When someone
decides to make a Toplist involving Nintendo one of the first things
that comes to mind is The Legend of Zelda. Next to Mario no other
Gaming IP has as much Prestige. Zelda games always rank among the
best games of the year and are always considered game of the year
material. Well except the CDI games, but I don't think I need to
elaborate on why that is the case.
Source: Link: The Faces of Evil
Zelda is just a
natural pic for Toplists because of its rich history and countless
different areas to choose from. Top 5 Dungeons, Items, Enemies,
Bosses, Zeldas, etc.
All of that has
been done already of course, so today I don't want to wow you with a
never before seen Toplist, but instead you get the father of all
toplists. My top 5 favourite Zelda Titles.
5: The Legend of
Zelda: Ocarina of Time
We start with the
best Videogame of all time and it's only Number 5. This shouldn't be
too surprising. I think I've never seen a favorite Zelda Game list,
which was topped by Ocarina of Time. Widely considered to be the best
game of all time it has lost quite some standing over the last couple
of years. Especially inside the Zelda community. Still it can't be
denied, that this game was and is still groundbreaking. It defined
how games of this genre have to look and work. And over a decade
later it still draws you into it's world.
Ocarina of Time is
a classic story of heroism. A young boy, who becomes the legendary
hero, who saves Hyrule. It's easy to relate to. Coupled with some of
the best dungeons of all time (and one of the worst), memorable
characters and a great soundtrack this makes Ocarina of Time
definitely a worthy candidate for any toplist. The excellent 3DS
remake also reinvigorated this status.
Ocarina of Times
iconic status was both a blessing and a curse for the Zelda series.
For countless years the team tried to recreate the success of
Ocarina, without giving any thought to moving forward.
In the end Ocarina
of Time is a timeless classic that shaped an entire genre. I
rediscovered it on the 3DS and it clearly deserves the spot as best
game of all time. For me, however, it's only the fifth best Zelda
game.
4: The Legend of
Zelda: A Link between Worlds
When this game was
announced I wasn't too sure about it's premise. A direct successor to
A Link to the Past? Twilight Princes was conceptualized as successor
to Ocarina of Time and I often had the feeling that this fact
hindered the game development more than it did help. But when I
finally put down my 3DS after playing through A Link between Worlds
without break, took a quick shower and than immediately started the
game again in Hero Mode, I knew how wrong I had been. In my opinion
this even beets the timeless Link to the Past. It's just that good.
The item lending
idea could have been done a little better, but the ability to
approach the game in many different ways, that resulted from that,
was not only a breath of fresh air for the series, but a gust of wind
that blew away all doubts. Zelda and an open concept of game design,
that let's the player choose how to approach a situation, go hand in
hand. I'm happy they used a handheld title as test grounds for that
concept. The smaller and more focused world was perfect for it.
Even the, at first
glance, boring mechanic where Link turns into a Painting on the Wall
to move through cracks and so forth, was really well done and felt
fresh and engaging. All in all A Link between Worlds was more than a
worthy successor to A Link to the Past. In my opinion it even
surpassed it. Just a great game from start to finish and one of the
best Handheld Zeldas without a doubt.
3: Majoras Mask
In the last couple
of years Majoras Mask seems to have taken Ocarina of Times places as
favourite Zelda games for many. And even I have to admit, if I looked
at this list with objectivity Majoras Mask would have been Number 1.
But the two top picks have a strong personal meaning to me and so the
N64 gem is only awarded with bronze.
I first played
this game, when the 3DS remake was released. Yes I know it's an
eternal stain on my reputation as a Nintendo Fan, but in my youth I
simply didn't own a Nintendo 64. But that is a story for another
time. Fact is that Majoras Mask is still the most unique Zelda game
of all time and the one with most engaging world. I talked about it
once, when I wrote about Majoras Mask after beating it for the first
time (You can read this
here, if you're interested). The three day
cycle is one of the most genius game mechanics of all time because it
allows the player to fail and see what the consequences are. There
are a lot of world ending threats in video games, but I've never felt
the stakes to be higher than in the first night at Romani Ranch while
protecting the barn. Just because I saw what happens to Romani should
I fail. Seeing the cheerful young girl go from this
Source: The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask
to this, made me
do this side quest on every three day cycle.
Soruce: The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask
The three day
cycle also allowed Nintendo to craft a truly believable world. Even
to this day Termina is one of the most ''alive'' video game worlds
out there. Nearly every Character feels alive. Normally the fact that
all of activities are scripted would be an immersion killer, but here
it's the complete opposite. You only see the same three days in the
peoples lives over and over again. This allows for a variety of
actions, while in other games most NPCs have one mundane action,
which they perform day in and out.
Also the fact that
this is by far the darkest Zelda adds to Majoras Mask uniqueness. Yes
Twilight Princess also had some dark moments and the style was
overall darker, but no other game in the series has dealt with such
heavy themes as Majoras Mask. And really well at that. The horror of
realizing the World is going to end. The ignorance of the impending
doom. Acceptance... everything was portrayed really well by the
characters. I wrote enough about this in last weeks toplist, so check
it out if you want.
The great
atmosphere even makes you forget that the game is severely lacking in
dungeons, but still Majoras Mask deserves it's spot on any Zelda
Toplist. Wherever that spot may be.
2: The Legend of
Zelda: Links Awakening
Source: The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening DX
Everyone has fond
memories of their first Zelda. It doesn't matter if it was the
legendary first game, the groundbreaking A Link to the Past or the
genre defining Ocarina of Time.
My first Zelda
game was one of the more odd ones. The first Handheld Zelda for the
original GameBoy which proved that Nintendo are programming wizards.
Packing such a, for the time, huge world packed full with Sidquests,
Dungeons and Monsters onto such a small module is nothing short of
amazing.
Something that I
really love about this game is how unique it is. Koholint Island is
packed with references to other Nintendo games. Gumbas and Womps make
an appearance as enemies, Tarin looks like Mario and even a picture
of Princess Peach appears during the game. I also like the raunchy
humor the game often has. The legendary scene, where Link has to
bring back the lost bikini top of a mermaid, still makes me laugh to
this day. If you dive in front of her, before bringing her the tops,
she quickly swims away and calls you a pervert.
Or just take a look at this picture from the photo sidequest.
Source: The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening
Gameplay wise
there is nothing to complain about. The dungeons are great, the
controls feel responsive and the variety is gigantic for a Gameboy
game.
Links Awakening is
often overlooked by Zelda Fans, which is a damn shame, because it's a
great entry in the series and has a very unique setting and story. If
it wasn't my first Zelda game I wouldn't rank it quite as high, but
as it stands it's a very deserving second place for The Legend of
Zelda: Links Awakening.
1: The Legend of
Zelda: The Wind Waker
Oh boy. When I
first saw a test for Wind Waker in an old German gaming magazine I
immediately fell in love with the game. I started saving up money,
doing small jobs, and then after several months I finally was able to
by a limited Nintendo Gamecube with game. It was the first time I
worked for something I wanted and to this day I bring out the game
from time to time, hook up my old Gamecube and play through it.
Wind Waker is just
a timeless classic. I know I've said that pretty often during this
toplist, and it's a fact that most Zelda games deserve this title,
but Wind Waker even more so than others. Wind Wakers graphics are
truly timeless. Even to this day the game looks excellent. Links
countless facial animations make the character feel more alive than
any other incarnation of our Hero.
Source: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The World is huge
and the Ocean feels endless from time to time, but it is filled with
countless memorable sites (and just as many forgettable ones). Also
this time the Story is one of the most relatable with your sister
getting abducted at the start of the game.
For me Wind Waker
is just pure joy. The colorful graphics, the amazing musical score
and the wonderful world all work hand in hand to create one of the
greatest gaming experiences I had the joy of playing through. I know
that the game has some problems. The tedious Triforce Quest. The low
amount of Temples and the lack of Quality in that department. The
huge empty Ocean. I know all of these Problems and I agree that they
are problems, but the game manages to make me forget that fact. To
this day no other game creates such a warm feeling in my chest when I
play it. And that is why The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker is my Number
One pick.
So what are your
favourite Zelda games? Do you have any fond memories of a specific
game? Let me know in the comments.
And as always
thanks for reading
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