Ranking Every Legend Of Zelda Game From Worst To Best
11. The Legend Of Zelda
Sacrilege! How can the progenitor of the whole sparkling series not even rank within the top ten? What about the incontrovertible axiom that 'older' means 'better'?
Video games rarely age well, so their vinous quality is often only the result of that rosé-tint of nostalgia. The Legend of Zelda is no exception. Sure, it started the franchise, and true, it laid the foundations not just for the series, but for a whole genre of exploration based action-adventure titles. But does it stand the test of time?
Unlike its Miyamoto-beget sibling Super Mario Bros. - the rare exception to the above rule - the answer is a simple "no". As an education, it's absolutely worth playing. As an exercise in enjoyment, it can no longer cut it; after all, even the Master Sword dulls over time.
In The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo invented an entirely new concept, but it wasn't until Link to the Past that all the creases were ironed out. As such, revisiting the game reveals some design choices which are difficult to forebear nowadays. It's far too tricky not to be frustrating, and being plonked smack bang into the world with little direction is disorientating for today's coddled gamers.
The Legend of Zelda designed a beautiful tapestry, but over time it has become frayed. It's still a wonderful pattern, but handle with care.