Summary
The Legend of Zeldawas released in North America on the NES in 1987. It was released a year prior in Japan on a completely different system and not just the Famicom which was the NES equivalent in Japan. The Famicom had an exclusive attachment called the Famicom Disk System and that’s what it was released for.
The game is nearly identical but there are small changes to it such as the music and that version is almost lost to time without emulation. It brings to mind this question. What consoles have had the most entries inThe Legend of Zeldaseries? Are there some Western fans who don’t know about or are different elsewhere? Let’s dive into some console history and find out.
5Wii (3 Games)
Thanks To The Virtual Console, Fans Could Relive The Past
The Wii launched withThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princesswhich also came out on the GameCube. The big difference was that ithad motion controlsand the game was also mirrored because of this fact. The motion controls would be enhanced further withThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordand to a lesser extentLink’s Crossbow Training. Those are the three games that were on the Wii and many Nintendo platforms only had three games or even just two.
The reason why the Wii should be mentioned above the other threesome members is because of the Virtual Console. The concept was huge at the time as it allowed fans to relieve their past via console downloads likeon the NESand SNES.Zeldafans in particular could playThe Legend of Zelda,Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link,The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past,The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, andThe Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.
4Wii U (4 Games)
Nintendo’s Failed Console Actually Got Great Zelda Games
The Wii Uwas also great because of its Virtual Console contributions which added platforms like the GBA to the mix. Also, being able to play these games on the Wii U GamePad was a treat. Virtual Console aside, the Wii U had some great entries thanks to the two remasters ofThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HDandThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. Zelda fans are still waiting for those entries to appear on the Switch.
Then there was the wild spinoff,Hyrule Warriors, which was likeDynasty Warriorsexcept with Zelda characters. From Link to Ganon, there were tons of heroes and villains to play. There was even a female version of Link named Linkle just to name one new addition to the overallZeldafranchise. Finally, the Wii U closed out withThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildand while many played it on the Switch instead, it was still a good version on the Wii U.
3DS (6 Games)
Taking Advantage Of The Stylus And Breathing New Life Into Tingle
The DS gave Nintendo a new way for players to interact with Link via the Stylus. The first big get wasThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglasswhich was like a spiritual successor toThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Link got a steam-powered boat he could customize to then fight off monsters while exploring nearby islands. The boat was then replaced with a train inThe Legend of Zelda: Spirit Trackswhich had some novel vehicular ideas too.
In Japan,Tingle got a trilogy of spinoffs. First, there wasFreshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeelandwhich did eventually come out in PAL regions, so it is available easily in English. There was aBalloon Fightremake starring Tingle calledTingle’s Balloon Fightand then a more proper adventure viaRipened Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love. Lastly,The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Editionwas a DSiWare exclusive which was the multiplayer portion of the GBA port ofThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
23DS (6 Games)
Creating Sequels To The Past And Updating Classics With 3D
The 3DS was a less Tingle-heavy portable although he did pop up. For example, two bigZeldaremakes for the 3DShad enhanced 3D visuals viaThe Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3DandThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. The button layout and controls were tweaked for these games as well, making them the best playable versions. There was also a 3D enhanced version of the first game which was demoed at an early showing of the 3DS at E3. WhileThe Legend of Zelda 3Dwas not finished, other 3D-enhanced NES games were released such asKirby’s AdventureandKid Icarus.
Enhanced versions aside, the big 3DS game wasThe Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worldswhich was a sequel to the SNES classic,The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. There was alsoThe Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroeswhich wasa three-player co-op gameandMy Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princesswas a light puzzle spinoff. Finally, the 3DS got a port ofHyrule WarriorscalledHyrule Warriors Legendswhich added new stories and characters like Tetra and Toon Link fromThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
1Switch (8 Games)
Nintendo’s Ultimate Zelda Console
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda
The Switch truly has become the ultimate console forZeldafans. It launched withThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildwhich helped the console hybrid sell amazingly well in its first year. It got two tie-in games as well.Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamitywas a prequel set before the original but in another universe andThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomwas a straight sequel. There was alsoHyrule Warriors: Definitive Editionwhich, as the name implies, had a complete and definitive amount of content between the Wii U and 3DS versions.
There was the 2019 remake ofThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakeningand that is getting a spiritual sequel viaThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomwhich is starring Zeldaand that’s a huge win for fans. Another remaster includesThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDwhich negated the intense need for motion controls.Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zeldawas a roguelike spinoff that was as odd as it was rhythmically entertaining. Finally, there is a myriad of digital ports available on Nintendo Switch Online. So again, the Switch is indeed the bestZeldaconsole of all time.
