2023-05-26 19:49:09
The Legend of Zelda franchise now boasts a large number of games since the original released in 1986 on the NES/Famicom. What’s special is that although all the games exist in the same timeline (with branching timelines), most of the adventures are experienced by different Link and Zelda across the centuries. So there are very few games that are direct sequels. We decided to rank them from worst to best direct sequel.
Featured image: Nintendo
5- Zelda 2 : The Adventure of Link
Why is it a direct sequel? This is the same Link from The Legend of Zelda (NES), who is now a teenager. The Princess Zelda he has to save isn’t the same as in the first game though!
Zelda 2 is my first Zelda, and it will always have a special place in my heart. However, it’s hard to enjoy as a sequel to the first. The perspective shifts and the gameplay changes drastically, focusing more on combat than exploration. Although the map of the game is huge, it is accessible in a much more linear way than the first game. There are many interesting aspects which have however been introduced such as villages and side quests given by villagers, among others . On the other hand, its difficulty is poorly balanced, discouraging players with difficulty peaks very early in the game. I dream of a remake of Zelda 2 that keeps the best aspects and fixes the irritants.
4- The Legend of Zelda : Phantom Hourglass
Why is it a direct sequel? It’s the same Link as in Wind Waker, with the same maritime exploration theme.
I remember being very impressed with Phantom Hourglass when it came out in terms of how the game took the best out of the Nintendo DS. Everything was controlled with the stylus in a very intuitive and organic way. There were some interesting mechanics for sea exploration and it was just fun to continue in the colorful world introduced in Wind Waker. However, it’s one of the few Zeldas that I haven’t finished because of the redundancy of always having to go back to the Temple of the Ocean King and having to redo the same puzzles several times.
3- The Legend of Zelda : Oracle of Seasons/Ages
Why is it a direct sequel? Ages and Seasons are actually sequels to each other. There is no official order to follow them. If you do Seasons first, Ages is the direct sequel, and vice versa!
According to the official timeline, you might even say these are sequels to Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening, since it’s the same Link in all of those adventures! The Hero of Legend has been productive. The Oracles are games for the Game Boy Color that were developed by Capcom and built on what Link’s Awakening had established by pushing the Game Boy to its limits. Both titles offered maps that might change with time travel and changing seasons. These are two titles that I would love to see come to the Nintendo Switch Online service!
2- Majora’s Mask
Why is it a direct sequel? Events take place immediately following the end of Ocarina of Time, as Link travels back in time to relive his childhood.
One of the benefits of making a direct sequel to a game is also to save time by being able to reuse assets created for the previous game, still providing a new experience. Few games do this as well as Majora’s Mask, which takes place in a parallel world of Hyrule, featuring some of the same characters, but who are at the same time different. Instead of one big epic adventure, Majora’s Mask offered something more intimate where the side quests and personal dramas of the people of Termina practically outweighed the main issue…which is the end of the world following all! Majora’s Mask remains to this day a unique work in the Zelda pantheon, which has grown in popularity over time.
1- The Legend of Zelda : Tears of the Kingdom
Why is it a direct sequel? It takes place directly following Breath of the Wild, as the same Link and Zelda rebuild Hyrule and try to unravel some of its mysteries.
There was no doubt when The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released, it was one of the best video games of all time. And yet, Nintendo managed to make BOTW look like a mere draft in comparison to Tears of the Kingdom. New Fusion and Ultrahand mechanics allow you to interact with the environment in a way never before imagined for a Zelda game, or indeed any open-world role-playing game. Above all, they allow players to solve puzzles and fight in their own unique style. Tears of the Kingdom will continue to surprise us for a long time.
Our review of the game:
Special Mentions
I want to mention The Legend of Zelda : Spirit Tracks, which is a sequel to Phantom Hourglass, but which I don’t classify as a direct sequel because it’s new incarnations of Link and Zelda in a new realm of Hyrule! Also, I want to mention the masterpiece The Legend of Zelda : A Link between Worldswhich takes place in the same map as A Link to the Past, but with a new Link centuries later.
READ ALSO: 3 things Elden Ring does better than The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild… and vice versa!
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