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.
8) Boomerang – 6 votes, 246 points
Shaun: How much you enjoy the boomerang really depends on the Zelda game you are playing. Some games, you only get a taste of the weapon before it’s made completely obsolete. In others, it’s a powerful tool that allows you to kill bosses ridiculously easily.
Regardless, I’ve always thought the boomerang was cool, and maybe one of the most satisfying in terms of when you connect on a 4 or 5 hit combo. Then again, almost more than any other weapon in Link’s arsenal, I have trouble buying what they’re selling with this thing. I know, I know, Link is the Hero of Time and chosen by the Triforce and all that, sure. But you’re telling me that a guy with zero training or practice suddenly gets a boomerang and is able to hit multiple targets around a room with it, AND get it to return to his hand every time? Bull.
Joseph: A great weapon, but even better at retrieving items. This Australian favorite is even better in games because it comes back even after you hit something. It it a shame some games consider it childish, barring adult Link from unleashing Outback vengeance, but it keeps coming back because it adds a layer to the game that cannot be achieved by the hookshot or the bow.
Chris: Yep, and that’s about the only negative thing I can say about the boomerang. Nothing was more frustrating than slogging through Jabu Jabu’s belly, picking up this cool item, using it in one of my favorite boss fights in Ocarina of Time…and then saying goodbye to that item for the rest of the game, except two specific times when you’re a kid again (bottom of the well, early Spirit Temple). Great.
Severing a bunch of vines or strings at once just feels cool. Being able to strafe an enemy while bopping him in the face with this weapon is cool. Drawing a path with the stylus (even through fire or ice) is cool. Hell, a boomerang that actually WORKS is cool — I tried one a few times, and succeeded only in making myself fetch it somewhere in the distance.
I used the boomerang a ton in the 2D Zelda games, but it’s the 3D versions that I’ve enjoyed the most.
Cary: You can’t have a Zelda game without a boomerang – it’s just not done. How else would Link be able to retrieve items from a distance? And hitting far-away enemies was quite the necessity. Shoot, in Phantom Hourglass, you could trace a path to have the boomerang follow, thereby hitting multiple enemies. No better or more efficient way to clear a dungeon. And that’s what Link is all about: efficient slaughter.
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