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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we are ranking all of the titles in the Legend of Zelda franchise
00:14by difficulty.
00:16We will, however, be excluding spinoffs and unofficial entries.
00:24But before we get into it, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe
00:29and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:33Number 19.
00:34The Legend of Zelda Four Swords
00:42Released alongside the GBA remake of A Link to the Past, Four Swords wasn't much of
00:47a fully-fledged adventure on its own, but rather a multiplayer add-on to the game.
00:52However, it does still feature a story, albeit a paper-thin one, and is considered a mainline
00:58game in Zelda canon.
01:00As the first Zelda to feature multiplayer gameplay, it focused on two to four players
01:04making their way through randomly generated dungeons as quickly as possible in a rupee-gathering
01:10bonanza.
01:11This meant that a lot of the subtlety and puzzle-solving the series is known for didn't
01:15have a place in the quick-paced competitive collaboration, and made for a pretty breezy
01:21experience.
01:27Number 18.
01:28The Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds
01:36It must be said that A Link Between Worlds does provide a few intellectually stimulating
01:42puzzles.
01:43However, the ease with which many of the game's enemies could be dispatched, and the sheer
01:46amount of powerful items available to Link, make this one a bit of a walk in the park.
01:52The game also gave the player tremendous freedom in how they completed the game, with
01:56numerous options for the order of the dungeons to be completed.
02:00While this freedom was refreshing, it also meant that the difficulty often leveled off.
02:05Despite its somewhat breezy gameplay, the game remains a fun throwback to A Link to
02:09the Past.
02:15Number 17.
02:16The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks
02:24Like a number of other Zelda titles for the DS, Spirit Tracks wasn't particularly challenging.
02:31Serving as a follow-up to Phantom Hourglass, and by extension, The Wind Waker, the game
02:35swapped out the vast and freely explorable sea for an on-rails experience.
02:41Literally.
02:42The decision to make travel more linear and less freeform than its direct predecessors
02:46certainly lowered the difficulty curve.
02:48Similarly, many players found the combat less trying than past games.
02:53However, the puzzles were often praised as compelling, as was the decision to make a
02:57playable Zelda part of solving those puzzles.
03:00Her ability to possess the phantoms helped set it apart in Zelda gameplay, with a playable
03:05Zelda coming long before Echoes of Wisdom.
03:12Number 16.
03:14The Legend of Zelda Four Swords Adventures
03:22The follow-up to the original multiplayer Zelda title did add a bit of complexity to
03:26the formula of four Links working in unison to slash their way through Hyrule.
03:31That being said, it lacked the depth of traditional Zelda games.
03:35The campaign, where players make their way through eight stages, each with a boss waiting
03:40at the end, feels more in line with Nintendo's other flagship franchise, Mario.
03:45Due to the fast-paced gameplay, traditional Zelda dungeons that have to be puzzled out
03:49are absent.
03:50In fact, the most difficult thing about this game may have been finding three other friends
03:55that also had Link cables for their Game Boy advances.
04:02Number 15.
04:04The Legend of Zelda Triforce Heroes
04:12Thanks to the hardware on which it was played, the final piece of the Zelda multiplayer trilogy
04:17was able to ditch the cables for some wireless play.
04:20This meant that the game could be played with friends locally or via matchmaking online
04:24with people from all over the world.
04:26This didn't make the gameplay any easier, however.
04:29In fact, a few elements, namely the amount of players lowering from 4 to 3, and a shared
04:35health bar made things slightly tougher.
04:38It also made the game less competitive than either Four Swords game, requiring players
04:43to be mindful of each other's damage to survive.
04:53Number 14.
04:54The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
05:01The incarnation of Link in Twilight Princess is without a doubt one of the strongest ever
05:06seen, having a number of impressive abilities and an absolute treasure trove of overpowered
05:11items.
05:12He even learns a number of powerful abilities from the Hero's Shade, making this Link
05:17an absolute beast, pun intended.
05:20While these items and powerups did make traversing the game's stellar dungeons a blast to make
05:25your way through as a player, they do also make things considerably easier.
05:30The bosses in particular, while immaculately designed with multiple fun stages, are relatively
05:36easy to take down with whatever the particular dungeon's key item is.
05:45Number 13.
05:47The Legend of Zelda The Minish Cap
05:55One of the less popular Zelda titles on the list, sadly, Minish Cap serves as a great
06:00entry point for new Zelda players, particularly ones looking for a 2D or top-down game.
06:06It featured many of the hallmarks of classic Zelda games, including great dungeons with
06:11some fun puzzles.
06:12However, the one main complaint to an otherwise critically praised game is the length of those
06:18dungeons.
06:19The game features only six of them, many of which could be completed relatively quickly.
06:24While the game's side quests do help to beef up the playtime a bit, for veteran players
06:28this one was over too quickly to rank any higher on the list.
06:37Number 12.
06:38The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
06:46By any metric, Tears of the Kingdom is the most expansive and open-world Zelda title,
06:52effectively tripling the already huge world from its predecessor, Breath of the Wild.
06:58Players could indeed get lost in the massive world for countless hours before ever reaching
07:03Ganondorf hiding in the depths beneath Hyrule Castle.
07:06On the other hand, they could skip past most of that and power to the ending quickly, making
07:11this entry a difficult one to place.
07:14While that multi-pronged final showdown isn't exactly for the faint of heart, those that
07:19did complete the game's story would be rewarded with powerful buffs from the allies Link acquired
07:24along the way.
07:31Number 11.
07:32The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker
07:40Generally known for taking a step down in terms of difficulty from the N64 games, the
07:45GameCube titles might not be the most challenging, but neither are they a cakewalk.
07:49The game's focus on exploration helped set it apart in an era before open-world gameplay
07:54was popular.
07:55While its level design was praised, much of the game's more tricky sections came in
07:59trying to navigate the great sea, with only a sassy red boat and some less than accurate
08:05fishmen to guide Link.
08:07While it may represent a tipping point into easier games being produced going forward,
08:12this one still offers enough challenge to place it close to the middle.
08:20Number 10.
08:21The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass
08:29A direct sequel to Wind Waker, although switching from console to handheld, Phantom Hourglass
08:34mirrored Wind Waker in a number of ways, including the difficulty curve.
08:38That isn't to say there weren't a few surprises thrown in, as any good Zelda game should have.
08:44Being the first in the series to be released for the DS, it utilized the unique hardware
08:48in ways only a Zelda game could.
08:51Puzzles involving the dual screens and even the built-in microphone were a new challenge
08:56for players.
08:57The second screen did also make navigating the great sea a bit easier, thanks to the
09:01added map.
09:04Number 9.
09:05The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
09:13This is another one that is difficult to place, simply because of the freedom afforded to
09:18players.
09:19If you wish, you could terrorize the denizens of Ganon, slaying every Hinox and battling
09:25every Lynel you meet.
09:27Alternatively, you could run from every Moblin camp you stumbled across and instead enjoy
09:32the serene beauty of Hyrule's immaculate landscape.
09:36The game eschews traditional dungeons for mini-dungeons known as shrines, which offer
09:40interesting puzzles and challenges.
09:43The four divine beasts also require a good amount of ingenuity to solve.
09:47How easy or difficult the endgame is all comes down to how a given player has progressed
09:52through the adventure, with the abilities from the four champions helping significantly.
10:01Number 8.
10:02The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword
10:08While Twilight Princess was technically a launch title for the Wii, it was made as a
10:13GameCube title and was primarily a port to the newer system.
10:17Therefore, it didn't utilize that console's rather unique control scheme to the fullest
10:22extent.
10:23Skyward Sword, on the other hand, was developed with the Wii in mind from the jump, and its
10:27in-depth motion controls reflected this.
10:30Temples, puzzles, and boss battles were made with the Wiimote and Nunchuck as a sword and
10:35shield or bow and arrow.
10:37Even for the ever-innovating Zelda franchise, this was unique, and as many would point out,
10:42getting those controls down was no small feat.
10:45Those that persevered, however, were rewarded with one of Zelda's best stories.
10:56Number 7.
10:57The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
11:06While perhaps a bit archaic by today's standards, it's nothing short of a miracle that the
11:11controls for the first three-dimensional Zelda title handled so well.
11:16That meant both experienced Zelda veterans from the 2D era and kids playing for the first
11:21time could be fully immersed in the gameplay.
11:24Its three child dungeons, followed by five adult dungeons, plus Ganon's castle, provided
11:30a great difficulty curve for gamers, with things starting easy and gradually becoming
11:35more daunting.
11:36The Z-targeting system and the addition of Link's companion fairy, Navi, meant that
11:40some things were less challenging in 3D.
11:43However, the new dimension of the game opened the floodgates of possibilities for complex
11:48puzzles not possible in past games.
11:58Number 6.
11:59The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening
12:07Originally arriving on the black and white Game Boy in 1993, Link's Awakening also received
12:12two alternate versions.
12:14The first added color and an additional dungeon in 98, and in 2019 a completely revamped version
12:20arrived for the Switch.
12:22The 2019 remake did things a tad easier, with the shield no longer taking up an item slot
12:27and other improvements, but it still provided a good challenge.
12:31The original, however, was even more challenging, partially because it was the first Zelda to
12:36be released for a handheld system.
12:38Being the bizarre game that it was, Link's Awakening featured unique enemies and challenges
12:42which helped up the difficulty.
12:45It even introduced the now standard item trading sequence, giving players an additionally long
12:50running challenge.
12:57Number 5.
12:58The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past
13:07With the massive improvement in hardware from the NES to the Super Nintendo, A Link to the
13:13Past was able to flesh out the world of Hyrule in ways not before possible.
13:18This included a more vibrant and interesting overworld filled with NPCs brought to life
13:23with much improved graphics and smoother gameplay.
13:26While things like Link being able to finally move diagonally rather than in just four directions
13:31made the game slightly less overbearing, it was still plenty difficult.
13:36One way it kept the difficulty up was bosses that required much more timing, strategy,
13:41and specific items to defeat, including perhaps one of the toughest iterations of Ganon to
13:46date.
13:51Number 4.
13:52The Legend of Zelda Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages
14:01Reminiscent of Link's Awakening in many ways, the pair of Oracle games added an extra
14:05wrinkle of difficulty via their unique gimmicks.
14:09Using either the Rod of Seasons or the Harp of Ages, depending on the game, Link must
14:14manipulate the overworld to progress.
14:17The ability to either switch between the four seasons or travel between the distant past
14:21and present made for a number of tricky roadblocks for Link to overcome.
14:26The dungeons were equally tough, as while Link's Awakening had rooms fitting on a
14:30single screen, these games expanded the scope making for some tough battles where bosses
14:35would disappear from view.
14:37There was even an extra reward and challenge for players that beat both games with a secret
14:42ending and boss battle.
14:51Number 3.
14:52The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask
14:58On the surface, the second Zelda for the N64 wasn't necessarily more difficult than your
15:04average 3D Zelda game.
15:06In fact, with only four dungeons, it might seem easier.
15:10What truly set it apart was the three-day system, giving players a strict time limit.
15:15If they had not yet beaten a dungeon, or completed a side quest by the end of the third day,
15:21they would be forced to lose their progress, either saving and resetting, or choosing to
15:26let the moon crash and destroy the world.
15:29Even the inverted song of time could only delay things temporarily.
15:32However, these challenges were well worth the rewards, as Majora's Mask is one of the
15:37most unique and fascinating titles in Zelda canon.
15:46Number 2.
15:47The Legend of Zelda
15:55Going all the way back to the very beginning, completing the original Zelda was fairly arduous.
16:01This was thanks in no small part to the number of things hidden from the player, with only
16:05vague and cryptic clues from strange NPCs to guide Link.
16:10Players, particularly in those early days, were encouraged to make their own maps and
16:14share the game's secrets with friends.
16:17To their own devices, players could often become lost in the labyrinthine overworld
16:22for hours until they found the right bush to light on fire.
16:25Perhaps even harder were the later dungeons, often teeming with untold numbers of resilient
16:31foes.
16:32Those that were able to uncover the mysteries and slay the monsters, however, achieved something
16:37truly epic.
16:44Number 1.
16:45Zelda II The Adventure of Link
16:53The black sheep of the Zelda family in a number of ways, Zelda II was a punishingly difficult
16:59game.
17:00Unlike the first Zelda, and every one to follow for that matter, Adventure of Link was a true
17:05RPG featuring things like XP and learned spells.
17:09The game alternated between a large overworld and side-scrolling sections where Link would
17:13have to make his way through dungeons battling challenging enemies with a comically small
17:18sword.
17:19Defeating even relatively commonplace enemies required precise timing, and the uninitiated
17:24could take huge amounts of damage at every turn.
17:28Even for the most experienced and leveled up players, its bosses, like the near unkillable
17:33Thunderbird, are challenging in a way nothing in Zelda comes close to.
17:44Which Zelda game made you afraid to go alone?
17:46Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to subscribe to Mojo Plays for more great
17:50gaming videos every day.