The Legend Of Zelda Games That Changed The Franchise The Most

Summary

  • The Legend of Zelda games have evolved with new gameplay styles, branching into sequels and spin-offs.
  • Games like Twilight Princess and Majora’s Mask pushed the series into darker directions.
  • Ocarina of Time set the standard for 3D gaming and exploration, influencing future titles.

For over three decades, The Legend of Zelda has remained an integral part of gaming history, being many people’s first high-fantasy adventure experience. The original game on the NES was revolutionary, which led to it being a success and the start of a flagship Nintendo franchise.

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As time passed, so grew The Legend of Zelda franchise, with the original game being the sapling that sprouted a plethora of branches in the form of sequels, prequels, and spin-offs. Many of the games advanced the series in their own ways, adding features that would become the norm or experimenting with graphical improvements on newer hardware.

A Divisive Sequel That Paved The Way For Alternate Gameplay Styles

Systems

super greyscale 8-bit logo

Released

December 1, 1988

Developer(s)

Nintendo R&D4

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Initially, gamers were not kind to Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link for departing from the classic top-down view and swapping to a sidescrolling perspective during encounters and dungeons. However, many have come to appreciate it for trying something different and setting an example of what the franchise can do with new gameplay styles.

As a result, the series of handheld games and various spin-offs would carry on the tradition of experimenting with new gameplay styles. Zelda 2 is also the game where Shadow Link debuted as the game’s final boss. Ever since then, Shadow Link has sporadically returned in various games in the franchise, such as in the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time.

Side Stories Would Continue To Explore New Concepts And Worlds

Systems

super greyscale 8-bit logo

Released

August 6, 1993

Developer(s)

Nintendo EAD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Without The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening embarking Link on a side adventure, there wouldn’t be titles such as the Oracle games, Majora’s Mask, The Minish Cap, or Echoes of Wisdom. They maintain the classic gameplay style seen in The Legend of Zelda but tell different stories with unique visuals and set in other worlds besides Hyrule.

Link’s Awakening would become so famous despite being a Game Boy game that it would receive a remaster on the Game Boy Color and a complete remake for the Nintendo Switch. The remake would even be successful enough to warrant a sequel with Zelda as the main character instead of Link.

Hyrule Became More Than A Wasteland Filled With Monsters

Systems

super greyscale 8-bit logo

Released

April 13, 1992

Developer(s)

Nintendo EAD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

With the first two games in the series, The Legend of Zelda was a basic adventure involving defeating dungeons, fighting Ganon, and saving Princess Zelda, which was effective. However, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past branched out and created a genuine story with a more intricate plot, dialogue, and stakes.

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Hyrule felt more alive in A Link to the Past, with villages and other locations featuring Hylian NPCs and a story featuring legitimate cutscenes thanks to the higher power of the SNES console. This allowed the world to be more fleshed out and akin to a fantasy RPG featuring Link, which nearly every single sequel would take inspiration from.

6

The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Epic Storytelling That Would Appeal To All Ages

Systems

super greyscale 8-bit logo

Released

November 19, 2006

Developer(s)

Nintendo EAD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

For the most part, fans and even people who have never played the game think of The Legend of Zelda as a family-friendly franchise. That remained true with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, but it also showcased the franchise’s potential to go in more mature directions, both thematically and visually.

Fans were surprised when the story in Twilight Princess took itself more seriously, showing a lot of influence from other fantasy blockbusters such as The Lord of the Rings tonally. Everything was treated as far more grandiose in scale, and some darker scenes and cutscenes looked more cinematic than ever before.

5

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time

The Leap To 3D Set A Gold Standard For The Series

Systems

super greyscale 8-bit logo

Released

November 21, 1998

Developer(s)

Nintendo

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

The Nintendo 64 had as much of an impact on The Legend of Zelda as it did the Mario franchise, taking it to new heights with the introduction of 3D visuals and gameplay. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time took the idea of exploring the land of Hyrule to another level, providing immersion like never before.

The open world and third-person gameplay of Ocarina Of Time became the blueprint for every mainline Zelda game. Ocarina Of Time took what A Link to the Past had introduced and carried it further with cinematic cutscenes, character development, and a world filled with side stories to make exploring Hyrule more engaging. Additionally, it was the first game to introduce Ganondorf instead of Ganon.

4

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Proof That Zelda Games Can Be Dark And Scary

Systems

super greyscale 8-bit logo

Released

October 26, 2000

Developer(s)

Nintendo EAD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is as loved as it is maligned, with many praising the game for its time loop concept, while others find it too complicated. However, despite being a divisive entry, what both parties tend to agree on is how it effectively embraced a horror atmosphere compared to Ocarina of Time, which only dabbled in it.

From Link’s transformations via the mask to the various horrific side stories to the music in the background, Majora’s Mask never stops being eerie. Many of its themes and elements have led to future games taking on darker tones and story elements, such as Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild.

3

The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker

The Beginning Of Diverse Art Styles For Every Game

Systems

super greyscale 8-bit logo

Released

March 24, 2003

Developer(s)

Nintendo EAD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

On top of giving an open-sea adventure that rivals the likes of Pirates of the Caribbean, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker showed the potential of new visuals and gimmicks for every game. Rather than continue with the visual style of Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker embraced a cel-shaded art style for the world and characters that made it feel like watching an animated show.

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Compared to Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker had a far larger explorable map with dozens of encounters, instances, side quests, and NPCs to uncover. These kinds of maps that sprawl out to seemingly infinity help give players the desire to search the worlds in future games from top to bottom to discover every secret that can be found.

2

The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Origins Of The Timeline Were Finally Explained

Systems

super greyscale 8-bit logo

Released

November 20, 2011

Developer(s)

Nintendo

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword enhances the series with precision-based motion controls and delves into Hyrule’s lore, providing more development for previously one-dimensional characters. While continuity hasn’t been central for players, Skyward Sword reveals the origins of this enduring fantasy adventure’s lore.

In Skyward Sword, Link and Princess Zelda are cursed by the antagonist, Demise, who is destined to reincarnate as various dark threats to Hyrule. This forces Link and Zelda to also reincarnate to combat his darkness, creating a tragic cycle of doomed destiny throughout history.

1

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Nintendo Strayed From The Formula And Created A Definitive Open World

Systems

super greyscale 8-bit logo

Released

March 3, 2017

Developer(s)

Nintendo EPD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Rather than forcing the player to go in one direction, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gives the player the freedom to just explore for hours once the bulk of the game is introduced. Whether he’s meeting the hundreds of denizens of Hyrule or completing the shrines, Link can do whatever he wants without even completing the first quarter of the main story.

With the item durability system, temperatures, weather, crafting, and Sheikah tablet powers, Breath of the Wild was so much of a hit that it was one of the few mainline games to get a direct sequel, which took the same ideas that Breath of the Wild introduced and amplified them even further.

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