University Games’ Legend of Zelda Hanayama Puzzles       

University Games Pairs The Legend of Zelda With Hanayama for Ultimate Puzzle Products

AN FRANCISCO, CA – (December 12, 2023) – Legend has it that University Games would be the company to challenge one of the most devout legions of fans with a new and different brain teaser. The company today announced the nationwide availability of a set of uniquely designed cast metal Hanayama The Legend of Zelda puzzles.

Craig Hendrickson, SVP Product Development at University Games, said, “The Legend of Zelda is one of the most successful franchises to ever emerge from the video game world. University Game is proud to partner with Hanayama for a trio of new Zelda challenges.”

The initial set of high-end The Legend of Zelda Hanayama puzzles are three familiar items and emblems from the storyline: The Master Sword, The Triforce, and The Hyrule Crest ($26.99 each for ages 12+).

The Legend of Zelda Master Sword Hanayama brain teaser ($26.99 for ages 12+) is a 4.5” cast metal magic sword. The item is known to repel evil, alter time, and serve as a weapon against the enemies of Hyrule. Patience and determination are needed in this trial-and-error challenge to decipher the intricate twisting mechanism binding the Master Sword to its stone pedestal. Only the hero who has gone through great trials that test his courage, wisdom, and power will be worthy of wielding it. Solving the puzzle involves pulling the sword out by rotating the cylindrical piece. Once the sword is freed, the challenge is to put it back. The Legend of Zelda Master Sword is a Mensa-rated level 6 puzzle.

The Legend of Zelda Triforce Hanayama brain teaser ($26.99 for ages 12+) is a 4.5” cast metal puzzle crafted in the shape of The Legend of Zelda’s ultimate source of power. The challenge is to unlock its golden power by carefully sliding it’s four interlocked pieces apart. When done, the Triforce of Power, the Triforce of Courage, and the Triforce of Wisdom will come apart smoothly. However, once it’s apart, can it be put back together to unite the powers. The Legend of Zelda Triforce is a Mensa-rated level 5 puzzle.

The Legend of Zelda Hyrule Crest Hanayama brain teaser ($26.99 for ages 12+) is a 4.5” crafted cast metal puzzle in the shape of the Royal Family Crest of Hyrule and is the mark of the Goddess Hylia. This challenge is to untangle the intricate chain by deciphering the paths and knots that guard the puzzle’s secrets. Once it’s apart, the challenge is to put it back together. The Legend of Zelda Hyrule Crest is a Mensa-rated level 4 puzzle.

“University Games’ The Legend of Zelda Hanayama puzzles demonstrate an appropriate, and what should be a very popular pairing for the property and sophisticated product category,” Hendrickson explained.

Crafted by Hanayama of Japan, the maker of the world’s finest cast puzzles. Hanayama are known for their extreme attention to detail, high finish quality, and creative, clever, and innovative styles in six degrees of difficulty from easy to expert. While, The Legend of Zelda, which was first introduced by Nintendo in 1986 as an action-adventure game, has become a gaming giant, renowned for its captivating adventures. The franchise’s consistent popularity has sparked an array of games and merchandise.

The Legend of Zelda Hanayama puzzles are initially available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and AreYouGame.

About University Games: University Games is a leading game and puzzle publisher founded in 1985 by Bob Moog and Cris Lehman. The company also markets under the Briarpatch, Forbidden Games, Front Porch Classics, Great Explorations and Bepuzzled brands in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and throughout the world. For more information, visit www.universitygames.com and interact with us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.

 

litladventures Toy Fair 2023: Funko

litladventures Toy Fair 2023: Funko

Toy Fair 2023: Funko

Check out all of our Toy Fair 2023 coverage here!

Funko is a juggernaut, and their presence at Toy Fair never fails to impress.  They bring such an expansive amount of product covering so many different fandoms, and really, there is something that Funko offers for literally actually everyone.  Love music? Iron Maiden Funko, love Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Disney Movies, Simpsons, NFL, MLB, wrestling, a show, any show, almost any show?  Funko has you covered.  The expansions to the line this year do not disappoint, tons of new NFL players, can’t wait for the Dan Marino!  New Iron Maiden Album Covers, we saw the Trooper (which is technically a single), but we were told to expect a Stranger in a Strange Land, and a Senjutsu album cover too!  Pops for Aquaman, Pops for the Marvels.  Loungefly has some absolutely stunning bags for you.  All this with a refreshed commitment to the evergreen items that made Funko great, to putting more of those classic Pops back on the shelves so that new collectors and those that have missed out can go and grab some of those grails that are long gone.  Funko is bringing the FUN to 2024!!  Bitty Pops!  Don’t forget Bitty Pops!  These are perfectly tiny re-creations of full sized Pops!  Super collectible, easily displayed, won’t take over your house…YET!  You are going to want them all!! Funko Games!  So many amazing Funko Games!

 

The toys featured in this post are for various ages This post / video are for entertainment purposes only

Magic Box The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Magic Box The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Magic Box The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Make sure you check out this, and all of the great stuff the litlgeeks have reviewed at http://www.amazon.com/shop/litlgeeks

May 12, 2023, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom arrived for Nintendo Switch.  We were among a very lucky and honored few, that Nintendo shared a special NYC preview event with, and you can have a look at that coverage here, should it suit you, but, not a lot of reason to.  The game is out.  It has been out now for 2 weeks, and 4 days.  Now,  my friends at Nintendo had offered to send me a copy of Zelda, in appreciation for attending and covering their many events, which is wholly unnecessary, because it is an honor to be included.  However, who am I to turn down a copy of …what I’m going to tell you, is the best game of all time!  Now, that copy didn’t come launch day.  In fact, I made it all the way to Sunday the 14th before breaking down and buying my own copy, given that we knew we’d need two because litlninja wanted to play along side me.  So, I got my copy 5/14, and I started plugging away.  Now, I’m very deep into this game.  I’m not done, I’m not even close to done, in fact, I think the late starting litlninja is actually a little ahead of me as main story goes.  But the experience that I have had to this point, is like no other that I have ever had in gaming.  Not in 44 years of gaming, from the very first The Legend of Zelda game, even Breath of the Wild.  Tears of the Kingdom goes so far beyond what has already been.  It has taught players lessons, developers the lesson of exactly what it is possible for a video game to be.  This game is the new high water mark for this medium of interaction and story telling.  And well, let the litlgeeks tell you why, and then read on for a little more.

litlgeeks / MUReview may receive a small commission from purchases made through links on this page

Before you dive in…this is a lot.  So, I’ll say it here.  If you own a Nintendo Switch, this game is a must have.  If you do not own a Nintendo Switch, you should get one so you can play this game.  Everything else below is just details, and I appreciate your time and you coming here.  So if that’s all you needed to hear, you’ve heard it, go shopping and get playing!

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Tears of the Kingdom returns you to a very familiar Kingdom of Hyrule …to start, as you stroll the under ground catacombs of Hyrule Castle with Zelda, in search of wisdom.  You find… something that changes the future…and past… of Hyrule forever.  When the introduction of the game dust settles, you are deposited onto an island in the skies of Hyrule, a very changed Hyrule, and you are a very different Link than the one you were in Breath of the Wild.

Gameplay

  • The Tutorial in Tears of the Kingdom is a darn near full game on it’s own.  Not a long one, but you will encounter each of your core abilities, and learn to use them in fun and interesting ways
  • The Tutorial (Great Sky Island) also introduces you to some of the games core concepts, shrines, Zonaite (the new must have resource to power all of your inventions that you will get to create!), Zonaite inventions themselves, our old friends the Koroks and the concept of helping them, finding them, etc…
  • It’s a beautiful way to start the game, and there is a ton to go back to this island for, and fun things you can do once you’ve gotten yourself a few things from the mainland
  • Speaking of beautiful, on completion of your tutorial, you will make the leap from Great Sky Island into one of the many bodies of water in Hyrule to begin your true adventure with your feet planted firmly on the ground…and what a leap, and dive it is, giving you your first glimpse at the absolutely insane scope of what it is to explore both the world of Hyrule and the sky.
  • Now that you are in Hyrule, it’s time to explore, time to go make some friends, buy some things, make some things, play whack-a-mole with some Bokoblins!
  • The concept of the open world of Breath of the Wild, supplemented with the full sky to explore is initially somewhat intimidating.  But I have to tell you…and this game is out many weeks now, so I’m not playing Spoiler.  When you find out that there is a whole underworld, that is the actual full size of the Hyrule map, in addition to land and sky?  For me, the realization washed over me first with shock, then, with awe, then with wild eyed wonder that this was even possible.  Well, it is, and you’ve got places to go and people to see, and Poes to find!  Plus, as it seems, each Shrine on the main world level is mirrored in the Depths level to Lightroots, which you want to activate, similar to the towers on mainland to ‘light up’ the map.  These Lightroots will also heal hearts broken to the gloom.
  • What is Gloom?  Pink / Black ooze like substance covering much of the Depths, seeping into the main world, and if you step in it, it will take away one heart container for a time period / until you get to a Lightroot.  Hearts lost to gloom will not be restored by eating things…but there are resistant measures, gear, preventative foods, etc…
  • Combat feels natural, as it did in Breath of the Wild.  Your parry, your dodge, still there, you can still shield surf, glide once you get your glider
  • You will come across armor to help you on your quest, to help you sneak, survive the cold, survive the heat, swim, swim up waterfalls, glide, and more
  • Weapons in Tears of the Kingdom are initially found to be very brittle, to do with the gloom engulfing Hyrule, but through Amiibos and adventures, you can manage to find some weapons in good condition, you will even find yourself hunting, and finding, both the Hylian Shield and the Master Sword (which is how I spent my first many days of the game)
  • Weapons break.  But there is a new mechanic here to fuse items to your weapons, which will enhance the weapons and shields, and also – unfusing and refusing should reset the durability of the given weapon
  • Travelling the world is different this go round.  You’ve still got your feet, your glider, your horses.  But now, we’ve got Towers to find, these towers will light up your map, as with Breath of the Wild.  However, these towers will launch you into the sky for you to make your way up and around via the air…maybe a wing suit exists too, to help with all that!
  • Zonaite is the material driving much of the creation in the game.  It is required to obtain parts from vending machines, required to power your creations, and you are going to want / need a lot of it for so many reasons
  • Another brand new, absolutely amazing gameplay mechanic.  Breath of the Wild, you played alone, you ended up with some call to abilities thanks to quest lines and great beasts, but, they were never really along for the ride.  Here, complete a temple, get a buddy.  Temples pop up as part of the earliest Hyrule quest line, where you will go to some familiar locations, Rito, Zora, etc… and work with the peoples of the region to solve their dilemmas, earning their champion and ability to join your quest.  I’ve only completed one of four, but I’m experiencing the second companion on my way to completing my second (do them in any order), and it is a breath of bone crunching fresh air!
  • Shrines are a part of Tears of the Kingdom, complete these puzzle based magic rock buildings and earn one of four elements needed to enhance either your heart or stamina count.  If you want the Master Sword early, go full stamina till two wheels…trust me
  • The Internet is fully ablaze with different ways to play this game, different ways to do things, and there are a million more things that I could write about gameplay.  But it comes down to this, and this is what sets this game apart from any other I’ve ever played, one of the things anyway.  You can, and will, play Tears of the Kingdom, exactly how you want to play it.  Can you go on and look at a guide for “A” way to do something?  Sure.  But there are an infinite number of ways to do most of the things in this game, and it’s all in how you want to do it.  As an aside to this point.  How you do something doesn’t seem to impact any of the absolutely rich story you are in for (Google people messing with Koroks for all you need to know)

New Abilities

Below is a brief list and description of the new abilities at your disposal either at the start of, or very early on in game (based on the path you choose)

  • Ultrahand
    • This ability is mandatory to get off of the Great Sky Island
    • It allows you to lift things, drop them, rotate them, attach them to each other, it’s how you build your constructions with Zonaite.  The sky is the limit
  • Fuse
    • This applies to your weapons, your shield, your sword.  You can fuse almost anything from a Glider to a boulder to either sword or shield to enhance it’s damage output, effect, and durability.  Then, when the weapon becomes damaged, you can destroy the fused item and fuse something else to renew durability
  • Ascend
    • Ascend is what it says it is.  You go up.  If a ceiling is in range, you can target it and go through it to top side that ceiling.  You have a moment to look around and decide if you want to commit to going up, or you can go back down.  This can be used for getting from inside to the roof of a house.  Getting from the Depths back to the Overworld (in some cases).  You can even ascend through an enemy and hit a giant rock on it’s shoulder to kill it!
  • Recall
    • This ability applies a rewind time effect on an item or environmental element.  This effect is directly used in many of the games puzzles (Temples, Shrines), but the use cases are bewilderingly unending.  You can use it to move something you are standing on to where you need to go, kick off a battle combo, throw a rock back at it’s thrower.  It’s pretty unbelievable
  • Autobuild
    • Autobuild goes hand in hand with…well, Ultrahand.  You build things with Ultrahand.  You are going to build many things with Ultrahand, and sometimes you need to get back to one of those builds quickly.  You’ll have to complete the Camera line of quests to get  Autobuild, but it’s an amazing time saver!  If you have the parts it grabs them and builds what you want from your history very quickly.  Or if the parts are on the ground, hover over them with your Autobuild and it will put them together.  This ability is artwork incarnate
  • The Purah Pad
    • Not necessarily an ability, but the Purah Pad replaces the Slate you had in Breath of the Wild as your go to for inventory management, map viewing, quest review, bestiary, photos, the whole shebang

Graphics

  • The visuals in this game push what the Nintendo Switch is capable of, well beyond what it should be capable of.  That’s not really a me statement, that’s a development world statement.  People are in awe of not only what this game looks like, but how it runs.  It’s smooth, flowing, beautiful, you can see and go for miles in all directions.
  • Graphically, this game is a masterpiece, the best that a Zelda game has ever looked, and the art style is only more complimentary to it

Availability

litldecision

There are games that we play, and we have a great time, and they are fun, and we remember them.  We talk about them.  But…this isn’t a game one plays.  Tears of the Kingdom is a game that is going to be, at the very least for me, and litlninja, a part of us, pretty much forever.  I haven’t played this game.  I’ve gone on adventures, gone exploring, made incredible and fun discoveries.  Built amazing things, used them to destroy other things.  I’ve spent hours between YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok just watching the crazy things other people are creating, and the completely different ways they are doing things vs how I’ve decided to do them.  The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom has once again skyrocketed Link and the crew into full blown cultural phenomena.  It’s the greatest game I’ve ever played, experienced, period.  If you own a Switch, this should be in that Switch right now.  If you don’t own a Switch, this is the best reason I’ve ever seen to own any gaming console ever, and it’s really not even close.

I was much younger in the game, and creativity than I am today, when I attempted to tackle the Tabantha Shrine.  I’ll leave you to Google it, but you have to leave the Shrine location, where the Shrine is not yet present, to obtain a crystal from a Construct and return it to the Shrine location.  I managed to get the crystal easily, but returning it with the limited inventory I had at that point, I was relying on the platform and rockets that were given in the area.  I was at it for a solid 45 minutes, when I finally got the right combination and direction.  And I panicked.  My platform was going too fast over the return to island…so instead of using Ultrahand to pull the crystal from the platform and drop it, I hit the Right button and threw my sword, which was amazing, off into the sky.  Then, I hit the correct button to engage Ultrahand, picked up the crystal, freed it, and dropped it into the sky.  It was one of the most absurd moments I’ve ever had in gaming…and I still laugh about it today.

MUReview and litlgeeks received this game for the Nintendo Switch for free for review. This game is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. This post / video is for entertainment purposes only.  Load times in video were shortened / edited.  Video was captured using an iPhone 14 Pro Max pointed at a 65″ LG OLED 8 Series TV, no direct video feed was captured

litladventures: Dad’s Night In With Nintendo!

litladventures: Dad’s Night In With Nintendo!

Nintendo is an absolute favorite in our house.  No matter what game they have, we are game to play it, from Kirby, to Mario, to Pikman, to Oh My Gosh I can’t wait for The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, we are Nintendo fans through and through.  We have owned every console since the NES, we have 2.5 Switches (one for each litlgeek, and I get the very original version that has …seen some things).  So when Nintendo reached out to have me attend their special Dad’s Night In event, where I could sit on my couch, play some Splatoon 3, and watch some amazing new previews with Nintendo online?  Yes, absolutely, count me in 1000 out of 1000 times.

Nintendo sent us a fun care package in advance of the event, featuring a sweet Splatoon Nintendo Trucker hat, a pdp gaming headset, and a copy of Splatoon 3.  We are Splatoon fans for sure, and are so excited to get a crack at painting the town splat with Splatoon 3!  In advance of the event, we’d brushed up our Splatoon skills, got our level up, bought some fun new blasters, and now we are ready to go!

The Night

Our night started with our friends at Nintendo hosting an outstanding walk through of some of the hottest titles out now and coming soon!  With a key focus on…listen, Nintendo games are fun for the whole family.  But sometimes, Dads need to put their feet up, and dive in to a fun game on their own, whether it’s an enriching single player with the most open ended puzzle solving in the history of gaming, or flinging a turtle shell at high speed at an opposing racer.  Nintendo has you covered!  Let’s have a look at some of the games we got to check out!

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

One of our most anticipated games of 2023!  The puzzle solving above, I was talking about this, and you can check out our full preview here.  This game is set to redefine the way we play games, the way games are made forever after, and it’s going to be a heck of an adventure!  Tears of the Kingdom releases on May 12, 2023 for $69.99

Metroid Prime Remastered

Metroid Prime Remastered is a beautiful remaster of one of the best Metroid games to ever hit a console.  This entry in the series took the game from side scrolling into first person, and changed the way we thought of Metroid.  The graphics are beautiful on the Switch, and the gameplay is that same, revolutionary, genre defining perfection we remember!  Metroid Prime Remastered is available now for $39.98 here.

Minecraft Legends

Minecraft Legends finds players constructing defenses to protect your village!  A totally different take on the Minecraft formula, turning it from a build / battle first person creation game to a real time strategy platform!  Fans of the game, and folks who love defending….which is definitely a key dad thing, should have a blast with MInecraft Legends, available now for $47.99 here!

Mageseeker

MageSeeker is a story based extension of the world built in one of the hottest competitive E-Sports games in the history of E-Sports, League of Legends!  MageSeeker takes you into a single player action RPG to explore the rich world and stories within.  Battle as Sylus a mage, now free from captivity and have a blast!  Available now for $29.99

Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 8.  What can we say about Mario Kart 8 that hasn’t been said? If this isn’t one of your all time favorite games by now, you are missing out.  This game is perfection in the racing genre, and Nintendo keeps on enhancing with more courses, classic courses, customizations, characters and more!  It feels weird to tell someone they need this game, because I feel like everyone should already have it!  But if you still need it, it’s available now for $44.90!

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

Now, before we get into our last game of the night, and our awesome play session, we’d be remiss if we didn’t tell you about the fantastic addition to Nintendo’s online service, Nintendo Online.  It adds an awesome Expansion Pack feature to your membership, aptly named “Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack”.  It comes in two flavors, Individual for $49.99 per year (1 account), and Family for $79.99 per year (8 accounts).

Expansion Pack includes all of the great features of Nintendo Online, plus N64 and Game Boy Advance Nintendo Switch Online, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, Animal Crossing New Horizons Happy Home Paradise, Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion, Sega Genesis Nintendo Online.  Of course, you would need to own the original games to access any expansion content through this service, but Nintendo is here to help with that too, thanks to the Nintendo Switch Online member exclusive Game Vouchers!  For $99.98, you get two games!  You can buy the voucher now and use it before 12 months.  Given that many switch games are 59.99, and the new Zelda will be 69.99, this is a steal!

Splatoon 3

The belle of the ball if you will, why myself and many other dads came out to join Nintendo for this night of game previews, recaps, education, and fun, we came to play Splatoon 3!  Splatoon 3 is out now for $48.88 on Amazon.  It features fast, paint splattering fun for all ages.  It’s easy to hop into matches and start splatting, tons of great modes, awesome paint blasting weapons, clever levels and more.  The game is played online / local multiplayer, only one player on your Switch screen, it’s third person, and it is fuel for my OCD soul.  The main focus of all modes is cover the level in more of your paint than of your opponents paint.

Now, the fun final focus of the night was being able to play some Splatoon 3 with other dads and Nintendo in some breakout / private rooms.  We’d been practicing for about a week and a half, and training up to level 9.  That practice paid off in our play session because we made sure to be on the winning side all but once during the night, and two of the matches were us on a 2v3 short side.  So to win one of those was great!  Of course, not a competition, all in fun, but man it’s fun to win once in a while!  Fun to hear the cries when we broke out our spider mech.  It was a Splatoony great time!

We want to thank Nintendo so much for having us out for a night that in many cases was a literal actual blast!  We had a great time checking out some very soon coming games, some very recently released games, and a great time mopping up in Splatoon! As a dad, it’s great to know that Nintendo has a ton to offer for a quiet…or very loud night at home with your Nintendo Switch!  Dads out there, we can’t recommend Nintendo Switch enough, and the stack of games we had a look at are sure to be a great time for all!

The Stuff

Splatoon 3 – Available now for Nintendo Switch for $59.99 (now for $48.40 on Amazon!)

Nintendo Splatoon 2 Lime Trucker Baseball hat – Available now for $19.99!

PDP Gaming LVL40 Stereo Headset with Mic for Nintendo Switch – Available now for $12.41

Don’t forget to check out these other fine Nintendo Switch Games!

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

Yoshi’s Crafted World

Luigi’s Mansion 3

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

 

 

litladventures Preview: Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

litladventures Preview: Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Preview: Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

True Story.  I love the Zelda franchise.  I’ve played, I can’t tell you all, but most Zelda games, and I’ve played the ones that I have from start to finish, quite frequently, in OCD fashion, pressing all the buttons, turning all the switches, collecting all the things, revealing all the secrets.  I sport a Tri-Force tattoo on my outer right calf.  I love Zelda.  And man…oh man, did I invest a wild amount of real life hours into Zelda Breath of the Wild.  It was a title that truly re-invigorated my love of video games.  Not that the love was ever lost, but you grow up, you get a little older, you have kids, responsibilities, and it gets hard to find your way back to the console.  Always make time for Zelda.  The above said, and I’ll probably say most of it again in the full review, when my email notification dinged, and it was a note from Nintendo asking if I wanted to come out to NYC, to a fancy high-rise with floor to ceiling glass windows, to come demo Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, my answer was a wildly rapid “Oh Heck YES!”.  I’m very excited to share with you, a recounting of that adventure below, now a week removed, with time allowed for that joy to sink in, and official images and game clips to share!

litlgeeks / MUReview may receive a small commission from links used to make purchase from this article

The Location A beautiful high rise in the Chelsea area of Manhattan, floor to ceiling glass windows, delicious coffee and snacks served! (THANK YOU!!).  It should bare mentioning, there were restrooms in a series and one had the most beautiful view of the NY City skyline, and I didn’t ever think that was something I’d see when I had to tinkle.  It was pretty neat!

On Display The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, was front and center, and being demoed on multiple TVs around an open floorspace.  In one corner a full, life sized Link diorama (pictured in the gallery), that was beautiful, and so cool to take a picture with!  We got a close up look of the special Tears of the Kingdom Edition OLED Nintendo Switch (available April 28 for $359.99, preorder on Amazon here).  I don’t need to buy another Switch, I don’t need to buy another Switch, I don’t NEED to buy ANOTHER Switch!!!

The Game Preview

  • The very small crew of media members, myself included gathered around a large screen TV, and a Nintendo representative walked us through some of the new gameplay mechanics show us how beautiful some of the areas are, and step us ably and delicately back into the world of Hyrule.
  • What’s new?
    • Puzzles and challenges are going to have a massive amount of ways to solve each, your imagination is the only limit
    • New gameplay mechanics
      • Ultrahand – An ability that you can use to pick up, move, merge, build objects with, this tool will be instrumental in gameplay and puzzle solving
        • Practical use – You’ve got a set of tracks over here, and a minecart over there.  You are going to use the Ultrahand to put the cart on the tracks…but then it needs power, so you are going to then want to procure one of the magical devices from a vending machine or strewn about the land, like maybe a fan, that you activate with a sword hit.  You’ll put the fan on the cart, get in the cart, whack the fan and off you go!
      • Fuse – Fuse in game objects to your weapons or shields to make them stronger and more durable.  Fusing a new object to a damaged weapon will reset it’s durability!
        • Practical use – The use is in the description here, but to restate Fuse will enhance the damage, defense, and or durability of your weapon or shield.  Use the loophole above to reset durability to 100%!
      • Ascend – Aptly named.  You can ascend up through things above you.  You click it, you look up, and if it’s in range you will fly up through that ceiling and you are given a peek around before you can commit to going all the way up and remaining there.  Enemies won’t react to you until you are fully up
        • Practical use – You are in a house, but if you were on the house, you could look around at your surroundings for puzzles, traps, and enemies.  Ascend through the roof, now, with your birds eye view, you can see all around you!
      • Recall – You are going to move things in the world, and at some point you are going to need them to come back to you, or maybe you need to take another action while an object you move is in a different state than it was when you started your shenanigans in an area.  Recall does what it says, it essentially rewinds time for the object you select, for example, you can ride a minecart across a rail, highlight it with recall, and send it back to where it came without you in it
        • Practical use – You can ride a minecart across a rail, highlight it with recall, and send it back to where it came without you in it, maybe you have a friend to pickup on the other side?  Just one example obviously
      • There is also another feature in the game that streamlines the building process with Ultrahand
        • Practical use – I dunno yet…
      • There are new devices in the game, some you have to merge components you find to create, some you’ll find around the land, but these devices, like rockets, fans, flame boxes, and more, will add a new level of interaction, and a new way to ‘power’ or move some of the things you may build with Ultrahand
        • Practical use – These new devices are mentioned above with Ultrahand, they, at least as far as I saw will be used to power, or move the things you put together with Ultrahand, Fan on a minecart example above
    • All of these new gameplay mechanics, together with new enemies, and a massive new world to explore in the skies of Hyrule…but how do you get there?
      • Rest assured, there are some cool new ways to get to those places way way up!

Gameplay and More

  • Addressing some of the online fears of Zelda fans.  Tears of the Kingdom is no mere expanded DLC or expansion to Breath of the Wild.  The scope of this game is darn near overwhelming.  You will certainly see familiar locations in Hyrule, though being honest, I didn’t see much that was familiar besides enemies in my demo session.  However, the fact that the sky is now the limit as a phrase, carries so much more weight in this instance.  This is a brand new, full fledged, hundreds of hours demanding, Legend of Zelda title in waiting!
  • As with Breath of the Wild, controlling Link is comfortingly intuitive.  All the buttons are where they make sense (We played with the Nintendo Pro Controller), navigating the menus was slick, and the longer I played, the more adept I got at switching between abilities, menus, weapons, the map, etc..
  • As there are some new abilities and mechanics, players of Breath of the Wild should be able to adapt quickly, but will notice the differences and it may take some game time to get used to
  • Graphics are once again, absolutely stunning, the world of Hyrule is museum quality art in motion
  • Enemies range from teeny tiny to absolutely massive, and we got the full gamut in size within the hour and a half or so of hands on time we had

If you are new to the Legend of Zelda, Nintendo has put together a beautiful, educational web experience to bring you up to speed.  Head over to www.zelda.com to check that out!

There is also an incredible wealth of Zelda specific Amiibos to collect!  I don’t know yet what they will do in Tears of the Kingdom, but you can pre-order a brand new Link Amiibo (here currently unavailable), so I expect that all things Amiibo will give you some fun in game goodies, some more fun than others!

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch releases May 12, 2023 and is currently rated E10 by the ESRB

litladventures: Moose Toys 2023 Preview

litladventures: Moose Toys 2023 Preview

Moose has invited us to their 2023 Virtual Toy Preview, and we are so excited to share all of the fun things we saw with you!  Thank you Moose for having us along. Claudia is taking us through the full boys range.  Let’s have a look.

Akedo

  • Time to unleash the Serpent Beast with the Akedo
  • Four new Giants to collect, including Titan Fly Swat!
  • Third refreshed item is a new starter pack
  • All new Serpent Strike Arena, the beast serpents will split apart
  • TMNT AKEDO!  
    • The first licensed Akedo, with TMNT
    • Vs packs 2 warriors, 2 controllers, 4 to collect, 1 turtle 1 villain in each
    • Awesome background scene

Heroes of Goo Jit Zu

  • Deep Goo Sea!
  • The most powerful heroes, mega sized, with triple goo attack!
  • Missle Attacks
  • 38 sound and light effects
  • $39.99 launching in July!

Treasure X

  • Tons of new unboxing experiences!
  • Micro Figures meets mega adventures with Treasure X Lost Lands
  • Treasure Hunt
  • Treasure Tower
  • New This Fall

Games

  • Check out Doo Doo Kangaroo, feed him Strawberry Frosted Donuts (litlzombies favorite!) and make him go doo doo!
  • Bluey’s Keepy Uppy Game looks like a ton of fun, keep the balloon in the air to win!

Bluey

  • Bluey’s Hammerbarn Playset looks so fun!
    • Multiple floors of play
    • Elevator and spinning cart lift
    • Includes Bluey characters in their Hammerbarn episode gear!

Octonauts

  • Tons of Octonauts, from racers to very slick new vehicles
  • You get an amphibious vehicle, comes with multiple skiffs you can separate from the main vehicle to go on sub-missions!
  • Plus an animal rescue crane!

Little Live Pets

  • This adorable dog house comes flat packed.  Then you build it with a plastic hammer and nails
  • Once it’s built, put the door mat with water bowl out front.  Fill the bowl, see little paw prints appear on the mat!
  • Give your pup a name on the name tag, hang the name tag, open the door for a pupperific surprise!
  • Your new pup! It will make noises, and play tug of war!
  • It’s adorable!

SHHHH It’s Brand new!

  • These adorable creatures take Heroes of Goo Jit Zu technology, to a whole new, adorable, lovable, stretchable level!