cooliocuneo said:

I brought my 3DS with me on vacation last week and ended up beating the game at 30,000 ft in the air. Does that make me a member of the mile high triforce club? :)

Yes.

Inspired by my revisiting of Zero Mission and SirMasterSephiroth's Oracle thread, I took some time the past couple days to revisit some of the 2D Zeldas.

I booted up Oracle of Ages to see if it would click with my harder than Seasons; its attempt at epic fantasy storytelling did not.

I played up through the first dungeon of Link's Awakening to verify its place as one of the best games in the series, and my preference held true. So much snappier and mysterious than the Oracle games.

I did the same for A Link to the Past. To the extent I appreciate this game for solidifying the Zelda formula, I hate it for solidifying the Zelda formula. Ocarina of Time is more epic, Link's Awakening is the better 2D game in every other regard, and what remains is a betrayal of the NES original's freedom.

Having played and enjoyed Minish Cap last year, the only game left was A Link Between Worlds, which I remember being pretty forgettable. So I booted it up, started playing, and...

...it's fantastic.

There are NPCs and dialogue, yes, but the text speed is so fast that you don't feel them. Link's movement speed is equally speedy, and between that and the map on the bottom screen, it feels like the world of ALttP has finally been freed from SNES jank. There is no barrier between idea and execution in this game, just instantaneous zippy item-wielding and puzzle-solving. The wall mechanic is a seriously innovative gimmick, not just for Zelda, but for games as a whole, and the item rental system is a great change of pace that opens up the world even further.

I'm one dungeon in, and aside from Link's Awakening (which holds a truly special place in my heart), I'm already ready to call this the best 2D Zelda game. In hindsight, it really is the start of Nintendo's new era in design that lead to Breath of the Wild.

Yep, it's still my favorite top-down Zelda adventure.
(Because we haven't had any new ones since...)

I feel like this game is horribly underrated. I think it smokes the two DS game. I think I played through it twice, and still, some of those dungeons really stump me. I would buy a Switch or Switch 2 remaster in a heartbeat.

Yup, this has quickly become one of my favorites. It's crazy how much it does right, they absolutely nailed it. It's the perfect Zelda game. Not the best Zelda game, not quite, but the absolute quintessential Zelda game.

I wish I'd play on Hero's Mode though, the lack of stakes really takes away from the oomph of the game's brilliant economy! The optional dungeon treasures are excellent, but I don't feel their utility in my bones.

Secret_Tunnel said:

Nintendo has completely forgotten the art of great title screens and credit sequences. The credits in BOTW/TOTK are an embarrassment compared to OoT/MM. For all my issues with those games, lame ending sequences are the worst.

But guess what game has an awesome credits sequence? A Link Between Worlds!

@Secret_Tunnel

Link's Awakening and A Link Between Worlds are the two best 2D Zelda games, whichever way you'd like to order them. Good takes!

I'm definitely overdue to replay ALBW, it's been over 10 years now...

@TheBigG753

The Minish Cap more than deserves to be in that conversation!

@TheBigG753
@V_s

My ranking is:

1. Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom
2. Ocarina of Time
3. Link's Awakening
4. Wind Waker
5. Majora's Mask
6. A Link Between Worlds
7. The Legend of Zelda
8. Phantom Hourglass
9. Minish Cap
10. Skyward Sword
11. A Link to the Past
12. Adventure of Link
13. Oracle of Ages / Oracle of Seasons

Not counting the multiplayer games, or Twilight Princess and Spirit Tracks which I haven't played in ages.

Link's Awakening is a special game. It's one of those rare games that I think really has something important to say. Even setting aside its metanarrative, the world is magical.

A Link Between Worlds has enough of a story to be epic and entertaining, and is mainly concerned with refining 2D Zelda's game formula to a golden sheen. It makes A Link to the Past nearly fully irrelevant for me.

Minish Cap and Phantom Hourglass are both really fun, but I'd give the edge to PH for its inventiveness.

V_s said:

The Minish Cap more than deserves to be in that conversation!

I have MC at #3!

@Secret_Tunnel

I think what I appreciate most about Link's Awakening is that it's the last Zelda game that doesn't add this big, new gameplay hook to set it apart from previous entries. It's just classic Zelda game design in its purest form, with all of the fat trimmed off of it. It is just masterful, and nearly a perfect videogame in that respect. That in and of itself (in addition to the strange narrative and setting) is what makes it unique in the series and I love it.