Dark Horse; $39.99
So far, 2017 has been a really good year for Legend of Zelda fans, with the latest game, Breath of the Wild, being hailed as one of the greatest games of all time. To complement that release, Dark Horse and Nintendo have debuted The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts, a gorgeous hardcover artbook that collects every piece of key artwork from the series’ three-decade history.
As a lifelong fan of The Legend of Zelda, I’m so pleased with this book. It’s so interesting to see how the art styles of the franchise have changed and evolved over time. While each game clearly has its own distinct look these days – Breath of the Wild looks nothing like Wind Waker, for instance – they all are clearly part of the same series. I also enjoyed the side-by-side comparison that the book provided into games that have been remade: Link to the Past had all of its art redone in a slightly updated style for its rerelease on the Game Boy Advance, and it was really cool to see the exact same art done in two different styles. It’s also really nice to just have all of the bigger art pieces that were done for each of these games all in one place.
Art & Artifacts is a must-have for any Zelda fan, and it’s simply a great visual history of the franchise. The fact that it also contains a number of interviews with Zelda artists also helps to provide context with how this series has changed over time. Anyone with even a passing interest in Zelda will want to pick this one up.
-Carrie Wood