Which Zelda and Why

Hi, Corbin again, and this week I’m going to discuss my all time favorite video game and story, The Legend of Zelda. This will probably be the first of several articles I write regarding Zelda. This week I want to talk about a counterargument to the popular question, “which Zelda game is the best of them all?”

I believe that each Zelda game is the best in its own right, whether it be playability, thick plot, the objective of the designers in making the game, the objective of the players in playing the game (besides winning, of course), and a few different reasons for liking each game more than the others. Each game has a specialization in terms of game-play, and I will explore these specializations in the following order:
·         The Legend of Zelda
·         Ocarina of Time and Master Quest
·         Wind Waker
·         Skyward Sword
·         Twilight Princess
·         Majora’s Mask
·         Phantom Hour Glass and Spirit Tracks

The Legend of Zelda

The first game in the Legend of Zelda series, The Legend of Zelda is pure adventure. There are limited off-quest options and a very straightforward plot. What makes The Legend of Zelda unique among following Zelda games? It’s mostly nostalgia, but it’s also because of that rarely interrupted adventure and the oversimplified dungeons. It’s specialization is originality and an easily conquered open world adventure.

Ocarina of Time and Master Quest

Ocarina of Time is often referred to as the best Zelda game ever. While for the intents and purposes of this article I disagree, it certainly is the most iconic and well known Zelda game ever released. Ocarina of Time was the first Zelda game to establish most of the themes that are now commonplace in the Zelda timeline. Such themes include significantly altering the world by playing music with a magic instrument, acquiring the legendary Master Sword from the Pedestal of time, awakening or otherwise consulting any number of six total sages, masters of their element, and of course the ever present companion that guides you through your quest (Navi, King of Red Lions, Fi, Midna, Tatl, and Ezlo to name most of the later companions). Ocarina of Time is unique because of how many options the players were given for the first time in any Zelda game. It’s one of the most plot thick Zelda games with an overwhelming number of options and a staggering requirement for 100% completion, as you can do many different things in different locations both seven years in the past and seven years in the future.

Master Quest, Ocarina of Time’s more challenging counterpart, carries the Ocarina of Time plot and dungeon order. The difference is the amount of damage you take and the more difficult puzzles in each dungeon. Truly, it is a game for Zelda masters, as it is unique because it is the most difficult Zelda game without question. Therein lies its uniqueness, it is the most challenging game and played by the most challenge hungry players of Zelda.

Majora’s Mask

Majora’s Mask, the sequel to Ocarina of Time and Master Quest, is widely known as the darkest Zelda game on the market. It explores deep philosophical concepts like the concept of situational right and wrong, the extension of a life beyond death through possession (which can be seen as necromancy if the racial masks are considered), and the concept of that dangerous childish insanity we all find so terrifyingly creepy. Majora’s Mask is unique because of these concepts. As the player explores the game, so does the game explore the player, provided that the player is open to allowing a game to have such an effect on them.

Wind Waker

Wind Waker, my personal favorite, is unique because of how playable it is. At its release, it got criticism from the gaming community for being too cartoonish and silly for a Zelda game. However, this was Nintendo’s intention. After the previous games being so straightforward or slightly dark (very dark in the case of Majora’s Mask), Nintendo created a genuinely fun game. Now, by fun I don’t mean that Wind Waker is the only Zelda game that’s worth playing. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, I believe that it is the first Zelda game that was meant to be fully explored with many various games. There are forty-nine islands in Wind Waker, and each island has something new to do. In many cases, it’s not even plot relevant. You have things like shooting barrels or playing battleship with squids, exploring a cave full of Chus, fighting Big Octos for treasure or fairy rewards, and even solving puzzles with seagulls. The game is unique because it invokes a childish amusement when it is played. The animation style and the simple amusements throughout the game speak for themselves. Wind Waker has no other purpose than to carry on the plot and make sure the player has as many truly fun options as possible.

Skyward Sword

Skyward Sword is unique because of its meaning to the overall Zelda plot. It is filled with throwbacks to previously released games. Since it was released at the Legend of Zelda’s twenty fifth anniversary mark, it was made to honor all of those previous games. You get to see the beginnings of the first Hyrule, the origins of the Temple of time, you get to see the slow and glorious creation of the iconic Master Sword, and even learn the answer to that age old question, why the hell won’t Ganondorf just die already? Besides being a tribute to the franchises success, it’s also a game that I find to be one of the first Zelda games with truly unique items. In previously released games, you generally use all of the same items with a few exceptions or a few tweaks to said items between games. Skyward Sword was the first Zelda game to introduce as many original items as it did in one game. It is the first game on the Zelda timeline and has many wonderful attributes.

Twilight Princess

Though some may disagree, I find that Twilight Princess is the most heavily artistic game in the Legend of Zelda series. In an age of ever growing definition in game graphics and art, Twilight Princess is the first of the Zelda games to “conform” to HD realism, and boy what a job it does. Its’ design makes a totally new open world Hyrule and the art style is so beautiful that you can’t look at any of the major locations for the first time without feeling struck with awe. For me, it made me feel like I was just now coming to appreciate the architecture and land formation in the Zelda series. The massive Death Mountain, the majestic Hyrule Castle, the sobering and nostalgic Temple of Time, the list goes on. Twilight Princess is without a doubt the most aesthetically beautiful of the Zelda games.

Phantom Hour Glass and Spirit Tracks

The wonderful Nintendo DS, though I have only borrowed one for the purposes of playing these games and do not actually own one, has introduced many new features in gaming simply by adding the second screen with touch capabilities. These games were unique for introducing brand new game mechanics that were specific to the DS. Such mechanics include swiping the screen to attack, being able to draw on your map and make notes, or my personal favorite- blowing into the microphone to play your instrument. These games not only carried the plot left off by Wind Waker all the way to Spirit Tracks, but also did so with these intriguing new mechanics and with the same diverse fun that was exhibited by Wind Waker.

So there you have it, hopefully you can agree that no Zelda game can really be the “best,” but one is certainly entitled to having a personal favorite. The entire Legend of Zelda franchise is possibly the greatest heritage in gaming history, and none of its games should be placed above or below the rest. Except for Adventure of link… Side-scrolling snore fest…