Guide: Best Zelda Games Of All Time

36. Link's Crossbow Training (Wii)

An introduction to the little-used plastic Wii Zapper peripheral, Link's Crossbow Training is a little nine-level high-score shooting game which uses various assets and areas from Twilight Princess as Link attempts to improve his crossbow skills using the Wii Remote's pointer functionality.

It's not unenjoyable, and you can pick the disc up for next to nothing these days. While there are sections where you can control Link in a first/third-person perspective, it should not be confused with a fully-fledged Zelda game in any way, shape or form. It is, however, a fun little aside in the Legend of Zelda-verse.

35. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS)

One of several multiplayer-focued Zeldas, Tri Force Heroes, while not a bad game, pales in comparison to other series entries (and the Four Swords games in particular).

You play as Blue, Green, and Red Link, and work together to battle bosses, solve puzzles, and gather loot. The big new feature was the Totem mechanic, which enabled you to stack the three Links on top of each other, although it just wasn't enough to elevate this entry.

Tri Force Heroes still exudes the charm of the franchise and throws in some delightful features all of its own. Outfits are a high point, as are the presentation and soundtrack, and there are moments of wonder when level design and teamwork come together in harmony.

However, uneven stage design, poor communication options, and a single-player experience that feels like an afterthought put this one at the bottom of the illustrious series' Totem pole.

34. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (NES)

A radical departure from the original and arguably the most difficult game in the series, Zelda II has enjoyed something of a reappraisal in recent, post-Dark Souls years.

In a series that, in the past, risked becoming by-the-numbers by slavishly sticking to a formula, this first sequel was anything but a repetition. A deeper combat system with RPG levelling elements and side-on platforming villages and dungeons made this a very different take on the Zelda template.

You could argue that too much of its sense of adventure and 'wonder' is lost to frustration, but no more so than in other challenging 8-bit games. If you find the challenge too much to bear, the rewind function in the Nintendo Switch Online version comes in useful. Regardless, if you've bounced off The Adventure of Link in the past, we'd urge you to give it a second look.

33. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition (DSiWare)

The first Four Swords experience — originally an 'add-on' mode included as part of the GBA port of Link to the Past — was multiplayer-only until an enhanced port added a single-player mode and was made available on DSiWare for free for a limited time in 2011 (and later very briefly on 3DS in 2014).

It enabled up to four friends to battle through Hyrule together as four Links in differently coloured garb and is very good, too. If you can find it.

32. Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda (Switch eShop)

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda *breathe* is an excellent game, but is it a Zelda game? Short answer: Absolutely.

Long answer: Brace Yourself Games didn't simply swap out Crypt of the NecroDancer's sprites with Link and Zelda. This musical, roguelite take on Hyrule delivers everything you'd expect: the exploration, discovery, wonder, items, dungeons, and — most of all — music, all shot through with a rhythm-based gameplay twist that takes a while to get used to but is immensely satisfying once mastered.

This would be a great Zelda game if you've played all the others to death; it's the most replayable entry, with each new run juggling the landscape and layout of the kingdom (cleverly playing with the notion of Hyrule's ever-changing geography throughout the series), meaning no playthrough will be quite the same.

It won't click with everyone, and if you're after 80-hour epics, look elsewhere. But there are plenty of those already. Having a smaller Hylian experience that feels uniquely fresh and also completely 'Zelda' is a joy.

31. Hyrule Warriors (Wii U)

Hyrule Warriors represented Dynasty Warriors developer Omega Force's first foray into the Zelda universe, and it was clear from the off that the team had a deep respect for the setting and characters of Hyrule.

This first attempt lacked the polish we'd see in its Switch 'sequel', Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, but there was enough hack-and-slash entertainment on offer to make this a rather enjoyable diversion. The game has since been ported to both 3DS and Switch with extra content and improvements, but the Wii U original remains an entertaining addition to the Zelda stable for action fans.

30. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (GCN)

A collaborative adventure in the Legend of Zelda mould was something many had dreamt of for a long time, and the Four Swords part of the GBA port of A Link to the Past made the jump to the TV screen here in Four Swords Adventures.

There's a single-player game in there, but the real meat of the experience involved four players hooking their own GBA to a GameCube with the requisite link cable and controlling their Link in a screen-hopping adventure long before Nintendo went asymmetric with the Wii U gamepad.

It's a brilliant co-op Zelda game hampered only by the fact that it required so much kit to function.