What's the LEAST Popular Zelda game?

Every Zelda game is different - Breath of the Wild, Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword - but which one is the best? To find out, I created a survey where fans ranked each Legend of Zelda game from 1 to 5, in order to find out which Zelda games are the most and least popular! Today, let's go through the results.
PATREON - / thomasgamedocs
MERCH - teespring.com/...
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SPREADSHEET OF DATA: docs.google.co...
Note: I have not gone through all of this data. It is anonymised but I have no idea what people wrote in their 3 word responses, so please exercise caution. :)
CREDITS
Oracle of Seasons / Ages
• 3DS Virtual Console - ...
Four Swords Adventures
• Longplay of The Legend...
Breath of the Wild - Leaving the Great Plateau
• Leaving the Great Plat...

[@ThomasGameDocs]

HEY! WANNA BE IN THE NEXT SURVEY VIDEO? I’ve just put out a survey about which MARIO games are the most and least popular! The form should only take about 5 minutes to fill out, so if you want to make your voice heard, here’s the link! forms.gle/a92JYdRVUNfUvqBRA

[@Rakib_2]

Hopefully I can do it because I haven’t played all the Mario games-.

[@Kply09]

Thanks, Thomas!

[@human8301]

im always excited when thomas game docs was 30 seconds ago

[@cosmico7108]

Super Mario 3 ftw ❤

[@StrikerSML]

Was aboutbto write a comment asking when you'd do this again

[@darkmonger6244]

I like how you split the Oracle games into two separate entries, only for them to wind up in the same place anyways

[@Youwouldknowmebtnow]

They really are basically the same game. Different "stories and puzzles" as he said, but just in nature of mechanics and progression, if you randomly selected rooms each time your transitions from one another between each game, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

[@pugpug4430]

@@Youwouldknowmebtnow They are just one long game in my eyes, so I dont know why he split them. To get the ture ending and fial boss you have to beat both in either order. So in my eyes they are one long game.

[@ericBorja520]

@@pugpug4430 Originally it was supposed to be 3 games which is why you end up replaying the version you started with. But there was issues with that so the idea was scraped and put into the other two games.

[@thevangsta9892]

Honestly as stand alones these games are good but played with game link/secret code for true ending that bumps them up a tier!! My personal opinion anyways!!

[@soundspark]

The two games are linked and at the end of one you get a code to transition to the other.

[@flamm.e]

Link's crossbow training had me in tears, the story is great, the gameplay is fantastic, I just love pressing button whilst pointing at target!

[@burnedbread4691]

It could have been another Majoras Mask but Miyamoto shut it down :( he just wanted a tech demo while the team wanted to make a sequel with TP assets like Majora was

[@StormsparkPegasus]

To be entirely fair to Link's Crossbow Training...it was a pack-in with the gun Wiimote attachment. And it didn't claim to be anything other than what it was, a collection of mini games. It never claimed to be a Zelda game. It was a light gun game, which is the ONLY thing the Wii remote worked for.

[@traviscunningham7062]

What about the Wii Wheel?

[@flamm.e]

@@traviscunningham7062 wii wheel

[@locked_closet]

I would be curious to see the number of “did not plays” be integrated into the scoring somehow as well. Somewhat like how seeing a restaurant rated 5 stars with only 3 reviews is less trustworthy than a 4.5 one with 3k reviews

[@gaiance]

I definitely think the Oracle games would've scored higher if that were taken into account.

[@sparklyspartan1833]

Wholeheartedly agreed

[@SanderEvers]

@@gaiance yes, they were great games. Too few people played them sadly. I hope they will make Switch versions of them someday (like Link's Awakening)

[@cmndrkool321]

I played Oracle of Ages and Seasons. They’re pretty standup games; and I personally think they’re better than Link’s Awakening. Out of the two, Oracle of Ages was definitely the better.

[@562.anthony2]

I think a better solution would be to have more people take the poll. How are they gonna properly rate the game if they didn’t even play it or finish it

[@williambilliam5001]

I look at the fact that Zelda: A Link to the Past ranking 7th behind more recent entries is actually a *promising* sign that the franchise, against all odds, has NOT peaked. This should be fantastic news!

[@Romess1]

Implying popular opinion dictates quality SMH

[@williambilliam5001]

Popular opinion is a part of series health, though, alongside quality.

[@Romess1]

​@@williambilliam5001 you mean popularity. That's different than opinion of their artistic direction.

[@BenderBendingRodriguezOFFICIAL]

A link to the past is over rated, sorry mate but Awakening and even it's own sequel are better.

[@loneranger4282]

But this doesn't account for recency bias

[@Marenthyu]

If you have "1 2 3 4 5" as the options, isn't 3.0 the middle value instead of 2.5? For 2.5 to be the middle, your scale would need to include 0

[@tadaokou4919]

True, but I think that doesn't really matter for the rating. Nobody would ever give a mainline Zelda game a 0 anyway and honestly: Even with 3 being the actual middle one, 2,5 can still be considered the ,,Now the games get good"-point (or whatever people want to call it).

[@Marenthyu]

@@tadaokou4919 i partially agree, it doesn't matter for the ranking in and of itself, but the statement of it being the "breaking point" between "good and bad", i disagree. In the end, it's an arbitrary limit and one may set it wherever they so choose. Just Mathematically, i feel 3.0 is more appropriate, given the range of possible inputs. I wouldn't want an RNG rolling from 1-5 and then it cuts off 2.5 as the "yes/no" breakpoint.

[@tadaokou4919]

@@Marenthyu Yeah, but in general, that is pretty subjective. I mean: Look at Zelda 2 which got last place on this list. Some people really like Zelda 2 for some reason. I think 2,5 is generally a good way for this video to say "Okay, from here on out the games are actually good" because honestly, no game above the 2,5 rating is bad. For example, Phantom Hourglass is not a bad game. It's just a weak entry (in terms of popularity) in an extremly big series filled with great games. That's why I think 2,5 is a better ,,positive jumping off-point". Because I would argue, everything above 2,5 are good games and Zelda 2 is actually a bad game. Yes, I even think Triforce Heroes can be a good game if you actually find a way to enjoy the game the way it was meant to be played. Same with the Four Swords games. ,,Good" doesn't mean great. There are many ,,good" games out there, but they get ignored because of how many great games overshadow them. That's why I would say everything below 2,5 is bad and everything above 2,5 is good. And above 3 it gets great. So, in my opinion, the 1-5 rating works pretty well here because honestly, no mainline Zelda game comes close to being a 0.

[@mattdubovik3082]

I thought I was going crazy...thanks

[@erictopp7988]

@@tadaokou4919 Man, I really don't understand why people have a hard time believing anyone liked Zelda II. I completely understand people not liking it. The style was different (although how you can count that against a second game in a series when the survey included 17 more is beyond me) and it was difficult, maybe almost impossible without a guide in some parts (or at least the game booklet). No more difficult than the first one though, I'd even say less. Most of the difficulty was from gameplay challenge, not random secrets behind bomb-able walls and flammable bushes indistinguishable from normal ones. The music was tight, the encounter system was cool, the combat was varied with a good challenge balance, and I thought being able to level up skills was fun and didn't require too much grinding. Also, Link's epic down-A was born lol. It was weak in story, sure, but there *was* no story yet. What was the first story? Ganon here, Ganon bad, get to dungeon kill Ganon, save Hyrule. Yet that story was the beginning of this entire mythos (only held together by the constant speculation and demanding of fans, mind you. There was never supposed to be any overarching lore for the most part). Almost any NES game that became the basis of an entire franchise had a weak story at first. Anyway, my whole point is that it gets way more hate than it deserves, and keeps getting it for some reason. Wind Waker was bashed when it came out (by me as well, I didn't think a cartoony Zelda would be interesting) but look where it wound up. I don't necessarily think it deserves a top, or even middle spot when you're comparing it to the rest of the games, but I don't think it deserves the shit-tier status most people give it over the original

[@vhfgamer]

In defense of the original Legend of Zelda on the NES.... it DID come with a map. Every single boxed copy of the game included a map inside, for your gaming pleasure. That map is often not included if you bought the game used. Of course you wouldn't get it if you're only playing the game on an emulator, or off the Nintendo store, or on the NES mini.

[@vacuumblink2300]

@BuildGUY Who asked you?

[@Evan-tp7ur]

@@vacuumblink2300 LMAO

[@youssefbencheikh8637]

@BuildGUY People who asked:

[@totallyupdoggin]

@@vacuumblink2300 be nice

[@obmarte3803]

Yeah. Kinda sad it's so low.

[@nagit0.apologist]

I think part of the reason why some of the older Zeldas are ranked so low is because I imagine that most of the people who responded are probably younger and didnt have gameboys, gamecubes, etc. As you go up the list, the consoles get newer/more recent with the 3ds, Wii, and Wii U and I think thats definitely a big factor in the outcome. I wonder if you did this poll specifically with an older generation of Zelda fans the data would be different! Great video btw :) edit: Blarg!!!! Stop replying to this i Do Not Care about your zelda Hot Takes!!

[@ProCamStudio]

Yeah I noticed that Bias as well. I knew BOTW would take first place without doubt because of that. I'd personally rate BOTW a 3.5 to 4 IMO because it changed so much that I loved about Zelda from Link to the Past and OOT. Not to say the game isn't great, it's just new and shiny. I would be really interested if age would be taken into account to confirm the bias. This was obviously reflected by a Link Between Worlds and Link to the Past. One came out in 2013 and one came out in 1991 with a substantial re-release with another game included in 2002. It's hard to understand how important or how much of a masterpiece a game from 1991 was if you weren't even born then. That's just my 2'cents

[@MardukGodSlayer]

Most of the people who responded are probably younger and didn't have GAMECUBES!? Bruh, how young are you? I know it is a bit old now, but there were three whole generations of Nintendo home consoles before that. I still think of the GC as relatively modern and high-tech.

[@therealspeedwagon1451]

@@ProCamStudio I’d say OoT is the most iconic Zelda game and that and Majora’s mask was probably the first impression many people had of Zelda. But because BOTW is still relatively new and up in your face it’s the one many people think of. We’ll just have to let time tell how BOTW ages.

[@deweeb307]

@@MardukGodSlayer modern? It's a great console but it's over 20 years old at this point. The GameCube is almost legally able to drink alcohol

[@TorturedMongoose2003]

First Zelda game I got was a Link to the past on the 3DS I enjoyed it I lost my 3DS in an accident so I bought another one and first game I got for that was ocarina of Time 3D I enjoyed it I play it so much that I can't even play it anymore... Third game I got was The legend of Zelda breath of the wild... I love it.

[@lieutenantdiamond5601]

Crazy that Tears of the Kingdom managed to make Breath of the Wild look almost mediocre

[@FreakGeSt]

Yeah, I didn't like BotW, but TotK fixed a lot of the problems I have with BotW (still not all) but TotK is a direct upgrade. A shame in a part because that makes BotW obsolete, unlike the other Zelda games that are very diferent each other.

[@alfeaffable9254]

Agreed. I’d hoped it was gonna be more like how Majora’s Mask is different from OoT in a lot of ways despite being a straight sequel but MAN TotK is just straight up better game, almost making BotW look like a beta test…

[@the_reaper_scythe5703]

it made it so much fun by making it so we can torture koroks

[@cyankoopa8111]

I find that the new additions, changes, and the new powers do enough to make TotK stand separate, honestly. "It's just an upgrade" is new toy syndrome. Right now I do think TotK is better but BOTW has quite a lot that stands out and I can't call ToTK a replacement.

[@KYLE1654-v7m]

It's amazing isn't it? 😂

[@wally9014]

Everyone says Twilight Princess is edgy but it has so many wholesome moments

[@saricubra2867]

Clearly a lot of people never played Twilight Princess.

[@Terranigma23]

True, and I don't understand. When TP is "edgy" lol ?

[@saricubra2867]

@@Terranigma23 One reason: ignorance. TP is the most mature Zelda game ever made with Majora's Mask (recently it got a T rating by ESRB).

[@azertyuiopqsdfghjklm]

@@saricubra2867 Agreed

[@Terranigma23]

@@saricubra2867 I guess the majority of people who say that TP is "edgy" are fully Nintendo Fan who only play Mario and Pokemon games lol

[@Henskelion]

In MM, most of the game is divided up into 4's; 4 dungeons, 4 Giants you need to free, and 4 regions in the South, North, West and East of the map. Even taking a picture of the map and drawing a line from Clock Town to each region you go to in order creates the shape of the number 4. So I was very pleasantly surprised to see the game somehow continue that theme by being placed fourth on this list.

[@BaconMaken]

I don't know if this was intentional or not, but in Japan the number 4 is associated with bad luck and dread. The same way a lot of Western cultures feel about the number 13.

[@Henskelion]

@@BaconMaken yeah I'm 100% sure it's intentional. A lot of Japanese media is really on the nose with the use of 4, moreso than Western equivalents using 13 or 666.

[@indigofenix00]

​@@BaconMaken Not just bad luck - death, specifically. Considering the game's theme and tone, I have little doubt that this was intentional.

[@acegamer9347]

Mista: *sweats nervously*

[@FigureFarter]

@@BaconMaken I know Italy loves the number 13, one band named the 13th song on their album "Thirteen."

[@Korobooshii]

I think for future surveys, having an option for "Haven't played it" would give more accurate results. I almost missed that I was supposed to leave them blank myself, only noticed upon reviewing my scores before sending in.

[@randyfox364]

its obvious most these people just played BOTW as their first game

[@Korobooshii]

@@randyfox364 Absolutely. I doubt BotW would be even close to #1 for most people who have played (and liked) most other games.

[@jontyrosenow9396]

You don't need to actually eat dogshit to know it's disgusting

[@Korobooshii]

@@jontyrosenow9396 If you are to rate its taste and compare it to other turds, you really should, though.

[@galarstar052]

@@Korobooshii eh, BotW really is fantastic though, i don't think all of it's success can be contributed to it being more popular among non-zelda fans. Like, i've played twilight princess, phantom hourglass, spirit tracks, ocarina of time, link between worlds, wind waker, and skyward sword and i still think it ranks among the best.

[@BrofessorDG]

Now that TOTK is out, I think this survey is in need of a rerun

[@DrabSnipR]

Yea best Nintendo game of all time

[@ginj8134]

@@DrabSnipRnot really ocarina of time majuras mask and twilight princess are all fantastic games of course it’s a matter of opinion though

[@Altt]

I think it's safe to assume you can just plop Tears of the Kingdom at the front.

[@TableManner_YT]

​@ginj8134 I like majoras mask because of its theme, which is why it's my fav

[@alyssataylorsversion13]

BOTW tops TOTK sorry not sorry

[@jaybee3960]

all scores are weighed towards 3 because when given the choice of a middle option, people will often see it as the easiest to pick when uncertain or without a strong care either way. I'd love to see this on a scale from 0-5 instead of 1-5 so that the scores can avoid the centre weighing that a middle option brings

[@tadaokou4919]

By your logic, the ranking would still be the same. Just every placement would be pushed 0,5 points down. Wouldn't honestly make any difference because if you have 2,5 as the new middle one, than that would just result in the same centre weighting. Just towards 2,5 instead of 3.

[@OneEyeShadow]

"Meh, I have no strong feelings either way" should be a valid option

[@tadaokou4919]

@@OneEyeShadow Well, in the ranking it technically is. If the ranking is 1-5 (like it is right now) a 2 or 3 would be a ,,Meh" and a 1 would be ,,Bad".

[@owjburnham4317]

@@tadaokou4919 Point is that (if you make it 0 to 5) nobody can pick 2.5. Forcing people to pick either side of the mid point might wind up averaging out to that point if they’re perfectly balanced. But it’s totally possible that when presented with a game and a choice of “better than “meh” or worse than “meh””, more people will decide to go way than the other.

[@tadaokou4919]

@@owjburnham4317 Yeah, but that's not to bad. If they go one way or another, than it's just a honest opinion into one direction. For example: If they think Phantom Hourglass is a bit more on the negative side, than they rank it like that if there is no middle point. It wouldn't really change the ranking in itself, it would just stretch out the numbers a bit more. I don't really see a point in complaining about something which in general would most likely change nothing.

[@theminorthirds]

The original NES Zelda came with a map! It was in the instruction manual, and it showed a old amount of the overworld and the location of the first three dungeons. There’s a lot of mystery to the game, but if you’ve only ever played it on the Switch, then it’s going to be a lot less friendly and more confusing than it’s supposed to be. (Is it the 8- and 16-bit era game that suffers the most without the manual?)

[@OiiMerch]

I played it via an emulator and I try not to use maps as I play. As a result...I truly hated Zelda 1. I DID get half way through the game entirely by myself tho, which I was quite proud of BUT..it's still so terrible and I won't lie, listening to the music for hours on end with a headset...versus let's say a fat ass retro TV...it was painful. Even people viewing my livestreams were getting sick of the music lol.

[@nanoglitch6693]

The early Zelda games were designed with the intent that the player would actually *explore* and figure things out themselves. And to be quite honest, they really aren't as hard or cryptic as people keep whining about. But I guess the majority of people actually need Navi holding their hand through the whole game lol.

[@aeliusdawn]

Meh, even then, Id rather play Zelda 2 any day. It's just so much more fun to fight ennemeis.

[@tarotcard0371]

@The Minor Thirds I thought that was only the gold cart release. IIRC, the game also failed to hint in any way, both in the game and in the manual, that bushes could be burned, or that bombs could blow up walls both in and out of dungeons and that doing so was mandatory. Because of the latter point I can understand why people don't like Zelda 1, but when it comes to a map, I always draw my own because I find it fun and Link from Zelda 1 is the worst cartographer of all time. I used to hate Zelda 1, but once I started drawing my own maps as I played, it became a favorite.

[@steverempel8584]

16 Bit era is totally playable without instructions. That's the era with real, proper instruction books that people ignored. Some games still had instruction books that were expansive and works of art though. 8 bit era has some games where the instruction book is a legit part of the experience. And some games even have passwords needed to continue in the game written in the instruction books. Important instructions were far more common then. 5th Gen / 32 Bit Era is where instructions became truly optional.

[@Dark_Mario_Bros.]

The rating for minishcap is outrageous, people should really try out the game sometime, it's a masterpiece

[@mr.k3477]

one of the best in the series imo

[@Dark_Mario_Bros.]

@Super Ninja yus, kinstones suck but doesn't lower the important parts of the gameplay, specially if you're not aiming for 100% shenanigans

[@nahidwin65]

It was my first ever Zelda game. I still think its worth playing

[@ArtbySherly]

True! That is one of my favorite Zelda games! 🙌

[@edgyanole9705]

It's great, also majoras mask underrated and oot is overrated

[@SongOfStorms22]

Only Zelda fans can possibly describe a game where, after doing an bow and arrow shootout segment with epic music the game parodies itself by having a minigame where you befriend lonely cats as Wolf Link with *the exact same music* as ‘too edgy’. That’s just genius.

[@isaiahmilde]

Best sidequest in any Zelda game ever.

[@Tonovac]

The Minish Cap is so underatted, I'm surprised it made it that high

[@EhurtAfy]

Minish Cap came to mind immediately as one of the least popular no matter how good. The Oracle games and Zelda 1 & 2 would be there also in my mind. I'd rather play Minish Cap over the game boy and NES Zelda game any day

[@MutohMech]

It's my favorite

[@lamola4414]

First Zelda game I've ever played, it's a shame we don't get games like it no more (really wish they made a remake on switch)

[@SeniorDankyKang]

I really liked the Dungeons and bosses, but it has some of the worst side quests which leaves it a bit low on my personal list.

[@shun22222]

​@@SeniorDankyKang you are saying worst side quests but I would say they were all good except figurine one which is like one of the minor bad things in the game

[@nilsnyberg4825]

I did not expect Phantom Hourglass to be rated so low, I really liked that game. I even liked the temple of the ocean king, it was cool to return with new items and bypass barriers that or access shortcuts that you previously couldn't.

[@monkeydmaxi4874]

It's an underrated masterpiece

[@Rodario83]

I like it too but I can totally understand the ranking. The Controls were a dealbreaker for many.

[@ArtbySherly]

well, maybe it has to do with why people set their expectations too high, and only focus on graphic quality or controls... and not enjoy the good that each installment can bring us

[@radicalsaled5756]

good game. By zelda standards bad

[@marilee8063]

I agree, but maybe cuz I’m bias that it was my first Zelda game :/

[@dm14197]

The spreadsheet's pretty funny. Someone wrote "spirit tracks rules" for all games and someone else just wrote the title of the game (in 3 words)

[@justkeytwitchy]

I'm usually not a fan of open world games, but BoTW really nailed it. Even though the world is vast, it's incredibly dense with content.

[@lurabito1155]

Have you really played the game? I haven’t seen more than three sidequests which actually give you a decent reward, most of them are completely useless. There was no need to explore in Botw

[@Sir_Zoid]

The top 5 were as I expected. Fun to finally see the results of the survey! Thank you for sharing the results!

[@emoji3266]

The real last place is the Zelda cdi games

[@StoMoComedoPro]

100th like

[@OreganoParsley]

@@emoji3266 you misspelled first

[@ShaOryDow]

Oh, future suggestion, maybe do this voting thing for all the pokemon games. Since I'm honestly very curious what people value as the best Main Pokemon game these days.

[@mtnbkr5478]

Funny, I was just talking with the family about this yesterday. I'm in the process of finishing Arcaeus and more or less hating everything about it other than the graphics. In my opinion, Red/Blue had the best premise and Yellow was a crashgrab, Gold/Silver maybe had a better story, but they also introduced a lot of pokemon that seemed pretty low-effort just to justify the next generation, then stuck with that format. Arcaeus just felt like someone pitched a half-built garbage-tier game to Nintendo to beg for funding, and they only agreed on the condition that they include pokemon to artificially lengthen the gameplay and so they didn't have to come up with something new themselves. What I'd really like to see is an augmented reality remake of the original premise, like GO, but with Red/Blue gameplay and other players' devices initiating surprise battles when in proximity, making it both an exercise and social app. Because I guess I want to get interrupted during a romantic walk through the park with the wife in the evening by getting my butt handed to me by a pre-teen or something; it would still be more interesting than "oh look, the duck is back!" Uh, anyway... Thoughts?

[@ros9764]

My guess would be Black and White 2 at first place

[@ShaOryDow]

@@mtnbkr5478 You think the graphics of Arceus are good? Oof... The draw distance is so awful, and the textures still look like they're from the Playstation 2 Era, The only true good thing about the game, in my opinion, is the catching mechanics, as well as the way you now battle, quick responsive and you can walk around during the battle, it feels more involving insteadd of having you teleport to a stage during every pokemon battle. But that's all, the story was awful, it felt like an absolute grindfest, to expand your inventory was scummy and uncalled for, you spend 80% of the time throwing a pokemon at trees and rocks to get crafting stuff... Yeah, like, I see what they were trying, but it failed.

[@coolskelleton95]

My opinion (really shouldn’t be saying this...) is prob gen 3 or 4

[@JCVidZ0912]

YES

[@ttvbumbleb]

WOW I did not expect to see ocarina of time under botw

[@bacohpfanwhick2572]

Skyward sword hd actually was a nice change of pace for me. I just wanted a standard adventure for once.

[@marielcarey4288]

Also is it just me or is it the most immersive? I mean I have only played SS and TP, but the motion controls when perfectly lined up, made for some of the most fun boss fights and immersive gameplay. Koloktos still the best boss fight.

[@TommBeauchamp]

Same here on SS HD Zelda BOTW is a real disappointment for me compared to what Nintendo created before this game Clearly not the greatest game in my opinion x) (PS: I really love SS !)

[@statesminds]

I dont think linear means bad like so many people like to relate to it. Sometimes after so many open world games linear is nice to switch things up and is refreshing.

[@raskolnikov6443]

@@TommBeauchamp I believe it’s a great new direction after the same old formula. I hope they build on it!

[@arsonne]

I honestly prefer the more linear Zeldas. BOTW was a great time but the best part of Zelda games for me the build up and questline working up toward a dungeon where you're learning more about lore of the area and dungeon and/or culture of the people it's based around. Stuff like that. I love that gameplay loop so much. BOTW with actual dungeons would have been incredible.

[@dragonheart7901]

21:12 YES! I still remember starting it up and asking my best friend if I could really just go to those mountains in the distance whenever I wanted. I remember the shock and awe as I took everything in. It was so so fun. I wasted most of it on the back of a horse, but when I got a switch and the game for myself, I finally really climbed those mountains in the distance. I was on fire since it was death mountain, but still

[@zachtwilightwindwaker596]

I think I headed to the desert first which is not a good place to start. I don't know how I defeated Thunder Blight with only 5-6 hearts.

[@Reallyker101]

I love botw, i sank a few hundred hours into it ez. However, the divine beasts and shrines were kinda lame. I don't think i even beat all 4 on my first playthrough... I skipped the lizard. Im the kinda guy who likes to get absolutely stacked (aka, max hearts and best loot) but i got really bored trying to grind every single shrine. Ooh, i really loved the feeling of filling out the map. Climbing all the towers and seeing the picture slowly come into place was really cool. Pretty sure that was the first thing i did lol.

[@danielbricker7204]

I really love the game (i own it on wii u and switch) but the weapon breaking mechanic really made the late game annoying to me. i would only use the master sword, and when it was broken i would use the runes and avoid using normal weapons because i had a collection of really good stuff that i didnt want to break

[@pxstelgirl2731]

I love the game to it’s just a bit too long to beat since you have to do lots of puzzles, shrines, quests, towers to do,etc. The thing I love the most about botw is it’s really fun and you get to see really good graphics about this game when it first came back in 2017 I didn’t know people still play it. I thought they just forgot about it nowadays. The thing is there’s a few bosses to fight and even monsters for example lynels, bokoblins,Lizafos, hinoxes, stalnoxes, etc. I literally highly recommend playing it since it’s full of adventures and lots of boss fights. Btw it’s my opinion so

[@EarthboundBenjy]

When people complain that Zelda 1 NES has no overworld map, they are mistaken - it came with a physical map in the manual. it WAS intended to give the player access to a map all along, and that's how it was designed! It's just the more recent releases (Nintendo Switch Online for example) that don't provide this, so more people are having this problem than they were originally.

[@zeldadungeon]

Great video! Big fan of your docs.

[@ThomasGameDocs]

thank you!! big fan of your website :)

[@admiralAlfonso9001]

Big fan of your dungeons

[@CariHelstrom]

@@admiralAlfonso9001 big fan of your mystic fire

[@nightfall4434]

@@CariHelstrom big fan of ur mom 😏

[@astrednak]

Zelda Dungeon!

[@crackedmateria4991]

"It should be pretty obvious now, what the number one Zelda game is..." It wasn't, to me. I legitimately somehow managed to forget that Breath of the Wild was a Zelda game. For some reason, it just doesn't...classify as a Zelda game in my head.

[@paulineblozzom]

Same !! I thought I was the only one feeling like that. Still amazing game tho

[@gunnysack7646]

Same here

[@lacedupangel]

lmao same somehow i just forgot

[@illagevidiot8254]

Because it isn't. It's an action adventure game with a zelda skin. Nothing about BOTW even hints at being like any other game in the franchise other than the fact that there are puzzles (which by their very nature do not coincide with what the series is known for). The item system doesn't allow for progression like every other zelda game. You don't have large overarching puzzles, you don't get a sense of accomplishment because none of the items even matter. The biggest example is that you can beat the game immediately when you start the game, albeit you need to have a great knowledge of the mechanics, but the point stands. The dungeons are short blips in an otherwise boring world. The game is more about finding things to do, rather than finding how you get to where you need to go using the tools at your disposal. I played it well after the hype train, thinking it would be phenominal, and I was sorely mislead. I still haven't even finished it because it was just not what I was looking forward to.

[@zacharyvinson6916]

I like breath of the wild but I don’t think it’s anywhere close to the best Zelda game ever and I find it funny that some people want to call it the best game of all time. Good game but not amazing or very special compared to other open world games that actually have meaningful stories that you experience while you play.

[@ConnorDMoody]

TGD: Separates the “Oracle” games because they are distinct. Also TGD: Covers them together.

[@Ribula1]

When you can differentiate the twins but still treat them as an sole entity 😂

[@WowOafus]

I certain if the score was more than 0.02 apart, and they weren’t right next to each other in the rankings, he would’ve covered them separately

[@zero1zerolast393]

As someone who beat both games, I can say that both games are overall weaken by their gimmick. If they were truly separate games and didn't tie into each other, they could have been a masterpiece

[@imperiallarch7610]

@@zero1zerolast393 Can you elaborate on why you felt the gimmick weakened the games? I thoroughly enjoyed transferring progress between the games.

[@FreightmareFTW]

This world is rapidly passing away and I hope that you repent and take time to change before all out disaster occurs! Belief in messiah alone is not enough to grant you salvation - Matthew 7:21-23, John 3:3, John 3:36 (ESV is the best translation for John 3:36) if you believed in Messiah you would be following His commands as best as you could. If you are not a follower of Messiah I would highly recommend becoming one. Call on the name of Jesus and pray for Him to intervene in your life - Revelation 3:20. Contemplate how the Roman Empire fulfilled the role of the beast from the sea in Revelation 13 over the course of 1260+ years. Revelation 17 confirms that the beast is in fact Rome. From this we can conclude that A) Jesus is the Son of God and can predict the future or make it happen, B) The world leaders/nations/governments etc have been conspiring together for the last 3000+ years going back to Babylon and before, C) History as we know it is fake. You don't really need to speculate once you start a relationship with God. Can't get a response from God? Fasting can help increase your perception and prayer can help initiate events. God will ignore you if your prayer does not align with His purpose (James 4:3) or if you are approaching Him when "unclean" (Isaiah 1:15, Isaiah 59:2, Micah 3:4). Stop eating food sacrificed to idols (McDonald's, Wendy's etc) stop glorifying yourself on social media or making other images of yourself (Second Commandment), stop gossiping about other people, stop watching obscene content etc. Have a blessed day!

[@whatavibe8186]

Man, growing up on Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass it hurts to see them so low on the list. I had so much fun grinding out most of the LoZ DS games, great memories.

[@dpackerman4203]

PH gets a bad rap because of constantly returning to the Temple of the Ocean King, but that was my favorite part of the game. Using the new items you found to skip puzzles when you returned to it was fun. And Spirit Tracks is just such a cute game. I love Princess Zelda in ST, probably the best version of Princess Zelda.

[@captainrex6484]

same here! they were my first two Zelda games. ST is my fave as a result lol

[@doofuscawt]

This list is inaccurate

[@steevieg]

I'd bet most responses were never played. Because honestly, I think the handheld games were severely overlooked by majority of Zelda fans.

[@Shane-hs7xk]

As much as I enjoy BOTW, I always feel sad rating it with all other Zelda games since it’s so different! Instead of the classic linear progression of the dungeons and items obtained in them that give you a sense of increased power and progression we have a vast open canvas to explore without much structure to follow. Both of these design philosophies work really well but they just aren’t comparable to me in my mind. I hope Nintendo still makes “traditional” Zelda games even though they know that BOTW sold extremely well.

[@wanderingshadow1372]

TL:DR OOT/MM/TP/SS fanboy is triggered that BOTW is the most popular Zelda game.

[@saricubra2867]

@@wanderingshadow1372 Popular =/= the best, compared to OOT and TP in retrospective, BOTW kinda sucks

[@chrisgarrett6305]

@@saricubra2867 BOTW was an incredible experience. Saying it sucks or is worse isn’t really fair as the games are completely different. They really cannot be compared, you might as well be pitting up hearthstone against fortnite. I personally prefer BOTW, as I prefer open world experiences, but I can understand if it’s not for everyone.

[@saricubra2867]

@@chrisgarrett6305 I would take legends arceus, monster hunter and Xenoblade any day over that game, never liked it, kinda unfinished, the story, dungeons, weapons and korok seeds are terrible, without the passion that i know from the franchise. Cool sheikah slate by the way and the towns.

[@chrisgarrett6305]

@@saricubra2867 I will say that the story is a downgrade from the others, and the divine beasts never managed to live up to the dungeons they essentially replaced, but the boss battles at the end were cool. The shrines kinda made up for it in a way but not completely. I actually enjoyed the weapon system, there was a huge amount of variety in weapons and uses for them, and the damage system was harsh but necessary. It forced you to take fights from a different approach as you can’t just use the best kit over and over, which is kinda the whole point of the game. It constantly encourages you to innovate and try new things, like flying a bomb into an enemy fort with a balloon, or rolling a rock down a hill to kill them. The music is different and not as memorable as the other games but it is very fitting, and works perfectly with the game. There’s a great video by scruffy explaining sound and music design in BOTW, I’ll link it here.

[@euphemism1947]

Dude, getting both Oracle of Time, and Season's for christmas during my young years was amazing. Fantastic puzzles, Unique pet's and mounts. Multiple scenario's and art styles for same areas effected by their respective modifier. And a really captivating story of talking to one of the goddess's of the TriForce.... 5/5 handheld game, incredibly slept on.

[@copyer9088]

“Oracle of ages”

[@ThiccOleCat]

I was obsessed with the Oracle games as a kid, they hold up surprisingly well and I'd highly recommend them to anyone who hasn't played it. They're basically Link's Awakening with several improvements.

[@darrenmacqueen9884]

I played Minish Cap on the GBA back in the day, but I never got the chance to play the Oracle games. I was only able to get two games per year back then, one on my birthday and one on Christmas. And it seemed like I needed both to get the full experience, so I missed out. I'm hoping they come to NSO soon now that we have GBA games! I'd love to give them a try. Minish Cap was great.

[@kelmirosue3251]

It's been my goal to 100% every single Zelda game there is. I've beaten about 75-80% of them, and 100% half of that. It's a franchise I will always come back too. Still need to play the Oracle games tho, both of them so I can get the true ending

[@TheDuck4EVA]

16:58 "An era where edge was at the top of players wish lists" *aged like wine*

[@kijar]

I feel so lucky to have finished Zelda II. That’s one hell of an experience that I still cherish to this day, much like how I am so fond of FF7. That game was hard but it rewarded me of many things!

[@Smokey1419]

That game legit took me 3 years tp beat as a kid. From 4 to 7, it was a legit challenge for me the entire way

[@kijar]

@@Smokey1419 took me like 2 straight weeks back when I was 12. There’s this one area that I’d grind - can’t remember what I got out of it - but I just know it’s something that would help me beat the game a little bit more “easily”.

[@Youwouldknowmebtnow]

I couldn't get into it, but yeah, my brother said the same thing. People only dislike it cause they didn't give it an earnest chance and stuck with it for some time. He's beat it 3 times now, and holds it as one of the best. It's a lot harder, a lot different, a little more grindy, but if you stick with it, it's not that bad. It was designed with the intent for you to sink your time and mastery into it. Not many zelda games have that. Zelda is known as a game for giving immediate rewards and constant progress for solving puzzles and such. Zelda 2 expects you to throw yourself at it again and again as you inch forwards and slowly improve your own skill and character in game with the RPG mechanics. It was not designed for people who couldn't invest in it. Once you do, its a lot of people's favorites.

[@kijar]

@@Youwouldknowmebtnow you nailed it. It’s one of those games that sticks for a long time. Zelda II is a literal fantasy world that’s best understood by experiencing it and getting immersed in it. Your brother will probably know what I mean.

[@jimmyt7233]

​​@@Youwouldknowmebtnow Spot on. It was the first game I bought with my own money as a child and I put countless hours into it to get good and figure out the secrets. I play through it at least once a year. I know its not the best game, but it's definitely my personal favorite video game

[@kallocarina8879]

I love how despite having so few words and dialogue Link's Awakening is surprisingly emotional and makes you feel a lot

[@ersatz_]

It makes me sad that so few people have played Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. Oracle of ages was my first ever zelda game and I still really enjoy it to this day. I think they're both fitting successors to links awakening, and use their respective mechanics well.

[@gokublack8342]

Personally would have put ages above seasons

[@TincanSeagull]

Those games were so good, its a shame that we never got the 3rd one to complete the series.

[@gokublack8342]

@@TincanSeagull Wdym 3rd one???? Tell me the secrets!

[@literalwho9017]

Great games, also my first Zelda was Seasons

[@anapoda3081]

oracle games are so similar to link's awakening that for being honest they are a bit boring to play

[@wetenschap123]

Tears of the kingdom *knocking on door*: Hi.

[@Tredenix]

I must be in one of the smallest Zelda minorities as someone who actually enjoyed revisiting the Temple of the Ocean King. Speeding back through a dungeon that you know the solutions to, but with new items and powers that open up more approaches is something I really enjoyed about Phantom Hourglass!

[@gargervon8697]

That is interesting, you probably aren't the only one, but yeah, I admit that the Ocean King temple was what made me give up on Phantom Hourglass eventually. I even have the official strategy guide for it, but I just couldn't stand looking at the place after a while. I think the time limit was the straw that really broke the camel's back, though, if I had been allowed to take my time, maybe I could have soldiered through it.

[@AlexKlindt]

Temple of the Ocean King was actually fire. I had the same experience. What really held PH back was how hard they went in on the stylus.

[@Kwizii]

Same, I love the concept of returning to the temple of the ocean king :)

[@ResurgentRaven]

I actually liked the Temple of the Ocean King more than the Tower of Spirits in Spirit Tracks. Tower of Spirits was honestly a hassle.

[@gideongames9740]

PH is my third or fourth favorite Zelda game. Doesn’t deserve the hate at all

[@X-35173]

I would love to see the Metroid Series get this treatment.

[@CoffeeDrinkerKim]

Yes please

[@FzeroVaporeon]

Metroid II original is underrated and not obsolete

[@Ougerosity598]

Me too, and I don't even like Metroid! That series need more love...it's just not getting any of it from me! 😂

[@natu4761]

Great idea. But I think for this series the remakes should be split from the originals because both Zero Mission and Samus Return are different and miles better than their bases.

[@X-35173]

@@FzeroVaporeon as somebody who has played the remake first then the original, I was surprised by how well it held up. And mind you I played OG on my actual Gameboy, not VC or emulator. (Not knocking those platforms, just saying I experienced the original version)

[@cesargarcia5490]

I really love breath of the wild.... BUT those "dungeons" are so lacking it HURTS when you've seen what previous entries are capable of. The insides of the divine beasts are so bland and sterile. I felt threatened crawling through older entries' dungeons as they were teeming with powerful enemies. Here? I'm just casually strolling through the rooms and taking out the occasional enemy as I try to solve fairly straight forward puzzles. Boss fights in MM, WW, or TP were grand spectacles, but the blights? I'm not buying it. If only we could have dungeon/boss fights like that in BotW, and then I'd wholly agree with calling it the best game ever.

[@leadpaintchips9461]

And if we got gear that didn't break. That single handedly stopped me from even attempting the game. Other Zelda games getting new gear was a major milestone that changed the game. BotW wasn't like that watching my friend play it off and on.

[@krystilla]

nintendo often takes sucessful IP's and waters them down to make them palatable for the masses, its unfortunate

[@JohnTK]

It all just comes down to what people like in their games. Personally, I found no flaws in the game with regards to dungeons, bosses, or breakable gear. But that’s just because I don’t usually play Zelda games, which are traditionally not very open world in comparison to BOTW. The reason hardcore Zelda fans don’t like BOTW is because it’s different from what they usually play. Not bad in any way and certainly not as revolutionary as people say it is, just different.

[@sathvikg.5729]

@@leadpaintchips9461 I loved the weapon system. It made me think more about fights and inventory management and sometimes even made me want to keep collecting them by fighting. I liked it.

[@Eversoul12]

yup i play zelda to solve dungeons. Breath of the wild is literally just heart piece quests in a very giant open world. I love the game, but It honestly soured my excitement for future zelda games if theyre going to have such lacking level design.

[@sheenadevanna7608]

16:20 literally started crying because i LOVE twilight princess and it being 5, my lucky number, really feels like a win to me

[@Libellulaire]

As a HUGE Majora's Mask and lover, when I saw it came as 4th I was like "WTF" Of course, I expected OoT ahead because of how great it is and how it's basically "the origin of it all" for 3D Zelda games, but I was wondering about the other two. Then I guessed them/saw them and I was just "... Okay, it totally makes sense." MM is my favourite but it _is_ particular, I can't deny it, Wind Waker and BotW are also two that I love, so full of adventure, so colourful, and WW cartoonish style is so incredibly charming. Objectively I can't deny the other three are just too amazing, the difference is just that MM conquered my heart. In the end, I'm not actually surprised by the rating or disappointed, on the contrary, it reminded me how different and diverse the Zelda games are and yet all so great in their own individualistic ways. It's truly one of the best sagas ever :) Great job on collecting the data and on the video, it was so interesting to watch ! It completely filled me with nostalgia and made me want to replay from scratch all the games too

[@d3va383]

My favorite game of all time is wind waker and honestly if it’s not in the top 5 then I’m really pissed, but if it beats at least skyward sword or another 3D game and lands at number 5 or lower I’m happy with it being there because all 3D games are so unique that everyone has different preferences and some people might not like wind waker for it being too short or the sailing taking too much time or something like that. Seeing the flaws in your favorite game makes you appreciate the series even more imo because you realise how good the other games are and how every single last one of these games could be someone’s favorite game is actually mind blowing

[@NoScopingRedPikmin]

I agree. Wind waker and majora are the best games ever made

[@000BlackSoul000AMVs]

😅 I don't like majoras mask at all. The whole day cycle thing made me curse this game a lot years ago. The temple of the sea king was not as frustrating as that mechanic for me.

[@NoScopingRedPikmin]

@@000BlackSoul000AMVs I mean it's a game about time management and working under the clock. the game is literally designed around it. ocean king was just annoying to re-do every time you had to go back

[@000BlackSoul000AMVs]

@@NoScopingRedPikmin yep, and that was exactly why I hated it xD

[@snikeplassken]

“A Sense of Adventure” is what I want in a Zelda. WindWaker was such a creative inspiration for Nintendo, they really took a risk. Tingle tuner, Gamepad GUI mapping on screen, adaptative music, open world on the sea, etc. Above its rank, this game deserves credits for its originality and creative gameplay. And also because there are pirRRRrates!!!

[@fatgods2921]

"Gamepad GUI mapping on screen." Didn't Zelda 1 do this? And every other Zelda between Zelda 1 and Wind Waker also? Or am I misinterpreting what you mean by that?

[@endruler8625]

So fun fact about the original Four Swords on GBA: You actually HAD to play it multiplayer or you couldn’t play it at all, hence why many people never played it. And you HAD to have 4 people as well. All four needed copies of the game, GBAs, and also the link cables for all of them. Very complicated just for one game. So you can imagine why many haven’t even tried

[@Lichen1]

You actually didn't need 4 players! I used to play with 1 other person. It's still a pain in the dick.

[@SamtheBravesFan]

Actually you only needed two. Just once I played it with another person

[@endruler8625]

@@SamtheBravesFan Oh really? Huh. Didn’t know that. Well, my point still stands that it was multiplayer required, which made it a hassle to play

[@alexsonic7]

Bro my childhood was four swords under the outdoor picnic tables during recess with a couple friends in elementary. That game is fantastic. They also had an anniversary gift where on the DSi and 3DS eshop, you could download it for wireless play. No more janky link cable garbage, a better system, and with a few updates to allow for single player. Because it was free, I could spend time before school with my friends throwing pots on each other's heads or stealing their rupees and getting to enjoy the full game on my own when I couldn't find others to play with. Boss fights were tough and awesome, hearing your buddy scream as he got pushed down the tower by Vaati or how panic the music got when you got low health. Thinking about it fills me with nostalgia. I think it's the best multiplayer zelda experience next to nintendo land. Of course you need friends to enjoy it, but that's the point. Four swords adventure was essential supposed to be a better version, but wasn't very well received. The 3DS triforce game was basically a nail in the coffin as most people had lost interest in multiplayer zelda, especially when needing to buy several copies. The nice thing about fourswords GBA is that it came packaged with ALTTP, so you still had a game to play even if you wanted to play Zelda single player. I'd argue that four swords GBA is the most underrated, but I haven't touched the GBC games so idk.

[@gamerelated8985]

@Alexzi_ you could t play the re release single player either.... Your mistaken.

[@BugEdits]

19:26 Mario 64 cries in the corner*

[@LoneSWarrior]

I actually enjoy Spirit Tracks a lot. Surprised it scored like they did under seasons and ages.

[@thedurpyowl317]

i enjoyed it too when i played it. sad thing is that when i was little i couldn't get out of sand sanctuary because it seemed like i got softlocked. at that time i played on my r4 card, but recently i bought the game and plan to play it again.

[@KoenRH2803]

I’m kind of surprised majora’s mask wasn’t in the top 3! But then again, I sometimes feel like I’m the only one who thinks that Breath of the Wild is very flawed, despite it being a milestone in gaming

[@antoniopanzetta4778]

BotW is super flawed. I would’ve still given it a 4 though. I can list all my cons on paper and it outweighs the pros. But once a controller is in my hand I forget about it all and have a blast.

[@KoenRH2803]

@@antoniopanzetta4778 I did give it a good score too! So that’s totally valid. But I felt that it didn’t meet the potential it had. I missed the story and dungeon experience that make zelda games so magical. And once I got over the sense of adventure it kinda became monotonous; every secret was just another shrine. There basically wasn’t a villain until the end of the game. I would honestly prefer the order of dungeons to be linear and have more story beats in between than having to sacrifice that for freedom to choose. For those reasons it’s not my number one and couldn’t give it a 5. Fingers crossed for the sequel!

[@sonikolied]

You're not alone. Most people that think BOTW is the best one, is because it's their first Zelda game

[@eboone]

Yeah I don’t particularly like BotW is a fantastic Zelda game either. It’s just a fantastic game

[@wesboss4649]

I feel like botw is more just a 1-2 time play compared to the others but those first and second play throughs are some of the best play through you will get

[@ZeldaPodSmashers]

I love the guy who just said "OH YEAH" to every game. Great video, thanks for the research! And it's a shame not more people have tried Oracle of Ages and Seasons, or found friends to play FS and TFH with.

[@johnfulcher8448]

I definitely love just about every Zelda game. Botw and of course totk are going to be the definitive Zelda games for the new generation fans but I just can't see any game that can knock A Link Between Worlds from my #1 spot.

[@JingleMallet]

Phantom hourglass and spirit tracks are unbelievably underrated

[@mcride9773]

Especially Spirit Tracks, one of the few Zelda games where Zelda joins Link on his quest.

[@HopscotchBackup]

The different music used that didn’t match the title revealed at each number had my heart racing. Excellent choice for engagement.

[@brujomenor]

Seriously lol. Hearing music from wind waker that low on the list was about to make me physically violent

[@Soulintent95]

Phantom hourglass was awkward to play, but it was a great game once you got used to it. It always amazed me how they managed to make a game like that for the ds.

[@enuma-elise]

Phantom Hourglass was one of my first video games, which meant I wasn’t put off by the weird controls because I didn’t have a frame of reference for how video games work. It’s a great game if you can clear that hurdle, and I still like it when I go back to it. If I was a few years older when it came out, though, there’s no way I would have finished it.

[@kelseybrexit5224]

I remember crying when told to go back to the temple of time and trying my best at 8 years old through sheer frustration to “sneak” past the phantoms. It did not work 😔

[@LittleMisZorua]

I’ll always have a soft spot for the DS Toon Link titles. Phantom Hourglass is just ‘the adventures with Link and his tiny sister and problematic dad’ to me, and that dynamic between the trio just made it for me, Ocean King be damned. Spirit Tracks had a far superior OST, but they killed my boy Linebeck

[@notanyone2433]

If they make a 3D version of Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass like how Wind Waker works then they would definitely be my favorite games.

[@akitoyaname7897]

You can play them on the 3ds, if u have one. The cards work, just put a small piece of paper in as they sometimes struggle to catch the connection

[@notanyone2433]

@@akitoyaname7897 That had literally nothing to do with what I said.

[@crystalalumina]

Honestly the only thing I would change about those games would be giving them traditional controls instead of the touch screen controls for Link

[@FreightmareFTW]

This world is rapidly passing away and I hope that you repent and take time to change before all out disaster occurs! Belief in messiah alone is not enough to grant you salvation - Matthew 7:21-23, John 3:3, John 3:36 (ESV is the best translation for John 3:36) if you believed in Messiah you would be following His commands as best as you could. If you are not a follower of Messiah I would highly recommend becoming one. Call on the name of Jesus and pray for Him to intervene in your life - Revelation 3:20. Contemplate how the Roman Empire fulfilled the role of the beast from the sea in Revelation 13 over the course of 1260+ years. Revelation 17 confirms that the beast is in fact Rome. From this we can conclude that A) Jesus is the Son of God and can predict the future or make it happen, B) The world leaders/nations/governments etc have been conspiring together for the last 3000+ years going back to Babylon and before, C) History as we know it is fake. You don't really need to speculate once you start a relationship with God. Can't get a response from God? Fasting can help increase your perception and prayer can help initiate events. God will ignore you if your prayer does not align with His purpose (James 4:3) or if you are approaching Him when "unclean" (Isaiah 1:15, Isaiah 59:2, Micah 3:4). Stop eating food sacrificed to idols (McDonald's, Wendy's etc) stop glorifying yourself on social media or making other images of yourself (Second Commandment), stop gossiping about other people, stop watching obscene content etc. Have a blessed day!

[@j.lindback]

It's sad to see "Zelda II" get so little love. I applaud Nintendo for doing something completely different for the sequel; they didn't repeat themselves, but did something completely new. I'm definitely a fan of that game, so we do actually exist ;P

[@SirJoelsuf1]

We exist for one reason: To speedrun it.

[@Notenum_]

What’s weird is it’s seen as the black sheep, but so many forgot that when it came out it was literally one of 2 Zelda games.

[@msw0322]

@@Notenum_ That's right. It also made a few advancements from the first game: it was faster paced, had the first magic meter, and towns with people to talk to. Admittedly I used to dislike this game but got more into it later and now it's become one of my favorites.

[@Notenum_]

@@msw0322 also dark link made his debut there (even if the only way to beat him is to cheese the fight) but still A+ for creativity

[@cmndrkool321]

Different doesn’t always mean bad. I played Zelda II, and I appreciate it being the black sheep in unique gameplay and art style; but comparing it to 35 years of Zelda games, I would put it near the bottom.

[@Maxhd-rb1et]

Spirit tracks being so low makes honestly a little sad. I absolutely love this game, not my favorite but definitely on my top 3 Zelda games. Phantom Hourglass is on 4th place for me, doing the temple all over and over and over again, really gets to my nerves. I really need to play some more Zelda games, and finish them.

[@MrsDeviousNinja]

I just replayed spirit tracks a few days ago and its one of my faves too :D the music is just soooo good~ but the ONE thing I really hate is playing the flute, bc it never works..

[@Notenum_]

It’s a game where you either love it, or you suck at using the stylus and default to saying it’s bad.

[@shrobbyy]

I just don't like the touchscreen controls. I'd love to play Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass with proper controls

[@hpatdh077]

The biggest flaw with spirit tracks is that it's old - and didn't get a remaster. People tend to vote better for games they've played recently or are more trapped in, like it happened to Botw. Which I voted least favorite lol.

[@icecoldnut5152]

I honestly don’t understand why people hate the temple of the ocean king so much. There are 4 sections, you only need to repeat 1 and 3, and it gets recontextualized because of the new items you have, you get a bunch of shortcuts with them. You don’t even need to repeat half of the dungeon. The only reason you’d have to repeat over and over is if you keep failing, in which case, it’s a problem with the player not the game. Like imagine complaining about having to fight a hard boss over and over because you can’t stop dying

[@MeLevies]

I like the idea but I miss something. It would have been very interesting if you would have included the standard deviation to show how split the opinions are. F. E. I would imagine Phantom Hourglass to have many highs and lows, while Zelda 1 may have more average votes.

[@skel3tron]

I am INCREDIBLY biased towards Skyward Sword, with it being yhe first ever Zelda game I played at a young age which instantly hooked me on the game. Beating that game and going through all of the dungeons and figuring stuff out was probably the most fun I've ever had playing video games, and I didnt care that it was linear. Replaying it today, I can see why it isn't as loved as I think it should be, but that wont ever stop me from loving the game myself.

[@xmgaming2444]

I'm with you. I played most of wind waker but got stuck at the triforce hunt and played through all of skyward sword before finishing it. Love both games, but skyward sword is a much more streamlined adventure than a lot of people give it credit for in comparison to some other entries in the series.

[@athenabensing2851]

I agree! It was also the first Zelda game I played and I loved every second of it.

[@timmyboy9140]

It sucked in 2011 and it sucks now on Switch. Its a decent game, but for a Zelda game its far under par

[@dqixsoss7436]

I had the same experience with Twilight Princess. Whenever I played it as a child I would get stuck at the point where you need to crawl through the tunnel to get to epona in the spring (I couldn’t figure out how to get in), so I’d just play the opening tutorial over and over about a dozen times before I finally realised what to do when I revisited it a few years later and saw just how much larger the game was. Such an amazing experience

[@jonasskjtt5542]

@@dqixsoss7436 haha

[@hotdiggedydemon]

So happy Wind Waker was #3

[@artafeu]

Thanks Hot D, Wind Waker is my most favorite too. BOTW, is overated, Ocarina of Time, understandable. But Wind Waker was a truly unique game.

[@anonanonymous9670]

@@artafeu BOTW deserves it, Wind Waker is overrated as hell Only good thing it has going for it is the artstyle which got butchered in the remaster

[@artafeu]

@@anonanonymous9670 Dude Breath of the Wild is talked about 24/7 online. It has what it deserves, massive attention.

[@BenWard29]

My first Zelda game was OG Zelda. It makes me sad to see so little love for the NES/SNES/GB titles. I haven't been able to really gel with any if the 3D Zelda games except Wind Waker. I guess it's just whatever Zelda games one played in their formative years is what they feel are the best. Breath of the Wild is a good open world game, but it's story and dungeons are lacking. It's just the newest and most technically impressive. It is a very good game- I just think it is so different from other Zelda titles to not be directly comparable. All of them are so different, really. The fear and dread I got from LOZ was second to none. The feeling of adventure in LTTP was amazing. The sad story in Link's Awakening was just fantastic.

[@awooshaart]

Well coming from a younger person here i played older Zelda it was the original Zelda but i didn't enjoy it like how people praised it, it was good but nothing spectacular. i loved BOTW i also loved majora mask, ocarina of time & wind waker. Nostalgia plays a key role in this. my first Zelda game was skyward sword but it was good but not as good as i remember when i replayed it . this is off topic but i also tried the original mario bros since it was my dads favorite and it was fine my first Mario game was new super mario bros and it was amazing in my opinion but i think mario odyssey or mario galaxy and 64 is fanatstic. So like i said nostalgia is a bias here.

[@des6964]

Coming from another younger person, I had one of those nerdy uncles who made me play all of the old link nes, super nes, and gameboy advance games when I was younger, and eventually overtime I ended up playing every zelda game. The older titles had their own uniqueness sure, and they definitely made great use of what they had access to at the time, but its what they were lacking that made them eventually obsolete. Looking at the first zelda game, do you see any memorable character interactions in it that you would see in the later games? the answer is no. How diverse and creative are the biomes they put you through? sure they are different color coated but really there is very little to work with, and whatever we did get is honestly just another texture for a square. The dungeons were put together well, but again the feel in all of them was roughly the same due to the kinda the same texture. Music wise, again 8bit has its own uniqueness, and sure i guess you could argue that you can compare it to a full orchestra that you would see in breath of the wild. But when it comes to quantity of songs Og zelda just cant compete. Thats why I feel like the newer the games get, the better they get, because the developers are able to make you feel more things and wow you with zelda creativity cause they have so many more things. minished cap is underrated tho

[@nesyboi9421]

Coming from a person who has not played any classic Zelda games through and through, but had Breath of the Wild, I don't think it's that it's the latest and greatest that makes it popular. I personally think the reason why people enjoy it so much is just the freedom to do literally anything, go where you want, fight the enemies you want, explore. It's the same thing that makes Elden Ring so popular, and sandbox games like Minecraft so popular to this day, and add a touch of Nintendo quality and small details like the music and musical ques and you have a truly awesome game. However, I wouldn't say it's the best Zelda game, just that it's the most well received one so far. Think of it like food, people prefer different flavors and BOTW happens to be one a lot of people really enjoy. However it's certainly not the only Zelda game that captures that open feel, walking into Hyrule field for the first time on my still ongoing playthrough of Ocarina of Time had me feeling the same feels I had just experienced in BOTW not too long before, all while thinking "This was possible on the N64?!" I guess what I'm trying to say is that a lot of us newer players have been introduced through BOTW, and certain things have made it more accessible to large amounts of people, and likable to large amounts of people, and unfortunately that is not the case with older Zelda games, with Nintendo making it harder to play many of them without buying an old console or resorting to emulation. Sorry this was just my general disorganized rant on my view about this topic.

[@nobodyknows258]

Coming from a fan who has played 18 of these 19 games (I never played triforce heroes), if you love 2d Zelda more, which I don't feel but I totally get the love, then if you haven't tried minish cap or four swords adventures, you should try them. Minish cap feels like no other Zelda game, a totally unique blend of old and new Zelda, it honestly feels like a 2d wind waker. And four swords adventures is fun even solo in my opinion, the puzzles are challenging and rewarding and the force gem collection aspect puts a unique twist on the whole thing.

[@henrique88t]

I'm a bit amused by how much people struggled with the concept of "3 words or less"

[@Sauraen]

Just FYI--2.5 is not the halfway mark, as stated a couple times in the video. 3 is. Because the minimum is 1, not 0.

[@anxia-tea5846]

i could already tell your favorite was link’s awakening because you kept using so many clips from it in the beginning

[@thillsification]

Imagine a Zelda 2 remake as a true metroidvania/rpg in a modern engine 😍 link to the past has my fav atmosphere, link between world fav 2D gameplay, botw fav open world

[@MHShah17]

I think that might make it a good game, a bit of smoothing and changing mechanics might do a lot. I've tried to play it, I end up quitting.

[@deepfried_water]

That would definitely make the game better

[@JordnD]

To me Shovel Knight kinda feels like a slightly more modern and better executed Zelda 2. (Edit) btw I know Shovel Knight isn't a Metroidvania, It just kinda feels like Zelda 2.

[@gargervon8697]

Even having grown up with video games like Zelda 2, I will say it is one of the more frustrating ones if you aren't accustomed to the older, coarser style of the game and don't know the cheese tactics you can use on certain enemies that otherwise feel almost impossible to fight.

[@pauls4522]

Zelda 2 is criminally underrated.

[@amirshlomolavan]

Can we just appreciate how a lot of zelda games are groundbreaking and inspiring for so many great games?

[@goromajima7677]

I love the ds Zelda games, partly due to nostalgia but mosty because they’re a solid and fun adventure! And I’m glad spirit tracks was the first video game I ever played, and I think that’s definitely had an influence on the games I play today, even 13 years later Edit: I also absolutely love a link between worlds, take a guess what handhelds I had growing up lol

[@ZeldaplusSmallville]

I can't believe it was 13 years ago that I was playing Spirit Tracks on the DS, almost brings tears to my eyes. Time flies. I was just 11-12 years old then.

[@Vertraic]

My problem with the later zelda games (OoT really started it, wind waker was where it started to become painful) was the travel sections. Hyrule plains in OoT was annoying the 10th time you run through it, but it was still small enough that it did not hurt the game much. Wind waker and the ridiculous amount of time spent sailing between islands was SERIOUSLY aggravating though, I heard that later versions of Wind Waker were a LOT better about the travel times, so I am sure that improved the reception from people who did not play the original version. Spirit tracks/phantom hourglass did the same thing as wind waker with some different mechanics. The normal gameplay was pretty fun though. Skyward sword had the bird riding, and twilight princess had LESS annoying travel with the wolf form. Can't say much about BotW since I don't own a switch. ALBW was a refreshing breath of air. Seasons, Ages, LA and minish were pretty fun, though minish caps puzzle pieces could be a bit annoying at times. Zelda 1 normal quest was fine, master quest was VERY annoying without hints as some of the stuff like being able to walk through walls if you kept pressing at them for a while, or needing to burn ONE PARTICULAR bush in a forest of them on a seemingly random screen were not exactly intuitive. Zelda 2 was a decent game even if it was not originally meant to be a zelda game. The last pair of bosses were brutal though... I was NOT impressed with triforce heroes/four swords though.

[@johnkredit9072]

The spirit tracks main theme music SLAPS

[@nickgohan346]

I just love that in Spirit Tracks Zelda does something

[@jblufrmda9]

The only problem with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom is that the Master Sword has energy and you can’t use it infinitely.

[@thejustoperez3791]

at least u can fuse stuff to it now

[@jblufrmda9]

@@thejustoperez3791 true

[@likolemalin7599]

I consider myself lucky that I had two roommates with a 3DS when Triforce Heroes came out. I almost 100%'d it with them before they moved out. Was a pretty solid experience that was still albeit flawed at times.

[@CyrilOfTheWind]

I think my nostalgia for the first zelda also expected it to be higher. However, I also beat it when I was 3-4 in 1990 with my entire family and a subscription to nintendo power. Even then it took MONTHS. The game suffers from trying to do too much when the medium just didn't have the ability to properly relay information to the player. Which has been the bane of many games.

[@eepupm1]

Ive only played 2 zelda games, the original and ocarina of time, and both are recently, after spending ages trying to track down a cartridge I was so excited to play it but after about a day I was, underwhelmed, it was too confusing but in a bad way in my opinion. now you could just say I didn’t try hard enough or something but instead I’ll compare it to another game that cane out around the same time with a similar confusing aspect but it actually possible to figure shit out without a guide. that game is metroid, you could also argue its outdated but I’ll be honest it’s confusing figure it out aspect is handled way better there because its not stupidly impossible to figure it out.

[@ellisp276]

My first ever video game was link to the past so I’ve got to love it

[@newphonewhoth1s]

Spirit tracks is such a good game, the music is great in it, game design is pretty good for a game based around a stylus and just a fun game over all, very underrated

[@goldenbanana7250]

Agreed

[@JohnSmith-pj1ir]

It's my least favorite Zelda game other than than the ones that require multi-player which I don't count.

[@Ceruchi]

Fr some people just get angry that they have to try something new

[@Wishengrad]

Oracle of Ages is my favorite Zelda game. It feels the most clever with its puzzles and the handheld design is fleshed out almost perfectly. Yeah, pausing to swap items is "tedious" but it's almost effortless and very quick to make up for that. That's the only flaw in the game imo. It's very different and it's unfortunate people have never played it.

[@RedSox5630]

Yes. Good to see someone who really enjoys that game it is #4 for me behind Minish Cap, Twilight Princess and Links Awakening.

[@OutHereOnThePerimeter]

Best puzzles and dungeons in the whole series, hands down.

[@Kwizii]

It was my first so it's right up there for me behind Wind waker which is my actual n°1. :)

[@chriserony]

Honestly it's in the top five for me, just under the Windfish game.

[@ResurgentRaven]

Honestly, I've beaten OoA and while I do think it's a game that any Zelda fan should at least try, I would be lying if I said it wasn't my least favorite Zelda game that I've beaten. The time warp system was honestly annoying, the items were way inferior to their Seasons counterparts (magnetic gloves and boomerang ftw), and the temple designs literally force you to fail in order to find patterns in the gameplay. To anyone who still says the two Oracle games are the same, I urge them to reconsider, because imo Ages is way different and way worse.

[@brettmccollum1]

Four Swords was pretty fun with friends on 3DS. They gave it away for free when I first got mine so it was even better.

[@gfam581]

“I can't think of anything more perfect than Botw” he must've fainted when he played Tears of the Kingdom.

[@supersonic4863]

honestly the ds controls for phantom hourglass/spirit tracks wasnt THAT weird, it took a bit to get used to, but it worked pretty well and i enjoyed it a lot.

[@HelpTheWretched]

I agree. Rolling was a bit finicky in Phantom Hourglass but they fixed it in Spirit Tracks.

[@Evildandalo]

The thing I had a weird amount of trouble with in Spirit Tracks was the damn flute performances. I swear it would only recognize your breaths in the mic like 1/4 of the time so I got stuck on the final flute section right before the end and never beat the game lol.

[@HelpTheWretched]

@@Evildandalo I figured out a way to get those working consistently, I might make a video about it but I don't feel like appearing on-camera lol. It works best if you hold the DS face-up, with the mic hole 1-2 inches from your mouth, and don't BLOW in it, just breathe out steadily. If you blow hard, it'll register for a moment and then barely work.

[@mr.niceguy9394]

Yes Love phantom hourglass its so good, Never struggled with the controls as I was already pretty accustomed to the DS controls which I guess would be a learning curve for many going back to play it after playing more modern titles which control completely differently.

[@TheEvilButtButtons]

My first zelda game was spirit tracks, and to this day I mourn the loss of the best grappling hook function design. Also one of the few games where zelda isnt useless, so bonus points

[@mank7230]

spirit zelda is still the best companion character in the series

[@HelpTheWretched]

Do you mean the whip? I think the grappling hook was in Phantom Hourglass. I liked how you can use it as a tightrope or a slingshot.

[@unknownuser494]

@@HelpTheWretched yeah he mean whip.

[@DarthBoardBVE]

The original Zelda's low placement is something I can only attribute to a very young median age of voters. It is such a good game, and I don't think it's aged badly at all. But it has aged. It is a product of its time and still an incredibly remarkable achievement. It's way too much fun to be so low on this list, although, granted, the games above it are some of the greatest of all time.

[@Fingynium]

i was really surprised when zelda 1 was given that low of a rating

[@ChrisGagner]

I think it's the most replayable Zelda because you can get straight into the action. I still play it periodically if I just want to play something for a little while. But if someone didn't play it as a kid, I can definitely see why they wouldn't like it.

[@netweed09]

? I'm 39 , been playing Zelda for over 20 years (since the ALTTP original on SNES) - and I totally feel that Zelda I is simply easily the worst Zelda game. Heck, even Zelda II despite being flawed was one of those ''hecka quirky & interesting'' types of flawed! Sorry but I'm no slave of the Nostalgia Mistress: it's aged terribly! Breath is the 2nd worst though: with it's _ridiculous_ take on omitting 'Dungeons' - so glad Mr Aonuma took note of the feedback and put Temples back in for Tears!!

[@DownToTruck]

I would have loved to see age as a category for the survey, having participants fill out a range by decade. Could be neat to see if preferences differ based on age

[@somerandomwizard5799]

I’d bet my liver they would

[@samt3412]

Totally. The Zelda games you play in your childhood are generally the ones you love the most. 90s kids would probably have ALttP higher than zoomers, for example

[@DownToTruck]

@@samt3412 exactly. The fact that link to the past was lower than between worlds makes me think the average age of participants skewed younger. I was surprised by that result, considering fans born between 80 and 90 probably have nostalgia for it.

[@samt3412]

@@DownToTruck the age was probably skewed lower. Admittedly, I myself do slightly prefer ALBW over ALttP because I just like the minor conveniences ALBW added in, and the puzzles are so much more fun with the wall mechanic

[@Notenum_]

All the 10-16 year olds who’ve played 3 Zelda games in total picking botw

[@luckysniper1659]

When people ask me. I always say my favorite video game of all time is a link to the past. I absolutely loved it. Still play it to this day.

[@prehistoricgentlemanbird9131]

In my top 5 for sure.

[@laory1808]

four swords was fire with friends. it's a shame people didn't get to experience that more commonly. my friends and I sat on my front porch with our gameboys to play through it. great memories!

[@mattevans6752]

If people can only rate games on a 1-5 scale, then the average score is 3 and anything below 3 is below average. Not 2.5

[@DiamondDogVenomSnake1984]

It would be if the final averaged scores were rounded and couldn't be anything other than 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, but since the final scores are averages brought to the second decimal place, 2.5 is still in the middle there.

[@DanSutherland]

@@DiamondDogVenomSnake1984 The range is between 1 and 5 = 4, the middle number (midrange) would be 3. So 2.5 is neither the average or the middle number, it is the midrange of 0-5. The average between the game scores is 3.34 so anything below 3.34 is a below average game among these scores (places 11-19).

[@BloxxingDinosaurus]

Twilight Princess is my absolute favorite Zelda game so far. The music, the design, the story, the sword techniques, Midna, just everything is great.

[@KoenRH2803]

It’s not my number one but I definitely see where you’re coming from, it’s fantastic and I love how lengthy it is. I do kind of miss that style after having played botw

[@TheGamersState]

Midna is just the perfect companion, she doesn't spoon-feed you but is still helpful in her own way. Plus I fudging love her attitude.

[@saricubra2867]

@@KoenRH2803 "Lengthy it is" Lmao. The main campaign can be finished in 20 hours, far away from lengthy.

[@jaysykes7947]

Completely agree. Easily the best soundtrack too 🥰👏

[@BloxxingDinosaurus]

@@saricubra2867 Doesn't it take people around 35 hours on average?

[@calebdonaldson8770]

Skyward Sword is honestly the most intuitive game I've ever played, and certainly one of the most immersive. It is an absolute masterpiece through and through, and I'd even place it above Twilight, despite loving both. Before BOTW, Skyward Sword perfected 3D Zelda, and it's unfortunately one of those strange instances of negative stigma, despite earning near perfect scores.

[@insahnay]

I can understand for some people the motion controls didn't work for them, but man this game has so much more to offer. The painting-like art style is so gorgeous, the soundtrack is phenomenal and hits you with all the emotions, and the characters are so charming and wonderfully fleshed out. It may or may not be the greatest Zelda game ever made depending on who you ask, but over the last 10 years it's become my personal favorite for damn sure. In my opinion it's the most epic Zelda adventure Nintendo has ever offered us.

[@calebdonaldson8770]

@@insahnay Yeah, out of the traditional Zelda games, Skyward Sword is my favorite too. Breath of the Wild, to its credit, opened up an entire new world for Zelda. It wasn't just an innovation, but a true invention.

[@aurorafauna4195]

I will be kind to Zelda 2. It was an experiment. If they'd released it under a different name, changed some assets, could have been well as a standalone title.

[@aviko9560]

22:09 There is a person who only said "among us" and gave each game 1 point. lol

[@RBunctious]

Speaking as a Zelda 2 fan, with Breath of the Wild as my favourite because of its challenge and adventure. Zelda 2 is best experienced as to separate it from the series to truly enjoy it. But nowadays, I wish Nintendo would do a Metroid Dread with Zelda 2 and see how Zelda fans react. I also separate 2D Zelda's with 3D for scoring, as Link Between World's being my favourite.

[@David_McCoy]

Challenge? The first 10 hours were but after that the game is mindlessly easy. I have know clue when the last time i got a “game over” was Edit: but it is still my favorite

[@RBunctious]

@@David_McCoy It was my first open world game and the first two weeks after launch I got all the shrines, although I missed Link's House and an entire village out that way my first playthrough. Forgot to say I completed the game.

[@David_McCoy]

@@RBunctious yeah I’m working on it now, got it for Christmas.

[@GrumpyTy34er]

Link Between Worlds was the only game where I wanted to explore the world and I actually found all of the secrets and unlockables on my own without looking anything up. (With the exception of maybe the last heart piece.)

[@anapoda3081]

my second favorite zelda game, truly a gem

[@GrumpyTy34er]

@@anapoda3081 Started playing it again. Pretty hard to put down and I only have looked up one thing.

[@AdvancedReconCommando77]

@@anapoda3081 It was so good bro I need to replay it

[@avatar_hisoka]

Age of Calamity is a main series games that creates an alternate timeline

[@PlatypusDragon]

Skyward Sword is my favorite, I actually like its linearity, and I think the affordances of the tools and locations are beautifully designed

[@SCU3A_S7EVE]

I think it’s the worst of the 3D games.

[@bri1085]

It's dungeons are a bit dull, I think the gameplay was too heavily tied to the Wii controls at times, which is great in certain instances, but there are times it feels stiff

[@jackm725]

the s.s. dungeons are great. breath of the wild's "dungeons" are fucking trash

[@alexanderackerman3807]

Dungeons are dull? I think SS has some of the best looking and most interesting dungeons in the series (like the final one which is a giant sliding puzzle) also BotW's dungeons weren't terrible just disappointing.

[@Maridiaaa]

Ocarina of Time: literally my childhood game that got me into gaming and the world of Zelda: perfect in every way!

[@dudeman5303]

Guarantee a lot of those people never played Zelda 2, or at the least didn't play long enough to get the feel - I have beaten it multiple times personally so I really don't think it's as hard as people think and I think it's pretty great for it's time, the addition of RPG elements I think was great and just overall makes it somewhat charming in my opinion (and I'm not like the best at games or something, if say I'm a fairly sloppy player with a game like Zelda 2, so when I say I don't think it's quite as difficult as people say I really mean it). It's just a game that existed at a specific time in gaming where a lot of new things were being tested out and hadn't been set in stone -a lot of time has passed since it came out and people REALLY judge the game against more contemporary games far too much, the game was great in it's time but the fact it's limited by so many things that we seem as "too outdated" or monotonous today holds it back a bit. It's not by any means my favorite Zelda game but for what it is, I think it's solid. In a way I think it's got a vibe like it's unfinished - I don't even know what it is but yeah it doesn't feel fully fleshed out and that I think is a legitimate criticism people should levy. Edit: look at Zelda 1 being so low, most of these people are trying to play games that came out in a time that they haven't sat down to understand. I grew up in the 90s/2000s so I had an nes growing up but also later 3D systems like the N64/PS1 or a GameCube, I grew up on all of it but when I was really little the only system we had was an NES, you have to try these games with an open mind and you have to understand the context in which they existed in, if you're used to playing breath of the wild of COURSE it's going to be strange going back to play a game from the mid-80s, like come on guys, you've got to be patient and try to get the feel for it. I wouldn't say Zelda 1 is the best in any way either, but it's definitely not just some dumb boring old game that we should brush over either. You've gotta really soak in the fact that nothing had existed like that prior,if you can play a link to the past I find it shocking you can't sit down and enjoy or respect the 1st game

[@human8301]

I voted for this! so excited to watch :D

[@SoniXperias]

After over a year now I can proudly come back and say I've played almost every single Zelda game, even the small ones. The most recent one I tried was oracle of ages

[@CometX-ing]

Majora’s Mask is probably my favorite 3D Zelda based on the atmosphere alone. Minish Cap is my favorite 2D. Not too surprised to see BotW at #1, but I feel like it’s a bit of recency bias at play there.

[@newtscamander2461]

I also think BOTW reached a lot bigger audience than the past games, or even a bigger audience that’s still following KZbin channels about it. I feel like bc a lot of those surveyed have only played BOTW, then refraining from voting in others jacked up BOTW’s score. (Though BOTW is actually my favorite game, and I do think it’s #1 spot is justified in the present time)

[@IrvineTheHunter]

@@newtscamander2461 Also I wonder about all the "didn't play" responses, I wonder if they tanked older scores with 3's just to tick boxes.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

It's five years old now! Not that recent.

[@pjs232]

As a wise man once said: "Your favourite Zelda is the one you played when you were 11". Honestly I think the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia are probably an even more powerful bias, the fact that BOTW seems to be the Zelda game that finally knocked OOT off the top spot in the minds even of the fans who played OOT as a kid says an awful lot about it's quality. I'm one of them to be honest, and I remember having a moment half way through my first playthrough of BOTW where like part of me was weirdly still fighting not to admit it and felt almost uncomfortable about it, but I just realised I had no choice to admit to myself that it actually was a better game.

[@IrvineTheHunter]

@@pjs232 Let me frame this by saying for many people you're probably right, this is purely speculation as to different feelings over time, and isn't meant to refer to everyone. Well that's true to an extent, you tend to gloss over failing in old games, when was the last time you played OoT, Like I see it a lot it Souls, people "favorite" soul game is alwayse their first, but polls say different, even assuming people chose their favored soul game first people chose a different favorite 1/2-2/3 of the time.

[@Zilla1954]

The original Zelda only got 16th place!? What? Sure, its a bit difficult, and I had to look up a LOT of tutorials to get through it, but it really encapsulates that feeling of adventure in a way few of its successors ever did. There is a secret around every corner, and the game rewards you for exploring instead of just rushing to try to beat Ganon. It was the Breath of the Wild of its time. It makes a little more sense now why some fans can't appreciate Breath of the Wild as a true Zelda game, they just don't understand that it has been more faithful to the original than almost any other Zelda game.

[@Keanine]

Interesting that BotW took the spot it did. That game was an incredible experience but it has no replay value after you've explored the world, most of the fun comes from discovery and sharing secrets with friends, much like the original Zelda. I also consider BotW to have a massive amount of minor flaws that seriously hurt the end product as a result. I loved it and spent 200 hours finishing it, but I'll never be able to have that experience again. Ocarina of Time still wins out for me just because it's fun no matter how many times I play it, as are most of the other games on this list

[@KevinLeroyGrant]

@axel Even if it mind blowing/amazing, it's seriously just a really fun game. It's not my favorite, but it's one of the easiest to just pick up and have a good time with

[@Zeldapro100]

I agree. I finished botw 100% and don't want to touch it ever again. It's like running through a giant world to solve over 100 mini puzzles in shrines that all look the same. It would've been great seeing some unique massive dungeons that combine all that puzzles you solve along the way. There are so many beautiful spots in botw hyrule that would've been perfect for magnificent themes...

[@riniuchiha9383]

100% agree it misses many elements that make it feel like Zelda imo

[@scoundrel8440]

@axel Go play the 3DS version. (unless if you don't have a 3DS, which is fine, you can go play the original.) (also i don't get the appeal of young link's new model in the 3DS version, like for fuck's sake it looks disgusting, it's an example of being higher poly does not mean it's better.)

[@OreganoParsley]

Yeah after about 5 play throughs it’s the worst zelda game. It’s not replayable like the others

[@LeefLett]

I think it speaks wonders when your game comes with a PHYSICAL MAP. I’m talking about the original game btw. I think it would have been better if it had a minimap of some sort, it was on a newer system, and it had better map design. Yeah, better design would have fixed it.

[@xdario10]

Zelda 2 is my second favorite Zelda game. Beat it when it first came out as a 10 year old. The feeling of accomplishment was unparalleled. The gameplay is so responsive and the music is amazing. It wasn't a black sheep back in 87 as there was only 1 other Zelda game to compare it to at the time. It being NES hard was just how we rolled in the 80s. Great memories