Legend of Zelda players to try live-action version
Some time slots for puzzle-tour event at McMahon Stadium are already sold out
Defenders of the Triforce unite — you have 60 minutes to obtain the Master Sword and defeat Ganon.
If none of this makes sense, it’s probably because you aren’t familiar with the popular video game series The Legend of Zelda. The action-adventure game allows people to play Link, the main character, while he saves Princess Zelda and defends the kingdom of Hyrule from Ganon, or Ganondorf Dragmire. The plot also revolves around a relic called the Triforce, often referred to as the “Golden Power,” which is split into three pieces that can grant power, wisdom or courage.
Through a series of puzzles and games, people can immerse themselves in a real-life Zelda adventure at the Defenders of the Triforce puzzle tour in Calgary this weekend.
“It’s a very exciting atmosphere,” said Game Master Izzy Aslam, who is hosting the event. “Zelda is definitely a puzzle-oriented game with a massive feeling of exploration, and the puzzle that we’re bringing will bring the lore and the characters that the fans will love. But somebody completely new to the genre of Zelda will say ‘wow, this is kind of interesting’ and might check out the game.”
The interactive gaming event is put on by SCRAP Entertainment Inc., a company headquartered in Japan that creates live action games, and Nintendo. Tickets range from $50 to $72. Several time slots are sold out.
Aslam said the game is meticulously detailed with remnants of the Zelda series, both new and old.
How it works is groups of six are ushered into a game room and must solve clues, puzzles and tasks to complete the challenge. The completion rate is just under 50 per cent, said Aslam, and winners are awarded access to a hidden Nintendo switch station to try out exclusive games, including some that aren’t even on the market — but the games are a secret until a triumphant victory.
Similar to the city’s popular escape rooms, where participants have to solve clues to flee a locked room, employees urge participants to keep the games a secret. But, unlike escape rooms, participants aren’t forced to stay inside a single space.
“You may leave,” Aslam jokes, “but you’re not fighting for your escape, you’re fighting for your survival essentially, to save (Hyrule).”
The popularity of the immersive puzzle game experience is relatively new to Canada, said Aslam who has been working at Toronto’s Secret City Adventures since 2014. The company runs immersive game experiences in the East and brought the Japanese puzzle-game craze to Canada.
They try to employ locals in each city they visit in order to indulge in new environments. The Calgary setup took two days and will take place at the Red and White Club in McMahon Stadium until Sunday.