Every 2D Zelda Game Ranked
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're ranking every top-down entry in The Legend of Zelda,
00:11from worst to best.
00:12If you're looking for Link's 3D adventures, be sure to check out our other list ranking
00:16those.
00:25Before we begin, we publish new content all week long.
00:28So be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:33Number 13, The Legend of Zelda Four Swords.
00:43Picking the bottom entry is actually pretty easy.
00:46That's not a slight on the quality of Four Swords, but when compared to how much each
00:50game can offer, it's a significantly smaller experience.
00:53It was first released on the Game Boy Advance as a multiplayer add-on for a port of A Link
00:57to the Past.
01:05It follows a group of Links trying to save Zelda from a new villain, Vaati, by completing
01:09a handful of randomly generated dungeons.
01:12The multiplayer was novel back in 2002, but it's clearly short and fairly simple.
01:17It's still a bit of fun, even when playing alone on the re-released Anniversary Edition.
01:21But there just isn't enough here to justify placing it above any others.
01:32Number 12, The Legend of Zelda Triforce Heroes.
01:41This multiplayer title on the 3DS is often considered one of the weakest entries in the
01:46series.
01:47It's a perfectly fine game, but it doesn't offer nearly as much depth in its worldbuilding
01:51or mechanics that many other installments do.
01:54It follows Link in the fashion-centric Hytopia, whose princess has been cursed by a witch
01:58to be stuck in a hideous brown jumpsuit.
02:08Obviously being one of the sillier games in the series, it could be fun going through
02:11a lighthearted adventure online.
02:13But the structure was much more built towards multiplayer, and playing alone could be a
02:18bit of a chore.
02:19With the handheld's online functionality getting closed down in April of 2024, that
02:24also means the game got a little bit worse.
02:34Number 11, The Legend of Zelda Four Swords Adventures.
02:43The second and best attempt at Zelda multiplayer, Four Swords Adventures expanded on everything
02:48its predecessor tried to do.
02:50It once again pitted the Links against Vaati, but being a full game, there were more dungeons,
02:55areas, characters, pretty much more of everything.
03:05Unfortunately the multiplayer still required your friends to have their own GBAs, limiting
03:10in 2004 and even more so today, if you can even find a copy.
03:15However, playing by yourself was still fun, because it was still a top-down Zelda, albeit
03:19one where you controlled a group instead of a single adventurer.
03:29Number 10, Zelda II The Adventure of Link.
03:37A lot of Zelda fans like to hate on The Adventure of Link.
03:40It's very different from most other games, being a sidescroller and introducing RPG mechanics.
03:46It's also one of the hardest games on the NES, let alone in this series.
03:50That being said, and fully knowing how low we have it ranked, Zelda II is still a worthy
03:55installment.
04:01It still did a lot well, like giving Link access to spells and placing more emphasis
04:05on combat.
04:06Additionally, Hyrule was more defined than in the first game, with cities and towns of
04:10people, rather than just a couple of NPCs and some caves.
04:20Number 9, The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks.
04:32Link's second and final outing on the original DS, Spirit Tracks is set in a new era, and
04:37one that Nintendo has yet to revisit.
04:39A hundred years after Phantom Hourglass, Zelda's spirit is removed from her body in an attempt
04:44to revive an ancient demon king.
04:46It was a clever way to both keep her in need of rescue and make her the companion.
04:51And other than a soundtrack filled with bangers, it's probably the best thing Spirit Tracks
04:55does.
05:03The touch screen mechanics aren't quite as impressive the second time around, even
05:07with some new gameplay features.
05:08Also, Link being a train conductor is charming, but it does somewhat hinder your freedom in
05:14exploring the overworld.
05:23Number 8, The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass.
05:33Only slightly better than its follow up, Phantom Hourglass wowed players with the DS's stylus
05:37and touch screen.
05:38A direct sequel to Wind Waker, it followed Link as he tried to save Zelda from a monster
05:42called Bellum, which was also terrorizing a whole sea full of new islands.
05:48The game was perfectly built for its system and took full advantage of the features it
05:52offered.
05:58Whether you were solving puzzles with boomerangs and bombchus, taking on a dungeon's deadly
06:02beasts, or simply charting your next course, drawing with the stylus was always quick and
06:07easy.
06:08It struggled with some dungeon designs, particularly with the Temple of the Ocean King, but it
06:13still has a lot to offer.
06:19Number 7, The Legend of Zelda.
06:28Undeniably one of the most important games ever released, The Legend of Zelda perfected
06:32the action adventure experience by 1980's standards.
06:36There are obviously a lot of things the series has since done better, but they wouldn't
06:40have happened without such a strong foundation.
06:42Something dropped in the middle of the world with no instruction on which way to go or
06:46what to do was more open than basically any other game.
06:50Back then it was a moment of pure freedom that was impossible to forget.
06:54There were secrets and treasure hidden all over for those willing to search, and its
06:57dungeons promised glory and death alike.
07:09Number 6, The Legend of Zelda, Oracle of Ages.
07:22Nintendo partnered with Capcom for a duology on the Game Boy Color.
07:26Given that they released at the same time, they're fairly similar visually and mechanically,
07:30so your favorite of the two is just down to preference.
07:33For us, Oracle of Ages is the weaker of the two, but that by no means makes it weak.
07:38It sees Link whisked away to Labrynna, where the capture of the Oracle Nehru disrupts time.
07:50Traveling through time is common in a lot of Zelda games, though it was still interesting
07:54seeing the changes between time periods on a smaller scale.
07:57Ages is also more puzzle-heavy than Seasons, which does make it a fair bit harder.
08:08Number 5, The Legend of Zelda, Oracle of Seasons.
08:19In the counterpart to Ages, Link travels to Holodrum when its Oracle, Din, is kidnapped.
08:25Here, the Seasons are thrown out of whack instead of time.
08:28What areas Link has access to can completely change between the four options.
08:32With the Rod of Seasons, you can switch between the different times of the year.
08:37Because there are more ways to interact with its world, Holodrum becomes more interesting
08:40to explore than Labrynna.
08:50Where Ages has a heavier focus on puzzles, Seasons is a bit more combat-centric, and
08:55slightly easier.
08:56Again, it's really down to preference, but playing both is certainly worth your time,
09:00especially since save files connect to give players the true ending.
09:13Number 4, The Legend of Zelda, Link's Awakening.
09:23It's remarkable just how much Nintendo packed into the first handheld Zelda.
09:28After being caught in a disastrous storm, Link washes up on Koholint Island, an oddly
09:33quaint locale with something sinister underneath.
09:36Link's Awakening was praised for transitioning the series formula to the Game Boy, but there's
09:40a lot more here deserving of acclaim.
09:49The characters are all wonderfully quirky, and the island itself is packed with plenty
09:53of personality, making it one of the more well-defined settings outside of Hyrule.
09:58Everything it did well still shines in the 2019 remake on Switch.
10:02It also proved, for the first time, that the series didn't need staple features like the
10:06Triforce, Ganon, or even the Princess to thrive.
10:18Number 3, The Legend of Zelda, The Minish Cap.
10:30After the Oracle games, Nintendo partnered with Capcom once again for The Minish Cap.
10:35Released at the beginning of the timeline, at least before Skyward Sword was released,
10:38it brought a lot of new, engaging lore concerning the Picari, a miniature race living in Hyrule.
10:44Shrinking down to the size of a pebble to explore new areas never got old, nor did it
10:49ever fail to leave us utterly smitten.
10:51Vaati from the multiplayer outings was given backstory and more personality, and Ezlo remains
10:56one of the funniest companions Link has teamed up with.
11:04It did nearly everything right.
11:06The dungeons were great, there were plenty of secrets lying in wait, and the timeless
11:10visuals make it a treat to play at any time.
11:20Number 2, The Legend of Zelda, A Link Between Worlds.
11:35Being a spiritual successor to one of the most beloved games in existence, there was
11:39a lot of hype behind A Link Between Worlds.
11:42Needless to say, at number 2 on our list, it surpassed our expectations, and then some.
11:47It sees Link trying to thwart a sorcerer from another kingdom, one that serves as a
11:51mirror to Hyrule.
12:02There isn't anything here that won't delight fans.
12:05The painting mechanic is undeniably creative, adding another layer of fun to puzzles, traversal,
12:11and even some combat.
12:13Being able to rent items rather than unlock them gave us a level of freedom in how we
12:18progressed through dungeons.
12:19The soundtrack was also stunning, and it made fantastic use of the handheld's 3D.
12:24Naturally, only its predecessor surpasses it.
12:36Number 1, The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past.
12:48Ocarina of Time deservedly gets a ton of love for how it shaped Zelda and 3D gaming as a
12:53whole, but without the success of A Link to the Past, we wouldn't have any of it.
12:58It's about as classic as you can get, giving us a lot of firsts that the franchise would
13:03continually build off for years.
13:05We got history for Hyrule and the Triforce for the first time, as well as the Master
13:09Sword.
13:18Some of the most famous Zelda tunes also debuted here, like Zelda's Lullaby and Ganon's
13:23Theme.
13:24Obviously, historical significance means a lot here, but go pick up the game today and
13:29you'll find a title that has aged gracefully, from its dungeons, to its visuals, to its
13:34gameplay.
13:40Which game do you think best represents 2D Zelda?
13:43Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to Mojo Plays for more great
13:47gaming videos every day.