The Legend of Zeldahas been popular ever since it debuted on theFamicom. 2021 marks this series’ 35th anniversary and it has a lot of celebrated titles under its belt. Fans want HD remasters of a lot of the main entries likeThe Wind WakerandOcarina of Time.
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What about the lesser-known titles? There are some games out there that many fans haven’t been able to play since they were released. Some fans may not even know these games existed at all or maybe they just forgot about them. Some aren’t that memorable, but others may need a revival in some way. The Philips CD-i games almost made the list, but those are more like games fans wish they could forget. Instead here’s a look back at forgotten titles on theSNES,DS,Wii,GameCube,Game Boy, and more.
10BS Zelda no Densetsu
The Japanese SNESgot an exclusive add-on called the Satellaview. With it came a plethora of digital games including twoZeldatitles that were released episodically.
The first wasBS Zelda No Densetsuin 1995 which was a remake of the first game. The other wasBS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tabletsin 1997 which sort of continued the adventures ofA Link to the Past.
9Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland
Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeelandwas released in 2006for the DS. It was also released in Europe a year later. It’s an adventure puzzle game starring Tingle.
He actually got a lot of spinoffs with some coming to Europe but others staying in Japan.Ripened Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Lovewas released as a Japanese exclusive in 2009 and played similarly to the other DS game.
8Link’s Crossbow Training
Link’s Crossbow Trainingwas released in 2007for the Wii. It was a light-gun shooter that took place in theTwilight Princessworld as that game released just a year prior.
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During development, it was actually going to be more involved than just a light-gun shooter. Ideas were scrapped with the hopes that they would be reused for a now-canceled sequel.
7The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventuresreleasedfor the GameCubein 2004. It is one of few games on the GameCube that tried to maximize the potential of combining the console with the Game Boy Advance.
Up to four players could team up, using the GBA as a controller and map. It was an expensive game to set up but it was also a lot of fun.
6The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of SeasonsandOracle of Ageswere 2001 Game Boy Color releases. They played like traditional top-down Zelda games with one favoring the power of time travel and the other favoring tampering with seasons as the gimmicks.
They were the first games Nintendo gave to Capcom to develop which was a gamble that paid off. Their plans were even more ambitious, with a now canceled third title in the works at one point.
5The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Capwas another Capcom-made Zelda title and was released in 2005for the GBA. This game’s gimmick was unique in that Link’s hat could shrink him down.
The concept alone makesThe Minish Capone of the more notableZeldatitles.It stands as a great top-down entry in the series that has been seemingly forgotten for generations now.
4The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglasswas a spiritual sequel toThe Wind Waker. It starred a version of Link in a flooded Hyrule, although it was not the same as in the GameCube game.
Released for the Nintendo DS,Phantom Hourglass was a fresh take on the series at the time of its release.Instead of a sailboat, Link and his Jack Sparrow-like friend, Captain Linebeck, use a steamboat complete with artillery and other interesting features.
3The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Trackswasa DS and Virtual Console gamewhich released a couple of years later in 2009. The game served as the successor toPhantom Hourglassand earned much praise from critics and fans alike.
It made use of a train as its main gimmick. That’s a first for theZeldaseries. A lot of complaints about the previous title was that it took place in one dungeon which this game rectifies. While it got good reviews, it never really exploded in popularity among the fandom.
2The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroeswas a 2015 3DS release. It was sort of like a spiritual successor toFour Swords Adventuresexcept it only supported three players.
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The unique twist was that the various Links could put on costumes. This gave them unique powers to solve certain puzzles faster. While cute, reviews thought it felt a little uninspired and the multiplayer was a bit hard to set up.
1The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worldswas a 2013 3DS sequel toA Link to the Past. This was a big deal at the time because many think that the SNES game is the best top-down entry in the series, if not the best overall.
Many mechanics would also inspireBreath of the Wildin some way. For example, instead of getting a tool in a dungeon to then using it to solve said dungeon, tools could be rented. It made the game less linear and thus more open.
