Every Zelda Game Ranked By Story

This one hardly counts as a “Zelda” game, originally released as bonus content for the GBA re-release of “A Link to the Past.” Rather than weaving a compelling narrative, “Four Swords” was meant to give an option for the first time for multiplayer play on a Zelda title, with up to four players using a link cable to connect. The game is perhaps most notable for introducing the recurring villain Vaati, although he lacked a backstory or much of a character at this point. The plot of the Four Sword and sealing Vaati within it exists mostly as an excuse to split Link into four versions of himself, each wearing a different colored tunic.

The very first “Zelda” was incredibly revolutionary in numerous ways, and containing any semblance of a story was revolutionary for the time. However, compared to the games it would inspire, both within and outside the “Zelda” series, there wasn’t much there. Because of technical limitations, a single paragraph of questionably translated backstory introducing Zelda, Ganon, and the Triforce on the title screen was all the story in the actual game. There was a bit more context given in the game’s manual, but even then, there wasn’t much of a plot. Still, the basic formula of the hero Link setting across the land of Hyrule gaining treasure, entering dungeons, and defeating monsters was established here.

Another game that focused more on multiplayer functionality than a robust story, “Tri Force Heroes” at least earns points for its unique approach. A follow-up to “A Link Between Worlds” and featuring the same incarnation of Link, the game heads to the never-before-seen fashion-obsessed land of Hytopia. In Hytopia Link must break a curse on Princess Styla, who can only wear an unappealing brown jumpsuit by defeating the one who cursed her, Lady Maud, ruler of the drablands. All in all, the plot is silly and fun, but lacking depth and substance.

Following up the original “Four Swords,” many of that game’s mechanics are repeated. However, “Adventures” fleshes out its story mode beyond the rupee-collecting adventure from the original. Of course, compared to many strictly single-player “Zelda” games this one is a bit barebones in the story department. The game begins with Dark Link freeing Vaati from his prison within the titular Four Sword and Link setting off on a rather by-the-number quest to defeat him. In a twist that had already appeared in a few “Zelda” games, Ganon was revealed to be the villain secretly pulling the strings all along.

As the name would imply, “Zelda II” is a direct sequel to the original “Zelda.” Released less than a year after the initial title, it had many of the same technical limitations. It also appeared on the NES, making a complex story once again impossible. The game, however, shifted to an RPG style and featured more complex and interesting NPCs for Link to interact with. Much of the plot was gleaned from the game’s instruction manual, this time concerning a different Princess Zelda, who had been placed under a sleeping spell that must be awakened by Link. All the while, Ganon’s minions seek to kill our hero to revive their master.

A direct sequel to “The Wind Waker,” “Phantom Hourglass” sees the return of the Great Sea setting that helped set that game apart. The Link from that game returns, as does that game's version of Zelda, the pirate captain Tetra. It also introduces other new characters and companions for Link, most notably the morally scrupulous sailor Linebeck and the malevolent monster Bellum. While these new characters and the mysterious ghost ship do add some variety to the story, many other beats are fairly formulaic. That, and the decision to make the formerly headstrong Tetra a largely absent damsel in distress, keeps this one from being higher on the list.

Picking up a hundred years after the events of “Phantom Hourglass,” “Spirit Tracks” swaps ships for trains featuring a new incarnation of Link, a conductor in “New Hyrule.” While Zelda is also captured early on in the game, “Spirit Tracks” subverts things by having her accompany Link in spirit form. With her by Link’s side throughout the game, a strong bond is formed between them, and she is much more well-defined as a character than perhaps any other game. A spectacular finale to the game, that pays off both Link and Zelda's arcs, while implying a romantic future for them is one of the best endings for a game in the franchise.

In his final appearance to date, we finally got a backstory for the mysterious wind demon Vaati. Here it’s revealed that before he was the fearsome wind spirit Vaati was a dark sorcerer of the thumb-sized race known as the Minish. The Minish help to make the game one of the more lighthearted entries in the franchise with Link’s companion being Ezlo, a talking magical hat that can shrink Link to Minish size. In the course of the adventure, we learn that Ezlo was once a member of the tiny race as well and Vaati was his traitorous apprentice. We also finally get an explanation for the Four Sword, known then as the Picori Blade, sharing the name the Hylians have given to the Minish themselves.

Designed with an eye on being the spiritual successor to “A Link to the Past,” “Between Worlds” evokes the events of that game. In the game’s present, Link begins as a humble blacksmith’s apprentice who gets swept up in a grand adventure to save two kingdoms, Hyrule and its counterpart Lorule. The Princess of Lorule, Hilda summons Link on his quest to destroy the Lorulian sorcerer Yuga, who eventually fuses with a revived Ganon. However, the game features a last-minute twist where Hilda betrays Link in an attempt to save her own kingdom. The surprising final revelation and more complicated moral questions serve the story well.

Arriving at the height of Pokémania, “Zelda” sought to cash in on the paired versions that had helped another Nintendo franchise become a phenomenon. Unlike “Pokémon,” these weren't two versions of the same game, but two separate games with their own storylines, game mechanics, and even regions. On their own, they might rank lower on this list, with “Ages” having a slightly more interesting story than “Seasons.” What really made the story great for these games was their interconnectivity. They had a secret ending featuring Zelda and a confrontation with Ganon that could only be reached by getting through the plot of both individual games.

Truly the first “Zelda” game to have a real substantive storyline, “A Link to the Past,” as its name would imply, was set hundreds of years before the first two games. The beefed-up plot was in no small part thanks to the technical advancements of the Super Nintendo allowing for more text and dialogue. It involved visual storytelling and a much richer plot with a parallel dark world. While it was still far off from the complex plots that would be available in later generations, the storyline where Link must retrieve the master sword and save seven sages to save Zelda and slay Ganon became the template for future “Zelda” games.

The open world of the Switch “Zelda” games put a huge emphasis on exploration and how the story is dolled out is no exception. It begins when Zelda and Link stumble upon the mummified corpse of Ganondorf with Zelda thrown into the distant past of Hyrule’s founding. As Link explores Hyrule, finding the titular tears, Zelda’s time in the past causes the mysteries in the game to be slowly brought to light as well. As Link grows closer to reuniting with Zelda, he also grows closer to a final confrontation with Ganon, all culminating in a spectacular final moment when the princess and hero are reunited across time.

“Breath of the Wild” begins, like the very first “Zelda,” by dropping Link into a desolate but beautiful world with only an old man to immediately talk to. It also begins with a mystery. Link awakes from a long slumber possessing no memories. Like its successor, “Tears of the Kingdom,” the story is given in chunks when Link arrives at special areas. Throughout the game, Link learns of the calamity that caused the apocalypse, and of his ultimately unsuccessful attempt to prevent it, leading to his century-long rejuvenating coma. Beyond just the cutscenes, though, even the world itself does some truly spectacular environmental storytelling.

As we’ve seen, “Zelda” is a series that has utilized its traditions and familiar beats to great effect, which is why the story of “The Wind Waker” was such a bold one. The narrative is one about not clinging to the past with Ganondorf seeking a return to the status quo. While the game honored many of the conventions of past “Zelda” games, even featuring callbacks and Easter eggs, it still put forth the message that preserving the past should never be an excuse for destroying the future. Ganondorf himself is transformed in this game from a megalomaniac to a poetic and almost tragic figure while Zelda became the bold and cunning pirate captain Tetra.

If “A Link to the Past” crystalized “Zelda” conventions and “Wind Waker” reinvented them, then “Ocarina of Time” perfected the formula. Considered by many to be the greatest video game of all time, its story is a huge part of the reason. “Ocarina” is a true fantasy epic in every sense of the word. A young boy without a fairy is given a noble quest by a dying magical tree; he must literally and figuratively grow up quickly to vanquish the forces of darkness that threaten his world. He meets, and must eventually leave behind friends, fights dastardly enemies, and travels across a land full of history and lore.

Some might complain that aspects of “Skyward Sword’s” gameplay were hurt by the more linear style than some open world games. The plot, however, was helped significantly by this decision, setting Link on a more definite trajectory. Rather than having important story beats play out only as backstory, the story unfolds largely in the game’s present. This is helped by the game taking place before any others chronologically meaning that we get to experience events like the forging of the Master Sword. It details the beginning of the struggle between good and evil with the original Link and Zelda facing off against evil incarnate in Demise. If that wasn’t enough, rival turned ally Groose’s character arc is just fantastic.

Beginning as an after-hours unsanctioned side project, “Link’s Awakening” was strange and unshackled from conventions from the start. The game removed familiar elements like Hyrule, the Triforce, and even the series’ namesake; Zelda. Instead, it was set on the dreamlike island of Koholint, filled with colorful and fascinating NPCs, like Marin, that brimmed with interiority and their own unique quirks. Link gets to know many of the strange islanders as he discovers that they and the island itself are a dream of the Wind Fish, which Link must wake from its slumber in a giant egg on a mountain if he is to leave. The result is a truly existential and unique tale.

There is something hauntingly beautiful about the somber tale told in “Twilight Princess.” The game concerns itself with themes of light and darkness and the twilight that exists between them. This gives it a truly epic feel that places it alongside the greatest pieces of fantasy fiction ever made. The characters in “Twilight Princess” stand out as well, with the bizarre and frightening Zant, the townsfolk of Ordon, including Link’s childhood friend Ilia, and of course Midna. She, the titular twilight princess, is Link’s greatest companion, serving not just to tell the player what buttons to press, but to take them on an emotionally thrilling odyssey.

Following the events of “Ocarina of Time,” Link is mugged and cursed by the Skull Kid, then trapped in a three-day cycle, attempting to save the land of Termina from destruction. The main story is spectacular, as Link visits the four corners of Termina and its people, dealing with the anger, despair, and depression as imminent death hangs above. However, even more important are the intertwined side stories. Link interacts with the land’s many colorful inhabitants, getting to know them intimately as time repeats itself. Whether it's reuniting star-crossed lovers, or defending a ranch from aliens, “Majora’s Mask” is overflowing with incredible characters with their own heartbreaking and wonderful stories to encounter.

Which “Zelda” storyline kept you up for days playing till the end? Let us know in the comments below.