Lego The Legend of Zelda 77093 Ocarina of Time - The Final Battle

I'll be honest right from the start and say straight away that neither of the two Lego sets from the Zelda games that have been released have particularly impressed me personally or made me reach for my wallet straight away. Which, of course, is a real shame. Since the Zelda franchise is my absolute favourite game series, one might naturally assume I'd jump at the chance to build both of these sets that have been released. But that hasn't been the case. Thankfully, I'm lucky enough to be able to review Lego - and in the end, there were thankfully still plenty of details about this set that I liked, and the building process itself was fun, as is usually the case with Lego.

One of them might be a bit on the small side; but minifigures of Link, Zelda and Ganondorf are absolutely lovely. So, we'll start with these three, and I really do like them. The printing is lovely, the details are fantastic, and they alone make a great addition to any Lego fan's collection. Now, three minifigures alone don't make the price tag worth it - but then this set, as the name suggests, recreates the final battle from the fantastic Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and that in itself is actually really, really cool. A classic scene that makes for a stylish display when, once built, it finally ends up on the bookshelf.

This set comprises 1,003 pieces. Eight bags, half of which are for building the base itself and what sits on it, whilst the other half are for building the boar-like monster we know as Ganon. There isn't actually much going on in terms of detail on the base. You build the base, place a half-ruined tower that also acts as a mount for the transparent holders allowing Link and Navi to float in the air.

Otherwise, the set consists of a few other small castle ruins where you can place the Zelda minifigure, and a ruin with a little feature where you can hide and conjure up Ganondorf. Personally, though, I placed him right at the front of the base as I wanted him to be visible. A small stand with a Triforce at the front is also put together, and a few flames at the back are among the decorations. Overall, it's quite sparse, even though the scene itself is quite effective.

Because, after all, it's that monster called Ganon who is the main attraction here. After all, he makes up half the bags and takes up almost half the space on the display itself. It was actually him I was most unsure about beforehand - but I must say that the articulated joints in his legs, arms and head - as well as the massive swords - create a dramatic scene when he's put in place. It actually looks quite cool as a 'snapshot' from the game - which ultimately means that, as a display model on the bookshelf, it also makes for a stylish addition to the space.

The actual building process itself involves a fair bit of fiddly work. There aren't many large pieces here, apart from a few for the base and some 'bricks' for the ruined tower. Otherwise, it's all very small. There aren't any particular technical difficulties, just a lot of tiny pieces overall. However, there aren't any particularly repetitive steps here, except perhaps the flames arranged in a row on the background - but even those aren't particularly numerous or repetitive to put in place. Something else worth mentioning is that there are no stickers at all in this set, which is always (always!) a plus.

What I find the most disappointing about the build is probably the fact that it feels a bit flat and low. It would simply have been nice to have a bit of height to it. A tower with stairs leading up, or a few columns to create height and make it a bit more dramatic and impressive. At the same time, Lego is always about a compromise between price and the number of pieces, and expanding the base itself or its contents would automatically mean a significantly higher price tag. But sure, it's mainly the base that I think could have been a bit more exciting here.

All things considered, I'm still quite happy with it when I put it alongside all my other Nintendo Lego sets. If I were a lot younger, I'd probably even think this was quite a fun 'play' set, as you can create cool scenes with the minifigures. So, even though I wasn't particularly impressed or felt any immediate urge to buy it when I first saw it at the reveal, it's a bit like how I felt with my latest Lego review of Fylke - it's simply nicer in real life than I thought it would be from the photos beforehand. As for the actual building process, I don't have any direct negative complaints either. It doesn't qualify as a favourite in terms of either appearance or how much fun it was to put together - but it is, after all, Lego, and it's always one of the most fun things in the world to tinker with.