Game Theory: Which Link Rules them All? (Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors)

*silent movie music* Today we're discovering how hackers can get into not only our phones, but also national security systems. Please listen to me, they are trying to silence us, but we will not stay silent, we cannot let the hackers win share this mess- *Audio Cuts* our destiny *Audio Cuts* -it depends on it *audio cuts* *silent movie music* ooh, Hyrule Warriors is coming out let's make a Zelda video *intro

them

e song* Hello Internet, welcome to Game Theory, the show that honestly took a poll on Twitter about what the next episode should be, saw Zelda win in a landslide, knew a new

game

was coming out, and decided that stopping our hacker lords could wait another week.

Seriously, look at the results of this Twitter poll. Only you are to blame. So, I'm excited about Hyrule Warriors as it's probably the biggest thing to happen in the Zelda franchise since the

game

became a ship sim with Wind Waker. It's a complete change of form for the series, focusing on beat 'em up-style action instead of adventure-style quests and dungeon crawling. It's a cool twist, breathing new life into one of gaming's oldest and most beloved characters and apparently not only breathing new life into it, but injecting it with steroids because from what I've seen in the game so far, this new version of Link It looks like God of War going through waves of enemies like buttah. check it out!

Look at that, it's like Chuck Norris and a tornado had a baby elf dressed in green. (laughs) What the hell, that's the fire rod?! This thing?! Man, I guess 16-bit graphics just don't do that element justice. Needless to say, this Link is a beast and, although it has been said that the game falls outside the timelines that Nintendo has established around the series, it clearly made me think that not all chosen heroes are the same, for what in a real battle. Which incarnation of Link would prove to be the deadliest warrior? Today's episode plans to put

them

to the test.

In all, there have been a ton of tie-ins in this franchise, eleven"-ish" so far and each with a clever little title: there's the Chosen Hero, from Skyward Sword, Minish's Hero, from Minish Cap (really creative title, guys ). ) the Link from Four Swords whose name doesn't exist that I could find the Adult Hero of Time, in Ocarina the Child Hero of Time, from the timeline of Ocarina and Majora's Mask (and that's why I said eleven"-ish", because it's the same type, but split into two timelines) then, there's the Hero of Legend spanning Link to the Past, the Oracle games, and Link's Awakening the New Hero of Hyrule, from A Link Between Worlds the Hero of Hyrule, no "new" in the title, from the original LoZ and LoZ 2 "the Linkening" and don't get me started on how the one that comes before him is titled the New Hero of Hyrule when this Hero of Hyrule is behind him, technically newer in a timeline sense, despite being from a previous game.

Ugh, it's like they made up this timeline story to tie together a bunch of games that should never have had a timeline. *crickets* yes. the Hero of Twilight, from: use your best estimate the Hero of Light, from Four Swords Adventures and, in the last branch, with the Hero of the Wind, from Wind Waker and Phantom Houglass and the Hero of... trains, from Spirit Tracks is a very specific category to be a plane and car hero? Sorry, you're out of luck until The Legend of Zelda: Enchanted Jetliner and that my friends is the full list now, let's start comparing from the beginning, let's remove the Four Swords

link

s because they are true.

The power comes from being able to split into four separate

link

s and while that's all well and good for them, we want to measure who is, empirically, the "strongest link" and the way we do that is through some categories :D of course , there are some obvious reasons. some like: the strongest, the smartest, the most agile, but we must take into account each hero's mounts, their arsenal, magical abilities, sword skills, aim, underwater maneuverability (because we all know how difficult that can be for him sometimes) *drop sound* *thud* and overall quest experience level. When it comes to pure natural strength, the Twilight Hero is definitely your man.

Able to fight Gorons and carry huge balls of steel without any strength-enhancing items, but then again, this is the Legend of Zelda series, where you're only as good as the strength of your gauntlets, your power bracelet, or your handy glove. And while TP's hero had crazy weapons, he also didn't have the crazy accessories to lift his beefy biceps. And while the Hero of Hyrule could push rocks his own size, and the Hero of Legend could lift rocks *four times* his size, it was the Hero of Time who could hurl pillars 64 times his size halfway across the room. wearing his Golden Gauntlets.

And with an incredible technique to boot! Lift with your knees and not your back. Point for you, sir. As for

which

Green Team member is the smartest, there are a few factors at play. Skyward Sword's Link is the only one who has a formal education, while other Links simply focus on an individual trait or are taught from a tree. But a formal education can only help you so much when you're in a battle scenario. You can also judge Link's street smarts by the difficulty of the puzzles he has to overcome in the game. And a survey of online Zelda forums shows that most people agree that the Twilight Princess puzzles were the most difficult, citing both the ice block sliding challenge in Snowpeak Ruins and the Twilight Princess puzzle. statue before receiving the Master Sword as THE most infuriating one in the series.

But all the strength and intelligence in the world doesn't matter if you move like a brick. Sure, each Link has a Hylian shield to defend against incoming attacks, but it would be nice to know

which

members of Link's horde can run in circles around their opponent... or sprint, since most just jog around the map hitting a quiet walk to save the kingdom. By this criteria, Skyward Sword Link immediately comes to mind as the only iteration capable of running, spinning, and parkouring slightly, but he runs out of breath quite easily and is forced to drink wheatgrass to improve his stamina. he.

No, if there is something that defines an unstoppable runner in this series, it is the Pegasus boots, which narrows our pool of candidates. But of those candidates, the Hero of Legend jumps to the top because, well, he's the one who can really jump. Maybe not in his signature game, Link to the Past, but certainly with Roc's Feather in both Oracle games. Twilight Princess also scores pretty high in the agility category, because Link can turn into a wolf with really good jumping ability. Which is a nice segue into our next topic: animals. Let's talk about frames. Sure, there's the horse Epona, but not all Links have her.

And some have very different mounts, like the Loftwings, the King of Red Lions or a train. But while a ship has limited usefulness outside of water, and Hyrule very rarely floods, and a train is limited by its tracks and is, well, a little boring, Epona and Loftwings offer a pretty close match. But as illustrated in Skyward Sword, to operate the Loftwing effectively, you must hold on with both hands, while Epona has no such limitation. In fact, if the hero is reincarnated as a trained ranch hand, you can ride while shooting arrows and fighting with swords. As demonstrated by the expert mounted warrior, the Hero of the Twilight. and going one step further, he also happens to be the best marksman equipped with the Hyrule sniper scope, the Hawkeye goggles, and not only the traditional bow, but also a crossbow from his time spent in Link's crossbow training.

So far, TP has been pretty OP, but what can really make or break a

legend

ary hero is his item stash. (sarcastically) And as cool and "super useful" the Spinner is, Twilight Princess won't win any awards in this category. No, the award for the best arsenal goes to... The Legendary Hero The Legendary Hero A Link to the Past, The Legendary Hero A Link to the Past, Oracle of the Seasons The Legendary Hero A Link to the Past, Oracle of the seasons, oracle of the ages, a link to the past, oracle of the seasons, oracle of the ages, and Link's awakening.

Come down and accept your prize! With so many missions under his belt, this guy is Hyrule's resident hoarder The Fire Rod, Ice Rod, Rod of Seasons, The Fire Rod, Ice Rod, Rod of Seasons, Rod Roddy, he's got more rods than you can shake a stick at Deku Stick. in...except he doesn't have any of those. But what it DOES have is: THREE versions of the Hookshot (the Vanilla version, the Longshot edition and the Switch Hook), Pegasus boots, Roc's cape and magnetic gloves. Do you believe in the magic in Young Link's heart piece? He certainly does, as he possesses two magic staffs, three magic medallions, a magic cloak, a magic hammer, magic dust, and thirteen magic rings, of which he can wear five.

Even with all that magic, he's still not the strongest spellcaster, and the title goes to the Hero of Hyrule from LOZ 1 and 2 for his ability to heal, summon thunder, and turn into a ferry... n-no, like a Actually, like a healing fairy, no... I mean... It's like a fairy child. He's more of an elf, really? But when it comes to articles, no other Link comes close. In addition to the items, spanning four games also makes Link the most experienced adventurer in the group; In fact, this guy is such a pro that he performs entire missions in his sleep.

Like this video if you get that inside joke *whispering* It'll be our little secret. Seriously, 11 dungeons in Link to the Past, nine in Oracle of Ages, another nine in Seasons, another nine in Link's Awakening, and mini dungeons? He's explored more dungeons than a typical character in Diablo, which brings us to the last two categories: The underwater ability is going to *sarcastic laugh* No, definitely not the old Iron Boots there. It's a close call between our two favorites, the Hero of Legend and the Hero of Twilight. The former can swim very easily wearing the mermaid suit, and has his trusty seed launcher to use underwater, but he also has the amazing ability to use his sword, and not just use his sword, but use it quickly, literally hacking. through competition.

In contrast, Link from Twilight Princess has the Zora armor that allows him to swim and breathe underwater, and although he may not be able to use his sword, he has the added benefit of water bombs. However, the ability to use a sword underwater trumps those bombs, so he ultimately has a slight advantage for Hero of Legend, and perhaps most importantly, any battle between Links will likely come down to a sword fight. Just look at the matches against Dark Link! So as our final category, who is the best swordsmith? And while the Hero of Hyrule learned some up-and-down slashes, and Minish Cap Link does a full set of training with the Blade Brothers and Tiger Scrolls, it's Twilight Princess who once again takes the title training with the Hero's Shade.

Our elephant ranch hand learns techniques that no other Link has been exposed to: the Mortal Draw, the Helm Splitter, the Back Slice... these are just some of the highly advanced maneuvers that the Twilight Hero has at his disposal. he. And when your closest competition is "Horizontal Swipe" or "Awkward Wiimote Stab," you've basically tied your competition together. Having said all that, let's count the results. Can we play a drum roll please? ...not exactly what I expected, but hey, great. THE most powerful Link is... The Hero of Time, children's edition. That? I demand a recount! Where are the hanging chads?

Ok, outdated references to the 2000 election aside, the surprise winner of our little contest is the Young Hero of Time, and it's all thanks to one game: Majora's Mask. If I just left it to Ocarina of Time? Young Link is given a slingshot, a boomerang, some sticks and nuts to play with...laaame! And when you look at it closely, in Majora he only gets a hook, a couple of arrows, and a bunch of useless masks. But it's not about quantity, it's about quality, and Child Link gains these, giving him the strength, speed, and defense of a Goron; the agility and ability to fly of a Deku Scrub; and you can't become a better swimmer than Zora.

He may not be the best with Epona, but he certainly is good! With two games and time travel experience to boot, he may not have the entire 38 dungeons under his belt, but he does have years of experience. And if you're looking for great swordsmanship, who taught the Twilight Hero everything he knows? This guy. And who is that guy? This guy...eventually. And I'm sorry, TP, but as cool as that wolf form is, you're not the only one who has it. Oh! And if you still don't believe me, there is this: the latest Transformation Mask: the fierce Deity Mask, which will give youEquips him with a sword twice as powerful as the Master Sword and a permanent magical lightning bolt.

The youngest combatant in our little game also happens to be the most powerful. Go figure. There's also a high probability that he's dead, so I guess so. In the meantime, I know we've given the Hero of Trai-ha-hains... I can't even say it seriously... -The Hero of Trains- a difficult time today, but let's be real. Literally the weakest link. But anyway, that's... not the end, really, because I'd like to take this moment to answer one of the most frequently asked questions I get from you guys in my inbox, and that's... how I learned to edit when I started started working on game

theory

.

Because I'll be honest, I started with ZERO experience. Have you seen those first episodes? Oh! And seriously, some of the most basic and fundamental things were the hardest, because I didn't know... what I didn't know. Sequence settings, matching frame rates, essential keyboard shortcuts? Well, to answer your question, I was completely self-taught using online video courses. And while Youtube is okay here or there, many videos were either outdated or poorly explained. The site I actually found most helpful was lynda.com L-Y-N-D-A. I had tons of online courses to teach me everything from Photoshop basics to advanced side effects.

For me, Photoshop Essentials, Premiere Pro Essentials, and DSLR Videos were probably the three most important ones I saw while developing my skills. And Rider... Rider is editing today's video, by the way... you're in college and you're using the same website, right? Eh yes. Yes they are. In fact, I'm a big fan, I'm thinking about paying it forward and becoming a teacher on the site, doing an online video course dedicated to growing a Youtube channel. But that is a project for later. Anyway, since this is something I know many of you have been looking for, I reached out to the folks at the site to offer you a free trial.

So if you click the link in the description or type lynda.com/matpat lynda.com/matpat, you can get a seven-day free trial and watch to your heart's content! And for once, finally you international theorists, I made sure that it can work for you too, so it should be even better. So get on and go crazy. Watch as many videos as you can, because it's free and if you like it, great! You are following in my footsteps! I know I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for them. And with that, I think it's time to sign off, so without further ado...

But hey! That's just a

theory

... a game theory! Thanks for watching.