The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom releases this week, and it’s time to examine how the franchise has evolved throughout the Switch generation.
Since its official reveal in October 2016, the Nintendo Switch has had numerous fantastic games that cater to Nintendo and Zelda fans.
From ground-breaking technology that pushed the console to its limit to interesting remakes that brought nostalgia back to the fans, here are the best Zelda games available on the Switch.
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
Hyrule Warriors: Definite Edition is the Nintendo Switch port of the 2014 classic. Featuring gameplay similar to Dynasty Warriors, Nintendo and Koei Tecmo developed Hyrule Warriors: Definite Edition. A departure from the classic dungeons and puzzles from the Zelda franchise, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition tried to do something different and introduced the hack-and-slash gameplay to modern fans.
The Switch port included content from the original Hyrule Warriors for the Wii U and Hyrule Warriors for the Nintendo 3DS. Brand new Breath Of The Wild costumes for Zelda and Link have also been added.
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Ft. The Legend of Zelda
Combining gorgeous pixel art and rhythmic gameplay, Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Ft. The Legend of Zelda is another interesting Zelda game for the Nintendo Switch. The classic protagonists journey through Hyrule in pursuit of an enemy named Octavio to recover the Triforce Of Power. Players will have to press the directional buttons and face buttons with proper timing to attack and solve puzzles.
It had a “generally favorable” score on Metacritic, with many reviews praising how the rhythm mechanics of Crypt of the NecroDancer and The Legend Of Zelda's world were perfectly blended. Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Ft. The Legend of Zelda even won the Game, Music, or Performance-Based Award during the NAVGTR Awards back in 2020.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Set 100 years before The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity combines the characters and locations in The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and the gameplay from the Dynasty Warriors franchise. Link, Zelda, and the other Champions will have to face hordes of enemies to eliminate Calamity Ganon.
While the game expands on the characters and story of The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, many critics and reviewers criticized its story direction, including the time travel aspect of its narrative.
Related: Best Zelda games
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is one of the franchise's critically acclaimed titles, and the HD remaster gives it various welcome improvements that make it more accessible to many fans. The original utilized the Wii Remote extensively, but thanks to the Nintendo Joy-Con, The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD provided a nostalgic gaming experience while adding more quality-of-life improvements for the HD remaster.
Some consider The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD to be one of the best 3D Zelda games. It lets new and veteran Zelda fans enjoy the original while offering better technology that improves the gameplay experience. For many fans, seamlessly traversing Skyloft in the remaster was a treat.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is one of the Nintendo Switch’s best-selling games of all time, with over 6.46 million copies sold. The remaster of the original 1993 game, The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, featured unique visuals compared to the Zelda titles for the Nintendo Switch console. Showcasing diorama-like visuals, the players take on Link as he journeys through Koholint Island. Various new mechanics, such as customizable dungeons, are available for players who want more challenge.
The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening won the Best Nintendo Switch Game Award during Gamescom 2019, further cementing the game’s positive reception from critics and the community.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
One of the latest entries in the Zelda franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, received an infamous review from us. However, it significantly improved upon what The Legend of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild introduced to the franchise. Featuring two more maps aside from the open-world Hyrule, Tears Of The Kingdom added several new mechanics, including Ultrahand, which lets players build automatons and other devices out of Zonai devices.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pushed the Switch’s hardware capabilities to the limit while adding a new approach to the game’s storytelling and narrative. It received various accolades, such as the 2023 Nintendo Game of the Year from the Golden Joystick Awards and the Best Action/Adventure Game Award from the The Game Awards 2023.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild elevated the franchise through its innovative open-world gameplay. Winning the Game of The Year Award in 2017, Breath of the Wild offered a brand new Zelda gaming experience away from the traditional Zelda games of the past. Aside from the beautifully crafted Hyrule, the game also added various Shrines that gave players the puzzle mechanics and gameplay inspired by the old Zelda titles.
The game also revolutionized how players look at the map, introducing a new way to traverse the landscape through the new paraglider mechanic. Link can also climb and swim in almost every terrain on the map, and new additions, such as the horse stables, make it easier to enjoy the overworld. This open-world design reformulated the Zelda franchise, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild laid the foundations for games such as Tears of the Kingdom and has changed the franchise forever.
Many other Zelda games are also available on the Switch, albeit accessible through Nintendo Switch Online membership. Fans of the franchise can access these games via Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack.
- The Legend of Zelda
- Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
- The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
- The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
- The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
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READ MORE: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom - Release Date, Gameplay, Trailer, and Everything We Know
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