Summary
- Link's Awakening on Switch is a perfect entry point for new Zelda fans, offering traditional, top-down 2D gameplay with an emotional story.
- Ocarina of Time, available on Nintendo Switch Online, is a classic that invented 3D Zelda and set the standard for the series.
- A Link to the Past, also on Nintendo Switch Online, is the pinnacle of traditional Zelda, providing a quintessential classic experience with its dungeon items and overworld exploration.
Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild took the Zelda franchise to new heights, both literally and figuratively. While the open air style of Zelda game has been widely well-received by the greater gaming community, fans of the classic Zelda titles have expressed some frustrations over the change in style. This has in turn piqued the interest of newer fans to the franchise who may never have experienced what the famed "traditional Zelda" experience is all about.
For newer fans who want to find out what makes classic Zelda so beloved, finding which game to start with can be a daunting task. The mainline Legend of Zelda series consists of 20 games. Luckily, Nintendo's latest and best-selling system of all time, the Switch, offers plenty of great ways to experience classic Zelda in all its glory. As with any game, subjective preference will always be a factor, but there are at least a couple entries that act as great entry-points for new Zelda fans.
Link's Awakening Remake Is Faithful To The Original
For many gamers in the 90s, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening was their first adventure as Link. Luckily for them, that was a great place to start. Link's Awakening was the first Game Boy title released for the Zelda franchise, and a direct continuation of the gameplay style that was introduced in A Link To The Past. Because of the nature of the Game Boy at the time, Link's Awakening is a shorter game than ALTTP was, and it was also the first game to take place entirely outside the land of Hyrule.
Even despite its differences, Link's Awakening is a great representation of traditional, top-down 2D Zelda gameplay, and its slightly shorter runtime makes it a perfect entry point for newer players. It also consists of one of the most emotional stories of any Zelda game that is sure to leave a lasting impact on any player who manages to reach the credit screen. Additionally, the remake by Grezzo on the Switch makes the game more palatable than ever for new players by adding some great quality of life upgrades and an improved graphical style that still respects the original. For players interested in the top-down style of Zelda, Link's Awakening is good place to get a feel for what the hype is about.
Ocarina of Time Invented 3D Zelda
Nintendo Switch Online has made a bunch of classic Zelda games available for players to enjoy, including what is arguably the greatest of all, Ocarina of Time. For many Zelda fans, Ocarina of Time is the ultimate Zelda game that set the standard for the series as a whole. While it has its dated aspects, the game still holds up well when considering that it literally paved the way for camera controls in pretty much every 3D action game that would come after it.
If players can get past the dated control schemes and blocky visuals, they'll find one of the most rewarding game experiences of all time beneath the hood. Ocarina of Time consists of some of the best dungeons in the series, and created the 3D Zelda format that games like Wind Waker and Twilight Princess would build on. Fans of Tears of the Kingdom will definitely recognize Ocarina of Time's influence all over that game, from its combat system to locations like the Temple of Time to classic characters who got a modern makeover like Rauru. Players who play through and enjoy Ocarina of Time will also be blessed to have access to its direct sequel, Majora's Mask on NSO, which is itself touted as a fan-favorite Zelda game thanks to its unique atmosphere and darker themes of grief and loss.
A Link To The Past Is The Pinnacle of Traditional Zelda
Players looking for the quintessential classic Zelda experience can just bypass everything else and go straight the source with A Link to the Past available on NSO's SNES emulator. Despite its pixilated graphics and limited control scheme, A Link to the Past can truly serve as a direction connection to the history of the Zelda franchise for modern audiences.
For players that want to see where the series' roots are, ALTTP is the best way to do that. While the original Legend of Zelda can be fun to get an old school nostalgia fix, ALTTP has aged gracefully in terms of its visuals and difficulty. Notably, the beloved dungeon item and overworld exploration gameplay loop that would characterize the series for decades was first implemented in ALTTP, and many players still feel that it does this better than any game that came after it. Players looking for a more challenging, more full gameplay experience than Link's Awakening while still adhering to the top-down 2D style that Ocarina of Time left behind will find everything they want and more in A Link to the Past.
Other Great Ways to Play Traditional Zelda On Switch
Aside from those already mentioned, Nintendo Switch Online offers plenty of other classic Zelda titles that are all entirely valid ways to play. Celebrated for its endearing visual style and accessible gameplay, Minish Cap is quite possibly the best game in the series. It's also considered to be on the easier side, so players looking for a more casual experience may very well find Minish Cap to be the most accessible starting point for 2D top-down Zelda.
Skyward Sword for Switch is also a great game with some of the best 3D dungeons in the series, though its unique combat style may be off-putting as a starting point. As the most recent remaster of a traditional 3D Zelda game, Skyward Sword also touts some of the best 3D Zelda visuals available for a modern system other than in BOTW and TOTK. While its combat system is not the norm for the series, pretty much every other aspect of the game is the perfect representation of what Zelda is all about. It has one of the best stories in the series, and fans widely regard its puzzling and dungeon atmospheres as top-tier.
Every player has their own favorite Zelda game, and it's a well-known fact among the fandom that every Zelda title has its diehard fans who claim it's the best game in the series. That being the case, each game will resonate differently with each player because they all have different things about them that make them unique: no two Zeldas are truly the same. That's what makes the series great, and that's why Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were able to go so far in becoming the unique style of games they are while still retaining the core that makes them undeniably Zelda.
Players will always find something to love in every Zelda game, and there are pros and cons to each one that largely depend on player preference. Visuals, controls, gameplay style, and difficulty all become a factor when considering the best classic Zelda game for players who are newer to the series. For new players who want a more modernized top-down 2D Zelda experience, Link's Awakening is the best game to go with. If players want to understand the hype surrounding post-BOTW 3D Zelda, Ocarina of Time is a must-play classic. And for new Zelda fans who want to experience the most fundamental version of 2D Zelda, A Link to the Past still holds up even by today's gaming standards.