My Favorite Zelda Games.

 

Hey again, all.

A small update before we begin, I know I said I'd do an article on Nintendo's 2021, along with my thoughts on the direct, and that's coming in a few days, but, I decided to wait for the Pokemon announcements this week to happen, so that my article isn't immediately dated, and I just wanted to do a fun article in the meantime. I'll also be doing a Pokemon themed list this weekend as well, so please look forward to that as well.

Of course, everything in this article/list is my purely my personal opinion, and mine alone, if you disagree with any statements made, that's wonderful, please just try to be civil here.

Now, on to the article:

This week marks the 35th anniversary of one of the most legendary, prolific video game franchises of all time, of course, that being...

To say this franchise has had an immense impact on the gaming landscape as a whole would be a massive understatement. I won't bore you guys with a history lesson on it, you all know and have seen it by this point, but I'll give a little bit of insight on my history with the franchise.

Let's go back to the early 90s, I got into a pretty rough car wreck when I was about 8 years old. I ended up breaking both of my legs in it, I couldn't walk for three months, with cuts and bruises all over my face. For a kid my age, it was understandably pretty rough. As much as I already loved gaming at that point, I was also pretty active outside, and not being able to hang with my friends in the neighborhood in the same way made me pretty upset. Then, one day, my mom brought home a game for my Super Nintendo. It was always an exciting time, getting a new game for your system, especially back in those days. There was some sort of "mystical" allure about it. The game turned out to be none other than "The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past". My eyes widened. I had heard about it in my dearly beloved Nintendo Power many times at this place point, but I couldn't believe I had it in my hands, I moved my wheelchair as fast as I could to my CRT, sat my bottom on the floor, and began playing. The rest is history. It truly helped me during my recovery process. I was Link, and it was my journey. Link symbolized the strength I wish had during that time. Getting each new upgrade made me feel like I was truly getting stronger, and the world of Hyrule was a world i desperately wanted to live in. It was one of the first games I distinctly remember leaving an impact on me. Needless to say, I became a massive Zelda fan, and I still am to this day.

Let's get some honorable mentions out of the way first:

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

This is far from my favorite Zelda game, but unlike many, I actually do have an appreciation for this game. Don't get me wrong, it has a lot of issues, such as, the first two hours are a pain, it's far too guided, Fi fucking sucks, the imprisoned fucking sucks and the motion controls are finicky 50 percent of the time. That being said, I absolutely adore the visuals and the soundtrack, the upgrade system is actually extremely nifty, nearly all of the bosses are excellently designed, it has some of my favorite dungeons in the series, and the final boss is tied with Wind Waker as my favorite final boss in any Zelda game. I'm serious. I'm actually super eager to try the HD version out when it releases in July. 

The legend of Zelda The Minish Cap

I absolutely adore this game, and it just barely missed my top 5. I'm suprised it took Nintendo 5 years to get a full fledged Zelda game on GBA, but it was well worth the wait. Yes, it's a spin on ALTTP's two world formula once more, but it's an extremely clever, inventive entry. I love the dungeons, and it has some of the most striking visuals of any Zelda game, especially when you're shrunken down. This game also cemented Vaati as one of the best Zelda villains. Here's hoping it gets ported to Switch before too long. 

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Expected this is in my top 5, didn'tcha? Nope. To be honest, i didn't actually play OOT until years after it came out. For a couple of reasons. 1. I was obsessively playing Pokemon Red and Blue with my friends and classmates in '98. 2. I was also obessively playing Banjo-Kazooie that year, and it was a game where I searched every nook and cranny looking for every jiggy and unlockable. 3. I was also obessively looking for any info and screenshot I could for two games that I was super hyped for at the time, those being Crash Bandicoot: Warped and Sonic Adventure. Needless to say, I had other priorities. I knew the game existed, but it never gave me the same allure ALTTP and LA did. I honestly have no idea why, but I was content with playing those two again and again. It wasn't until the Zelda collection hit the GCN in 2003 that I finally got the chance to sit down and actually play it. When I finished it, I must be honest here. I wasn't impressed. I had the unfortunate circumstance of playing both Majora's Mask and Wind Waker before it, and I feel those two games do everything Ocarina does better in nearly every way. That being said, OOT is a great game, and I have immense amount of respect for it. It changed the gaming landscape just as it's 8 bit older brother did, and it's still a modern treasure all of these years later.

Hyrule Warriors

I'll be honest. I was pretty skeptical of this one when it was announced back in 2013. Pairing Zelda with Dynasty Warriors was such a strange idea to me.  But once I actually got a chance to play it at E3 2014, I immediately became a believer. I practically threw the game into my Wii U the day it came out, and I played it endlessly. 500 hours. I absolutely love the game, and it's a ridiculous, repetitive, fan-service filled thrill ride that I highly recommend to anyone. The DLC was absolute aces, and the Definite Edition on Switch is one of the best value purchases you can get on the system. The soundtrack also fucking slaps. Tons of great remixes. If you're on the fence, check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Alright, on to the top 5:

5. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

This game alone justified the Game Boy to me. I love just about everything about it. The story, the characters, Koholint Island, the extremely weird tone, and it's soundtrack is something I find myself still humming from time to time. It has the best ending of any Zelda game, and it's one I still can't help but shed a tear, every time I replay it. The remake was a gorgeous retelling of the game and it's my recommended version. Not much else that hasn't been said on this one, though I could go on for hours. Masterpiece.

4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

7 years later and I still can't believe they did it. They made a sequel to one of the greatest games ever made, and it actually succeeded. I remember being extremely skeptical of this game, but slowly, as we saw more, my skepticism died down, and my hype continually rose. Needless to say, the game blow away my expectations and it's slowly been rising through the ranks of my favorite Zeldas. It fundamentally improves upon things that it's predecessor did, and the dungeon design is nearly unmatched, the non-linear design is awesome, and I never replay the game the same way. I also love the weapon rental system. It's a unique way to change the traditional Zelda formula up and I hope it gets used in future installments. The soundtrack has remixes of old tracks as well as new ones and I adore every single one of them. The story is also extremely well told, and I liked the twist on the old tale of the original. The game is an absolute masterclass in design, and I'd love to see another follow up in the future. It's an easy 10.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

This fucking game, man. I have such a complicated relationship with Majora, but man, there's something irresistible about it. It's dark, it's weird, it's depressing, it's morbid, it's fucking creepy, and that is something I don't think I can say about any other Zelda game. I had a really hard time getting into it, at first. I dropped it, multiple times a because of how slow the beginning of the game is. But, a long-time, fellow Zelda loving friend of mine, convinced me to push on through it, and once I did, the game, as if it was magic, became 10 times better. I got hooked. I love all of the mask transformations, the upgrades, the incredibly meloncoly soundtrack, and it has my second favorite story in any Zelda game. The dungeons are also extremely memorable. Each time I go back to it, it gets better and better. My advice however, is to track down the GCN version of the game. The 3DS remake us excellent, but the lighting engine is completely different, and it looks far worse as a result. Regardless, this game is a masterpiece and I'm glad it's finally getting the recognition it deserves.

2. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

I'll say it right now. I was a believer in this game from day one. The Spaceworld demo never interested me, so hearing that the actual game would go in a much different direction elated me. Being a big anime fan, the visuals were a welcome change to me. That being said, is Wind Waker perfect? Far from it. I don't care, though. It has my favorite Link, my favorite Zelda, which is actually Tetra, and my favorite Ganon. The expressions on these characters is second to none. The game is extremely charming from top to bottom, I absolutely adore the soundtrack and, unpopular opinion incoming, but...

I love the sailing. The sense of adventure it gave me was indescribable.  I loved going to small far off islands, finding nooks and crannies, and the music was something I never tired of. I also love the battle system, despite how simple it was, I immediately got into the "rhythm" of it. The bosses are a total highlight, and the cast of characters in the same are deeply sentimental to me.

Wind Waker has a lot of issues, but i'd rather it be that way. Flawed masterpieces are extremely interesting to me, and Wind Waker is one of my favorite pieces of art, ever. It's gotten higher and higher on my list. The HD version is the definitive way to play the game. 

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past

Sorry. It has to be the way. This game means so much to me, and it just happens to be one of the greatest games of all time. Sue me. I love everything about this game. The visuals, music, story, bosses, dungeons, yadda yadda yadda. Many franchise standards started here. The Master Sword, the "two worlds" concept, minigames, etc. It's a masterpiece and I feel redundant because all of this has been said before. It's a six-way tie against Zelda, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Crono Trigger, Mega Man X and Final Fantasy VI as the best game on the SNES, and I might just have to give the edge to ol' Zelda here. There's just something about this kind of game that almost can't be beat. I've played it hundreds of times and it's just one of those games that I cannot get enough of. One of my favorite games of all time. An easy top 3 for me. I implore you to play it if you haven't already.

With all that said, thank you for reading. Next time, I'll be ranking the Pokemon RPGS in a similar fashion, and/or be giving my analysis on Nintendo's 2021. 

Thank you for reading, stay safe, and wear a mask! 

For everlasting peace!