Ranking EVERY Zelda Game Based On Story

From D Tier to S Tier, let's rank every main series Legend of Zelda game based solely on its story and background lore. From Skyward Sword to Spirit Tracks, Oracle of Seasons to Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess to Tears of the Kingdom, which is the best story? Note that this video will contain spoilers for every game in the series!
Huge thank you to @MonsterMaze for the 3D Storybook animation. Be sure to check his channel out for high quality Zelda content!
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or Instagram: @zeltikinsta
► Music in this video:
Nintendo
Sources:
Zeldawiki: zelda.fandom.com/
Gameplay footage used:
ZeldaMaster ( / zeldamasterluke , Archive64 ( / archive64 ) and ZorZelda ( / zorzelda )
► Discord Link: / discord
► Intro music by: bit.ly/RuvenWegner
► Outro music by Clangon: • Zeltik Outro Theme (Wi...
0:00 Intro
2:00 D Tier
9:28 C Tier
17:54 B Tier
37:24 A Tier
59:34 S Tier
#Zelda #Nintendo #LegendofZelda

[@sandwich1313]

S+ tier is obviously Link’s Crossbow Training. Best story by far

[@kristopherwillis8075]

😂😂

[@desertrat166]

Hard disagree how can we all be forgetting the true masterpieces of the cdi games

[@PodoHelmer]

Yeah obviously

[@demonicdimentio2533]

​@@desertrat166 I disagree though the gameplay is one of the finest in the industry the divide it puts between the perfectly rendered cutscenes makes it's story feel like a secondary factor but with links crossbow training you feel the story while you play in every action the weaves you a tapestry of elegance that can't be found anywhere else so I think the cdi games are just below this masterpiece

[@desertrat166]

@@demonicdimentio2533 lol omfg that almost killed me you have officially made my day 😂

[@JohnnyRapture.]

I need a sequel to Twilight Princess.

[@MC11723]

i need a sequel to the links ranked :(

[@Zero_Levels]

fr bro

[@jeansnow1116]

It will not happen but I would love it too

[@parkfever]

I wanna see midna again

[@CbaDropDead]

We need it

[@Sean.Vosler]

The beauty in OOT is how the story means one thing when you play it as a kid, and an entirely different thing when playing it as an adult… much like the time jump in the game itself

[@ShadowSkyX]

I thought navi went outside the temple of time to wait for link, figuring he could handle himself for two minutes. I thought he'd be able to go back to the forest and live out the rest of his childhood. By 17 i realized my naivette and finally began to understand how sad the ending really is. I felt so bad for him. He had changed too much to go back and for years i thought navi died between oot and mm. Until i saw a comment comparing her to a spirit going into the light, and it all made too much sense not to be true.

[@christianmaix7843]

that’s the funny thing about zelda games, you play the games when you’re younger and you never actually realise your purpose. upon revisiting them when you’re older you get to experience a whole new depth to the games

[@MilestheDirtyMindedGoblin2099]

True

[@inscription8099]

I think OoT is the quintessential zelda story. Without it the timeline falls apart and most of the other stories crumble apart. However, I do think Wind waker is a close second. Twilight Princess is a close third. They are all pretty close imo. I think if they remade it accordingly and updated it. The premise of Link to the Past, has the potential to be #1.

[@Crichjo32]

Agreed, that is the true genius of that game.

[@kodykozak1326]

I don’t know why I cried a little bit when you talked about Twilight Princess, and how the kids idolized Link even before he proved them right. Great video, as always

[@ZeldaSam1]

The 1st time I played Twilight Princess, when Midna was on the brink of death; I was SEETHING & Crying @ the same time FUMING w/ MALICE towards that Twili CLOWN Zant!!! If the Devil doesn't make things bad for him, I hope I GET TO!!!!!

[@LostInTheInternet93]

​@@ZeldaSam1that's a mood. They do such a good job getting you attached to Midna up to that point, and then boom! I am now maximum motivated to put my sword through his face.

[@aratherbritishdinosaur]

Zeltik managed to make Zelda II seem like one of the most banger stories ever.

[@TrazynTheKleptomanichad]

because it is.

[@MedusaLegend]

We need a Zelda II remake

[@Evilgood1]

It’s seriously underrated. Also closest Hyrule has ever felt to being a kingdom.

[@AzumarillConGafasBv]

'Cuz it is

[@starfieldgames5976]

@@MedusaLegendnormally i’m all for remakes remaining untouched from the original gameplay and story, but i think this one REALLY needs a nerf

[@pedrogarcia8706]

I'm gonna defend the old games by saying that in those days the game's manual IS part of the game. Reading them was considered part of the experience and it was assumed that everyone playing would read the manual fully before starting the game.

[@benradical6179]

I used to have a big stack of various game manuals by my bed and would sometimes read one before going to sleep.

[@PhoenicopterusR]

There's a reason why reading the manual on the way home was an integral part of our game experience back then.

[@mylesobrien7477]

A lost art

[@st.anselmsfire3547]

True. People forget that those old cartridges had like less data than a single pixel has these days. Data storage is quantum leaps above what it was back then. All of the pixels in the first games could fit into Zelda's hair tie in Tears of The Kingdom.

[@kitbct1444]

Absolutely. The manual was the owner way for the creators to push their vision onto the gamer. Not only would they outline the story, they were usually packed with artwork to give the player a sense of the creator's vision. They were trying their best to fully pass their vision to the gamer using incredibly limited hardware compared to today.

[@Arob4343]

For Link’s Awakening: The seagull and Marin make me think, what if everyone on the island was real, but they were actually just nearby creatures? The wind fish trapped Link in his dream, so why not others? Maybe they’re all just fish, bugs, birds, etc. And while they had a different life in the dream, their true lives were outside the dream

[@badmeetsevil6163]

I think he ranked Link’s Awakening’s story way too high. #7 is crazy. I’m still in the midst of playing TOTK but ranking it above that story is crazy. I wouldn’t even put it above A Link to the Past or the Oracle games. Y’all are looking too much into its story. It’s just a dream/illusion, why do we feel guilty about making it disappear? It’s trapping you. The game never made me feel guilty.

[@-Pleiades0]

​@@badmeetsevil6163 It's subjective. I think it is deeper though. However I certainly would put it above ToTK. TOTK story was such a major let down

[@badmeetsevil6163]

@@-Pleiades0 hmm I see a lot of ppl putting TOTK’s story above BOTW though. I haven’t finished so I can’t say so myself but surely TOTK’s story is a lot more detailed than Link’s Awakening? Like I’d also put A Link to the Past over Link’s Awakening in terms of story. Link’s Awakening is just another Super Mario Bros 2 imo.

[@-Pleiades0]

@@badmeetsevil6163 yeah. It has to do with the depth of the story though. You're right, TOTK story is better than Link's awakening, but Link's awakening does have a deeper untold story. TOTK has a great story as well, it just seems sort of like a copy and paste of botw hoping to have the same impact on the gaming industry as botw, but instead becoming too disconnected through the open gameplay to the point where all linearity of the story telling is basically non-existent. I will say it has an amazing ending though so that does help boost its place on the list. So yeah, I suppose it should be placed higher than LA, but it's still a B- tier story for a game with S-tier gameplay. There's such thing as being too open though and I hope the Zelda team realizes that. I would still put botw over TOTK though due to it being such a game changer and creating a whole new way to tell the story through an amnesiac Link regaining memories. I wish the story was more prevalent in the gameplay though. TOTK tries to fix that but ultimately feels like an extension to botw and falls short due to the lack of an interesting cast. The story or characters for that matter for TOTk just seem lazy and like they were created last minute and the story was thrown together last minute

[@temp1326]

@@badmeetsevil6163Links awakening makes me feel things though. Totk doesn’t really.. I couldn’t even feel invested enough to beat it despite how much i enjoyed playing

[@TayoEXE]

You nailed why I love Majora's Mask. I felt compelled emotionally to save NPCs because they felt like real people. Real fears, hopes, and dreams. The game literally helped me learn how to empathize with people better. It's darker, but all the more rewarding if I can help NPCs I normally wouldn't care all that much about.

[@nahor88]

I agree that I loved the story, but the style of the game deters me from ever replaying it. The reason I love BoTW and ToTK is that they're HEAVILY rooted in exploration, and taking your time to immerse yourself in the game. MM is the exact opposite of that, giving you limited time to figure out where you need to be going, otherwise you need to reset the counter and lose numeric inventory. The game does help you out along the way with the backwards song of time and owl statues, but it's just not what I want out of Zelda. Honestly wish they had a mode where the timer was removed, and you could play the game at your leisure.

[@abonny]

It actually made me sad to know that you can not save the Deku Butler's son.

[@tatltael2266]

@@nahor88 I felt the opposite. I felt MM did exactly that. I explored freely in Majora's Mask - I was ENCOURAGED to explore. I was fully immersed in the game. I felt the opposite with BOTW. The people were frankly boring to me. The villages were small and shallow and lacking personality. The only thing to discover were shrines or the kokori. I quickly felt he world was empty and void.

[@tatltael2266]

@@DenverShoemaker31234 Skill issue. People want their hands held these days so think as little as possible.

[@SubduedRadical]

Oddly, I think that's why I didn't like it and never finished it. The time element made me on edge the whole time, feeling up against a clock (HATE that in games; sets off some serious anxiety, even if I know the consequences are relatively minor), and that I wanted to save everyone and you literally can't. Even if you 100% the game, you only saved them in one timeline to...abandon them in the next as you try to save someone else. Something about that always hit me wrong, I guess.

[@lilkorok]

wind waker story is literally SO good, and it's actually pretty deep. i love how it's dark emotional story is masked behind the bright colorful cartoony graphics of the game. such a good game.

[@javiervasquez625]

Yet it doesn't have much "pressence" over the course of the gameplay as we spent more than 80% of the game's lenght sailing from island to island and completing dungeons with very small stretches of cutscenes in between making the narrative barely memorable in turn.

[@ResurgentRaven]

​​@@javiervasquez625That's not limited to Wind Waker unfortunately. Almost all the Zelda games have this problem except for TP, OoT, Link to the Past (and its 3DS counterpart) and MM, since the story has a lot of physical elements in place to warn you of the consequences of fulfilling your quest. One of the things that does make Wind Waker much better though is that it's really two subplots meshed into one: Saving Aryll and annihilating Ganon. It may not directly impact the gameplay, but the first part doesn't take away from the story design, but rather enhances Links motives to take down Ganon.

[@ShadowWizard224]

@@javiervasquez625 The beginning intro gave a pretty clear image of how the story unfolds and it’s one of the greatest intros and cut scenes of all time. Explaining the great flood and how evil rose again in the land of Hyrule but the chosen hero never returned so the people had to put their faith in the Gods. The Gods giving them hope as they would have them climb the highest mountains and reach the highest peaks so that the evil that Ganon bestowed on the land can be washed away. Generations later evolution would take its place and species would turn into other species and the great kingdom of Hyrule lays hidden away at the bottom of the ocean which becomes a legend and a tale for future generations and it would only be recovered and found again by the hero of winds. The flood itself can be compared to the flood in biblical times and the hidden Kingdom of Hyrule can be compared to the lost city of Atlantis. It’s the overall symbolism for me that makes it such a deep game. The fact that it was unfinished as well and there were supposed to be two more dungeons is what makes it even more interesting and mysterious. If I could describe wind waker and this version of Ganondorf in just one word… it would be loneliness. This version of him shows the most human side of him and how he is basically a lonely man that has absolutely nothing left to lose.

[@javiervasquez625]

@@ShadowWizard224 Okay... it's still a SINGLE CUTSCENE at the very *start* of the game before we proceed to ignore such a plotpoint for the following 5 or so hours collecting the pearls and doing the Tower of the Gods before we finally get to meet Ganondorf for like 5 minutes worth of cutscenes and then we waste ANOTHER 5 hours awakening the Sages so that at the very end of the game we get to see the main villain for the last time in this timeline. Very underwhelming after hours and hours of boat sailing and dungeon completing if you ask me.

[@Fyre11]

@@javiervasquez625 Ganon isn't the story. He's just the villain behind things. The hidden presence. Just like he is in every Zelda game. But in Wind Waker, you have all the other characters and story along the way that's much more compelling than anything in the others. There's always more story and narrative to find throughout even the optional islands.

[@meganwilson5125]

I am glad that Spirit Tracks got good representation on the list. I think that game is very underrated.

[@JarumaruKnox]

Unfortunately it is. For me, Spirit tracks is way better than Ocarina of time.

[@annxminty]

Yes! Even after years, I looove to play it.

[@GAMEandVLOG-gd]

@@JarumaruKnox spirit tracks has and always will be my favorite zelda game

[@stefansunnick4690]

Wow, thats surprising for me. I won't try to change your mind, but I really hated it and I played each and every zelda title. Being a train diver is so lame compared to other installments xD and I really hated how repetitive and annoying using the train was. Felt tedious after some tours for me. And sadly each temple just had thematic skins and not really thematic mechanics :-( No offense though, I know it is subjective. What did you like so much about it? Or was ist just released in some special time so you could play it a lot as kids?

[@GAMEandVLOG-gd]

@@stefansunnick4690 spirit tracks was probably the first video game i ever played, so it will always have a special place in my heart

[@satsujin4027]

As much as I adore BotW and Majora's, Twilight Princess is by far my favorite when it comes to story. Playing TP feels a lot more like reading a book or watching a movie than other Zelda games while still having an amazing jogability. I still want to play it again and again instead of just watching an YT stream for the story.

[@Ren-rh1zv]

Agreed, many zelda games, while I love their style and stories, make me feel like I dont need to replay it, and there isn't much of a point when I know everything that will happen. But Twilight Princess, even knowing the story and the outcome and the twists, will always feel much more, and I will always feel drawn to playing the game and experiencing the story over and over, rather than just reverting to watching someone else's play through or waiting to get to one point in the story i like. Twilight Princess' entire story is the part i like, and each small part of it gets me hyped for what comes next. The cozy feeling you have starting the game, talking to the village folk, playing the goat mini game, and then getting thrust into the dark twilight, and then actually venturing for yourself outside of Faron woods for the first time, it's all exciting and wonderful from each turn you take

[@domhyrule]

Tears of the Kingdom is brought down by how much I hear them say Secret Stone. Call it a Spirit Gem or something

[@aboutschween]

call it a tear of the kingdom for fucks sake

[@GarroshTV]

@@aboutschween It's called Tears of the Kingdom because of the Dragontears though. In German the Secret Stones are referred to as Mystery Stones.

[@lanxreedalenlum3706]

they arent the mention tears though, the metons tears are the big huge tears we collect from the crying dragon @@aboutschween

[@BB_Promoter]

fe8 reference

[@a_plastic_bag]

But then we wouldn’t have gotten to hear “Secret Stone? Demon King?” like thirty times…

[@kyleharrison713]

I'm glad you said something about the doppelganger Zelda in TOK. Most of that game I spent talking to my screen like "Its not her, we know that, just tell them damn it".

[@kiptheott5932]

Even before you discover exactly who it is, the fact that nobody ever entertains the notion that it might not really be Zelda when the Yiga Clan exist, an antagonistic faction whose whole deal is disguising themselves as other people and who disguise themselves as Zelda specifically multiple times throughout this very game. Realistically speaking when someone is acting weird, evil, and out-of-character, "it might be a Yiga impostor" would probably one of the first thoughts people would have. But no, they're just like "Wow, it sure is weird how Zelda attacked the Zora and keeps leading us into traps. Wonder what's up with that."

[@CheeseOfString]

They wrote themselves into a bit of a corner with the way they did the dragon tears. The fundamental design principle of the game is that you should be able to do anything at any time after you get off the Great Sky Island. If they wanted the story to have more impact, they probably shouldn't have unlocked the tears, or at least blocked some of them, until after the Hyrule Castle sequence. But that would break the rules, and it would really suck to either have the geoglyphs have no tears until later in the game, or have them appear in places the player had already been. I found all the tears in order by starting with impa's quest and then going to the ancient temple where you can see the map of them and the proper order. I consider that to be best case scenario when it comes to experiencing that part of the story with no outside input or guides. However, I did all that before storming Hyrule Castle and completing all the newspaper quests, so I still felt like it was dumb that nobody knew that Zelda was gone. (The newspaper quests are less of a problem since you do them for a reward, and it kinda makes sense that they would be grasping at straws like that) I told my friend to find the first 12, but skip them and watch them after Hyrule Castle, then find the 13th one, and that helped his experience a lot, but that's a lot of restriction for a game as open as totk

[@lukebytes5366]

​@@kiptheott5932 Yunobo of all people actually figures this out to my knowledge.

[@TheQuashingoftheTub]

​@@CheeseOfString Honestly, considering how much flavor text is implemented for the smallest of environmental changes, the simplest thing they could have done is have Link go, "Yo Zelda's safe but not at the phone. I think you can call off your troops." And then have each faction just go "All right, we'll just dedicated some manpower to figure out what's going on with this fake Zelda and spread the word thx k byeee"

[@blueshoals]

I love seeing Majora's Mask getting the love it deserves. The depth of its narrative is simply unmatched.

[@AquaQuokka]

Yeah it keeps getting overshadowed by its big brother Ocarina of Time, and its little brother Tears of the Kingdom. It's the middle child of the series.

[@matt6619]

@@AquaQuokkaOcarina if Time was the peak gaming had looked like, and played by a landslide when oot came out. It is in every list of most influential games of all time. Anyone who grew up in the modern era, or old school gamers who can put rose tinted lens to the side, will tell you that Majoras Mask is the better game.

[@AquaQuokka]

@@matt6619 Oh by all means is it a different, impactful experience. Better gameplay, better sidequests, and a more impactful experience.

[@senordivinebeast646]

I grew up in the modern era and I’d say Ocarina is better than Majora. Better main story, better dungeons, more iconic. Both are great games still though.

[@AquaQuokka]

@@senordivinebeast646 Yeah both have their pros and cons. Neither is objectively better, but each has their merits.

[@TheFantomMenace]

The entire time I was holding my breath, waiting for you to rank the wind waker in some low spot. When it got to the top three I was delighted, especially since you also put majora's mask and twilight princess at such a high ranking! Wonderful tier list

[@dailthegoat799]

I feel sad for the original 3 games so underrated I do get why the second one is not recognized though 😂 it’s terrible But LOZ and ALTTP their story’s might not shine but the games are Amazing they fit together so well as well

[@userisfree]

​@@dailthegoat799True, those two games might as well be creator of LOZ series

[@silencedsymphony815]

Finally revisited Skyward Sword and forced myself to really give it an honest shot. After more than 95 hours I've finally completed it and completely fallen in love ❤ Easily one of my favorites now!

[@Vexx263]

Yes! It's my personal favorite main story wise. I just love how expressive and real Link is in it, and the genuine romance Link and Zelda have. And we of course have Groose! He deserves S rank all by himself!

[@silencedsymphony815]

Groose is my favorite glow up!! 🎉

[@KildalSC]

I skipped both gamecube and Wii so when I bought Wii U I played through Wind Waker HD and Twilight princess. but didn't get very far in Skyward Swrod. I think I would enjoy the Switch HD version more and might pick it up if Switch 2 is backwards compatible. It's just too bad with Nintendo you end up rebuying the same games multiple times and sales barely exist...

[@Vexx263]

@@KildalSC ýeah, but if you do end up playing it, I highly recommend playing with motion controls, at least to start. They are really fun when they work.

[@doofuscawt]

More than 95?????

[@JJMomoida]

I would put Majora’s Mask up there at the top because it revolves around an idea I find very interesting in both fiction and reality: how people deal and cope with grief and conflict. I find that involving so many of the faces in Termina *really* helps build a connection to that world. Majora itself is just an evil mask, but how it affects the world and its characters is very interesting to me.

[@TheEtherny]

TIL people don't know the difference between plot and story

[@JJMomoida]

@@TheEtherny cool

[@irgendeinanonymertyp638]

​@@TheEtherny🤓

[@ShadowSkyX]

I like how the title "Majora's Mask" tells you (once you have context) the twist upfront. The mask by itself as part of the title also leans into it. Sure you learn early about the mask, but the other half of the truth? The mask of majora is another way to say the same thing.

[@alfynthepro9078]

There’s also just so much symbolism and details to unravel from the story it’s incredible

[@orealvinny]

Ocarina of time and Majora's mask stories will be forever the best for me. Not only because of the amazing plot, the meaning of the adventure, little details and subjectiveness, but also because of the development of the best Link for me, the Hero of Time, the one who has the most characteristics of a hero. A hero, the concept of one who sacrifices himself, his life, dreams, pleasures, all in order to protect humanity. And to do so he gives up his own humanity. Truly an hero of Time, because he gave up his own time to save Hyrule, and don't even got recognized like a hero in the timeline he ended up staying. This Link shows that being a hero isn't always that bright, in fact, majority of the times it isn't. A hero can save everyone, but who will save the hero after?

[@LinktheCommunistWaifu]

You couldn't have said it better. 100% agree

[@Tazerboy10]

Dang, that hits deep for me!

[@darkith52]

This made me cry!

[@javiervasquez625]

_"A hero can save everyone, but who will save the hero after?"_ That's when _another_ Hero comes along to save the one in need as seen with the Hero of Twilight learning the ways of the sword from his ancestor and so "healing his regrets" in Life. Goes to show that even in death a Hero can be saved by another.

[@dorianwiesner4477]

I highly disagree. Of all 3D Links - and that includes the one in Majoras Mask somehow - OoT Link has the least personality, character or even a proper motivation. Like why did he leave Kokiri Forest? Because the Deku Tree told him so. Most dialogue options are yes/no and he always keeps a stoic face. And last - thats just a personal opinion - he has a voice that makes me want to rip my ears off. So why is MM Link better? Because his motivation, which is getting his property back and doing a favor for the Happy Mask Salesman who will in return lift the deku curse, so he plays along. His body expression is also better. The relief he showed when the curse was lifted, the waving of his hand when he met a Great Fairy, for example. By no means am I implying that OoT is a bad game, as it has my absolute respect, but it comes short on some aspects, like a reasonable protagonist who in this case is bossed aroiund by others without hesitation and its too strong focus on dungeons. I feel like the overworld segments are a bit underdeveloped, which shows itself particulary intense in the first half of the adult section. There does not much happen betwen the Forest and Fire Temple except for a short interaction with Darunias son and the obligatory Sheik encounter, and not even an interaction between the Fire Temple and the Ice Cave. It would have been better if Link met Ruto somewere inbetween and they both work together to find a solution for freeing the Zora, instead we meet her already inside the Water Temple, which shouldn't even work as the door was shut ight until Link hookshot it.

[@Cirnonono]

I honestly would push Twilight Princess to S tier as well, it's like Wind Waker in a sense that a hero is forged because you interact so much with the world around you. You're much more of a part of the world and the characters know you, they support you and they believe in you and even put their lives on the line for you when you least expect it.

[@sambewolf4398]

My personal favorite is Twilight Princess, but I do agree with most of your opinions. Great video!! 😁 I think that TP does a great job in making the player feel personally invested on its quest, specially on Midna's part of the story. So much, that on replay, when the title screen makes a little "spoiler" of the plot by playing Midna's Theme when the "Twilight Princess" words appear, I still get a strong bitter-sweet feeling every single time I play the game 💙

[@Iisho]

I heard another youtuber mention how he felt her little motif at the end of the intro was just a hint to her immense importance and impact within the story

[@alexanderwilliams644]

You can’t ignore how much love goes into the Zelda games as a whole when they create such good stories even though they aren’t even the devs main priority.

[@Tazerboy10]

Yup

[@javiervasquez625]

Not much in recent years considering their lattest 2 titles.

[@Tazerboy10]

@@javiervasquez625 - You're not wrong!

[@alexanderwilliams644]

@@javiervasquez625 the stories of both games are stellar along with the stories that side quests have to tell, with even better gameplay. You’re gonna have to explain what about them you’re claiming to be bad.

[@javiervasquez625]

@@alexanderwilliams644 Zeltik's video and the many comments here pretty much share my personal opinion regarding the narrative of Tears of the Kingdom. Read some of them and you'll know what my stance regarding the story is.

[@mitwhitgaming7722]

Ocarina of Time will always be my favorite because it has the classic structure of a fantasy Hero's Journey, but with the twist of time travel. (Then again, I suppose you could say the same of Chrono Trigger.

[@93tilinfinity4life]

Agree! But Chrono trigger was more of a team up rpg where orcarina was our solo journey as link so it was more personable.

[@JustJulyo]

Although Link's Awakening is a short game and not the most complex story was the first Zelda game that made cry from joy/ sadness/ satisfaction That game does so much in such a small file size

[@BlueThunder1988]

When TotK's theme kicked in, I couldn't stop from saying out loud "AW, YESSS"

[@gabrielmatos6308]

My favorite still Twilight Princess, it's the most epic Zelda story by far in my opinion. It's akin to something like the Lord of the Rings for me, a grand story about heroes who fight a great evil that is slowly taking the world for himself, and only by the acts of true good the evil is put at bay, through the collaboration of all species they can win this great war, and save their land. A story about friendship, bravery, duty, and redemption, that no other Zelda did. This truly felt like a epic legend about the adventures of a mythical hero, and that's what I love in Zelda the most. (Not to mention that the final battle is simply amazing)

[@Azureblue25]

Same, my favorite is Twilight Princess as well, although something I’ve noticed is that once something is your favorite not only can you acknowledge it’s greatest strengths, but you’re also bound to notice how it can be improved upon, for me the only ways I’d want Twilight Princess to be improved would be giving Princess Zelda more development and giving her a more fleshed out relationship with Link, and still giving Midna the same major role, something akin to what happened in Skyward Sword, also design wise I think Skyward Sword and the Link Between Worlds Smash Bros. Ultimate Princess Zelda designs are my favorites, so I wish she looked more like either of those designs, aside from that, it would’ve been cool if we got a dark link battle, especially since they even got featured in a cutscene in the game itself, and we never get to fight one of them, come to think of it a dark link battle would’ve been a great final challenge for the cave of ordeals in the Gerudo desert, as well as making the boss battles a bit more difficult to make it feel more rewarding to defeat them after an already epic battle with an epic soundtrack in the background, (the second phase of Morpheel in the Lakebed Temple doesn’t even attack you which is kinda lame) Also making the overworld feel less empty, especially with Hyrule field. I could probably think of other things, but I just thought I’d at least mention all of the above.

[@tonyb4252]

Love twilight princess

[@corncob567]

TP on top!!

[@-.MidnasLament.-]

Same ❤

[@padfootetprongs]

Agree

[@nickk3077]

I think Zelda 1 and 2 had great stories for the time! Like, when Zelda came out, it was revolutionary because open worlds like this with secrets and mysteries and such were seldom made.

[@gregd6611]

I agree. As it was more technology based why the story was more minimal within the games, the manual added a lot of context. But apparently I'm one of the few kids that read the manual to get that information, which is why those 2 have more nostalgia for me personally. Just like how it added more context for the Mario series, with Toads being transformed into the blocks, and Bowser needing to appear on Peach & Bowser +8 (JK!). When Bowser had 7 kids originally, and then seemingly an 8th in Bowser Junior.

[@hedwigon6951]

For the time, yes. With modern Zelda, no.

[@hist150project5]

Eh, Final Fantasy 1 only came out one year later and it has much more story than Zelda 1. Zelda 1 literally has as much story as Super Mario Bros.

[@gregd6611]

@@hist150project5 Probably, but Zelda (especially in the eyes of all the various developers over the series) was never about the story. So they could have put more story in - but for all we know there was a limitation to not overwhelm the adventure. It could be hardware based as perhaps they wanted to do it a certain way, but then scrapped it. What I'm saying what was there was still a good story. It didn't help that there were numerous translation issues and more NOA inventing parts of the story. I liked what was there, could there have been more? Probably. But it wasn't the primary focus and more about the adventure, as it's been the case with many of the Zelda games.

[@bethanyellico236]

A few thoughts about Tears of the Kingdom... I agree that the open-world, do things at your own pace, in any order, really harms the delivery of the story. However, for players who are paying attention, there are ways to find the memories in order. If you follow the "Impa and the Geoglyphs" questline, you find a hidden room in the Forgotten Temple that shows, from left to right, all of the geoglyphs in the order you should visit them. I used this on my first playthrough and was able to receive the complete story in order, and it really landed well. Additionally, once you finish the Zora's Domain questline, Muzu will be at Lookout Landing. He will tell you the location of one geoglyph at a time, again in chronological order. This doesn't completely solve the problem, but I do think it helps a lot.

[@helion2018]

I don't think it helps a lot, it doesn't help at all most of the time, but rarely it helps. Not fully tho. It doesn't fix the fact that you have to watch the almost same exact cutscene 4 times, doesn't help that it's painfully obvious that Zelda is 'fake' (especially if you have seen the corresponding geoglyph cutscene, which the correct order doesn't help you with except if you deliberately sleep on them on your FIRST playthrough, when you have literally no idea). For this story to work on a first playthrough the stars have ti allign in some borderline impossible way and even still, the cutscenes at the ends of the 4 (Not you, Mineru) dungeons suck.

[@endless_del]

i do agree the dungeon cutscenes are repetitive, but as for the tears quest, i did them in no particular order and got "spoiled" abt halfway through them, and i still found the story to be very compelling and emotional. zelda hasn't made me cry since twilight princess, but the final tear leading into the master sword pull had me ugly crying. up until this point, skyward sword had my favorite story because it finally felt like zelda was more than an afterthought despite her being the titular character. totk (and botw before this, although i think botw's story is only good bc of what comes after) blew that out of the water for me, because zelda wasn't just a key component to the story-- she WAS the story. link is just an observer to it, and the person who stays by her side to support her through it. i personally don't mind disjointed story telling (im pretty used to it, being a comic book reader) but i understand why it throws people off. but if you look at what the story is and what it's doing, i think it's hard to argue that there's been a game in the series that lives up to the name "the legend of zelda" more than the wild duology. an argument could be made for SS and some days i might agree with it, but ultimately i feel that since SS does a lot of telling instead of showing when it comes to zelda's story, it falls flat in that aspect.

[@mehface]

I still dont understand why the tears didn't just unlock the memories in order, regardless of which tear you found. It made sense for the memories in BotW, as the location was relevant to the memory itself, but in the sequel this wasn't the case. Seems like a really easy fix.

[@ninkstheultimate3376]

So, have linearity in order to tell a linear story. Which Totk lacked completely.

[@TheQuashingoftheTub]

​@@mehfaceI guess it's because each geoglyph represents the memory, and that's a cool visual detail, but honestly they could have found another way.

[@RGC_animation]

Myamoto: Let's create a parallel kingdom to Hyrule and let's have Link go through there. "But what should we call it?" Myamoto: Let's call it Lowrule. "You're a genius sir."

[@boo1_gaming927]

I still think Skyward Sword has the best story. I feel like whichever game is your favorite is going to be the number one story anyway, and SS is my favorite game ever. It draws you in from beginning to end, and I felt like it had the most impactful story. Is the game perfect? No, but for what I want from a Zelda game, it's there. Give us these styles of dungeons back!

[@clonetrooper2003]

Hmmm. groose’s character arc in that game is kinda lit

[@dmrjr132]

Skyward Sword is definitely my favorite story in a zelda game but it's not my favorite Zelda game. I absolutely hated the motion controls and to this day, it is the only game where I ever raged at the controls so much I broke a controller. Even with the abhorrent controls, the story was so good that SS is my 3rd favorite Zelda game

[@pippapup7644]

​@@dmrjr132the remake on switch has non motion control options if your willing to try it. If it's already your 3rd favorite it may be worth getting

[@Kinnaj53]

Skyward sword and Twilight princess are my Favorite too

[@ZzKevZz]

I love Skyward Sword, too. It's actually a real Zelda game.

[@gatst7680]

TOTK could have had the best story in the franchise imo if they just... added more story events. Give us 4 more dungeons after Ganondorf powers up to portray him as more of a threat, give us more character moments with everybody aside from the memories, give us more context into the Zonai rather than just their vague existence in the actual game. There's definitely the potential there, but they just don't freaking utilize it...

[@clonetrooper2003]

Actually it had the worst story. Worst plotholes, characters, and ending

[@roxlife8173]

@@clonetrooper2003 Good for you.

[@clonetrooper2003]

@@roxlife8173 what

[@yelsahblah3270]

Yeah, ToTK had bare bones that was in much need of some meat.

[@roxlife8173]

@@clonetrooper2003 You heard me.

[@LegoReader12345hello]

Ocarania of time was my first zelda game. It is considered the important one since from there, many games affect the timeline depending on what point they set off. For instance, Majora's mask takes place when Link returns to the past

[@GE0RGECREWS]

Link's awakening story is so underrated in the dark department. I heard the manga is even darker like link having an anxiety attack from finding out about koholint island not being real at the southern face shrine.

[@darthpaul99]

I was telling my son this the other day. It’s my favorite Zelda game, and my favorite game period. In the surface it looks simple, but there’s such deep dark undertones. It’s fantastic with the juxtaposition.

[@James-zw7by]

I loved BOTW so much, and it’s environmental story telling is amazing, but it would definitely have benefited from a deeper present story.

[@clonetrooper2003]

Yeah BOTW's story was lit. A nice risk Unlike its sequel

[@sylinmino]

​@@clonetrooper2003TotK's story is also awesome. It's got a ton of great highlights too. BotW's is much more consistent though.

[@clonetrooper2003]

@@sylinmino i disagree. Totk’s story is a plot hole ridden, tonally offensive, character ruined, lore breaking disaster. I am willing to hewr you out tho

[@sylinmino]

@@clonetrooper2003 I just don't think it's any of those. It has ambiguities and things left open but those aren't the same as plot holes. I wholly disagree it's totally inconsistent, to me it's got one of the most consistent in tone in the series. And I can't really think of a single character that it didn't improve even further from Breath of the Wild. Lore is also easily explained by it being a timeline reboot or a new kingdom far in the future (like Spirit Tracks). Is it perfect? No, it's got inconsistent delivery and I don't think the nonlinear telling was as clean as in BotW. But I think people are way too inclined to focus on the few flawed moments rather than the incredible moments outnumbering them. Example: people seem to fixate too much on the one minute "Demon King? Secret Stone?" , compared to the hours long epic arcs that come before them. Especially when the Gerudo and Rito Arcs are two of the best composed questlines and masterclasses in environmental storytelling in the series history.

[@clonetrooper2003]

@@sylinmino I can think of multiple characters they ruined. Zelda is a mindless drone, Yunobo is an idiot who fell for a puppet, and they shafted teba. And yes i do agree that sidon and tulins stories are goated but are ruined by the lazy ending cutscenes. The ending also breaks the games own lore in favor of unearned crap. Yes i do have better argumentation but unless you wanna read it it is pretty long

[@MonsterMaze]

The video turned out absolutely amazing mate! Cheers!

[@SevoraLF]

Top notch work on this man, really elevated the video. Two of my favorite creators.

[@albericozapata4086]

Really liked the position that Link's awakening has. Till this day, the story has marked me in a way that i cannot hear the soundtrack and feel emotional.

[@Houdini111]

When I started this video I said to myself "I'll be really disappointed if Link's Awakening isn't within the top third" and sure enough, that's basically exactly where he put it.

[@beardalaxy]

I haven't played Link's Awakening, though I do know the story very well. Seeing the end cutscene with the seagull still manages to gut punch me.

[@kreiskhaos8516]

Should've been a touch higher imo

[@badmeetsevil6163]

Err I think you guys are looking too much into the story. It’s just a dream…nothing more. Why feel guilty about destroying an illusion that’s trapping you? Game never made me feel that way. I wouldn’t even put it above The Oracle games or A Link to the Past, yet alone TOTK! #7 is crazy.

[@beardalaxy]

@@badmeetsevil6163 have you never been emotionally impacted by a dream?

[@TetraTheThief]

Finally someone gives Wind Waker the love it deserves for the story. God it's so fucking good.

[@HyruleGamer]

The ultimate Zelda video mate! For me, I think Twilight Princess and Wind Waker are my absolute top stories. The dark edgy-ness and sad tone of TP just captures me every time. Wind Waker is an incredible adventure that really FEELS like an adventure and sailing the sea is so unreal.

[@gingy1799]

It’s awesome to see you here. Love your videos!

[@LordMalice6d9]

Twilight Princess, Wind Waker, and Majora's Mask have the best stories in the Zelda series.

[@parkfever]

Twilight princess is my favorite zelda game of all time, next to breath of the wild.❤️ though the gameplay was hard because my wii remotes are crappy, it was totally worth t because the story is just so dark and emotional. Even the manga was amazing. I know how to play a couple of the songs on piano.

[@quintonconoly]

:)

[@yinja3406]

can you play midna's lament and post a video i would love to hear it

[@Adam-ds1ik]

The art direction they took for the remake of Link's Awakening was absolutely perfect and I adore it

[@potatoqueen5248]

Gonna be honest, didn't expect TotK to be below BotW, but I feel like what order you put the 3D games in depends both on the person and the day.

[@c.nk.01]

imo i think the storytelling method also affects the ranking - they both use the same open-ended storytelling method but it works better in botw's context bc we already know the outcome of the story at the start and the memories just add little extra context and fluff, as opposed to totk where we're actively trying to solve a mystery and the open-ended way of uncovering it could inadvertently spoil the whole game at the start.

[@ptolover7]

Wind Waker is 100% my #1. I used to play it multiple times a year and I don't think I ever didn't tear up at that last sequence with the king's whole speech. My second though is Skyward Sword. I also can't not cry at its ending sequence (between Impa's and Fi's farewells, I mean really), but a big part of why I love it is that it has my favorite Zelda and my favorite Link and Zelda relationship. From the start, you can tell how well they know each other and how much they care, but also how playful they are and how much fun they have. Story and music are the most important things to me so it shouldn't be surprising that my 1 and 2 in both those categories are also my #1 and #2 favorite Zelda games.

[@joannetrueman6838]

thier is something about The Wind Wakers opening That made me uncomfortable. is the people of Hyrule Worshipping the hero of time infront of the triforce seemd to be very cult like.

[@jpsevil]

This is really thoughtful. I’d personally put TOTK in the A tier, but really enjoyed the analysis. Thank you!

[@ihatepie5937]

Its problems are too severe to be put in A tier imo.

[@santiagopomares6287]

@@ihatepie5937 These aren't objective lists, and even then if someone feels the good outweighs the bad then it's their perspective

[@giofilipov9169]

Tier A for me too

[@Hellowifi]

Although the story wasn’t perfect it would have benefited so much if the geoglyphs simply presented the memories in the correct order, regardless of which geoglyph the player finds. That alone would have elevated the story

[@Fiucha8893]

Tears of the Kingdom's story is A tier for me, too.

[@cw5948]

Twilight princess has the best story. The twist at the end when you find out zant was just ganondorf’s puppet is incredible. Also midna is by far the best companion character for link.

[@ZeldaSam1]

What I would do to Zant would make what Midna did ta him look like NOTHING MORE than a slap on the wrist!!! I'd make sure he'd be BEGGING ME for death's sweet release!!!!!

[@fatgum4343]

that "twist" is arguably the worst part of the game

[@KyleMacBean]

I know it's not a main series entry but I really liked the story in Age of Calamity. I'd probably put it B or A tier if including it on this list. Def don't sleep on it folks! Great work Zeltik!

[@thecosmiccloud]

As someone who played TP after Botw, I was struck by how expressive the characters were in cutscenes (and just how many scenes there were in the game with bespoke animation). While major story moments still have great presentation in Botw and Totk, I think those games suffer from their large scope when it comes to small details and character interactions that helped make the other games feel so alive

[@erenyeeagah204]

agreed, thats why i like ww cus the characters felt like they had much more personality even tho they didnt even have voice acting, tetra is more memorable to me than most other zeldas

[@Cajun_Seasoning]

This is why the Skyward Sword (never played WW) characters are some of my favourites, they are all so full of personality and expression.

[@c.nk.01]

as someone who is also a sucker for art and design, seeing how unique and meticulously designed each character in games like ww and especially tp is is so refreshing - it gives us insight into their personality, what they do, where they're from, etc. - which is sadly missing in botw/totk with the mii generated characters as stable filler :/

[@dylanrutherford4425]

As someone that grew up with OOT, in my opinion, even though OOT is my favorite, I think wind waker and twilight princess have to be my favorites and some of the best stories. Finding Hyrule underneath the ocean, having hyrule covered in twilight and following Midna's story. For me those stick to me.

[@moopoo8841]

Twilight princess being excluded from S tier is criminal

[@antons5210]

True

[@Paycenn]

Ultra L for not putting tp in a tier

[@sledgen.]

incredible video - I love your deep dives into the design of zelda games like this. Your storytelling was so immersive!

[@ZachAdams926]

An over hour long review of the lore and story of every Zelda game. After watching for the first time, I can tell I’ll be putting this video on to fall asleep to at least once a week. Amazing video, Zeltik! I’d say it’s your best to date.

[@_zupz]

It's insane but I think I completely agree with all of this, particularly that BotW is higher than TotK

[@netweed09]

Well of course you would because the sheep just tag along with the mindless herd.

[@Lamasis2]

@@netweed09 Fanboying, tch tch tch.

[@grumbu5]

imagine getting that angry that somebody likes a game gfy​@@netweed09

[@Bakedcakeyyy]

@@netweed09damn people cant agree with others now?

[@netweed09]

@@Bakedcakeyyy Yeah, well barely 20 people lol. It's fine: you do you in your small corner of the interwebs. We Zelda fans will continue enjoying Our mercurial acclaimed bestseller.

[@AndreasVNesje]

A link to the past was such a groundbreaking game, a gigantic leap in storytelling compared to its predecessors. It's the first game with dual worlds, a recipe that many games copied. In my eyes, A tier.

[@tomvanderlinden5564]

Agreed. Also, in my opinion, none of the Zeldas after it got close of nailing the unique atmosphere in the game, especially the first time of entering the dark world. Maybe Majora’s Mask, with its gloomy tone. I am very biased, as this my first Zelda (and the one I finished). And the look of link in the manual is still my fav and would be a perfect fit for a Ghibli adaptation.

[@R2D93]

Great ranking overall, I agree on most. Biggest difference I think is TotK, for me the story fixes almost all of the issues present in BotW's especially in the way that the snippets from the past actually inform some of the plot in the present. The mysteries and questions that you're seeking to answer in TotK are decipherable not only through the info from the ancient sages and the dragon's tears cutscenes but also through sidequests and side adventures involving Princess Sightings. They all feed into the main mystery narrative of "Where did Zelda go and where is she now? Why are strange things happening all around Hyrule?" Even if you experience things out of order it's still like piecing together a puzzle and the individual moments still hold a lot of weight in my opinion, whereas in BotW the memories serve as nothing more than extra screentime to get a better understanding of the characters.

[@graenovember]

Agreed. And another thing with BOTW is that the memories focused so much on zelda and link. Nothing wrong with that but everyone i know is dead, zelda is just waiting in the castle that i can go anytime but she feels dead too... i don't have a burning motivation to chase after ghosts. Theres no mystery. The Champions too, altho great characters, were given just 1 cutscene for each. I kinda mourned their deaths but it doesnt motivate me? That's why i think AoC was great for giving them more spotlight as it shouldve been in the start.

[@Delulula]

Exactly

[@Speakhardly]

Agreed!

[@saxoman1]

​@@graenovemberThe Champions DLC did give the heroes more screen time and a bit more depth (not much, but it was there!). And TOTK will get no DLC apparently, I hope they were just lying!

[@graenovember]

@@saxoman1 true!! really loved the addition of the Champions Ballad dlc and recently got it for my 2nd botw playthrough too. For totk dlc, i don’t think nintendo were lying about having no further plans there :( my attitude is to just believe it to be true so that if it does happen, i’ll be surprised & happy rather than being disappointed in the alternative.

[@Valor6]

If people describe Ocarina of Time Link as a wonderful example of the chosen hero, Wind Waker Link is a wonderful example of the everyman hero. He's not some chosen hero, he isn't born with the Triforce of Courage. He's just a kid on an island who musters the courage to go and save his little sister from a monster, and eventually ends up BECOMING a hero worthy of legend. Windwaker is my favorite 3D Zelda game, for certain, and the story is so wonderful - able to balance dark and light in a wonderful way. That Link is my favorite, too - so expressive thanks to the graphical style!

[@itsLantik]

Another hour long Zeltik vid? Come on man you didnt have to make my day like that! 😂 Hyped up to watch.

[@hylian_gamer0142]

I love Link Between Worlds soooo much! There's twist after twist after twist, along with a revolutionary game mechanic as well.

[@Zelevi]

I agree with your ranking, with that many games in the series this is a big task. I also love how magically you describe them! However, I would switch TotK with BotW, just because of the massive emotions I felt with the ending of the „Tears-Mission“. I would have loved it, if the snippets the tears gave us, came chronlogically, no matter which one you find first (I hope you know what I mean, English is not my First language 😅) I am very very curious what Story the next Zelda will bring us! Hoping for a more linear one tho, as it shows in your Video, are more effective!

[@apfelkuchn506]

Great Tierlist! Only I would've put Twilight Princess into S-Tier

[@silentjoe1062]

I couldn’t agree more with how you described that the ambiguity of many Zelda stories makes the world all more magical. The storytelling across the series feels so much different then what other games have to offer, and give the series such a distinct and charming atmosphere.

[@exilegreatwielder6476]

You’re content is awesome and you can tell how much love and attention goes into every video. Keep up the hard work it goes much appreciated by every one of your viewers. God bless.

[@Flaris]

For me I'll probably keep Twilight Princess at the top. The journey for Link and the story surrounding Midna was fantastic. One of the more emotional games for me in the franchise. But honestly, a solid tier list here.

[@wolflinkanddogfan]

Twilight princess has a much better story than wind water.

[@loganboettcher8314]

What sets Majora's Mask apart is that the "villain" is not doing villainous things for villainous ends. The mask has its own capricious malevolence apart from any material goals, so we don't have to ask ourselves "does the villain's evil means or ends make any sense" because we know the skull kid is just a vessel for an unknown yet powerful evil force. We just have to deal with the consequences of the mask itself being a manifestation of evil and chaos, which is told through the stories of the lives being affected.

[@faith-by-faith]

I think you put the Oracle games in the right place, though somehow they have become my favorites. I don't know what it is about them; they are just so fun to play!

[@blues4509]

Good thing the games being fun to play is more important than the stories being good

[@Fiucha8893]

​@@blues4509This. Absolutely this. I've always thought games are primarily meant to be played, so for me: Gameplay >>> Story A good story can really add to the experience, but it's just a bonus.

[@nikolasseger1445]

Great video! I largely agree with most of your placements; I’m mostly just happy to see you view the Wild Era stories as I do. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are both great games with lots of fun elements but I don’t think their stories compare to those games you listed above them in your tiers.

[@ItsNamekian]

All I want is a twilight princess reboot for the switch 😩 I love TP so much man.

[@Rivalrvn]

I watched this from start to finish in one sitting, and other than my favorite title coming second, I have scarce negative feedback. This video was incredible. I loved the production value; the book transition and tier list was super satisfying and fulfilled their purpose perfectly and appropriately. The scripting and segmentation were also extremely good, every part just long enough to include everything necessary while still holding the attention of the viewer. And a lot of viewers probably don’t recognise how much of a skill it is to physically speak and read a script for so long but still maintain energy and interest with good enunciation and inflection. Absolutely brilliant, well done.

[@OracleTruth24]

I think what's great about the Zelda fandom is that we can have completely different opinions on the most compelling narratives, dungeons, etc, yet we can all come together to enjoy the lore, gameplay, and themes. I mostly agree with Zeltik's tier list, though I would put Majora's Mask on a tier all on its own. The blending of supporting cast, narrative, themes, and gameplay all coalescing together to form a player experience that puts them through the full spectrum of emotions. The feelings it got out of me can only be rivaled by Link's Awakening, but that game also happens to be the first Zelda I played (I had watched my brother play A Link to the Past and Ocarina).

[@Vindrag]

38:49 OMG! The Link's Awakening part touched me... beuatifully put! 😢

[@AceWolf456]

I'll give on that, yeah. Totk I think has one of the best storys, but the way it's told to us hurts it. Being open world and making your story into collectables is not the best way to tell that story. But I will stand firm on the story being S tier. It's like letting a student in an introductory cooking class cook a5 wagyu beef. Just because it's handled wrong doesn't mean the materials are bad.

[@YamuThatcher]

💯

[@Wraggle3000]

Ive never been more invested in a games story than totk, after pulling the sword out my entire playthrough was spent slowly piecing together what happened to zelda, only to find out she immortaled herself and ive already been on her back. I was pissed and it made the game probably my new favorite of the series.

[@prettyoriginalnameprettyor7506]

it was super obvious that she was the dragon and I feel like the game spoiled itself too early

[@RNGuice]

Bro the story in TOTK was so ass💀

[@Wraggle3000]

@@RNGuice Why is that

[@RNGuice]

@@Wraggle3000 Cause the medium they used to tell it was very confused and nonsensical for starters.

[@patriciaheredia5123]

This is the best freaking video you’ve ever posted. I’ve been watching you for a couple of months but WOW, did I thoroughly enjoy this. Bravo, Zeltik.

[@ryaniwanowski]

Zelda II Adventures of Link was the first Zelda game I played as a kid and just loved the lore and dark fantasy style of the game. Even the music of the game created a sense of tension and you knew the stakes were high as it was probably the most difficult Zelda game made. I'd love to see that game get an HD 3D remake one day.

[@alysupersmashshow]

Adventure of Link apparently also started the canonically tradition in which the Prince felt so bad about what he did, that in her memory, decided to name every princess afterwards zelda

[@javiervasquez625]

Yet prior to that it was _already_ tradition to name the princesses Zelda in honor of the previous incarnations in past games all the way into the first ever Zelda who kickstarted the Royal Family's bloodline back in Skyward Sword.

[@alysupersmashshow]

@@javiervasquez625idek man zelda is confusing sometimes.

[@tabletopnephilim4633]

Zeltik: "Midna is one of the series' best companions." Me: ONE of? I think you mean THE!

[@Leehzart]

Great video! I think I would put Spirit Tracks and Minish Cap higher, the way those games introduce new characters and races makes the world feel more alive, and the antagonist are way more interesting than what they did to ganondorf in totk.

[@DaWoWzer]

Majora's Mask is a master class at world building. no zelda game has ever felt as homey yet alien at the same time.

[@gammaraysummerhead]

Thanks for the TotK part, I would love to see a more specified video on that. I also am a lover of Zelda since childhood, collecting all limited editions and shit. The story of TotK left a hole inside of me, for many reasons. Even though I like the implementation of all the Sumerian references, not just as land marks etc., but also in the story line this time, it just felt empty, there is no depth in the story and too much contradicting stuff. It feels like they changed the whole story last minute to make it this „stand alone title“… which is a sequel (?)… Large indicator is all the things that changed from trailers to final product, pretty sure Ganondorf was supposed to be the energy source for the Sheikah tech, until they scrapped Sheikah tech, with no explanation within the game even and the statement they gave later on about it says it all, nobody on Nintendo side gives a F. But yeah, many things on my mind regarding this. I would love to see a vid about this.

[@Linkskyfyre]

Exactly you are not alone when it comes to Tears. They did make all these contradictions last minute because it's like they wanted to make a new title yet, didn't want to create new models and a new map. It's like they had a puzzle set to breath of the wild left over and tried to make them fit by smashing them in, regardless if they match or not.

[@lionelherhacker]

Which indicator do you mean they changed from the trailers?

[@Linkskyfyre]

@@lionelherhacker They changed many things from the first reveal trailer to the actual game.

[@lionelherhacker]

@@Linkskyfyre And what does this have to do with "Ganondorf was supposed to be the energy source for the Sheikah tech" ? You didn't see that in the teaser trailer. It is also clear that a lot will change after a teaser trailer. I mean, this was four years before the game came out.

[@Linkskyfyre]

@@lionelherhacker I never said he was. The original comment did. I was just agreeing to some points. That the game has flaws.

[@DerpyDerpums]

For what ToTK ultimately lays out with its cyclical tale makes it the grandest and most important imo.

[@BradleySaniga]

Great list! I enjoyed every second of your video. Zelda is everything to me and I'm so glad my top two Zelda games made the top two of this list. I feel so justified.

[@ZXApocrypha]

the main reason TotK's story failed for me is that it didn't really function as a sequel - it didn't really build upon the events in the first, but rather tells a completely separate story.

[@kiptheott5932]

Yeah, it just feels so weirdly diconnected in so many ways. If it weren't for Impa's recap of the events of the Calamity you could almost argue that it had been retconned. I think the moment that kinda ruined the game for me was finding the hidden cave where the Shrine of Resurrection used to be and being so excited about what was down there... and just finding a hot spring and some Yiga. I was so excited to see how this iconic location from the first game had changed and the answer I got was "it's just gone now for no apparent reason." Made me feel like the game was calling me stupid for caring about the world that they me to care about.

[@angeliczeldabackup1111]

To put it this way, it functioned as a sequel within gameplay. It felt like an almost completely different story wise.

[@netweed09]

What ''events'' of the 1st? Lol, are you kidding,, ''Destroy Ganon, a bunch of chasing down Zelda's diary notes if you even care for it - and figuring out to no reward or avail at all how a ''Calamity happened'' when it's basically ''Ganon controlled the Guardians - the end''? So what? Tears brought it all a New Race, new Timeline, Sages etc. Who wants to ''connect'' with a nothing Prequel?? Maybe you and you keyboard, but certainly not one _Mr Aonuma._

[@clonetrooper2003]

DING DING DING

[@StyxTBuferd]

@@netweed09 BotW had much better environmental storytelling and made you connect with the world in a way that TotK failed to do. It would have been nice at least if the story felt connected to BotW, but like the posters here said, it almost feels retconned. Like the story in TotK basically acts like BotW didn't happen at all much of the time, with the only real link being that some of the characters in that game are older now.

[@a.jthomas6132]

I wish we could explore more of the Ancient Hyrule in Tears of the Kingdom through Zelda’s own point of view , learning more about the Zonai, and dive deep into Ganondorf’s backstory. I mean, wouldn’t it be could to have a playable Princess Zelda since Skyward Sword fails to deliver us the Second Quest? It would make sense since the story felt like it’s divided into two from the perspectives or two main characters: Link and Princess Zelda.

[@itzriotplayz2377]

i also wish we can explore the lands and kingdoms outside beyond hyrule.

[@Christopher-md7tf]

But what would the actual gameplay be? Just going around, talking to people? Idk about you, but that sounds like an absolute snoozefest to me. I would be asking myself why they made me play through all of that instead of simply making it a cutscene lol. It gives off the same vibes as the sections in the recent Spider-Man games where you don't play as Spider-Man, ultimately, nobody wants that shit.

[@beaconary2597]

That’s what we need in a dlc

[@itzriotplayz2377]

@@beaconary2597 but they"re not making any dlc for totk and they said they had no plans for it.

[@javiervasquez625]

​@@itzriotplayz2377 I'm still hoping Aonuma and Fujibayashi lied due to NDA as there's a LOT that needs fixing in TotK regarding it's story and narrative.

[@LauraVlrs]

The quality of this video is unbelievable. Amazing job!

[@opel669]

The quality of your videos is amazing! Everytime a pleasure. Thank you very much!!

[@spyrofrost9158]

I think Twilight Princess is my favorite in terms of story, favorite overall tied with Ocarina. Everything about TP is just so grand in feel and scale, story, combat, etc. BOTW and TOTK are intriguing but the story definitely feels more in the background. To be honest I was fairly disappointed with TOTK's story, but I did love every moment of the gameplay!

[@Link-rz2ve]

What I think happened with TOTK is that most of there time went in developing the gameplay and making it work on switch that's why they barely gave anytime to story and world building which is kinda proved by some recent interview of the director of the game where he literally says that the sheikah tech just disappeared one day I was more happy in thinking that it went back underground 🥲

[@netweed09]

@@Link-rz2ve ? Why, what did the 'Sheikah' tech do for Us - except rob Us of lively, themed Dungeons & replace them with boring, samey automatons?? Who _all_ got possessed, had their 'Champions' killed in them and,, well just generally failed and posed more harm to the Kingdom than Good?! 🤷‍♂ That's why the Sequel is called _Tears_ - because , the 1st game's 'story' was so thin, and literally a washout.

[@aaronbowers8035]

I remember when I first played Majoras Mask I had thought the mask salesman was gonna end up being the bad guy when I first met him. Such a strange guy

[@beewhiched]

I'm glad that most people agree that Twilight Princess at LEAST should have been S tier

[@aceofblades1677]

Awesome video! Tierlist spoilers below. Was NOT expecting Wind Waker to take first place, but I'm certainly not mad about it. I love everything about that world, and especially its Triforce Trio, each of whom are my favorite iteration in the series. I think TotK lands a bit higher on my list, but that's because I was lucky enough to experience the story in--in my opinion--what's gotta be one of the best ways possible. I do agree with your issues with its storytelling, I just never personally ran into said issues.

[@40gamer90]

was obvious that he would put WW First, i knew it even before i pressed play lol

[@Iisho]

TotK is also higher on my list, honestly I enjoyed it more than BotW. Though, that's personal opinion of course. Both games are exccelent, I just think they suffer ever-so-slightly from growing pains - being the first open world Zelda games.

[@kahp1072]

The games puts very clear the linear way you should find the memories and that's what I did. I knew from my experience in BOTW that finding the memories out of order would hurt my experience.

[@VaultLink]

The only issue I have with the TotK section is saying that Zelda's restoration is unexplained, it is in pieces threw out the memories it's just never spelled out and then beat over your head like Draconification is In Memory 6 we're shown how a Sage can have their powers amplified with the help of other Sages when Zleda and Sonia give their strength to Rauru to blast away the swarm of Molduga and 2 memories later with Sonia describing how her recall works, drawing out an objects memory threw time At the end you have Sonia and Rauru's spirits give Link their strength to Recall Zelda and her stone to before her Draconification. I honestly feel like this bit of subtle story telling giving you the pieces without constantly spelling every little detail out is really nice (way better than saying 'Draconification is irreversible' 4 different times to make absolute sure you know about this "fact" in an attempt to make the ending hit harder when it was only needed once)

[@Christopher-md7tf]

"threw"??

[@javiervasquez625]

The part about the Sages been able to "amplify" another Sage's power is interesting as it rises the question of what would happen if say Zelda was powered by the combined powers of all the other Sages in order to better wield her "Sealing Power" to the point of *fully controlling* it. Maybe that's what it would take for Zelda to fully control the Triforce allowing her to use it's omnipotent power to undoe all of Ganondorf's deeds ala A Link to the Past.

[@ShadowSkyX]

Recall still works because it seems sonia never considered using it on a living being--or its understood to be taboo for obvious reasons. As the player you never consider it as a possibility either. Sonia and rauru amplified the power zelda gave link no differently than when zelda and sonia amplified rauru's powers.

[@javiervasquez625]

@@ShadowSkyX That could have been a cool sidequest to get the best ending all things considered as after watching all the Memories and learning of Zelda's draconification Purah could have told Link of the possibility of using Recall in order to cure in exchange for (insert quest related items) to empower the Recall ability so that it may turn Zelda back to her human self. Had this been the case the true ending would have felt more earned given the extra effort while Purah herself would have been more instrumental within the main storyline at the same time.

[@AnaPie896]

@@Christopher-md7tfI had to read this three times before I could make any sense of it bc of that error. Was trying to figure out wtf was being thrown. I might just be overtired 😅

[@thecoldmage_]

I feel vindicated that Link's Awakening is placed so highly in the list. It's probably my favorite Zelda game. It was truly a marvel of it's time; placing a deep, compelling, and comparatively sprawling world inside of a small Gameboy cartridge. I remember playing the game as a child and the big story twist was so surprising. It creates some interesting dissonance in the player, I want to finish the game of course, there's still more to explore, but in doing so I doom this world? What an incredible story and gameplay loop. As a self-contained narrative it's one of the strongest in the series for sure.

[@crocodilerock4662]

I agree that TotK told its story in a worse way than BotW but y’all I’m sorry TotK story changed me as a person, it was way too impactful and satisfying for me to bear seeing it down so low 😭😭

[@Speakhardly]

I feel you. It’s so powerful.

[@HellfireComms]

Yeah, I feel people are dismissing because it's not as graceful as BOTW's. It may be messier, but it's a lot more emotional overall.

[@Fiucha8893]

I can relate to this.

[@andrewraebig9271]

This is one of the best videos I’ve seen from you in a while, cheers! While I don’t agree with some of your placements, I do think you did a nice analysis of each game to cover its story and impact on/in gameplay. Thank you, and keep up the good work!

[@Nintendofan91]

I love the lack of recency bias on TotK. I played it so much more linearly than I did with BotW which made the whole experience less immersive because I was making sure I didn’t get spoiled with the cutscenes from the distant past by accidentally finding them out of order. The repeating cutscenes after the four main temples was also really annoying. It’s honestly just really hard to tell a compelling story through non-linear gameplay. That’s why Twilight Princess is my number 1 for its story. The linearity combined with an immersive world is a great format for storytelling in a video game.

[@TwilightHero21]

I agree with your list I but think that Twilight Princess ranks just above Wind Waker because it has the perfect balance of known and unknown as well as taking a tried and true format and twisting it in unexpected ways

[@jtmajor]

Just found your channel, love it. You got me to purchase skyward sword and links awakening for XMAS for myself. Excited to play them. Keep up with the videos.

[@noahburton2729]

Very good ranking, and good reasoning behind it. I think my list would be a touch different, but thank you for such a thorough video that reexplored the stories!!

[@carcerharlson9767]

I recently completed the 3D Link's Awakening. Having played the original as a tyke, the overpowering nostalgia of revisiting Koholint was like seeing your childhood home with everything as you remember it, but with a fresh coat of paint making it even better. After completing it, that final post-credits scene was the most emotionally crushing thing I've seen in a long time.

[@Robburgos328]

OOT will always be my personal favorite story based purely off nostalgia. Congrats on a hell of a video!!!!

[@magicgadget]

Zeltik and monster maze are both s tier content producers

[@twocents7509]

Totk has one of my favorite stories in a Zelda game. I really like loops in stories, and Totk has many loops, with the most impactful perhaps being that link doesn’t catch Zelda in the beginning, but at the end he does. That, and the way the game makes you really care about Zelda and want to rescue her (as you mentioned) is fantastic. The delivery in the game for many of these moments is very impactful. I think OOT has my favorite Zelda story, but after that it’s difficult. I think it be between Totk, wind waker, and twilight Princess after OOT. Nearly every Zelda story is fantastic though.

[@Fiucha8893]

Yeah, a big part of why I love Tears of the Kingdom's story is because of how emotional it is. I was about to cry during the ending. Other games may have better written and more coherent stories, but they don't transmit such strong feelings. I'm not someone who gives a lot of importance to the story in games. I prefer a good gameplay experience a hundred times more than a good story. But this game (and Breath of the Wild) really made me care about the story like no other. That's a big win for me.

[@LinktheCommunistWaifu]

Majora's Mask is my favorite story, just the overall feel that the world is going to end gives me the feel of the Lamentis scene from Loki. Glad it was S tier. Ill have to tell Cdotkom that his favorite story was ranked first in the newest Zeltik video