No more games, no more pretense — this is our list of the top 25 Zelda items of all-time. Whether they were weapons or shields or utility items, these are the panel’s selections for the coolest or most useful inventory slots in the series. We’ll be counting down one by one until we reach the #1 pick on Jan. 31.
19) Power Bracelet/Silver, Golden Gauntlets/Power Glove/Titan’s Mitt – 8 votes, 112 points
Chris: A weird result because several different forms of these items were mentioned, but no one had them especially high. They all serve the same purpose — giving you the strength to lift things you otherwise couldn’t. The differences aren’t consequential enough to separate them, so here we are.
Super strength is neat. There’s no getting around that. These items turn Link into a much less boring version of Superman, with the ability to lift everything from giant stone pillars that you hurl out of the way (Ocarina of Time) or ridiculously fat pigs in your home island (Wind Waker). Seeing a teenager (or child) being able to bench-press objects that are several hundred times his weight never really gets old.
Shaun: When voting for most of these items, I imagine Link is like Batman or Iron Man — just a normal dude, trying his damndest to do justice in a world of injustice. But no matter what he does, he’s just a normal guy that has to rely on his gadgets and items to contend with evil magic.
Lucky, then, that the Power Bracelets exist. Suddenly, our sweet, innocent Link obtains super strength, and is able to lift boulders and even gigantic spires, easily tossing them in the air (think of the scenes in OoT when Link effortless hurls a pillar the size of a house into the distance). Maybe it’s unfair to vote for something for how cool I imagine it is than how much it actually extends to gameplay, but i don’t care. The Power Gauntlets are what allow Link to be a god damn superhero, and that’s enough for me.
Joseph: I like the flavor text for some of these items. The power of an army? I accept. It is a shame they are relegated to lifting and pushing heavy objects. Why not make your sword attacks more powerful? I could probably punch through a mountain, but these ancient wooden walls are giving me so much trouble I’ll just have to find a way around. These items never truly realized their potential.
Cary: Yay for the Power Bracelets in Wind Waker! They allowed Link to move heavy objects in order to access the Earth Temple. But super strength aside, the best thing about them in the game was that they were automatically equipped once you go them. There was no messing about switching out items, which was welcome relief for someone who was so bad at keeping track of the game’s plethora of obtainable things generally. When I needed Link to move a large stone, he did. No fanfare, no hulking cries of anger, no searching the damn inventory for the right item and then getting them mixed up because you can’t remember what thing does what anymore. He just moved the stone, and it was glorious.
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