With the release of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl nearing in November of this year, as well as the 2022 release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, new (non-finalized) footage is now available in this Pokémon Presents announcement video! The Lab's verbally incoherent founder discusses some new updates pertaining to Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, along with an analysis of footage shown for Pokémon Legends: Arceus in a non-linear fashion. 

Timestamps:

01:19 - Updates and Thoughts on Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

> What's New and What's Different

10:28 - Analyzing Pokémon Legends: Arceus Footage + Discussion

> New Battle Formula

> Adventuring through an Ancient Region

> New Pokémon forms

> Thoughts on what this means for the franchise

1:11:23 - Analyzing Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Additional Thoughts)

Links/Resources:

- Pokédex 

- Pokémon Presents 8.18.21 (Starts at 5:53)

(Sorry if I sound muffled, for any background noises, and general lack of incoherence. In the description, I have listed some (not all) of the topics I cover in this episode for reference. Please note that any potential theories discussed in this episode are not finalized, and any ideas and thoughts I have are based on my opinion and viewpoint of the footage (making this quite biased towards the news, so it may not be balanced for some). Enjoy the episode!)

What does it mean when a game passively tells its story, and conversely, what does it mean when a game actively tells its story? How does this impact gameplay, and what are key differences between the two formats? How is world building affected in this process? Using The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as case studies, these questions can be answered! This third part focuses on summarizing Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity's story.

Timestamps:

00:06 - Introduction to Part 3

05:13 - Age of Calamity's Story

> 05:56 - Chapter 1

> 09:07 - Chapter 2

> 15:24 - Chapter 3

> 18:56 - Chapter 4

> 22:52 - Chapter 5

> 29:39 - Chapter 6

> 34:10 - Chapter 7

40:30 - Disclaimer for upcoming Part

Links/Resources:

- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (All Cutscenes)

- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Nintendo Official Website)

- Hyrule Interactive Map

- Tapestry 

Nintendo. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Omega Force. Nintendo Switch. 2020.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Complete Official Guide Expanded Edition, edited by Maura Sutton, et al. Piggyback Interactive Limited, 2017.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: Listen to the episodes in order for the sake of continuity, context, and general explanation. Sorry for any random background noises. I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from the content discussed in this episode; images have been taken from the cited guidebooks and video games, which are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

What does it mean when a game passively tells its story, and conversely, what does it mean when a game actively tells its story? How does this impact gameplay, and what are key differences between the two formats? How is world building affected in this process? Using The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as case studies, these questions can be answered! This continuation of the second part concludes with a discussion that describes how Breath of the Wild world builds.

Timestamps:

00:05 - Introduction to Part 2 (4)

03:03 - How Breath of the Wild World Builds: Discussion Topics

1:23:43 - How Breath of the Wild World Builds: Conclusion

Links/Resources:

- Captured Memories

- All Endings

- King Rhoam's Journal

- Breath of the Wild's Soundtrack

- Creating Breath of the Wild (From the Creators of the Game)

- Hyrule Interactive Map

- Tapestry 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Complete Official Guide Expanded Edition, edited by Maura Sutton, et al. Piggyback Interactive Limited, 2017.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: Listen to the episodes in order for the sake of continuity, context, and general explanation. Sorry for any random background noises and cuts. I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from the content discussed in this episode; images have been taken from the cited guidebooks and video games, which are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

What does it mean when a game passively tells its story, and conversely, what does it mean when a game actively tells its story? How does this impact gameplay, and what are key differences between the two formats? How is world building affected in this process? Using The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as case studies, these questions can be answered! This continuation of the second part focuses on other story details included in the main game of Breath of the Wild.

Timestamps:

00:07 - Introduction to Part 2 (3)

03:43 - Story Events (Continued)

> 05:07 - Mipha and Divine Beast Vah Ruta

> 11:25 - Daruk and Divine Beast Vah Rudania

> 15:16 - Revali and Divine Beast Vah Medoh

> 18:27 - Urbosa and Divine Beast Vah Naboris

> 26:30 - Reclaiming the Master Sword

27:57 - End of the Story

35:34 - True Ending

Links/Resources:

- Divine Beasts

- All Endings

- Hyrule Interactive Map

- Tapestry 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Complete Official Guide Expanded Edition, edited by Maura Sutton, et al. Piggyback Interactive Limited, 2017.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: Listen to the episodes in order for the sake of continuity, context, and general explanation. Sorry for any random background noises. I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from the content discussed in this episode; images have been taken from the cited guidebooks and video games, which are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

What does it mean when a game passively tells its story, and conversely, what does it mean when a game actively tells its story? How does this impact gameplay, and what are key differences between the two formats? How is world building affected in this process? Using The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as case studies, these questions can be answered! This continuation of the second part focuses on game events and story elements that occur once the main game begins in Breath of the Wild, including an in-depth analysis of an in-game quest that glimpses at the lives of the heroes before Hyrule was destroyed.

Timestamps:

00:06 - Introduction to Part 2 (2)

01:43 - Story Events (Beginnings)

12:37 - Captured Memories

> 15:01 - Memory #1

> 17:31 - Memory of Revali

> 19:22 - Memory #2

> 21:33 - Memory of Daruk

> 23:10 - Memory #3

> 27:03 - Memory of Urbosa

> 33:40 - Memory #4

> 35:14 - Memory #5

> 37:31 - Memory #6

> 42:13 - Memory of Mipha

> 47:21 - Memory #7

> 50:53 - Memory #8

> 59:21 - Memory #9

> 1:03:04 - Memory #10

> 1:08:21 - Memory #11

> 1:17:52 - Memory #12

> 1:21:29 - Memory #13

> 1:26:11 - Memory of Korok Forest

1:27:51 - Discussing the Captured Memories

Links/Resources:

- Captured Memories

- Hyrule Interactive Map

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Complete Official Guide Expanded Edition, edited by Maura Sutton, et al. Piggyback Interactive Limited, 2017.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: Listen to the episodes in order for the sake of continuity, context, and general explanation. Sorry for the the number of cuts I had and any random background noises, there were some technical issues. I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from the content discussed in this episode; images have been taken from the cited guidebooks and video games, which are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

What does it mean when a game passively tells its story, and conversely, what does it mean when a game actively tells its story? How does this impact gameplay, and what are key differences between the two formats? How is world building affected in this process? Using The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as case studies, these questions can be answered! This second part focuses on historical events and the stories preceding the main game of Breath of the Wild. 

Timestamps:

00:06 - Introduction to Part 2

04:00 - Historical Events + Other Contexts (Prior to Breath of the Wild's events)

Links/Resources: 

- Hyrule Interactive Map 

- Tapestry 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Complete Official Guide Expanded Edition, edited by Maura Sutton, et al. Piggyback Interactive Limited, 2017. 

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018. 

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: Listen to the episodes in order for the sake of continuity, context, and general explanation. Sorry for any random background noises. I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from the content discussed in this episode; images have been taken from the cited guidebooks and video games, which are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

What does it mean when a game passively tells its story, and conversely, what does it mean when a game actively tells its story? How does this impact gameplay, and what are key differences between the two formats? How is world building affected in this process? Using The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity as case studies, these questions can be answered! This first part focuses on defining terms and describing characters integral to the stories of both games.

Timestamps:

00:50 - Preliminary Information + Defining Terms

> 03:50 - Episode Framework

> 04:43 - Defining Terms

10:42 - Locations, Cultural Groups, Principal Characters/Entities

> 14:12 - Hyrule + Constituent Regions

> 17:52 - Cultural Groups

> 28:26 - Benevolent Characters

> 43:46 - Malevolent Characters

> 45:51 - Sheikah Technology

Links/Resources:

- Hyrule Interactive Map

- Tapestry

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Complete Official Guide Expanded Edition, edited by Maura Sutton, et al. Piggyback Interactive Limited, 2017.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: Listen to the episodes in order for the sake of continuity, context, and general explanation. I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from the content discussed in this episode; images have been taken from the cited guidebooks and video games, which are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

Pokémon appear in a variety of shapes, sizes, and forms; one important determinant of these characteristics is what is known as a “Type”, giving Pokémon unique attributes based on the Type’s element, power, and so on. With 18 types in total, there are many to review; in the fourth installment of this miniseries known as “Pokémon Rants”, The Lab’s verbally struggling founder tackles “Fire Types”, the Pokémon that constitute this typing, an analysis that includes technical information, design analyses, and other thoughts on what it means to be a Fire Type Pokémon.

Timestamps: 

00:24 - Type Overview + Background

04:27 - Technical Information

18:21 - Appearances + Moves

> 19:17 - Pure Fire Types

> 22:55 - Primary Fire Types

> 34:25 - Secondary Fire Types

> 40:06 - Fire Type Moves

43:15 - Atypical Case Studies + Concluding Thoughts

Links/Resources:

- Fire (Type)

- Type

- Move

- Ability

- Ho-oh Battle Theme

“Pokédex: All 482+8 Pokémon & Post-Story Guide – Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version.” Edited by Lawrence Neves. Prima Games, 2006.

“Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version – The Official Pokémon Johto Guide and Pokédex.” Edited by Michael G. Ryan and Lawrence Neves. Bellevue: The Pokémon Company International, 2009.

(Creator's Note: I recommend that you listen to the rants in order for continuity purposes (so things make sense), but this is optional. Sorry for any muffled audio, cuts, and random background noises. I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from the content discussed in this episode; images have been taken from the cited guidebooks and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)

Just some quick housekeeping about upcoming episodes and a note about future episodes here at the Lab! 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a game that occurs following an apocalyptic event known as the Great Calamity, a disastrous phenomena that decimated populations, one caused by a powerful entity known as Calamity Ganon. A premise built from the failures of heroes 100 years prior, what if things had played out differently? How would things be different if that was the case? Was there a chance of beating Calamity Ganon in the first place? Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity provides answers to these questions as a spin-off prequel to Breath of the Wild; tune in to hear about what this game has to offer and a whole lot more!

Timestamps:

00:25 - Game Premise, Setting, and Preliminary Details (regarding Breath of the Wild)

> 02:20 - Preliminary Information

> 05:02 - Breath of the Wild Story Context

> 09:48 - Age of Calamity Premise

13:03 - Development Notes

20:12 - Gameplay Mechanics + Structure

> 20:56 - Age of Calamity's Gameplay/Storytelling Structure

> 23:26 - Gameplay

> 26:12 - Other Key Functions

43:03 - Display Screen

49:26 - The Heroes (Playable Characters)

> 52:42 - Spoiler Free Characters (ex. Characters introduced in Breath of the Wild)

> 1:04:25 - Spoiler Characters

1:17:26 - Antagonists + Age of Calamity Story Details (Spoilers)

1:30:21 - The Debated Canonicity of Age of Calamity

Links/Resources:

- Hyrule Interactive Map

- Tapestry

- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Development Notes

- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Canonicity

Aonuma, Eiji. The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, translated by Michael Gombos et al. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2013.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Complete Official Guide Expanded Edition, edited by Maura Sutton, et al. Piggyback Interactive Limited, 2017.

Kayama, Naoyuki et al. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

Sao, Akinori, Ginko Tatsumi, and Chisato Mikane. The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia, translated by Keaton C. White. Milwaukie: Dark Horse Books, 2018.

(Creator's Note: I apologize for the cuts and random background noise (as well as the length of this episode). I do not claim ownership over the products, sources, and images that come from this game; images have been taken from my own game and are solely being used for entertainment purposes.)