The best Legend of Zelda games you must play
The iconic and everyone’s favourite The Legend of Zelda franchise has provided us with some groundbreaking gaming experiences over the years. Since the release of the original Zelda back in 1986 the franchise has delivered time and time again with classics after classics. Here, we have listed some of the best Legend of Zelda games you must play before you die.
Over the years the Zelda game formula has worked great. Those Puzzles, Dungeons, The Princess, the Kingdom and the super-strong Knight. These have been the core elements of all the Zelda games over the years, but somehow every game feels so much different with its lore, story and even characters. The series has had 20 major titles out of which one can easily argue that at least 3 of them are up there in the debate for the greatest game ever made! That’s just how iconic the series is.
Let’s take a look at our 5 of the best Legend of Zelda Games so far.
5. The Legend of Zelda A Link to the past
Released by Nintendo originally in 1991 the game received an overwhelming response. The top-down approach was brought back similar to the original game. The game introduced the iconic Master Sword and brought so much to the franchise like the parallel world and perfected so much more learning from the previous 2 games. The game also introduces parallel worlds through which Link travels using the Magic Mirror. It is often claimed as one of the best games of all time and has featured on various generations of Nintendo consoles, the most recent being the Nintendo Switch.
The story takes place a few years before the original game and connects to an alternate reality where the hero fails and this results in Ganon acquiring his dark beast form and transforming the sacred realm into the dark world. The goal remains the same as the game kicks off with Link trying to save Zelda and Hyrule.
Metacritic score – 95%
4. The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask
The direct sequel to The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time was released in the year 2000 for Nintendo 64. The game takes place 2 months after the incidents of Ocarina of Time when Links finds himself in Termina, a world parallel to Hyrule. Upon reaching Termina Link learns that the world is endangered and the Moon will fall onto the world in 3 days.
Majora’s Mask earned widespread acclaim from critics and is widely considered one of the best games of all time. It received praise for the gameplay, graphics, story and has been noted for its darker tone and themes, its distinct art style and level design
Metacritic score – 95%.
3. The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
Nintendo published Twilight Princess in 2006, since then the game has sold millions of copies and was the highest-selling game of the franchise until it was taken over by Breath of the Wild. Twilight Princess was critically acclaimed upon its release and received numerous awards.
The game takes place 100 years after the incidents of Ocarina of time. The story focuses on the series protagonist Link, who tries to prevent Hyrule from being engulfed by a parallel evil dimension known as the Twilight Realm. The story features Link in two forms, one as a Hylian and one as a wolf which he can transform into, and is assisted by Midna a mysterious creature.
Metacritic score – 95%
2.The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
It’s been 5 years since Breath of the wild came out and I still can’t get enough! The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild was a genius move by Nintendo as they changed the Zelda formula after more than 20 years!
Breath of the Wild’s core idea was to provide players as much freedom to the players as they could imagine and that’s something the original Zelda was based upon. It was a risky move, but It definitely paid off. The game sold more than 25 million copies and became (dare I say) the best launch title for a console ever.
The game won various awards and was highly appreciated for its open-world game design and provides one of the most immersive experiences a game could ever provide! Every part of the Map was connected and there were no loading screens as you traverse through the huge Hyrule Kingdom. The huge map featured snow mountains, Dense forests, open plains, hot desert, swamps and beaches.
Even though the game lacked slightly in the story department, it still gets claimed as one of the best games ever made! With the sequel lined up this year(Read more about the sequel here), Nintendo might want to improve upon the story elements for the already gorgeous Hyrule Kingdom of Breath of the Wild
Metacritic score – 97%!
1.The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
The Game that revolutionized the upcoming generation of the video game industry, the very iconic and highly loved classic 3d Zelda, Ocarina of Time. The game was the first 3D game of the already popular franchise and boy, what a game it was! Everything about the game felt fresh with amazing concepts and a level design of top-notch quality.
Ocarina of Time received widespread acclaim from critics and consumers and won several awards, praised for its visuals, sound, gameplay, soundtrack, and writing. The game has been ranked by numerous publications as the greatest game of all time and has a remarkable all-time high Metacritic score of 98. Ocarina of time till date maintains the top spot as the best Legend of Zelda game of all time!
Metacritic score – 98%
Here was our list of the best Legend of Zelda games so far! We’d love to hear about your favourite title from the franchise!
