Daily Debate: Which Game is the “Black Sheep” of the Zelda Series?

The term “black sheep” comes from the natural phenomenon that a sheep may be born with black wool instead of the typical white. The wool of a black sheep cannot be dyed as easily. Therefore, people valued the black wool less than the white wool. Eventually the phrase “black sheep” became an expression given to those who did not fit in amongst the flock. In more modern use, a black sheep is simply an oddity that does not fit in with the majority of the group.

That being said, the Zelda series has some pretty good contenders for being the black sheep. The first game that springs to mind is The Adventure of Link. No other game in the series features side-scrolling, a distinct leveling system with experience points, or notoriety for how difficult of a game it can be. Another contender is Majora’s Mask, with its repeated three-day time cycle, darker storytelling elements, and sparse number of dungeons. Then again, there’s the oddity of the multiplayer titles: Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, and Tri Force Heroes. Before Tears of the Kingdom, Breath of the Wild might have been the black sheep because of its open-world gameplay. Maybe it’s Echoes of Wisdom, since you don’t even play as Link in that game. Then there’s the spin-offs like Hyrule Warriors, Age of Calamity, and Cadence of Hyrule that have dramatically different gameplay compared to anything else.

Then again, there are arguments for why each of the black sheep mentioned above are beloved members of the flock. The Adventure of Link gave us a robust combat system that arguably influenced standards like Ocarina of Time and even the more sophisticated combat of Breath of the Wild. Majora’s Mask is a great example of the storytelling potential of the series. The multiplayer games added a unique gameplay element and gave us the villain Vaati, who is the big bad of The Minish Cap. Breath of the Wild was so popular that it’s one of the few games in the series to get a direct sequel. In Echoes of Wisdom, you play as Zelda, but you can likewise play as the princess in Hyrule Warriors, Age of Calamity, or Cadence of Hyrule. Even if a game seems to be a black sheep, every one mentioned has ties to the others in the series.

In a way, that’s the beauty of a series that continually innovates. This generation’s black sheep becomes the standard in gameplay or story for the next generation. In my opinion, the black sheep of the Zelda series has to be Hyrule Warriors. The gameplay is radically different than any other Zelda game. It oftentimes feels more like a Zelda skin on an entirely different genre of game, which in a way, is exactly what it is. That does not make it bad, just different. I personally enjoy Hyrule Warriors — and it has my favorite Ganondorf design — but I still consider it to be the black sheep.

So what do you think? What game is the black sheep of the Zelda series? Is there more than one outlier in terms of gameplay or lore? Let us know who’s in your flock in the comments!

Leslie Jacobson

Leslie is a mom, a cosplayer, an educator, and a fervent fan of The Legend of Zelda series.  She lives in an area of the United States that reminds her of the Akkala region in the fall and Hebra the other 11 months of the year.  She owns The Legend of Zelda t-shirts older than most of her students.