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The best Legend of Zelda games, including Echoes of Wisdom, ranked

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The best Legend of Zelda games, including Echoes of Wisdom, ranked

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The Legend of Zelda is a pretty legendary video game series.

Since the first game released in 1986 in Japan (1987 in North America), the Nintendo franchise is one of the company’s most successful and has expanded to more than 20 games in the mainline series.

The games’ intrepid hero, Link, and title princess, Zelda, are considered mascots of Nintendo alongside Mario and Luigi from the Super Mario series, and Pikachu from Pokemon.

The newest installments in the series is Echoes of Wisdom, which released in late September. How does it stack up to previous mainline Legend of Zelda games?

Here are some of the best main series Legend of Zelda games ranked:

11. Minish Cap

A young Link must save Princess Zelda from an evil sorcerer causing chaos and corrupting the people of Hyrule. The Picori, or Minish, are a race of tiny people who can only be seen by children.

With the help of a magical hat that gives him the ability to shrink, Link is tasked with collecting the elements of power to restore a Picori blade to defeat Vaati.

The game is quite cute and doesn’t take long to complete, and some of the most fun and clever parts are when Link shrinks down and navigates regular-sized or tiny objects and interacts with the Minish. It also holds up pretty well in replays years later.

The game was developed by Capcom and published by Nintendo (the final of a few series collaborations between the two companies) for Game Boy Advance in 2004 (2005 in North America).

10. Twilight Princess

The one in which Link becomes a wolf.

Twilight Princess was a launch game for the Wii in 2006, with a version of the game also released on the older GameCube. The game has a darker tone than previous entries, with Hyrule being corrupted by the Twilight Realm.

Link, in both Hylian and wolf form, navigates puzzles and fights monsters to save the kingdom.

This edgier game may have been unfairly compared to other Zelda games when it was released, but hopefully fans are coming around to appreciate all Twilight Princess offers, including plenty to explore, a cinematic feel, a great storyline, new mechanics (and a wolf!) and solid side quests.

9. Echoes of Wisdom

Princess Zelda takes the lead in Echoes of Wisdom, the latest game in the series. Rifts are opening up all over Hyrule, and Link – along with others – has been “stolen away.” Zelda, aided by a fairylike Tri, sets off to find out what’s happening to her kingdom and save it from evil in this charming entry.

In addition to being the first mainline game to allow players to control Zelda, Echoes of Wisdom features new game mechanics, such as Zelda’s abilities to create “echoes,” or copies of objects and monsters, to help her in her journey.

Echoes is witty, packed with clever puzzles and full of heart. The storyline is only made sweeter by finally getting to play as Zelda. The game is a joy.

More: Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom: What to know about new Nintendo Switch game

8. Wind Waker

Link sails the seas in this installment. Wind Waker is a charming 3D adventure with a cartoonlike style. The game is sprawled over an ocean, with Link exploring islands and trying to save his sister from Ganondorf.

The game was released in 2003 in North America for GameCube and has two direct sequels: Phantom Hourglass (2007) and Spirit Tracks (2009), both for the Nintendo DS handheld console.

Wind Waker is whimsical and lighthearted, and there’s so much personality in the characters. The novelty of sailing, unfortunately, is quickly overshadowed by how repetitive and boring it feels after a while, slowing down momentum.

7. Legend of Zelda

The original Legend of Zelda is an epic adventure with a rather simple premise considering the lore that’s developed since: young Link must fight monsters, navigate dungeons, find pieces of the Triforce and rescue Princess Zelda, all to catchy — now iconic — tunes.

While newer games might have more body to the storylines, it’s easy to see why this classic captured so manmy fans and remains a fun challenge to revisit to this day.

The action-adventure game released in 1987 in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System, becoming the first to sell more than 1 million cartridges in the US for the NES, and launched a top-selling video game series. Legend of Zelda was also among the first console games to have a backup save feature.

6. Majora’s Mask

Majora’s Mask, released in 2000 for Nintendo 64 is set in Termina, a parallel alternate Hyrule, where Link becomes trapped. The moon is going to crash into Termina in three days, and he must find a way to save the land. By wearing different masks, Link transforms into different creatures — all with different abilities — to solve puzzles, battle baddies and save the people from their despair.

The new mechanics and storyline keep things fresh, though the time loops can feel limiting and daunting.

Majora’s Mask is one of the first in the series to have a darker tone, and it was one of the first with Nintendo video game designer and producer Eiji Aonuma as the primary director.

More: The 8 best video games of 2024 (so far)

5. A Link to the Past

A Link to the Past is the the third game in the Legend of Zelda series. Released in 1992 for Super Nintendo, Link is on a journey once again to save Hyrule, also known as the Light World.

A Link to the Past was the first in the series to have parallel worlds, and it felt so big and intricate. The game could be restrictive compared to the original, but it encourages exploration across the map, a feeling that would continue in most of the series installments that followed.

A direct sequel to the game, “A Link Between Worlds,” was released in 2013 on the 3DS.

4. Link’s Awakening

Our intrepid hero is far away from Hyrule in this fantastic entry. In Link’s Awakening, Link washes ashore on a mysterious island, Koholint. He is tasked with collecting eight magical instruments around the island to wake the Wind Fish and be able to return home.

The game was released in 1993 for Game Boy, the first for a handheld console. It would be re-released for Game Boy Color, and a complete remake would release in 2019 for Switch.

The original is a unique take on the usual Legend of Zelda game beats, with the removal of Hyrule and Zelda, allowing the game to stretch in creative ways. The adorable 2019 remake is faithful to the original’s charm, adding reimagined art style and music and updates to the graphics and gameplay.

3. Ocarina of Time

“Ocarina of Time,” which released for N64 in 1998, was the first 3D Legend of Zelda game. Set in Hyrule, a young Link is chosen by Princess Zelda to help defeat the sorcerer Ganondorf, who she believes is trying to steal the Triforce and use its power. Young Link, aided by the fairy Navi, solves puzzles and collects spiritual stones to get to the Triforce before Ganondorf.

The video game introduces time travel, with an older Link using the magical ocarina of the title to, well, shift between time periods, awaken the Sages and hopefully seal away Ganondorf for good.

Ocarina of Time was a groundbreaking entry in the Zelda series, and the graphics were cutting edge at the time of release. It truly changed how players experienced Link’s adventures. The world — and the dungeons — felt huge and immersive, and the great music really adds to the atmosphere.

The game’s now outdated 3D graphics make replaying a little clunky compared to revisiting older 2D games, and it may mean nostalgia plays a little into the placement.

2. Breath of the Wild

Breath of the Wild was like a breath of fresh air to the series. The vast, open-world adventure sees Link waking up in an unfamiliar Hyrule after being sealed in a healing chamber. Link journeys around Hyrule, recovering his memories, connecting with allies, freeing the spirits of the previous Champions and leveling up to take on Calamity Ganon and reunite with Princess Zelda.

But there’s more to do, too. There are numerous side quests, dozens of shrines, cooking and all sorts of things to collect. A player could easily sink 100 hours into the game exploring, with pursuit of the main quest making up half that time. Close attention is rewarded in the game, with homages to previous games, clever Easter eggs, superb songs with ties to older themes and a rather relaxing and absorbing soundscape.

Breath of the Wild was a launch game for the Switch, releasing in 2017 for that console as well as the Wii U. The game has sold more than 30 million copies since release, per Nintendo, becoming one of the bestselling games of all time. It also won game of the year at the Game Awards, the DICE Awards and the Game Developers Choice awards.

More: The best Super Mario Bros. games, including ‘Wonder,’ ‘RPG,’ definitively ranked

1. Tears of the Kingdom

Tears of the Kingdom, which released in 2023 for Switch, is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild and another award-winning installment.

Picking up a few years after the events of Breath of the Wild, Link and Princess Zelda are helping with the ongoing restoration of Hyrule. A strange gloom has begun spreading around the kingdom, poisoning inhabitants, and the duo hope to figure out a way to stop it.

Zelda and Link are attacked far beneath Hyrule Castle as they research an ancient legend, with Zelda vanishing and the castle rising into the air. Link awakens on another of these so-called Sky Islands, and the newest adventure truly begins.

Tears of the Kingdom builds on the foundation of Breath of the Wild, with many of the same places and faces, but adds in refined mechanics, the Sky Islands, the creepy Depths beneath Hyrule and a new set of puzzles and problems to solve, lore to learn and memories to collect as Link prepares to face off once more with Ganondorf and his evil brood.

Tears is one of the top ten bestselling games for the Nintendo Switch. It has sold more than 20 million copies since its release, with nearly half of that within the first few days.

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