not it still is enjoyable the other 85% of the time it works.

Stardew Valley

So this one is at the top of every other “fishing in games” list and there is a big reason for that. It’s really good. I think in my first Stardew Valley farm I gave up farming entirely and fished all day every day and stopped to buy food to replenish my energy and go back at it. I really didn’t care about getting rich or making enough money to expand the farm or get to know everyone I actually spent about 50 hours just fishing. The fishing takes some skill and a pretty keen eye but the random jerks of the fish and the rhythm of the game play are so fun to try to master. It’s a part of Stardew Valley that I felt like I was continuously improving on as time went on and it was really fun. I mean I don’t recommend it because you’ll end up moderately poor but it was really fun.

Fantasy Life

Fantasy Life offers you 12 potential jobs, you could be a brilliant blacksmith or a devious potions maker, a lumberjack or a knight, a hunter or a seamstress. However your inner dad is calling and you decide you want to play through a fantasy RPG as a fisherman, hell yeah. the story is relatively short so you can quickly unlock a lot of locales to fish at and there is a manageable economy system that lets you deal in fish in advantageous ways. You can even pick up cooking on the side and make fancy dinners and sell the fish for higher you can do that as well. Fantasy Life is like a clever mix between Animal Crossing and Final Fantasy XIV and it kind of succeeds and falls short of it. The fishing also takes a good amount of skill and rhythmic approach to master so it doesn’t get boring almost at all until you have cleared the game.

Maple Story 2

Maple Story 2 is one of the most expressive and cutest games that I have ever played. And the fishing is no different, its all about style. The fishing in Maple Story 2 is monotonous and can get old but you do it for the chibi clout. Because much like the rest of the game you can look however you want and do whatever you want and sometimes you just feel like kicking back and throwing lure in the water at the beach. I never got super into the fishing in this game but it won me over with its adorable design and stylish atmosphere.

Animal Crossing Series

Of course I had to include the most popular game right now. Animal Crossing has become something of a connection between people when we can’t leave the house. A thing we all have in common on social media and with our friends. My first experience with Animal Crossing really starts with New Horizons and I was completely blown away. The fishing isn’t super complex or difficult but the range of what you can pull out of the water and what you can do with it is absolutely breathtaking. For a game about cartoon people living with humanoid cartoon animals the fish looking photo realistic. And the museum where they can be kept is stunning. The museum looks like it was designed to capture the feel of being in a museum and matches the design of all the great real life aquariums and observatories. Although it is a bit frustrating when your rod breaks it is easy enough to make one (or worst case buy one) to get your bait back in the water.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Tell me I’m wrong, you can’t. Isabelle getting added to Smash brought a very powerful fishing move that isn’t practical all the time but is really funny. Wouldn’t recommend this game if you are looking to relax and fish but I do recommend hooking your friend with a fish hook and send them flying off screen if you had to.

Minecraft

I have a very special role in Minecraft when I join a friends server. A role that I assign to myself. While everyone is off getting awesome swords, spelunking for diamonds, and exploring the infinite landscape, I build a small wooden shack and I set up a farm with an irrigation canal and start fishing. A steady supply of food is necessary and while I’m hanging out with my friends in a server I’m happy to be the one to provide it. The fishing in this game is probably the slowest of all the ones on this list but is the most useful. just throwing the fish in the oven creates food that can help keep you and your companions alive for a long time. I think I definitely have my limits with Minecraft fishing and I couldn’t do it for hours on end it is rewarding to set up shop and find a nice place to settle down for a few hours to fish.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

This is the only Tactical RPG in this post. Fire Emblem: Three Houses has sections between combat where you can go and talk to your students and do other activities. We aren’t here to discuss other activities though we are here for the fishing. The fishing allows you to catch fish for some reason that I’m sure is good but never intrigued me enough to learn. All I know about the fishing in Fire Emblem: Three Houses is that it’s fun. I started to bust through combat just so that I could get back to fishing. The funniest part about this one is that the fish has a health bar. Pressing the A button at the exact moment finds a way to become easier and still find ways to mess you up. Either way, I’m not that interested in tactical RPGs but I heard there was fishing in this game so I had to play it and it was worth it.

Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

In Jak & Daxter, Daxter gets turned into a small animal by dark eco while exploring a dangerous island off the shore of his home with his best friend Jak. To get back to the island to investigate, the pair have to borrow a boat owned by a fisherman who is troubled by an invasive species of poisonous eel that is ruining his haul. He asks Jak to catch fish for him without catching any eels. This fishing mini game can only be done once but it is going to either be something you think is very unique or a huge waste of time. All I’ll say is that the sound that the fish makes when it goes into the net is absolutely a reward in itself it is so satisfying. But anyways, more intense than some other options here but get it done so you can get back to absorbing eco powers and jumping on stuff.

Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight is a 2D action platformer but you can also fish. And you fish for the best kind of fish, money. You can get some other stuff too like health pickups and magic replenishers but we know what you want. You see that little glint and you pop out the fishing rod and pull out those money bags. If you are devoted enough you can even get a surprise from the Troupple King (long live his highness) if you fish out the right stuff. I don’t even know if I fished all that much when I played Shovel Knight but it’s hilarious that you can.

NieR: Automata

I did not play a lot of NieR and that’s because I was fishing. I don’t know why all I did was fish but you throw your little robot in the pond and you lean on a magical stool so honestly it was good enough for me.

Club Penguin

If you know then you know. In hind sight there really wasn’t a whole lot to do in Club Penguin but this mini game really messed me up. You basically get to move up and down, catching fish and avoiding trash and other hazards. Basically trying to do this and catch as much fish as possible to avoid having to ask your parents for real money to pay for snacks to feed a virtual ball of fluff with eyeballs. I don’t really remember how challenging it really was but I remember getting decently high scores to about like 100 fish per round so I guess it was pretty easy if I could do that at age 10.

Rune Factory 4

I’m gonna be very honest about this one and say that the fishing in Rune Factory 4 is basically just Animal Crossing fishing but more anime. The fish react to the pole the same, the fish almost look the same, and the buttons to respond are the same. What makes this one special is where you can take it. You can fish in the little moat in town, in the lake, in a dungeon full of monsters, in a lake that is eternally the season fall, anywhere. You are constricted by the boundaries of Stardew Valley and that is how much energy you have and how much time you have in the day. It’s still fun to fish but I wish that they had used their fun fantasy setting to give the ability to fish up some cool made up fish instead of strictly things that exist in real life.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Ok, diving, fishing, same thing. Diving in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is just fishing with your whole body. It works a lot in the same way as Pokemon where you fish up monsters to fight and get the rewards from them. It is a completely optional activity however if you decide to undertake the grind of scavenging in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 then you will never hurt for money ever again. It makes my wonder why Rex stopped being a salvager to do odd jobs because this was PROFITABLE. The main incentive is that there are spots that spawn a certain enemy that drop cores. Cores are like gacha or loot boxes that contain new anime girl partners that deal huge damage in fights. They even have their own side quests and story lines. I spent maybe 30 hours grinding before giving up on this game and while it does become tiresome I really enjoyed the random rewards of possibly getting a new companion or a really cool weapon.

It’s been tossed around that every great RPG has fishing in it. I won’t argue that point but a lot of great RPGs certainly do have fishing in them. Everyone needs a break sometimes and fishing is the perfect activity to remind us to stop and take that break. Even games can get long and without these distractions it might be so much harder to complete these harrowing tasks. Don’t forget to take breaks and just enjoy the sound of the water every once in a while because there’s no rush playing video games.

Honorable Mentions:

Kingdom Hearts: Sora fishing with his bare hands on Destiny Island

Persona 4: Weird aqueduct fishing

Persona 5: Marina fishing life

Sea of Thieves: A pirates life for me

[spoadicdeviance]

When “Anger Always Wins In The End”: The Story of X-Play vs Skyward Sword

Gather around the Barcalounger over by the fireplace friends, family, and those who only come to the Skyward Sword tag to bash the game in question. Old SporadicDeviance is going to tell you a tale that harkens back from the far distant past of 2011. It’s going to be a quite a long story, so you might want to get comfy.

The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword was making its rounds across the mainstream game review circuit, largely earning 9′s and 10′s across the boards. The game also ended becoming one of the very few games to earn perfect scores from both EDGE magazine and Famitsu. Talks of potential Game of the Year awards were already underway. 

Yes it seemed Skyward Sword would experience nothing but smooth sailing when it comes to the gaming media.

Enter X-Play; the TV show focused on game coverage airing on the network dedicated to gaming and technology (in the sense that MTV used to be dedicated to music) G4.

Starting in summer 1998, as GameSpot TV, and ultimately concluding its run by the start of 2013, this show was perhaps the most popular source of game reviews in its heyday. In fact, with the shows propensity to include heavy layers of snark and cynicism in their reviews, as well as having the tendency of preforming comedic skits based on the various games they covered, one could say that X-Play was one of the progenitors of various online independent game reviewers that started from around 2006 and continue to the present day.

“Why bring up the show’s history?” One may ask. Well its important to establish that the programs was very popular with a substantial viewership, even in its final years of broadcast.

Which brings us to the moment that X-Play and Skyward Sword crossed paths.

It all started with the shows review of the game and the program ultimately giving Skyward Sword an overall score of a 4 out of 5. This caused a bit of stir amongst X-Play’s audience.

Now, on the surface, a score like that wouldn’t appear to be anything to really harp on about. Sure, a 4 out of 5 score was on the lower end of the range of scores Skyward Sword was receiving at the time. Nevertheless, a 4 out of 5 was still overall a good score. 

However, as said before, this is all surface level. To get a full understanding of why some gamers were questioning X-Play’s review, you have to look at both how X-Play defines its rating scale as well as the content of the review itself, beyond the final score.

First let’s talk about X-Play’s ratings scale. In 2011 the program updated the meaning behind each of the five different ratings. For a game to earn a 5 out of 5, the game would have to “realize all ambitions of its design” while a 4 out of 5 game would only accomplish most of its goals.

Well Skyward Sword’s goal was to be the proof of concept on what the Wii’s intent was as a console. The game’s ambition was to show the world that motion controls not only be practical as the primary means of control for a AAA game but also in some ways surpass traditional controls in terms of immersion and practicality. Does that mean by giving Skyward Sword a 4 out of 5, X-Play thinks Skyward Sword didn’t fully accomplish its ambition?

No. They didn’t think Skyward Sword failed in that regard. In fact, in their review of the game, X-Play stated that despite initial skepticism on Skyward Sword going all in on motion controls, hosts Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb were pleasantly shocked with how good the controls felt, saying that the Wii-Motion Plus controls were fluid, responsive, seamless, and never frustrating. They also stated that if all Wii games controlled just was well as Skyward Sword then a large majority of complaints lobbied against the system would never have materialized.

So what caused the show to give Skyward Sword a 4 out of 5? According to X-Play’s 2011 rating system and game needs to have “minor flaws” on order to get a 4 out of 5 score. So what did X-Play think were said flaws?

Well X-Play used the trite “revisit certain areas of the game” non-criticism that I’ve already touched on in a prior post. It’s weird since games like Metroid Prime also used backtracking and X-Play still gave those games perfect 5 out of 5 scores.

They also said that there wasn’t much to do in the Sky overworld, which is outright wrong considering all of the goddess treasures and various sky islands that have their own minigames/sub quests to do. Yes its mainly side content but almost every Zelda overworlds are mainly used for side content and linking the various areas in the map. I think I’ll go more in depth on the whole “The Sky is too empty.” criticism in another post.

Then they complained about how your shield can break and you would have to go back to Skyloft in order to purchase a new shield. Seriously? This is like when people complain that in Banjo Kazooie, when you die, you have to recollect all the music notes. That’s the point. The game is punishing you for messing up during the combat. Also the game doesn’t force you to purchase a new shield. You can play the game without a shield if you choose to do so.

I would say the shield bit is the worst criticism in the review if it wasn’t for the frankly dumb, and hilarious in hindsight, critique of Skyward Sword’s crafting system. Adam called the system “grindy” and said that crafting doesn’t fit in a Zelda game. Considering how Breath of the Wild not only has a crafting system, but also, by X-Play’s standards, made it more grindy than it was in Skyward Sword, I think even Skyward Sword’s biggest detractors can call this assessment of Skyward Sword crafting system half-baked at best.

And those were the flaws X-Play found in Skyward Sword. Even if those critiques were legitimate, and let’s face it they’re not, it doesn’t seem like these flaws are enough to justify docking Skyward Sword an entire point in a 5 point rating system, does it?

Well according to a lot of fans of the show, it wasn’t. Fans were speculating that X-Play wasn’t really sincere in their giving Skyward Sword a 4 out of 5. Some thinking that they set out to not give the game a perfect score and were grasping at straws trying to find any justification for their score, rather than have their final score come naturally as they played/reviewed the game.

By all accounts, Skyward Sword seemed to have been more deserving of a 5 out of 5 score rather than a 4 out of 5, according to a lot of X-Play’s viewership. 

Viewer response to Skyward Sword’s 4 out of 5 score might have been the primary reason X-Play revamped their ratings scale the following year, using “half-stars” in its ratings (ultimately making the rating system a 10 point scale) as well as reworking the conditions for a 5 out of 5 score. Now for a game to achieve a 5 out of 5 a game doesn’t have to achieve all of its design ambitions and merely not have any “issues” which would result in a 4 out of 5.

My suspicion that the viewer response to the Skyward Sword review was the catalyst for the change is only strengthened by the fact that X-Play used Skyward Sword as their example of a 4 out of 5 game in their new ratings system. 

But despite all that, the backlash to X-Play’s review was relatively minor, especially compared to the backlash a certain other professional reviewer got for giving Skyward Sword a lower score compared to X-Play, but that’s a tale for another time.

This isn’t the main part of the the story. X-Play’s review of Skyward Sword and the viewer response to said review were all the primer for the centerpiece of this tale.

It’s now time for the awards season. All the various gaming publications were nominating and awarding the best games of 2011. Skyward Sword managed to get itself plenty of nominations, including Overall Game of the Year from publications like EDGE.

But what about X-Play? What awards did they nominate Skyward Sword for?

Did X-Play nominate Skyward Sword for Game of the Year? 

No.

Did X-Play nominate Skyward Sword for Best Action/Adventure Game? 

No

Did X-Play nominate Skyward Sword for Most Innovative Game? 

No. .

Did X-Play nominate Skyward Sword for Best Story? 

No.

Did X-Play nominate Skyward Sword for Best Art Direction? 

No.

All Skyward Sword was nominated for were Best Soundtrack and Best Motion Controls.

And you want to know the really messed up part; Skyward Sword only won for Best Soundtrack and lost the Best Motion Controls award to Dance Central 2. Let that sink for a beat. DDR Kinect 2 Dance Central 2 apparently had better motion controls than Skyward Sword according to X-Play. This despite of all the praise the show gave Skyward Sword’s controls in its review. This is like when the Queen bio-pic, Bohemian Rhapsody, won the Oscar for “Best Editing”. Are you kidding me?! But I digress.

Needless to say, if viewers were just a little peeved with X-Play’s review of Skyward Sword, they were outright mad with how the show basically snubbed Skyward Sword from its award show. 

The vast majority of gamers felt that, even if the game would ultimately not win many awards, Skyward Sword should have at least had more than two (relatively minor) award nominations and should have been nominated for Game of the Year. X-Play was being called out, rightfully so, for not giving Skyward Sword its fair dues.

But all was not lost for Skyward Sword, for while X-Play would have full control on which games were nominated and which game would win the majority the awards, the fans would have their own say for one certain award.

G4 decided to do what they called a “Videogame Deathmatch”. This was basically a tournament consisting of 32 games released in 2011. 

Each round would have multiple games paired off to face off against each other. The general public would go online and vote for one of the two games in each match to go on to the next round. The first round had people vote between 16 pairs of games. The next round would have 8. Etc. Etc. This would culminate in a final round where the two winners of each side of the bracket would face off and the people would vote between these last two games to decide which game would win the tournament and would receive the Viewer’s Choice Award at  X-Play’s Best of 2011 Award Show.

Skyward Sword was one of the 32 games selected for the tournament, whether it was because G4 honestly thought the game deserved a chance to win or they were simply trying to placate fans of the game.

I would say the latter because the side of the bracket Skyward Sword was on was definitely the more competitive side of the two. How more competitive? Well while the side of the bracket Skyward Sword was on had games like Portal 2, Minecraft, Uncharted 3, Batman Arkham City and The Elder Scroll V: Skyrim, the game that would become the finalist for the other side of the bracket was Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. Does that answer your question?

So Skyward Sword faced some stiff competition. It really seemed like G4 and X-Play did not want Skyward Sword to win this tournament so they made sure it would go head to head against some of the most popular games of 2011. It was going to be a miracle if Skyward Sword made it to the final round.

Well let me tell you something; a miracle did occur that year.

In round 1, Skyward Sword went up against Uncharted 3, the flagship PS3 title of 2011, and the fans voted for Skyward Sword over Uncharted 3.

In round 2, Skyward sword went head to head against Fifa 12, the latest entry of the videogame series based off of the most popular sport in the world, and the majority chose Skyward Sword over Fifa 12. 

In round 3, Skyward Sword faced off against Batman Arkham City, the game that is considered to be one of the greatest superhero games ever made (if not the greatest), and Skyward Sword got more votes than Batman Arkham City.

In the semi-finals, Skyward Sword went one on one against The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, one of the best selling games of all time, and the gamers chose The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword over Skyrim.

Needless to say when Skyward Sword went up against Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, a game that even fans of the Assassin’s Creed franchise don’t hold in the highest regards (at least it’s not Unity?) in the final round, the vote went overwhelmingly in Skyward Sword’s favor.

The end result was that Skyward Sword won G4TV’s Videogame Deathmatch: Best of 2011 Tournament and was awarded the Viewer’s Choice Award for 2011.

Now when it came time to officially announce the winner of the winner of the Viewer’s Choice Award during the televised award ceremony, how do you think the hosts handled the situation?

Well take a look for yourself with this Youtube video archiving X-Play’s award show that year. (Timestamp 34:04-35:25)

They start out by saying how close the matchup between Skyward Sword and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations was, despite the fact that by accounts of those who participated in the voting process, Assassin’s Creed never got more than 40% of the votes in the final round, but that can be chalked up as theatrics for the audience.

When they reveal to the audience that Skyward Sword won the final round and in turn won the Viewer’s Choice Award, you can juts tell that Adam Sessler is not happy with the results. The way he’s moving his body. His tense face and pursed lips. The sarcastic tone in his voice as he calls Skyward Sword “Nintendo’s love letter to motion controls”.

Adam is not happy that the game he and the rest of the staff at X-Play snubbed from their award ceremony not only won the Viewer’s Choice Award but also beat two of their nominees for Game of the Year, including their choice for overall Game of the Year, in the process.

At this point, most people think it would be best for Adam to just accept the results for what they are, give Skyward Sword a proper congratulations, and move on with the next award of the night, in spite of Adam’s personal feelings towards the situation. Just be professional. That’s all Adam needed to do.

Most would think that, but Adam Sessler is not most people.

As the hosts were talking about Skyward Sword’s win, Blair Herter made a passing comment saying that the Nintendo fanbase being “enraged” over Skyward Sword not being nominated for Game of the Year helped Skyward Sword win the Viewer’s Choice Award.

Adam immediately jumped on that by adding with and I quote;

“Enraged? That’s a-th-th-that’s a nice term. It was close race, but ANGER always wins in the end.”

Wow. I mean wow. Not even the Red Sea is as salty as Adam Sessler was with that comment.

He couldn’t just take the L like an adult and move on. He felt like he had to get the final word on the matter. 

It’s like Adam wants to say the Viewer’s Choice Award doesn’t really count because the vote didn’t go the way he wanted. This is, ironically, the kind of immature fanboy behavior Adam is trying to make fun of. It makes it seem like Adam thinks he’s above the “unwashed masses” that participated in the Videogame Deathmatch voting process. 

Regardless on if you think Skyward Sword deserved to win the tournament, you must admit that this was bad look on Adam’s part.

Now I don’t want to end this post on a bittersweet note so I want you to think about what actually happened. 

Skyward Sword is so beloved by the majority of gamers that when a review show as big as X-Play tried to downplay the game’s quality as well snub the game from its best of the year award show, the gamers respond by making sure Skyward Sword won the title of the Viewer’s Choice awards.

And this is one of several time where when major reviewer publications/programs reached out to their audience, the gamers, to get their take on what game they felt was the best game of 2011, and The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword was chosen by said gamers as the the best game of that year.

It’s funny because whenever I bring up that point, the minority of Skyward Sword detractors try to make up some excuse to delegitimize Skyward Sword winning the viewer’s choice award.

When I mention Skyward Sword winning IGN’s viewer’s choice award, or when Skyward Sword was voted the number one, best game of 2011 by the fans of ScrewAttack, they say “Oh that’s because fans of Skyrim, Batman Arkham City, Portal 2, and so on were divided amongst themselves while Nintendo fans were united in their support for Skyward Sword. If the poll wasn’t a free for all, Skyward Sword wouldn’t win.”

Well here’s another instance of Skyward Sword winning a viewer’s choice award; Skyward Sword had to go one-on-one against multiple games in order to win the viewer’s choice award. Skyward Sword got more votes than some of the most popular, well reviewed, and highest selling games of that year. More gamers preferred Skyward Sword over Uncharted 3, Arkham City, and Skyrim.

I think all of that, along with how Skyward Sword was considered the best game of 2011 by ScrewAttack and IGN users, and how people are hyped for the HD rerelease, it’s safe to say that despite what some vocal people may try to say otherwise, The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword is a game that is far more beloved by gamers than it  is “divisive”. 

[kintatsujo]

LoZ AU- The Courage of Running Away Part TWENTY-FOUR

This post is so late because I accidentally took a several hour nap and then it went and got a Little Convoluted, including a page that might’ve gone in a supplementary post except that I wanted it HERE, for REASONS

Warning for Fantasy Religious Imagery, which is sometimes based on Christian religious imagery because it’s Legend of Zelda and the magic book from the first game was literally just a Bibble in the Japanese

#AU August

#LoZ AU: The Courage of Running Away

I'm setting up for a boss fight here and I want to go a little into the idea that Lorule Castle Town and Lorule Castle are effectively being approached like a "final dungeon" here (technically at this point my brain has assigned CoRA itself as "first half of game" and whatever I call the sequel as "Second half of game" but that's not the point)

Which actually I'm gonna real quick go into MORE of the basic "gameplay" that exists in my head if CoRA was ACTUALLY a game instead of this increasingly convoluted fanfic that I've been having Emotions over, just because I've been thinking about it and it's how I'd be plotting shit here.

Basically the MAJORITY of the gameplay would be Link running around adventuring, like any LoZ.  Different greater regions would be their own discrete overworlds with a few points here and there where you could cross between them, not like portals or anything just like mountain passes and shit.  (I think since we're going full jrpg with the story the sequel would probably feature an airship worldmap.  Don't ask me how Link gets an airship I just cut going into the Rito captain that decides he's in love with Marla for time!)

But THEN there would be sections that functioned like Hyrule Warriors, with a team of characters that you could switch between.  These would be signaled by phrases like, "Okay, Link, tell us what you need us to do."  Some would be specific dungeons and some would be based on chunks of the map that had been sliced out, like how in Age of Calamity a lot of the mini missions used chunks of the chapter mission maps.  Technically the Tutorial Dungeon from Hell would work somewhat like this EXCEPT that Astramorus isn't your team member, he's an "allied" unit you don't have to protect because he hangs back tossing heal items and fairies at Link.  

The first REAL time you'd get a taste of having team members would be basically a minigame with Tonbo and Marla and all playable characters would have segments that let you get a handle on how they worked.  Gray's would actually be a training mission where he's kind of showing off for Link because Zelda Jr. is egging him on.  (See thinking about this like a game REALLY helps with the story writing lmao)

During the solo segments while Tonbo and Marla are travelling with Link, btw, they'd be wandering around cities or towns as NPCs Link can have conversations with, including one with Marla that would be sparked by examining the statue of the Fierce Deity in Clocktown Town Square but which would be presented as Marla seeking Link out.  This is because I love party chat.

[image description: A below shot of a statue of Fierce Deity Link.  He is lit by a lantern with fairy wings to the side, and there are strings of lights behind him and a dark roof above.  Link and Marla are looking up at him as Link explains, “The Hylia Church holds that he was one of my-- One of the Goddess’s Chosen Heroes.  The local faith holds that he came in the form of a child but with the soul of an adult, that he went on to take the forms of dead loved ones and dead heroes in Termina, that he had powers upon powers and skill upon skill, that he was many places at once over three days, helping and rescuing and working, and that he awoke the Four Giants of the land and pushed the moon back into the sky.”  Link holds himself.  “I can’t POSSIBLY live up to all that,” he says.  Marla is holding some sort of wrapped food she’s taken a bite out of.  She says, “Do you WANT to live up to all that?  Also if he came in the form of a CHILD why’s he depicted as this big manly man chonk?”  End ID.]

Also in general all playable characters's levels, hearts and general development would just be, haha, LINKED to Link's.  I know a lot of people enjoy managing all their characters but I'm thinking about Final Fantasy 9 and how every time you go to a town everyone just wanders off and I never know if I'm gonna actually be able to GIVE characters their equipment or if the party's gonna get broken up by Story again.  I think a lot of the flow feel to the system I've just outlined would be similar to that so I don't think the non-Link members of the party should be something a player would have to worry about upkeep with.  Also yes in that same line everyone would automatically be healed and have a full magic meter at the beginning of the team segments.

Anyway for this particular party mission Queen Zelda would actually initially try to talk Link out of it.  "Absolutely not," he says, "I'm going and Father is too, we deserve answers and if you end up having to blow Serenumbra up this is the only chance we'll have at getting them."

(Zelda Sr's like.... "I didn't blow your father UP...")

Ghirahim is also champing at the bit to go fuck Serenumbra up, because he's fucking furious to have realized that Serenumbra was chessmastering him.  Dinravi and Eltani are going both as support and because everyone but Ghirahim agrees that Ghirahim needs someone to act as his restraint.

[Image Description: Ghirahim is waving his hands angrily and ranting, "And the WORST PART is now I have to save HYLIA'S BROOD just to SPITE him!" while Dinravi pats him on the shoulder with a grin, saying "There, there."  End ID.]

I don’t know why Ghirahim’s hands always turn out so amazing, actually, I’ve always thought of hands as one of my strengths but it feels like CoRA’s Ghirahim is one panel of pretty hands after another.

ANYWAY it’s a smallisher team because the main loftwings they have that can make that trip again after having rushed from Gerudo City to Hyrule Castle are the unusually large ones like Hera, and those are fairly rare.  The main characters I’m absolutely sure on are Link and Astramorus, Dinravi Ghirahim and Eltani, and of course Queen Zelda and Impa.  Gray wants to go but he can’t because health potions don’t work as fast on injuries quite as severe as a stabbity in the torso and whether Marla and Tonbo come along is actually something I’m not explicitly solid on yet, because this is Draft 0.5 and I can still change my mind at this point. 

And one of the things is that in this mission Astramorus essentially functions as a helper character chasing after Link with health potions just like in the Tutorial Dungeon From Hell, except he’s a lot quieter about it.

Because of this and because Link is the main character, they’re together when they find Serenumbra first:

[Image description: Serenumbra is in the middle of a ceremonial setup; in the middle are he with a book stand and behind him a statue of Hylia.  On either side are symmetrical stone beds, the left below an upright Hyrulean Triforce and the right below a flipped Lorulean Triforce.  Princess Zelda is laid on the left side and Princess Hilda on the right; they are dressed in simple gowns and seem to be unconscious.  The beds were clearly made exactly for Hilda’s height, as Zelda is too short for hers.  They are laid in state reminiscent of the way the sleeping Zelda was in Adventure of Link.  Between this scene and the viewer are two figures with swords, although the nature of them is unclear; they could be people wearing horned masks.  Serenumbra says, “Ah, Astra.  You’re ALIVE.  What a SURPRISE.”  Astramorus and Link are standing side by side.  Astramorus says, “So you DID know what I was planning to do.”  Serenumbra makes the smuggest possible face.  “Oh PLEASE, dear friend, I’ve been winding you up to see what you’ll do since you were FIFTEEN- a little NUDGE in the right direction was as good as telling you to do it!”  End ID.]

Okay but looking at that Smug Serenumbra face I actively wanna punch him until he loses a few teeth so I think I’ve succeeded at drawing it.  The soldiers are actually intended to be Armos because I like the Armos and I think they should show up in Botw2. (I’m kind of hoping we’ve already seen one in that more recent trailer but they don’t look anything like these buddies; I’m talking about that big turquoise dude.)

Anyway we all know this ceremony isn’t going to work.  The Armos keep Link and Astramorus off of Serenumbra long enough for him to try it, and it just fuckin fizzles.  Zelda and Hilda sleep right through the whole thing (they’re uh, you know, under a spell, so they’d sleep through quite a lot.)

[Image Descriptions: Serenumbra is gripping his book and staring into it, demanding of the pages, “WHY isn’t it WORKING?!!”  Astramorus says, off-panel, “It’s pretty SIMPLE, Seren-”  He is shown to have his hands on Link’s shoulders as if to brace him, as Queen Zelda breaks the doors behind them down with a BOOM, Ghirahim coming up behind her with a grin.  Link and Astramorus shout together: “YOU HAVE THE WRONG ZELDA!!”  Serenumbra stares at them, his glasses opaque, as apparently something in his mind breaks with a “SNAP!”  He then smiles serenely.  “Very well,” he says, as the Moon Pearl on his chest begins to glow, flooding the room with blue.  “Let us see how you fare against a GOD’S NIGHTMARE.”  Before him, on what had appeared to be a circular rug, something black and gaseous seems to seep into reality.  It has glowing white eyes.  End ID.]

[justaddgame]

GOTY 2021: #4 - Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

I could sum this one up quickly by saying there’s a demo on the eShop, and it sold me in a heartbeat.

The demo launched a few weeks before the game’s release, allowing players to explore the first few missions in Omega Force’s second hybrid Legend of Zelda and Dynasty Warriors collaboration.

The first Hyrule Warriors, released in 2014 on the Wii U—before being ported to the Switch in 2018 combined the cast of Zelda’s major players into the tried-and-true chaotic action of the Dynasty Warriors franchise. Working together with Nintendo, Hyrule Warriors was bursting with familiar faces and locations that spanned from Ocarina of Time to Skyward Sword. It was a radical departure for Nintendo at the time, and somehow worked extremely well. So well, in fact, that many—including me—were ecstatic to find out last year that it wasn’t just a one-time deal.

This time, however, the setting was going to be tied directly to 2017’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and initial teases implied the narrative would begin 100 years earlier—before Link’s time spent in stasis and the death of Princess Zelda’s champions.

It must be said that Dynasty Warriors is infamous in the video game scene.

I was only vaguely aware of Dynasty Warriors during the PS2 era, but that was all you really needed to know both sides. It is unapologetically simple to pick up—the combo system uses two buttons—but deceptively more complex than it appears on the surface. You’d be forgiven for not realizing that as for how many games there have been—and there have been a lot—the general makeup has been gradually iterative, from the graphics to the gameplay itself. Additionally, there’s always been criticism of quantity over quality hanging over it like dark cloud. The most current numbered title, Dynasty Warriors 9, released in 2018, but that’s not counting the two sub-series: Empires and Xtreme Legends—and yes, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires is just around the corner. There are also two sister series, Samurai Warriors and Warriors Orochi.

All of this is to say that Dynasty Warriors has been around long enough to make both friends and enemies.

Why is this important? Because that’s arguably a lot of baggage to attach to another property, especially one revered as much as The Legend of Zelda. It raised eyebrows of some in 2014 and did so again when Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity was first announced in 2020. Even after following the first game’s success, the shadow from that cloud would return. Age of Calamity’s premise had a good hook, however, and was enticing to anyone who wanted to see more of the champions in their prime, rather than the small glimpses of their past seen in Breath of the Wild.

Hyrule Warriors had already inspired me to become a Dynasty Warriors fan, so when that demo hit the eShop I was already on board to see what Omega Force and Nintendo had done to follow up their first effort. My first impressions told me to delete the demo now after playing the first level—I was sold.

If I could describe Age of Calamity only one way, I would call it the spiritual successor to Nintendo’s experimental Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. With Nintendo’s assistance, the game lifts Breath of the Wild’s assets wholesale in the best of ways—the UI, the map, the characters, the locations, the materials, the recipes, it’s all here. Playing Age of Calamity is almost like playing Breath of the Wild—familiar, but different. Just like Zelda II turned Hyrule on its side, Age of Calamity is the souped-up cousin of Breath of the Wild, where weapons don’t break, and Princess Zelda doesn’t need anyone to save her. The heightened action fits extremely well as Hyrule is bracing for the coming impact of Calamity Ganon.

When the game officially released and it was actually in my hands, you couldn’t tear me away from it. I could write several detailed paragraphs on both the mechanics and story—the narrative deployed a few unexpected, fun twists—but a game like this ultimately must speak for itself. I can’t tell you if you’re going to like Dynasty Warriors, but I will say that Age of Calamity is Omega Force’s franchise in absolute top form.