Edit: turns out these are all bootleg and I’m a moron. Only two Zelda games were officially released for GBA.
Just kicked off a return.
MM is hard to top; it’s peak early LoZ (in an old man’s opinion). It took a familiar engine, added two new major mechanics, and told the first really dark story.
Awakening is the one to play first, it’ll set you up for later games nicely, and it was originally a Gameboy (not GBC game). It took the Zelda formula from the earlier NES iterations, and made a content-rich world.
I’d say save ages and seasons for last (when you get your carts!). They’re amazing games that really show how far the GBC could be pushed, and are very much taking the awakening engine and doing wonderful things. The fact there is linked content between the two means you should also keep a pen and paper handy!
I only ask this question because I can see that you’re a franchise veteran and my entry into the franchise was very different. I’ve heard that most old school zelda players really dislike botw and I don’t understand why since the two switch titles are among my favorites of all time and I’ve played a decent amount of games. Is that the case with you as well?
The only Zeldas I haven’t played to completion are Zelda 1, 2, Minish Cap, and Phantom Hourglass, and Link Between Worlds. My favorites are Majora’s Mask, Breath of the Wild, and Twilight Princess.
People that disliked the Switch titles prefer the intricate puzzle-based dungeons and a tighter story. In previous titles, the whole game is a linear puzzlebox. It really looks like the series is turning away from this, with even Echoes of Wisdom showcasing a sandbox approach.
Personally, having played SO many Zelda titles that rigidly adhered to this, it’s good they’re mixing it up. There was a lot of ideas they had rehashed. And the indie space has rushed to fill the void, so Zelda enjoyers of all kinds are eating good.
Oh man, highly recommend Link Between Worlds with a 3DS if you can get your hands on one! I know many people thought it was gimmicky, but it genuinely blew my mind how good the game looked in 3D. Probably tied with Samus Returns and RE:Revelations for some of my best gaming experiences on the 3DS.
No, I really enjoyed BotW for the same reason I enjoyed OoT! Both innovated and both were very different games exploring different concepts. BotW will forever be my go-to for “open world done right”, and OoT set up a solid action game with strong puzzle elements; that said, fuck the water temple.
Games that break genuinely new ground are rare, in the case of both the old and new Zelda’s there are good and bad (the nds era was a bit of a stagnation), the really groundbreaking titles push the hardware through skilled coding and amazing game loop design.
Also, no spoilers for tears please, it’s on my list once I get a few weeks vacation!
I’ve played almost every Zelda except 1+2 (I swear I’ll get to it…someday) and the CD-i ones. BotW + TotK was some of my favourite times with the franchise, it really took me back to experiencing the OoT + MM duology.
I think a lot of the “People hate BotW/TotK/x Zelda” is partially an online circlejerk, tbh. No matter what the vocal Zelda fans may tout as “popular” opinion, there’s actually a lot of variance in and outside of the Zelda community. I remember when Wind Waker and Twilight Princess were touted as the black sheep of the franchise, and look at them now.
(Except Wand of Gamalon. That might be the one universally hated Zelda game in my experience, lol.)
That’s a little more controversial, but towards my taste yes. Majora’s mask is one of those games you could never make today because it combined a children’s franchise with cosmic horror and themes of grief.
It took common ideas like npc routines, day/night, and a solid action core. With this it wove in puzzles that were not just about what you did, but when. This was groundbreaking in its scope and scale, and then they added in the soundtrack… Ye gods that soundtrack…
I could go on for pages but, quite simply, it was a work of genius.
