Okay, buckle up fellow Hyrule explorers, because I just finished the most ridiculous, time-consuming, yet strangely satisfying challenge in Tears of the Kingdom – replacing every. single. entry in the Hyrule Compendium with a selfie of Link posing with the subject! 😱 Yeah, you heard that right. All 509 entries. Monsters, weapons, mushrooms, even weird exploding debris... Link's face is now front and center in the official record of Hyrule's wonders (and dangers!). Let me tell you, this wasn't just a quick photo run; this stuff takes a while. Seriously, if you're looking for a new hobby or just want to test your sanity, I definitely recommend it... maybe. 😅

Link, master swordsman... and now, master photographer? Gotta love that determined look!

Thank Hylia for the upgrade from the Sheikah Slate to the Purah Pad! That little gadget became my absolute lifeline during this insane quest. Wandering the vast landscapes of Hyrule, sky islands, and the Depths, my mission wasn't just defeating Ganon or finding shrines anymore. Nope. It became:

1. Spot the Subject: See a rare Blupee? A Lynel charging? A particularly shiny Amber? Target acquired!

2. Position Perfectly: Getting Link close enough for a good selfie frame without getting obliterated or scaring the subject off was... an art form. The number of times I got smacked mid-pose! 🤕

3. Strike the Pose: Thank goodness Nintendo gave us a bunch of fun poses! The classic thumbs-up, the contemplative look, the surprised jump... picking the right vibe for each entry became part of the fun (or frustration!).

4. Snap & Replace: The satisfying click followed by replacing that generic stock photo with my glorious (or goofy) selfie.

Honestly, I wasn't even sure if anyone else had attempted this before I started. Sharing my progress on Reddit (shoutout to u/wheat_cat!) was a blast. The reactions were priceless! Some folks called Link a narcissist for wanting to be in every picture 🤳 – which, fair point! Others totally felt the pain of missing a super rare enemy and having to hunt it down again just for the photo op. One legend even admitted they'd done something similar, taking selfies in front of every single stable!

Here’s a quick breakdown of the sheer scale of this compendium madness:

Completing the compendium itself is already a massive task in TOTK – it's totally optional but feels like a real achievement. Doing it this way? Next level. I leaned hard into the comedic potential. Imagine Link giving a cheesy thumbs-up next to a terrifying Gloom Spawn, or looking utterly bewildered holding a dubious-looking mushroom. The laughs from the community made all the near-death photo experiences worth it!

This selfie obsession isn't entirely new for Zelda fans, though. Remember that absolute legend in Breath of the Wild who took a selfie with every single NPC? 🤯 Or the poor souls collecting all 900+ Korok seeds... twice (BOTW and TOTK)?! The photo mode, especially with the selfie function, just invites this kind of creative (or slightly unhinged) player expression. It adds a whole new layer of personal storytelling to the adventure.

While the amazing Echoes of Wisdom (2024) is the hot new thing, letting us finally play as Zelda (!!!) and carrying that adorable Link's Awakening style, TOTK still holds a special place for its sheer sandbox potential. Challenges like this prove there's still so much fun and creativity to be squeezed out of Hyrule. So, grab your Purah Pad, strike a pose, and maybe... just maybe... consider joining the selfie compendium club? You've been warned! 💥📸✨

Need a visual? Here’s Link trying to look brave next to some suspiciously glowing rocks...

Final thought: Was it worth the countless hours? Seeing that entire compendium filled with my own ridiculous photos? Absolutely. Would I do it again? ...Ask me after a long nap. 😴