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.
10) Mirror Shield – 7 votes, 237 points
Shaun: The mirror shield was near the top of my personal voting list, and for good reason — it’s the best god damn shield Link gets, and is invaluable for the trifecta of shield-wielders. The trifecta is thus:
- Blocks and reflects enemy attacks (duh).
- Is capable of solving its own unique puzzles.
- Look like an aesthetically pleasing badass.
There’s just something about this shield that gets me. Maybe its the brightly colored trim. Or perhaps it’s the smooth, reflective chrome that I just want to lick for some strange reason. But I think more than that, it’s just the ability to deflect and guide incoming lasers and rays of sunlight that’s just so appealing to me. The Twinrova fight was one of my favorite in the series, because it allowed me to absorb the enemies attack and send it right back at them.
In my movie of Zelda, Link’s main shield at the end will be the Mirror Shield, no question. That is all.
Chris: Once upon a time, the Mirror Shield was boring. For all of the strengths I could list about Link to the Past, the Mirror Shield’s utility isn’t one of them. It occasionally reflects beams, and even that’s not an exact science. Hooray.
Later in the series, though, we started to do some cool stuff. The Spirit Temple got things rolling by allowing the Mirror Shield to manipulate light. Majora’s Mask was…okay, that one was just creepy. I enjoyed the Wind Waker version the most — being able to pair your shield with Medli’s harp took puzzles to the next level.
The Hylian Shield is most often associated with Link, but the Mirror Shield is his most powerful defensive option. It’s a little strange that despite having an assortment of different shields you can craft, it’s nowhere to be found in Skyward Sword. I’m hoping that the upcoming (gorgeous) Wii U offering brings it back.
Joseph: It used to just reflect lasers. Then they made it an actual mirror and added light puzzles to the games. The Majora’s Mask version spoke to my soul and made me question whether a being could be trapped inside my shield. Did it care that it would stay on my back until I found a use for it? Did it have a family? Hopes? Does it like light shining in its eyes? Probably not.
Cary: I’m going to skip right over that dastardly Twinrova battle in Ocarina of Time in which you had to aim the Mirror Shield at the right time because I suck at playing video games, and head to Wind Waker. Because in that glorious game, you could use the Mirror Shield to get past ReDeads. (Horrible, screaming banshees that they were.) And the shield was necessary in the final fight again Ganondorf. You still had to use the shield to reflect and aim, but I liked everything about Wind Waker so much that even the final fight was brilliant in its mayhem.
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