Episode 469: The Zelda 2D Ranking Hootenanny
Added 2022-07-15 12:29:23 +0000 UTCGood morning, or perhaps evening if you find yourself on the opposite side of the planet from me. I'm Jeremy, and I'll be your host this episode as we take a searing, groundbreaking look at a little-known corner of video game history: A cult classic series called The Legend of Zelda.
You may never have heard of these tidy, tiny adventures from a plucky upstart developer called "Nintendo," but to those in the know, they leave a lasting impression. This week, Diamond Feit and Stuart Gipp join me (Jeremy, your host this episode) to look back not only at the history of these games but also their relative merits. Nintendo has made many Zelda games, and here we evaluate them through the critical lens of criticism and decide which is the best and which should never have been created. But only the ones that play in a two-dimensional aspect! Many Zelda games have ventured into 3D; those, I fear, are for another discussion.
Cover art this episode by Greg Melo. Edits by Greg Leahy. Hosting by me, Jeremy.
- 10:09 - 30th Anniversary Concert: The Legend of Zelda Main Theme
- 25:33 - The Adventure of Link: Palace 1
- 34:53 - A Link to the Past: Hyrule Castle
- 42:46 - Link's Awakening (GB): Sword Search
- 51:48 - Link's Awakening (GB): You Found Your Sword/Overworld | Oracle of Seasons: Tarm Ruins
- 1:00:48 - Four Swords Adventures: Snow
- 1:08:22 - The Minish Cap: Minish Village
- 1:14:28 - Phantom Hourglass: Linebeck's Theme
- 1:23:19 - Spirit Tracks: Full Steam Ahead (Realm Overworld)
- 1:28:53 - A Link Between Worlds: Lorule Castle
- 1:37:43 - Tri Force Heroes: The Dunes
- 1:47:11 - A Link to the Past: Triforce Chamber
- Closing - Link's Awakening (Switch): Staff Roll
Comments
I'm going to back up Jeremy's recollection of Zelda 2. It wouldn't surprise me if many people never even got the hammer in that game. The game was punishingly hard in so many places. And some of the hints are so obtuse you'd be hard pressed to figure them out on your own. I never even bothered trying to finish it until Nintendo put out a player's guide for it. I just don't enjoy Zelda with stylus controls. Touching a screen to move Link around and swing his sword doesn't feel satisfying to me. Spirit Tracks is the only game on this list I never finished besides Triforce Heroes (which I never picked up) because the final battle requires you to perform 3 spin attacks in a row and no matter what the third one always failed for me. I kept my DS in sleep mode for weeks, trying it again and failing on the 3rd spin attack every time until eventually I just looked up the ending on Youtube.
PurpleComet
2022-07-24 04:55:50 +0000 UTCThat and the Game Boy's meager sound chip is why I'm comfortable never going back to the original LA.
PurpleComet
2022-07-24 04:31:37 +0000 UTCI can’t believe the game you have to pause constantly to switch between items is the number 1 2d Zelda. Psssh.
Andrew Webb
2022-07-19 15:17:00 +0000 UTC
