 When I decided I wanted to dive deep into creating a semi-regular list series on Nintendo Prime, the biggest question I faced is of the copious amount of ideas running in my head, which one made the most sense to start the series with? Given my long-standing history in covering the Legend of Zelda series over the last 18 years, and because my listing of those games has changed recently, I thought what better way to kick off our top list series than detailing out my top 5 Zelda games. For this list, we are going to restrict ourselves to only the mainline series of games. If you are curious, that means only games that are counted as being part of the official Zelda timeline. Shall we get started? Number 5. The Wind Waker Whether it was the original GameCube release in 2003 or the subsequent HD remastering in 2013 on Wii U, the Wind Waker has always held a special place in my heart. Sure, there are personal stories of playing through this game with my high school sweetheart that lend a little nostalgia to the mix, but there was always something about sailing the open seas that gave a sense of freedom at that time I had never really experienced in the Zelda game before. Yes, the first Zelda game certainly was open world, but experiencing this freedom in a 3D space was great. Battling pirates, climbing tall towers, discovering hidden chests, mastering some of my favorite dungeons and boss fights in the entire series. I was always left with a sense of wonderment. When I first met the King of Hyrule after he revealed himself, my mouth was left a jar. It had been nearly 20 years and finally I got to meet the King of Hyrule. Of course, what really put this game in my top 5 is how the story handled Ganondorf. Traditionally, he's been a monster, sometimes quite literally, that was bent on destruction and power. Here, however, is a different side to him, an almost human-like sense of realization that his power-hungry ways of the past led to the loss of an entire world. He feels remorseful, almost to the point where you can sympathize with his mission to restore the original Hyrule, unflooded for all, even if he is not the King of it. I adore him for it, and as such, the shocking conclusion of sealing him away with a stab through the head still impacts me emotionally to this very day. Number 4, Link's Awakening Alright, so I have to admit, my nostalgia for this game is a little bit through the roof. It was, after all, my very first Zelda game as a child. It is the de facto game that made me such a huge fan of the Zelda series overall. However, reflecting back today, I feel like it still stands the test of time as one of the best games in the series. No, you weren't in Hyrule anymore, but you were on an island full of problems that seemingly no one had an answer to except you. There was something extremely charming about seeing elements of the Mario universe, like the Chain Chomp brought into this game in a different light. It almost felt magical at the time, creating a sense of wonder and excitement about what's next. It's also the only Zelda game to ever make me cry tears of sadness at the end. The realization that it was all a dream, that Kolochen Island wasn't real, that the relationship I developed with Marin was all a fabrication, is almost too much for my mind to comprehend when I was a child. How this game concludes between the final battles and the realization of what is actually happening is still to date one of my favorite endings of any Zelda game. Oh, and you could jump in this game, it's kind of a big deal. Number 3 Majora's Mask I know these days it's almost cliche to include Majora's Mask in a top Zelda game list. I'm not exactly sure when the trend started, but in the age of the Intervent it did become cool, at least for a time, to talk at great length about how amazing Majora's Mask is for being different and dark, for potentially telling a story of Link going through the five stages of grief. And spoiler warning, he didn't. EGA Enomo actually addressed the fact that each of the regions has multiple emotional themes, so Link didn't actually die. There was also a creepypasta that took the internet by storm practically overnight, and yes, I'll never forget you Ben. But all of this is irrelevant, because despite the massive speculation and fan-created goodness around the game, what really matters is what we factually know about this game, what's actually there. What we know is, at least in my opinion, is that we got a game that almost perfected Ocarina of Time's gameplay, new moves, tighter controls, and a more responsive character is something I greatly appreciated when this title came out in 2000. In addition, the game features almost inarguably the greatest side quest of all time, but we all know about that one. The side quests overall in this game were extremely impactful in making you feel for the people in the world of Termina. More importantly, the overarching story of Majora and the Skull Kid is still one of the most mysterious ones to exist to date. The messages and lessons gained from this game were never really discernible by me at the time, but years later, I began to understand their greater meanings as I applied these lessons to my real life. Majora's Mask isn't a wholly joyful game, but it's extremely real in how it approaches death, sacrifice, and feelings of emptiness. In a world of so much joy, Nintendo gave us one Zelda game where thematically it was intended to tug strongly on our emotions. For that reason, this game sits squarely at the number three spot. Number two, the Adventure of Link. No, this isn't a joke. And yes, many of you are about to click off this video right now. It's fine. I'll give you a second to do just that. For the rest of you still here, the Adventure of Link is often viewed as a black sheep game in the series, a mainline entry that branches off from so much of what the Zelda series was and is today, almost more so than even Triforce Heroes. It's understandable why. Still, to this day, it is the only Zelda game that is most definitely an RPG without any question. An action adventure based RPG at that, not too unsimilar to some of my other favorite action adventure RPGs like Secret of Mana, except how it handles this aspect of RPGness is very difficult. So mind numbing at times that players turn away, not me. While there are aspects I think we can all agree aren't that great, such as having to grind out levels at times, especially for that final dungeon, what makes this game truly stand out and give it a leg up over so many other games in the series is the combat. While Skyward Sword's motion controls are actually my preferred method of combat in the series, it was the Adventure of Link that made skilled combat matter. So many of the Zelda games can be button mashed or waggled through all the way to the end, getting rid of any sense of actual challenge. And even if challenge did exist, just keep button matching enough or waggling that Wii remote and you'd eventually make it through. Not so in Zelda 2, whether it was facing off against a Darknut or an epic showdown with Thunderbird, the game kept challenging everything you know about combat, forcing you to obtain a skill level at it that no other game ever truly attains. This game is also the origins of Dark Link. And while a difficult battle with yourself, it carried extremely subtle undertones that in life, the only thing preventing you from reaching your goals is yourself. We are our own worst enemy. It's a lesson that has stuck with me 30 years later. Number one, Breath of the Wild. I honestly didn't think any game would ever top the adventure of Link when it came to Zelda games. The combat was so enthralling, the lesson I gained from it so impactful that I didn't think any game could ever make me think twice. And I've played every Zelda game there is. Breath of the Wild quickly made me change my tune. No, it's not more difficult combat wise than the adventure of Link, but it takes more than difficulty to enthrall me in a game. Remember earlier when I mentioned just how much I enjoyed the sense of adventure in The Wind Waker? Well, take that enjoyment from that game, multiply it by 1000. And here you have the primary reason Breath of the Wild is now my number one Zelda game of all time. For me, combat and pure gameplay has always been among my favorite reasons for playing a Zelda title. But Breath of the Wild taught me that going off the beaten path that just exploring is its own reward. It was never for me about finding the next shrine or another Korok seed or even discovering a random side quest or a bowling minigame. No, the sense of exploration I got is probably something very similar to the one many hikers get when they explore the wilderness. There is no true purpose but the journey, finding new islands, new areas that call back to prior games, new landscape, wildlife, stumbling upon runes of Lon Lon Ranch. There is a deeper story hidden in this land that goes unspoken, but can be pieced together slowly by just exploring. People often wonder how someone can spend 500 plus hours playing this game. There isn't $500 worth of things to do, they claim, but that's because what they get out of the game isn't the same as what I get out of the game. Breath of the Wild is the first video game that has ever released that for me made the pure act of exploring the world so enjoyable without giving me any sort of reward for that exploration. Sure, I really did enjoy the story. I love the characters. The side quests are fun, but this is a Zelda game. Of course it has that stuff, but the exploration, it blew me away. And that's going to do it for my top five Zelda games. Of course, what I am more interested in is what your top five Zelda games are. Go ahead and let me know down in the comments below. As always, I am Nathaniel Rumpeljantz from Nintendo Prime. And if you liked this video, you know what to do. Subscribe for more. And as always, I'll catch you in the next one.