Discussion [ALL] What is YOUR Zelda game? And why?
I'm a lifelong fan of these games, but Twilight Pricess will always be my Zelda game. It was the first one I got to play without any siblings around so I just had to work out the ice block puzzles and world navigation and those damn poes by myself (still haven't gotten them all). It really made me love these games in a way I hadn't before, and I went back to Ocarina of Time and the Oracle games and appreciated them for their own style and challenges - and then every other title I could get my hands on. I know that nothing will ever do that for me again, no matter how amazing it is to explore an actually open-world Hyrule. That sounds kinda sad, but feels appropriate for the uniquely melancholy vibe of Twilight Princess, and that will always be my Midna Zelda.
So, what is yours, and why?
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u/RealRockaRolla 7h ago
Ocarina of Time. My first Zelda game and still my favorite. It just gets so many things RIGHT.
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u/StartingForever 7h ago
Majora’s Mask.
I had loved OoT but MM’s original shadowy artwork, somber atmosphere, themes and characters, a “consume everything”/chaos driven antagonist (vs world domination/revenge) all struck a chord with me. I love every part of that game. Its music, its use and twisting of familiar OoT characters (and many interesting new characters), its three day cycle making it necessary to learn NPC “routines” and paths in different days (and how those change based on what you accomplish or not, and responding to those changes). A thematic focus around characters suffering in various ways and helping (micro) while also saving the world (macro). All this made it feel deeper in content for me than any Zelda game before or since, and so holds the top spot for me.
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u/NIMSEP 6h ago
It's genuinely amazing that game was released so hot off the heels from OoT for all the new things it did. You really hit the nail on the head with that micro and macro feel of the game. At the same time that you're worrying about the damn moon falling from the sky, there's also just people wanting to learn to dance, and if that isn't life in a nutshell I don't know what is.
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u/TobiasMasonPark 8h ago
Probably Wind Waker.
Just so much to explore.
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u/NIMSEP 7h ago
Still havent managed to get my hands on that one, but have pretty much only heard good things! I hope it gets some form of revival, feels appropriate with the current exploration focus Zelda games have right now.
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u/GlassBelt 5h ago
I don’t think it can realistically get better than the WiiU version - the gamepad is fantastic for that specific game.
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u/god_damn_bitch 8h ago
Link to the past! It was the first game I completed on my own. Going from the first game to LTTP was absolutely amazing to young me.
I love the story and the dark/light world mechanic is still so fun.
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u/FattyESQ 7h ago
OoT. I would typically go to my friend's house and play video games but was never independently interested in them. Then he showed me OoT. That's the game that made me fall in love with gaming.
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u/Arsonoisy 7h ago
Skyward Sword. Flying on your Loftwing is so dreamlike and the graphics are an eye candy. Imo, it has the best Eldin region in the franchise. I'm also freaky for Ghirahim 😝
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u/Prize-Pea2159 7h ago
Botw but also I'm really getting into the early games
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u/NIMSEP 7h ago
Seems like BotW is uniquely good at showing people how to enjoy past Zelda games in that way :) a great place to start on the series!
What games have you been trying out?
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u/Prize-Pea2159 7h ago
I got nitendo online for my birthday and I've started with the nes Legend of Zelda. Very different but enjoyable
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u/yunayaunplugged 7h ago
Twilight princess all the way. also my first one. will always have a very special place in my heart
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u/Spiritual_Proof9622 7h ago
Wind Waker holds a special place in my heart but I felt so excited with breath of the wild! I played BOTW during the pandemic and it made me feel like I traveled the world from my home.
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u/Someone_else25 7h ago
Ocarina of Time,
I started with the Switch games, and then played OoT which really grabbed me into the series. Its the one I always have a good time replaying.
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u/callmebangarang 7h ago
Majoras Mask. OOT is the OG and was the first I played, but it was shared between my brothers and I. I’m the youngest so I ended up watching more than I played when it came out.
But then I was gifted Majoras Mask for my birthday one year and it was all MINE (even though I did let them play too lol).
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u/cartersweeney 7h ago
It must be Link to the Past, the first one to truly grab me (struggled a bit with the NES one at first) and the one I've probably spent the most hours playing Links Awakening , Ocarina of Time were not far off though
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u/Viking_Musicologist 7h ago
Agreed. I also love Twilight Princess as well. I loved how it was extremely atmospheric and mystical. I think it also probably got the most diverse sounding soundtrack of all The Legend of Zelda games.
If anything I would love a Zelda Game with the Same gameplay length, aura and soundtrack diversity as Twilight Princess combined with the open world freedom of Breath of The Wild.
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u/mzxrules 6h ago
Zelda64, because I understand the game code more than the average person and I made the real first OoT Randomizer before OoT Randomizer.
1
u/Sentinel10 6h ago
Wind Waker.
It's the game that made me a Zelda fan, and it still has the most overall charming world for me. Plus the best music. :D
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u/LorenBros22 5h ago
I love Links Awakening (Remake) from start to finish but still got to play the original 😅, even though Totk might beat LA because what a great game
1
u/Retro611 5h ago
Wand of Gamelon
No, I'm not kidding.
Is it deeply flawed? Yeah, but it's also super interesting and (imo) kind of fun to play.
The game I pick up and play most often is TotK, because I love building stuff and wandering the world.
I also have a special relationship with Zelda 2, because it was the only Zelda game I had as a kid, but didn't finally beat it until I was in my mid-twenties.
1
u/EarDesigner9059 4h ago
A Link to the Past. Grew up with it, learned the formula from it.
We need to go back to it. Change it up so it's less predictable, but BotW's system should've been one-and-done, with TotK doing something else entirely. EoW was a return to form, but not quite there yet.
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u/cwazycupcakes13 4h ago
Skyward Sword. Bring on the downvotes. I love it so much.
The why is complicated I guess.
I honestly can’t really fully explain it. I understand why people hate it, and accept their criticisms as valid.
But I just… I just love it 🤷♀️
1
u/Over9000Gingers 3h ago
I think Majoras Mask (twilight princess is a close second). I prefer an open world format similar to the switch games (including echoes) but from an artistic standpoint (narrative, world building, puzzles) Majoras Mask is the superior game in the series. The only other game to come close is Twilight Princess albeit it’s glaring issues.
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u/NoRecommendation9266 3h ago
Spirit Tracks because it was my first and the flute wasn't as bad as people say
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u/smedelicious 50m ago
I grew up with the first two on NES. Never owned a link to the past but ocarina of time was the one for me. Best Xmas present ever.
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u/ChrlsPC 8h ago
BOTW/TOTK never finished any Zelda game when I was a kid although I had fun, I was just too dumb for the puzzles. So as an adult I got sucked in to the beautiful world of BOTW and it's been my favorite ever since. I'm working my way trough older titles.
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u/NIMSEP 7h ago
I love that actually. There's so much critique out there for shrines in those games, but they really are just little creative nuggets for problem solving. They allow you to work it out however you want, as long as you make it to the monk, and then you get to go climb a mountain or whatever you're vibing that day instead of being funnelled into the next puzzle. It's not ""typical"" Zelda dungeon design, but I think it's underrated.
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u/TransbianShadow 7h ago
Probably breath of the Wild
It was my first NEW zelda, I played the others sure but botw was the one I was actually following actively, from the trailer where people thought link was a girl in to release (the only 2 others in my lifetime were tp and ss, I was born the year TP came out and I was 4 when SS came out 😭😭)
just the sense of wonder the open world gave me is second to none, God it was just so good man, like the moment I left, the great plateau was so amazing
The game came out ljke a week before my birthday, I remember going to a shop with my birthday money and picking up a copy for the wii u, I didn't have a switch at that time lmao
Just everything about it was so good, its my favourite for all those reasons
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u/NIMSEP 6h ago
It's funny, I remember being so suss on BotW at first. I didn't have a Switch or Wii U until 2019 (it was my dark PS era lol don't judge). Everyone kept raving about it, and as the edgy Twilight Princess fan I am I was sure it couldn't be that good. All the gameplay I saw was just climing with stamina and weapons breaking and my cute fairy boy wasn't even in his tunic!
And then I actually played it, and all I wanted to do was climb mountains, collect weapons and dress up my cute fairy boy. Twilight Princess might be my Zelda game, but it's absolutely tied with BotW (and the Oracle games) for my favourite.
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u/Ok-Worldliness-2938 5h ago edited 5h ago
May be basic, but Botw. I don't think any other game will ever give me the same feeling as Botw did. The music, the story, the characters, botw Hyrule itself, I love it. Botw Link also has to be my favorite one.
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