The best Zelda games all have this one thing in common

The Legend of Zelda Recently added Echoes of wisdom to its expansive list of games, making Zelda a playable character for the first time. Even without being playable, Princess Zelda is given larger, more important roles as the series progresses from the earliest games. Looking at the history of Seldom And the fan-favorite games in the series, it seems A focus on Zelda is a small, but crucial, detail that helps elevate them to the next level.

Princess Zelda, Link, and Ganon make up the most common trio of characters that appear in Seldom games, as they each typically hold or represent a piece of the Triforce. Zelda represents wisdom, Link represents courage, and Ganon represents powerWhat make up the three pieces of the legendary Triforce. This is the case even in games where the Triforce is either not present, or it doesn’t have a big enough role to be mentioned often, if at all. However, these three characters tend to have roles that go beyond their relationship to the Triforce, and that can make a good game into a great game.

Zelda being more than a princess makes games great

Even if her role is offscreen

A lot of Seldom Games, especially older ones, usually Have Zelda sidelined in a way that makes her unable to help Link In his quest to save Hyrule. One reason this happens is because the villain either knows that Zelda is capable of being a major hindrance to their plan, or their plan requires the use of Zelda’s power for a specific purpose, such as Girahim needing her soul to revive Demis in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword . Lucky, modern Seldom Games have a habit of letting Zelda help Link in some capacity, and that’s a positive feature every time.

Zelda has been put in many roles beyond that of the Princess of Hyrule in the series, even if those roles may not be obvious or the importance of her actions in the games isn’t clear at first. The most iconic examples include Zelda as Chic helping Link navigate the temples The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Zelda hides as Tetra and works against Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

And Zelda as a dragon in TOTK To repair the Master Sword so that Link could use it against Ganondorf, Even though it cost her memories and caused her a lot of pain When transforming.

Being in a position to help Link, and using the opportunity to be full when she can, lines up perfectly with Zelda’s role as the leader of Hyrule, or as her princess in cases where her father is alive. Zelda as a playable character in EoW is great, but she knows how to use her role to best help her citizens, no matter what form that may take. She displays the wisdom of a ruler who has Hyrule’s best interests at heartAnd she proves that in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

When she makes the difficult decision to surrender to Ganondorf, knowing that he will kill her citizens if she refuses.

A great role is great, but it is not required for Zelda

Sometimes working from behind the scenes is better

Even when she is not a playable character or is not often seen throughout the game, Zelda tends to play crucial roles in the game. More than once, she is the only reason that Link is able to complete his journey and defeat the villain who threatens the peace of Hyrule at this time. This happens in Twilight Princess When Zelda gives the last of her power to Midna to save her, knowing that Midna’s help is needed in order for Link to save both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm. It is a game that forces her to make many sacrifices for the sake of her people, and she never hesitated to.

Similarly, Ganondorf’s plan in TOTK Could have worked in theory. If the Lord Sword

is degraded, then Link would not be able to use it to fight him, and not having the exact sword designed to defeat and seal away evil is a big blow to Link. however, Zelda manages to destroy the plan When she is transported to the past by opening a rift for Link to pass her the Broken Master Sword. From there, she is able to repair it by eating a sacred stone to become the Light Dragon, allowing her to infuse the Master Sword with the power of light to repair it as she flies over Hyrule.

Of course, not every big Seldom Game follows the pattern of giving Zelda a bigger role, or at least a role that has a bigger impact than being a princess or being sidelined by the villain. Majora’s MaskAs an example, is a great Seldom game, but since it’s set in an alternate version of ​​​​​​Hyrule called Termina, Zelda doesn’t have a lot of presence in the game. It is possible to argue that she makes the game possible by returning Link to his childhood at the end of Ocarina of TimeBut beyond that moment and another flashback, she’s gone.

Zelda should continue to be more than a princess

It leads to the best games

While Zelda is almost always the princess of Hyrule, the best Seldom Games come when she is able to fulfill a role beyond that. Moreover, she Holy powers and selflessness often open up ways for you to help LinkEven if she wasn’t able to be by his side during his quest. This happens in Breath of the wildWhere Zelda unlocks her powers in time to save Link, and she remains in stasis with Ganon for a century until he recovers and can help her finish the fight to save Hyrule. She is mostly in the game through flashbacks, but the weight of her role is felt throughout the game.

There are a lot of games in the Seldom Series, however The best usually let Zelda help Link in any way she can. Due to her position as a ruler, she is not always able to leave and fight the evil menacing Hyrule in person, but she is able to capitalize on her power to make Link’s battles easier, even if it just means guiding him while disguised. How relevant. It only makes sense to keep Zelda and Link working together in their respective roles in The Legend of Zelda.