Saturday Night Live took a swing at the biggest game of the year on last night’s episode, and the result was a full-on feud between two of gaming’s biggest franchises. During the Weekend Update segment, co-host Colin Jost brought out the main characters from Grand Theft Auto VI and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to argue over their release dates. It was a rematch of sorts, with Jason from GTA 6 and Link from Zelda trading insults in a sketch that borrowed heavily from last season’s emoji roast.
Jost Sets Up the Feud
Jost opened the segment by noting that the hype around GTA VI is so massive that other game developers are pushing back their release dates to avoid competing with its Nov. 19 launch. Only one game still stands strong against it: Nintendo’s remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, out Nov. 5.
That setup framed the fight as a clash of styles. GTA VI is a game about destruction, chaos, and sex, while Zelda is a game about puzzles, light combat, and fairy bottles. Jost invited the two main characters to the Weekend Update desk to settle it once and for all.
The Sketch Rewind
The joke is the same, just with a new skin. Last season, Jost’s co-hosts played a version of the emoji roast, in which Hernandez’s popular Red Heart character roasted Day’s Aerial Tramway. Day retaliated with increasingly loud (and incredibly successful) attempts to break Hernandez.
Now the roles are reversed. As Jason, Hernandez hypes up the cool factor of GTA VI, promising “destruction, chaos, and sex.” He also labels The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as TMPNG: Too Many Puzzles, No Guns. That acronym captures the whole argument in three words: Zelda is too cerebral for the street.
Day’s Link works to sell viewers on The Legend of Zelda’s strengths. He talks up the puzzles, the light combat, and the fairy bottles that make the game distinct. With every diss from Jason, he gets more frantic and defensive, with breaks all around.
The Back-and-Forth
The sketch follows a familiar pattern of escalation. Jason delivers a barb, Link reacts with growing panic, and the room erupts. The format is simple, but it works because both performers know it intimately.
Jason’s line about destruction, chaos, and sex sets the tone early. Then comes the TMPNG dig, which is the kind of insult that lands because it is specific. Link’s response is pure desperation. He sells the puzzles as a feature, not a flaw, and the contrast between the two approaches is the whole joke.
The sketch leans on the chemistry between Hernandez and Day, who have traded these kinds of insults before. The audience knows the drill, and the performers play it with confidence. The result is a chaotic mess that somehow holds together.
Why It Works Again
The sketch borrows last season’s emoji-roast format wholesale, with Jason and Link trading insults like “Too Many Puzzles, No Guns” and escalating antics. It lands well despite the repetition, because the core dynamic is strong enough to sustain it.
The feud is a rematch in spirit. Last season’s roast established the template, and this sketch simply applies it to two new characters. The difference is that Jason and Link are actual game protagonists, not abstract emojis. That gives the jokes a little more weight.
The sketch also benefits from the release-date context. Jost’s framing of the rivalry — GTA VI on Nov. 19 versus Zelda on Nov. 5 — makes the feud feel timely. The two games are competing for attention, and the sketch plays that tension for laughs.
The Verdict
The sketch is a fun watch, and it rewards anyone who has followed SNL’s recent history. The emoji-roast format is old, but it remains effective. The Jason and Link pairing is a natural fit, and the release-date context gives the feud a sense of stakes.
The sketch is not a masterpiece. It is a solid example of a format that has proven itself. The humor is predictable, but the delivery is sharp.
The feud is a good time. Jason and Link are direct competitors, and their disagreement is worth a laugh.
The sketch is a reminder that SNL can still find humor in the biggest stories of the week.
Here is how the back-and-forth unfolds:
- Jason delivers a barb
- Link reacts with growing panic
- The room erupts
Source material: “Jason from GTA 6 feuds with Link from The Legend of Zelda on SNLs Weekend Update,” Mashable.
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