READ PART I HERE. The disclaimers there also apply here, naturally.
Like the vast majority of online Zelda game rankings, the top half of this countdown heavily features the so-called “3D Zelda” titles, which is a slightly outdated moniker that nowadays has less to do with rendering techniques and more with a behind-the-character camera angle that traditionally coincides with a higher development budget than the corresponding “top-down” Zelda entries. Trying to say something new about these widely beloved games when I have already devoted so many words to them on this site alone has been a steep challenge, but a welcome one.
Anyway, you know the deal by now; let’s bring this home.
– 10) A Link Between Worlds –
First Completed (3DS): 2013
It is almost impossible for me to think about the 3DS’ only purpose-built single-player Zelda game without also remembering how important it was to the overall health and legacy of that little handheld. The cherry upon the bountifully fluffy cake that was 2013 – one of the best exclusive-driven years for any console in history – A Link Between Worlds may have re-appropriated the soundtrack and world layout of the Zelda game whose name it references most closely, but its standalone vibe and historical impact on the franchise could scarcely be more different.
Fond of imposing dungeon pits that appear to go on forever with the 3D slider on, the nominal A Link to the Past sequel uses the dual threat of an ingenious pseudo-2D painting wall traversal trick and an almost completely non-linear item rental system (the latter a canary in the proverbial open-air coal mine) to weaponise player map familiarity even better than Tears of the Kingdom did, mostly because that familiarity messes with veterans but is in no way required to enjoy the game. Few Zelda games feature a more satisfying sword-hit sound effect (beyond the engine-sharing Tri Force Heroes, of course), and the sound design is just generally superb.
In fact for sheer, tightly-designed yet open-ended gameplay rhythm, there aren’t too many Zelda games that can challenge A Link Between Worlds. I once knew a senior citizen and longtime Zelda fan who completed the game so many times he basically became an amateur speed-runner, and he never got bored. The narrative energy doesn’t quite match the mechanical quality, but the finale, buoyed by a completely original snare-powered final dungeon track so good it is often mistaken for the main theme, hits hard out of nowhere with a neat double-twist that effectively drills into ideas the Zelda series hardly ever touches. It’s difficult to think of a better way to kick off my top ten favourite Zelda list.
– 9) Oracle of Ages –
First Completed (GBC on NS2): 2026
The most recent Zelda game I’ve finished at the time of writing – and thus the first one to ever give me that sweet, elusive “completed ’em all mate” feeling for this great series – Oracle of Ages dives straight into the top ten thanks to a deft combination of overworld structure and dungeon design that isn’t quite present in its partner game Oracle of Seasons. It helps that I experienced Ages second, of course, because the games feature a still-unique unifying password mechanic that entwines the stories, transfers some of your gains, and makes the second adventure you play inherently richer; it also helps that time travel is just an inherently more juicy thematic gimmick than seasonal switch-ups. It’s more straightforward, too.
If Seasons was developed with a focus on action, Ages is explicitly about puzzles, and I cannot express how welcome the latter philosophy feels to a Zelda fan in 2026. The intent is clear from the very first dungeon, which throws multiple small keys at the player at once, features more than one puzzle where the angle of approach matters, then tosses in a map-hinted hidden room and a Wallmaster for good measure. The remaining suite is stacked with highlights that stumped me for longer than the series has in decades; the two water-themed dungeons in particular demand a level of lateral thinking Nintendo’s main Zelda team has rarely dared to ask of the player, and the accompanying music is more memorably maddening (in a good way) than you usually get from the top-down titles.
There are overworld segments that require the kind of cerebral traversal you won’t find anywhere else in Zelda beyond Skyward Sword or certain optional Breath of the Wild quests, especially late in the game after you’ve obtained the ability to travel back and forward in time at will. As a by-product of its central gimmick, the Ocarina of Time nods are stronger and more successful than those within Seasons, and on top of all the clever economy stuff that game does, Ages also rocks some of the coolest unique items in the series: ricocheted shots with the Seed Shooter feel amazing to execute, the strange Flipper controls are rewarding to master, and the Switch Hook is just supreme design from top to bottom. What a game.
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