This year marks the 35th anniversary of beloved franchise The Legend of Zelda, and there’s plenty to do to celebrate such a great milestone, including playing some of the franchise’s best titles on the Nintendo Switch. Not only have some fantastic new titles been released since the Switch’s debut, but older titles are also available through means such as Nintendo Switch Online.
Whether you’re brand-new to the Zelda series or a years-long dedicated fan, there’s plenty to enjoy on Nintendo’s latest console when it comes to Zelda, Link, Hyrule, and other beloved characters in the franchise.
7 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
What can be said about this game that hasn’t already been said in a hundred reviews, twitter posts, and YouTube video essays? Well, they’re certainly all onto something, and that’s just how great and meaningful the experience of playing Breath of the Wild for the first time is. So much love and care obviously went into making this game, so much so that completing it would surely take many joy-filled hours. Even the most skilled speedrunners have taken over 18 hours to 100% the game.
No doubt that players who enjoy open-world games will eat this game up, but it has plenty of other content to devour, including two DLC packs, The Master Trials, and Champions’ Ballad.
6 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
If you can’t get enough of the characters and world that Breath of the Wild has created, you’ll certainly be pleased to know that Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity features more of the same cast, with plenty of cutscenes, voice-acting, and spectacular music to enjoy. But if you’re expecting more of Breath of the Wild’s gameplay, don’t hold your breath.
Age of Calamity is similar to previous entries in the Hyrule Warriors series in that it’s all about the fighting aspect of Zelda, specifically being a hack-and-slash title. Since battling has always been present in the Zelda series since game one, it makes sense to expand that aspect to maximize fan satisfaction. Plus, there are 18 playable characters available to fans, including Zelda, all five Champions and their descendants, and even characters such as Master Kohga, the Great Fairies, and Calamity Ganon himself (for players who just want to be evil). It’s a good balance of story and gameplay to help break up the monotony that hack-and-slash can fall into.
5 The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
For those who missed out on the original story on the Game Boy or those who want to recapture the magic of playing, Link’s Awakening on the Switch is a real treat of a game. This is one of the few games without Zelda or Hyrule, taking place on the island of Koholint after Link washes onto its shore. It has several fun and challenging dungeons, unique items such as Roc’s Feather (which allows Link to jump), and beloved character Marin, who bears a striking resemblance to Zelda.
It also feels well-made and purposeful in its existence. It came out long enough ago (and on a console without color) and added enough additions to make it worthy of a remake, which can’t be said about all remakes these days.
4 Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Feat. The Legend of Zelda
Cadence of Hyrule is a gem of a title (or rupee if you prefer), especially since it’s a great example of a non-Nintendo party developing an excellent game. Other great examples include The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap and the original Four Swords game. Bad examples include every Zelda CD-i title ever made.
Cadence of Hyrule is a Zelda story told using the gameplay of Crypt of the NecroDancer, a stellar roguelike rhythm game made by independent studio Brace Yourself Games. Essentially, whenever there are enemies on screen, players must match the beat of the music in order to move and attack. This is an excellent game to blow through in co-op mode with a friend, especially with the added challenge of staying in time to the music (which consists entirely of banging remixes of classic Zelda tunes).
3 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
If you ask Zelda fans what their favorite entry in the series is, a major percentage of them will say A Link to the Past, especially those who prefer 2D Zelda. This is the game that defined the Zelda formula for years to come, including series mainstays such as Kakariko Village, the Lost Woods, and the Master Sword. It also introduced the concept of two different worlds, which has been used many times in the Zelda series since, such as Ocarina’s split timeline and Link Between World’s Lorule.
This game left its mark on the series, cementing its gameplay style, classic themes, and more of its beloved music as well. It just has to be played to be fully understood, and luckily it’s available to all those with a Nintendo Switch Online membership.
2 Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Since Nintendo’s online service for the Switch was and continues to be seen by some as a controversial business move, adding more into the package to sweeten the deal makes sense, especially when speed and lag can’t be fixed outright. The possibility of being able to play a select variety of NES and SNES games is a neat feature available to those subscribed to Online and includes both Zelda titles on the NES.
Zelda II is a unique entry into an early successful series that really had no expectations or restrictions holding it back, which is why it experimented with a different style of gameplay (aka the side-scroller). It was massively popular upon its release but is seen as a black sheep by fans nowadays due to its differences. It’s still worth playing, but best gone into without the preconceptions.
1 The Legend of Zelda
Look, it’s the classic that started it all; of course, it would be on any service remotely related to NES games. The Legend of Zelda was a gameplay and technical marvel when it came out, helping it become a full-fledged series, unlike so many of the 700+ NES games out which shot their shot and then fell into obscurity.
The dungeons, the puzzle-solving, the magical instruments, and the brave young adult who went out to face it all with a sword… it’s the perfect formula, apparently! Even though it can be quite cryptic for those not in the know of its many secrets, it’s still a great game worth playing at least once.
