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The Guardian ranks The Legend of Zelda series

WrenchNinja

WrenchNinja

Member
Oct 25, 2017
18,733
Canada
Wanted to outline some of the games that don't get talked about that often before posting the actual list

A Link Between Worlds

Laying the foundation for Breath of the Wild's shakeup of the old dungeon-explore-dungeon formula, A Link Between Worlds pulls the shocking move of giving you most of the items you'll need right at the very beginning and just letting you loose to tackle Hyrule in whatever order you choose. A nostalgic tribute to Link to the Past that also rewrote the Zelda rulebook, and looked particularly cute as well.

Spirit Tracks

"Zelda, but with trains" is an idea straight from the mind of a seven-year-old, and indeed Spirit Tracks is endearingly toy-like. Driving this little locomotive is such a tactile joy, with its touchscreen whistle and cranks. This is a series all about childlike pleasures, really – playing, exploring, seeing what happens when you prod things with a sword – and Spirit Tracks leans into it. And teaming Link up with a ghostly Zelda lent it an unexpected and likable buddy-movie feel.

Phantom Hourglass

The touch controls were cool, but what everyone remembers about Phantom Hourglass is being sent back to the same dungeon again and again every time you threatened to make some small amount of progress. That, and the series' most irritating sidekick. If you thought Navi was annoying, you ain't met mouthy sailor Linebeck.

Four Swords Adventure

A great multiplayer take on Zelda that practically nobody played as intended, because you needed a GameCube, four Game Boy Advance consoles and four link cables to do it. If you actually managed to make this happen on one fated, glittering evening in the mid-00s, then you'll know that this is one of Nintendo's most inventive and laugh-out-loud fun multiplayer games. But, for most, this is the best Zelda game they'll never play

Tri-Force Heroes

The 3DS's multiplayer Zelda game wasn't so much bad (unless you tried to play it by yourself, laboriously switching between all three characters) as eminently forgettable. Its weird, camp send-up of Hyrule and three-player puzzles have slipped almost entirely from my mind in the years since I played it, and what I do remember mostly involved shouting impotently at the screen as some online playmate entirely failed to see the solution to a puzzle that was staring them in the face.
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17. Tri Force Heroes
16. Zelda II: Adventure of Link
15. Phantom Hourglass
14. Skyward Sword
13. Spirit Tracks
12. Minish Cap
11. Four Swords Adventures
10. The Legend of Zelda
9. Link's Awakening
8. Oracle of Ages/Seasons
7. Twilight Princess
6. A Link Between Worlds
5. Wind Waker
4. A Link to the Past
3. Ocarina of Time
2. Majora's Mask
1. Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda games – ranked! | Games | The Guardian

As Nintendo’s classic video game series comes up on its 35th anniversary, it’s time to put all the main entries in their place.
amp.theguardian.com amp.theguardian.com

Do you agree? What would you change?
 
Perkin_Warbeck

Perkin_Warbeck

Member
Jan 27, 2020
3,385
Washington, DC
It's a fine list. I don't rate the N64 ones nearly so highly, but they did bring the series into 3d, which was very important. I might also move Skyward Sword more into the middle of the pack.

I always kind of expect these lists to have something crazy unorthodox to drive discussion, like the Polygon list that had New Super Mario U as the best Mario ever, but this one doesn't diverge from consensus that much.
 
WestEgg

WestEgg

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,047
Four Swords Adventure and Link Between Worlds too high, Skyward Sword and ESPECIALLY Link's Awakening too low, and I'd have OoT as number one.
 

softfocus

Member
Oct 30, 2017
903
Quite a good list outside of the DS games being too high and Zelda II getting a lot of shade. Is it a bad opinion that the Zelda II on the Switch online service is the best NES game?
 
The Unsent

The Unsent

Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,419
Ocarina will always be better than BOTW, for me. It has a much better story, and those atmospheric dungeons like the forest and shadow temple are great.

TWW would be near the botton of my list. The ocean is so boring, and most islands are just a few crappy rocks. Except from the nostalgic graphics and memorable final boss, it's a bit crap.
 
Garlador

Garlador

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
14,131
I don't love Breath of the Wild as much as it seems most critics do, but it's not a bad list.
 
Spring-Loaded

Spring-Loaded

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,904
Pretty good overall.

Tri Force Heroes should be above Skyward Sword tho.
  • Better dungeons.
  • Better story.
  • Better fun.
though I mostly just want SS even lower
 
Oaklight

Oaklight

Avenger
Jun 16, 2018
933
That is a very good list and one I'm very happy to see with my favorite Majora being number 2. However, I would put Botw at number 4 with Majora, Ocarina, and Wind Waker to rule them all.
 
LordGorchnik

LordGorchnik

Member
Oct 30, 2017
3,281
People's nostalgia googles for Wind Waker is always too high as always.

I see the hate for SS continues as well.
 
Empyrean Cocytus

Empyrean Cocytus

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
18,695
Upstate NY
Perfectly acceptable list. I'd go OOT, BOTW, LTTP, MM for my top four in that order, but am completely fine with moving things around.

That said, the fact that I can look at that list and see incredible games even above the top 10 is really a testament to how consistent the franchise has been with regard to quality. The fact that there's only one undisputedly bad game (Triforce Heroes) is incredible.

LordGorchnik said:
People's nostalgia googles for Wind Waker is always too high as always.

I see the hate for SS continues as well.
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Wind Waker HD fixed A TON of the issues with the original game. The enhanced sail and shortened Triforce shard quest were Godsends that gave me a whole new appreciation for the title. Though I did like TP better at first. In fact it still has my favorite final boss in the history of the franchise.
 
Eblo

Eblo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,643
I will die on the hill of A Link to the Past being a boring game. Inoffensive list otherwise.
 
Saiyaman

Saiyaman

Member
Dec 19, 2017
1,854
This probably as close a list will get to my preferences. I'd probably replace Twilight Princess with Skyward Sword and shovel the DS games off the list since I haven't played those. I'd also push the original Zelda closer to the bottom cause while I respect it, it's not a game for me.
 
steejee

steejee

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,604
That list is a great reminder just how high the 'average' bar is for LoZ series in general.

I'd personally put LoZ II way higher, and a * next to Four Swords Adventures (best MP game of its year) but I know it's a matter of taste and the list mostly aligns with my own views.
 
sir_crocodile

sir_crocodile

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,480
Reading the bit on Zelda 2, their take on it trash so I won't bother to scroll down anymore. I completed it for the first time when I was very young and the only thing I found difficult was the final dungeon. It's really not that opaque.
 
Voras

Voras

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
302
They got 1 and 2 right, I would have put LTTP and ALBW a bit higher, but not bad.
 
Homura

Homura

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Aug 20, 2019
6,103
The oracles are two different games and should be in different ranks. Ages is better
 

Deleted member 3017

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sir_crocodile said:
Reading the bit on Zelda 2, their take on it trash so I won't bother to scroll down anymore. I completed it for the first time when I was very young and the only thing I found difficult was the final dungeon. It's really not that opaque.
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It's incredibly opaque by modern standards. Still one of my all time favorite games.
 
Hippopuncher12

Hippopuncher12

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,256
Cincinnati
Not a bad ranking but I hate BoTW so that being number 1 is obviously not going to be the same as me, but outside of that stuff like Minish Cap and AoL are too low. The top 5 outside of BoTW looks good to me though.
 
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