We asked YOU the listener for your fan questions last week, and you did not disappoint! We have a whole bevy of topics to cover, including: what hardware and software features do we want from the Switch 2? Who is the greatest Zelda NPC? Does it bother us that Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom seemingly don't care about the Zelda timeline? Speaking of, are we really going to get a ten-year Breath of the Wild 4K/HD port? Do we think there will be any 2D Zelda games coming soon? Is it pos...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 337
In case you were living under a rock this week, we had a Nintendo Direct a couple of days ago, and it was certainly... something. Nintendo delivered an understandably muted Direct this month, so we discuss and dissect everything shown and talk about what games, if any, we're looking forward to. More importantly, we use what we saw - or rather, didn't see! - to speculate on when we can expect an official Switch 2 reveal, complete with rough timelines including when we think the next 3D Zelda is c...
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 336
We're back this week examining the Zelda Dungeon Writing Team's Daily Debates, and we've got some good ones this week, chief among them: is Tears of the Kingdom actually not getting any DLC ? Why not? Should it have been announced already if so? We give our thoughts and theories, plus tackle other questions like: was Nintendo right to claim the dungeons in Tears were "traditional"? When do we think the next openworld Zelda game will be out (spoiler: Andy thinks it's closer than you think!)? What...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 335
Buckle in, because it's finally time! After months and months, we're finally giving our full, SPOILER FILLED, thoughts on the story of Tears of the Kingdom! Did we like the Zonai being gods? How could Ganondorf and Mineru have been handled better? Was "Fake Zelda" the biggest missed opportunity of the game? After an amazing final battle, did the ending feel too cheap? Would a Days of Future Past gimmick have worked well here? And does Nintendo's insistence of players being able to do anything, a...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 334
After a week off discussing The Wind Waker, the gang are back to continue their Tears of the Kingdom summer, and this time, they've brought backup! The gang are joined this week by Omega Metroid Podcast co-host and musical scientist Doominal Crossing to analyze the music of Tears of the Kingdom. We all list off a couple tracks that we really liked, discuss whether the "Main Theme" and "Ganondorf Battle Theme" are what we were looking for, reflect on this style of soundtrack and how it compared t...
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 333
We are kicking off The Wind Waker week at Zelda Dungeon with a personal, reflective look back at one of the most daring Zelda games of them all: the beautiful, cartoonish, ocean filled Wind Waker. The gang reflect back on their memories of the games announcement, the backlash against the cel-shaded graphics, the amazing pre-order bonus, how The Wind Waker created a separate visual style that's still going strong today, how the water always had so much promise and potential beyond the horizon, ou...
Aug 21, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 332
We're back again to talk sweet fits and great abilities! This week, we're breaking down every new outfit and armor set in Tears of the Kingdom, discussing such things like: the Froggy Suit and its false advertising of "slip prevention"; our ideas to make the Mystic Armor have an even better function; if the Dragon suits realize their full potential; why the Glider Armor is straight out of Batman and the Court of Owls; if bringing back the same outfits from Breath of the Wild was lazy and uninspi...
Aug 14, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 331
We're back into the full swing of things this week, and choosing violence in this episode as take Tears of the Kingdom to task for arguably one of its lazier decisions: bringing Korok Seeds back. We analyze why the decision was likely made, why it doesn't work a second time around, and if collectables with an asinine amount of things to collect are here to stay. We also take a look at some of the other collectables found in Hyrule, include Bubbel Gems, wells, Light Roots, Monster Medals, and mor...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 330
We are back and (mostly) alive after a record-shattering Zelda Dungeon Marathon , so this week, we have a different, more relaxed episode as we look back on some of our favorite moments from the event. Everything from Andy and Al playing Tears of the Kingdom together to them squaring off against one another in ZD Family Feud to our adventures making poutine together, we recap a wonderful week full of great friends and no sleep! PLUS, at the end of the episode, we'll have audio from an interview ...
Jul 31, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 329
The Zelda Dungeon Marathon has officially ended, but we have a treat for you! Just like like year, we were joined by Another Zelda Podcast to record live and in person to discuss Tears of the Kingdom! David and Kady sit down with us to look over some past articles our Zelda Dungeon writing crew wrote detailing what the were hoping to see in "Breath of the Wild 2"! We go over things like Ganondorf's voice acting, new enemies, if swimming was ever considered, weapon fusing and more! Make sure to c...
Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 328
Get ready for an episode unlike any other! We are LIVE and IN PERSON coming at you from the Zelda Dungeon Marathon , raising money for No Kids Hungry and answering YOUR Tears of the Kingdom questions, but with a twist! We've lifted the Hot Ones gimmick and are stuffing our faces with chicken wings and a dozen different hot sauces! As we die of the heat, we try to slip in some answers on subjects like where Tears of the Kingdom might rank in our current favorite Zelda games, predictions for the D...
Jul 17, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 327
Now that we're two months removed from the release of Tears of the Kingdom, our Zelda Dungeon writing team put together a great article asking a tough question - which is the better Zelda game: Tears of the Kingdom, or the game that came before and inspired it, Breath of the Wild? We go over some specific categories like which game had the better opening area, the better abilities/runes, the better Shrines, and more. Specifically, you'll want to hear our thoughts on the story presentation as Al ...
Jul 10, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 326
Get ready for an Adventure (not a quest!) as we go through every Side Adventure from Tears of the Kingdom! We talk about our favorite things to do in Hyrule, including the Mayoral Election of Hateno Village, getting to act as Mattison's older brother, the Yiga Clan and their awesome comeback, and more! Also on the table is Hestu and his villainous task for you, the difference between Side Adventure vs Quest, some quick thoughts on the Shrine Quests, and more! All this, PLUS - The Zelda Cast in o...
Jul 03, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 325
Hi friends. My name is Andy Spiteri and I’m the host of The Zelda Cast, the Omega Metroid Podcast, and Virtual Theater. As you can tell, I love podcasting! I had started a Patreon exclusively for Omega Metroid, but I eventually decided that I wanted to morph that into something that was a little more… me, for lack of a better phrase. So here we are – the SPNet Patreon! SPNet is a name I made up to describe my Network of podcasts – The Zelda Cast, Omega Metroid Podcast, and Virtual Theater – and ...
Jul 01, 2023•2 min•Ep. 324
Just like last week, let's start off with a big loud SPOILER WARNING for this weeks episode! As the name implies, we are going to be breaking down and analyzing every Dragon Tear cutscene in the game, so please exercise caution if you haven't completed the Geoglyph quest yet! With that out of the way, we are diving in depth to the Dragon Tears to discuss what we thought of the way the story was told, how Nintendo might better balance open world versus storytelling in the future, what our thought...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 323
Let's get this out of the way nice and early: This episode will have big time, end game spoilers! Listen at your own risk! With that out of the way, both Andy and Al finished Tears of the Kingdom and sat down to discuss at length all of the different boss fights in the game, with a special emphasis on the ending sequence! Come listen as we discuss the new overworld bosses like Gleeoks, Flux Contructs, and Frox's, some of the Regional Phenomena bosses, other surprise enemies, and of course, The D...
Jun 19, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 322
Now that we're a month out from the release of Tears of the Kingdom, the gang get together to break down one of the mostly hotly discussed and contested pieces of business heading into the sequel - the dungeons! We break down our thoughts on the structure of Tears of the Kingdom's dungeons and how they compare to traditional Zelda dungeons and Breath of the Wild's Divine Beasts, share our thoughts on returning to Hyrule Castle, and give grades to the new temples scattered across the land. This w...
Jun 12, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 321
It's week two of discussing Tears of the Kingdom's Regional Phenomena! We're discussing the sludge in Zora's Domain the the crazy sandstorms in the Gerudo Desert, so buckle up and get ready! We go over how incredible the Gibdo sequence in Gerudo Town is, our thoughts on Riju and her abilities, why the Zora portion fell a bit flat to us, the problem with Sidon and his abilities, what we think of Yona and her chemistry with the Zora Prince, why this game doesn't mention Breath of the Wild's Champi...
Jun 05, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 320
Another week down as we continue to make our way through the mammoth game that is Tears of the Kingdom! This week, we're exploring the Regional Phenomena main quest, with a focus on what's going on in Rito Village in Hebra and Goron City in Death Mountain! Come hear our thoughts how how we thought those quests progressed, what we thought of the dungeons (albeit, a brief synopsis), how Yunobo changed from Breath of the Wild and why we think Nintendo decided to move Teba to the side for Tulin, whe...
May 29, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 319
We're back with week two of our Tears of the Kingdom initial impressions! This time, we're talking about our thoughts on the Surface and how it differs from Breath of the Wild in places like Hateno and Lurelin, how Lookout Landing is a great introductory town, what some of our old favorite characters are up to, and the extensive cave systems hidden throughout Hyrule. We then shift over to talk about the Depths and how cool they are, some of the things we've found, and how crazy it was Nintendo d...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 318
Welcome to the Tears of the Kingdom era of the Zelda Cast! We spent all weekend pouring every ounce of our being into the game, but for today, we're going to talk about our initial impressions! We go over the opening prologue of the game, detailing our thoughts on the story so far, including the Zonai and the how the opening compares to the initial reveal trailer, what we think of the Great Sky Islands and how it serves as an opening tutorial area, and our thoughts on how all of the new abilitie...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 317
IT'S THE FINAL WEEK! This will be our final show before Tears of the Kingdom finally releases, and we're wrapping up our Shrine Quest Ranking from Breath of the Wild! Al returns to finish the last 20 or so Shrine Quests from the game, so strap in and come tell us if you agree or disagree with our final rankings, and if we ranked any of your favorites too low! PLUS, we take a look at the recent Zelda Dungeon feature detailing, one final time, what our staff are hoping for in Tears of the Kingdom ...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 316
We are now less than TWO WEEKS away from Tears of the Kingdom, and to get us in the mood, Andy is joined by Gooey Fame to answer YOUR Zelda questions! On the docket this episode: Do we think Tears of the Kingdom will be worth the $70 price tag? Was Nintendo right by not showing us anything for so long? What are our thoughts on Tulin? Do we think the original runes from Breath of the Wild are coming back? Is there a specific enemy we'd love to see come back that hasn't been shown already? What ar...
May 01, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 315
Alasyn is away for the next couple weeks, so for this episode, Andy orchestrated an Omega Metroid takeover! Omega Metroid Podcasts' Dakota Lasky and Community Manager Lillith join the show today to talk some Zelda in general and Tears of the Kingdom specifically. We discuss how the two of them became Zelda fans, which games are their favorites and why, which Zelda games they're not in love with, and then transition over to Tears of the Kingdom and ask if the latest trailer finally sold them, tho...
Apr 24, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 314
WOW! THAT'S what we've been waiting for! In case you've been living under a rock, Nintendo released the third and final trailer for Tears of the Kingdom and it was by far the most exciting trailer shown so far! This week, the gang break down the trailer frame by frame, discussing where (or when) Zelda could have gotten off to, who the mysterious woman with light in her hands could be, the re-imagining of Gleeok and other bosses, if the Zonai in the trailer is the same one from the mural, how sky...
Apr 15, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 313
With Tears of the Kingdom so close we can almost touch it, we thought it would be a great time to reflect back on Breath of the Wild and break down one of the most crucial elements of the game: Shrine Quests! We're ranking each and every single Shrine Quest, although there's no way we could have fit it all into one episode, so we're giving you PART ONE this week! We discuss what we like in our Shrine Quests, puzzles versus story and they play into each other, the fantastic Eventide Island get aw...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 312
We finally got a new look at some of the gameplay of Tears of the Kingdom this past week, and we have A LOT to say! Come hear our thoughts on Link's new abilities, what possibilities Fuse and Ultrahand present, our thoughts on the Zonai being more-or-less confirmed, what we noticed in terms of Easter eggs in the trailer, the Skyward Sword influences and new Construct enemies, how this game can make returning to the same world enticing again, and the million dollar question: was this enough to re...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 311
It's another slow week of Zelda news - which is crazy, considering Tears of the Kingdom is 6 weeks away - so to pass the time, we asked YOU for your Zelda-themed "Would You Rather" questions, and you guys delivered big time! On the docket: would we rather wait longer for a new 3D game or have more new 2D games? Would we rather have non-Zelda costumes in future games or no Zelda representation in Smash Bros.? Would we rather Zelda music on Youtube or Zelda ports on the Switch? Would we rather Mon...
Mar 27, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 310
After taking a break from the game last week, the Cast are back to finish off their discussion on The Minish Cap! This week, we dive into the numerous charming dungeons in the game, expand on our "less is more" mantra, talk about the bosses and items, and count just how many Darknuts you actually fight in Dark Hyrule Castle! We don't see the dungeons eye to eye, so some negotiating might be in order! All this, PLUS we're throwing some of the latest Zelda news at you, talking about Alasyn's Breat...
Mar 20, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 309
Get ready for the fifth annual Musical March Madness ! As we do every year, The Zelda Cast goes and picks our favorite songs of the tournament one by one until we arrive at a winner! Joined by our resident frenemy Corey Richmond , the crew takes some dark horses far, talks about what different pieces of music mean to them, and crown a new winner of the tournament! Make sure that you get in on the action and fill out a prediction of your own to win some prizes ! Remember - it's a popularity conte...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 308
