Daily Debate: Which Zelda Remake Best Improved on the Original?

It’s been a period of self-reflection for the past several days here at Zelda Dungeon, as our writing team has been revisiting and reassessing several Zelda games for a series we call Fresh Takes. Each writer chose a game to back to in order to determine if their initial opinions have held up or if they had grown a newfound appreciation. It’s been a great experience for all of us.

Some of the most surprising conclusions I’ve seen reading these Fresh Takes articles relate to Zelda series remakes. One would think that, in all circumstances, a remake would provide a superior experience over the original game. But in revisiting classics they may have misjudged, a few of our writers found that playing the original version of a particular game actually delivered a better experience than its respective remake. Majora’s Mask, The Wind Waker, and Skyward Sword were the standout examples.

The observations shared by the team this week got me thinking about the Zelda remakes that best improved upon their original games. The Wind Waker HD, in my opinion, really streamlined the original’s pacing by introducing the Swift Sail and trimming down the late-game Triforce quest. Skyward Sword HD meanwhile addressed criticisms of the original’s motion controls by allowing for alternative button controls. I would have said that these two games offered the most significant improvements, but the thoughts of my fellow writers have called that perspective into question.

So we turn to you, dear reader. Which Zelda series remake did the best job improving on its original experience? What made that remake so successful? Join the debate in the comments below!

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