Hard to accurately rank them since some of them are a big blur and some are really close together, but it'd probably look something like this for me, at the moment:
18. Wand of Gamelon (Yes, I do actually own this and have played it )
17. Zelda 2
16. Four Swords
15. Phantom Hourglass
14. Majora's Mask
13. Spirit Tracks
12. Legend of Zelda
11. Breath of the Wild
10. Ocarina of Time
9. Oracle of Seasons
8. Oracle of Ages
7. Skyward Sword
6. Minish Cap
5. Link's Awakening
4. Twilight Princess
3. A Link to the Past
2. Wind Waker
1. A Link Between Worlds
I feel whatever ire that game may have had in its debut has largely subsided since Skyward Sword and even Breath of the Wild. SS I feel is the most disliked of the "main games" with Tri Force Heroes probably being the most hated side game. While people who hated the direction of BotW now tend to cite TP as the last true Zelda.
Due to having forgotten a lot about the game, I've decided to replay A Link Between Worlds. To make this playthrough a bit more memorable for me, I'm playing it on Hero Mode, which I'm already regretting when dealing with the StreetPass nonsense as it takes me like six hits to kill a basic starter Link, while my opponent only needs to land two hits. Oddly enough, I almost feel like Hero Mode simply makes Link as flimsy as his Zelda 1 incarnation, so I do need to be more careful, and Heart Containers are way more important in this one.
I have just acquired the Wisdom Pendant. I've rented the majority of the tools from Ravio except the Fire and Ice Rods, which I know don't get much use until later. I really do feel they did a great job with the painting mechanic, it may seem silly, but unlike a lot of other gimmicks in the series, this one gets a lot of uses throughout the game, so I really appreciate that. The first proper dungeon was mostly a joke, but I did like the last section that tries to get you familiar with the painting mechanic.
The second dungeon at the windmill was much better, but I was a bit disappointed by how much the Wind Staff really trivializes everything in the dungeon. I did like the mini-bosses and the final boss of the dungeon, but I also feel like the game should have mixed things up and made one of them weak to a different tool. I feel my biggest issue with the Tool Rental mechanic so far is that it opens up Hyrule way too quickly, but more annoyingly, I feel the idea kind of cheapens the exploration of the game more. Like I'm kind of getting annoyed how often all these secrets I'm uncovering mostly turn out to be Rupees, whereas really useful stuff like Power Gloves and the Pegasus Boots are acquired really easily by just talking to a few NPCs. Getting Zora Flippers in LttP is a bit of a pain, even when you know what you're doing and they weren't even required to beat the game though they made doing so much easier. Here, the biggest issue is just the tedium of needing to go from Zora's Domain to Kakariko Village and back, and even then, the Warp mechanic unlocks early in this game, making even that problem a minor gripe at most. I guess my issue is that I don;t really feel like I'm earning my sense of accomplishment, but rather just being handed it. What rewards I do find is mostly there to soften the blow on the chance I get killed in battle and Ravio takes back all his loot, which considering I'm over 2000 rupees now, is hardly going to bother me, especially since there isn't really much of anything left to buy at the moment. I guess I just feel like the team made this game a little too user friendly...
I do like the characters though. The Blacksmith family is quirky and fun, the Zoras were hilarious, and I love my little witch girl. I am a little disappointed that the first two sages really don't get much screen time before they get captured. Yuga is okay, not exactly my favorite Zelda villain, but it's nice to have someone who is more prominent in the plot after playing through the DS entries where the villain is just some vague evil demon who appears at the end. I also love the Zelda fan theory that believes that Gramps, the old man who runs the Shadow Link Streetpass game, is actually the Hero of Legend from LttP. Made even more amusing if you ever complete his silly trials and actually unlock him as a hidden boss fight where he's the hardest enemy in the game.
Okay, so enough of my silly observations, more Zelda questions:
Which incarnation of Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, and Impa is your favorite?
Who is your favorite side character in the series?
Who is our favorite non-Ganon villain in the series?
This thread has actually made me restart Phantom Hourglass as I also play Trails in the Sky in the meantime. I have both PH and Spirit Tracks borrowed from my brother and I haven’t beaten either yet, and since I’m focusing on new games this year, I’ve decided to give them a whirl. Phantom Hourglass is actually much more fun than I remember it being. I’m actually gonna play the Oracle games after I’m done with these.
To answer your questions, these are hard to pick. I like various Links for various things. Wind Waker’s is the most expressive, and I really like Twilight Princess’s Link for simply looking so cool. But I think BotW Link actually holds a special place in my heart because it’s basically accepted by the fan community that he’s this reckless survivalist wild child, just based on the gameplay of BotW, and it’s such an amusing contrast to the knightly Links we’ve had before. It’s also hard to pick a best Zelda. TP Zelda is, similarly to Link, the most regal incarnation in the series, Skyward Sword Zelda is just incredibly sweet in the best way possible, but I think BotW wins again for me because we actually get to look so much into Zelda’s human side, her internal conflicts, her incredibly ambivalent relationship with her father, and how she grows from being incredibly curt with Link to genuinely caring for him (but of course, considering the design of this game, how much you see of that entirely depends on you, so people’s perception of Zelda may differ accordingly). BotW Ganon is not getting this spot, even though I think they’ve done something incredibly interesting with him, but he’s not really a character in this game. Wind Waker Ganondorf wins for me, if only for his awesome character design. Otherwise, I feel like he’s very similar to his OoT and TP incarnations (which makes sense as it’s actually the exact same character and not a reincarnation). I was never a fan of OoT Impa, so for me it’s really a tie between Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild, though SS gets a slight edge. BotW Impa is basically the cool old lady mentor, but she really doesn’t do anything to add to this trope, nor does she really have much to do in the game. SS Impa is great because of her two incarnations, both of which have incredibly cool designs, and she’s just an important presence all throughout the game.
Side characters are hard to choose from since there’s been lots. The pirate crew in WW, Groose in SS, the Champions in BotW are all great. If companions count, then Midna wins this. If they don’t, I choose Tingle. I just love that guy tbh.
As for non-Ganon enemy, I don’t really know since I haven’t really dove deep into the games without him. I guess Majora and Skull Kid by extension win this just for the sheer, existential dread that they bring to the table.
And I’m gonna actually finish this off with a question of my own:
Favorite OST would be Skyward Sword. Sure, other Zelda games have specific themes that are more memorable, but Skyward Sword's OST wins out overall.
As for the other questions,
Favorite Ganon: Ganondorf from OoT/WW/TP. Hey, they're all the same character after all . If I had to pick one appearance specifically though, Wind Waker's.
Favorite Zelda: Tetra (surely she counts), for being a great character in general on top of being a refreshing change from the typical Zelda.
Favorite side character: Wind Waker's king of Hyrule/King of Red Lions
Favorite Link: Well, not much personality to judge here so I'll go with Breath of the Wild's Link, just because of his traversal skills and the fact you can drastically change his outfit (as opposed to just recoloring his tunic in some other games)
Favorite Impa: None of them really stand out to me but I guess Skyward Sword's?
Favourite OST: Think I'll agree on Skyward Sword. It's the most complete out of all the OSTs. Though for individual tracks I have to say The Great Sea theme from The Wind Waker just encapsulates exploring the wide open ocean to me.
Favourite Ganon: OoT - purely because I loved the Dark Ganon fight right at the very end.
Favourite Zelda: Breath of the Wild, honestly because she feels more of a fleshed-out character than a plot driver. Like Fynn said, we see more of a human side to her.
Favourite Link: I'm largely indifferent here. Link is Link to me.
Favourite Impa: Skyward Sword, it's her most impactful appearance.
Favourite Side-Character: Cremia from Majora's Mask. I think MM did a good job of making so many of the NPCs seem like actual people, but Cremia's kindheartedness - and how she puts on a brave face for Romani, granting her wish, knowing full-well of the impeding doom ahead of them, really struck a chord with me.
Favourite Non-Ganon Villain:I guess Vaati is the only one really up there.
Favorite Ganondorf: WW is actually my favorite. I disagree about saying he's the same as his OoT and TP incarnations, because while they are all the same character, they're also all different due to their experiences from the split timeline. OoT is young and cocky, TP is bitter about being sealed away but now has a bit more of a god-complex due to the Triforce of Power saving him, hile WW's Ganondorf is wiser and more reflective since he was defeated by Link, making him a bit more humble. WW for me is the first entry to actually try to make Ganondorf feel like something more than the token bad guy, so he wins out for me.
Favorite Zelda: Spirit Tracks, easily. I absolutely appreciate how she was made to be a subversion of previous Zelda's and how often she's used to poke fun at Zelda's bad reputation among fans of the series.
Favorite Link: Probably the toughest for me. I feel the manga adaption of Link fro LttP has really colored my perception of him in that game, so I've always had a soft spot for the Hero of Legend, especially when you see him again in Link's Awakening. Though I also really liked his incarnations from WW and TP. Both feel really put upon, but I love the fact that both are motivated by more than just saving Hyrule with TP Link slowly discovering his unknown destiny as the descendant of the Hero of Time, whereas WW Link spends most of his game trying to earn the blessing of the gods because no matter how much he accomplishes, they still don't think he has what it takes to fill the shoes of the Hero of Time, which is really fitting when you think about WW's reception and how much the fanbase loves OoT in comparison.
Favorite Side Character: I don't want to pick companions, because that's too easy, instead I'm thinking just a minor NPC or maybe someone plot important, but not a companion. So Marin from Link's Awakening is one of my favorites in the series.
Favorite Non-Ganon Villain: There are not many to choose from, but I may give this to either the Nightmares in LA, which really turn your head about your actions in the game. You have to kind of see them as a collective consciousness but they really added to the story. Majora is also a safe bet since their prescense is felt throughout the game and I love the mystery surrounding their origin and motive. Finally Hilda from ALBW, who is more of a anti-villain but something not seen very often in the fairly black and white world of Hyrule.
Favorite Soundtrack: Either Ocarina of Time for mostly solidifying the OST of the series or Twilight Princess which has some really groovy pieces like the Mian Theme and Midna's Lament. Though iconic themes like Zelda's Theme, Lost Woods Theme, and Ganon's Theme all debuted in A Link to the Past, OoT's versions are probably the most well known incarnations and they added a bunch of themes that have been remixed into future entries.
Favorite Zelda: BotW. The memories give her more presence in BotW than she has in most of the other Zelda games I've played.
Favorite Ganon: Link to the Past
Favorite side character - Meh Zelda games don't generally have enough character development for me to care so "It's a secret to everyone" Moblin gets my pick.
Favorite Soundtrack - the original or Link to the Past
Main reason is the main Legend of Zelda theme. The original introduced it, but Link to the Past has better sound quality and kept it for the overworld theme. Later games either didn't have it or relegated it to obscure places so they're automatically worse.
Favorite Link - Eh. They're pretty much all the same.
For my favorite soundtrack, I’m actually gonna pick Breath of the Wild. I know it’s a controversial option because it’s so unlike any Zelda OST, but that’s also precisely why I’m picking it. It’s the perfect OST in that it is ideal for the game it’s attached to. There’s the overall minimalist, piano-heavy, melancholy vibe that makes this essentially post-apocalyptic Hyrule feel unlike any other open world I’ve explored. It’s also an incredibly bold step in artistic terms, as I don’t think I’ve ever heard a game’s soundtrack that veers so heavily into contemporary art music, which I love dearly. And then there’s just the incredible way this soundtrack brings back some old themes. Hyrule Castle is just phenomenal overall, bringing together the traditional series theme, Zelda’s theme and Gabon’s theme, but it’s the Temple og Time theme being just a broken version of the original that really speaks to the level of artistry this OST represents. And then there’s just the BotW Main Theme that just radiates Ghibli energy.
I finally got the Pendant of Power after doing the new Tower of Hera. I feel the boss was better in the original for being more difficult to beat, but I feel the remake dungeon is actually a better dungeon with a real sense of vertical challenge. Funny enough, the boss was tough for me, but that actually be cause getting hit three times by him was enough to actually kill me. I have tried my best to scrounge up as much of the heart containers I can currently access so I'm not a complete glass cannon, but entering Lorule was enough to teach me that ended quickly.
Anyway, with the tower beaten, I unlocked the alien octopus quest and have been collecting a few of them. I have not traded any in yet, cause I'm still trying to complete some of the StreetPass Challenges and they require the original version of most of the game items. The Lost Woods lived up to their name better in this game than they did in LttP, but getting the Master Sword in this title doesn't quite feel as important. Maybe because Yura doesn't strike me as terrifying, and perhaps because Ganon in this title is way less powerful than he was in LttP from a lore stand point. Hyrule Castle was interesting, especially since it was very different from LttP. The rematch with Yura was surprisingly easy though. I finally got to meet Hilda and see the wonderful stage show she had set up for me. I learned pretty quickly that most creatures in Lorule can currently one shot me, so I may need to figure out where the Blue or Red Mail is and make them my priority for dungeons to conquer next. I did swing by Ravio's house and read his diary, which is the only other change in Hero Mode. Got my fourth bottle and transferred back to Hyrule to finally use all these Rupees I've been hoarding to purchase my items once and for all. I made sure to use the half off on the Ice Rod since both it and the Fire Rod are the most expensive. With that, I've purchased everything but the Boomerang, Hammer, Fire Rod, and the Sand Rod which is still unavailable to me. Not sure where I'm going to start with the dungeons. Will likely avoid the Ice Tower for the time being despite knowing the Red Mail is there since that place is still a pain in the ass like it was in LttP. I may tackle the Thieves Hideout first since it was the most memorable dungeon for me the first time through.
More Zelda Questions:
What's your favorite recurring Zelda item/tool?
What's your favorite game specific item/tool?
Favorite Dungeon?
Least Favorite Dungeon?
Favorite recurring tool is probably the bow. That or the hookshot. I don’t know why, I just think they’re neat.
Favorite game-specific tool is a bit tougher. I think it’s gonna be something from Twilight Princess since I remember those gadgets being cool, even if they were used for all of one dungeon each. I’d say that spinning top thing was cool, for example.
Favorite dungeon is still and probably always will be the Great Cistern from Skyward Sword. It’s an incredibly imaginative dungeon that tells a story all its own just through its architecture and the way you progress it. To this day it’s my most satisfying Zelda dungeon experience.
Least favorite - while I generally liked the shrines and divine beasts in Breath of the Wild a lot, even if they were nowhere near as robust as other dungeons in the series, there was one Divine Beast dungeon I have to choose for this one but it’s not because of sone poor design choice of anything - it’s because it made me nauseous. It was probably Vah Neboris or the flying one - the one where you have to keep spinning the thing around and constantly look at walls and ceilings. No thank you. Other than that, I don’t think I’ve disliked a single dungeon in Zelda. They’re all such a fun part of the game.
Favorite Tool: Probably the Hookshot, especially the double clawshot from TP and SS. My second choice would either be the Pegasus Boots or the Roc Feather.
Favorite Game specific Tool: Probably the masks from Majora's Mask. bit specifically either the Bunny Ears that doubled your speed, or the Goron Mask.
Favorite Dungeon: Oof, tough one. Either the Thieves Hideout from LttP, it's Lorule counterpart in ALBW, or Death Mountain from TP.
Least Favorite: I feel the easy low hanging fruit here would be to list off the dungeons from Zelda 2, but that feels like a cop out. I'm going to say either Level 6 from Zelda 1 where Wizzrobes are first introduced, the Fire Temple from OoT cause I find it annoying to track down all the Gorons, The Great Bay Dungeon from MM cause it's even more annoying than OoT's Water Temple, or the Ocean King Temple from Phantom Hourglass for being kind of repetitive and slowing down the game.
Update Time:
I've finished the Dark Palace and Skull Woods Dungeon, forgot I had to figure out a password to get into the Thieves Dungeon but I was oddly able to figure it out without much effort when I actually tried. I was able to gain two pieces of Master Ore, allowing the Hyrule Blacksmith to upgrade the Master Sword to its tempered form. I'm still a glass cannon, but the cannon part is being heavily emphasized. I was also finally able to buy all of the available weapons. I'm still missing the Sand Wand since one of the Sages has it and I can't quite figure out which temple he's specifically at. Knowing my luck, he's at he Water themed dungeon, which requires I get the Titan Mitts first to reach since it retained the annoying "do something in the Light World to affect the Dark World" which technically shouldn't really work in this game when I think about it. What really irks me is that the Swamp dungeon has the damn Blue Tunic in this game, and I need the Sand Wand to get there.
I do feel I need to start training in my alien squid babies for Item upgrades, but I need to check what I've accomplished so far so I don't accidentally lock myself out of the optional boss. Thankfully, I've already accomplished one of the tougher challenges in beating an opponent with the Lantern. That one is a bitch. I've collected over sixty of the alien squid babies, so I really don't have much left to go.
More Questions:
Favorite Dungeon Boss (No Final bosses)?
Least Favorite Dungeon Boss?
Favorite Minigame?
Least Favorite?
Fav boss - Turtle Rock boss is definitely up there. Also multi-headed dragon boss from the original.
Least fav boss - I'm sure there are worse ones (probably plenty in OoT) but right now what comes to mind is how annoying the Death Mountain boss in LttP can be.
Fav Minigame. - Just no. I don't like Zelda minigames. Only ever play them for pieces of heart.
Fave Dungeon Boss: Probably the Boss of the Fire or Water temples in Twilight Princess, largely because they require using several items besides the dungeon item, and partyly because I love the aesthetics of the fight. Blinding a giant and then tripping him up on his own ball and chain to get to the weak point was clever, and I love the Shadow of the Colossus feel of the eel worm boss in the Water Temple.
Least Favorite: Probably Rebonack from Zelda II, Blue Iron Knuckles are cheating bastard and the boss form might be the worst. For more "standard bosses" probably Fraaz from Spirit Tracks, which is a clever fight since it revolves around using the boomerang to hit him with his own weakness, but this boss has way too much health and proves to be the fight where the controls of the game are problematic since using the boomerang makes you a sitting duck and the boss is certainly not going to sit there and give you the chance to draw the boomerang pathway for you.
Favorite Minigame: Probably Goron Sumo Wrestling, which was a neat and novel idea that comes to play in a later boss fight. I also did grow to love the Octoball game in ALBW, and I'm always partial to the fishing minigames. The one aspect I tend to like about Zelda minigames over say... Kingdom Hearts, is that Zelda is kind enough to usually make the valuable prizes like Heart Pieces be a mid-tier or secondary prize instead of the high score only prize. Granted there are exceptions to this rule, but more often than not, the better prizes can usually be gained rather easily like how the Boss Rush minigame in Skyward Sword awards you the heart piece for four battles, the Hylian Shield for eight battles, and the final tenth round is usually just either Rupees or a rare material.
Least Favorite: Probably any minigame that is pure RNG like the majority of the ones in LttP. The treasure chest mini-game is probably the worst offender since it actually has a heart piece as a prize. For games of skill, probably anything that involves using the bow while riding Epona. Multi-tasking is hardly my strong point and these minigames show it.
Update time!
Two more dungeons finished. I do still love the Thieves Dungeon in this game, probably one of the better subverted dungeons in the game since this one involves an escort mission, and tricks you into thinking they're going to pull the same stunt as in LttP. This is also one of the better redone boss fights from the original and the one that really makes the Picture Link mechanic really shine for me. Still my favorite dungeon so far except maybe the lone original dungeon House of Gales.
To my surprise, the Sage who took the Sand Rod was in this dungeon, so I have finally obtained all of the tool items. This led me to Misery Mire, which I forgot was really the Desert Dungeon. It's a pretty clever dungeon, much less annoying the second time around, I even had an easier time with the boss. Unfortunately for me, I got Misery Mire and the Swamp Palace mixed up, despite Misery Mire clearly being a swamp, the smurfing Water dungeon is the actual "Smamp" Palace. So my reward was the Titan Mitts instead, which are still useful, but now I'm realizing the Blue Mail may be for naught since I'll only have two dungeons left to beat before I get to Lorule Castle and the Red Mail. Oh well, whatever. I'm now trying to do the Swamp Palace. Still haven't upgraded any of my items, but not really seeing much reason for it either.
I only need five more Heart Pieces, but I have thankfully grabbed the majority of them that are prizes in the minigames. So I only need Eight Heart Pieces now.
As for the next set of questions:
Most underrated Tool?
Favorite Side Quest?
Favorite mode of transportation?
Favorite recurring musical theme?
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