#a link between worlds. link's awakening. tri-force heroes. breath of the wild. tears of the kingdom. and echoes of wisdom.

[lilyblossom-art]

I drew all of the Links from the games that I've played so far :>

This was honestly such a pain but I managed to push through fghjjgj for some reason i decided to be very weird with the lineart i can't even explain it-

Also don't mind me trying to figure out how to like, sign my stuff i dunno

I didn't know wether i should start with him or with botw Link since my first game was tfh and not albw. But as you can see I decided to start with albw Link

Ik totk isn't out yet but I still put it here cuz why not. I'm so used to drawing this Link because he used to be one of the only characters I would draw for a really long time haha

I don't have anything to say about this one fgjzihhjk

This drawing has to be my least favorite of the bunch. For some reason whenever I try to draw ss Link I mess it up somehow :< my poor sweet boi didn't deserve this

Okay I kinda cheated with this one because I have only played la so far but I just really wanted to draw pink haired Link fgizhgkk

I don't really like this one either, it's better than ss Link but still kinda wonky. I really need to work on my faces, especially forward facing ones. I also cheated again bc I haven't finished taol yet :>

[kommandantpinks-art]

Hyrule's Heroes — The Many Links!

After working on this for ~37 hours over the course of about a week, I'M FINALLY DONE!

Every Link was pretty tedious to draw, but hell, I ain't complaining. Link is great (okay maybe not CDi or TV Link but a Link is still a Link) and the time I spent on this proves how much I think so xD

[ivaalo]

Introduction

This is a fan analysis about the results of 24 polls posted on Tumblr by the user @zeldatourney. Huge thanks to them to have organized this tourney.

(Keep in mind my first language isn't English, so I might make some minor mistakes)

This is a long post with multiple graphs, so I'm putting a "Read more" button here!

For each game, the question asked was "How high does [game] rank?" with 7 answers possible to choose:

S tier (One of the greatest)

A tier (A favorite)

B tier (I like it)

C tier (Meh)

D tier (I'd rather play something else)

F tier (AWFUL)

I haven't played this game

The poll started on the 2nd of December 2024 and ended the 9th of December 2024.

Disclaimer: This is not a representation of the Zelda community as a whole, but a result of people who saw and voted for the polls between those previously quoted dates.

For the rest of this post, I will simplify each game's name by its abbreviations. For example, "A Link To The Past" will be named "ALTTP". The polls didn't specify if it contains the original games or both the original games and the remakes. They will be named as such:

[TLOZ] The Legend of Zelda

[AOL] Adventure of Link

[ALTTP] A Link to the Past

[LA] Link's Awakening (DX) (+ the unnamed 2019 remake)

[OOT] Ocarina of Time (3D)

[MM] Majora's Mask (3D)

[OOS] Oracle of Seasons

[OOA] Oracle of Ages

[FS] Four Swords (Anniversary Edition)

[TWW] The Wind Waker (HD)

[FSA] Four Swords Adventures

[TMC] The Minish Cap

[TP] Twilight Princess (HD)

[PH] Phantom Hourglass

[ST] Spirit Tracks

[SS] Skyward Sword (HD)

[ALBW] A Link Between Worlds

[HW] Hyrule Warriors (Legend / Definitive Edition)

[TFH] Tri Force Heroes

[BOTW] Breath of the Wild

[COH] Cadence of Hyrule

[AOC] Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

[TOTK] Tears of the Kingdom

[EOW] Echoes of Wisdom

Collected data

Each poll being independent from each other, the number of votes varies from one poll to another.

For each games, I added the percentage (as picked up from the HTML for a better precision). The result is either 99.999, 100 or 100.001, so I sometimes cheated to add or remove 0.001 somewhere. Tumblr doesn't give you access to the exact numbers of vote per option.

So before ranking the games, I have to show you first what games are the most played. Adding all answers and doing:

Played (%) = 100 - "I haven't played this game" (%)

I'll use colours to differentiate 2D games (in terms of gameplay) to 3D games. I'll also highlight spin-off games and multiplayer games.

Here are the games played by more than 75% of players:

We can already see a huge pattern. All the 3D games are there. And the only 2D Zelda game to be played by 75% of players is ALBW. BOTW and OOT are the most played games of the sample, as those were huge turning points and both cultural and commercial success.

We can also notice the difference of 5% between the least played 3D game (MM) and the most played 2D game (ALBW).

Let's continue to look at the other played games:

EOW is most likely low as it's the most recent game, at this time, but also because it's not a 3D game. And the hype train was low compared to TOTK. (3 months of anticipation compared to 4 years)

And finally, the multiplayer games are the least played games, excluding COH. Also worth noting that all the spin-off games cited can also be played with another player, but it wasn't the main focus of the communication. COH being a musical tactical rogue-lite only appealed to a specific part of Zelda fans.

If these polls contained the CD-i Zelda games, Link's Crossbow Training and Tingle games, the score would probably be under COH, but we never know!

I'll keep these colours as labels, to recognize them better in the next images.

Alright. Time to share the ranking. Here is the global result, sorted by release date in North America:

It's kind of a lot to see! Overall, the games are pretty liked. So first, let's take a look at the disliked games:

Please note that the X-axis was zoomed, so we can see the result better.

We can already notice that AOL makes a huge contrast. As this game is considered as the black sheep of the franchise because of how different it is, its reputation mostly came from the difficulty of that game.

Almost a factor of 0.5 divides the first disliked game to the second. TFH the second disliked and the original TLOZ follows.

ALBW is the least disliked, with under 1%, counting D tier and F tier.

But notice the F-tier (red) line. It varies a lot, so let's take a look at the most hated games:

Yep, TOTK is third, this time. As I don't personally think it's awful, it definitively disappointed many by being too close to BOTW and having a lot of issues BOTW didn't have.

Nobody voted "F tier" for ALTTP nor OOT. Same for OOS but keep in mind this game was the least voted one too!

Alright, enough for the hate! Let's look at the most appreciated Zelda games.

Yep, the majority of Zelda fans like 22.5 out of 24 of the games! (TFH being exactly 50, I half-counted it!)

TWW is being almost unanimously appreciated, with almost 97%, and the second one to get this score is TMC, a 2D game, with more than 96%!

You can notice some gaps, like between ST and COH, and then between the Oracle games and TOTK.

Now let's look at the most loved games:

5 3D games are in the top 5, except for SS and TOTK. TMC is very close to beat BOTW and remains the most loved 2D Zelda game. Notice how SS and TOTK make a huge gap between the game before and the game after, like voters use them as references. The two Hyrule Warriors games are, in a funny way, between the Oracle ones.

Let's add a step forward and look at the S tier only:

Nothing changes for the top 9 games. However, EOW seems more nuanced and is less considered as best than TOTK.

Final results

And finally, let's rank them using the Majority Judgment:

The Majority Judgment was created to propose a more democratic way to vote. Each candidate has multiple mentions, and you (the elector) must attribute one mention to each candidate. Since this poll uses this exact method of vote, I decided to rank them all using the Majority Judgment. To count using the Majority Judgment, you must focus on the 50% axis, and look at the category that crosses it (more than 50%). That gives you the tier, and the best tier wins.

When two or more candidates get the same tier, there are multiple ways to rank:

The first way is to put a line at the middle and see which line has the higher percentage. (Less precise but more simple)

The second way is to divide it into multiple tiers by doing the first method again and again until each candidates has a unique tier. (More precise but less simple)

But since I didn't want to compare B++++ to B+++-, I used the first method. It's my democracy and I do whatever I want!

Just keep in mind that depending on the way to count these games may be swapped:

ALTTP and LA

OOA and PH

AOC and HW

SO, for the data. Top 5 is TWW, MM, TP, OOT and BOTW. To be honest, I imagined MM to be a more nuanced game, or at least more controversial, since it has a unique concept.

The A tier only contains 2D games, except SS. TMC, ST and ALBW are the favourite 2D games. ALTTP and LA are always very close. The last one of the tier is EOW.

Only mainline games are in the S and A tier.

The first game of the B tier is a spin-off game, followed by TOTK.

TFH was one vote away from being in the B tier. And no surprise, AOL is the last one.

To sum up, according to the participants who voted for these polls:

S tier

🥇 The Wind Waker

🥈 Majora's Mask

🥉 Twilight Princess

⭐ Ocarina of Time

⭐ Breath of the Wild

A+ tier

The Minish Cap

Spirit Tracks

A- tier

A Link Between Worlds

Skyward Sword

A Link to the Past

Link's Awakening

Echoes of Wisdom

B+ tier

Cadence of Hyrule

Tears of the Kingdom

Oracle of Seasons

Oracle of Ages

Phantom Hourglass

B- tier

Age of Calamity

Hyrule Warriors

Four Swords Adventures

Four Swords

The Legend of Zelda

C+ tier

Tri Force Heroes

C- tier

Adventure of Link

Thank you for reading! ~

[imgibbon]

On the Zelda Timeline

First of all.... fuck the Historia lol. It's just. Wrong. It ignores in-game statements, manuals, interviews where developers stated their intent, the works. That timeline is full of it lol.

But anyway, listen, the Zelda timeline isn't "complicated" or "obtuse" and each game is NOT "just a retelling of the same legend"

Damn near every game in the franchise that's been released is very clear about where it lies with relation to at least one other game.

from the top:

The Legend of Zelda (LoZ) - the first one, we're starting here.

The Adventure of Link (AoL) - a direct sequel LoZ, featuring the same Link.

A Link to the Past (LttP) - a prequel to LoZ, from "before Hyrule was a unified kingdom".

Link's Awakening (LA) - a sequel to LttP, featuring the same Link.

Ocarina of Time (OoT) - a prequel to LttP, portraying events from its backstory.

Majora's Mask (MM) - a direct sequel to OoT, following the same Link.

Oracle of Seasons (OoS) and Oracle of Ages (OoA) go one after the other in either order, but take place in between LttP and LA. This is stated Developer Intent as per interviews, and why they open with Link approaching the Triforce from the end of LttP and ending the linked campaign with Link on the boat from the beginning of LA. I'm going to list Seasons first and Ages second just because that's their sku order.

so at this point the timeline is very straightforward and looks thusly: OoT, MM -> LttP, OoS/OoA, LA -> LoZ, AoL

now, continuing on...

Four Swords (FS) comes out attached to an expanded port of Link to the Past which has new content. Said new content includes a temple dedicated to FS', er, Four Sword, which has been corrupted and is in Ganon's hands. FS is said to take place prior to LttP and is "potentially the earliest in the timeline", but exact placement is unclear at time of release.

The Wind Waker (WW) - this presents our first (and only) timeline split. It explicitly takes place after the future of OoT where the final boss fight against Ganon took place, the Hero of Time disappearing afterwards (because Link then travelled into the past and experienced the events of MM) At this time we do not know which timeline split off from OoT that LttP, and everything after it, follows on from.

Four Swords Adventures (FSA) - a direct sequel to FS, featuring the same Link & Zelda, and firmly takes place between OoT and LttP (and by extension, means FS does as well). Stated Developer Intent was to better portray events from LttP's backstory and explain how the Four Sword wound up in Ganon's control. It also, for the first time, shows the rise of a new incarnation of Ganon, firmly splitting the OoT Ganon and LttP Ganon as separate beings.

The Minish Cap (MC) - Very firmly the earliest chronological game at the time of its release. Just, comes before everything else in the list at present.

Twilight Princess (TP) - takes place after OoT, but on the MM side of the split, carrying over characters and plotlines from MM and the ending of OoT where Link went back to being a child and warned the kingdom of Ganon's actions. Also sets up stuff for FSA and LttP. This firmly establishes that LttP takes place on the MM half of the timeline split.

so, to take a look at things now, timeline looks like this: MC -> OoT {timeline splits} - OoT, MM -> TP -> FS, FSA -> LttP, OoS/OoA, LA -> LoZ, AoL - OoT -> WW

coincidentally, the next couple of releases would be WW split games heh

Phantom Hourglass (PH) - a direct sequel to WW, featuring the same Link & Zelda

Spirit Tracks (ST) - a sequel to Phantom Hourglass, taking place a few generations later

Skyward Sword (SS) - the new earliest chronological game in the timeline, taking place before even MC

A Link Between Worlds (LBW) - sequel to LttP taking place some generations later but with some returning long-lived characters

Hyrule Warriors (HW) - officially "non-canon", but it takes place some time after TP, Ganon's spirit having been sealed away and the next incarnation not able to be born until he breaks free, so prior to FSA.

Tri Force Heroes (TFH) - a direct sequel to LBW featuring the same Link.

so the timeline looks thus at this point in time: SS -> MC -> OoT {timeline splits} - OoT, MM -> TP -> HW -> FS, FSA -> LttP, OoS/OoA, LA -> LBW, TFH -> LoZ, AoL - OoT -> WW, PH -> ST

Hyrule Warriors Legends - an expansion of HW that adds a new story which sees the WW branch of the timeline, from WW through ST, being pulled in to the TP one. Again, "non-canon", but this serves as a convenient spot to point at if one wanted to argue that the two timelines converged again at some point

Why is that convenient? Well, because the next release was

Breath of the Wild (BotW) - references events of OoT, and takes place 10,000 years after the last time "The Calamity" Ganon ravaged the lands of Hyrule. Also seems to reference, among other things, events of both TP and WW, which would suggest that it takes place after both of them at once, which is contradictory... unless the timelines merged back into one at some point.

But really, this is where Nintendo makes a clean break. BotW is either its own standalone thing, or it takes place so far out from prior entries that putting it on a timeline doesn't matter. For reference, that timescale irl is equivalent of looking at when the Ice Age was wrapping up with respect to present day.

From here on out things are less defined, if at all, with relation to pre-BotW games, and are more just in a BotW aesthetic if they're not placed relative to BotW itself.

Cadence of Hyrule (CoH) - another "non-canon" entry, and a crossover one at that. No stated placement, but, the game features a young Ganon who doesn't have the Triforce of Power who grows up, turns into his big beast form, and ravages Hyrule before being defeated, which conveniently is the backstory for the original LoZ, so one could arguably put it prior to it but after LBW, making it the origin story of the Ganon who appears in the original Famicom games.

Age of Calamity (AoC) - yet another "non-canon" entry, but is seemingly a prequel to BotW that branches a new timeline split (lol) by way of actually being a sequel to BotW via the use of time travel.

Tears of the Kingdom (TotK) - a direct sequel to BotW that, surprise, involves time travel that involves possibly overwriting large swathes of Hyrule's history, back to and possibly even including OoT, if you subscribe to BotW being in the same timeline continuity as prior entries. I don't really want to think about the implications of that lol.

anyway, so the timeline either looks like this: SS -> MC -> OoT {timeline splits} - OoT, MM -> TP -> HW -> FS, FSA -> LttP, OoS/OoA, LA -> LBW, TFH -> CoH -> LoZ, AoL - OoT -> WW, PH -> ST {unconnected} BotW, AoC, TotK

or, if you believe in timeline unification, this: SS -> MC -> OoT {timeline splits} - OoT, MM -> TP -> HW - OoT -> WW, PH -> ST -> HW {timeline merges} FS, FSA -> LttP, OoS/OoA, LA -> LBW, TFH -> CoH -> LoZ, AoL -> -> -> BotW, AoC, TotK

Echoes of Wisdom (EoW) comes out in just under three weeks. We have no idea when it will take place. Does it really matter where? No, of course not. None of this really does, but the developers working on the games clearly put a lot of time and effort into these sorts of things and I think it's neat to acknowledge that work and be able to lay everything out like this.

Anyway yeah thanks for coming to my TED Talk

[oveliagirlhaditright]

...There are so many Legend of Zelda games. LOL

And really, this isn't surprising. The series has been around for a long time, so of course that's a thing. And I knew this, as I've been keeping track of the games in trying to get through them all.

I guess I'm just shocked today, in realizing that I've gotten through eleven of the games so far, which is a lot, but I still have ten more to go, I think! I'm only half-way done! I thought I was a lot closer to being caught up than that.

But it's not so bad. And actually, it wasn't until I was typing than this that I realized I'm half-way done. I thought I was even further behind than that. LOL

[accessibleloz]

[ID: A series of covers or images from each of The Legend of Zelda games. In all of the covers, the title has been removed. Each of the images has had text added to them. They are:

The original Legend of Zelda, which reads “The Legend Of Zelda”.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, which reads “The Seventh-Day Adventist Heritage”.

A Link to the Past, which reads “One Time”. 

Link’s Awakening, which reads “The Renaissance Garden”.

Ocarina of Time, which reads “I Threw The Ocarina Away”.

Majora’s Mask, which reads “Masks For Adults”.

Oracle of Seasons, which reads “Seven”.

Oracle of Ages, which reads “WARNING”.

Four Swords, which reads “I Came With Four Swords”. 

The Wind Waker, which reads “Children Are Afraid Of Football”. 

The Minish Cap, which reads “Minister of Foreign Affairs”.

Twilight Princess, which reads “Night”.

Phantom Hourglass, which reads “Temples Are Measured At One Cup Per Hour”.

Spirit Tracks, which reads “Scary Time”.

Skyward Sword, which reads “Cashier”.

A Link Between Worlds, which reads “Safety Rope”.

Tri Force Heroes, which reads “Great Potential”.

Breath of the Wild, which reads “Wood Alcohol”.

Tears of the Kingdom, which reads “There Are Indeed Tears”.

Faces of Evil, which reads “You Are A Criminal”.

Wand of Gamelon, which reads “A Beautiful Camel”.

Link’s Crossbow Training, which reads “I Studied the Organ”.

Hyrule Warriors, which reads “The Three-Legged War”.

Cadence of Hyrule, which reads “Press The Hyrule Button”.

Age of Calamity, which reads “HUMANITY”.

End ID.]

There's this site called text obfuscator that does a mass auto google translate of any text you write. Anyway, here's the entire Zelda series according to the funniest results I got for each game:

[zelda-heritage-posts]

Remakes and re-releases count!

Official mainline list:

The Legend of Zelda - August 22, 1987 - NES

Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link - December 1, 1988 - NES

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - April 13, 1992 - SNES

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - August 6, 1993 - Game Boy

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - November 21, 1998 - N64

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - October 26, 2000 - N64

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages - May 13, 2001 - Game Boy Color

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords - December 2, 2002 - Game Boy Advance

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - March 24, 2003 - GameCube

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - June 7, 2004 - GameCube

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap - January 10, 2005 - Game Boy Advance

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - November 19, 2006 (Wii) / December 11, 2006 (GameCube)

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - October 1, 2007 - Nintendo DS

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - December 7, 2009 - Nintendo DS

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - November 20, 2011 - Wii

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - November 22, 2013 - Nintendo 3DS

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes - October 23, 2015 - Nintendo 3DS

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - March 3, 2017 - Nintendo Switch

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - May 12, 2023 - Nintendo Switch

[sincerely-sofie]

which zelda game is the TPiaG's casts favorite

WE'RE RUNNING ON HUMAN AU TERRITORY Y'ALL LET's GOOOOOO

Twig likes Wind Waker, but specifically the original GameCube version. She appreciates the quality of life improvements that the HD remake included, but she doesn't like the changes to the visuals they made in it.

Ark is bad at video games and is the designated Walkthrough Reading Consultant whenever someone is playing a game. He enjoys watching Ruby play her favorite, which is Skyward Sword.

Opal loves watching her family play the various Zeldas, and while she doesn't enjoy most video games as much as one might assume, she ADORES the Hyrule Warriors series.

Spindle likes A Link Between Worlds. He has the special edition 3DS that comes with it pre-downloaded and it is his pride and joy.

Ruby, as mentioned above, enjoys playing Skyward Sword the best--- specifically the HD remake, because she's into speedruns and that's the best version for doing them. She and Ark get super into her various attempts to beat her personal best time. The Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks duo are a close second, though!

Kip enjoys Tri Force Heroes and was absolutely crushed when the 3DS servers went down.

Sen has never played a Zelda game, but she once made a 1-to-1 reconstruction of The Adventure of Link in Python with loving attention to detail after hearing people describe it as the black sheep of the series and feeling bad for it.

Lucky is a big fan of Wind Waker, but grew up with the HD remake instead of the original. She and Twig bond over it and she is endlessly horrified by the difficulty of certain parts of the original.

Calypso is a MASSIVE Zelda nerd and can’t pick a favorite. She would sooner give you a top twenty-nine than a top three.

Torrent likes Ocarina of Time and acknowledges that it’s his favorite because of nostalgia and not because of it being the ultimate Zelda game.

Gengar likes Ocarina of Time and swears that it’s the best game in the series.

Celebi likes Majora’s Mask and feels a spiritual connection to Tatl.

Grovyle is a mobile gamer and thinks that Link’s name is Zelda.

Dusknoir was given a Switch and a copy of Breath of the Wild by the Sableye one holiday. It was mainly so that they'd have something to play party games on whenever they visited his house, but they figured they'd at least give him one singleplayer game. He hasn't beaten it but he has made all 118 recipes.

Darcy hasn’t been able to think of anything but Echoes of Wisdom since it was announced.

Bennett is the same as Darcy, but he was the one who played the Link’s Awakening remake that got Darcy into the series.

Clara likes Tears of the Kingdom and hasn’t been able to even look at Breath of the Wild since she started playing it.

Eve is a huge fan of Minish Cap and has the Four Swords companion manga volumes in a stack on her nightstand at all times.

Chatot and Wigglytuff were huge fans of Link’s Awakening DX as kids. Chatot still plays it every once in a while to calm down after the work day, and Wigglytuff has been trying to convince him to give the second remake on the Switch a shot.

[ryttu3k]

If I've never played Zelda before, do you think it's OK to start with one of the current games?

Yeah, absolutely! If we're going for an ideal first game, I'd be looking for three things: 1) it's not heavily dependent on having already played or knowing a great deal about another game, 2) it's still got a consequential amount of story and a familiar structure to introduce you to the rest of the greater history of Hyrule (assuming you want to get into the series and not a single game), and 3) it doesn't have a completely different playstyle (like Echoes of Wisdom's Echo-based gameplay, or Majora's Mask's time mechanics).

With those in mind, Breath of the Wild is an ideal first game to play, because it doesn't have any firm connection with other games in the timeline, but instead stands entirely on its own. It has enough Zelda traditions to lead you into the other games, and it's just huge and gorgeous and expansive. Skyward Sword would also be great, it's the earliest in the timeline, fits a lot of the established Zelda structure, and the remastered version avoids a lot of the issues the original had with motion controls. Both have beautiful stories, incredibly engaging characters, and are 'complete packages', story-wise.

For the most recent release, I wouldn't start with Echoes of Wisdom, because it's extremely different, gameplay-wise, to any other Zelda game and is much less expansive. Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild (...sort of) and so is also best left to afterwards, too. Ocarina of Time would be a solid option for a first game; I'd probably leave Wind Waker and Twilight Princess until after playing Ocarina.

So, for a first game and introduction to the series, I'd recommend:

Ideal as first game: Breath of the Wild (huge, expansive, breathtakingly gorgeous game, suitable setting to introduce you to the series), Skyward Sword (another beautiful game, first game chronologically so not dependent on others, remaster fixes a lot of control issues)

Good as first game: Ocarina of Time (nods to earlier lore but not heavily dependent, introduces a lot of series tropes, but not quite as huge and expansive as BotW; this was my first game!), Link to the Past (dated, but the first heavily lore-based game, also introduces a lot of series tropes)

Has issues as first game: Wind Waker and Twilight Princess (better to play after Ocarina of Time but certainly doable), The Legend of Zelda (first-released game, but very dated), Link's Awakening (direct sequel, but still independent enough to possible to play as first), Oracle of Ages and Seasons, Minish Cap (lighter stories, but less suitable as an introduction to the series)

Avoid as first game: Adventure of Link (direct sequel to The Legend of Zelda, mechanically very different, dated), Majora's Mask (direct sequel to OoT, mechanically different), Four Swords / Four Swords Adventures (light on story), Phantom Hourglass (direct sequel to WW, Temple of the Ocean King would probably turn you off the series entirely), Spirit Tracks (sequel to WW/PH), A Link Between Worlds (sequel to LttP), Tears of the Kingdom (direct sequel - sort of - to BotW), Tri Force Heroes and Echoes of Wisdom (mechanically extremely different, gives a different impression of the series)

tl;dr the best games to start with are Breath of the Wild and Skyward Sword (specifically, the remastered version). Of the two, I'd recommend Breath of the Wild. Ocarina of Time and Link to the Past also are solid options. Avoid the direct sequels and the games with very different mechanics, and a lot of the smaller games don't give a good impression of the series overall.

That said, this is solely based on my opinion! I know people who started with games like Majora's Mask or Link Between Worlds and had an absolute blast, I just personally feel I got more out of those games due to knowing the earlier games.

Happy playing!

[pizzaronipasta]

You wanna know something wild I've been thinking about?

In almost 1/3 of all mainline Zelda games, Link doesn't have blond hair.

In the first two games, he has brown hair.

In the third game, A Link to the Past, he has pink hair.

The fourth game, Link's Awakening, was originally in black and white, and link's hair was made up of black pixels (so he might be blond, but probably not). I'm pretty sure those lighter pixels are part of his hat; his hair is sticking out from under there. (Note: in this game's most recent remake, Link is blond. However, in an earlier remake, his original sprite was mostly preserved, just with some added color, and with his hair still consisting of black pixels. So I think he was originally intended to have dark hair, and the majority of his depictions support this.)

Jumping ahead a little, the seventh and eighth games, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, both use the same sprites for Link as the GameBoy Color remake of Link's Awakening. Again, his hair is made of black pixels.

That's 6 out of 20 mainline entries where Link isn't blond. Ocarina of Time, the fifth game in the series by release date, was the first time he was blond. Ever since, only the Oracle games have depicted Link as anything but. It might also be worth noting that all of Link's non-blond appearances are in the Hero is Defeated timeline. (By the way, Tri Force Heroes gets a special mention, since Link has dyed hair in that game. However, we know this Link is naturally blond since he's the same Link as in A Link Between Worlds. This is the only blond Link in the Hero is Defeated timeline, not counting Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.)

Anyway, as we've seen with the most recent remake of Link's Awakening, Nintendo's brand image for link has been solidified as having blond hair, to the point where older installments are actively being retconned to feature it. I think that's a shame really. Different Links having different hair colors helps to differentiate between them and make each game just a little more unique. Oh well.

[hyde-nseek]

My headcanon is that every Link and every Zelda falls in love. But it gets a little more complicated than that because I don't think they get together every time. So... Here is how I would justify every Zelink in the Legend of Zelda franchise:

(please note that I'm not saying other ships aren't cool. I personally like a lot of them.)

Skyward Sword: This one is probably as canon as Zelink has gotten so far. I don't know anyone that says that they don't have feelings for each other. These two probably founded Hyrule together. Maybe as a kingdom, maybe just as a small village below the clouds. Either way, the Royal Family traces their lineage back to this couple.

Minish Cap: This Zelink is very cute. I think they dated, and maybe even married. From what I understand about the timeline, though, this Link abandons Hyrule and lives the rest of his life cursed by the mind-shattering properties of the Four Sword. So, it was a relationship for a while, but they didn't grow old together.

Four Swords: There actually isn't a lot of information about this Zelda, but I like to think that they got together after Link saves her. They're cute.

Ocarina of Time: The way Zelda looks at Link at the end of the game is full of remorse. She doesn't want to send Link away from her, but she knows it's the right thing to do for his sake and Hyrule's. Also, the way Sheik looks at Link can't go unnoticed. That ninja isn't good at hiding his feelings.

Majora's Mask: The same as Ocarina of Time, but it's much more brief. I don't think Link ever returns to Hyrule Castle, but it's possible. It's more likely that he founded Ordon with Malon. That means that Malon and Link end up together, but Link's true love was the princess he saved in another time.

Twilight Princess: Zelda and Link barely talk in the game, and when they interact, it's only because Midna put them together. But with Midna out of the picture, I think they would still bond. Ilia gets friendzoned. Sorry.

Four Swords Adventures: I think I'll have to put this one with Four Swords as well. These games are a little weird in that the Links are so affected by the Four Sword that it's hard to picture them in a situation without it. If anyone else has thoughts on this Zelink, please lmk.

Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass: Tetra and Link get together and found New Hyrule. This one is pretty self explanatory and difficult to argue against. Very cute and I love it.

Spirit Tracks: They were made for each other. They have so much of a connection because of their adventure together. Whether Link becomes an adventurer or an engineer, I think the princess has feelings for the Hero of Spirit.

A Link to the Past/Link's Awakening/Oracles: The cryptic uncle wants you to know that Zelda is your responsibility. Now that we've covered that, I think Link would have been with Zelda if it weren't for Marin. After Koholint, I don't think he really has it in him to have a relationship with anyone.

A Link Between Worlds/Tri Force Heroes: I think that after saving Hytopia, Link returns to Hyrule and asks for Zelda's hand. There's no reason why not to, and I don't think Link would have wanted to stay in Hytopia for the rest of his life. As cool as it is, it's a vacation spot. And Styla isn't the princess for Link.

Hyrule Fantasy/Adventure of Link: Two Zeldas, one Link. This one's kind of weird, but I think he'd rather be with the Zelda from his first adventure. Zelda the First only kisses him as a reward, probably the only reward she can give.

Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom: I mean, they live together. They hugged at the end of both games. What else do you want me to say?

[rockinxrocco]

i love you Legend of Zelda i love you Zelda II i love you A Link to the Past i love you Links Awakening i love you Ocarina of Time i love you Majora’s Mask i love you Oracle games i love you Four Swords i love you Wind Waker i love you Minish Cap i love you Twilight Princess i love you Phantom Hourglass i love you Spirit Tracks i love you Skyward Sword i love you Link Between Worlds i love you Tri Force Heroes i love you Hyrule Warriors i love you Breath of the Wild i love you Tears of the Kingdom

[ym-loreposting]

Location name references in Breath of the Wild

A year or so ago, I went through the location names in Breath of the Wild and tried to find out which names reference previous things from the series. The following is an overview of everything I was able to find back then. Will be taking this region by region and adding some observations where relevant. I also think most of these names are the same in Tears of the Kingdom but I know at least a few changed, so all of this may not apply to that game. Of note is also that I am leaving out the more obvious ones like Gerudo Desert, Lake Hylia, Death Mountain and the Lost Woods as these tend to be well-known. This focuses on the slightly more obscure ones.

I do want to point out one major one though: the Hebra Region (ヘブラ地方). This is actually a reference to A Link to the Past, A Link Between Worlds and Four Swords Adventures. In the former two, the main name of Death Mountain in the Japanese version is ヘブラ山 or Hebra Mountain. In Four Swords Adventures meanwhile, there is a minor region on Death Mountain called Hebra's Hill (ヘブラの丘). But let's get into the more minor references.

Gerudo Region

Arbiter's Grounds = Arbiter's Grounds from Twilight Princess

Spectacle Rock = Spectacle Rock from The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II and A Link to the Past. Many similar locations, sometimes with similar names, have also appeared throughout the series.

Koukot Plateau = the names of Koume and Kotake, who together make up Twinrova, smashed together. They appear in Ocarina of Time, the Oracle games and the memories in Tears of the Kingdom.

Mount Nabooru = Nabooru from Ocarina of Time and Nabooru Town from Zelda II.

Yarna Valley = Yarna Desert from Link's Awakening.

East Gerudo Mesa = Gerudo Mesa from Twilight Princess.

Overall, this region has few references, mostly centered around deserts and the Gerudo people. The only odd one out is Spectacle Rock, which is usually located in the north of Hyrule on Death Mountain.

South of Lake Hylia

Parache Plains (テトラ平原/Tetra Plains) = Tetra (テトラ/Tetra)

Faron region

Lake Floria/Floria River/Floria Bridge/Floria Falls = Lake Floria from Skyward Sword.

Martha's Landing = Martha's Bay from Link's Awakening.

Tuft Mountain = King Tuft from Tri Force Heroes.

Toronbo Beach = Toronbo Shores from Link's Awakening.

Koholit Rock = Koholint Island from Link's Awakening.

There is no real theme here, aside from the locations on Eventide Island referencing Link's Awakening, as the whole island is a reference to that game. This region also contains the only reference in Breath of the Wild to Tri Force Heroes.

Great Plateau and southwestern Hyrule Field

Digdogg Suspension Bridge = Digdogger from The Legend of Zelda and Oracle of Seasons.

Manhalna Bridge = Manhandla from The Legend of Zelda, Oracle of Seasons and Four Swords Adventures.

Gleeok Bridge = Gleeok from The Legend of Zelda, Oracle of Seasons, Phantom Hourglass and Tears of the Kingdom.

Aquame Bridge = Aquamentus from The Legend of Zelda and Oracle of Seasons.

Mount Daphnes = King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule from The Wind Waker.

Lake Kolomo/Kolomo Garrison Ruins = the Lokomo from Spirit Tracks.

Forest of Time = Forest of Time from Oracle of Ages.

Temple of Time = Temple of Time from Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. The appearance of the structure most closely resembles the Ocarina of Time incarnation.

The bridges here are named after bosses from the first Zelda games, which is a running theme with the bridges around Hyrule Field. The other bridges are named after bosses from the other NES Zelda game, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, however.

Kakariko Village and Southeastern Hyrule Field

Proxim Bridge (モヨリ橋/Moyori Bridge) = Aboda Village (モヨリ村/Moyori Village) from Spirit Tracks.

Owlan Bridge = Owlan from Skyward Sword.

Horwell Bridge = Horwell from Skyward Sword.

Eagus Bridge = Eagus from Skyward Sword.

Batrea Lake = Batreaux from Skyward Sword.

Nabi Lake = Navi from Ocarina of Time.

Mable Ridge = Maple from the Oracle games and A Link to the Past (GBA).

Sahasra Slope = Sahasrahla from A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds.

Telta Lake = Tatl from Majora's Mask.

Lake Siela = Ciela from Phantom Hourglass.

Pillars of Levia = Levias from Skyward Sword.

Bonooru's Stand = Bonooru from Ocarina of Time.

Pierre Plateau = Pierre from Ocarina of Time and (maybe) Majora's Mask.

The island in the southeast of Hyrule Field is centered around Skyward Sword references, while the area around Kakariko Village contains references to helpful characters from throughout the series: companions and friendly NPCs. If I had to hazard a guess, this is a general reference to the Sheikah's and Impa's supporting roles throughout the series, as Kakariko Village is their home in Breath of the Wild.

Tabantha and Hyrule Ridge

Kolami Bridge = Komali from The Wind Waker.

Seres Scablands = Seres from A Link Between Worlds.

Breach of Demise = Demise from Skyward Sword.

This region contains relatively few references. This is of note because there is only one reference made to the Rito from The Wind Waker, which makes sense considering the Rito live in Tabantha in Breath of the Wild. However, there were a lot of named Rito that appeared in The Wind Waker and only one is referenced in Breath of the Wild. This is especially notable as there are a lot of references to individual Zoras, Koroks/Kokiri and Gorons in other regions of the map.

Northern Hyrule Field

Carok Bridge = Carock from Zelda II.

Helmhead Bridge = Helmethead from Zelda II.

Rebonae Bridge = Rebonack from Zelda II.

Orsedd Bridge = Horsehead from Zelda II.

Mount Gustaf = King Gustaf from The Minish Cap.

Mabe Village Ruins/Mabe Prairie = Mabe Village from Link's Awakening.

Romani Plains = Romani and Romani Ranch from Majora's Mask.

Rauru Settlement Ruins/Rauru Hillside = Rauru from Ocarina of Time and Tears of the Kingdom and Rauru Town from Zelda II.

Crenell Hills/Crenel Peak = Mt. Crenel from The Minish Cap.

Thims Bridge = Smith from The Minish Cap.

Minshi Woods = Minish Woods from The Minish Cap.

Pico Pond = the Picori from The Minish Cap.

Trilby Plain = Trilby Highlands from The Minish Cap.

Here we see the rest of the bridges that reference the NES games. The eastern island and area further to the northeast in general contain many references to The Minish Cap (not pictured here is also the Trilby Valley that also references that game). Mount Gustaf to the west meanwhile is one of three mountains that references a king of Hyrule: we also have Mount Daphnes mentioned earlier and Mount Rhoam in Hyrule Ridge, which of course references king Rhoam from Breath of the Wild itself. Finally, the places named after Rauru could be named after the sage from Ocarina of Time, but it is also possible they reference the first king of Hyrule from Tears of the Kingdom. It depends on how much of Tears of the Kingdom's story was conceptualized when Breath of the Wild first released.

Lanayru Region

Trilby Valley = Trilby Highlands from The Minish Cap.

Zauz Island = Zauz from Phantom Hourglass.

Linebeck Island = Linebeck from Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.

Mercay Island = Mercay Island from Phantom Hourglass.

Molida Island = Molida Island from Phantom Hourglass.

Bannan Island = Bannan Island from Phantom Hourglass.

Goponga Island/Goponga Village RUins = Goponga Swamp from Link's Awakening.

Inogo Bridge = The Indigo-Go's from Majora's Mask.

Tabahl Woods = Tabahl Wasteland from Link's Awakening.

Zodobon Highlands = King Zora de Bon XIV from Ocarina of Time.

Oren Bridge = Oren from A Link Between Worlds.

Ralis Pond = Prince Ralis from Twilight Princess.

Luto's Crossing = Laruto from The Wind Waker.

Rutala River/Rutala Dam = Queen Rutela from Twilight Princess.

Ruto Mountain/Ruto Lake/Ruto Precipice = Princess Ruto from Ocarina of Time and Ruto Town from Zelda II.

Toto Lake = Toto from Majora's Mask.

Mikau Lake = Mikau from Majora's Mask.

Lulu Lake = Lulu from Majora's Mask.

Ja'Abu Ridge = Lord Jabu-Jabu from Ocarina of Time and Oracle of Ages.

Veiled Falls = Veil Falls from The Minish Cap.

Lanayru has a pretty clear division, with the western Wetlands mostly referencing Phantom Hourglass and the eastern Great Spring containing many references to Zoras and characters relating to the Zoras. We also see a few stray references to Link's Awakening and Veil Falls from The Minish Cap. This is notable because in that game, Veil Falls act as the source of Hyrule's water, which is also often the case for Zora's Domain whenever it appears in the series (and so too in Breath of the Wild).

Lanayru Bay

Samasa Plain = Samasa Desert from Oracle of Seasons.

Brynna Plain = Labrynna from Oracle of Ages.

Horon Lagoon = Horon Village from Oracle of Seasons.

Talus Plateau (トロイワ高原/Toroiwa Plateau) = Talus Peaks (トロイワ山地/Toroiwa Mountains) from Oracle of Ages.

Lodrum Headland = Holodrum form Oracle of Seasons.

Tarm Point = Tarm Ruins from Oracle of Seasons.

Wintre Island = Woods of Winter from Oracle of Seasons.

Spool Bight = Spool Swamp from Oracle of Seasons.

Tal Tal Peak = Tal Tal Peaks from Link's Awakening.

The area around Lanayru Bay is a hotspot for references to the two Oracle games. The stray reference to Link's Awakening (DX) also fits this theme, with it being the other Zelda game for the Game Boy Color, as well as the other Link's Awakening references in Lanayru in general.

Great Hyrule Forest

Upland Lindor/Lindor's Brow = Linder from The Wind Waker.

Irch Plain = Irch from The Wind Waker.

Rowan Plain = Rown from The Wind Waker.

Elma Knolls = Elma from The Wind Waker.

Aldor Foothills = Aldo from The Wind Waker.

Mount Drena/Drenan Highlands = Drona from The Wind Waker.

Lake Mekar/Mekar Island = Makar from The Wind Waker.

Lake Saria = Saria from Ocarina of Time and Saria Town from Zelda II.

Mido Swamp = Mido from Ocarina of Time and Mido Town from Zelda II.

Lots of references to Koroks and Kokiri, which makes sense as the Koroks live in this area in Breath of the Wild.

Eldin Region (a.k.a. Death Mountain)

Lake Darman = Darmani from Majora's Mask.

Darunia Lake = Darunia from Ocarina of Time and Darunia Town from Zelda II.

Gorko Lake/Gorko Tunnel = Gorko from Skyward Sword.

Gortram Cliff = Gortram from Skyward Sword.

Darb Pond = Darbus from Twilight Princess.

Medingo Pool = Medigoron from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.

Gero Pond = Don Gero's Mask from Majora's Mask.

Lots of references to Gorons, as the Gorons live here in Breath of the Wild. Don Gero's Mask is probably here because it is initially worn by a Goron in Majora's Mask.

Akkala Region

Kanalet Ridge = Kanalet Castle from Link's Awakening.

Ulri Mountain/Ulria Grotto = Old Man Ulrira from Link's Awakening.

Torin Wetland = Tarin from Link's Awakening.

Malin Bay = Marin from Link's Awakening.

Ukuku Plains = Ukuku Prairie from Link's Awakening.

Kaepora Pass = Kaepora Gaebora from Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask and Four Swords Adventures.

Tingel Island = Tingle, who appears in a lot of Zelda games.

Ankel Island = Ankle from The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures and The Minish Cap.

Knuckel Island = Knuckle from The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures and The Minish Cap.

Davdi Island = David Jr. from The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures and The Minish Cap.

Akkala is a cluster for Link's Awakening references, with the reference to Kaepora Gaebora likely also tying into this. That owl's spiritual predecessor, simply called the Owl, namely appeared in Link's Awakening. The islands of off Akkala's coast meanwhile are named after the four Tingle brothers.

[reblip-reblog]

Where to find Link:

(+characters dressed like him/referencing his appearance)

‎

Will reblog with images

‎

Standard "Legend of Zelda" Games -

Skyward Sword

The Minish Cap

Four Swords

Ocarina of Time

Majora's Mask

Twilight Princess

Four Swords Adventures

Breath of the Wild

Tears of the Kingdom

A Link to the Past

Oracle of Seasons/Ages

Link's Awakening

A Link Between Worlds

Tri Force Heroes

The Legend of Zelda

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

The Wind Waker

Phantom Hourglass

Spirit Tracks

‎

Outside Standard "Legend of Zelda" Games -

Pre-Minish Cap

Pre-Four Swords

Pre-Breath of the Wild

Hyrule Warriors

Age of Calamity

Cadence of Hyrule

BS The Legend of Zelda

BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets

Link's Crossbow Training

The Legend of Zelda Game Watch

Zelda (Game & Watch)

Link: The Faces of Evil

Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon

Zelda's Adventure

My Nintendo Picross: Twilight Princess

Other Nintendo Picross Games

Pre-Skyward Sword Manga (Akira Himekawa)

Valiant Comics (George Caragonne)

Other LoZ Mangas/Comics/Books

DIC Legend of Zelda Cartoon

Captain N: The Game Master

Super Smash Brothers series

Mario Kart 8

F1 Race

Uniracers (Unused)

Super Mario Maker

Animal Crossing Series

Soul Calibur II

Donkey Kong Country 2

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

NES Tetris

Tetris DS

NES Remix

Death Road to Canada

Sky: Children of the Light

Monster Hunter

Dynasty Warriors VS/Samurai Warriors Chronicles3

Kirby Series (Sword Ability)

Yoshi's Woolly World

WarioWare Series

nintendogs + cats

AR Games

Miitomo

Miitopia

StreetPass Mii Plaza

Find Mii

Nintendo Land (LoZ: Battle Quest)

Nintendo Badge Arcade

NES Remix 2

Nintendo Cereal System

World of Warcraft

Yoshi's Island 4

Asterix & Obelix XXL 2

Terraria

Transformice

Scribblenauts Unlimited

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Sonic Lost World

Dino Run

Starbound

A Hat in Time

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Jump Rope Challenge

Bayonetta

Phantasy Star

Final Fantasy (sort of)

Google Maps

Ittle Dew

Mable & the Wood

Super Mario Bros. & Friends: When I Grow Up

The Cat Mario Show

My Little Pony

Powerpuff Girls

Nintendo E3 x Robot Chicken

Golden Sun: The Lost Age (Unused; source code)

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (Unused)

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (Unused)

‎

((There may be more than one "Link"-type character in a single entry -- Hero's Shade, Fierce Deity, Linkle, Ravio, Animal Crossing player in Hero's Outfit + W. Link, Mario Kart Links + Outfit for Miis, the pre-characters listed above, etc.))

((I am counting characters who can dress up as Link, such as in BS Zelda, Sky: Children of the Light, Animal Crossing, the Badge Arcade rabbit, etc.))

((The same Link can appear in multiple entries.))

‎

Got a lot of information from these sites:

‎Let me know if I missed or skipped over any that I should add to the list!

I might reblog this with images.

[powdermelonkeg]

Rough Timeline, WIP

Pre-Skyward Era

Skyward Sword

Pre-Tears Era

Pre-Wild Era

Pre-Twilight Era

Pre-Adventure Era

400something years

Ocarina of Time

Majora's Mask

Great Flood

Wind Waker

Phantom Hourglass

Spirit Tracks

Minish Cap

Resettling Flooded Hyrule

Four Swords

Zelda 1

Adventure of Link

A Link to the Past

Oracle of Ages/Seasons

Link's Awakening

100 year gap

A Link Between Worlds

Tri-Force Heroes

Twilight Princess

Four Swords Adventures

Calamity Era

Breath of the Wild

Tears of the Kingdom