The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64. Even to this day, it is considered to be one of the best games, if not the greatest one, of all time. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was the last real major step up for the series as Nintendo took the 2D gameplay and incorporated the formula to 3D.
Since then, Nintendo has tried to add some new features with every mainline release (even though we considered that none of which were major): Majora’s Mask, The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. So which of the Legend of Zelda twists end up working the best? Let’s rank them.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – Wolf
There are two realms in the Hyrule from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. In the twilight realm, you will play as a wolf. This new gameplay twist will have you playing on four legs occasionally. Being a wolf gives you a bite attack in addition to the ability to dig holes and sniff out senses. Although it does provide a unique twist to the classic Legend of Zelda gameplay, the wolf segments in Twilight Princess can get a bit tedious and cumbersome (since the animal has less flexibility than a human Link) after a little while.
3. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – Sailing
The first Gamecube game in the series marked several big departures from the series. While the cel-shaded graphics may be a controversial subject for many, it is the new sailing twist that really changes up the classic formula found in previous Legend of Zelda games. This particular Hyrule is filled with water with many islands evenly spread out.
Sailing on your small boat and finding new surprises is probably the best element in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. At the same time, however, it could take forever going from one place to another and can end up causing frustration for some.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – Motion Controls
Nintendo took a bold step with the Nintendo Wii by using motion controls. Their risk ended up paying off as their system outsold the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was their big showpiece on how well the Wii Remote can be used for a hardcore game.
Gamers can use motion control to swing their swords in eight different directions, which adds immersion not found in the other The Legend of Zelda games. While some gamers did end up having some troubles with getting the controls to work, Nintendo showed that the Wii Remote was worth investing.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask – Time Traveling
So how could you follow-up what many considered to be the greatest game of all-time? With a new time traveling twist of course. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask only lasts for three fictional days.
However, you must constantly travel back in time in order to prevent the coming disaster. This opens up a “Groundhog Day” effect where the same date will be repeated over and over again. The twist adds plenty of creativity and uniqueness to the formula once you get used to the mechanic. As a result, many considered The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask to be just as good as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, if not better.
