Summary
- 2D Zelda games offer mind-bending gameplay, tight level design, and a cozy aesthetic worth celebrating.
- Echoes of Wisdom shakes up the top-down format by putting Princess Zelda in the protagonist role.
- The Minish Cap is an underrated masterpiece with compelling gameplay and subtle contributions to the Zelda lore.
Although video games are firmly in the 3D era today, The Legend of Zelda series included, there is, and always will be, an undeniable charm about the 2D, top-down Zelda format. Although the power of portable consoles has allowed Nintendo to render all their games in 3D, they still continue to produce Zelda games where the camera is (for the most part) pointed down from above.
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For all the physics simulation of Ocarina of Time, the explorable open-world traversal of Tears of the Kingdom, or the immersion of Majora's Mask, the 2D games have mind-bending gameplay, tight level design, and a cozy aesthetic all of their own, and these games are worth celebrating.
8 The Legend Of Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom
A Creative New Twist On The Top-Down Format
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- Released
- September 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
Echoes of Wisdom feels like an attempt to bring the sandbox success of Tears of the Kingdom down into a more confined world. Elements of this script-flipping gameplay mechanic have been seen earlier in the series, such as the Cane of Somaria from Oracle of Ages, and top-down building games aren't exactly unheard of either (Animal Crossing), but the Zelda look, feel, and polish bring the concept together so well.
There is a novelty of being able to play as Princess Zelda, even if it isn't the first time Zelda has been playable in the series, but the object-echo-based gameplay lends itself so well to her character that a palette swap of Link would have felt like a missed opportunity. Thankfully, Zelda's role as a creative thinker over a warrior is instead emphasized through the use of the Tri Rod, which allows her to conjure echoes of objects and creatures to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles.
7 The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
A Second Screen, A Second Sea, And A First-Rate Adventure
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
- Released
- October 1, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
Although Toon Link stans never got their breezy sequel to Wind Waker, The Phantom Hourglass graciously stepped in on the DS to continue his story and deliver more free-sailing action. Although there are segments of the game that take place in the 3D realm, specifically the boat riding and battling sections, each level and explorable space is distinctly designed with a top-down perspective.
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The stylus feature is well-integrated into its gameplay, such as map charting and deep-sea treasure craning. The writing and story are top-notch, and although the game is often considered on the easy side, it was (and still is) a great example of why Link and Zelda deserve more outings with a top-down look.
6 The Legend Of Zelda
One Of The All-Time Greatest For Good Reason
The Legend of Zelda
- Released
- February 21, 1986
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Old games, particularly those on the NES or of that generation, are infamously obtuse, difficult, and unfair. While the original The Legend of Zelda is certainly challenging, especially without the instruction manual (the reading of which was considered mandatory back then), it is also one of the most playable games from that era and still stands up with a straight back today. WIthout TLoZ, gaming today would be very different, and probably not for the better.
Even though it is top down, The Legend of Zelda might be considered a proto open world in that it allows the player to tackle any level they like without restrictions or loading times (although they obviously can't see mountains or landmarks in the distance due to the graphical limitations). It is a great example as to why open-world games shouldn't hold players' hands, as the joy of discovery and pioneering are some of gaming's most precious experiences.
5 The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons & Ages
Two For The History Books And Replayable Any Time Of Year
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
- Released
- May 14, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
These two games take the same spot because it's hard to decide which should come out on top. The two were designed concurrently and even have a trading feature that allows Link to access special weapons and items for completing certain special quests between the games. Besides the awesome save game "link" feature, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages contain some of the most creative Zelda ideas in the series to date.
Each game contains multiple versions of the overworld. In Ages, that means the present and the past, and for Seasons, that's each time of the year. Some Zelda games may let players change form or alter the world in some way, but none have given such power to players since. Both games use their gameplay hooks to the fullest extent, and although they were made with an extremely short development time, these highly replayable games contain some of the series' most memorable puzzles, quests, and dungeons.
4 The Legend Of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Merging The Best Of 2D And 3D
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
- Released
- November 22, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
With the processing power made possible by the 3DS, Nintendo could have assumed that the days of 2D were dead. Thankfully, they decided upon experimenting with a 2.5D perspective in A Link Between Worlds, which used a forced perspective on a 3D world for that top-down feel, but then smacks the player with the concept of the third dimension when Link is flattened against a wall as living graffiti.
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A Link Between Worlds is more than its gameplay hook or a nostalgic follow up, as its story, dungeons, gameplay, and characterizations are some of the most refined in the series, 2D or 3D, thanks to spectacular boss encounter designs, creative use and level-design foresight for the wall merging mechanic, and the rent-an-item based, non-linear approach to dungeon delving.
3 The Legend Of Zelda: The Minish Cap
An Oft-Overlooked Masterpiece
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
- Released
- January 10, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
This game is somewhat underrated and forgotten today, thanks, in part, to the strange "between time" that the Game Boy Advance occupied between the GBA and the DS. However, between its lucious pixel art visuals and compelling gameplay hook (shrinking down and visiting a tiny world), The Minish Cap really deserves more recognition.
In line with its theme of finding a whole cosmos in the micro, The Minish Cap's contribution to the lore of the series is understated, subtle, and discrete. Despite being the first game set in Hyrule (canonically), it doesn't explosively retcon or recontextualize previous games, but it adds magical details, like the origin of finding rupees in the grass, and a backstory for Link's hat (at least until it was retconned again).
2 The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
A Legendary Promise Fulfilled (And Then Some!)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- Released
- April 13, 1992
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
While the original The Legend of Zelda put Hyrule on the gaming map, its sequel, while having some interesting ideas, missed the mark. A Link to the Past feels like a true realization of the original intent of the first LoZ, but with the gloss that experience and experimentation bring.
A Link to the Past began punching with literary devices, such as the hero's journey (entering the Dark World), and took real risks with its gameplay (like depowering Link during his rabbit transformation). Besides this, its dungeons were on point, score memorable, puzzles satisfying, and visuals iconic.
1 The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch Remake)
A 2D Zelda Fan's Dream
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
- Released
- September 20, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone due to Mild Fantasy, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
The original Link's Awakening gets everything right about a top-down Legend of Zelda adventure: S-tier dungeons, magical storytelling, homely and wholesome towns and characters, and a superb score, even for a Game Boy game. The cherry (or Wind Fish's egg) on top that brings this one to first place is its remake on the Switch, which captured the toy-like essence of the original while adding its own juicy style and lush flourishes.
Link's Awakening is not only a peak 2D top-down Zelda, but it even threw in 2D side-scrolling sections that worked where The Adventure of Link had failed. The whimsical magical realism is perfectly offset by a forboding nightmare simmering just below the surface, waiting to be uncovered, resulting in a game that is bright and charming where it needs to be but just unsettling and eerie enough to stay with its player for the rest of their lives.
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