These reviews are my own personal reviews of each Zelda game. I am reviewing each as if it were the year of release, so I won't fault older games for poor graphics or hardware limitations of the time. Also, I'm only considering the actual game, gameplay, puzzles, and other things like graphics and sound while leaving out the story. The review of the storylines will be a separate post. And please understand that my purpose isn't to criticize the games to tear them down, but to improve them. Most of them I would give a 9.5/10, and in my view, the changes I would suggest would make them 9.9/10 or better.
Title: The Legend
of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Release Date: 19
Nov 2006 (Original), 4 Mar 2016 (HD Version)
System: Wii and
GameCube (Originals), Wii U (HD Version)
Game Format: 3D, linear, gated
New innovations: Dominion
Rod, Spinner, Ball and Chain, 5 piece heart containers.
How it compares to
past Zelda games: This is what Ocarina of Time was supposed to be.
What I liked: This
is the first game where I might believe the “economy” exists as there are many,
many NPCs who wander in and out of the castle town. The combat is much
improved, taking cues from Wind Waker for some of the special moves. The art
style was very beautifully done. The music had the right combination of its new
theme (the Hyrule Field music) and nostalgic music from past games. The ability
to have 4 items out at once that can be quick-swapped. It was a very solid
Zelda game and pretty representative of the series as a whole. Hyrule field was
a bit more varied but still felt a little empty.
What I didn’t like:
It was trying to be OoT Part 2 and didn’t branch out much. This was where the
Forest-Fire-Water dungeon trio started to get a bit worn-out. Getting started
took forever. The game reminded the player of what a blue rupee (or greater
value) was whenever it was turned off. I wish that the Wii version had the
option of playing it with a GC controller on a non-mirrored map. The motion
controls for the Wii version also seemed kinda “tacked on” and didn’t really
have full motion control like on Skyward Sword. The Poe side quest was a nice
addition, but it lacked the little markings on the map to let the player know
when they had gotten them all out from an area, like the Skulltullas on OoT. The
game was delayed and we were told that they were adding a lot of content, but I
get the feeling it was just the Poe’s Soul quest and other things like Roll
Goal (which I wish actually gave Link something he needed). It was kind of odd to see Hyrule so "cut up" and divided by deep canyons but connected by narrow passages (though I realize that it was a programming trick to avoid loading the whole map at once). 
Where it fits in the
timeline: Second in the “Child” timeline. Preceded by MM, followed by FSA.
What I would have
changed: The only thing I would do is to make Zant a bit more menacing
throughout the game, and less goofy in the end. Perhaps develop a few of the
missing plot points better. And give players the option of turning off the
sound of the pointer fairy. And the ability to turn in multiple bugs at once to
Agitha.
Thoughts on the HD
version: Really there’s no changes to the game other than the ability to
play the mirrored version and without motion controls. There’s one new dungeon
that’s quite challenging, but other than that it’s the same game – it just
looks a little better. The Poe's Lantern to help with the Poe's quest was also a nice addition.
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Title: The Legend
of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Release Date: 1
Oct 2007
System: DS
Game Format: Top-down perspective with 3D models, gated, linear
New innovations: Stylus
controls, note-taking.
How it compares to
past Zelda games: This is the first 2½-D Zelda game, and control-wise is very different. Artistically it fits in with the Wind Waker "Toon Link" look. It shares a lot with Wind Waker, but is expected being a direct sequel.
What I liked: New
ways to interact (blowing dust away, stamping shut, signing papers, etc.), cool
way to control, being able to make notes on maps. I didn't like the treasure/boat pieces system until I played simultaneously with a friend and now I really like it. After a while I really loved the D-Pad/L-Button/Stylus control combo.
What I didn’t like:
Revisiting the same level (Temple of the Ocean King) so many times. I understand how it's supposed to be like a "benchmark test" and every time you do it you improve your time because of both practice and better equipment, but it gets old quick. Boat pieces were hard to come by. Music
was short and repetitive. Can’t read mailed letters multiple times. Getting Link to roll was sometimes hard.
Where it fits in the
timeline: Second in the “Adult” timeline. Preceded by WW, followed by
ST.
What I would have
changed: I would get better music in a few spots, and make it so you didn’t
have to go to the Temple of the Ocean King so dang much or at least put in
quarter and three quarter check points (in addition to the half-point). I would
also make it a little easier to find boat pieces. However, after playing it
with a friend, I found that it greatly enhances its fun through item and part swapping. Not used the Master Sword jingle when
getting the Phantom Sword so it's not a generic "sword" theme. Ceila should have been green, not yellow, or at least turned green once she regained her memory. Having some way to track which Power/Courage/Wisdom gems and treasure maps have been found would be nice.
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Title: The Legend
of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Release Date: 7
Dec 2009
System: DS
Game Format: Top-down perspective with 3D models, gated, linear
New innovations: Train travel, Sand Rod, playing as Zelda, whip
How it compares to
past Zelda games: Same style as Phantom Hourglass
What I liked:
Fixed a lot of the annoyances from PH. The music was much improved, getting matching train cars wasn't the arduous task that getting a matching boat was, double-tapping to make Link roll was much easier than drawing a circle was. The Spirit Tower was the central dungeon like the Temple of the Ocean King was, but this time there were quarter check points so you didn't have to re-do the whole thing unless you were treasure hunting. Having Zelda as your companion was nice, and it was really great how you got to play as her. 
What I didn’t like: Having
played PH with someone else, this game's treasure trading isn't as much fun because everything is always the same value.
Where it fits in the
timeline: Last in the “Adult” timeline. Preceded by PH.
What I would have
changed: Adding yet ANOTHER special
sword waters down the concept. Link should have found the Phantom Sword from PH (kept safe in the castle or something) instead of just being gifted a new one. It would be nice if they let you know to keep track of which rabbits you found - something I learned the hard way after playing once. An elevator to the various Spirit Tower floors would have been nice so as to not get dizzy running up floor after floor of a spiral staircase.
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Title: The Legend
of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Release Date: 20
Nov 2011 (Original), 16 Jul 2021 (HD version)
System: Wii
Game Format: 3D, linear, gated
New innovations:
Motion controls (in earnest), stamina gauge, breakable shields, dragons
How it compares to
past Zelda games: Very similar to Ocarina and Twilight.
What I liked: I recognized that they attempted to incorporate a lot of elements from past Zelda games as nostalgia for the 25th Anniversary of Zelda. The adventurer's pouch was kind of cool to customize equipment before setting out on a quest.
What I didn’t like: So much. Just before this game came out, they announced Hyrule Historia, which finally had the definitive timeline, so it seemed like they were taking story into account a little more. But then they ignored some of the lore established in past games, and had yet another previous hero that Link needs to live up to. It also seemed like they sorta started a whole new branch of lore unrelated to past games. The game was very linear and had lots of backtracking that felt forced and overused. Skyfield felt empty and unnecessarily large. Musically there was no connection to any games other than the song of the hero for 5 seconds. Both Fi and the UI were annoying. Having to fight The Imprisoned over and over again got tedious. There will be more on this in a separate post, but an easy way to sum it up is that it seems like they took all the worst aspects of a bunch of games and combined them to make this one.
Where it fits in the timeline:
First in the unified (i.e., pre-split) timeline, and first game chronologically.
Followed by MC.
What I would have
changed: Make non-motion controls an option (mostly to make it easier to put on future Virtual Console releases). Make it so the academy’s
students aren’t palette swaps of Link. Take off the hat (so Ezlo's contribution is more
prominent in MC) and have a follow up game on the surface where the same Link
fights Vaati. Don’t have the Goddess Sword be made already. Have Link get it
made in Skyloft and they add to it throughout the game using what he finds in
the dungeons. Different blacksmiths know how to add different pieces (like PH but better). And then have
Fi “enter” the sword to give it the shine/sparkle to turn it into the true
Master Sword. Don’t fight The Imprisoned so much. Change The Imprisoned and
some of the other bosses to not look like Celia from Monsters Inc. Either have
Link not revisit places, or make them more like the revisited stages in Mega
Man 3. Make Skyfield populated. Not fight Ghirahim so much. The timeshift
stones were an amazing puzzle element as far as gameplay goes, but plotwise
seems to indicate an older society who was more technologically advanced. Made
a penalty for not opening the sailcloth. Taken out the hour-long tutorial. Make the enemy AI better/faster on Hero Mode. Change the Limewedge. Perhaps it was the wide gulf between what I expected and
what came out given that it was supposed to be a 25th anniversary
event given that this was the game in development for the longest time (at least it was before TotK). There will be more on this in a separate post.
Thoughts on the HD version: They fixed almost everything they could. This version is vastly improved from the original. It mostly eradicated almost all of the UI and Fi's annoyances. I'm not constantly reminded about what rupees and treasures are, and I can skip cutscenes when I want to. All of the other changes just give players more choices and it streamlines the gameplay experience. As far as fixable issues, I still wish there was fast travel between bird statues and some other cutscenes were skippable (like when Link falls off the edge of Skyloft). I very much prefer this version over the original and don't think I'll ever play the original again.
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Title: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Release Date: 22 Nov 2013
System: 3DS
Game Format: Top-down with 3D models, dual open world, mostly non-linear
New innovations: Link eating animation, merging, weapon rental system (unless you count the Ancient Stone Tablets)
How it compares to past Zelda games: Since it originally started as a remake of ALttP, it is very similar in almost every way.
What I liked: That they found a way to be open world without relying on previous dungeons by using the rental system. Another villain to fight (at least until he became YuGanon).
What I didn’t like: Mainly that it was TOO much like ALttP. While I liked the nostalgia aspect of it, it kinda disappointed me that it was going to be a remake before they made some slight changes and called it a new game (kinda like OoS, only it got much farther along the development process before it was switched to a new game rather than a remake). I would have changed a few things to make it a little less like ALttP, such as the sword/tunic upgrades, and perhaps a few geographical changes to show that time has passed. I was glad to see a new villain until their purpose was to resurrect Ganon and somehow he had the Triforce of Power. I know every game has its gimmick, and this game's gimmick is merging. But I think it got overused and was the solution for almost everything. The flip side to having an open world and letting players do things in their own order is that the puzzles need to be generic enough to not require specific items.
Where it fits in the timeline: Fifth in the “Fallen Hero” timeline. Preceded by LA, followed by TFH.
What I would have changed: My main complaint is that while nostalgia is nice, it was too much like ALttP. Perhaps change the geography a little bit more to emphasize that time has passed between the two games. I would give Link the ability to switch swords à la OoT (which is the same complaint I had about ALttP). Not made Lorule and the Dark World different places. While the item rental/purchase system was a good rupee sink, there were still far too many rupees.
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Title: The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes
Release Date: 23 Oct 2015
System: 3DS
Game Format: Top-down with 3D models, Stage Based
New innovations: Outfits (more so than the 3 tunics in previous games), fireball gloves, stacking.
How it compares to past Zelda games: It looks and feels very much like a multiplayer version of ALBW, but with the item system similar to FSA.
What I liked: Online multiplayer solves the issue most people had with FS and FSA - nobody to play with. And local multiplayer makes it require less equipment than the previous multiplayer games. Multiplayer is fun, and I really like that the communication system they devised doesn't require typing when playing online, with the added bonus that it's not possible to use obscenities. The blacklist feature is also good to weed out non-serious players. A new villain in The Lady. The waiting room game of sword volleyball that plays past Zelda songs is a nice touch, and the only real connection to other Zelda games. It's another "Gaiden" game so it takes place outside of Hyrule with no Ganon, Triforce, or Princess Zelda.
What I didn’t like: Having the Friend Tokens encourages people to play with others in person (and not just do a single player campaign), but it leaves out those who don't have friends to play with (for whatever reason). But an update made it possible to get them through another method. I also almost feel that this could have originally been not a Zelda game - that maybe someone had an idea of a multiplayer puzzle game like this and it could have been awarded to, say, the Donkey Kong franchise - kinda like how Metroid Federation Force Blast Ball could have been a "Mario sports" game if Nintendo had wanted to go that direction. I know that's probably not what happened, but other than the basic items (boomerang/bow/bombs), there's not a lot that actually makes it a Zelda game.
Where it fits in the timeline: Sixth in the “Fallen Hero” timeline. Preceded by ALBW, followed by LoZ.
What I would have changed: 4-player. I know there were some technical limitations that went into the decision to only be 3-player, but purple Link feels left out :( Perhaps some puzzles where 3 of them had to stack up and hit a switch while the fourth one hit a different switch? I would have also expanded the area around the castle to be more interesting and have a few more features. I would have also changed a few of the songs that can be played when playing with the Lucky Lobby Ball so there was at least one song from every game (which they almost did anyway).
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