PowerA Blood Moon Zelda Enhanced Wireless Controller Review

PowerA has quite the catalog of themed controllers, but I have to admit that the PowerA Blood Moon Zelda Enhanced Wireless Controller may be the best looking one to date. The theme originally comes from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild but also in the more recently released Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which regularly throws Blood Moon Battlefields at the player.

Either way, this is an incredibly designed controller from PowerA that features the Breath of the Wild version of Princess Zelda, and PowerA was kind enough to send me this controller for a review.

First of all, we have to talk about the presentation. The box is just littered with Zelda artwork, and it is beautiful front, back, and inside. The magnetic flap opening allows for consumers to look at the controller even before purchasing it, which is a really nice touch, and the artwork on the inside that includes Princess Zelda with the Champions is an even better touch.

The PowerA Blood Moon Zelda Enhanced Wireless Controller comes with the controller itself and a 10ft (3 meter) USB-C charge cable.

Like other PowerA controllers, the Enhanced Wireless Controller also has advanced gaming buttons on the back that can be remapped on the fly. The joysticks rotate wonderfully thanks to the anti-friction rings, and all of the buttons respond perfectly, especially the solid trigger and shoulder buttons similar to the Spectra Enhanced Wired Controller.

The ongoing problem with these PowerA controllers are the following, though: no NFC reader for amiibo support and no rumble, with the latter being the bigger bummer. Considering the price of the PowerA Blood Moon Zelda Enhanced Wireless Controller ($54.99), one could argue that the no rumble support is a problem, but with the price of Nintendo’s own Pro Controller ($69.99), I guess it is not a huge drawback, especially since the Enhanced Wireless Controller does support gyro, which is great news for fans of shooters like Splatoon 2.

Where PowerA shines the most in these themed Enhanced Wireless Controllers is, well, the theme, and this one is just incredible. The color separation between the left and right sides of the controller illustrate the struggle and agony presented by the Blood Moon, so on the left you have chaos and the “blood”-colored overtone while on the right we have white and grey designs and a stoic Princess Zelda. It captures perfectly the state of the Blood Moon in Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and it honestly makes for a fantastic controller design.

I recently reviewed the PowerA Metroid Dread Enhanced Wired Controller, and after using this Blood Moon Zelda one, I could immediately tell the difference in quality and weight. This Zelda Wireless controller feels a lot sturdier and carries a bit more weight than its wired sister. Some times these themed controllers can feel a bit cheaply made, but this Zelda one not only looks solid but feels really good, too.

Since this is an Enhanced Wireless controller, battery is another important area, and I can assure you that this controller’s battery is insane! I got on average just over 31 hours of gameplay per charge, which is above expectation. The controller also comes with a 10ft (3 meter) cable to charge it, and that is plenty long enough to sit comfortably away from your Switch console and still enjoy your games even while charging the controller.

The Enhanced Wireless Controller line from PowerA is a solid alternative to the Switch’s own Pro Controller, and the fact that PowerA supplies a wide range of themes and designs elevates their controllers even more. This is absolutely the case with the PowerA Blood Moon Zelda Enhanced Wireless Controller, and this is one every Zelda fan should buy just for the amazing design alone.

What we have here is a perfectly good wireless controller that is comfortable to hold for long periods of time and is equipped with customizable back buttons and a long-lasting lithium-ion battery, but its greatest point is its design, as Zelda and the Blood Moon are magnificently represented here, making it hard not to stare at the controller while playing with it.

PowerA Blood Moon Zelda Enhanced Wireless Controller provided by Nintendo Link
Maker: PowerA
Release Date: Available now via PowerA
Price: $54.99 USD, PowerA Site, Amazon.com