After ranking Legend of Zelda franchise games with my ATACS friends, I thought it would be fun to create my own list. Ranking lists are, of course, highly subjective. These can also be fluid, since ranks don't tell the whole story -- two consecutive numbers can represent a huge gap or a near-tie.
This list only includes the Zelda games I've played to date.
Ocarina is still a hallmark title for me. Of course, it's hard to forget the magic of gaming's transition into 3D. It isn't just that, though -- Nintendo thoroughly nailed the execution with Ocarina. It also had a great soundtrack and great graphics for the time, and both were effectively used in its gameplay and storytelling.
Many of Ocarina's 3D gameplay ideas (which were experimental at the time) are fun and fit thematically. Combat isn't over-complicated, but you have lock-on targeting, acrobatic dodges, shield blocking and various sword techniques. Link befriends a horse, Epona, who he rides with vehicle-like controls, combat and speed. There are several projectile weapons which can be used first-person (including from horseback). Add to that the many other gameplay elements: the world to explore, dungeons, side quests, Link's ocarina, time-traveling (and more).
Importantly (perhaps *most* importantly), Ocarina has a setting and a story worth telling. From the Kokiri Village to The Temple of Time, young Link's world to the future, you meet new characters and learn the state of Hyrule and Ganon's influence. The gameplay is great, but there are good reasons to climb Death Mountain and descend into the Shadow Temple, to rescue the sages and ask for their aid. Ocarina's fantasy epic about Hyrule, Link, Zelda and Ganon make the game and gameplay that much more memorable.
I was skeptical when I sat down to play Skyward Sword, but it won me over in several ways. The character design (especially Zelda and the final boss) is some of my favorite from any Zelda game. Gameplay-wise, I also enjoyed the motion controls more than expected -- skydiving and flying were cool, thematic side activities and the motion-control sword-fighting made boss fights uniquely fun and memorable.
Skyward Sword's storytelling also pleasantly surprised me. Skyloft felt like a community where Link lives among his neighbors. This made the main story and side quests more meaningful, as these people became involved in many of them. The main story also effectively creates and clearly explains an origin for the Legend of Zelda. A nod to Nintendo for doing a great job, as continuity can be difficult for any franchise.
Skyward Sword isn't perfect, and I understand some of the community's frustrations. That said, its style, story and unique combat clicked with me a lot more than many other iterations.
It's been a long time since I've played A Link to the Past, but playing A Link Between Worlds reminded me of how much fun the original's world and gameplay are.
A Link Between Worlds is polished and fun, and being a 3DS title makes it even easier to pick up and play. Reducing key item collection is a fresh and really nice design touch. I also really like its story notes (and would have liked a slightly expanded story).
It's almost tough to say if I like A Link Between Worlds or A Link to the Past better, but A Link Between Worlds borrows a lot of core gameplay and map design from its predecessor. That's a big nod to how well A Link to the Past holds up.
Despite some technical clunkiness, I still find Zelda II charming. I enjoy the challenging, if different, side-scrolling action-RPG gameplay. The villages, side quests and dialogue present a different view of Hyrule, and there are plenty of secrets and nooks to explore.
Zelda II also has some cool elements which still influence the franchise, including Dark Link and the Hyrule Temple theme.
Straightforward and fun. The original was revolutionary for its time, and still holds up well today.
Not only is Link's Awakening the first handheld Zelda title, but it's a cool, experimental game to boot. Roc's feather, 2D sections, stealing, mini-games, side quests and even a chain chomp make an appearance. These elements, combined with some cool characters and a good sound profile make Link's Awakening a memorable early entry.
This one is tough to place in this list... Breath of the Wild has the discovery and adventure of a Zelda game in a very modern way, but I experienced some general tedium as well as some sour moments of frustration.
Breath of the Wild's story and setting do a good job fitting the world and context together. It doesn't strike me as the game's focus, although it helps create a vibrant world with some good character development and fun dialogue.
I remember liking Wind Waker a lot more than I expected. It has smooth controls, a bright, happy art style and solid sound. Story-wise, I remember likable characters and an interesting reason for the water world (which is good since, on the surface, WW looks like a weird spin-off story).
Sailing was also fun.
Twilight Princess isn't one of the strongest Zelda titles in my book. Its gameplay, visual style and storytelling don't really hold up to many of the above titles.
I see why people like Majora's Mask, and I see why they don't like it. My own playthrough oscillated between being engaged and being ready to quit. It has some cool ideas with time-travel, learning Termina inside-out and a giant, evil moon. It's also a weird sequel with a lot of forced repetition, backtracking and annoying time limits.
Zelda is a strong franchise with several stand-out games, but we're starting into the "not worth playing" territory here. Phantom Hourglass is fairly cut-and-dry at best. There's some tedium in the gameplay, like the Phantom Tower (an interesting idea which leads to backtracking) and the pan flute gimmick. The story also doesn't do anything.
One I didn't enjoy. The gameplay felt pretty clunky for a modern 2D Zelda title, and the four swords, Ezro and big/small mechanics never really grabbed me. Minish Cap also has a weird stand-alone story with virtually no connective tissue to anything in the Zelda lore.
(I also found the reused sound assets annoying, but that seems to be just me.)
