What’s The Worst Legend Of Zelda Game?

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Zelda Poll
Image: Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda has celebrated its 35th Anniversary this year, with Nintendo releasing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD along with the rather handsome Game & Watch. Interestingly, those releases alone have included two titles that can certainly be described as ‘divisive’ — we’re thinking Skyward Sword’s arm-waving controls (though the HD release has button options), and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link being that one that hardly anyone’s beaten. Heck, there are people that say Breath of the Wild is overrated, even if this writer and a fair few others would happily die on a hill arguing in favour of its brilliance.

Zelda is a series that, partly because of the passion and love it fosters, also draws out strong opinions whatever route it follows. Some said Wind Waker was too cartoony, others said Twilight Princess wasn’t bright enough. Some games are too traditional, or not traditional enough, or they’re whatever Tri Force Heroes was (which could have been great with a few different design choices, arguably).

And, actually, it’s years since we’ve done a poll about the ‘best’ Zelda games, but with ‘Worst Zelda’ recently trending, let’s get it all out there, shall we? Which Zelda game is ‘least good’? Are any games in the series actually underwhelming? Are some of them genuinely bad?

Yes, we know this debate could turn ugly. It could be interesting in the poll and comments for other reasons, though. How do older games in the series stack up now that Nintendo has adopted a bold open-world approach with Breath of the Wild? Maybe the ‘greats’ in the series have left some feeling disappointed after exploring an open-world Hyrule since 2017. What, ultimately, has the series gotten wrong over the years?

Before we get to the poll, a bit on the criteria of putting the poll together:

  • We’ve only included ‘canon’ games, which means no Warriors spin-offs, bow training or Picross
  • We combine 3D and HD remasters with their originals under one vote — this is to accommodate the fact the core games are essentially the same and that different age groups will have experienced them at different times
  • You can choose up to three games, with each of those votes equally weighted. If you want to just vote for one or two you absolutely can, but if a few titles are on your naughty step, you can pick them

Well, click those buttons and share your comments, even if the ‘worst’ Zelda release is still better than most other games.