ZD Top 5 – Direct Sequels in Zelda

The Zelda series is certainly not known for its direct sequels. Most games act as their own independent stories, connected by no more than some subtleties regarding the overall timeline, so one could say that it is a pleasant change of pace to see a series title get a direct sequel – a game featuring events that directly follow the previous game, or happen in the same world, but occur at a later time, like in Majora’s Mask or A Link Between Worlds. There are not many, but there are enough for a list of favorites, so this week, the ZD staff takes a look at their favorite sequels in Zelda.

As usual, make sure to hit the comments, and to list your Top 5 sequels in the series!

Jon Lett – View Profile

5. BS Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets
4. Phantom Hourglass
3. Spirit Tracks
2. Majora’s Mask
1. A Link Between Worlds

I was REALLY close to placing Majora’s at the top, but I can’t dismiss all that A Link Between Worlds brought to the table. I know that it could be argued that A Link Between Worlds is not a direct sequel, but I would say that it is, as it takes place in the exact same world as A Link to the Past. This is a first for the Zelda series, and I know how great the game must be, as I went in thinking that it being the same world was a cop-out, and yet I enjoyed it more than most games in the whole series! The small amount of story was really powerful, it called back to the best elements of its prequel, and I would totally play it again any day. The way they molded A Link to the Past’s Hyrule into something that felt fresh was impressive, and honestly, I think I might like Lorule better than the old Dark World. It just has more personality, and its identity as an alternate universe version of Hyrule brings up some major questions about parallel dimensions, and the Triforce itself. All around, an awesome game, and a great way to bring people back to a world they recognize from an age-old classic.

Alexis Anderson – View Profile

5. Adventure of Link
4. A Link Between Worlds
3. Four Swords Adventures
2. Phantom Hourglass
1. Majora’s Mask

Obviously I love Majora’s Mask in its own right, but its depressing tone kicks off immediately when you realize young Link is looking for Navi; his Ocarina of Time adventure pal, annoying as she was at times. It was weird because I hadn’t considered that Link might miss her. Direct sequels are interesting in that I don’t usually think too much about Link’s life following a game, but the sequels give me a broader perspective on Link as a person.

Thomas Jacobs – View Profile

5. Adventure of Link
4. Phantom Hourglass
3. Majora’s Mask
2. Link’s Awakening
1. Oracle of Ages

Being a direct sequel is more of a story thing than a gameplay thing for me. One has to come after another with a similar, if not the same, cast of characters. As such, I do not consider Twilight Princess to be a sequel to Ocarina of Time in the same way Majora’s Mask is. As such, there are only five true sequels in the franchise. The Adventure of Link took a bold new direction, but the steep difficulty of the game is rather off putting for me. Phantom Hourglass is a fun bout of exploring and has Linebeck, but doing the Temple of the Ocean King over and over again gets old fast, even with the shortcuts. Majora’s Mask has an interesting story, but for me the three days thing is just a bit too limited for me. Link’s Awakening is a fun romp with interesting, if kind of samey-looking, dungeons all around, but it suffers from the limits of the system. Oracle of Ages greatly improves on this by having interesting dungeons, a fun overworld, the time mechanic to play with and of course the animal companions. And at the end of the day I just can’t say no to riding around in a kangaroo’s pouch and have it punch monsters in the face.