How Many Zelda Games Are There?

For the last twenty-five years, there have been few video game series immediately recognizable as The Legend of Zelda.

The series in total is 35 years old in 2021, and there is a lot of backstory crammed into all of it. Now, with fans awaiting Switch’s Breath of the Wild sequel, fans should revisit some of the less-known and less-played games in the franchise.

Most people associate the game with Ocarina Of Time or Twilight Princess but there are dozens of games to be played.

Handheld Zelda Titles

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Besides home consoles, The Legend of Zelda franchise is also strong in handheld devices as well, and due to that just like before some of the games in the franchise are released on Nintendo handheld devices.

It began with Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy in 1993 and has been a constant on all of Nintendo’s handhelds. Games like the Minish_cap_(2004) on the Game-boy Advance and the Phantom Hourglass (2007) on the Nintendo DS offered different controls including touch controls as well as two-screen puzzles.

As is usually the case with virtually all Game Boy games, these handheld games came with different fun new additions but fundamental to the series.

The Core Series

The main Zelda games are divided into two primary types: 2D and 3D. This is when you compare two different forms, though they have some innovations in ways of gameplaying and narrative, they are based on an identical matrix of factors like solving puzzles, dungeons, and a hero Link, who always saves Princess Zelda from evil powers.

2D Games

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The first game was an RPG with a heavy focus on exploration which began the series in 1986 – The Legend of Zelda.

Then, came other old-school topographical games including A Link to the Past (1991), Link’s Awakening (1993), and A Link Between Worlds (2013).

3D Games

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The transition to 3D started with Ocarina of Time (1998) which came and changed the understanding of what the new action-adventure game must contain.

Some of the other great 3D installations include Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and the recent release of the 2017 Breath of the Wild. These 3D games broke the fourth wall of sorts and pushed the envelope of storytelling and the world of Zelda.

Remakes and Re-releases

For many years, Nintendo has released remastered versions of the Zelda games for some new consoles, firstly getting better graphics and controls.

Some of the remastered titles are Ocarina of Time 3D and Majora’s Mask 3D in Nintendo 3DS and Links’ Awakening (2019) in Nintendo Switch though the entire graphics style was changed. They are great because a new generation of players gets to play those titles with updated graphics.

Spin-offs and Side Games

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There are, of course, a large amount of games that fall under the main category of Zelda games but there is also a fair share of side games in the Zelda franchise.

Titles like Hyrule Warriors (2014) and Hyrule Warriors: Cleared in Age of Calamity (2020) have a different gameplay, it brings the world of Zelda with action-packed, slash-action motifs.

Further, there are indie collaboration games, for instance, Cadence of Hyrule (2019) as evidence of Nintendo trying out the franchise.

The Future of Zelda

Once again, the fans received the beautiful and adventurous video game Breath of the Wild and its closer, Tears of the Kingdom in 2023.

Nintendo will always persist in creating something new, and extending the world that comprises Hyrule to guarantee the fans a fresh experience for many years.


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