Zelda game you hated at first but ended up loving

[Jimmu]

I remember the day I took home Skyward Sword and turned it on to start playing as being disappointing. I was very hyped for SS and when I turned it on and started playing it I felt fairly motion sick from playing it, I didn't feel as though the style was going to agree with my eyes (I have had this issue with a lot of games before on the PS2 particularly). After a few days though this went away and throughout my time playing the game I actually came to quite like the art style.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

Oracle of Seasons. At first I hated it because I sucked at it and the challenging action-based dungeons did not help. Much rage happened on my first playthrough. but after replaying it, I ended up liking it, and eventually loving it because I gained skill and appreciation for the concepts it brought forward.

hmm,i wonder if the same will happen to me,b/c i too strongly dislike oracle of seasons

 

[Farore's Chosen]

I didn't hate Minish Cap, but I did turn my nose up when I first saw how the character sprites looked. I'm so glad I gave it a chance, because its a very fun game.

 

[Linkmaster30000]

Majora's Mask. I really did not like the clock at all. I didn't understand what the purpose was, especially after playing LttP, LA, and OoT. It was super frustrating.

Later I tried it again and found out just how brilliant it is. Playing MM all the way through really taught me to be open to any game and play it as much as possible in order to really grasp the spirit of the game. MM is probably why I enjoy most of the games that I play.

 

[Dio]

If I hate a game I dont persist with it but my opinion on one particular title changed on my second play through.

Skyward Sword was very disappointing. I couldn't help but feel that on my first playthrough. Nintendo had revealed every area in its advertising campaign and there was no feeling of discovery to the game.
On my second playthrough I enjoyed it more, as I was no longer experiencing the disappointment of having seen every area. On a replay you already know what is coming anyway.

 

[ihateghirahim]

Wind waker was poorly animated, incredibly tedious with changing the wind's direction, long as hell sailing, short on challenge, and i could never get the ghost ship.

Over time I grew to appreciate its colorful look, excellent soundtrack, good story, and lovable sidequests. It's still my least favorite 3d Zelda, but I look forward to a future playthrough, and plus the HD version fixes some of my problems.

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

I definitely disliked Majora's Mask when I first played it. I just couldn't get used to the clock feature and always had trouble getting anywhere without dying. It wasn't until like 10 years after I started playing it (after I'd grown up a bit) that I bought the VC version and decided to give it another go. I ended up finally making it to the Woodfall Temple and got so into it that I finished it over the course of 3 days (not even intentionally lol, that was a fluke). It was when I really got into the game and started actually playing it that I grew to appreciate it. It's now my favourite game in the series for many reasons. It's simply fantastic.

 

[misskitten]

I can't say I hated a game and then ended up loving it. There are a couple of games I have issues with, but those aren't games I've since grown to love. And there were two games that I initially wasn't keen on to start with, not from trying them, but from hearing about them. However, when I have them a proper chance I ended up loving both and they are today my two favourite games in the franchise, namely Wind Waker and A Link Between Worlds. With Wind Waker I initially disliked the "kiddy" look to it, and I even avoided getting a Gamecube because the games just seemed like they were going the "kiddy" direction and I disliked that. It took many years before I finally tried it out, and yes, I did end up playing the HD edition rather than the GC one - though I do own the GC one, and when I finally gave it a proper chance it just dazzled me, I began appreciating the look and vibrant feel of it. With A Link Between Worlds, I was disappointed that the upcoming 3DS game was going to be a 2D-game, and I found the idea of it to be a waste of the 3D feature, but I still bought it because it was Zelda and I wanted to give it a chance. I couldn't put it down and I ended up completing a Zelda game 100% for the first time ever.

 

[Mipha]

Oot. Thought it was overated and stupid but ended up liking it.

 

[MW7]

I never hated the game, but the original Legend of Zelda has grown on me the most. The game can be frustrating when you first play it. Avoiding damage is a million times harder than in any of the 3d games and puzzles are more vague. Once you gain a little skill and have a general sense of where things are located, the game becomes a much more enjoyable experience.

 

[Majoras-Light]

Twilight Princess, I absolutely hated it at first, but I replayed it about 3 years after my first play through and I enjoy it now.

 

[Ventus]

i don't love the game necessarily, but i have a better respect for skyward sword after running through it this last year. gameplay is quite fun when i ignore my personal opinion of it, and i can appreciate the wild rides the story takes ou on.

 

[A Link In Time]

That'd be Phantom Hourglass for me. I couldn't stand the simplistic dungeon design and the touch screen controls, but the online play to earn Big Plays hooked me in. I love how it recreated the strategic feel of the Temple of the Ocean King while bringing a new layer of connectivity to the franchise. I always refer people to Phantom Hourglass whenever they say competitive multiplayer has no place in Zelda.

 

[DarkestLink]

Skyward Sword.

 

[Doc]

Spirit Tracks. The graphics and train mechanic made me really hate this game. But I managed to look past that and realize that this game had some pretty cool dungeons and items.