New Handheld Owner, Which LoZs Will I like?

[Jokesey]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the forum AND new to the 3DS. I've wanted one for a long time, but it took the special Majora's Mask edition for me to finally commit.

I played OoT on N64 back in the day and its been one of my favorite games since then. Strangely it was my first and last Zelda until many years later when my brother grabbed me Majoras mask on eBay. I played it, loved it, and rediscovered my love of Nintendo. This lead to purchasing the Wii U and using it to play through all the console Zelda games I missed out on. WindWaker HD, Twilight Princess and finally Skyward Sword. Each had things I really loved, and minor things I disliked.

I am now playing OoT 3D and have been considering what to go for next. Obviously Majora's will get played as well, but what about all the handheld titles?

Will I even like them, having never played any before? Will they seem too "old fashioned"? The only games I've enjoyed top-down were the old Pokemon games that I left behind after the 2nd generation. Would love to hear back from people who have been in the same situation.

What game should I start with to test out the waters?

 

[airistra]

Since you have access to the 3DS, you can also go for ALBW. If you're a fan of ALttP, you'll love ALBW. Even if you're not, it's a great game to pick up. It brings back the old-school Zelda feeling through the overworld and non-linear dungeon explorations. For me at least.

With handheld games, because they're different from the console games, it might take a while to adapt. You have the whole screen by screen traveling in LA and OoS/OoA, just like LoZ, and also the fact that the gameplay is much different than what you're used to on the console. PH and ST has the stylus-based movement so it can get tough depending on how fast you can adapt to it. You'll rarely use any of the buttons at all.

Along with ALBW, I recommend MC as the two games to try out. MC has a playing style similar to LA and OoS/OoA so it's a good game to try out and see if you like the GB/GBA games. PH and ST, it's only if you really want to go for it.

 

[misskitten]

I would echo the recommendation for A Link Between Worlds. I only really played and enjoyed the 3D Zeldas for a long time, but I ended up really, really loving ALBW, because it was kind of a halfway point between the 3D and the 2D Zeldas, and it made me more open to enjoying the 2D titles afterwards.

 

[Jokesey]

Thank you for your advice airistra. ALBW is definitely one of the ones I have given serious thought. I have never played ALttP, or anything that came before OoT. If I play ALBW first and enjoy it, would going back to experience ALttP, LA after be too primitive though?

 

[Jokesey]

Thank you for that misskitten! Which 2D titles have you played since ALBW?

 

[Vanessa28]

I recommend ALBW. It's a fun and cool game. I played it many many times and still enjoy every single bit of it. Another game you should try is Spirit Tracks. It's not as bad as some people say it is. The train ride can be a bit dull but the dungeons make up for it and the storyline is a cool one.

 

[Spirit]

Buy/download them all. theyre all awesome.

 

[Doc]

Repeating what others said, you should check out ALBW. It was kind of a flashback to the classic 2D games while still managing to use newer elements of the franchise. You could also play ALttP (which is essentially the same as ALBW) as that game has aged fairly well.

Another title I think you should really look into, especially considering you loved all the console titles, would be Minish Cap. It's a good bridge between 3D and 2D and has a world loaded with secrets to uncover. It controls very well and is just a great Zelda title.

 

[Jokesey]

Thanks for all the advice so far!

It seems ALBW will be the place to start, perhaps to be followed up by MC. Too bad ALBW is still expensive everywhere.

Is it worth it just buying the ones possible in the E-shop?

 

[Vanessa28]

TMC is indeed a very fun and cool game. You can buy it in VC on wii-u. You're going to love it. It's an amazing game. Do you mean buying ALBW in eshop? I doubt it will be much cheaper though. The game is not that old so I don't think you can get it for much cheaper. But I live in Europe so it could differ.

 

[misskitten]

Thank you for that misskitten! Which 2D titles have you played since ALBW?

I've played maybe halfway through Link's Awakening or more and plan to go back and finish the game later on, it's a nice game with plenty of Easter egg nods to other Nintendo franchises. I've also played through both the Oracle Games, and enjoyed both of those. Seasons is very action-oriented, while Ages is very puzzle-oriented. Both are fun.

 

[airistra]

Thank you for your advice airistra. ALBW is definitely one of the ones I have given serious thought. I have never played ALttP, or anything that came before OoT. If I play ALBW first and enjoy it, would going back to experience ALttP, LA after be too primitive though?

Nah. It's always great to go back and play games you've never played before. Although ALttP is similar to ALBW, it has some things that are unique to itself. It's also more combat-based and arguably harder. Of course, the difficulty varies among each player but I find it harder especially considering ALttP doesn't have the renting system like ALBW.

As for LA, I honestly can't say that much about it since I've only played it once. But it's always a fun experience to try it out, see if it's to your liking.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

I recommend Minish Cap, the Oracle games, Link's Awakening DX and A Link Between Worlds most. Try all of them though.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

bro,you need link's awakening in your life
and on 3ds its only like $6

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

The Minish Cap is my favourite of the handheld Zeldas (if you couldn't tell from my username haha), but it is unfortunately not available on the 3DS at the present time (unless you got it through the Ambassador Program, but that is not possible anymore).

I definitely recommend A Link Between Worlds. Since you're used to the 3D perspective games, it might be a tad difficult to get used to, but it's quite fun once you do. Another one I recommend are the 2 DS titles, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. They tend to be pretty different compared to most other Zelda games, but they're quite fun once you give them a chance. PH is a bit on the easy side, but ST is a nice jump in difficulty, and both are good games.

Currently, on the 3DS eShop, you can purchase the original The Legend of Zelda, as well as Link's Awakening and the two Oracle games [/i]Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons[/i]. I found them harder to get into, simply because they're so old, but I thoroughly enjoyed my playthroughs of all of them. They're nice and cheap too, as you can get all 4 for less than $20. Of these, my favourite would be Oracle of Ages, but they're all good.

Whatever route you choose to go, you're in for a good time. Personally, I'd try out all of the ones I listed since, aside from TMC, you can play them all on your 3DS, so they're readily available. In any case, I wish you luck with your handheld Zelda experience!