The Legend of Zelda might very well be the most exhaustively studied video game franchise in history, at least for one that has been around since nearly the dawn of gaming. While Mario shows up in just about anything, Nintendo tends to keep Link and Zelda under its watchful eye. “Overlooked” releases like The Minish Cap and Phantom Hourglass were still big deals, and rare atrocities like the CD-i trilogy are infamous… that said, a few genuinely amazing Zelda games have been forgotten by time.
Let’s take a trip through history to discover Link’s lesser-known Hyrule adventures that are beloved by those who played and remember them. That group is quite small and seems set to shrink further over the coming years, as Nintendo shows Zelda games no love nowadays. If you are looking for something to play until The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches, these titles should keep you busy.
5
Link’s Crossbow Training Hits The Mark
That Zelda Game Everybody Owned And Nobody Remembers
OK, let’s start with this Nintendo Wii pack-in that was clearly designed to introduce and sell the Wii Zapper, and it is probably the most well-remembered release in this article. Link’s Crossbow Training is the most throwaway Zelda game developed directly by Nintendo, causing it to garner a reputation for mediocrity. If you’ve ever been to a second-hand store that covers Wii games, you have likely witnessed full rows stuffed with Crossbow Training, as everybody seemingly returned their copy after completing all 27 stages in a couple of hours.
Here is the thing: Link’s Crossbow Training does its job perfectly. The game cycles through three modes that showcase the frankly unnecessary peripheral: Target Shooting, Defender, and Ranger. While the first two are fixed shooters, Ranger actually gives players full control of Link, showcasing what could have been if Nintendo opted to create a full game revolving around these mechanics.
As an arcade shooter revolving around scoring systems, Link’s Crossbow Training delivers an on-point loop that works incredibly well, and there is a bit more depth than might initially seem to be the case. Look, I’m not saying this is some masterpiece that deserves to be mentioned alongside Breath of the Wild, but I would recommend playing Link’s Crossbow Training if you have a Wii.
Find the odd one out before the timer hits zero.
4
Navi Trackers Is The Zelda Mode That Never Left Japan
It’s Pretty Darn Good, Too!
- Bundled as part of Four Swords+
Four Swords Adventures sits as one of the most forgotten Zelda games of all time. The few people who remember the game are likely only familiar with the campaign and the arena deathmatch, and they might not know that the Japanese version came with another mode: Navi Trackers.
Yes, I know, technically this isn’t a full game, but Navi Trackers is way more substantial than just a throwaway addition. Revolving around PvP multiplayer, this mode requires that each player use a GBA and that the TV screen acts as a hub that shows stuff like a map, rankings, and Tetra. On the GBA, you control your Link across towns, tunnels, and courses, with the goal being to find pirate crew members scattered across the map.
This mode was likely omitted from international versions because of its text-to-speech voice acting, which allowed Tetra to actually call the player out by name. Obviously, this was designed around Japanese, not English.
3
Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland Is Better Than You Think
The Zelda Game That Never Came To North America
Tingle is an acquired taste, and North America seemingly doesn’t appreciate his quirky flavor. When it came time to give the character his own spin-off series on the DS, Nintendo decided to keep him as far away from NA as possible, releasing Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland only in Japan and Europe. Apparently, the latter proved to be a waste, as the sequel, Ripened Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love, was only released in Japan.
At a glance, you might assume this is just a nothing game designed to tap into the Zelda fandom without having to produce a full-blown adventure, but that’s not really accurate. Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland embraces the protagonist’s weirdness and throws in some fun tidbits of lore; more importantly, we learn why Tingle is a middle-aged dude forever stuck in a fairy suit.
Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland has quite a few of the traditional elements we came to expect from a Zelda game: an overworld, dungeons, puzzles, and bosses. However, the game plays more like a resource management survival game that hinges everything on Rupees. It’s not for everyone, but it is quite good.
2
Four Swords Adventures Is Co-Op Zelda At Its Best
A Zelda Game That Asks Too Much Of Its Players
While I went with a far more obscure pick for the top spot, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures is the best game mentioned in this article, and just straight-up one of the franchise’s biggest highlights. Unlike the Four Swords minigame that came with A Link to the Past on the GBA, the GameCube’s Four Swords Adventures is a full-blown game with pitch-perfect local co-op; in fact, I would personally put it up there with Zelda’s greatest multiplayer releases.
Complicating matters further are the requirements to actually play co-op: You need a GameCube, a GBA for each player, and link cables to connect the two consoles. That is asking way too much for any group, and time has just made it harder to play Four Swords Adventures as intended. Fortunately, you can opt for single-player, which just requires a GameCube controller.
Multiplayer is what makes this release special, and solo runs don’t really hold up to the Zelda standard. However, you should still give it a go if single-player is your only option.
1
Ancient Stone Tablets Is The Live-Service Zelda Game
Nintendo Beat Everyone To The Punch By Decades
This is it: The perfect Zelda that nobody played or remembers. BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets was an experiment in distribution; in 1997, Nintendo released the campaign in episodes via the Satellaview modem for the Super Famicom. Naturally, that service wasn’t available in North America, so this release remained exclusive to Japan. Nintendo never released the game in any other form, so once the service was shut down, Ancient Stone Tablets died with it.
You can play fan-made English versions nowadays.
Basically, Nintendo released a live-service game decades before that concept was even a thing. The whole system was complex, and players only had a limited time per week to play, although their progress was saved. As its distribution method ensured that everyone was playing at the same time, Nintendo implemented real-time events that would trigger at specific moments, be it weather changes or buffs. Really forward-thinking stuff. Also, you could play as a female protagonist.
Gameplay-wise, Ancient Stone Tablets is basically a sequel and remake of A Link to the Past. While carrying over a lot of the same assets, they were reconfigured to become something new.
