Issue #20: 30 Years of The Legend of Zelda – March/April 2016

Here it is, Nintendo Force patrons! The first new NF Magazine issue of the new Patreon era. Thank you all for your patience in waiting until the very end of March 7 to allow some last-minute sign-ups to get in under the wire and make the cut for receiving this issue. If you're reading this, your copy's on its way!

Here's some info on how issue distribution will work, step by step:

1. The digital PDF version goes out to the email addresses of patrons who picked either a Digital or Combo subscription. That's the fastest version to get to you, and it'll come by way of file-sending service DropSend within the first 24 hours of us declaring that a new issue is done by making a post like this one.

2. The digital Magzter version goes live, and Digital and Combo subscribers, you'll get a second email in your inbox alerting you that it's ready. Magzter typically takes an extra day or two to process new issues through their special brand of magic that makes them viewable on every different eReader/tablet device under the sun, so you can usually expect to see your access notice a few days after the PDF edition arrives.

3. The print copies show up in your physical mailbox. Naturally, this is the version that takes the longest to get to you – typically two to three weeks after the digital PDF version, depending on where you live. The patience of Print subscribers is rewarded with the print-exclusive wall posters, though!

All of that's old news for our many returning subscribers from last year, of course, but I know that there are many of you who've joined the Force here on Patreon for the first time ever. Welcome! We're going to do our very best to keep incredible Nintendo-focused magazines coming your way!

I'm pretty pleased with how this milestone Issue #20 turned out, I must say, as I'm a major Legend of Zelda fan and it was fun to celebrate the series' 30th anniversary in such a big way – we put together a huge central feature for you all walking through each of the 30 years of Zelda history, chronicling how the franchise evolved one calendar flip at a time! We spotlighted the unreleased (in America) "BS Zelda" games and Japan's Satellaview SNES peripheral that made them possible, interviewed Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin (author of the new Legends of Localization book series, the first installment of which focuses on Zelda 1), and we reviewed both the just-released Twilight Princess HD and the upcoming Hyrule Warriors Legends. (Which, of course, also appears as the cover game.)

I hope you enjoy it from cover to cover! 

~ Lucas M. Thomas

P.S. Thanks for the huge surge of support right as the deadline for sign-ups approached, everyone! We hit our third goal that will give us the flexibility of funds to be able to produce and commission unique cover and poster art more frequently, and now we'll need to decide what our next goal's going to be! Thanks again!