There’s no doubt thatThe Legend of Zeldais one of the most critically acclaimed and most iconic gaming franchises. However, it would have never reached its legendary status if the talented developers at Nintendo never got the chance to think outside the box and implement unbelievable mechanics and ideas into their projects.
As a result of their relentless ambition, there are severalLegend of Zeldatitles that managed to make their mark on the industry and eveninfluenced many other video games. Naturally, some of these games are much more ambitious than others, and the following seven are the most impressive in the entire franchise.
The originalLegend of Zeldafor the NES may not seem all that impressive nowadays, but this title was very ambitious for its time.This was a semi-open world adventure, in an era where this genre barely existed, and its vast scope was unheard of during this era.
If that wasn’t enough,The Legend of Zeldaalso had features that are expected in modern games but were quite revolutionary at the time, like multiple save files, the ability to complete the game while skipping key items, and a New Game + mode, known as Second Quest. It would be inaccurate to say that this game single-handedly created the open-world adventure genre, but it definitely wouldn’t be the same without it.
The Wii was known for its innovative motion controls. While the first game in the series released on the console,Twilight Princess, utilized them effectively, Nintendo could still do more with this legendary franchise. So, the company eventually developedaZeldagame with the brand-new Wii MotionPlus accessory in mind.
The final result wasThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, a thrilling adventure that is entirely controlled with the precise motion controls that the Wii MotionPlus has to offer. Actions like shooting arrows or controlling Link’s new Beetle item feel as comfortable as ever, but the combat system of this game is like nothing players have experienced before. Not only does it respond to every single one of their movements, but enemies and bosses can also adapt to the controls, forcing players to strategize by using their own hands.
The Nintendo DS changed the gaming landscape with its dual screen and touch controls, but its graphics didn’t leave much of an impression. However, things changed exponentially when Nintendo released a first-partyZeldagame that was entirely in 3D:The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
As one of the few fully 3D adventures on the handheld system,Phantom Hourglassstood out in a sea of similar-looking 2D games. That was not all either, since the game was controlled by the DS’ touchscreen, something that was also quite unprecedented for the era. These developers certainly knew how to use this unique system to its full potential.
Ocarina of Timemight have been the first 3DLegend of Zeldagame released on the Nintendo 64, butMajora’s Masktook everything that was developed for the previous entry and used it to create an entirely different experience:this game takes place within 3 days that Link will have to revisit over and over via time travel, which even to this day is an extremely creative concept.
But the most ambitious feature ofMajora’s Maskis its main location, Clock Town, which is inhabited by several NPCs. Each one of them follows routines based on the game’s internal clock, and they’re programmed to live their lives, regardless of what the player is currently doing. Not even some modern video games have NPCs with such detailed behavior, soMajora’s Maskis still astounding.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdommay not seem extraordinary at first, since it borrows a lot of content from its predecessor,Breath of the Wild. But this game is not just a straightforward sequel, since it introduced its fair share of new and unique mechanics that completely changed the way it is played.
All of Link’s new powers are brilliant, butTOTK’s Ultrahand is the most incredible, granting players the ability to carry and combine basically any object in the game to build whatever they can come up with. This one mechanic gaveTears of the Kingdoma lot more freedom than its predecessor, and the physics surrounding it took an entire year of development to refine. Another sign of this game’s ambition is its brand-new and expansive overworld maps that were designed alongside the pre-existing Hyrule map: the Sky and the Depths.
Fans spent years waiting for Nintendo’s newest entry inThe Legend of Zeldaseries, and, in 2017, they finally got the chance to try it out. But, little did they know that they were about to experience one of themost revolutionary video games in the industry. BecauseThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of theWildwas different from all the other open-world games that audiences at the time were already getting bored by.
The new map of Hyrule was incredibly extensive and was filled to the brim with interesting characters and locations, something that was ambitious, both for the franchise and the genre. However,Breath of the Wild’smost defining feature was its freedom of choice: players could do whatever they wanted in whatever order they wanted, which even included facing the final boss at the very beginning of their playthrough. This innovative design philosophy was an enormous gamble for Nintendo, but it ended up working extremely well for them.
This franchise wouldn’t be where it is today if it wasn’t forThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The 90s was the decade in which gaming was slowly transitioning to 3D: some franchises failed and others succeeded,but Nintendo took its time to make sure thatTheLegend of Zeldawould not only work in this new dimensionbut that it would change it forever, with its huge scope and innovative mechanics.
For 1998,Ocarina of Timelooked amazing and its open world, while relatively small when compared to modern releases, was very expansive, with a lot of locations and characters inside of it. The story is grand, the dungeons are complex, the bosses are epic, and even the 3D combat system worked perfectly, due to the new Z-targeting mechanic.Ocarina of Timemay not have aged all that well, but it changed video games forever, and none of that would’ve been possible if its developers were never set on creating something truly ambitious that broke the mold.
