Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses

Last night, I attended the Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses concert at Playhouse Square in Cleveland. A 66-piece orchestra and 24-person choir performed many songs from various games in the Zelda series, as footage from the games was displayed on a large screen behind them.

Not only is it a performance of some great music, but it’s a trip down memory lane for Zelda fans–especially those who have been long-time fans of the series. This was my first time attending…but it won’t be the last.

An opening montage shows a bit of each game as the main Zelda theme is played. Subsequent segments focus on one game at a time. There are segments for Breath of the Wild, Majora’s Mask, Ocarina of Time, A Link Between Worlds, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, A Link to the Past, Skyward Sword, and…more. 😉

As you’d probably expect, I most enjoyed the segments with the games I knew best. The Link to the Past montage brought back lots of memories, and I also loved the cheerful Wind Waker compositions. But you don’t have to be a fan of each game to enjoy the performance.

The Ocarina of Time segment just before intermission was my favorite part of the event. It was amazing, and yet, it provided an example of how the Symphony of the Goddesses could be even better. After hearing the beautiful overworld theme over a montage of video clips from the game, we see the emotional goodbye between Link and Saria, when Link first leaves his village. Saria gives him his first ocarina, and reassures Link that they’ll always be friends. They are also shown years later, when Link returns after he has grown up.

After a trip across Hyrule Field, the Lost Woods theme (Saria’s Song) was played. I was in heaven. But before long, it shifted to battle music as Link fought Ganondorf. Link attacks, jumps to the platform, returns Ganondorf’s fire, shoots a light arrow, and on and on. It dragged on a bit, and virtually the entire final battle was shown. I felt too much emphasis was placed on boss fights with tense battle themes. I’d rather see that time spent exploring the various locales of the games.

Two of my favorite songs from Ocarina of Time are the Zora’s Domain theme and the Gerudo Valley theme. Those locations were not represented at all, musically or visually. Likewise for Lon Lon Ranch, where Link first meets Epona the horse. (Link and Epona are shown briefly jumping over the outer wall, but the interior of the ranch is not shown). These locations, and others, are rife with memorable moments and tunes that would evoke nostalgia even with short segments.

Maybe I’m just being greedy. Perhaps it’s not realistic to expect more than 3-4 songs from each game. But the show has potential to be even more powerful, more nostalgic, more emotional, and more amazing than it already is.

But even though they’re not going to play every song you know and love, the Symphony of the Goddesses is truly an amazing experience that every Zelda fan should attend at least once. I’ll be sure to check it out again the next time it comes to town. If you’re interested, check out the upcoming tour schedule.

The outdoor chandelier at Playhouse Square in Cleveland.
The outdoor chandelier at Playhouse Square.

Believe it or not, this was actually the first gaming-related event I’ve attended. I was expecting to see a lot of cosplayers, but I only saw a few. There were a couple of Links (with elf ears, of course), a Zelda wearing a fancy dress, and a (possibly confused) Mario. But the most amusing was this girl dressed up a Link (or possibly Linkle), who proudly carried around a stuffed chicken (Cucco). She was holding it up in the lobby like she just scored some treasure from a treasure chest. 😛

One last note: I was expecting to get a lot of StreetPass hits on my 3DS, since this was a Nintendo event, but I only got six. Oh well. On the bright side, it seems that they all had Animal Crossing: New Leaf, so I had six new homes to visit in the Happy Homes Showcase.

Super Mario Odyssey Impressions

On Friday, I got the latest Mario game, Super Mario Odyssey for Nintendo Switch. Since I pre-ordered the game at Best Buy, I also got this collectible coin. The front and back shown; I don’t have two coins. 😛

Both sides of the Super Mario Odyssey collectible coin.I’ve spent about 4.5 hours with the game so far, and I’m really enjoying it. It reminds me a bit of Super Mario 64, but without being thrown back to a hub area after collecting each star (or moon, in the case of Odyssey). And that’s a very good thing.

The worlds (called kingdoms) don’t have individual levels per se. Instead, you just collect power moons that are scattered throughout each world. Some of them are earned for completing objectives, like climbing a mountain or beating a boss, while others are just hidden throughout each world. You’re free to explore each world to seek out its secrets, and that’s a lot of fun.

Running through the forest in Super Mario Odyssey.Some of the hidden areas you can find include fun 2D mini-levels that look like the original Super Mario Bros. I’ve also found some references to Super Mario 3D World, so there are many things to discover. As for the coins you collect, you can spend them at shops to buy new caps and outfits for Mario.

Fashionable Outfit: I'm not clashing, YOU'RE clashing!Gotta Capture ‘Em All

One unique feature of Super Mario Odyssey is the ability to capture certain animals, enemies, or objects by throwing your cap at them. Each thing you capture has a unique ability. For example, the first thing you capture is a frog. You then basically possess that frog, and you can directly control it. That allows you to jump much higher.

Mario captures a frog in Super Mario Odyssey for Nintendo Switch.Other areas let you capture an entire stack of Goombas (standing on each other’s heads) or even a tank (which you can use to shoot at breakable stones). It makes for some bizarre scenarios, but that’s part of the fun.

Taking Photos

A really cool feature of this game is the ability to take in-game screenshots. You can pause the action, move the camera, zoom in or out, apply filters, and so on. Even taking pictures can be lots of fun. Here are a few I’ve taken.

Mario captures a Moai statue and stands near a power moon. Picture taken in Super Mario Odyssey.
Moon, Moai, Moon
Mario and a taxi driver. Picture taken in Super Mario Odyssey.
Is this Super Mario Odyssey or Crazy Taxi?
Mario is afraid. Picture taken in Super Mario Odyssey.Controls in Motion

If I have a slight complaint, it’s with the controls. Don’t get me wrong, the controls are good overall. But when Mario runs, he almost seems to be a bit out of control; the controls don’t seem quite tight and precise enough. Maybe I just need to get used to them a bit, or maybe I need to move slower and point the camera at a higher angle when precision jumping is required.

Also, the game uses some motion controls by default. For example, shaking the controller after throwing your cap makes the hat home in on nearby targets. While motion controls aren’t mandatory, I’m trying them out for now, at least. They generally work fine, I’m just generally not a big fan of motion controls.

Out of this World

Super Mario Odyssey is a lot of fun so far, and it’s one of those games that is hard to put down. That’s a sign of a great game. While I’m not far enough into the game to definitively say if it’s the best 3D Mario game yet, I’d say it has a chance. It’s definitely up there with the best of them.

Update: Here’s a video showing my first 50 deaths in the game. I hope you enjoy!

BOTW #17: Beating Calamity Ganon

With Super Mario Odyssey coming out tomorrow, I wanted to try to beat Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild first. While looking at my quest progress screen last night, I realized I never returned to Impa after defeating all four divine beasts. So I went to speak with her, and that marked a quest complete. But unfortunately, she didn’t give me anything. I was hoping for some goodies. 😛

In Rito Village, I spoke with Fyson about starting up a shop in Tarrey Town. He was up to the challenge and headed there right away. Later, I caught up with him in his new shop. He mostly sells arrows, although he has some ancient gears for sale as well.

Fyson's arrow shop in Tarrey Town in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch.Hudson wanted to build more houses in Tarrey Town, but he needed 50 more bundles of wood. I didn’t have that many on me, so it’ll have to wait for another time.

I explored a bit, finding one shrine up in the mountains. Then I returned to Zora’s Domain and completed a shrine quest in that area as well.

The Ceremonial Song: CompleteI had four spirit orbs, so I traded them in for another heart container. Knowing that I was soon heading for danger, I prepared for battle. I bought some ancient greaves at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, upgraded my armor at the Great Fairy Fountain, added another weapon slot, and cooked up a bunch of meals to replenish my health.

When I was ready, I headed off towards Hyrule Castle. The path there has a lot of guardians along the way, so I stopped to defeat some of them. I hadn’t explored much in this area before, so I actually found a couple of new shrines–one of which was right out in the open.

I also found my share of Korok seeds. I’ve missed out on many of them throughout the game though, because until recently, I didn’t know what to do when I saw rock formations like this. Oh well. 😛

A round rock formation in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch.As I crept closer and closer to the castle, I stopped to admire the scenery at sunrise. This game can be so beautiful.

Sunrise in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch.Once I got to Hyrule Castle, I noticed that it has its own map…much like the ones inside the Divine Beasts. And I quickly found out that the castle has a lot of guardians. It’s a bit unsettling when you have three guardians locked onto you at once.

Three guardians targeting me in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch.I defeated some of them, and just ran from the others as I made my way up. There seems to be multiple ways to ascend the castle, so some routes could be better than others. But I was not a happy camper when I dropped into a gatehouse with a blue-maned Lynel. These Lynel creatures are tough! Tougher than a lot of of the bosses in the game, to be honest.

Fighting a Lynel in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch.After defeating him, I carried on past more guardians and climbed my way up to the sanctum. There, I met up with Calamity Ganon himself. The beams from the four Divine Beasts blasted in and wiped out half of Ganon’s health.

I began the fight, and I soon wish that I have arrived here with more than a couple of shields. I did find a new shield in the sanctum, although it didn’t last me very long. 😛 Slowly but surely, I wore down Ganon’s health meter. Eventually, I defeated him. There may be some slight spoilers coming up (even though I won’t show pictures of Ganon or the ending), so you may want to skip the rest of this entry if you don’t want to know.

But like many end-game bosses, Ganon takes another form. This second form is huge and looks more menacing, but this part is actually much easier than the first fight. I started out on horseback, but sadly, Ganon trampled my horse to death. Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but I guess he’s not so Amazing any more.

After delivering the final blow, I watched the credits and ending sequence. The ending was honestly pretty disappointing, and there weren’t any rewards as far as I can tell. Well, a star appears next to your file to indicate you beat the game, and it does list your completion percentage on the map. But that’s about it. By the way, my completion percentage is a paltry 21.91%.

But with that said, I’m not done playing Breath of the Wild. I still plan on beating all of the shrines and recovering all of the memories. I will have more blog entries, and videos, in the future. But it may not be super soon, as Super Mario Odyssey is likely to take up much of my gaming time in the next few weeks or more. See you next time!