All Legend of Zelda games- A walkthrough.

Introduction

Taken place in the fictional kingdom of Hyrule, The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo’s biggest hits with many video games, several comic books, cartoon adaptations, and soundtracks. It is created by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is mainly a role-playing game consisting of action, adventure, and puzzle-solving. The Legend of Zelda franchise has gained popularity with its impressive storyline, improved graphics and animations, and longevity. The Legend of Zelda games hold several Guinness World Records, one for the longest-running action-adventure series.

The Legend of Zelda popularly known for its longevity has made its fans confused about the total number of Legend of Zelda games and how to play them in order. If you are a core fan of this franchise or starting to know about the Legend of Zelda games, this is the perfect stop to learn about it. At first, you may be having the question of how many Legend of Zelda games are there in total. So, there are 29 video games in total including all main titles, remakes, spin-offs, and collections. Let us now dive more into the Legend of Zelda video games.

List of all Legend of Zelda games

This list of Legend of Zelda games only includes the main titles, excluding the spin-offs and remakes.

• The Legend of Zelda

The first video game of this franchise was released in 1986 named, ‘Legend of Zelda’. It was initially released as The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu 1. The main protagonist, Link, an elf boy takes on missions to rescue Princess Zelda from the hands of Ganon, the enemy by collecting the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom.

The gameplay is from a top-down perspective getting the player to travel through dungeons, collect weapons, defeat enemies, and unfold secrets. At first, Link starts the game with a small shield and gets other weapons along the way which increases his power to fight the enemy. The eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom are hidden in the overworld in different dungeons. After collecting the fragments by solving puzzles and equipping weapons, Link would be able to get to Princess Zelda and rescue her.

• Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

It is the second game of the franchise, originally released in 1988. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a sequel to the first game of the series. The same story of recusing Princess Zelda continues but for different reasons. In the sequel, Link tries to save the princess from the sleeping spell.

This game features a large top-down map with side-scrolling areas which is different from the one used in the first game. It also has a more combat-style gameplay an experience points system, magic and special items, and a replay feature that allows one to store three game sessions. The introduction of these new elements in the game was the reason for its success. This game is labeled as The Black sheep due to its differences in gameplay and graphics.

• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

This action-adventure game was released in 1991 and 1992 in Japan and North America respectively. Link is all set for his new adventures in this game whose events are set before the previous two games. Link begins his journey to save Hyrule and rescue the descendants of the Seven Sages from the demon king Ganon.

The game has the same gameplay as the first among the Legend of Zelda games. It features a parallel world and a new weapon Master Sword. This game is considered as of the greatest video games of all time, with more than 6 million copies sold by 2004. A sequel, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds was released in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS.

• The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is an action-adventure game developed and published for the Game Boy by Nintendo in 1993. This game is very different from the previous games as it has a different storyline and is the first installment of the series for a handheld game console. Link starts his journey from Koholint Island stranded and trapped by the Wind Fish.

The gameplay involves solving puzzles and searching for eight musical instruments to awaken the Wind Fish and escape the island. The game was very successful in its graphics and control. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX, an updated version was released for the Game Boy Color in 1998. Another high-definition remake was also released worldwide in 2019 and for the Nintendo Switch Online service in 2023.

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The main protagonist, Link, returns to the lands of Hyrule to save the kingdom from the evil king, Ganondorf. He travels through time in different dungeons and learns songs on ocarina to move ahead in the game and defeat the evil king. It was initially released in 1998 for Nintendo 64 by Nintendo. This game features 3D graphics and introduced target-lock systems and context-sensitive buttons. It is the highest-rated game on Metacritic with seven million copies sold worldwide.

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• The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

The legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was released in 2000 for Nintendo 64. It is a sequel to the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Link ends up in Termina and finds out that the world is in danger and is on a mission to prevent the end of the world. This is a single-player action-adventure game featuring more improved graphics and gameplay as compared to the 1998 Ocarina game and is also unique from other Legend of Zelda games.

• The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons & The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

These two action-adventure games were developed by Capcom and released for the Game Boy Colour in 2001. Both games have similar storylines and gameplay. In Seasons, Link is in the land of Holodrum where he finds out about the abduction of Onox by the Oracle of Seasons. In Ages, Link is in Labrynna where he discovers Nayru’s possession. Both the games were very successful; however, the sound quality was criticized.

• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords

This game is a modified version of the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and the Four Swords. This game was initially released in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance. The game is different from its original versions featuring new ideas and gameplay. This features a new multiplayer mode that allows up to four players to play together.

• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

The adventures of Link continue in this ninth main installment in the Legend of Zelda games. Link is on an island in search of his sister who is hidden by Ganondorf. Link faces many adversaries and is met with his allies Tetra and the King of Lions who help him to gain the power to fight the enemy. The wind Waker is a magic baton that allows controlling the wind as the King of Lions, the talking boat, sails in the vast ocean. An HD version of this game was also released in 2013 for Wii U.

• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

Link with his three friends is again back to save the kingdom of Hyrule from his evil incarnation, Shadow Link. His three friends are created by a magic “Four Swords” which describes the title of the game. This game has different gameplay modes; the Hyrulean Adventure, the Shadow Battle, and the Navi Trackers.

• The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, developed by Capcom, is the continuation of the story of Four Swords. Apart from that, Link equips a talking cap named Ezlo which shrinks him to the size of a Minish. The gameplay of this game is also similar to the previous Legend of Zelda games. It was initially released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance in Japan.

• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was released in 2006 for GameCube and Wii. This game apart from action-adventure focuses more on combat and puzzle solving. The story is about Link, the main character who tries to save Hyrule from a terrific parallel dimension, Twilight Realm. This game has received many awards and has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. An HD version of this game was also released in 2016.

• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

This game is a sequel to the 2002 game The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. This game was very different from other Legend of Zelda games as it uses many advanced technologies. It uses touchscreen and microphone controls and 3D cel-shaded graphics. The story involves Link trying to save his friend Tetra, the pirate from the villain Bellum alongside discovering and exploring new items and information. It was originally named The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords DS.

• The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks continues the story of Link and Princess Zelda after the events of The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, in their new incarnations who try to save Hyrule from Malladus, the demon king. The gameplay consists of solving puzzles while traveling through dungeons and completing quests. It was released in 2009 for the Nintendo DS handheld game console.

• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

This game was released in 2011 for Wii. Link from the floating island Skyloft takes up the mission to rescue her childhood friend Zelda. This single-player game has a main entry, the Skyward Sword which depicts the origin of Master Sword. The gameplay is more of a combat style involving solving puzzles and quests. A remake of this game was released for Nintendo Switch in 2021.

• The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

This game is an indirect sequel to A Link to the Past, featuring new characters and gameplay. The story is about Link traveling between two worlds and transforming into a painting to move across walls to get to the parallel dimension. He is to save the two worlds by solving puzzles and hidden traps. This is the first game among all Legend of Zelda games to be exclusively made for Nintendo 3DS. This game has sold over 4.2 million copies worldwide and has received many positive rewards for its gameplay, new features, soundtrack, and many more.

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a 2017 action-adventure game whose events are set hundreds of years after its predecessors. The story is about Link trying to regain his memory after a hundred years and saving Princess Zelda and the kingdom of Hyrule from Calamity Ganon. This open-world game focuses more on the minimal structure and exploring through Hyrule and solving puzzles to complete quests. This is one of the top-selling video games in the series with over 30 million copies sold by 2022. A spin-off, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity was released in 2020.

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Finally, the talk of the town is here after all nineteen mainline Legend of Zelda games. The fact that the game is so hyped up even before its release has brought in more expectations for the players. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an upcoming game 2023 game. This is a sequel to The Breath of the Wild and continues the story of Link trying to save Hyrule from Ganon with the assistance of Princess Zelda. It features an open-world action-adventure environment and is all set to release on May 12, 2023.

These are all the twenty main titles of the Legend of Zelda franchise. All the Legend of Zelda games are considered the greatest game of all time and have been awarded several awards in different categories. So, which of these games are you excited about? Do share all your opinions and experiences with us.

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