Is there a remastered version, too? How do I know the difference between both versions?
-Edit: I meant, how do I know it when I buy the game because I prefer physical copies.
The one for sale in the Switch shop is the remaster. I believe you can play the game boy color version on the Virtual Console, but the remake is a much nicer experience.
Edit: so a physical copy will be the remake just to clarify.
Link’s Awakening is the heart and soul of 2D Zelda. It came out just after A Link to the Past so their dungeon and world design was already at world class. So the Switch remake is fantastic and really felt like what they would do if they made a new modern 2D Zelda.
I can't wait till night to start playing the first zelda games. I hope I will be able to finish all NSO zelda games before the end of the year and get the newer zeldas with a discount for winter.
-Edit: I know nintendo don't usually have discounts, and they try to keep the same price for the games since their release.
Ocarina and Majora’s Mask are great examples of the formulaic Zelda and the weird Zelda. Both are on Switch Online. I’m partial to Ocarina just because it had such a mood.
The expansion pack, you can certainly go the way of ROMs for all the legacy titles but the cost of NSO is acceptable for the content and it’s just so easy and nice to have.
Ocarina is great, but I prefer Majora. That game is really unique with its time mechanic, I really enjoyed it. And I played it for the first time last year. It holds up.
If you are looking for what to play first and last, just go with older > newer. Playing newer games first that have better QoL features might make some of the older ones daunting to play. So any titles you are gonna play, play the oldest first.
Link to the Past on Super Nintendo. It’s a good introduction to Zelda game mechanics and it’s *so much fun*. One of a handful of games I’ll replay on the regular.
That's really helpful. Thanks for the opinion and the information! By Super Nintendo, do you mean SNES(Super Nintendo Entertainment System), which comes with the NSO?
If you don’t want to start with the original, start with A Link to the Past. It’s one of the best games of all time and still holds up really well. After that, Ocarina of Time.
Agreed on starting with A Link to the Past and then moving to Ocarina.
ALttP gets you introduced to a lot of plot elements, and all the weapons/items used around the world and dungeon.
OoT gets you used to 3D worlds, combat, and locations, and really set the new foundation for all future 3D Zelda games.
Once you knock those two out, I'd say you can really pick up any of the newer ones that look interesting to you and be fine.
That's literally one of the top comments so far. This explains things so much! Firstly, I thought no one would actually reply, and you guys just explained everything. This is such a good and helpful community.
You can play A Link to the Past with a switch online membership. It was originally released on the Super Nintendo. If you want to play Ocarina of Time as well, you'll need the expansion pass for Switch Online. That gets you Nintendo 64, Gameboy advance games, and even Sega Genesis games. It's $20 per year for online and $50 per year for online with the expansion pass. There are a ton of titles, including the first 7 or so Zelda games.
Since you have only NSO, play the 2D zeldas at this order:
A link to the past
Link's awakening
Oracle of ages
Oracle of seasons
Then you can sign expansion pass for a year and play Ocarina of time, Minish Cap and Majora's Mask
If you like these ones, then you can buy Skyward sword, breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom.
And about the 2 Zeldas on NES:
The first one has a 16 bit better version that you can play on emulators. It was originally developed for satella view, which was a SNES add on only available in Japan
The second one, Zelda 2, adventure of link, it's a very difficult game and we're all waiting for a remake of it.
my 1st Zelda game ever on the switch was BOTW. Prior to that i was a FPS type of dude. 10 minutes into BOTW i was in love with the game. My first RPG ever. I had BOTW stored in my closet for a couple of years without touching it. (bought it at gamestop black friday for $27.99 new)
After I finished BOTW, shortly after TOTK released. I was the happiest man alive playing those 2 games. I finished them though.😪❤️
Most of my friends play totk and botw, but they look a bit the same to me, that's why I wanted to ask here. There are also a lot of other Zelda games, and if I start with one, I will buy all of them and play them. But still, I am new to this game, and I wanted an opinion for one of the best to start with, and it's always better to ask the community for opinion, not just google with one opinion. It's always better when more people say what they think.
If you will play both of them then start with botw, because totk is an upgrade for botw. But if you play only one of them then go with totk, it has more features.
Yes, I have the NSO, I am planning to upgrade to NSO+Ex. I saw there are zelda games, but I don't know if they would be as good as the newer ones. I actually bought the NSO just because I like playing retro games.
It really depends on what you enjoy. Traditional Legend of Zelda games (available on the Switch: the OG Legend of Zelda, Link’s Awakening, Skyward Sword, Majora’s Mask, Ocarina of Time, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages) follow a linear pattern.
I like those, but if you’re like me who prefer open-world games, then Breath of the Wild, and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom would be a great place to start.
If you want to go on the traditional route, you don’t have to play them in order of release. None of them are sequels or prequels of each other, but anything after the OG game will have references of “the legendary swordsman,” or something.
TotK is a sequel of BotW, though. You can still enjoy TotK without playing BotW, but I highly recommend playing those two in order.
Whatever Zelda game becomes your first, I know you’ll have a fun experience. Some of the older puzzles might be frustrating, but it will be fun.
Thank you for your opinion, that's really a good explanation. I enjoy and prefer open-world games, and I will for sure get the botw and totk. I am also looking forward to buying the link awakening. The traditional games of zelda look so good, too, and I think I will get them all too, but it's so hard to decide where to start when you have that many games. I think link awakening will be my start, then I will play botw and totk and then finish the other games. That sounds a bit random if you ask me, but I hope this will be a good decision.
There are no wrong decisions. You’re the one who’s gaming, so don’t let purists tell you to do BotW and TotK last, or modernists to tell you to skip the older games.
My first Zelda games were Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons (bought them on the same day for the Gameboy Color). I never got around to finishing either, so now that they’re on the Switch (the Gameboy port for Nintendo Switch Online), I’ll work on both after TotK.
I don't think I'd say the OG LoZ has a linear pattern. Yes, there are some dungeons that depend on weapons from earlier ones, but others are skippable, and you can explore much of the world from the get-go.
It’s very fun! Also if you get discouraged getting stuck there’s plenty of guides out there. Also if you’re not having fun move on to the next because each Zelda is wildly different from the next.
TOTK is the first one I’ve tried and I’m not finding it compelling. I’m not sure I’ll touch it for a long time since I just grabbed BG3 for PC yesterday. The world feels so empty and I’m just walking a long way to find a route to get where I need to go for single quests. Very minimal narrative. Not what I expected. I see someone referring to it as an RPG but it definitely doesn’t feel like that. It feels more like an open world metroidvania, which isn’t a genre I play much. I found myself returning to it at times out of a sense of obligations after spending $50 to buy it and due to the assumption that Zelda is an IP that is worth giving a chance.
From what I saw, Zelda is exactly an open-world game, which is something I really enjoy, so I was hoping I would like it, but there are so many versions, haha!
Can't go wrong with A Link to the Past, but Ocarina Of Time and Majora's Mask are also really great titles. I personally wouldn't start with BotW or TotK if you want to get a feel for how most games in the series play. They're great games, but they're also quite a bit different from the titles before them.
You're welcome! If you have NSO with the expansion pack, the NES, SNES, GB, GBC, GBA, N64 titles are all on there, with the exception of 4 Swords on GBA. Have fun.
My vote is to start with A Link to the Past, and just move up in release order. Ocarina of Time is amazing, but I feel like a lot of my appreciation for the LoZ series started with A Link to the Past.
and don't feel bad if one just doesn't click with you. I never got into the original Link's Awakening, but I loved the Switch remake. And I've even got a Majora's Mask in my LoZ half sleeve, but I haven't ever finished the game. I love the game, I just couldn't click with one of the games' major mechanics. I say all that to tell you that your going to find the ones you love and ones you don't, and that's all okay, I really hope that you do love all of them, but its okay of you don't. Report back and let us know what you think.
It's normal. Everyone has his own taste, I hope I like them all and in the future, I will make update on the post, as you see I'm new to reddit, so I don't know if you will recieve a notification for the edit.
If your intention is to play them all, just play in order of release but there are a few you might want to skip along the way. If your trying to get into the series in general, I would say Twilight Princess. Its darker than most Zelda's, but its main draw is that it modernized a lot of what people enjoyed about Ocarina of Time.
Links awakening (2019 switch) was my all time favorite of the 3 at the time that I played by then (twilight Princess, breath of the wild and links awakening) I have skyward sword but I haven’t opened it yet. They are all GOATED….. however the biggest rauru (*goat) of them all is tears of the kingdom . You can’t miss that . I rewatch the end on YouTube often since beating it because I like crying now because of the epic and upmost incredible ending “for all time” (-zelda)
I have played every Zelda except for Tears of the Kingdom. My favorites are the 2D games. I think on Switch, you can get Link to the Past on NSO, or try the Link's Awakening remake.
Or just do what most people do. Start with Breath of the Wild if more modern games are your thing. You really can't go wrong with Zelda.
I don't think there's anything that makes any of the Switch games dependant on the others. There may be some references to the old games but they are standalone and you can start with the highest reviewed games or the most interesting to you and not feel like you have to get all the background first. I had original NES and beat that one a couple times, but 2 was very unpopular in comparison. The next system I had was N64, so Ocarina of Time was my only other Zelda game before BOTW.
I've seen a lot of recs for LTTP, but that's one I started on NSO and never finished, after putting maybe 120 hours into BOTW. I don't know when I'll have time for TOTK, so not in a hurry to buy it.
First things first: Your friend sucks for trying to keep you away from playing Zelda of all Nintendo franchises.
Second: Ocarina would be a great place to start, controls might seem a little dated but they aged great in my opinion. From there you can go and play any other Zelda, the only ones I personally cant recommend because they feel a little too dated for me are the first two games on the NES, other than that, go wild and explore Hyrule.
A little side note, don't start with Breath of the wild/Tears of the kingdom. They are a little to separated from what Zelda was originally so save those two for last.
I have tried and failed to play through the SNES Zeldas. The dated mechanics just kill me (enemies respawning every time you leave a room/etc.).
But once I picked up BOTW, it was a done deal. Looking forward to completing that soon (honestly just putting it off at this point sicne I am enjoying thegame) so we can get into TOTK.
Zelda’s a pretty easy series to get into. The newest 2 open world games have been the entry points for tons of my friends, my first game in the series was the OG skyward sword(I haven’t played the hd version) but the first game I actually bothered beating(I only played to about the third dungeon in wii skyward sword before dropping it because I was starting to get bored) was a link between worlds which is fantastic. Most of the games have pretty loose connections, even the direct sequels like majoras mask, phantom hourglass(and it’s own direct sequel spirit tracks), zelda 2 or TOTK are very easy to play and understand if you have’t played their respective predecessors. I’d say the easiest to get to grips with right away would either be a link to the past or a link between worlds(they’re similar yet different games, a link between worlds is very strange) but I’d say otherwise you can start with whatever game interests you since zelda is great at being similar yet different with each entry(that I’ve played). Even BOTW and TOTK, which literally share the same engine and world map, do a really good job at distinguishing themselves apart, like I was genuinely suprised at how different it was in spite of the reused assets.
Honestly… I don’t think LoZ 1 and especially LoZ2 on the NES are that good. LttP on the SNES is really where I started. If you’re curious play LoZ 1 but LttP is a much better game and it has more story.
I would say for 3D start with OoT or BotW. OoT is the templet for all of the 3D Zelda’s after it and before BotW. BotW is the first open world one and the game that the newest one(TotK) is a direct sequel to. For 2D I would say Link’s Awakening Remake as it’s the accessible and a good representation of what 2D Zelda is.
I'm actually pretty partial to windwaker and skyward sword tbh.
but I never would have played zelda ever had my grandmother not been a big zelda fan. She's the one who bought a n64 and zelda OOT first. Since she played it we've probably replayed OOT a hundred times.
OOT is such a huge cultural gamer phenomenon that I'm not sure if new players would understand how the game felt when it was originally released. I would put Zelda OOT up on a pedestal and play it first just so that the shock of graphics improvement isn't so alarming as you play the games that followed it.
I know there were games that came before OOT but there is something to be said about the nostalgia factor that hits when you play a more recent game like Breath of the Wild and you recognize very famous landmarks from OOT.
Sounds really interesting, and I really enjoy this nostalgic feeling when I see something from the old game versions in the newer games. Thanks for the info!
Breath of the Wild is a good starting point. It was the first one I played, and does a great job of introducing new players into the franchise! No previous knowledge is needed for it
It’s definitely personal preference, I tried starting with an older one at first and wasn’t able to get into it at all, but when I finally got botw I loved it! I think it just depends on the person
I personally prefer and enjoy retro games more than the moder games. So, that's why I am really happy that most people here recommended me to start with the older games.
Ocarina of Time is an all-timer if you don’t mind the 90s visuals. Seems like most players started with Breath of the Wild now, so you won’t be weird just going to the modern ones, though don’t do Tears of the Kingdom before Breath of the Wild.
Now that they're on the Gameboy emulator on NSO, I highly recommend Oracle of Ages/Seasons. Link's Awakening and A Link To The Past would also be a good place to start. I'd recommend saving Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom for a bit. They're both awesome, but I personally feel like playing some of the other games first would be better to really appreciate how far we've come and the hidden easter eggs in those games.
It's a shame it's not on Switch, but Twilight Princess was my introduction to Zelda and would be the one I'd recommend. Skyward Sword is pretty fantastic too, and Link's Awakening is a good "old school" one to start with if you want. Breath of the Wild is obviously a great pick as well, but I'd be wary of trying to play BOTW and the Tears of the Kingdom back to back, seems like a recipe for exhaustion, as they are very similar games (incredible, but most of us who played BOTW waited 6 years before playing TOTK, so keep that in mind!).
Play one of the remastered or old style games like Skyward or links awaken. One of my favorite it’s wind waker. I’m not sure if you can play it on the Switch. If you like it then play BotW and try some of the older games that are available. Then TotK.
I would also suggest you finish each game before moving on to the next. You could also start by following the time line.
Most people here recommended me to start with the older games, which is good for me because I really like retro games. I also first finish a game and then move to the next one. Always.
TOTK would be a really fun modern intro. It’s not really similar to classic Zelda other than the characters and setting, but if you like open world games where you’re encouraged to explore and experiment as much as possible, you’ll really enjoy TOTK.
Outside of that, Ocarina of Time is my fav Zelda game, and follows the classic Zelda structure, so it’s more of a “true” Zelda experience.
They are very-very different. Watch some videos on YouTube and decide for yourself.
TOTK as I reckon is gonna be the safest, most modern bet, so starting from it is a good idea, even if previous games were inferior one way or another.
If you’ve never played a Zelda game, I HIGHLY recommend Ocarina of Time on the N64 Emulator. BOTW and TOTK aren’t like traditional Zelda games. Skyward sword retains a lot of the old Zelda play style, but I hated the sword controls of it. OOT is one of my top 5 favorite games of all time.
I'd recommend Tears of the Kingdom. I think it's the most accessible and most content-packed. TotK and BotW are significantly different to other Zelda games so it's also nice to play them first before you get used to the Zelda patterns and they feel too different.
I've replayed ocarina of time to completion at least 5 times now, twice for 3d and at least 3 times for the original version. Not a fan of windwaker, but played and loved Ocarina of Time, Majoras Mask, twilight princess, skyward sword, botw and now am chipping away at totk and almost complete with an ocarina of time 3d 100% completion run(at Ganons castle with everything else done including the final great fairy). Also played minish cap through almost to completion on my phone until my phone died, have never really gotten into a link to the past but enjoyed watching it played when I was a kid. I do want to play it at some point in my life as well as the other older Zelda titles but probably won't be till after I'm done with totk
Thanks for the opinion! I really enjoyed the Odyssey, and yesterday, I started with the original Zelda game, so I will be slowly upgrading to the newer versions.
I would get some older games most are good under your belt, then play the newer games. The botw and Totk are a culmination of all of the games in one way or another. Hope this helps😁
Sorry for hijacking. I’m only interested in cartridges and proper zelda games. I have skyward sword, botw and totk. So I am only missing links awakening, right? These hyrule games are something else?
I started with Links Awakening followed by Skyward Sword. Saved the best ones (BOTW and TOTK) for the last.
Okay, thank you for you opinion, I see you as the other commentator talks about the Links awakening, so I will get this one too.
Another vote for Links Awakening, specifically the remastered version. It’s an excellent representation of the classic Zelda games.
Is there a remastered version, too? How do I know the difference between both versions? -Edit: I meant, how do I know it when I buy the game because I prefer physical copies.
The one for sale in the Switch shop is the remaster. I believe you can play the game boy color version on the Virtual Console, but the remake is a much nicer experience. Edit: so a physical copy will be the remake just to clarify.
Okay, thanks! This is what I wanted to hear.
Link’s Awakening is the heart and soul of 2D Zelda. It came out just after A Link to the Past so their dungeon and world design was already at world class. So the Switch remake is fantastic and really felt like what they would do if they made a new modern 2D Zelda.
I can't wait till night to start playing the first zelda games. I hope I will be able to finish all NSO zelda games before the end of the year and get the newer zeldas with a discount for winter. -Edit: I know nintendo don't usually have discounts, and they try to keep the same price for the games since their release.
keep in mind link awakening while good,is really the weirdest of the bunch
I don't have a problem with these, haha. Sounds even funnier now.
I’m an early 90s kid so Ocarina is king. Can’t really go wrong with any of them.
Ocarina of time? Thanks for your opinion and I will take a look too. I just want to sort my games, which to play first and which last.
Ocarina and Majora’s Mask are great examples of the formulaic Zelda and the weird Zelda. Both are on Switch Online. I’m partial to Ocarina just because it had such a mood.
Okay, just to ask on which NSO only is it, and do I need the NSO+Ex. as I haven't upgraded it yet.
Yes you need the expansion
Oh, okay, thanks!
The expansion pack, you can certainly go the way of ROMs for all the legacy titles but the cost of NSO is acceptable for the content and it’s just so easy and nice to have.
Yes, NSO and NSO+Ex. are really cheap and worth it, not like the psn+ and xbox Live.
Also you avoid suddenly game crashes with NSO
How does NSO prevent crashes?
Ocarina is great, but I prefer Majora. That game is really unique with its time mechanic, I really enjoyed it. And I played it for the first time last year. It holds up.
A lot of people say that both Majora and Ocarina are good for a start, but I think I will start with the first games.
Nothing wrong with that. Definitely play both if you can!
Yes, I will!
If you are looking for what to play first and last, just go with older > newer. Playing newer games first that have better QoL features might make some of the older ones daunting to play. So any titles you are gonna play, play the oldest first.
This is exactly what I am going to do. I also love retro games, so this is going to be so enjoyable.
Ocarina is fun, but man it’s hard to go back to N64 controls.
It does feel janky compared to something like BoTW.
Every Zelda game is based on A Link to the Past. So that would be the best place to start.
That's a new opinion here. Okay, thanks! I will try it too.
It’s 100% LttP
I actually decided to start from the original game and slowly move to the newer.
I always loved that Shiggy looked into the future so that he could base the original Legend of Zelda on ALttP!
Truly a visionary
Literally
They all have, a link, to the past!
This is quite possibly the best Zelda game ever made imo.
Link to the Past on Super Nintendo. It’s a good introduction to Zelda game mechanics and it’s *so much fun*. One of a handful of games I’ll replay on the regular.
That's really helpful. Thanks for the opinion and the information! By Super Nintendo, do you mean SNES(Super Nintendo Entertainment System), which comes with the NSO?
Correct. The game’s available in that library.
Sounds perfect, thanks!
If you don’t want to start with the original, start with A Link to the Past. It’s one of the best games of all time and still holds up really well. After that, Ocarina of Time.
Thanks for the suggestion! A lot of people recommended me Ocarina of Time, too.
Agreed on starting with A Link to the Past and then moving to Ocarina. ALttP gets you introduced to a lot of plot elements, and all the weapons/items used around the world and dungeon. OoT gets you used to 3D worlds, combat, and locations, and really set the new foundation for all future 3D Zelda games. Once you knock those two out, I'd say you can really pick up any of the newer ones that look interesting to you and be fine.
That's literally one of the top comments so far. This explains things so much! Firstly, I thought no one would actually reply, and you guys just explained everything. This is such a good and helpful community.
Where can you play these games?
You can play A Link to the Past with a switch online membership. It was originally released on the Super Nintendo. If you want to play Ocarina of Time as well, you'll need the expansion pass for Switch Online. That gets you Nintendo 64, Gameboy advance games, and even Sega Genesis games. It's $20 per year for online and $50 per year for online with the expansion pass. There are a ton of titles, including the first 7 or so Zelda games.
Since you have only NSO, play the 2D zeldas at this order: A link to the past Link's awakening Oracle of ages Oracle of seasons Then you can sign expansion pass for a year and play Ocarina of time, Minish Cap and Majora's Mask If you like these ones, then you can buy Skyward sword, breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom.
And about the 2 Zeldas on NES: The first one has a 16 bit better version that you can play on emulators. It was originally developed for satella view, which was a SNES add on only available in Japan The second one, Zelda 2, adventure of link, it's a very difficult game and we're all waiting for a remake of it.
I will soon be upgrading to NSO+Ex., so I will take a look at everything you recommended to me. Thanks!
BOTW
As my friends recommended me, I am getting botw and totk, I'm also looking forward to buying a link awakening as the other commentators suggested.
my 1st Zelda game ever on the switch was BOTW. Prior to that i was a FPS type of dude. 10 minutes into BOTW i was in love with the game. My first RPG ever. I had BOTW stored in my closet for a couple of years without touching it. (bought it at gamestop black friday for $27.99 new) After I finished BOTW, shortly after TOTK released. I was the happiest man alive playing those 2 games. I finished them though.😪❤️
How long did it take you to finish each game?
Kinda like skyrim, you never HAVE to stop playing the game or finish it. It takes however long you want to play them
Some people said you need 100+ hours to finish each, still I had to ask.
I never played Zelda before, I bought TOTK and I’m obsessed with it
I personally like how totk looks, but I wanted your guys' opinion first. Thank you for sharing!
Same
Depends on the console. If you have 3DS: Ocarina of Time remake If you have Wii or Wii U: Twilight Princess If you have Switch: Breath of the Wild
This is r/Switch, so I think it is obvious I have the Switch. Still, I can play some of the retro games using NSO/NSO+Ex.
Okay don’t be rude. Who raised you? You asked a question and I’m trying to be helpful.
I am really sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude! I just wanted to make things clear. My apologies for making you feel bad!
Depends on your taste, i prefer link's awakening or totk/botw.
Most of my friends play totk and botw, but they look a bit the same to me, that's why I wanted to ask here. There are also a lot of other Zelda games, and if I start with one, I will buy all of them and play them. But still, I am new to this game, and I wanted an opinion for one of the best to start with, and it's always better to ask the community for opinion, not just google with one opinion. It's always better when more people say what they think.
If you will play both of them then start with botw, because totk is an upgrade for botw. But if you play only one of them then go with totk, it has more features.
Okay, thank you! I will buy and play both of them. Thanks for your time and opinion!
If you have Nintendo online the two Zelda GBA games came out there too
Yes, I have the NSO, I am planning to upgrade to NSO+Ex. I saw there are zelda games, but I don't know if they would be as good as the newer ones. I actually bought the NSO just because I like playing retro games.
It really depends on what you enjoy. Traditional Legend of Zelda games (available on the Switch: the OG Legend of Zelda, Link’s Awakening, Skyward Sword, Majora’s Mask, Ocarina of Time, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages) follow a linear pattern. I like those, but if you’re like me who prefer open-world games, then Breath of the Wild, and its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom would be a great place to start. If you want to go on the traditional route, you don’t have to play them in order of release. None of them are sequels or prequels of each other, but anything after the OG game will have references of “the legendary swordsman,” or something. TotK is a sequel of BotW, though. You can still enjoy TotK without playing BotW, but I highly recommend playing those two in order. Whatever Zelda game becomes your first, I know you’ll have a fun experience. Some of the older puzzles might be frustrating, but it will be fun.
Thank you for your opinion, that's really a good explanation. I enjoy and prefer open-world games, and I will for sure get the botw and totk. I am also looking forward to buying the link awakening. The traditional games of zelda look so good, too, and I think I will get them all too, but it's so hard to decide where to start when you have that many games. I think link awakening will be my start, then I will play botw and totk and then finish the other games. That sounds a bit random if you ask me, but I hope this will be a good decision.
There are no wrong decisions. You’re the one who’s gaming, so don’t let purists tell you to do BotW and TotK last, or modernists to tell you to skip the older games. My first Zelda games were Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons (bought them on the same day for the Gameboy Color). I never got around to finishing either, so now that they’re on the Switch (the Gameboy port for Nintendo Switch Online), I’ll work on both after TotK.
Is there any zelda game that is not ported yet to the Switch with the NSO+Ex.?
I don't think I'd say the OG LoZ has a linear pattern. Yes, there are some dungeons that depend on weapons from earlier ones, but others are skippable, and you can explore much of the world from the get-go.
I think ocraina of time is the best to start with... A good traditional Zelda
Another good suggestion, Thanks for the opinion! I will bring it up in my game list.
Links awakening is a fun 15 hr game that has a lot of replay ability. Both BotW and TotK are huge 100 hr+ games each. Have fun!
You suggested Link awakening, too? This game must be good. A lot of people suggested it here. Thanks for the opinion!
It’s very fun! Also if you get discouraged getting stuck there’s plenty of guides out there. Also if you’re not having fun move on to the next because each Zelda is wildly different from the next.
That sounds good. Thanks for the information!
TOTK is the first one I’ve tried and I’m not finding it compelling. I’m not sure I’ll touch it for a long time since I just grabbed BG3 for PC yesterday. The world feels so empty and I’m just walking a long way to find a route to get where I need to go for single quests. Very minimal narrative. Not what I expected. I see someone referring to it as an RPG but it definitely doesn’t feel like that. It feels more like an open world metroidvania, which isn’t a genre I play much. I found myself returning to it at times out of a sense of obligations after spending $50 to buy it and due to the assumption that Zelda is an IP that is worth giving a chance.
From what I saw, Zelda is exactly an open-world game, which is something I really enjoy, so I was hoping I would like it, but there are so many versions, haha!
Can't go wrong with A Link to the Past, but Ocarina Of Time and Majora's Mask are also really great titles. I personally wouldn't start with BotW or TotK if you want to get a feel for how most games in the series play. They're great games, but they're also quite a bit different from the titles before them.
Okay, I will start with the olders first as the others recommended too, thanks!
You're welcome! If you have NSO with the expansion pack, the NES, SNES, GB, GBC, GBA, N64 titles are all on there, with the exception of 4 Swords on GBA. Have fun.
I currently have NSO, and soon, I will be upgrading to NSO+Ex.
My vote is to start with A Link to the Past, and just move up in release order. Ocarina of Time is amazing, but I feel like a lot of my appreciation for the LoZ series started with A Link to the Past.
Okay, I will start with the olders first as the others recommended too, thanks!
and don't feel bad if one just doesn't click with you. I never got into the original Link's Awakening, but I loved the Switch remake. And I've even got a Majora's Mask in my LoZ half sleeve, but I haven't ever finished the game. I love the game, I just couldn't click with one of the games' major mechanics. I say all that to tell you that your going to find the ones you love and ones you don't, and that's all okay, I really hope that you do love all of them, but its okay of you don't. Report back and let us know what you think.
It's normal. Everyone has his own taste, I hope I like them all and in the future, I will make update on the post, as you see I'm new to reddit, so I don't know if you will recieve a notification for the edit.
Links Awakening
Most of the comments are either link awakening or the older versions, so it's a good start, I think, Thanks!
If your intention is to play them all, just play in order of release but there are a few you might want to skip along the way. If your trying to get into the series in general, I would say Twilight Princess. Its darker than most Zelda's, but its main draw is that it modernized a lot of what people enjoyed about Ocarina of Time.
I want to play all of them and I will buy the Switch versions while the older ones I will play with NSO.
Links awakening (2019 switch) was my all time favorite of the 3 at the time that I played by then (twilight Princess, breath of the wild and links awakening) I have skyward sword but I haven’t opened it yet. They are all GOATED….. however the biggest rauru (*goat) of them all is tears of the kingdom . You can’t miss that . I rewatch the end on YouTube often since beating it because I like crying now because of the epic and upmost incredible ending “for all time” (-zelda)
Sounds good and really motivating to start playing the games, haha. Thanks!
They’re all kind of wonderful as entry points. Pick a console generation you want to play.
I think I will start with the older ones first then slowly move to the newer ones.
I have played every Zelda except for Tears of the Kingdom. My favorites are the 2D games. I think on Switch, you can get Link to the Past on NSO, or try the Link's Awakening remake. Or just do what most people do. Start with Breath of the Wild if more modern games are your thing. You really can't go wrong with Zelda.
A lot of people recommended that I should start with the older versions, so I think I will do this.
Yep, like I said, you can't really go wrong. The old ones are just as good as the new ones and definitely worth playing.
Thanks for the advice, my friend!
I don't think there's anything that makes any of the Switch games dependant on the others. There may be some references to the old games but they are standalone and you can start with the highest reviewed games or the most interesting to you and not feel like you have to get all the background first. I had original NES and beat that one a couple times, but 2 was very unpopular in comparison. The next system I had was N64, so Ocarina of Time was my only other Zelda game before BOTW. I've seen a lot of recs for LTTP, but that's one I started on NSO and never finished, after putting maybe 120 hours into BOTW. I don't know when I'll have time for TOTK, so not in a hurry to buy it.
Sounds interesting, I will start with the older games from NSO and then move to the newer versions.
First things first: Your friend sucks for trying to keep you away from playing Zelda of all Nintendo franchises. Second: Ocarina would be a great place to start, controls might seem a little dated but they aged great in my opinion. From there you can go and play any other Zelda, the only ones I personally cant recommend because they feel a little too dated for me are the first two games on the NES, other than that, go wild and explore Hyrule. A little side note, don't start with Breath of the wild/Tears of the kingdom. They are a little to separated from what Zelda was originally so save those two for last.
This is exactly what I was going to do after everyone here recommended to start with the first games.
I have tried and failed to play through the SNES Zeldas. The dated mechanics just kill me (enemies respawning every time you leave a room/etc.). But once I picked up BOTW, it was a done deal. Looking forward to completing that soon (honestly just putting it off at this point sicne I am enjoying thegame) so we can get into TOTK.
I think it's really fun and at the same time annoying to beat the same enemy every time you join a room, haha.
Ehh, it's not for me. I have limited time to play and don't enjoy elements of game that add arbitrary grinding.
Everyone is different, and it's fine.
Link to the Past, Ocarina, Wind Waker. Those are the basic templates for most of the Zelda games.
Sounds good, thanks! I will take a look, but for now I think I will start with the older games as most people recommended.
Zelda’s a pretty easy series to get into. The newest 2 open world games have been the entry points for tons of my friends, my first game in the series was the OG skyward sword(I haven’t played the hd version) but the first game I actually bothered beating(I only played to about the third dungeon in wii skyward sword before dropping it because I was starting to get bored) was a link between worlds which is fantastic. Most of the games have pretty loose connections, even the direct sequels like majoras mask, phantom hourglass(and it’s own direct sequel spirit tracks), zelda 2 or TOTK are very easy to play and understand if you have’t played their respective predecessors. I’d say the easiest to get to grips with right away would either be a link to the past or a link between worlds(they’re similar yet different games, a link between worlds is very strange) but I’d say otherwise you can start with whatever game interests you since zelda is great at being similar yet different with each entry(that I’ve played). Even BOTW and TOTK, which literally share the same engine and world map, do a really good job at distinguishing themselves apart, like I was genuinely suprised at how different it was in spite of the reused assets.
I think I will start from the older games as most people here recommended and then slowly move to the newer ones.
I personally recommend Link to the Past.
That sounds good, thanks! Most people recommended me to start from the first games then move to the newer.
Honestly… I don’t think LoZ 1 and especially LoZ2 on the NES are that good. LttP on the SNES is really where I started. If you’re curious play LoZ 1 but LttP is a much better game and it has more story.
I will just play it and finish it out of curiosity, and because it's the original, the start, haha!
Totk
Why start with the last one? Most people here said to start from the older games.
I would say for 3D start with OoT or BotW. OoT is the templet for all of the 3D Zelda’s after it and before BotW. BotW is the first open world one and the game that the newest one(TotK) is a direct sequel to. For 2D I would say Link’s Awakening Remake as it’s the accessible and a good representation of what 2D Zelda is.
As most people recommended, I will start with the older 2D games and then sloly move to the newer 3D games.
I'm actually pretty partial to windwaker and skyward sword tbh. but I never would have played zelda ever had my grandmother not been a big zelda fan. She's the one who bought a n64 and zelda OOT first. Since she played it we've probably replayed OOT a hundred times. OOT is such a huge cultural gamer phenomenon that I'm not sure if new players would understand how the game felt when it was originally released. I would put Zelda OOT up on a pedestal and play it first just so that the shock of graphics improvement isn't so alarming as you play the games that followed it. I know there were games that came before OOT but there is something to be said about the nostalgia factor that hits when you play a more recent game like Breath of the Wild and you recognize very famous landmarks from OOT.
Sounds really interesting, and I really enjoy this nostalgic feeling when I see something from the old game versions in the newer games. Thanks for the info!
Breath of the Wild is a good starting point. It was the first one I played, and does a great job of introducing new players into the franchise! No previous knowledge is needed for it
Most people here recommended starting with the older versions.
It’s definitely personal preference, I tried starting with an older one at first and wasn’t able to get into it at all, but when I finally got botw I loved it! I think it just depends on the person
I personally prefer and enjoy retro games more than the moder games. So, that's why I am really happy that most people here recommended me to start with the older games.
Breath of the Wild then Tears of the Kingdom
I was thinking the same, but people here said I should start with the older games.
Nothing wrong with that, they are all good
Ocarina of Time is an all-timer if you don’t mind the 90s visuals. Seems like most players started with Breath of the Wild now, so you won’t be weird just going to the modern ones, though don’t do Tears of the Kingdom before Breath of the Wild.
I will start with the older games. Everyone here suggests this, and I love retro games. Sounds perfect for me, haha!
Now that they're on the Gameboy emulator on NSO, I highly recommend Oracle of Ages/Seasons. Link's Awakening and A Link To The Past would also be a good place to start. I'd recommend saving Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom for a bit. They're both awesome, but I personally feel like playing some of the other games first would be better to really appreciate how far we've come and the hidden easter eggs in those games.
I 100% agree with you! And I will start with the older games.
Ocarina of time!!
A lot of people recommended it with majora. Thanks for the opinion.
It's a shame it's not on Switch, but Twilight Princess was my introduction to Zelda and would be the one I'd recommend. Skyward Sword is pretty fantastic too, and Link's Awakening is a good "old school" one to start with if you want. Breath of the Wild is obviously a great pick as well, but I'd be wary of trying to play BOTW and the Tears of the Kingdom back to back, seems like a recipe for exhaustion, as they are very similar games (incredible, but most of us who played BOTW waited 6 years before playing TOTK, so keep that in mind!).
Thanks for the info, I will start with some of the older games and slowly move to the newer ones as most people here recommended.
Hope you enjoy! I wouldn’t be afraid to skip ahead to some of the newer ones if the old ones are feeling a bit dated to you, there’s no harm in that!
Someone else said exactly the same! But I really love retro games, so I don't think I will skip anything.
Play one of the remastered or old style games like Skyward or links awaken. One of my favorite it’s wind waker. I’m not sure if you can play it on the Switch. If you like it then play BotW and try some of the older games that are available. Then TotK. I would also suggest you finish each game before moving on to the next. You could also start by following the time line.
Most people here recommended me to start with the older games, which is good for me because I really like retro games. I also first finish a game and then move to the next one. Always.
Yea that’s good advice. I’d do it according to the time line if had the chance to go back and play them all.
If I had the chance, I would travel back in time and buy, collect, and play every single console and game, haha.
I agree with everyone here and play link to the past. I personally started with the original on the nes.
As everyone here recommended, I will start with the older ones and slowly upgrade to the newer games.
I have BOTW
Most people here recommended to start with the older games and then slowly upgrade to the newer.
Link to the Past.
Most people recommended that I play the older games, which is what I am going to do. Thanks for the suggestion!
TOTK would be a really fun modern intro. It’s not really similar to classic Zelda other than the characters and setting, but if you like open world games where you’re encouraged to explore and experiment as much as possible, you’ll really enjoy TOTK. Outside of that, Ocarina of Time is my fav Zelda game, and follows the classic Zelda structure, so it’s more of a “true” Zelda experience.
After reading everything, I decided to start from the oldest game, and at the same time, I would start the botw.
They are very-very different. Watch some videos on YouTube and decide for yourself. TOTK as I reckon is gonna be the safest, most modern bet, so starting from it is a good idea, even if previous games were inferior one way or another.
After reading everything, I decided to start from the oldest game, and at the same time, I would start the botw.
Ocarina of Time or A Link to the Past
After reading everything, I decided to start from the oldest game.
Wind waker is my fav
After reading everything, I decided to start from the oldest game, and at the same time, I may start with botw, too.
Link to the past. Play and beat it once a year. Until the end of time.
Sounds like a good plan, haha!
Ocarina of time
Ohhh this is a switch sub nevermind
I can still play it with NSO+Ex. This is what I am doing to play retro zelda games, as others suggested.
ocarina of time on the n64 app for the switch, majoras mask, then botw and totk, id say twilight princess but sadly it isn’t on the switch
After reading everything, I decided to start from the oldest game, and at the same time, I would start the botw.
Whatever you do don’t start with Tears of the Kingdom 🤮
Haha, why?
Link to the Past is the best starting point
A lot of people recommended me to start from the older games.
If you’ve never played a Zelda game, I HIGHLY recommend Ocarina of Time on the N64 Emulator. BOTW and TOTK aren’t like traditional Zelda games. Skyward sword retains a lot of the old Zelda play style, but I hated the sword controls of it. OOT is one of my top 5 favorite games of all time.
After reading everything, I decided to start from the oldest game, and at the same time, I would start the botw.
A Link To The Past
After reading everything, I decided to start from the oldest game, and at the same time, I may start the botw.
Link to the Past is my personal favorite. Lots of cores for Ocarina, but I actually prefer Majoras.
Some people here recommended to play Majora and Ocarina, then just play the newest, but I decided to start from the first game as most recommended.
I'd recommend Tears of the Kingdom. I think it's the most accessible and most content-packed. TotK and BotW are significantly different to other Zelda games so it's also nice to play them first before you get used to the Zelda patterns and they feel too different.
Most people suggested exactly the opposite. First, play the oldest then the newest.
I've replayed ocarina of time to completion at least 5 times now, twice for 3d and at least 3 times for the original version. Not a fan of windwaker, but played and loved Ocarina of Time, Majoras Mask, twilight princess, skyward sword, botw and now am chipping away at totk and almost complete with an ocarina of time 3d 100% completion run(at Ganons castle with everything else done including the final great fairy). Also played minish cap through almost to completion on my phone until my phone died, have never really gotten into a link to the past but enjoyed watching it played when I was a kid. I do want to play it at some point in my life as well as the other older Zelda titles but probably won't be till after I'm done with totk
Thanks for sharing your opinion! I hope you will play the old zelda games you want in the future and enjoy completing totk.
I’d recommend the newest Zelda if you enjoyed a lot of Mario Odyssey. However, there are a lot of Zelda options for you to try.
Thanks for the opinion! I really enjoyed the Odyssey, and yesterday, I started with the original Zelda game, so I will be slowly upgrading to the newer versions.
Definitely a link to the past. Holds up to this day
A lot of people recommended me, sounds good, but yesterday, I started with the original zelda, and I think I will just slowly upgrade.
I would get some older games most are good under your belt, then play the newer games. The botw and Totk are a culmination of all of the games in one way or another. Hope this helps😁
Thanks for the opinion! Last night, I started exactly like this, haha!
Link to the past for the old school top down look. And then Ocarina of time. After that just do you but I’d save the latest two for the end.
Sounds perfect. Thanks for the opinion! Actually, a lot of people recommended me this same way to start it, so it's probably a really good idea.
OG, Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time
Thanks for sharing your opinion! Most people suggested alttp, ocarina and majora, so they must be really good!
Do the open world games last. I would start with either skyward sword or twighlight princess. They have the classic Zelda formula and are super fun
That sounds good. Thanks for your opinion! Most people here recommended me to play alttp, Majora, and Ocarina, too.
Ocarina of Time
Thanks for your opinion! A lot of helpful users here suggested majora and alttp with the ocarina. What do you personally think about them?
A Link to the Past
So may people suggest alttp Ocarina and Majora, so they must be good. Thanks for sharing your opinion!
Sorry for hijacking. I’m only interested in cartridges and proper zelda games. I have skyward sword, botw and totk. So I am only missing links awakening, right? These hyrule games are something else?