I'd say Phantom Hourglass would illicit a "huh" from me if listed as someone's favorite Zelda. It's fine for what it is, I just think every other Zelda I've played is better/more interesting.
Which mainline Zelda game would you be most surprised for someone to say is their favourite?
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I basically didn't play video games from the end of the N64 era until the Wii came out, so that's probably why I have a softer spot than most for it! I thought the dungeon design was top notch, and my opinion holds even now. It's certainly enough to put it ahead of WW and SS imo.
I always get weird looks when I tell me (completely serious, btw) that my favorite game in the series is Zelda 2: AoL.
It's dwindled down over the years but people used to get pissed if u trashed Skyward Sword.
But I do see less and less people stan it nowadays.
Hey, Spirit Tracks was great! The unfair maligning of this game must end! At the very least it felt like an improvement over Phantom Hourglass in all respects, so I find it weird to see PH ranked above ST.
To answer the question... Zelda 2 is such a a weird departure mechanically, so maybe that? Honestly it says something about the series' quality that I can see any game being someone's favorite.
To answer the question... Zelda 2 is such a a weird departure mechanically, so maybe that? Honestly it says something about the series' quality that I can see any game being someone's favorite.
Zelda 2. It completely goes against everything that was set up in Zelda 1 and obviously the rest of the series that follows. I played it as an adult but enemies were fucking tough, the game was unforgiving sending you back to the starting area of you died and many "puzzles" have no hints at all. I used a guide because I was stuck so often and it's supposed be more linear, I recall a part where to progress you have moved past a fake wall but there was no clue that was even a thing up to that point.
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Zelda II. I can easily believe there's been a more modern appreciation for it now, but I just haven't seen it. I grew up in a time where if you asked someone what the worst game sequels were, they would probably say something like "Zelda II and Simon's Quest". I liked it plenty, it was the first and still one of the only video games my mother ever played and actually beat (the others being LIMBO and the entire Professor Layton series, lol), so it was a favorite of our household.
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I think it's either Zelda 1 or Zelda 2 for me. Zelda 2 for being way too different from the other games and just not looking very fun, and Zelda 1 because I just personally find it really barebones for today's standards and as far as I'm concerned Zelda only really became Zelda with ALTTP. Usually the only people I see picking those as their favorites are people who grew up with them.
Zelda 1 is pretty obtuse without a guide and it doesn't even have real puzzles IIRC, the dungeons are basically just enemy gauntlets which is boring. Another reason I could never get into it is because I'm one of those people who actually cares about story in Zelda games and it's pretty much inexistent there.
Zelda 1 is pretty obtuse without a guide and it doesn't even have real puzzles IIRC, the dungeons are basically just enemy gauntlets which is boring. Another reason I could never get into it is because I'm one of those people who actually cares about story in Zelda games and it's pretty much inexistent there.
Initial instinct was to say Skyward Sword, since it's probably my least favourite, but putting a little thought into it I can see why people would have it as theirs, even if I disagree.
Thinking about it, maybe A Link Between Worlds? Not because its bad or anything - quite the opposite, in fact, it's great! - but I do think it is something more familiar than fresh. Again, not in and of itself a bad thing, but I do think freshness helps to stand out and be a person's absolute favourite. ALBW is a game I can totally understand doing well on "best Zelda games" at an IGN or Gamespot for example, because everyone likes it, but I'd be a little surprised if it was somebody's number one.
This is not taking into account the various mainline Zeldas that I haven't played like Spirit Tracks or PHourglass, because I can't personally speak to their quality or uniqueness, really.
Thinking about it, maybe A Link Between Worlds? Not because its bad or anything - quite the opposite, in fact, it's great! - but I do think it is something more familiar than fresh. Again, not in and of itself a bad thing, but I do think freshness helps to stand out and be a person's absolute favourite. ALBW is a game I can totally understand doing well on "best Zelda games" at an IGN or Gamespot for example, because everyone likes it, but I'd be a little surprised if it was somebody's number one.
This is not taking into account the various mainline Zeldas that I haven't played like Spirit Tracks or PHourglass, because I can't personally speak to their quality or uniqueness, really.
I mean I wouldn't be surprised to see that (or TotK) as someone's favorite because so many people like those games. I'd just be silently judgemental because I personally find them really bland/mediocre, lol
Spirit tracks is great
It sucks that it gets lumped with phantom hourglass when its a pretty great game with some excellenr music
It sucks that it gets lumped with phantom hourglass when its a pretty great game with some excellenr music
Came in to say Twilight Princess, but saw the Spirit Tracks comments, and yeah, it's Spirit Tracks.
None would surprise me. They all offer such a different experience.
Now, I have a close friend of mine who's favorite Star Wars movie is Attack of the Clones....
Now, I have a close friend of mine who's favorite Star Wars movie is Attack of the Clones....
Tri Force Heroes counts right? Now that the online servers got switched off I imagine it's even worse now.
Well…Of the 5-6 Zelda games I've played, Oracle of ages is still the one I enjoyed the most.
So there's at least one person that would call it their favorite :)
Aside from the true answers (Four Swords Adventures because it is the least accessible, Tri Force Heroes because it is the least good) I would be shocked if someone preferred Phantom Hourglass to the rest of the franchise. The main 3D games all have their passionate fans and so do pretty much all the 2D games (even the lesser played Capcom ones).
If someone's favorite Zelda was Phantom Hourglass, I would be really curious to know what their favorite games of all time are.
For real if you are reading this and your favorite Zelda is PH, let me know some of your other favorite games because that is a very interesting taste.
For real if you are reading this and your favorite Zelda is PH, let me know some of your other favorite games because that is a very interesting taste.
Definitely II. Because it's a fantastic game, but it's the most radically different from the rest. Even though Zelda II was out first, I associate that style more with the early Ys games like Ys III than Zelda.