Published , by Greg Burke
Published , by Greg Burke
Everyone and their grandma has a Zelda tier list, so we are counting down the top 10 best Zelda video games on this episode. The Zelda franchised has gained some new life with 2017's release of Breath of the Wild and we are even getting a new remake of Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch later this year. We reached out to our staff and community on Twitter and our Chatty forum for votes. Please take a look at the video to find out which Zelda game took our top spot.
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These two quirky Zelda games were not developed internally at Nintendo, but by Capcom subsidiary Flagship. The games were released for Game Boy Color in 2001 and were surprisingly good.
A Link Between Worlds is the spiritual successor to the SNES classic A Link to the Past. The game features a very novel flat Link gameplay mechanic that allows for a whole new kind of traversal in the game. The puzzles and dungeons were great, and the music brought back all those sweet Zelda feelings. It also featured Ravio, an insufferable squatter who rents and sells you items. This allowed for players to really figure out which dungeons they needed weapons for, but Ravio really was pretty awful. Maybe the worst character ever, but I digress.
This was the first Zelda game to be released on the Nintendo Wii home console and it introduced some new weapons. Players would have to waggle their way to victory as they navigated some very interesting dungeons.
Ah, the gold cartridge. This Nintendo Entertainment System game set the bar for action RPG games. It is still an amazing game all these years later, and it featured the iconic music that the series has become well known for. That dungeon theme still gets me excited every time I hear it. Even the title screen owned. If you haven't played this game, check it out on Nintendo Switch Online's NES app.
The second Zelda title to be released on Nintendo 64, Majora's Mask was the sequel to the critically-acclaimed Ocarina of Time. The game made time a huge part of gameplay with a ticking clock that Jack Bauer basically stole for 24. In Majora's Mask, players had three days to stop a cataclysmic event from happening. This game was truly ahead of its time, and deserves to be recognized alongside some of the finest Zelda games.
A quirky side project at Nintendo that ended up turning into a game. Link's Awakening even features art assets from other franchises. There are Chain Chomps and all sorts of funny crossover characters in this Game Boy classic. Nintendo clearly holds this game in high regards as they have announced that Nintendo Switch owners will be treated to a remake later this year.
A whole new look for the Zelda franchise, Wind Waker really broke the mold and told a wonderful story as Link took to the high seas. Even though it was drastically different than the footage shown at a GameCube preview event at Nintendo Space World, Wind Waker is definitely a special game that deserves the fourth spot on our list.
A Link to the Past is a Super Nintendo Entertainment System classic. The game told an amazing story and doubled the map size with the introduction of the dark world. The music in this game really showcased the SNES hardware, and LTTP really holds up to this day. I even had to play it for my Shack Homework live on stream.
Okay, okay. Settle down. I know. This game isn't number one on our list, but it is still one of the best games ever made. This N64 classic set the bar for 3D adventure games. The music was outstanding, with themes that are truly legendary. Ocarina of Time introduced Z-targeting, which really did become a staple in gameplay design for years to come. This game is great, and so is the next one on our list.
Sometimes a game comes out that is so perfect that even Shacknews has to give it a ten out of te... wait, we gave this a 9/10 on our review? Seriously? Whatever. This game reinvented Zelda by boldly removing dungeons and replacing them with Shrines and Divine Beasts. Breath of the Wild lets you explore, and each player ends up telling their own story with an amazing array of new powers . Breath of the Wild is essentially an endpoint for the story of the Hero of Time and it truly stands at the top of the Zelda franchise as the series as a nearly perfect game.
Which Zelda video game did you think should have been included in this list? Are Zelda's elbows too pointy in Breath of the Wild? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
If you have a suggestion for a future episode of Shack's Top 10, please let us know in the comments section or tweet @shacknews & @GregBurke85 with #Top10.