Summary
- Fans rejoice as LEGO unveils Legend of Zelda's great deku tree set, featuring both Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild versions.
- LEGO's history of expanding successful themes and partnerships with gaming giants hints at potential for a LEGO Legend of Zelda game. Additionally, the set featuring multiple versions of the great deku tree suggests that a Hyrule Warriors-like game could be the route to take.
- The game could let players choose between multiple versions of Link, Zelda, and so on.
Legend of Zelda fans were recently delighted by the reveal of a long rumored LEGO set depicting the great deku tree. While this is the only reveal so far, the set might be the perfect jumping-off point for a LEGO Legend of Zelda game.
Rumors became reality as LEGO revealed the long suspected great deku tree set that will be released in September. A fan favorite character/location, the great deku tree makes for a stunning display in its new brick format, allowing fans to choose one of two versions to build. Both the iconic Ocarina of Time version and the recent Breath of the Wild form of the tree are buildable in all their glory. The set will also come with four minifigures depicting young and adult Link from Ocarina of time, as well as Breath of the Wild’s depictions of Link and Zelda. With other inclusions, such as the master sword and sheikah slate, longtime fans are eagerly awaiting a chance to get their hands on the set. With LEGO’s history of expanding successful themes and its presence in the gaming community, this set might provide the basis for an all-new kind of LEGO game.
The Legend of Zelda Could Build a New Home Among LEGO Games
LEGO games are famous for allowing fans to play familiar stories in new ways, and few stories are as familiar to Nintendo fans as that of the timeline spanning battle for the triforce. Games such as the LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Marvel franchises allow players to pick from iconic characters and place them within any of the IP’s locations to battle, explore, and build, often leading to unlikely team-ups. If this sounds familiar to Zelda fans, it may be due to the series’ pair of Hyrule Warriors games, which allowed for many of these same mechanics, albeit with a vastly different playstyle.
While Hyrule Warriors is much more combat focused than most LEGO games, it could act as inspiration for a new breed of LEGO/Zelda mashup. LEGO games have long stuck to a set formula of retelling stories of famous IPs, but that has been changing in recent years. While the familiar style of TT's LEGO games isn’t going anywhere, the company has broken its exclusivity with TT, leading to new types of LEGO experience in the gaming world.
Games like LEGO 2k Drive and LEGO Bricktales have proven that the property can be used to build any kind of game. What’s more, partnerships with some of the biggest names in gaming, like LEGO Fortnite or the rumored LEGO Horizon Adventures project, show that LEGO is looking to partner with companies who have already succeeded in creating incredible games.
Translating Zelda to LEGO has Never Been Easier
Crossing over the Zelda series into the LEGO games world may sound strange, but the timing has never been better. The release of the great deku tree set and its minifigures shows fans how their heroes and world would look in a new form, and the results are better than many expected. With these minifigures looking as good as they do, there’s little stopping LEGO from designing more familiar Zelda faces, if only digitally. The series has no shortage of characters to choose from either, as evidenced by the large rosters of both Hyrule Warriors games. LEGO could even introduce original characters, like Linkle from Hyrule Warriors, to spice up the story. With LEGO continuing to adapt the Mario series into new sets, its partnership with Nintendo doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon, so time is no issue either.
The Zelda series has become all about exploring familiar themes and locations in new ways. With Tears of the Kingdom’s building mechanics, and LEGO’s world-famous building system, the game could offer players opportunities to express their creativity and explore their world in wholly new ways. The LEGO great deku tree will hopefully be the first of many Zelda collaborations, as the various Legend of Zelda timelines also offer a host of iconic locations that could be translated into physical LEGO sets if the game does well. A proper gaming partnership between these two giants has almost no limit to its possibilities, especially if it merges all the timelines and takes a Hyrule Warriors approach, so it shouldn't be a question of ‘if’ LEGO/Nintendo games will happen, but ‘when.’
Hyrule Warriors
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 76 /100 Critics Rec: 55%
- Released
- September 26, 2014
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Team Ninja, Omega Force
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo, Koei Tecmo
- Engine
- unity
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer, Local Co-Op
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
WHERE TO PLAY
Cut down enemy hordes as Legend of Zelda™ characters—in full 1080p TV mode—or in two-player on one system! Link and Zelda can battle in costumes from the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game, while Tetra and King Daphnes appear in scenes based on the Legend of Zelda™: The Wind Waker game. Find and care for fairies who will aid you in battle!
This time, you won’t face the dark sorceress, Cia, alone. Command legendary heroes and villains in battle to achieve objectives as you unleash special attacks. Advance the story to unlock characters, each with their own moves and weapon types. Collect rupees and other items to upgrade weapons and craft badges, which bolster your warriors’ abilities. The fate of Hyrule rests in your hands!
- Platform(s)
- Switch, Nintendo Wii U
- Genre(s)
- Action
