With the Legend of Zelda movie in production and the Ocarina of Time remake on deck, we wanted to celebrate the franchise that has been inspiring gamers to embrace full-blown fantasy fandom for over forty years....FORTY YEARS??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN FORTY YEARS? IS THIS JUST NOLSTAGIA BAIT FOR MID-LIFE CRISIS MILLENIALS?? 

Ahem, back to business.

Nintendo games are not known for intricate, or overly in-depth, storytelling, and as a result, the Zelda team has tied themselves into pretzels trying to connect the games post-facto into a coherent narrative. Let’s put all the timeline contortions away and judge the storytelling chops of each individual Zelda game on its own terms. 

HEY LISTEN! Mild spoilers abound.

In order of release - score out of ten: 

The Legend of Zelda 

Given the limitations of 1985, it did what storytelling it could through game design - the protagonist is a brave little guy in a green hat. The world is dangerous, you must seek tools, explore, and survive. If you persevere through each maze-like dungeon, you get to save the princess from a big blue pig. This gameplay structure was so effective it has been emulated by adventure games for more than forty years. It also gave us the legendary line, “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.” That’s a seven word novel in and of itself.  

5

The Adventure of Link

The real story is when you tell a friend or sibling that you beat this game. Pure side-scrolling torture. Don’t have much to say on this one, since the game itself has even less to say about its plot.

Minor points for adding a third triforce and for having a frightening Ganon silhouette when you get a game over. Other than that, it’s a sleeping beauty knockoff. I am Error. 

3

A Link to the Past

The perfect prologue establishing the fantasy storytelling that the franchise gets drawn to again and again. A golden land corrupted by an imprisoned dark lord, sages trapped by a wizard, a young boy called to action by a wise princess. A well-spun adventure tale, with world building and brisk character development paying off with Link winning the Triforce and earning an era of peace. Classic greatness. 

8

Link’s Awakening 

Marking the first Zelda-free Zelda game. Link’s Awakening brought epic and moving storytelling to a tiny green screen telling a self-contained tale in a dreamy island fantasyscape. The island girl longing to see a world beyond her own, the temple tablet revealing a startling revelation, a quirky goat love story, all culminating in a bittersweet ending. Memorably melancholy even 30 some years later.  A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening, in spite of their software limitations, set an incredibly high bar for the franchise to meet in the decades to come. 

8

Ocarina of Time

The first of Nintendo’s attempts to tell the Link, Zelda, Ganon origin story, Ocarina rendered cinematic cutscenes to hammer home the emotionally resonant beginnings and fateful choices of the big three. It also amplified the franchise’s environmental storytelling, incorporating the temple dungeons into the story itself rather than acting as MacGuffin quests. This title also stands out for its worldbuilding, introducing unique peoples and cultures into the Zelda universe that have become nearly as iconic as elves and dwarves. This literal coming of age tale is yet to be surpassed and there is great anticipation (and some trepidation) about its Switch 2 recreation. 

10

Majora’s Mask 

The game uses its doomsday clock motif to terrifying effect and utilizes something most games try to avoid at all costs—making the player wait. The moments where Link is forced to wait patiently for events let the story and subplots breathe and build tension. The story is told best through the eyes of its charming NPCs, during unforgettable side quests like protecting Romani Ranch and the love story of Anju and Kaffei, delivering moments that could break even the most jaded gamer. The themes of grief and persevering in the face of uncertainty are as palpable as the falling moon. 

9

Oracle of Ages and Seasons

Simple and solid, with the fun novelty of linking two separate games with a single ending. The gameplay of these games far outshines their story, but the NPCs are fun and well-designed. I would say that these games do suffer from the same issue, one-dimensional villains that don’t get enough screentime to develop. 

5

The Wind Waker

The sea voyage fantasy, bringing expressiveness to its world through its anime inspired designs. Tetra is the most well-rounded Zelda, having hopes and dreams beyond being a realm-saving princess, and Ganondorf is a more well-rounded villain, his search for the Triforce being fuelled by not only his previous defeat, but by the trauma and resentment of growing up in the brutal Gerudo Desert. However, even with the post-apocalyptic seascape, there are limited surprises in the storytelling with some highlights only after the third dungeon. The climax does feature the best resolution and pathos in the series (though I’d argue the King coming out of nowhere to touch the Triforce before Ganon is a tad Deus ex machina). 

9

The Minish Cap

The one where Link shrinks and his hat talks. Despite featuring a new antagonist for a mainline game, the story is mostly a rote framework for more solid gameplay.

4

Twilight Princess

Retelling the Ganon imprisoned in another realm story again after Link to the Past, Ocarina, and Wind Waker, this time featuring a figurehead interloper from the twilight realm (an ill-defined version of the dark world where its people look like goth blue aliens). Despite my rule to put timeline considerations aside, having Ganon return AGAIN from a dark world through an interloper is just too self-referential without any attempt to justify why they are retelling the same tale. Midna’s storyline, quippy character development, and touching goodbye with Link has its weight, but the story also features some of the most wooden side characters and the least developed version of Zelda in the franchise. 

3

Phantom Hourglass

This and Spirit Tracks are somewhat unique in being direct sequels for the Wind Waker, featuring their characters (or decendants) and building off of its surprise ending. PH's in-game story is fairly rote (amplified by repetitive gameplay) but Linebeck at least has some fun character development.

5

Spirit Tracks

There's some interesting stuff happening here, a new Hyrule, a scheming politician, a STEM-focused Link, Zelda herself as a fun and surprising sidekick character. We appreciate the big swings but it doesn't quite connect. This train runs out of steam early on. 

6

Skyward Sword

A fairly clever take on prequel maxxing, bringing the Zelda origin tale to a near primordial state, even before Ganon himself was a glint in the eye of a gerudo harem. Skyward Sword features a flirty teenage Link and Zelda and their bully straight out of an 80’s coming of age tale, an overly helpful sword spirit with less personality than ChatGPT, and time traveling to face-off with the devil himself. Some of the promised mysteries do pay off in satisfying ways, like the first use of the Triforce and the identity of Fi’s evil counterpart, but some of the character development is uneven and, at this point in time, the series was itching for creative renewal.

7

A Link Between Worlds

An inventive retelling of Link to the past. Using franchise tropes and expectations to subvert and enhance the promises made to gamers, especially those familiar with the original. I can’t give it higher marks than LTTP but it’s a well crafted work of art. 

8

Breath of the Wild

Exploration is storytelling in this game. A vast uncharted land unfolding piece by piece to the player and its amnesiac hero. If you see something that captures your imagination, that simple promise will be fulfilled through your own gameplay initiative. The mainline story of ancient shiekah technology, Zelda struggling to earn her powers, and the deaths of the original pilots of the Divine Beasts, told mainly through flashback is welcome, but is overshadowed by the simple environmental storytelling of wandering through ancient ruins or helping your wandering misfits build a new town of their own. I’ll never forget the experience of sustaining my Link on hot peppers alone to discover a possessed dragon on a snowy mountaintop. Pure fantasy wish-fulfillment.

9

Tears of the Kingdom

The mainline story is an improvement over Breath of the Wild, featuring more dramatic cutscenes (again mostly told through flashback), a charismatic and terrifying version of Ganon, a wise and self-sacrificial Zelda, and a dedicated and good live-in boyfriend Link. Unfortunately, the story and environment made more promises than they could deliver, in stark contrast to its predecessor. That terrifying hellhole of the depths—mostly pretty samey and boring. The promise of epic adventure on the sky islands, you explore the best one in the first two hours. Promises, progress/adversity, and payoffs are at the heart of videogame storytelling and this game made incredibly lofty environmental storytelling promises that it could not satisfy. The game is boosted by one of the best climaxes in the series. 

7

Echoes of Wisdom

Finally, a Zelda-based Zelda game. Fun and somewhat by the numbers storytelling, but working in some fresh perspectives with a well-rounded protagonist and a mysterious new antagonist.  Solid story, very underrated game. 

7

©Tome & Space Magazine (2026)