Here we go with the second half of what I liked in all the LoZ games I have played. In my first post I covered all the games I have played through Majora’s Mask, and now I will tackle the other six. Enough talk, let’s jump right in!
The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda series changed yet again with both the cell shaded textures and vast open seas of Windwaker. When the game was first released I actually was not a big fan of the art style, just like many other Zelda fans, but after playing the game my opinions changed greatly. It went from being “kiddy” to having a beauty that none of the other games before had. Sailing the seas was even fun… for a time. After a while, though, the wide open seas became more empty, and sailing between islands was more tedious than fun. But what I liked best about Windwaker was the end. There’s just something about planting that sword in Ganondorf’s skull that makes you feel like this time, Ganon really is gone for good. It’s also just freaking awesome to watch!
The Minish Cap
This is the only one of the “Four Swords” games I’ve been able to play, and honestly the only things I can remember that really stuck out were the Minish (Picori), the hat (Ezlo) and that Ganon wasn’t the villain. However, since this article is about the things I liked about all the games I played, I have to choose something, and that something is that this game was just plain fun. There wasn’t really one particular “Thing” that set this game apart in my mind, but I had a lot of fun playing it. The overhead style was very familiar, as was the gameplay and even the new items. They fit in, and everything just worked together. It also kind of explained the origin of Link’s green suit and hat… or so we thought.
Twilight Princess
At this point Nintendo had a new console on the verge release and a new Zelda game that they decided to release for both the new Wii and the older GameCube. Since the Wii was all about motion control, and the GameCube was not, we got two somewhat different versions of Twilight Princess. I opted for the Wii version, and while the motion controls were not as refined as I hoped they would be it was still a lot of fun to feel like I was actually swinging my sword at times. The world itself felt very similar to that of Ocarnia of Time, but somehow better. It also seemed to borrow the “Dark World” concept and the idea of Link transforming into an animal like he did in Link to the Past. But with all the similarities and ideas borrowed from other games, the final battle of Twilight Princess left me feeling more satisfied than any other Zelda game I have played. There was puppet Zelda, Ganon in Beast mode, and a somewhat irritating horseback battle but what made me jump around in glee was the final awesome sword fight with the former Gerudo thief himself. Since then I have played the remastered Twilight Princess HD, and the final battle is still my favorite, but there was that little bit extra that came from swinging the sword myself that made me enjoy that battle so much more.
Phantom Hourglass
This is yet another mobile Zelda game that I honestly don’t remember much about other than it is a direct sequel to Windwaker, you still sailed around that big ocean, it was fun, and this time Ganon was not the main villain. I’m sure I’ll post about this later, but to me the games where Ganon is not the main villain are sometimes forgettable to me. The two exceptions to this are Majora’s Mask and Skyward Sword, but they both have their own reasons for that. My favorite thing about Phantom Hourglass, however, was the touchscreen controls. I’m actually still sad that I got rid of my DS, and really wish I would have bought a 3DS years ago because it was one of the most fun Nintendo consoles I have owned. Unfortunately there isn’t much else I can say about Phantom Hourglass, but maybe I’ll get to play it again one day and it will stick with me a little better.
Spirit Tracks
Out of all the games I have played and finished, Spirit Tracks has to be my least favorite. Yes it was fun, and as a sequel to Phantom Hourglass it takes place in New Hyrule which was founded by Link and Tetra/Zelda. The train mechanic was kind of fun, but at the same time it was odd to me. There is one thing I did like about this game though, and it’s that Link’s companion was none other than Zelda herself. Of course she was in spirit form, but having Zelda with Link, and being able to control her in the possessed Phantoms was pretty stinking cool.
Skyward Sword
And now we are left with what many fans may call one of the best or worse games in the series. From what I’ve seen many fans think that the storyline was one of the best, while the gameplay was nowhere close. The motion controls to me were better than the Wii version of Twilight Princess, but there were parts where things just seemed to drag along. The storyline was really good though, and learning the origin of not only the Master Sword but of the true power behind Ganon was awesome. Having to fight the Imprisoned so many times, however, was the opposite of awesome. But what was the one thing I liked the best? I’m glad you asked. I really liked that Link actually gets the triforce BEFORE the very end of the game. The entire triforce, not just the triforce of courage, but he gets all of it. Courage. Wisdom. Power. One of the things I had wanted in a Zelda game came true in Skyward Sword, and that alone makes this one of my favorites. Oh, and the final battle with Demise was kind of cool too 😉
So what did you guys think, and what are some of your favorite things about the Zelda games you have played?
Legend of Zelda Fan 