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4 Zelda games to play if you’re excited for the live-action movie
Nintendo fans around the world are preparing for the inevitable release of the live-action movie for The Legend of Zelda series. The film was green lit to go into production following the success of the animated Super Mario Bros. Movie that did very well critically and commercially. Unlike what was done for Mario, Nintendo decided to partner with Sony Pictures Entertainment to make The Legend of Zelda movie as a live-action project, which surprised many Nintendo fans. This is because of their rocky history with Hollywood studios mishandling their franchises, with the most infamous example being the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie. For a long time following that disaster, Nintendo avoided adapting their game franchises into films, until now. With recent news of the casting of characters such as Link and Zelda, the anticipation and excitement for The Legend of Zelda movie is growing exponentially.
While there’s still a lot of time to wait for The Legend of Zelda to release in theaters, there are plenty of games in the series to keep fans busy. Although no details about the story are known, or exactly which games Nintendo and Sony Pictures will take inspiration from, fans have already started to speculate about which entries in the series the movie will draw from. But which games should you consider playing through before the live-action Zelda film comes out? Here are 4 great The Legend of Zelda games that you should play now before the live-action movie is released in theaters in 2027.
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Greatest of the old school
It can be argued that many of the great modern entries in The Legend of Zelda series can trace many of their aspects back to the game Nintendo released for the Super Nintendo in 1992. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a beloved SNES title that set in motion many of the staple characteristics we see in later games. Everything from an epic story with a cinematic approach, several iconic Zelda series tropes that are reused throughout the franchise, and so much more.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past also has the first appearance of many iconic items that became inherent to the rest of the series, including the first time Link finds and uses the Master Sword. Other items within Link’s arsenal also appear for the first time in this game, including the Hookshot. Multiple characters like Zelda, Ganon, Link, and other side characters from throughout the series often have designs that would influence future games and become versions of heroes and villains the world would come to know.
To many, A Link to the Past is the quintessential game in The Legend of Zelda series that perfects the formula established in the very first Zelda game for the NES. It plays just like its predecessor, but takes everything to the best possible place to give players an experience that has over the years become truly legendary. If there was one game in the Zelda series that could inspire parts of the live-action film, this would be a prime candidate to do so. Not the only game the filmmakers could pull from, but definitely a very good one to look at.
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
An iconic adventure
To many people, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of the greatest video games ever created, let alone one of the best entries in the Zelda series. Coming off the heels of the success for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, this game pulls many familiar aspects from it and brings it all into the third-dimension. Ocarina of Time was the first game where players could explore the land of Hyrule in 3D space, giving more detail and life to the fantastical location. What made it better was a story that has gone down as one of the most iconic video game plots to ever hit home consoles, with a battle between good and evil that spans ages, literally taking players through time. Link’s iconic appearance in 3D would be the gold standard for future games, as well as the many side characters who help him on his quest to stop the evil Ganondorf.
It’s tough to put into words how important The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was to both Nintendo and their fans. It quite literally laid the foundation of 3D Zelda games across Nintendo consoles, including releases like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Following its release on the Nintendo 64, Ocarina of Time went on to be highly praised over the years, and has since been remastered and re-released multiple times across different Nintendo platforms.
Most people would feel that a live-action The Legend of Zelda film should borrow elements, visually or narratively, from this game because of how renowned and critically acclaimed the game has become. Would the live-action film need to adapt the story of Ocarina of Time? Not really, but it definitely should have some inspiration from it as one of the greatest Zelda games that fans love.
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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
A new era for Hyrule
The Zelda series has always had great storytelling and characters to build out fantastic experiences within each game release. But something that wasn’t present for a long time was voice acting, at least not true dialogue outside of simple grunts and screams. This was a significant change with the release of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the Nintendo Switch. For the first time, players can hear everyone in Hyrule speak and emote in ways that weren’t possible in past games. Although Link himself remains a silent protagonist, iconic characters like Zelda and others could finally interact with each other, which showed them in a whole new light. All of this was complimented by a game that looked and sounded beautiful on the Switch, taking the adventure of the series into new territory.
With The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being a game that gives more personality to many characters that have been present in the series for a long time, it’s safe to think that the live-action film could follow a similar approach. The recent confirmed casting by Sony Pictures Entertainment includes actors Bo Bragason as Princess Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link. Bo has experience in BBC shows like Three Girls and The Jetty, which may indicate that Nintendo and Sony Pictures were aiming for a similar kind of voice and accent for Princess Zelda in the upcoming movie. As for Benjamin, there may be more room for a different interpretation of Link and how he will interact with others. While the studio might approach Link with a similar silent approach, we could see Link speak similarly to how Zelda and other characters talk in both The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
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Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
The dark horse of the series
Some people might think it would be a better idea to look at the first The Legend of Zelda game as inspiration for the live-action movie. But the sequel to the NES classic might be a better choice in regard to finding elements that would work well in live-action. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is one of the more divisive titles in the Zelda series, mostly because it was a radical change following the first game. Instead of a top-down action game, Zelda II tries to inject action-platformer gameplay into the mix by having Link travel to different locations and getting past obstacles like a 2D platformer. The game also introduced leveling through gaining experience from defeating enemies, which made it feel more like an action-RPG than a dungeon crawler. Because of that, and due to its harsh difficulty, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link has often been criticized by fans as too much of a departure from the core elements of the franchise.
However, Zelda II is a game that also has some of the more dark elements seen in The Legend of Zelda series. Part of the plot involves evil minions trying to get Link’s blood and using it in a ritual to resurrect Ganon. At the same time, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is the first game where Link battles a Shadow version of himself, often called Dark Link or Shadow Link in different games. While the series itself is fantastical in many ways, Zelda games have often incorporated darker elements into the plot or various encounters with enemies or boss battles, giving a sense of suspense and tension at key moments.
Later Zelda games focused a bit more on this in comparison to early titles, but Zelda II: The Adventure of Link was among the first to do so in ways that have stuck with the franchise over the years. There’s no telling what the overall plot of the live-action will be, but there’s no stopping the filmmakers from incorporating some dark attributes that could directly be inspired by what Zelda II tackled first. It could help to make for a more interesting and suspenseful movie.
Awaiting a new adventure
There’s still a long time to wait before The Legend of Zelda makes its way into theaters around the world. Nintendo and Sony Pictures Entertainment appear to be approaching the project with a lot of reverence for the series, which is the best thing Zelda fans can hope for. In the meantime, while everyone eagerly awaits the project to be completed, it might be a great idea to revisit some of the biggest and best games in the series. We just might see some familiar things make their way into the live-action movie, and make a truly legendary experience seeing a real-life Hyrule on the big screen.
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