A couple weeks ago, we ranked every version of Hyrule Castle/Ganon's Tower/Final Dungeon's that took place inside of a castle, and head a really engaging discussion about what constitutes a great final castle dungeon. This week, by popular demand, we're taking that and asking what makes a great final dungeon that's NOT set in a castle, and trust us when we say this was a lot harder than it seemed. Does flow into the final boss count for a lot? Should the area be somewhere unique, not seen before...
Aug 22, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 277
Another week has crept away with no Breath of the Wild 2 news, but fret not: we're here to talk about a part of Breath of the Wild that we haven't explored yet: fashion! Well, fashion, stats, practicality, etc... Yes, that's right, we are here today to bust our best Blue Steel and critique all of Link's outfits in Breath of the Wild! Which armor set do we have a soft spot for? Which ones are the bottom of the barrel? Are our opinions of the Tunic of the Wild controversial, or do more Zelda fans ...
Aug 16, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 276
What's up Zelda fans! This week, Andy and Al are taking a trip through the series to discuss and rank all of the best FINAL CASTLES (and Towers... and Palaces... and-) in the series! About half the games feature some kind of version of Hyrule Castle / Ganon's Tower / Some kind of equivalent, so we're breaking down which one is the cream of the crop! What's the right length for a final castle? Can a dungeon lack charisma? Is re-fighting the same bosses from earlier dungeons at the end of the game...
Aug 08, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 275
It's our first show since returning from the 2022 Zelda Dungeon Marathon, and this week, Andy and Al don't have a show topic per-say, but rather, are just sitting down and catching up! They go over some of the games they played at the Marathon, tell some stories about the event, discuss some recent happenings in the video game world, debate whether we'll see Breath of the Wild 2 at the 2023 Marathon, and answer some fan questions about the event and Zelda in general. Come catch up with friends, ...
Aug 01, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 274
After a gruelling, amazing, sleep deprived but incredibly rewarding week, Andy and Al are taking the week to recharge and recoup before getting back into the swing of things next week, but don't worry! We've got some LIVE Zelda trivia and the return of Name That Zelda Tune from this years Zelda Dungeon Marathon! Hosted by the big man himself, Mases Hagopian, come listen to our competitors (including Andy) battle to see who knows the most about Zelda! Thanks to everyone that watched and donated a...
Jul 25, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 273
The biggest crossover event in the history of Zelda podcasts is here! Live and in person from the Zelda Dungeon Marathon, Andy and Al sit down with the host and director of Another Zelda Podcast, David Geisler! Over the years, the Champions’ Cast, later the Zelda Cast, has developed a ton of running gags, jokes, and “-isms”, and we asked David to weigh in with his thoughts! Is Twilight Princess really that ugly? Is Satori Mountain really that cool? Is the Monk Maz Koshia theme rally a banger? Is...
Jul 18, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 272
Welcome back for another week of the freshest Zelda podcast around! Today, Andy and Al are taking a look over the series and trying to identify which dungeons mini-bosses are actually way cooler than the final boss of the dungeon. Dark Link? Yeah, way cooler than Morpha. Dangoro? Fyrus doesn't even come close to matching that fight. On and on, until we have a definitive list of ultra cool mini-bosses, some of which may surprise you. Plus, we give some love to some honorable mentions - mini-bosse...
Jul 11, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 271
Strap in for a long show, because this week Andy and Al are talking about the INTRO’S to each Zelda game! Shamelessly stealing from our frenemies the Tier Force Heroes , we go through game by game and assign a tier ranking to the into of each game. What even constitutes as an intro? What goals should a great intro accomplish? Are we giving any leeway for game manuals? How can we love the long intro to one game and not the other? Maybe most pressingly – how long can Andy rant about herding goats?...
Jul 04, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 270
After a week off sick, the gang are back together to answer your fan submitted questions! We asked you to head to Twitter and give us questions, and you delivered big time! Has the fervor around the Zelda timeline died out in recent years? Is there any way the corpse shown in the sequel trailer is Demise? Are the days of new, top down Zelda games over? What’s a way to mix breakable weapons and classic Zelda items? What were the biggest lessons Breath of the Wild taught Nintendo about what fans w...
Jun 27, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 269
Unfortunately, Andy and Al both managed to come down with Covid, so they weren't able to record a new show this week, but fret not! We didn't want to leave anyone hanging, so we dug into the Omega Metroid Podcast archives for a never-heard-before episode featuring Andy and Zelda Dungeon's own Rod Lloyd breaking down what they would want to see in a potential crossover between the two Nintendo franchises! Be sure to tune in next week as we get back on schedule and answer all of your Twitter quest...
Jun 20, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 268
Good day, good day, and welcome to yet another show where we still don't know anything about Breath of the Wild 2 or when the next Nintendo Direct might be. It's not all bad news though, as this week, we participated in Linktober's Zelda Creator Con and had a really fun show, debuting a new segment called Zelda's Percentages. The premise is simple: we read a statement and then assign a percentage on the likelihood of it coming true or not! Does the sequel sell less than half of the original Brea...
Jun 13, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 267
Welcome to the Zelda Cast! This week, we are laying down some heavy predictions for the as-of-yet unannounced Nintendo Direct that we're presuming will slot in the usual E3 time frame (if E3 was happening this year, that is). Andy and Al argue about whether or not it's finally time for Nintendo to pull the lid back on Breath of the Wild 2 and completely show us what this game is all about, plus, have differing opinions as to if any ports of classic Zelda games will get revealed or not. Plus, is ...
Jun 06, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 266
To everyone that's been following the Zelda Dungeon podcast for the last four an a half years, we've got some news for you: the podcast will be undergoing a name change! Four and a half years ago when I decided I wanted to revive the Zelda Informer Podcast (that's going waaay back!), the hip and happening thing in the Zelda world was The Champions' Ballad, the last piece of downloadable content for Breath of the Wild. Wanting to play on that name, The Champions' Cast was born! For over four year...
Jun 03, 2022•4 min•Ep. 265
Recently, we ran a staff feature asking our writing staff what one specific thing Breath of the Wild 2 could do that would make the 6 year development time worth the wait. Answers varied from having a playable Princess Zelda to introducing a Dark World to featuring underwater exploration to an emphasis on Malice and its origins and much, much more, so this week, Andy and Al dissect each answer and react and give their own analysis on how likely our staffs wishes are. Come hang out with us, as we...
May 30, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 264
If you've listened to the Champions' Cast even a little, you probably know that The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is Andy's least favorite Zelda game, so this week, we asked YOU to send us questions about the 3DS title for us to unpack. In addition to explaining why Andy thinks Tri Force Heroes is a bad Zelda game, the gang answer questions like what did they think of the totem mechanic, what their favorite outfit from the game was, if Lady Maud is an underrated villain, what their opinion o...
May 23, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 263
We’ve got a special show for you this week as we catch up with Andrew Shouldice, the lead developer of Tunic, a game we called on this very show “ maybe the best Zelda-like game we’ve ever played .” We pick Andrew’s brain about the origins of Tunic, how the project started, how he met his collaborators, the state of Canadian indie developers, what other games inspired Tunic, the manual concept and where that was born, his reaction to the positive reception, what his gaming backlog looks like, an...
May 17, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 262
This week, we had some scheduling snafus that lead us to not being able to record a new episode, BUT instead of taking the week off to relax, recharge, and sip Pina Coladas, we're instead releasing an episode from the vault, one of our best shows, where we are ranking all of Link's showdowns with the King of Evil himself, Ganondorf! Joined by the amazing Mallo Photography , we get talk all things Ganon in this blast from the past! Follow The Champions’ Cast! Twitter Andy Spiteri (@Spiteri316) Al...
May 09, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 261
With absolutely nothing going on in the world of Zelda, Andy and Al spend this week answering some of the Daily Debates the Zelda Dungeon Writing Team have come up with, and the conversation is fantastic! How long is too long to wait for a sequel? Does that Breath of the Wild 2 footage look a little too good for the Switch? How are choosing as our party if we can pick any Zelda NPCs to back us up in a RPG? What unique dungeon theme should be revisited in the future? What would be the spot in the...
May 02, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 260
You know how much we love us a good Zelda-like game, and with Breath of the Wild 2 being delayed, there was no better time for arguably the greatest ever Zelda-like game to grace our consoles: Tunic! The cute adventure of a little fox on a lonely island wears its inspiration on its sleeve and offers an incredibly dense, challenging, fun, at times obtuse, nostalgic adventure all at the same time. The gang are joined by Rod Lloyd , who penned the official Zelda Dungeon review of Tunic , to discuss...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 259
A good or bad gimmick can elevate or detract from a game, and the Zelda series is unique in that every single game has a distinct, unique gimmick associated with it that makes them ripe for examination! This week, we're diving in and discussing what's worked and what needed improvement over the years with Zelda gimmicks; Dual worlds are a favorite staple, but maybe stylus or motion controls weren't for everybody. Transforming via masks was likewise awesome, so why did transforming into a wolf fa...
Apr 18, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 258
Get ready to rumble, because this week the gang are talking a little Smash and a little Zelda, and specifically, what the best stages to play on are. Is Temple still the favorite and what makes it such an elite stage? Are Bridge of Eldin and Gerudo Valley just a little too boring to be great? Is N64's Hyrule Castle "Zelda" enough? Was Breath of the Wild's representation in Smash Ultimate below average? Why dies 2D Zelda get no love at all in the fighting series? And what stages would we have pic...
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 257
With last weeks disappointing yet somewhat expected announcement of the delay of Breath of the Wild's sequel, the gang get together to discuss their thoughts and reactions. Is this the most disappointing Zelda delay yet? Are Nintendo just saving this game for new hardware? Is there something deeply flawed with Nintendo's developmental process? What was up with that busted Master Sword in the trailer? And maybe most importantly, how fresh did Aonuma-san look with his fresh hair cut?! All this and...
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 256
This week, we're giving some love to an often overlooked and underappreciated game in The Legend of Zelda: Adventure of Link! Okay, maybe it's not all love, but we do answer all of your questions about the game and come away with some really engaging discussion! What're our favorite spells? Did the XP system help or hurt the game? What were our favorite bosses? Did we like the random encounters on the overworld? Did the lack of map hurt this game? What are the biggest redeeming factors of this g...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 255
Definitive Ranking returns for the first time since summer 2021, this time examining arguably not only the greatest Zelda game, but the greatest game period - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time! We're taking a look at the classic 10 categories that make up any great Zelda game - the controls, the dungeons, the story, the music, etc. - and ranking them on a scale of 1-5. Come play along as we shower this game with deserved praise and reminisce about the characters, the side quests, the memories...
Mar 21, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 254
It's that time of year again where MUSICAL MARCH MADNESS makes its triumphant return! As in years past, the gang go through the bracket and decide each matchup until the field of 64 has been whittled down to just one final champion. Some of our picks this year were surprising even to us, to make sure to tune in, as we also discuss whether we should vote for past winners or let new songs win, the dichotomy of some of the worst games having some of the best music, and our most overrated Zelda song...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 253
We are nothing if not topical here on this show, so we decided we would hop on the biggest bandwagon of the last couple months and challenge each other in a game of Zelda themed Wordle! We made a few tweaks to make the game a little more accessible for listeners and out our spin on the popular word guessing game. Andy and Al face off in a game of wits to see who can guess the correct word! Come play along with us! PLUS don’t forget to check out Andy’s new project, https://www.omegametroid.com ! ...
Mar 07, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 252
And now, time for something a little different! We’re transforming the show into the Pokémon Cast this week, as we give our thoughts and in depth review of the new open world, Breath-of-the-Wild-esque Pokémon adventure Pokémon Legends Arceus! We go over how the new open world format feels, the new mechanics used to catch Pokémon, and how the game is the perfect blend of classic games, Pokémon Go, and Breath of the Wild! We also discuss the games music, weight in on the graphics debate, offer som...
Feb 28, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 251
We finally made it to a whopping 200 episodes! There are so many people to thank, so many friends we’ve made along the way, but all that is for another day! Today is about competition, and we’ve got both of Andy’s podcasts facing off against each other in a trivia contest! 20 Zelda and 20 Metroid questions await the combatants, each of varying difficulty, so if you think you know the answers, come play along with us! We can’t thank everyone enough for all the support over the last four years. We...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 250
We finally got a Nintendo Direct, and while it was mostly awesome, the absence of Breath of the Wild 2 loomed large over the proceedings. We break down what exactly we think is going on with that game and when we think it will be fully revealed, and then spend some time breaking down the rest of the games shown off. Splatoon 3, Triangle Strategy, Advance Wars all look awesome, and the new titles revealed like Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Fire Emblem Warriors 2, and Nintendo Switch Sports also look re...
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 249
February is here, and you know what the means: it's the month of loooove, and we are getting a bit salacious this week as we take a look back over the years and rank all of the various love interests that Link has had over the years. Are we #TeamZelda or #TeamMipha? What was the first true romance for Link? Does Link show any romantic affection for Tetra or Midna, or are they just business partners? What moment in the most heartbreaking, and why can't destiny let our boy have nice things? What c...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 248
