The Beautiful, Inspiring and Heartbreaking Music of The Legend Of Zelda

 I love The Legend of Zelda. It is one of my favourite video game franchises ever made. Now, I should be honest, my first Zelda game was Breath of the Wild, which while an amazing game, made me think differently about the franchise as a whole, compared to someone who started with one of the prior games. I love the open-endedness of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom (which I am busy playing) and I feel like the music really helps to compliment the vast open world waiting to be explored. I have played 5 Zelda games in total (and finished one so far lol) and I would like to talk about the music these games offer, and the effect it has on me as the player. I just want to clarify, I am not a musical expert, I do practise guitar and ukulele but I know nothing about music theory. So with that out of the way, lets get started!

The Legend Of Zelda (original)

Now I have played a bit of the original, and the first time I heard that theme was amazing. The main theme never gets old, and that is one feat only Koji Kondo can pull off. He is a master in creating catchy songs and themes, working on most Zelda games and Mario titles. Back to the theme song, I can imagine someone playing this game back when the NES was new, and hearing that song with the open 2d world to explore, it must have been magical. While the original theme sounds a bit dated by todays standards, it still holds up extremely well. 

Ocarina of Time

Oh, where do I even begin? Even though its not my favourite Zelda game, I can see why so many people adore it. From its (albeit quite sad) story and locations, Ocarina of Time is a great game, Im not going to lie. But its not exactly my favourite. Back to its music, when Koji Kondo made the music for Ocarina of Time, he went to different locations the games locations was based on, for example for the Temple of Time, he went to a Gregorian Church to see what their chants sounded like, to copy that sound for the location. One of my favourite songs of the game is the Gerudo Desert theme. It's a Spanish Flamenco song, and it is one of the most catchy songs I have ever heard in a game. I saw a video once of two guys in a street playing the Gerudo Desert theme with people walking by and watching in awe as the played away, and that video showed me that these games's soundtracks are more than just catchy rythms for a location in a game, its art. Simple as that. Each note Koji Kondo played in that song is art. The whole game revolves around an ocarina, so there is many Ocarina pieces in the game, my favourite two being Zelda's Lullaby and Sarah's Song (if I have the name correct). Ocarina of time and its "sequel" Majora's Mask both are amazing games, and I hope to write about them in the future. 

Phantom Hourglass

Let's be honest here. most people look down on the DS Zelda games, because of the trackpad controls. And for that I want to say, get over it. The first time I played Phantom Hourglass I was also appalled by the control scheme, but if you just push through it is a great fun games. This is one of the most cozy Zelda games in my opinion. And I'm a sucker for cozy games, I mean I do have 125 hours in Stardew Valley for crying out loud. But anyways, Phantom Hourglasses music really represents this feeling in a great manner. All the songs, even though they are a bit forgettable, creates a cozy and safe atmosphere. This Zelda game also doesn't really feature that many scary enemies, and that also helps my theory that its a cozy game. The game follows Link trying to safe Princess Zelda (in the form of Tetra) and hime journeying through the sea with his partner Linebeck. I love how the game shows Linebeck and Link actually forming a friendship, and how Linebeck later on really start to care for Link. The music all around fits the game greatly, and I really hope to see a remake of this game someday. Before I move on, I must say my hot take, I enjoyed Phantom Hourglass more than I did Ocarina of Time. 

Breath of the Wild

Breath of the Wid changed the way I looked at video games. It made me realize that video games are more than just a game. It's one of the most personal ways to tell a story, as you are one of the characters in it. When I first played Breath of the Wild at the end of 2023 and I walked out of the Shrine of Resurrection and that beautiful opening song played, I knew I was in for something special. The way the game uses such subtle storytelling through the enviornment is incredible. It made me realize that storytelling is at its best when you discover things with the characters, as you do with Link. The game deals with loneliness and the passing of time, and how fast things change if you don't appreciate it once in a while. Some of the music in this game is made to make you feel melancholic, and damn does it do a good job at that. From the beautiful piano songs that pull at your heart strings to the upbeat songs that Kass plays on his accordion, the games music really helps to create a well rounded set of emotions when the game needs it. Like, for example, the Guardians theme. In the game there is this enemie called the Guardian, which in the early and mid game, will always kill you with one blow. So imagine my panic whenever I hear that forsaken song. That song turns my brain immediatly into fight of flight mode, whether Im playing the game or not. And that is what a video game song should do, and thats also one of the many reasons why Breath of the Wild is my favourite game of all time (Im started Tears of the Kingdom yesterday so I don't know if it will take Breath of the Wilds place). 

Conclusion

The Legen of Zelda franchise is filled with amazing original soundtracks, and it is definitely worth checking out, even if your not a fan of the games, I can bet you that you will find a song you like. I just want to mention that my blog entries throughout May will be a lot shorter, because I have exams coming up and I want to focus most of my attention on them. But afterwards when I'm on holiday, I'll do a ton of longer entries. Until next time, be good people.