Hey duders,

I'm getting a switch only because Breath of the wild looks amazing. I have never played any Legend of Zelda game, ever. So, which one should I start with? I heard the timeline is super insane. So I know someone out there knows the way to play these games!

P.S: Am i the only one who sees breath of the wild as a PG-13 Witcher 3?

I was in the same boat as you and i played Link to the Past as first Zelda. It's a good one. Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker are also highly regarded.

here is a recent thread, hope it's helpful.

My two cents:

- Yes it has a timeline but you can easily play each game without giving a toss about "lore." Its virtually non-existent.

- What Nintendo consoles do you own because Switch will probably only have one Zelda game on release.

The Zelda timeline is absolutely crucial to really know what's going on...

... if you're a completely lunatic like me. If you're a normal person, then it doesn't matter.

If you like 3D games, go for Ocarina of Time (3D preferably, but Virtual Console is fine too) or Wind Waker (HD preferably, but original is fine too). They're pretty different from each other, but adhere pretty closely to the Zelda ideal. The dark horse candidate is Majora's Mask, but I think you should play the other games first to get a full appreciation for this one. (Also, @kingbonesaw, I'll see you at Lon Lon Ranch tomorrow at Noon for our duel!)

If 2D is more your jam, start with Link to the Past, and if you can track it down, Minish Cap is dope as shit. The Oracle games are neat because they're two separate games that link together with passwords. They're also readily available on 3DS virtual console, unlike the other two, so that's a plus. (Yes, I know LttP is on 3DS for New 3DS owners, but that doesn't count as "readily available")

The DS games (Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks) are neat, but they have particulars that can be frustrating. I'd save those for later when you've exhausted the premium supply of main Zelda games.

Oh, and don't discount the original NES Legend of Zelda! That game holds up even to today.

I think the modern trio would be Ocarina of Time on 3DS, A Link Between Worlds (which is basically a better Link to the Past), and Wind Waker HD for Wii U. Can't possibly go wrong with that.

Don't worry about the timeline. Only a few games have any connection to each other. For example, Majora's Mask is a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, but even then the story connections are very minor. I'd recommend A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening to start with if you want 2D Zelda and Ocarina of Time for 3D Zelda. All of them are available for 3DS, but I believe you need a "New" 3DS for A Link to the Past.

If you enjoy those I hope you can eventually get around to the rest. Wind Waker is a high water mark and I stand by Majora's Mask as one of the series' best too. It's hard to go wrong with any of the other entries either. I'd only note the challenging Adventure of Link is quite different and Spirit Tracks is the the weakest of the series.

Link to the Past or Ocarina (the 3DS version if possible). Those two games will tell you everything you need to know about the series. If you really like those games then from there you really can't go wrong with any of the other games in the series. Even the worst Zelda game is a pretty good game compared to anything else.

If you plan to play all of them... chronological order might be best so you never have to go backwards in terms of mechanical depth and production quality? If you just want a sampler then I'd recommend Wind Waker for 3D and Minish Cap for 2D.

For Witcher 3, well, I suppose it would depend on how you played the Witcher 3? I doubt you'll get much in the way of intense moral quandaries in BotW, and nothing they've shown of the game indicates to me that the world will have anything close to the density or breadth of open world content in Witcher 3. I'm ready to be pleasantly surprised, however.

The Zelda games kinda follow the Stan Lee rule of comics, meaning any one can be someone's first. So just look through, and see if any catch your fancy. If you go with Ocarina, then I suggest the 3ds version if you can get it, mainly because it looks nicer and plays better. Similarly Windwaker is better on the WiiU, if you want to go that route. Personally Link to the Past is my favorite, but I'm biased to it because I loved it as a kid, though I was there for the whole series.

As for your second comment. In no way would I ever describe a Zelda game as anything more than a hard PG, and Breath of the Wild will be nothing like Witcher 3. A PG Skyrim maybe, but not the Witcher.

I wouldn't recommend it. It's an experience meant to be played on a TV with immersive sound, not a little Gameboy screen.

If solving an obtuse game and battling with antiquated mechanics is your jam, the first Legend of Zelda should be your game.

If puzzles and exploration in games are entirely end goal-oriented endeavors for you and you do not wish to actually have to put a second of thought into doing either of those things while still having the game treat you as if you have, then you should like the 3D ones.

Link's Awakening and A Link To the Past are somewhere between there.

Ocarina of Time 3DS version.

@guerrero268705: Ocarina of Time probably makes the most sense if you intend to tackle a lot of the series. It's a little long in the tooth now as it's pretty old and barebones by modern standards, but I think it mostly holds up.

Not only is it the first 3d Zelda and a formative game for that entire genre, but it's also the centerpiece of all of the Zelda timelines if you care about that stuff at all.

Realistically you aren't going to have time to beat many of them before Breath of the Wild, so I guess it really depends on what your goal is. Honestly BotW sounds different enough mechanically from the others, it might make just as much sense to jump into that one blind.

You could probably just start with BotW. This isn't The Witcher or Metal Gear or something, Zelda lore is mostly pretty unnecessary and you rarely benefit at all from knowing the story beats of previous games. Zelda storylines are also almost as repetitive as Mario: it's basically always Ganon kidnapping Princess Zelda and plotting to conquer the world with whatever sacred realm magical stuff in between.

That said, correct answer is probably Ocarina of Time. Or any 3D Zelda, really, but no Zelda is more Zelda than OoT.

A bunch of people suggested A Link to the Past, but that game is probably a bad way to experience Zelda for the first time in 2017. You'll die a lot of pointless deaths just trying to traverse the overworld, they literally require you to cut down the right random patch of grass or lift the right rock in the right practically random area of the overworld to move the main quest along several times, and the dungeons are frankly still pretty primitive for a Zelda game. You might like the game more than I did, but not for your first Zelda.

BotW is adopting a bunch of open world western RPG ideas, but aside from that these are two very different franchises. Whilst both have heavy exploration elements, The Witcher is very story-focused and tends to have Geralt handle most of the detective problem-solving stuff for you, whereas Zelda is about big elaborate dungeons filled with puzzles and spectacular set-piece mechanisms that require you to investigate your surroundings, reason about how systems work, think laterally, etc.

Start with A Link to The Past

Or Wind Waker.

Don't start with either of the first two games.

You guys are top notch. Thank you very much. I have NES,SNES, 64, 3DS. Yet Zelda never really interested me. Until breath of the wild of course. But I saw Ocarina of time for the 3DS at $17 and I'm pretty much getting it today. I've heard such high praises about that game. But also a link to the past. And wind waker. I want some form of bases on the lore so that when I play I'm not super confused about it. Regardless, I appreciate you guys immensely! Any of you guys getting it at launch?

Cheers!

@ezekiel: the out dated graphics are hard to go back to unless you have nostalgia, and if you have nice headphones then you would have the sound quality you desire.

I played Ocarina on my 3ds XL, and enjoyed it a lot. Had no problem with sound or the screen size. Also I should say that I have played every iteration of Ocarina, and the changes made to the Water Temple alone, make the 3ds version the best.

To get the story continuity I'd say The Legend of Zelda.

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LOL

Do not worry about timelines or anything. Just start with Breath of the Wild.

I'd say start with Breath of the Wild.

Play the ones on Phillips CDi