Zelda Dungeon’s Best Zelda Ever Ranking List – Spin-Off Edition!

It’s that time again! The annual tradition continues! Zelda Dungeon’s Best Zelda Ever ranking is back… already?

A mere three months after our 2024 ranking, the Zelda Dungeon team has gathered together to once again rank the Legend of Zelda series from worst to best. We just couldn’t wait! But this year, things are looking a little… different. I’ve seen a few of these games in the ranking in past years, but so many have never been seen in a Best Zelda Ever list before. What’s going on here?!

Joking aside, this extra-special Best Zelda Ever list is a legitimate ranking of every Zelda spin-off title from worst to best.

We may be passing the concept off as an April Fools’ affair and we may have peppered in plenty of jokes throughout — some of these games absolutely warrant that approach — but our team really did put the effort in to evaluate these titles with the same degree of care and attention seen in our traditional BZE lists. Many of us went hands-on with these games — even the most obscure ones — so that we’d have a spin-off ranking that we could be absolutely proud of. Obviously, with a list of games this diverse, many of them not officially available, there are still a lot of wrinkles we need to iron out here. So, we hope that, in acknowledging that reality, you’ll excuse this ranking as a fun experiment in honor of April Fools’ Day.

Before we jump in, allow me to first explain the finer details and methodology of this ranking.

We have ranked all 19 Zelda spin-off titles (as determined by our team). Now, with the definition of “spin-off” up for debate, we decided to only rank games that bear the Zelda branding and the games that star a Zelda character (there is one notable exception, but we felt that it was significant enough to include). Therefore, you won’t be seeing any crossover games that merely feature Zelda characters, such as Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros., or any games where Zelda characters/items make a cameo of some kind, such as WarioWare or Monster Hunter. As with our traditional BZE ranking, if a particular game has been re-released, remastered, or remade completely, we asked our staffers to consider all releases of that game collectively, to the best of their ability. Hyrule Warriors, Hyrule Warriors Legends, and Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition were considered together, for example.

A total of 28 Zelda Dungeon staff members contributed to this list. Each staff member submitted their own personal ranking of Zelda spin-offs, from worst to best, and all submitted rankings were then consolidated into this master list. As always, crafting a list of this size with so many different types of games is an intense challenge. Every person considers different aspects when assessing a game’s quality, from its gameplay, to its story, to its historical significance. We left it up to our staff members to decide how they weigh certain aspects of each game over others when determining their individual rankings.

As we’ve done in our main series rankings, we developed a points system in order to consolidate all of our individual lists into a single master list. This points system is meant to accommodate staff members who haven’t played every Zelda spin-off out there while rewarding members who have played more Zelda spin-offs than others. Here’s how it works: each staff member’s least favorite Zelda spin-off was awarded only one point, and every subsequent spin-off received points based on its number of spots from the bottom of the ranking. So, if a game is ten spots from the bottom, it received ten points. If a staffer had only played ten Zelda spin-offs, their favorite could only rack up ten total points; but if a staffer had played every Zelda spin-off, their favorite got 19 total points. This way, staff members who have played every Zelda spin-off have greater voting share than those who have only played a few. In the end, we tallied the total points each game earned and ranked all games according to total points.

But that’s enough blabbering from me! Below, you’ll find the thoughts, opinions, critiques, and insights of our incredibly talented staff. We’re very proud to deliver this very special edition of Best Zelda Ever to everyone! Let’s get down to it!

Best Zelda Ever 2020 | Best Zelda Ever 2021 | Best Zelda Ever 2022 | Best Zelda Ever 2023 | Best Zelda Ever 2024

 

Too Much Tingle Pack

Highest Rank: 13 | Lowest Rank: 19 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 3.000

21/28 staffers did not rank this game.

We kick off our ranking with Too Much Tingle Pack, a Japan-exclusive collection of mini-games released as DSiWare in 2009, before being permanently removed from the DSi Shop in early 2010.

In so many ways, the circumstances of this collection’s release contributed to its banishment to the bottom of the list. Not a single member of our staff, understandably, had a chance to play this game when it first released; so those who desired to rank it here were forced to seek out unauthorized versions made available by preservation groups. And even then, as a small and simple DSiWare application presented entirely in Japanese, Too Much Tingle isn’t exactly a substantive experience for English-speakers.

Kora Burton, someone fortunate enough to try out this game for herself, can give us the low-down: “Upon start-up, the Too Much Tingle Pack opens with a loud briefcase of gadgets and minigames: a tarot-style fortune-telling game covering love, finances, and what we can likely understand as ‘Kooloo-Limpah’ luck; a timer that plays a truly terrible noise generated by a screaming Tingle-shaped alarm when the set time is up; a calculator app that is divided between a pretty normal calculator setup and a sliding-scale ratio calculator for splitting bills along gender lines; a marionette set above a music record you rotate with the stylus whose dancing is governed by the speed of the spinning motion you create; and perhaps most confusing of all, a coin-flipping game whose rules and modes remain a mystery to me after several rounds of play and several attempts to research what the game is based on.

“The Too Much Tingle Pack is only available for play in Japanese, so I had to make use of an auto-translator on my phone to make much sense of things as I navigated between these supposedly Tingle-made diversions (page 312 of The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia states that everything in the pack is ‘said to be made by Tingle himself’). Obviously my perception of this DSiWare spin-off is curbed by the limitations of on-demand translation software, cultural background, and the fact that I have experienced it outside the era it was made for. I wouldn’t seek this software out, but I don’t regret taking the time to get my hands on it and give it a try, at least to be able to say I’ve experienced it.”

Even if you’re not willing to get your hands dirty in order to experience Too Much Tingle Pack, gameplay footage uploaded to YouTube can provide a fairly comprehensive idea of what you can expect. “What is the game that most closely aligns the experience of playing it with the experience of watching someone play it?” asks Josh Wittmershaus. “The answer, at least in the Zelda franchise, is Too Much Tingle Pack. I watched a video of a playthrough in Japanese — a foreign language that I don’t understand — hoping it would invoke a sense of mystery and intrigue. Instead, I was left with a sense of confusion bordering on despair and existential crisis. I hated the notion of this game’s existence so much, that I began to unravel… Who would greenlight this?”

The game’s placement was further hampered, no doubt, by its marquee character Tingle, someone we’ll be seeing a lot of throughout the ranking. “While a clearly divisive character,” Kora continues, “I find myself neither loving nor hating Tingle. I imagine as an American there are elements of the character I will never fully get, and so I accept that this strange ruddy-nosed man in green tights simply exists in some of the games, bringing with him Japanese cultural elements that aren’t necessarily for my enjoyment or understanding. I do think this piece of Zelda history is trying to tell us there’s more to Tingle than we think – I’m just not sure after experimenting with the Pack that I have any clue what that message is.”

Josh was far more existential in his analysis: “I am fully convinced that even Tingle, a man so bizarre he deserved his own canonical games (yes, the Tingle games are canon), would not have agreed to this unless under duress. In fact, this game is so beyond the pale, the leading theorists of Zelda lore have been unable to accurately place this game in any timeline. Perhaps it transcends everything beyond our understanding, and that is how it finds itself in last place. Maybe all this time I spent watching someone play Too Much Tingle Pack, Tingle was, in fact, watching me.”

 

A Link to the Past (Barcode Battler II)

Highest Rank: 11 | Lowest Rank: 19 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 3.571

21/28 staffers did not rank this game.

A few of these entries will require a history lesson.

The Barcode Battler was a handheld game console released by Japanese toy company Epoch, Co. in 1991. The machine, which featured a small LCD screen and a built-in barcode scanner, proved intensely popular in Japan, prompting the release of a follow-up console, the Barcode Battler II (known simply as the Barcode Battler outside of Japan), in 1992. Gameplay on the Barcode Battler involved scanning barcodes found on propriety cards and on everyday objects, in order to build characters, collect power-ups, and fight enemies in an abstruse approximation of role-playing games. Those who remember Scannerz toys from the early 2000s might have a good idea of what the Barcode Battler was all about.

Though considered a massive flop in the West, the Barcode Battler’s popularity in Japan quickly attracted cooperation from big game companies like Nintendo, who ended up licensing their IP for special-edition Battler cards. And one of the highest profile licensed experiences for Barcode Battler II was, as you could have guessed, A Link to the Past. Based on the 1991 Super Nintendo title of the same name, this Barcode Battler expansion features a set of unique cards depicting Link, Ganon, and an assortment of Zelda items and monsters. By using the Battler to collect items and defeat monsters, players help strengthen our hero in order to ultimately topple the King of Evil and save Hyrule.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that playing the Barcode Battler’s A Link to the Past is impossible without the Battler device itself. Luckily for us all, however, this game allows for a lo-fi “dice mode” that only requires the set of cards and a simple six-sided die. (You can even play a virtual version of the dice mode, with full English translation, using this community-created add-on for Tabletop Simulator.) And that dice mode proves a true godsend, even if you have your hands on an actual Barcode Battler. As our friend Sherry Lipan can attest, that 30-year-old hardware is notoriously difficult to work with. “I picked one up, but couldn’t get it to work. The barcode scanner that I got wasn’t cooperating,” she tells us. That probably says something about the machine’s quality, I’d argue.

So why is this game so far down in our ranking? Let’s ask Rod Lloyd, who has suffered through his share of Barcode Battler sessions. “Whether you’re playing in standard mode with the Battler device or in dice mode, this glorified tabletop title has you moving across the board as Link, collecting items and vanquishing foes along the way, with the ultimate goal of destroying Ganon and saving Hyrule. In this way, the game sufficiently simulates A Link to the Past‘s main quest within the Barcode Battler system. However, even if you’ve got the hardware for the full experience, the gameplay remains shallow, as it only accommodates solo players, offers laughably limited strategies, and retains very little replay value.

“The Barcode Battler’s A Link to the Past set is, at most, a novelty, best suited for collectors looking to preserve every bit of Zelda‘s legacy. As a game, it’s best left in the past.”

Kora Burton concurs: “The A Link to the Past Barcode Battler II expansion is kind of hard to learn, and probably meaningless to master. Whether you’re playing using the Battler system or making do with dice mode as I did, it seems completing a round of the Zelda tabletop feels like a schoolyard game of making up the rules as you go, even though you’re following an instruction manual.

“The game mechanics are dramatically simplified in the dice version of the game, with victory or defeat hinging on the roll of a single six-sided die, taking all the juice out of the complex stats system the standard version of the game employs. The items you can collect along the way do pitifully little to help you on your journey, most of the time only allowing you to skip a space during movement or at most add a couple of points to your dice roll when attacking. Link starts out incredibly weak, and gathering hearts doesn’t even increase the amount of damage he can take! Instead, it increases the damage he gives, but only marginally. This kind of frustration is apparently also felt in the console version of the game, with players tempted to use “P-codes” earned in the game’s computer mode (C1) to improve Link’s stats in the mode played against enemy cards (C2) in order to make the game more accessible, i.e., actually beatable.”

At the end of the day, the Barcode Battler’s custom cards seem the only aspect of this game that should be looked back on fondly. Boasting SNES era artwork and some silly flavor text, these cards really do deserve to be cherished by Zelda‘s booming collectors scene. As Sherry puts it, “Trying to convert A Link to the Past into a playable card game really isn’t an easy task, so I’ll give them that. If you like card games, maybe give it a try. Personally, I more enjoy collecting them.”

 

Vermin (Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda)

Highest Rank: 5 | Lowest Rank: 19 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 3.545

17/28 staffers did not rank this game.

Now here’s a game you might have heard of!

Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda, a limited-edition handheld released in honor of Zelda‘s 35th anniversary back in 2021, collected three classic Zelda titles and packaged them together with a few retro goodies. The biggest draws for the system were, of course, The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, and Link’s Awakening; but Nintendo made sure to also pack in some extra nostalgia by including a new version of the Game & Watch original Vermin.

“Vermin is a reskinned remake of the 1980 Game & Watch game of the same name starring Link and an army of Octoroks,” explains Nick Miller. “Released exclusively on the 2021 collectible, Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda, Vermin is exactly what you’d expect an LCD whack-a-mole game to be. Link wields two hammers as he shuffles from side to side bopping Octoroks as they burrow up from underground, which become faster and more frequent the longer you go. You get points for every Octorok you bop; three misses spell game over. 

“While Vermin is a simple and unimpressive game, it can be fun in short spurts. The slow early game is made up for by the frantic pace that you’ll start to hit somewhere around 200 points (in Game A at least). Pulling off a chain of bops in rapid succession can be surprisingly satisfying, but that’s the most you’ll ever get out of this one. There really isn’t a whole lot to it.”

Rod Lloyd is more unforgiving in his assessment: “Vermin is simplistic even by Game & Watch standards, and no amount of Zelda representation can change that. Tapping two buttons for a basic approximation of whack-a-mole is just not the stimulating experience one would hope to have playing a Zelda game. Higher levels do offer a higher degree of challenge, as the Octoroks emerge more rapidly, so I’m sure the game will continue to maintain a community hunting for high scores. But for most of us, this Zelda-branded version of Vermin will provide nothing more than a small distraction before we ultimately forget about it.

“Vermin‘s inclusion in the Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda system has actually diminished its reputation, in my opinion, simply due to the fact that it reminds us that Nintendo chose not to include the more complex Zelda Game & Watch title instead. The device remains a cool collector’s item, but Vermin has nothing to do with it.”

 

The Legend of Zelda Game Watch

Highest Rank: 8 | Lowest Rank: 17 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 4.083

16/28 staffers did not rank this game.

The Zelda Game Watch (not Game & Watch!!) was a gaming wristwatch released by electronics company Nelsonic in 1989. Like other “game watches” of the era, this device combined the utility of a standard time-keeping wristwatch with the entertainment value of a gaming calculator. But rather than simple arcade experiences or crude versions of Tetris, the Zelda Game Watch offers a dungeon exploration game starring Link.

“Lesser-known cousin to Zelda (Game & Watch), this game is played on an actual wristwatch,” our friend Locke tells us. “Good luck playing it while wearing it on your wrist though. The way the buttons are laid out, with four face buttons plus two on the side, you’ll need to take it off and use two hands (in very awkward positions) to have any hope of keeping up with the game. It does function as a watch though, and even has an alarm feature. The game’s sound effects (beeps), while at times failing to convey their meaning such as Link dying, are rather endearing.

“The concept of the game is very similar to the Game & Watch game: Progress through a few rooms by defeating enemies, until you reach ‘a fire-breathing Dragons [sic]’ as the manual puts it, which upon defeat rewards you with a piece of the Triforce. Where it performs better is allowing you to explore the rooms in a two-dimensional top-down view like in the original Legend of Zelda, unlike Game & Watch’s side view and arguably one-dimensional gameplay.

“But that gameplay is perhaps too ambitious for the wristwatch platform which now needs four face buttons dedicated to movement. Add to that abstruse mechanics that have you pressing different buttons to pick up and use items, plus arcane rules for how to make them spawn and how you’re allowed to use them, and you have a generally confusing and frustrating experience.”

Mases Hagopian, bonafide owner of a Zelda Game Watch, shares with us his experiences: “I don’t think I’ve ever played such a simple game whose game mechanics are so confusing to understand. It’s hard to believe that a game with four directional buttons and extremely limited graphical capabilities has such a steep learning curve, but that’s what you get with the Zelda Game Watch. Having recently played the game, I was convinced that something was broken with my wristwatch, preventing me from playing the game properly. I later realized I simply didn’t understand the convoluted way to pick up and use items that is not apparent at all.

“Before even playing the game, you’ll need to track down the tiniest of tiny screwdrivers to open up the wristwatch and replace the very specific battery needed to operate the game. That is perhaps more of an adventure itself than playing the actual game.

“That all being said, the game is strangely addictive and actually quite fun to play. It’s a very hard game that is way more complex than a wristwatch game deserves to be. It quite honestly is one of the most difficult Zelda games to get through and is quite rewarding when you progress further.”

 

Tingle’s Balloon Fight DS

Highest Rank: 5 | Lowest Rank: 15 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 7.143

21/28 staffers did not rank this game.

Tingle makes his second appearance in this Best Zelda Ever ranking with Tingle’s Balloon Fight DS, a Club Nintendo reward released exclusively in Japan in 2007. And like Too Much Tingle Pack before it, this title suffers from its lack of exposure in the West. We’ll just have to defer to the opinions of those who have played it.

“If you’ve ever found yourself mildly amused by the NES version of Balloon Fight on Nintendo Switch Online, you already have a half-way-decent idea of what Tingle’s Balloon Fight has to offer,” begins Rod Lloyd. “Essentially just a re-skinned adaptation of the 1985 Joust clone starring Zelda‘s resident fairy-man (albeit with a larger playfield to accommodate the DS’ dual screens), Tingle’s Balloon Fight inherits just about every strength and every weakness from the original.

“Putting aside the Tingle facelift, the arcade gameplay of Balloon Fight remains simple and satisfying, even for modern audiences. However, with the same breath, that very simplicity inspires only a fleeting interest as the gameplay loop becomes repetitive after more than a few screens. Tingle’s Balloon Fight may boast some pretty sprite-work in its visuals and some nice DS-era music (though the original’s tunes are sorely missed), this is still, for better or worse, just Balloon Fight.”

Nicole Scott picks things up from there: “The gameplay is simplistic and familiar if you’ve played its ancestor, with 99 levels to battle through in the main mode and an endless side-scrolling variant called Balloon Trip mode as your other option. It makes wonderful use of the DS’s screens, allowing for greater mobility and strategizing by having the additional length. 

“Knocking opponents down feels straightforward at first, but the gradual addition of environmental hazards with smarter and faster enemies did cause me a few embarrassing deaths. The game is a silly one to pick up and put down if you enjoy the gameplay loop, but there is no enticing soundtrack or variety to keep you interested for more than few levels at a time. While Tingle’s Balloon Fight lacks substance or innovation on the original Balloon Fight idea, it seems befitting that our favorite fairy wannabe finally gets to fly.”

 

Zelda (Game & Watch)

Highest Rank: 5 | Lowest Rank: 15 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 5.1

18/28 staffers did not rank this game.

As if the naming conventions of these Zelda spin-offs weren’t confusing enough, we now come to the simply named Zelda Game & Watch title (not to be confused with the aforementioned Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda or the Zelda Game Watch). As far as The Legend of Zelda‘s LCD offerings go, this one was the most widely available to American audiences. Zelda was released as a duel-screen Game & Watch unit in North America in 1989, and it was subsequently re-released as part of Toymax’s Mini Classics series in 1998 and as an unlockable extra in 2002’s Game & Watch Gallery 4.

“It turns out that if Nintendo wants a decent LCD Zelda game, they just need to make it themselves,” proclaims Locke. “While the concept of this game is very similar to Nelsonic’s Zelda Game Watch and it was released around the same time, the Zelda Game & Watch comes out ahead due to its simpler controls and its form factor — which, beyond being simply a viable gaming platform unlike a wristwatch, went on to inspire the design of Nintendo’s successful DS line.”

“The Zelda Game & Watch is a fun little oddity,” agrees John Lortie. “The last of the vertical-playing clamshell Game & Watch systems sees Link battle across the top and bottom screens, wading through dungeons, besting dragons, uniting the Triforce, and saving the series’ titular princess. The bottom screen is the meat and potatoes of the gameplay; it’s where Link fights his way through dungeon rooms and faces off against a small slate of enemies with standard attack patterns. The top screen houses Link’s inventory (map included!) and the boss stage where fights each of the game’s eight Dragons.

“The gameplay is side-scrolling as opposed to top-down – think more along the lines of dungeoneering in Zelda II or the interstitial rooms in Link’s Awakening. Due to the limitations of the system (it’s a single-game LCD handheld), the gameplay is repetitive and the music isn’t much to write home about. All the same, I’m impressed with what Nintendo managed to do with this bite-sized adventure.“

“Zelda (Game & Watch) achieves its simplicity by sacrificing a dimension of gameplay,” Locke resumes. “Since there’s less friction in the game’s design, it’s easy to get sucked into it and strive to reach the end. It’s enjoyable and invigorating when you feel you’ve gotten the timing down and you’re collecting more and more pieces of the Triforce with each attempt. However, the timing aspect isn’t for everyone, and you wouldn’t see it in a more advanced game since it’s more a quirk of the platform’s operation than a game mechanic. Also, I find the game’s audio to be a little more unpleasant than the friendly beeps of the Game Watch.”

So how should we view the Zelda Game & Watch in 2025? Let’s give John the last word: “This won’t do much to scratch that Zelda itch you have but it might distract you from it for a little while. If you enjoy the game, you might try the Game & Watch’s Second Quest to extend your adventure for a little longer. Like I said, it’s an oddity and it would’ve been made much more accessible to Zelda fans if it’d been included on the 2021 Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda. Considering that was only a single-screen device, however, I can see why it shipped without the original Zelda handheld game.”

 

Ripened Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love

Highest Rank: 5 | Lowest Rank: 11 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 10.857

21/28 staffers did not rank this game.

Ripened Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love, the Tingle dating game no one asked for, is yet another Japan-exclusive only a handful of ZD staff members have been able to play. In fact, if you take a look at the large discrepancy between this game’s final ranking and its average score per ranking staffer, you’ll see how the relative unavailability of Balloon Trip brought it down significantly. Despite ranking fairly high among those who have played it, this 2009 DS title nonetheless landed in the bottom half of the list because it didn’t appear on enough lists overall.

So where to start with Ripened Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love? Why don’t we turn to Zelda Dungeon’s biggest Tingle fan, Andy Spiteri?

“My first thought anytime I think of Ripened Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love is, ‘I can see why Nintendo chose not to release this game in North America,'” he admits. “That’s not to say that this is a bad game — far from it! But the content and overall strangeness of this game makes its predecessor, Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland, look downright tame by comparison. The amount of innuendo, subtext, and borderline questionable themes in regards to wooing romantic partners will make this an acquired taste, but one still worth exploring for any Zelda fan!”

Nicole Scott, meanwhile, declares Balloon Trip of Love “the fever dream that keeps on giving.”

“In this unexpectedly lengthy installment, Tingle journeys the world with Wizard of Oz-inspired companions in a deceptively intricate point-and-click puzzle adventure/time-traveling dating sim with a few shooting, dungeon-crawling, and rhythm game elements peppered in — just for good measure. Albeit, you have to adapt your humor appropriately to the perverted character tropes of early-2000s anime so a mechanic like Love Push can be seen as comic relief.

“This game is hilariously full to the brim with ideas. The wackiness of the mechanics makes for a decently satisfying gameplay loop. You can tell there was a significant effort put into this title, with its stellar graphics, unnecessarily dramatic storytelling, and innovative puzzles. Even though they are not similar, the game’s spirit delivers the bizarre flavor of weird Japanese staples like Katamari Damacy, as Balloon Trip of Love will be equally remembered for its quirky gameplay risks.”

You might be wondering: Is Ripened Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love right for you? Andy has his answer.

“While admittedly, the game has none of the elements we come to expect from our favorite Zelda titles, if you’re a fan of goofy visual novel games like Phoenix Wright or dating sim games, there’s a ton to enjoy here! Weird characters, strange locations, intuitive gameplay, and just enough charm to make you root for our guy Tingle, Balloon Trip of Love shouldn’t be overlooked by any Zelda completionists out there.”

 

Zelda’s Adventure

Highest Rank: 2 | Lowest Rank: 18 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 3.950

8/28 staffers did not rank this game.

We now reach the first game a majority of our staff was able to actually rank. And, oh boy, is it a doozy.

The final game in Phillips’ notorious CD-i Zelda trilogy, Zelda’s Adventures bucks the side-scrolling and animated cutscenes of its predecessors in favor of top-down gameplay reminiscent of real Zelda games and live-action full-motion video. I’ve seen Zelda’s Adventure described as both the best and the worst of the Zelda CD-i games, so its ultimate placement here is definitely tenuous. Chakell Herbert can confidently list the qualities that brought it down in our inaugural spin-off ranking though.

“Where to begin on the most cringe game that unfortunately bears the name Zelda?” she starts. “From the graphics that look like they were created from a baked potato, to the low-quality voice acting, to the clunky controls, to those horrifying live-action cutscenes, this game is a literal hot mess. The other two CD-i games at least felt somewhat whimsical and Zelda-ish, but this one? It seems they were going for an edgy vibe, because none of the whimsicality from the main series is present in Zelda’s Adventure. In fact, it just feels like one of those weird 1980s fantasy films but presented as a middle-school theater production. Also, the gameplay is extremely tedious and difficult! Combat requires specific items to do damage to certain enemies that you can barely avoid, vital items are found in the most random ways, and everything is just convoluted.

“Thank goodness we now have Echoes of Wisdom to give Princess Zelda a proper redeeming adventure. I offer Katniss Everdeen’s salute to anyone who picks up this game because fighting to the death in a Hunger Games arena seems more appealing than painstakingly playing this game from start to finish.”

You might have noticed that, despite its reputation, Zelda’s Adventure performed quite well with a select few on our team. Let’s allow Alex Weber, who placed this game at second place in her ranking, to defend herself: “You can track my own relationship with this game throughout the VODs of the past four Zelda Dungeon marathons. I went from insisting on only playing for twenty minutes in 2021 to full-on cosplaying for the game in 2024.”

“There was something about the unabashed and unapologetic chaos combined with the consistent lack of quality that made me go from wanting nothing to do with the game one day, to then wanting to know what happened the very next morning. The game is so terribly executed in every way, shape, and form that it has no reason to pull in a fan of Zelda games, and a picky fan at that. By all measurements of a good game, Zelda’s Adventure should fail, and yet one singular quality gives it an edge. It’s not just terrible, it’s uniquely terrible. It’s its own beautiful monster, and nothing else is like it, which in turn makes it an absolute joy to experience.”

At the end of the day, players like Alex continue to elevate the cult status of Zelda’s Adventure a la hall-of-fame bad movies like The Room, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and 1993’s Super Mario Bros. movie. “It’s common knowledge that cheese is not something that stays good for very long,” she says. “Pretty soon, mold begins to grow, becoming inextricably integrated into the once-indulgent addition to sandwiches, tortilla chips, or burgers. Mold grows from exposure to moisture, and it’s this type of exposure that is required to build the cheese-and-the-mold-that-grows-on-it type of relationship to Zelda’s Adventure.”

“You love laughing at it with your friends. You love the way the mold has grown on you.”

 

Link: The Faces of Evil

Highest Rank: 3 | Lowest Rank: 17 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 4.955

6/28 staffers did not rank this game.

Squadala! We are off! We move now from the final CD-i Zelda title to the first.

“Ganon and his minions have seized the Island of Koridae! Rushing out of the palace without even stopping to grab his stuff (and without a good luck kiss from Princess Zelda), Mah Boi… I mean Link sets off to Koridae to conquer the Faces of Evil and defeat Ganon. Along the way, he’ll meet a whacky cast of meme-able characters and endure the greatest trial of all, bad game mechanics.” Let’s thank Nick Miller for that introduction.

Despite Nintendo’s best efforts to erase this game and its sequels from history, Link: The Faces of Evil has survived in the public consciousness thanks largely to memes, reaction .gifs, and YouTube Poops. In fact, I’m certain there are more Zelda fans out there who can recite this game’s opening cutscene verbatim than can claim to have finished Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

“Everybody praises Zelda for Switch for finally introducing extensive voice acting to the series,” Judy Calder points out. “But they all seem to forget that Faces of Evil did it first. The game, which was released in 1993, boasts a very memorable script with catchphrases that some fans just can’t forget — ‘Squadala!'” That’s an excellent point.

“Faces of Evil is the rare type of game that is both ahead of its time and terrible,” further asserts Nick. “It’s ahead of its time in that the characters, dialogue, art style, and just everything it does jive with modern humor in a way that they never could in 1993. But alas, all of that cheesy charm is trapped behind sluggish and repetitive gameplay, uncooperative controls, and unintuitive level designs. Unintuitive is actually putting it lightly, and this is my biggest personal gripe with Faces of Evil. The art style is detailed in such a way that the background meshes seamlessly with the foreground, which makes it near impossible to discern the background from interactable objects and platforms.“

Zelda Series Producer Eiji Aonuma once said that the Zelda CD-i games didn’t “really fit in the Zelda franchise.” Well, Judy might have something to say about that.

“There’s probably a reason Faces of Evil exists in its own universe,” she contends, “and I think I know what it is. With such a colorful palette and an artstyle all of its own, other canon games just couldn’t compete in the same bracket. And just look at the gameplay itself! If gamers ever wanted a proper challenge in Zelda, they’d find it here. Precision touch and timing notwithstanding, this sidescroller will make you work hard for its ending. And those scenes are a well-earned reward.”

Much like its CD-i brethren, The Faces of Evil will always be remembered more for what it is does poorly than what it gets right. And that’s why it’s so endearing. As Nick says, “The Faces of Evil is a fun game for all of the wrong reasons and is worth experiencing, preferably with a couple of friends late at night when everyone is tired and everything is hilarious.”

 

Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon

Highest Rank: 4 | Lowest Rank: 16 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 5.600

8/28 staffers did not rank this game.

It’s certainly telling that all three CD-i Zelda titles sit side-by-side right here in our ranking. They are unquestionably awful, undeserving of anything beyond the tenth spot; but they are all nonetheless buoyed by their so-bad-they’re-good production values and well-documented internet infamy. The qualities that make the CD-i’s Zelda offerings objectively terrible are the very things that give them higher prestige than the forgotten titles discussed above.

Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, the second in the trilogy, narrowly takes the top spot. That makes sense, given that the game, despite all its flaws, has its fair share of champions on the Zelda Dungeon staff.

“There is a case to be made that The Wand of Gamelon and its counterpart The Faces of Evil are two of the most iconic games in the Zelda series,” boldly claims Gooey Fame. “Their bizarre animations and voice acting have led to endlessly quoted and memed moments for decades. While it has been the butt of many of these jokes, Wand of Gamelon doesn’t lack all artistic merit.

“The backgrounds and some of the art genuinely look nice, even if its hard to tell where you are standing sometimes. The music, although poorly looped in the levels, is also full of bangers. The overworld map theme alone is enough to bring the house down. And while for some it may not be remembered for the right reasons, I take great pleasure in the outlandish dialogue and animation. There is a certain charm to the overall vibe of a Legend of Zelda game on a CD-ROM-based system as well.”

Leslie Jacobson echoes that sentiment with her own list of positives: “This lovely spin-off is probably best known for the meme-worthy cutscene quote, ‘I’m so hungry, I could eat an Octorock!’ That is really too bad because there’s actually a lot to appreciate about this strange gem.

“It was the first Zelda game where you play as Zelda herself. The ruler of Gamelon has asked for King Harkinian’s help. When the King didn’t come back, Link went to look for him. Link doesn’t come back either, so Zelda sets out to find him herself. She arrives in Gamelon with a magic sword and starts exploring. The gameplay is mostly 2D side-scrolling and jumping. There’s tons of esoteric puzzles to solve, some of which seem to involve figuring out where you can and cannot jump. There’s full voice acting, which would have been amazing in a video game in 1993. The music, full CD-quality, is also surprisingly good if you can let go of how a Zelda game ‘should’ sound.

“I fully recommend watching it when it comes around at the Zelda Dungeon Marathon or even watching a Let’s Play-style video. It’s worth checking out for its novelty and quirkiness if nothing else.”

But don’t you think our staffers are blind to Gamelon‘s glaring deficiencies. Gooey fully admits that “the gameplay is notoriously bad on so many fundamental levels, but in quite a different way than something like Zelda’s Adventure.”

“Of course there are so many confounding moments of unfair enemy spawns, poor level design, and cumbersome controls,” they continue. “The difficulty is still somewhat manageable to a point where, unlike Zelda’s Adventure, some of the BS that comes along with this game can have a comedic effect under the right circumstance. It has a decent hook too in that the whole game is a big scavenger hunt that has you bringing items across the map from one whacked-out character to another.

“Taken as a whole, I think there have been times where some of the most fun I’ve had with a Zelda game has been playing Wand of Gamelon with friends. Whether it was gawking at the outlandish cutscenes, trying to make some jump that definitely shouldn’t be as hard as it seems, or unraveling the gigantic scavenger hunt, I’m willing to say that this game is a lot of fun. Good? I’m not so sure.”

 

My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Highest Rank: 3 | Lowest Rank: 18 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 7.529

11/28 staffers did not rank this game.

The placement of My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess at the tail-end of the Top 10 — just above the CD-i games, no less — should not in any way diminish the game’s renown among our staff. The linear nature of the ranking unfortunately gives one the false impression that Twilight Princess Picross is just a few steps ahead in quality of The Wand of Gamelon.

But don’t be fooled! My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess earned a great many more points than Gamelon, and one could easily call it the first truly good game in this ranking.

If you’re in need of a primer for the Picross series of nonogram puzzle games, Evan Hahn has you covered. “If there are two things I love, it’s Zelda and nonogram puzzles,” he starts. “I’m a life-long Zelda fan, and I like nonogram games so much I made my own. So My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a Zelda-themed nonogram game, is a bit of a shoe-in for me.

“A good nonogram puzzle has a fun journey and a satisfying destination. You start with an empty canvas and some clues. It’s fun to use logic to fill in the blanks, and is sometimes exciting when a single finding kicks off a chain of discovery. The biggest thrill comes at the end, when you’ve finally filled in every square and see the final picture.

“In My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (what a name!), players solve puzzles to reveal images from Twilight Princess. This game nails the fun flow of a good nonogram. The puzzles are well designed and fun to work through. Once you’re done, you finally see what you’ve been chiseling this whole time! Maybe it’s a picture of Zant screaming, or the classic Hylian Shield, or… well, I don’t want to spoil the puzzles!”

Many of our writers agree that this 3DS puzzler prevails thanks to its simple and satisfying gameplay and its inviting atmosphere. Kora Burton, for example, shares, “My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess combines two of my greatest loves: music from Twilight Princess, and a cozy, simple game format that’s easy to settle into when it’s time to turn my brain off for a while. I was never big into number-based games like Sudoku growing up, so I was skeptical when my beloved gifted me one of his old 3DS systems with the Picross software installed. But that first picture puzzle I completed immediately won me over, and for weeks afterward, I’d tackle at least one a night before bed.

“I love this spin-off title because I don’t have to think about routing, dungeon maps, or looking up guides when I’m not up for it, but I can also get an experience that still feels like playing Zelda, with all the requisite ambiance, call to adventure, and puzzle-solving that brings.”

Brandon Schmitz seconds that sentiment: “Looking back at My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, my fondest memories stem from just how well it distilled the vibe of Twilight Princess and repurposed it for Picross‘ more relaxed format. I’m not referring to just the audio and visual design, either, though that’s all on-point. Midna herself serves as the game’s guide; her appropriately cheeky commentary throughout the opening tutorial puzzles in particular goes a long way toward making the spin-off feel grounded in this particular iteration of Hyrule.”

“If you’ve ever played one of Jupiter’s other titles, such as Picross S for Nintendo Switch, you know they’ve nailed the controls, interface, and puzzle design,” Evan concludes. “My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess applies their expertise to one of the most iconic Zelda games, and if you’re lucky enough to have a Nintendo 3DS that still has it, is delightful to pick up and play.”

 

Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland

Highest Rank: 4 | Lowest Rank: 12 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 9.375

14/28 staffers did not rank this game.

Tingle’s final starring appearance on our list is also his most widely accessible to audiences worldwide. Unlike the other Tingle titles already discussed, Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland actually made its way out of Japan and into Europe when it released on DS. Thus, thanks to a ready-made English translation and international shipping, Rosy Rupeeland has been a popular import item for audiences in North America and beyond.

“In terms of games that are true to the form of ‘traditional’ Zelda,” affirms Josh Wittmershaus, “you get a pretty unique but familiar taste of what you love with a game like Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland. It eases you into things with a tutorial area, quickly shows you how to operate within the world and what to look for, and makes it pretty clear what you’re supposed to do. You combat enemies in the overworld, complete side quests and dungeons, and work towards a relatable goal of becoming rich and admired right before your midlife crisis really kicks in (as it clearly already has for Tingle.)”

If the experiences of Zelda Dungeon’s staff are anything to go by, Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland proves to be immediately endearing. Alexis Anderson can speak to that.

“I played Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland for the first time at the ZD Marathon,” she reveals, “which already gives it a special place in my heart. I had been curious about the game for years and watched gameplay of it online, so getting to actually sit down and play it was a real treat. It’s so weird! It was weirder than I was prepared for, to be honest, which is incredible. Strange games are so creative and unpredictable; I truly love experiencing them. What else can I say? Uncle Rupee, Pinkle, both absolute icons. The bartering aspect is interesting — and for me pretty stressful, as I tend to hoard wealth in games. I also love the landmark-circling mechanic.”

There’s only one man we can give the last word on Tingle to, and that’s Andy Spiteri: “Anyone who’s played Freshly-Picked Tingles Rosy Rupeeland knows that, despite appearances, this game is no joke.

“People scoff at me when I say my favorite Zelda game on the Nintendo DS is Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland, thinking that it’s something I say to try and sound hip or cool; but when I say that, I honestly mean it. This game is wildly different, yes; zany to a fault; lacking in what we would classify as ‘traditional’ Zelda elements. But man, is it fun and loaded with personality.

“I have a soft spot for our man Tingle, but even if you find the wannabe-fairy a little unsettling, there’s still so many things for Zelda fans to latch onto in this title! Looking for cool dungeons and larger-than-life boss fights? Check! A cast of unforgettable bodyguards that add a layer of strategic depth to combat and exploration? Check! Tons of intricate collectibles and puzzles to solve? Check check check!

“If you can track down a copy of this title, do yourself a favor and give this a whirl. You’ll see why this game, to me at least, is certified fresh(ly picked)!”

 

BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets

Highest Rank: 1 | Lowest Rank: 7 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 13.300 | First-Place Finishes: 1

18/28 staffers did not rank this game.

No, “BS” doesn’t mean what you think it means here.

The “BS” in BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets actually stands for “Broadcast Satellite,” as this unique Zelda title was — like its predecessor, which we’ll discuss later — released via Nintendo’s Satellaview attachment for the Super Famicom in Japan. Back when it released in 1997, the adventure, a pseudo-sequel to A Link to the Past, was presented through live hour-long satellite broadcasts over a four-week period. Players were tasked with typical Zelda duties like exploring Hyrule and conquering dungeons, but gameplay was limited to the length of the broadcasts. Once time ran out, one would have to stop and pick things up the next week.

To make up for the time constraints, Ancient Stone Tablets‘ broadcast format allowed for real-time events like weather changes, live voice acting, and a points system set up for prize giveaways. It all sounds really cool! Unfortunately, unless you were a Japanese player with the Satellaview during select weeks in 1997 and 1998, the full Ancient Stone Tablets experience is now lost to time. Luckily, however, dedicated preservationists have still been able to reconstruct, emulate, and translate as much of the game as possible for modern audiences. That’s how quite a few of our staff members have been able to try it out for themselves!

“I was fortunate enough to play a ROM hack of BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets at a convention,” recounts Leslie Jacobson. “I’ll admit I didn’t get to play all the way through it due to time restraints, but I remember what I did play was a lot of fun. It felt like playing an extra story from A Link to the Past. What really surprised me were the snippets of voice-overs from the characters since I don’t associate voice acting with Super Nintendo games.

“It’s really too bad Nintendo doesn’t make this title available. With Nintendo Switch Online, they’d even be able to do it in a similar fashion to the original broadcast. You’d have a timer on it and could only access two dungeons per hour of play. You could only play through each of the four parts during certain weeks. This game deserves to be seen by more fans.”

“Like Leslie, I also played a ROM of BS Ancient Stone Tablets about a decade ago,” offers Charles Xavier. “From everything I’ve seen, this is the superior game out of the BS Zelda titles. It being ranked below its predecessor is some actual BS.

“The whole point of the BS Zelda games is to repackage these existing games, create a new story, and utilize familiar worlds in a way that prioritizes speedrunning. Both games have similar elements like timed events and unique abilities that can be granted. What sets Ancient Stone Tablets apart, however, is its usage of shops (where it actually offered a tool rental system almost akin to what A Link Between Worlds offers) and mini-games.

“I also feel that, although BS The Legend of Zelda does feature updated graphics, Ancient Stone Tablets is still the more aesthetically pleasing game to look at. All of these factors should make it edge out as the better game of these two. It’s lower by the unfortunate circumstances of being excluded from some rankings. But trust me when I say that if you ever want to give the BS Zelda games a try, Ancient Stone Tablets is the way to go.”

John Lortie finds himself of one mind with Charles regarding Ancient Stone Tablets: “It’s the better of the two BS Zelda games, in my opinion. The title at hand is a direct sequel to A Link to the Past that not only uses the same overworld map but takes place in the same world. Link’s away adventuring and your avatar is transported to Hyrule to fill the missing hero’s place.

“Ancient Stone Tablets presents a unique and original story, one the Zelda series proper is just starting to mirror. This is a Zelda where Link’s not only unplayable, he’s not in the game at all. Zelda is a frequent character in the game, accompanying the story to its conclusion. It’s a noncanonical title that would fit snugly in the official timeline. I’m actually a huge fan of the timed in-game events. These don’t affect the story and players could continue the game the following week even if they failed to complete them. But an extra task to go out of my way to rescue Zelda from a pickle? Sign me up.”

“Unfortunately, seeing as how I’ve always been land-locked in the US, I wasn’t able to play it when it was originally broadcast in Japan. I think Leslie’s onto something. I’d love to see this come to Nintendo Switch Online as an event for subscribers. Actually, I’d love for the Big N to do plenty of one-off Zelda and other Nintendo gaming events via the service.”

 

The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest (Nintendo Land)

Highest Rank: 1 | Lowest Rank: 12 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 7.050 | First-Place Finishes: 1

8/28 staffers did not rank this game.

“The Wii got Twilight Princess, the Switch got Breath of the Wild, and the Wii U got Nintendo Land with Battle Quest,” Sean Gadus heralds.

“In 2025, it feels impossible for me not to view the Wii U as a type of sacrificial lamb for a company that was not ready to let go of its past success with Nintendo Wii and thus fumbling its first attempt at a handheld/tablet-like device. Nintendo Land is a cute collection of mini-games that has the dubious honor of being a launch game for Nintendo’s least successful console.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest was the Zelda-based experience included in Wii U’s Nintendo Land, and thus, its status as a “spin-off” is the most dubious as far as our list is concerned. But given that so many of our staffers felt comfortable ranking it, and that it has been frequently featured during the Zelda Dungeon Marathon, we figured we’d include it. And sixth place ain’t too shabby!

“Battle Quest was great because it boiled down certain elements of the Zelda series into a fast-paced, playful package,” argues Alexis Anderson. “It was nice getting to play as essentially myself in locales inspired by the franchise, fight goofy enemies like those I’ve come to know and love using traditional Zelda weapons, and trek along to classic Zelda tunes! Battle Quest never failed to bring a smile to my face, and it was made all the better by being able to share the experience with friends and loved ones. It was another quirky, little multiplayer adventure I could go on with my twin brother (like Four Swords Adventures was), so I cherish it!”

Many writers, including Jared Eubanks, agree that Battle Quest stands as the best attraction in Nintendo Land: “Battle Quest is a gem that will in all likelihood be marooned on the Nintendo Wii U together with the mixed bag of twelve attractions that is Nintendo Land,” he posits. “The launch game was an attempt to recreate the magic of Wii Sports with the Wii U, and it largely fell short similar to the way the Wii U paled in comparison to the Wii. Some of the attractions are a blast to play, while some are wallowing in mediocrity and others are total duds.

“My son and I have thoroughly enjoyed plodding through the nine levels themed after iconic Zelda locations and landscapes in Battle Quest. The art style is endearing as it melds the Mii-style into a universe akin to Yoshi’s Wooly World with its hand-sewn plush creatures. Despite the unassuming art style, it can be surprisingly challenging and requires teamwork while communicating when to charge ahead, when to carefully inch forward, and who is responsible for which of the many enemies coming your way. Particular levels required multiple runs for us, and debriefs were needed after failed attempts to sort through what went wrong with our strategy.

“If you have a Wii U and never picked it up, you owe it to yourself to track a copy down at a retro game store or online and try it out with a friend or family member.”

And for Sean, “Battle Quest is a fun diversion for gamers. The game has a bright and colorful yarn aesthetic that makes it suitable for all ages. It makes decent use of Wii Motion Plus controls that were a key part of Skyward Sword, and the result is a fun game where the player frantically tries to swing their sword or aim their bow at adorable yarn foes. Overall, the mode feels like a throwback to simpler arcade games of eras past. Battle Quest probably would be more fondly remembered if the Wii U had more success.”

 

BS The Legend of Zelda

Highest Rank: 2 | Lowest Rank: 10 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 11.833

16/28 staffers did not rank this game.

We enter the Top 5 of our ranking with the first Satellaview Zelda title, BS The Legend of Zelda. And for a game never officially available outside of Japan — a game only officially available during select weeks from 1995 to 1997, for that matter — cracking the Top 5 says a lot about its quality in the eyes of those lucky enough to have played it via unofficial means.

In fact, taking a look at the average points both Satellaview Zelda games received from those who ranked them, we can see that BS The Legend of Zelda and Ancient Stone Tablets would have topped the entire list if that metric was the basis of our ranking. Now, I personally appreciate the fact that Zelda Dungeon’s Best Zelda Ever lists take availability and cultural significance into account; but, at the same time, the methodology does mean that certain forgotten games are denied the prestige they unquestionably deserve.

“BS The Legend of Zelda is awesome!” Nick Miller emphatically exclaims. “It is a full-on 16-bit remake of the original Zelda game, albeit with a smaller overworld map to accommodate its new home on the Satellaview. Although the map is smaller, all of the major landmarks are present exactly where players would expect them to be. The dungeons also saw a little rearranging, with some appearing in new locations and all of them getting new layouts. Other changes included male and female playable characters, a SoundLink system which broadcasted an orchestrated soundtrack and voiceovers, as well as a timer that counted down until the broadcast ended.

“I think this game is just great. It looks good. It plays well. Everything about it is just fantastic. I really can’t sing its praises enough. BS The Legend of Zelda even has a great surprise ending with how (and where) it handles the final fight against Ganon, but you won’t catch me spoiling it here; go out and play it for yourself. It’s just baffling to me that even after all these years, a game that one could reasonably argue is the definitive way to play the original Zelda is relegated to archaic and inaccessible hardware. So, if  you ever get a chance to play this one, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. Ahoy!”

“I don’t have much to add to what Nick said about BS The Legend of Zelda,” John Lortie acknowledges. “It’s a fun, updated romp through the game that started it all. The graphical upgrade to the NES classic alone makes this title one to play. I, admittedly, prefer the BS game to its NES counterpart. The map’s compressed so players could complete what they needed to during each broadcast. The added complexities of in-game events (such as unlimited uses of finite items or making enemies stronger) shake up the gameplay just enough to add some spice to the first Zelda’s tried-and-true formula. It’s just a breezier game than the original is.”

“And it would make a great addition to NSO!”

 

Link’s Crossbow Training

Highest Rank: 1 | Lowest Rank: 11 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 7.250 | First-Place Finishes: 1

4/28 staffers did not rank this game.

I can’t say I’m surprised that the Top 4 games in our ranking are also the most widely available in North America. But at the same time, I want emphasize that worldwide releases weren’t the only reason these games succeeded. Titles like Link’s Crossbow Training definitely have their share of fierce defenders.

Judy Calder, for example, named Crossbow Training her second-favorite Zelda spin-off: “It boasts the same art style as Twilight Princess, so I immediately liked it. But the real draw, in my opinion, is that it brings the arcade to the player. You just have to grab the Wii Zapper — a controller shell which houses the Wii Remote and its Nunchuk attachment — then point and shoot!

“The stages in this game are varied enough to keep things interesting. Whether you’re shooting static targets, moving enemies, or big balloons in the sky, there’s enough to keep the player tuned in. In fact, you’ll come upon “boss fights” too, and get to take on Stallord, one of Twilight Princess’ cooler big baddies.”

“The use of the Wii Zapper was so creative and translated so well as a controller,” follows up Chakell Herbert. “Although the premise is simple as a basic target-shooting game, I love the way Nintendo added a variety of scenarios throughout the game like focusing on defense, a hide-and-seek mode where you’re required to find and eliminate every enemy on the map within a set time limit, and, of course, boss fights (Stallord makes an appearance! What’s not to love?). It’s really just a shame that the Wii Zapper was so short lived, because it truly was such a crafty device.

“Honestly, the only way this game falls flat is that I wish it could have been a direct sequel to Twilight Princess, with a more fleshed-out story, rather than just a spin-off. This version of Hyrule was always one that made me feel like I was part of an intensely epic adventure, and it would have been cool to return. However, shooting the heck out of baddies with unlimited ammo makes for fantastic entertainment too.”

Sean Gadus meanwhile recognizes the game’s historical context: “Link’s Crossbow Training is a fun party game that feels indicative or representative of the Nintendo’s Wii era. In the mid-to-late 2000s, many games were built around doing things with the Wii-mote and selling players on motion controls. From a game design and business perspective, the game is a smart use of video game assets and solid brand synergy. It packages the locations and enemies in Twilight Princess and puts them into a silly arcade shooter that can fill a spot in the release calendar.

“Link’s Crossbow Training is a light jaunt through Twilight Princess‘ world, and the game’s short run time proved to be a major criticism at launch. It is fun to pass the Wii Zapper back and forth between friends (with some trash talk in between).”

That last point is an important one: Link’s Crossbow Training is perhaps best remembered as an excellent game to play with your family and friends. Heather Beard, for instance, says, “The era of the Wii was certainly a fun time among gamers. The idea of motion controls was so appealing and new, and I have distinct memories of my family getting our Wii and trying out all of what motion controls had to offer. Link’s Crossbow Training is among those hidden gems in my memories, but not because the spin-off itself is memorable, but mainly because it was a fun, little game that sparked fun family competition.”

Judy concurs, adding, “Competing for the high score in this game is decently fun when playing alone, but personally I feel a cool sense of achievement when I beat other players. Passing the Zapper to your friends and working through the game’s stages also tickles that part of my brain that misses how we did things before online gaming. So, while multiplayer in this particular title is simple, I’d argue that it’s still effective if you’ve got the right mindset.”

 

Hyrule Warriors

Highest Rank: 1 | Lowest Rank: 9 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 9.682 | First-Place Finishes: 7

6/28 staffers did not rank this game.

The final three spin-offs in our ranking have a lot in common: they are all available right now on Nintendo Switch, they have all been special inclusions on our last few main-series Best Zelda Ever lists, and they all topped at least seven staffers’ personal rankings. These are undoubtedly the standard-bearers of Zelda spin-offs.

Hyrule Warriors — first released on Wii U in 2014 before being ported to 3DS in 2016 and Switch in 2018 — brings the hack-and-slash action of Koei Tecmo’s Musou series to the Zelda universe. And while that formula isn’t for absolutely everybody, a solid portion of our staff can confidently call this game their favorite.

For Brandon Schmitz, Hyrule Warriors isn’t just one his favorite Zelda spin-offs, it’s one of his favorite Zelda games period: “Given the one-off nature of even the most iconic Zelda characters, the idea of a timeline-hopping crossover game sounded like the stuff of dreams prior to 2014. No joke — for years, whenever I considered what a hypothetical ‘final Zelda game’ might look like, I would envision a game very similar to Hyrule Warriors: a showdown between the series’ various heroes and villains from across the ages. Not exactly the most original pitch, admittedly, but definitely something I entertained as a pipe dream throughout my first decade of Zelda fandom. 

“Even now — almost 11 years later — I’m kind of amazed that this game exists. Despite how many hours I’ve sunk into Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, I’ve still yet to clear all of the Adventure Mode maps. And whenever I stumble across a scenario as wild as Tingle and Yuga teaming up against Ghirahim and Ruto, I’m reminded that this is effectively an officially-licensed fan game. Even setting aside its constant celebration of the past, the game remains a ton of fun to play. The sheer variety among the playable roster keeps the combat fresh; meanwhile, the aforementioned Adventure Mode maps provide not only hundreds of hours of content, but also unique features that honor their respective Zelda games.”

“It is hard to describe how excited I was for Hyrule Warriors in the summer and fall of 2014,” recalls Sean Gadus. “Good games on Wii U were hard to come by, and getting any new Zelda content was exciting. The game’s hack-and-slash Dynasty Warriors combat can be repetitive, but it is also very easy to get into a rhythm with it or teach it to a friend. My biggest reason for my fondness towards Hyrule Warriors is the way that it serves as an intriguing, if simple, love letter to the franchise. The game includes a plethora of new musical arrangements for classic Zelda songs, implementation of Zelda staples like items and Heart Pieces, and interesting designs for iconic Zelda characters. The game has some great character designs for Link, Impa, and Ganondorf, and an all-time bad character design with Cia.”

It’s been hinted at a few times thus far, but Charles Xavier tackles Hyrule Warriors‘ biggest point of criticism in his analysis: “Musou gameplay definitely is an acquired taste, but it’s also easily approachable; and once it clicks, it’s very fun. The best parts of Hyrule Warriors are its unique story and the easter eggs that serve as a celebration of Zelda games from the past. It is also cool being able to play as different characters from various Zelda games. Overall it’s such a unique spin-off title that has a very high quality for the gameplay that it offers.”

“I will always be willing to die on the ‘Hyrule Warriors is a good game and no one can tell me otherwise’ hill,” insists Warriors diehard Heather Beard. “The hack-‘n’-slash style of gameplay might not be for everyone, but despite any repetitiveness, Hyrule Warriors was, and still is, a good time. My husband and I loved the game so much that, after sinking hundreds of hours into the Wii U version, we decided to buy the Definitive Edition when it came out for the Switch and sunk hundreds of more hours into that one.

“Hyrule Warriors was the multiplayer Zelda game that we needed. It didn’t take itself too seriously, and yet the story, characters, and game play were intriguing enough to provide hours upon hours of gameplay and memories. The game’s music is also on par with mainline Zelda titles, which only adds to its appeal. Outside of the story, the addition of different challenge modes provided another level of gameplay along with the ability to unlock different costumes, items, and weapons for each character.

“Hyrule Warriors is a spin-off worthy of any Zelda fan’s time. It provides ample amount of story and content for a solo run, or for an at-home game night with someone you love.”

 

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Highest Rank: 1 | Lowest Rank: 10 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 8.840 | First-Place Finishes: 8

3/28 staffers did not rank this game.

As has been the case in our traditional Best Zelda Ever lists, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity comes out ahead of its predecessor, largely based on its narrative connections to main series title Breath of the Wild and on the fact that a handful more staff members have had a chance to play it.

“Age of Calamity did one thing that the other Hyrule Warriors game just couldn’t manage,” professes Judy Calder, “and that was draw me into hack-‘n’-slash-type games. The first Hyrule Warriors left me feeling rather lost and completely uninterested in the storyline, whereas this installment had me hooked from the beginning. The art style was just as we’d seen in Breath of the Wild, so immediately, it looked great. Exploring different characters and their updated designs and abilities felt wonderful in the sense that we were actually getting to know them in a way we never could or would have in mainline games. And then there’s the gameplay itself. It was so varied depending on which avatar you chose that you just couldn’t get bored.

“Honestly, for me, Age of Calamity is the perfect example of a great Zelda spin-off.”

Jared Eubanks describes a similar experience: “Age of Calamity surprised me as a game, and I ended up enjoying it far more than I had expected after having a rough experience with the original Hyrule Warriors. The aspect of Age of Calamity that I enjoyed most was the rewriting of Princess Zelda’s story. I felt like her portrayal in Breath of the Wild, while tragic, was also unfair to her. The alternate storyline of her research into the Guardians and ancient technology was redeemed, and her strength and leadership was on full display. I also enjoyed seeing the personalities of the four Champions fleshed out in greater detail in ways that that memories in Breath of the Wild failed to do.

“My biggest gripe with its predecessor was the feeling of playing ‘whack-a-mole’ while keeping my multiple warriors alive, maintaining control of the keeps, and simultaneously chipping away at a task or key enemy. Age of Calamity rectified those shortcomings in my opinion and allowed for players to focus play on one of the warriors if they preferred. Once I got a handle on gameplay mechanics, I was able to more freely enjoy the storyline of this alternative universe. If you’ve never jumped into Age of Calamity but enjoyed the world of Breath of the Wild, I would recommend giving it a try and pushing through the initial discomfort of the new gameplay style.”

But despite the strengths its champions present, Age of Calamity does have a particular blemish to answer for. We’ll let Aubriel Eastman explain.

“I was thrilled when Age of Calamity was announced back in 2020,” she recounts. “Due to the… historical events of the time, it was a sparse year for news. Any hopes I had for tidbits on Tears of the Kingdom were quashed by game delays and studio shutdowns. So it was a really pleasant surprise to hear that we were in fact, not only getting some Zelda news that year, but an entire game. I was doubly excited, because the trailers implied that we would get to delve more into the backstory of Breath of the Wild’s characters in seemingly real time.

“However, to my immeasurable disappointment, that did not turn out to be the case. Even worse, I found the story to be, if you’ll forgive the unprofessional slang, kind of cringey. The dialogue felt out of character at times, and for the most part, I didn’t think it was very well written. I was upset that we didn’t get to see the events prior to Breath of the Wild unfold, because the marketing conditioned me to expect that. I cannot fathom what they were thinking when they said that this would be a prequel to Breath of the Wild, because it is not that at all. Where I was hoping to find a richer dive into the character development of Link and Zelda, I instead witnessed a copy-paste of the first game’s story but with zero consequences or impact on my interpretation of it.” These are certainly valid criticisms.

Age of Calamity has its shortcomings, that’s for sure. But that won’t stop its fans, like Chakell Herbert, from singing its praises: “Some fans were disappointed in the way Age of Calamity split the Era of the Wild’s timeline. Instead of showcasing the four Champion’s deaths, followed by a devastating loss against Calamity Ganon, we got a ‘what if?’ scenario… And I am actually here for the direction Nintendo took. Sure, showcasing the losses would have been poetic and deep, however, in playing Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, we are already exposed to that version of the story from 100 years before. I actually love seeing Age of Calamity as a canon event in an alternate timeline. I love thinking of a version of this story where our heroes suffered losses, but ultimately pulled through.

“I love this game. In fact, it’s one of my favorites. I love slashing the heck out of enemies with the Master Sword. I love that we are able to take down baddies with a young version of Impa. I love that we ultimately get to use Zelda’s sealing powers in a way not seen in Breath of the Wild! I love the story, seeing the Champions survive and give their all to the fight. And, at the end of the day, I would love to see more spin-offs from the Zelda series that are as enjoyable and replayable as this one!”

 

Cadence of Hyrule

Highest Rank: 1 | Lowest Rank: 10 | Avg Points per Staffer Played: 8.920 | First-Place Finishes: 9

3/28 staffers did not rank this game.

Whoomp! There it is! Put on you boogie shoes, pull up to the bumper, and shake your groove thing, because Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda is officially our best Zelda spin-off ever! Claiming the top spot in a grand total of nine staffers’ lists, Brace Yourself Games’ 2019 rhythm rouge-like clearly had all the right stuff, all the good times, and all the bounce to the ounce.

“For a series as entrenched in musicality as the Zelda series, Cadence of Hyrule is an exuberant homage to its legacy without compromising Crypt of the NecroDancer’s signature style,” sounds off Nicole Scott. “The inclusion of rouge-like elements only made me hope for them to recur in another title — which is how I know a spin-off is truly successful. While it may seem blasphemous to say, I also think Cadence has some of the best music in the entire series.

“There are several unique experiences I had in my playthroughs of Cadence that I didn’t have in any other Zelda game. I would argue fighting is accessible throughout most of the mainline games, but this is the first time I felt I championed the combat after significant effort. It feels intensely rewarding to nail after overcoming the learning curve. I also feel it has some of the most hilarious, high-octane multiplayer action you’ll get in Zelda — maybe even more than Four Swords Adventures! The energetic pacing, satisfying boss fights, distinct DLC, and smart procedural generation gives this game nearly infinite replay value.”

One of Cadence of Hyrule‘s biggest claims to fame is that it has won over the biggest rhythm game skeptics and the most rouge-like averse alike. Kat Vadam, for instance, was taken with the game’s charms despite her being “terrible at beat-driven games.”

“Games like this would normally be a massive turn-off for me,” she expresses, “because ultimately, the frustration outweighs the joy. Yet, here I am, making a massive exception in my years of aversion for Cadence of Hyrule. The fact that Brace Yourself Games managed to create a vibrant Hyrule that felt uniquely theirs in design and mechanics, uniquely mine in how it was generated, and yet, still true to Zelda in monsters, characters, and landmarks immediately endeared the game to me. It provided a whole new way of exploring something that harkened back to the 2D games of Zelda past.

“Couple that Hyrule with music that I couldn’t help but jam to as I bopped along, space by space, absolutely graceless and flailing around with my sword to every beat, off beat, right beat, and wrong beat. Cadence of Hyrule, to put it very simply, oozes fun — a familiar place through a brand new lens. And it didn’t matter to me that it was rhythm-based, or that I have the gaming equivalent of two left feet. I love this game.”

And Kristen Rosario, someone who typically “dreads rogue-likes’ style of gameplay,” found Cadence‘s twists to the genre rewarding: “Cadence of Hyrule is almost a completely different beast compared to its predecessor as this game’s learning curve is easier on the player as it’s a roguelite instead. Does it make it less challenging? A little bit. Thanks to the slight shift in genre, certain abilities you gain throughout are permanent and there’s even an option to disable the beat-driven gameplay if it’s too much for you. If you want a bit more of that difficulty, though, there’s even a co-op mode to see if you can keep to the rhythm with a fellow player.

“Is it still rewarding? If you’re a Zelda fan then it definitely is. The amazing soundtrack features multiple musicians from across the world, with one of the scores being an awesome cover of ‘Tal Tal Heights.’ The different weapons and abilities you gain throughout the campaign are really entertaining. The developers even brought over the option to play as multiple characters, as it included a playable Princess Zelda years before the release of Echoes of Wisdom. The DLC for Cadence of Hyrule also adds on to all of this strengths as well. Overall, if you love the challenge of a good Zelda game mixed with what the series is best known for, all in a different coat of paint, then you’re in for a real treat.”

“I’ll admit that Cadence of Hyrule is an acquired taste,” concludes Alex Weber. “There’s a certain combination of a good ear and good instincts required in order for following the beat to feel natural. The game requires a good sense of rhythm, and can be difficult to approach without it. It’s not for everyone, but for me, it’s everything I never knew I wanted for a Zelda spin-off.

“The stupendous music always has a pulsing beat that drives you ever-forward. The world feels full of life and is one of the most diversely vibrant Hyrules to-date. It’s full of little references to almost every past Zelda game, keeping the eye intrigued, invested, and thrilled. Though the story is simple, the gameplay quality is superb, and the randomized overworld makes second, third, and fourth replays almost as enjoyable as the first.

“In my eyes, Cadence of Hyrule is so good that I often forget it’s only a spin-off. It’s out of place on this list, in my opinion. And judged among the main series games, it boasts a spot in my top ten.”

 

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And so, there it is! That brings to a close our inaugural Best Zelda Ever spin-off ranking! As with our typical yearly lists, putting it all together was exhausting, but immensely rewarding. And not only that; this grand April Fools’ experiment proved to be a both very educational and intensely fun. To tell you the truth, many of us here at Zelda Dungeon have decided to seek out the spin-offs that have so far eluded us so that we can adequately rank them next time. And there will be a next time! From everyone at Zelda Dungeon, thank you for reading!

All quotes obtained firsthand. Make sure to let us know what your best Zelda ever is in the comments below! Make sure to follow the Zelda Dungeon team on Bluesky, X, and elsewhere. Contributing to this article were:

Rod Lloyd
Mases Hagopian
Judy Calder
Andy Spiteri
Locke
Alex Weber
Kora Burton
Gooey Fame
Heather Beard
Alexis Anderson
Brandon Schmitz
Kat Vadam
Sean Gadus
Charles Xavier
Kristen G. Rosario
Chakell Herbert
Leslie Jacobson
Nick Miller
Josh Wittmershaus
Nicole Scott
Julia Wilson
Jared Eubanks
John Lortie
Aubriel Eastman
Evan Hahn
Sherry Lipan

Original Artwork: Zelda Dungeon Art Director Heather Beard