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[gaming_again]

The dungeons in OoT are supreme. The overworld/exploration bored me a bit, though. Even in 1998.

OP, you might really enjoy the NES original. It’s hard though.

 

[Filben]

I'd recommend Link's Awakening because for once you won't be saving Zelda and it's a relatively short game with little to no tedious busy work before dungeons. And it's aesthetics and whole island vibe is impeccable.

Ocarina of Time has an amazing atmosphere, still one of the best overworlds with so many areas connected to each other via short cuts. For nowadays standards it might drag a bit.

For more QoL features I'd recommend the 3DS version, for an even better or darker atmosphere, however, the original version is better.

If you want another atypical Zelda go for Majora's Mask. It has still the old Zelda typical linearity but it repackaged in a greater scope. You have less guidance and especially in the beginning you have to figure out many things on your own and piece together what people in the city tell you.

There are a lot of side quests and sad existences in this game. It's probably one if not the most melancholic Zelda game there is. Also the game's world is changing by your actions and by the time but is always reverted after three in game days, allowing for different quest outcomes. Not accessible areas might be accessible on the third day etc. Also, again you won't be saving Zelda here.

 

[Pantz]

A Link to the Past is a required game for your gamer resume.

 

[MMaRsu]

Yes but we wont know if you'll like it

 

[BlackTron]

My only guess on why people hate on Twilight Princess is that most people don't play Zelda for the dungeons (what makes Zelda Game design peak) or don't enjoy the darker tone of Zelda prefering the light hearted anime/cartoon esk aestetic or play Zelda for the Exploration over the puzzle design.

Just wanted to add my opinion here, I like the darker style and deep dungeons. In, say, Link's Awakening or Ocarina of Time, the world is more focused and helps funnel you to your next destination, which is where you want to be so you can get to the awesome dungeon gameplay. In TP, the overworld is overly big, has nothing in it, looks drab and boring, and they added padding with wolf link. Imagine finding say the Zora Domain in BOTW and you are working down the puzzles to make it to the water temple (er divine beast, whatever). You think you are good to go, then the game makes you transform into a wolf and track down items all over Zora's Domain before you can progress. This is how TP was designed, double-dipping areas as padding with Wolf Link. All it did was pad out the play time with boring unfulfilling tasks through areas you just explored already. Once you got to the dungeon, the dungeon was great. Because it wasn't open-world format, if you didn't feel like the next task piece of padding in the main quest, there was nothing else to do but wander a lifeless Hyrule with poor realistic graphics.

I called BOTW the anti-TP when it came out. BOTW has perfect overworld, crap dungeons. TP has awesome dungeons, totally shit overworld and grating gameplay to make it to the dungeons. Even the opening section of TP, from the very first moment with the fish puzzle, made no sense was overly long and a complete turn off.

TP could be very good if they just cut a lot of the connective tissue out between all the dungeons for a leaner, less bloated, less padded experience. If you fire up Ocarina of Time, you are in an actual dungeon solving puzzles in under 10 minutes if you know what to do. TP is a slog no matter how you play it.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Of course you should play the older Zelda games, what can I say ocarina of time is great. Majoras mask was big, twilight princess, wind waker and skyward sword are fine.

 

[schaft0620]

Links Awaking is on the Switch, play that.

 

[LakeOf9]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I really appreciate the recommendations

As of right now, I have decided I'll try playing Link to the Past and Link Between Worlds, and if I like them, I will check out Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker (for the first two I know the order is Link to the Past and then Link Between Worlds, for the other two, is there any order, or can I play them however I like?)

 

[93xfan]

You absolutely should play A Link to the Past.

Ocarina of time and Wind Waker for your 3D games.

Been playing since the NES original, btw

 

[DevilMayFlyForAWhiteGuy]

I always liked Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess the most. I like how many dungeons they have and most of them were good, making the whole experience feel like a complete adventure.

Wind Waker feels like it has a bunch of cut content in comparison (because it does), and I never liked Majora’s Mask’s time limit based gameplay loop. But they’re both good games with some staunch defenders.

Skyward Sword is a game with great Dungeons, but garbage overworld/filler to get to them. So probably not the best starting point. I would say play the 3D games in release order and figure out which ones you like the best because there is a lot of personal taste involved.

When it comes to the 2D top-down games I’m not the guy to ask. For some reason I just never liked many games with a top down perspective and therefore I have not played anything like LttP to completion. I know my brother’s favorite Zelda is Minish Cap on GBA though. So those two are probably good picks.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

The disparity of opinions in here is a sight to behold, lol.

One sad truth out: the prettiest 3D Zeldas are also the most bloated. Starting with the GameCube games, the overall design is such a far cry from the astonishing results Nintendo got on the N64. This is why I can’t suggest starting with Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, or Skyward Sword (the latter being a much better game, but full of bad decisions like the others). Those games tried to chase design trends and it shows.

Ocarina of Time remains the quintessential classic Zelda experience. It has all the good parts and none of the bad. The 3DS version looks great and irons out a few of the original’s kinks. But it also looks plain at best these days, especially against the timeless look of Wind Waker. Majora’s Mask is a phenomenal game too, but it plays by its own rules and it’s best appreciated after OOT.

For 2D Zelda, it’s a toss up between Link’s Awakening Remastered and A Link Between Worlds. You could also go all the way back to A Link to the Past to see where the classic Zelda formula really hit its stride, but it’s not the prettiest 16-bit game.

Don’t go back to the NES games, and if you somehow have to, find the original manuals online. Otherwise the first Zelda will break you.

 

[MagnesD3]

Just wanted to add my opinion here, I like the darker style and deep dungeons. In, say, Link's Awakening or Ocarina of Time, the world is more focused and helps funnel you to your next destination, which is where you want to be so you can get to the awesome dungeon gameplay. In TP, the overworld is overly big, has nothing in it, looks drab and boring, and they added padding with wolf link. Imagine finding say the Zora Domain in BOTW and you are working down the puzzles to make it to the water temple (er divine beast, whatever). You think you are good to go, then the game makes you transform into a wolf and track down items all over Zora's Domain before you can progress. This is how TP was designed, double-dipping areas as padding with Wolf Link. All it did was pad out the play time with boring unfulfilling tasks through areas you just explored already. Once you got to the dungeon, the dungeon was great. Because it wasn't open-world format, if you didn't feel like the next task piece of padding in the main quest, there was nothing else to do but wander a lifeless Hyrule with poor realistic graphics.

I called BOTW the anti-TP when it came out. BOTW has perfect overworld, crap dungeons. TP has awesome dungeons, totally shit overworld and grating gameplay to make it to the dungeons. Even the opening section of TP, from the very first moment with the fish puzzle, made no sense was overly long and a complete turn off.

TP could be very good if they just cut a lot of the connective tissue out between all the dungeons for a leaner, less bloated, less padded experience. If you fire up Ocarina of Time, you are in an actual dungeon solving puzzles in under 10 minutes if you know what to do. TP is a slog no matter how you play it.

The only time I felt TP was a slog was during the intro tutorial village other than that I really enjoyed the overworld and wolf link. The only complaint I had about wolf link was his combat needed more to it, learning some wolf only moves would have been a good idea imo to spice it up. Also I really like the look of the game on the Wii, but I dislike the look of the HD version of the game it looks way worse and ruins alot of the artstyle. Also on that note Ocarina of Time on 3ds ruins alot of the atmosphere/artstyle as well.

Also if BOTW is anti TP them that's probably why BOTW is so low for me since TP is my favorite.

I always liked Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess the most. I like how many dungeons they have and most of them were good, making the whole experience feel like a complete adventure.

Wind Waker feels like it has a bunch of cut content in comparison (because it does), and I never liked Majora’s Mask’s time limit based gameplay loop. But they’re both good games with some staunch defenders.

Skyward Sword is a game with great Dungeons, but garbage overworld/filler to get to them. So probably not the best starting point. I would say play the 3D games in release order and figure out which ones you like the best because there is a lot of personal taste involved.

When it comes to the 2D top-down games I’m not the guy to ask. For some reason I just never liked many games with a top down perspective and therefore I have not played anything like LttP to completion. I know my brother’s favorite Zelda is Minish Cap on GBA though. So those two are probably good picks.

This post is almost a verbatim of my thoughts on the 3d Zeldas, completely agree.

 

[Zannegan]

If you can think of them as puzzle-action games before you start playing, i thimk you'll find them very enjoyable. They aren't the "go anywhere; do anything" experiences of BOTW/TOTK, but they are tightly crafted adventures where figuring out how to progress and where to go next based on clues in the environment is part of the challenge and part of the fun...

...except for Skyward Sword, where your companion nags you through the optional path. On the other hand, it has a cool, puzzly take on combat, and it has one of my favorite dungeon concepts in any Zelda, so it's not the waste of time some pretend. The linearity and handholding are frustrating though, especially post-BOTW.

My advice is to start with Ocarina of Time and move forward Chronologically from there.

 

[Mozzarella]

I would say yes, Majora's Mask is a unique one, dont miss out on this, as for the rest play what hooks you the most.