General Zelda Which Zelda Overworld Was the the Best to Explore?

[Justac00lguy]

Exploration is one my favorite things about the Zelda franchise as it gives you that sense of scale and that all important adventuring aspect.

But what game did "You" find was the best to explore, you can choose any game from the series and it doesn't necessarily have to do with how good the graphics were or how big the overworld was....It's all to do with your opinion

My choice sould be the Hyrule we saw in Twilight Princess. There are many reasons why I love the exploration aspects in this game, the sheer size of the overworld and even though it was scarce it made for a great sense of adventure. The fact that I could see huge structures in the distance and landscape spot such as Death Mountain, Eldin Bridge, Hyrule Etc. We could see these off in the distance and the fact that pretty much anything you could see you could indeed go made the overworld feel much more real.

I also loved the atmosphere and the serene beauty of the vast landscape's, from the light shining throuh the forests to the empty desert to the ice cold mists of Snowpeak....Everything just felt amazing and the music complemented the areas as you explored throughout the overworld, it made it that much mkre satisfying. My last point would be that even though people see TP's overworld as being empty I thought it had a lot to offer. From finding rupees and chest's to searching for golden bugs and hunting Poe's at night...Even finding the odd Mini Dungeon here and there, I just loved everything about exploring in this game.

 

[Spirit]

I'm saying TP, even though i love WW and the Great Sea, TP's Hyrule field was the right kind of epic, it was huge and had the awesome architecture which made things seem even more impressive, the Bridge of Eldin was Awesome and the field itself was open enough for me to roam wherever i chose and it always felt like i was going to find something new in the rocky terrains like caves and tunnels, you could see for miles and it was a thing of beauty when the sun rose and set and gave us the awesomely garish light. TP's Hyrule Field wasn't built around a gimmick either which means at least to me that it felt like a natural world, a fully functioning land that i didnt need to question, it was also littered with goodies to find like heart pieces and rupees etc etc down the nooks and crannies of cliff edged and gorges, the provinces like Kakariko village and Death Mountain and Zora's Domain and Lake Hylia all fit together perfectly without feeling clumsy or out of the ordinary, TP's hyrule was a wonderful place <3

 

[Mamono101]

I think that the original LoZ had the best overworld when talking in terms of exploration. Each of its 100+ (I'm not sure of the exact amount since I couldn't find this info) map screens are unique. Some of the secrets within the overworld are next to impossible to discover meaning that you either use a walkthrough to find out what to do OR you explore each and every one of these screens bombing every square inch of walls in the hopes that you uncover a secret cave, randomly blowing the whistle to see what it does in different locations, burning every bush you come into contact with...

If that doesn't scream exploration and encourage the use of items in the overworld to aid in your adventure then I don't know what does!

 

[JuicieJ]

Definitely A Link to the Past's. You can roam around relatively unrestricted very early on in the game, and there's always something to be done along the way (i.e. the complete opposite of modern Zelda, especially Twilight Princess).

The Minish Cap did a great job, as well, but it took a bit longer to really open up as compared to A Link to the Past's.

 

[Lamentizer]

Ahhhhh. I didn't know there was a test. I didn't study. LOL.

Anyways, Twilight Princess is my choice. Every time I turn around, I discover something new. Just yesterday I discovered a hidden cave with 50 Rupees at the end.

 

[baronvonbehr]

It's actually a hard question for me to answer. Because I think (most of) the games have some great exploration possibilities, but they differ in they way they present the exploration. I ended up choosing the Wind Waker, not because it's a vast overworld with a lot to explore, but because that was the first game that I played in the Zelda series were I explored. I had played a lot of Zelda games before that but most of those I ended up getting a guide for the exploration part. I think the first Zelda game I explored in was Skyward Sword, but I still think that the Wind Waker had a larger impact on my exploration genes I used hours and days in the Wind Waker exploring and getting every single item (though I did get some help with the Nintendo Gallery) and I often found myself at ease and enjoying the somewhat long sailing portions. On the other hand I didn't find that feeling in the same manner in Skyward Sword. So that's why my pick is the Wind Waker over Skyward Sword (and any other Zelda game).

 

[DarkLink7]

WHY YOU NO LET TWO CHOICES?!?!?!?!?

I'm torn between SS's Surface World and TP's Hyrule.

As stated before, TP was simply epic. there's so many things to find or do that it was nearly impossible to find something you couldn't do, be it Poe-hunting to bug catching to lure fishing to monster fighting. plus TP's graphics make it look like something that could actually exist. The music helped set the mood: Snowpeak's music gave me shivers, Gerudo Desert sounded like something from Saudi Arabia, where there's lots of sand. The music for Zora's Domain and Lake Hylia was cool and refreshing. Death Mountain's was something appropriate for an active volcano.

SS's overworld was pretty cool. I liked all the puzzles and little details of the three regions. Treasure hunting (although a little tedious) was a nice distraction. I was playing SS last night and I saw all these Amber Relics heading to Lake Floria, and I was like "Huh, that's cool." I love the Sand Sea. So peaceful, and the music accents that. Eldin Volcano was awesome, with all the little lava puzzles and the digging/burrowing to find little treasures, like money and Pieces of Heart. Faron is very detailed, with all it's nooks and crannies where there may be treasure or Rupees. It's all very interesting.

Well, I'm done ranting. Sorry bout that.

 

[DarkestLink]

Was debating between between TP, OoT, and MM. I picked TP.

OoT was pretty good as well, but I just think I prefer finding new tiny areas, new unsearched corners, than having my stone of agony act up and then bomb for a generic hole. Oh and if you didn't how a stone of agony, you missed quite a bit.

MM seemed like a logical choice at first, but when I really got down too it, it was the "towns" (Clock Town and Milk Road/Romani Ranch) that were fun to explore, not so much the overworld.

TP is the only game I've 100% more than once and I have done countless fun runs and exploration on this game...and it just baffles me how I always find something new. Of course, I've beaten the game 100%, so it's nothing significant, but I'm still finding rupee chests I had no idea was there. Hidden nooks and crannies with goodies. I love the 3D Zelda's in particular and I've always felt like I know the overworld like the back of my hand...but that just isn't the case with TP. Hell, my sister found a couple on her last 100% playthrough. Just recently I found out that those chus you find on the ceiling of the cave after the Bridge of Hylia sometimes has Rare Chu Jelly.

 

[Johnny Sooshi]

For me it's a toss up between TP and MC.

I know some people believe TP was a terrible game, but to me, despite some of its flaws, it succeeded at creating a very good explorable environment, more so than most games. Travel wasn't tedious, something that was a personal issue for me in OoT, even after receiving Epona. Twilight Princess kept the overworld combat alive and exploration necessary, specifically with things such as the bug hunt and caves to explore.

As for MC, I found the overworld to be a great area of exploration. It had a nice amount of engaging action and side quests to enjoy, even though the majority of it was simply travel filler since the town square was the best place to explore for interaction. MC's level of overworld exploration gave me the sense that I could find a multitude of environments in a simple game, with swap just to the south of volcanic mountain. Also, the music score was very catchy in all of the overworld.

 

[videogamenerd10]

I have to say the original Legend of Zelda on NES had the best over world. It was just so much fun to explore, find things, and kill enemies. Even if you had no idea where you were supposed to go!

 

[Ganon Of Hyrule]

Wind Waker.

I Beleave that Wind Waked Has the best over world to explore out of any zelda game I have played so far and I have played Loz, Zelda 2, A link to the past, OOT, Majoras Mask, Wind waker, Minuish Cap, and twilight princesses.

It also has the only over world that Iv played where you can go just about any where I the beginning of the game

 

[Sir Quaffler]

Ooh, I'm pretty torn on this one. I really liked exploring in OoT, MM, TP, and SS almost equally.

In the end, though, I'm going with MM, because the time mechanic really opens up some options as to what you explore and when.

 

[ihateghirahim]

MM had the best overworld. The people and places were a part of the story, and each one was part of their own interesting tale. These people, places, and sidequests are some of the best I've ever seen in a video game. I only hope that Nintendo remakes it or creates a game similar to it; a black sheep for the series.

 

[Castle]

Wow, this is a tough one... but is it no surprise I'd have to give it to Ocarina of Time? Hyrule in the era of the Hero of Time is just so vast (even today) and so vibrant with so many nooks and crannies. Every inch of terrain is a wonder to behold. The detail in the world is astounding. Places have weight - have atmosphere and history. Hyrule of the Hero of Time era feels like an old place. I love that!

Then again so does the Hyrule of Twilight Princess, but yet it still doesn't manage to capture the charm of its predecessor. Hyrule in TP is more vast than Hyrule of OoT with just as many nuances, if not more. As impressive as it is, OoT still has it beat.

But it is the Great Granddaddy Hyrule of The Legend of Zelda that breaks the mold. So vast, so aimless... again, even for today! Even for its archaic graphics it still feels like a wild adventure!! Just the excitement of roaming around until you discover something fascinating is such a wonder! That is a feeling few video game adventures have managed to recapture. Heck, only the last two Fallout games feel like something even remotely similar.

Special consideration goes to MC's unconventional overworld layout and structure. Very much the predecessor to SS and imho its successor's superior.

Other lands of TLoZ have come close, but none match the Hyrule of OoT in my eyes.

 

[Ventus]

Majora's Mask had the best overworld as far as exploration goes. There was always a secret literally in walking distance (Young Link walking distance anyway), and you couldn't anticipate what it would be unless you had already played the game before! Heck, even the grottos changed from their incarnation in Ocarina of Time!