After doing a little console hacking and emulator configuring, I found myself with access to some of the spin-off and region locked games that I had never really planned on playing. So I figured I might as well play and review them. I am limiting this to officially released games, and not any fan-made ROM hacks, like Zelda: The Outlands (even though that game is actually quite good) or randomizers.
I fully acknowledge the fact that these are spin-off/non-canon games does sorta relegate them to a “lesser class” of games to most people, and it usually means the games weren’t given as many resources when they were in development. Which is all to say that it’s a bit unfair to compare some of these to, say, Twilight Princess or a Final Fantasy game in the same way that it wouldn’t be fair to compare Mario’s Math to Super Mario Galaxy 2. So for that reason, I’m going to give each game two scores - one for how good of a game it is in general (just like any game website would rate it). Naturally these scores won't usually be as high as a "normal" game. I'm also trying my best to rate it not by 2019's standards, but by the standards of the year each game released. My personal bias and subjectivity in the scores here is acknowledged, so some of the scores are probably higher because of my love of the Zelda franchise.
The other score is a ranking for how good it is as far as a Zelda spin-off. In other words, when compared to just other Zelda spin-offs, how do they fare. There are 19 (!) different non-canon/spin-off games and are shown here in the North American release order (except for the Japan-only games, which are given their Japan release dates) along with what official games they were released around for context.
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Zelda Game & Watch (1989, Nintendo)
[Released between AoL & ALttP]
The first Zelda spinoff was a Game & Watch - one of many made by Nintendo that preceded the Tiger line of portable single-game devices. I played it by unlocking it from the Game & Watch Gallery 4 game on the GBA (and by unlocking them, I mean downloading a save file so that I didn’t have to play through all of the other games I don’t care about). Alternatively, it can be played through a browser online (Adobe Flash required). The tech of its day severely limited what could be done to make it portable, though it should be noted that the Game Boy came out a month earlier than this did, but it would be four years until we got a proper Game Boy Zelda game. It’s fairly repetitive and involves getting timing patterns down. Essentially, Link’s goal is to kill the stalfos in each room while avoiding the knives of the enemies. Some rooms only have 1 and some have up to 5 enemies. After completing a room, Link has to choose to go left or right, and depending on his choice he can get additional items. At the final room, there’s a dragon boss, and after defeating it a new level begins. Getting through the first few levels is fairly easy but each level adds more rooms and with it the possibility of missing a crucial item to make the boss easier. If this game had a save feature it would have made it more fun, but alas, it must be completed in one go (which didn’t stop me from using save states on my emulator). For the time it came out, it was probably a fine adaptation as a portable way of playing a game and wasting some time, but is fairly primitive by today’s standards. And as stated before, the Game Boy had also just come out, and is a far superior piece of tech.
General Score: 4/10 Ranking: #14
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Zelda Game & Watch (1989, Nintendo)
[Released between AoL & ALttP]
The first Zelda spinoff was a Game & Watch - one of many made by Nintendo that preceded the Tiger line of portable single-game devices. I played it by unlocking it from the Game & Watch Gallery 4 game on the GBA (and by unlocking them, I mean downloading a save file so that I didn’t have to play through all of the other games I don’t care about). Alternatively, it can be played through a browser online (Adobe Flash required). The tech of its day severely limited what could be done to make it portable, though it should be noted that the Game Boy came out a month earlier than this did, but it would be four years until we got a proper Game Boy Zelda game. It’s fairly repetitive and involves getting timing patterns down. Essentially, Link’s goal is to kill the stalfos in each room while avoiding the knives of the enemies. Some rooms only have 1 and some have up to 5 enemies. After completing a room, Link has to choose to go left or right, and depending on his choice he can get additional items. At the final room, there’s a dragon boss, and after defeating it a new level begins. Getting through the first few levels is fairly easy but each level adds more rooms and with it the possibility of missing a crucial item to make the boss easier. If this game had a save feature it would have made it more fun, but alas, it must be completed in one go (which didn’t stop me from using save states on my emulator). For the time it came out, it was probably a fine adaptation as a portable way of playing a game and wasting some time, but is fairly primitive by today’s standards. And as stated before, the Game Boy had also just come out, and is a far superior piece of tech. General Score: 4/10 Ranking: #14
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TLoZ Game Watch (1989, Nelsonic)
[Released between AoL & ALttP]
This is the only one I haven’t played, and I probably won’t get the chance to do so. Buying a watch on eBay is out of the range I’m willing to pay, and I don’t think the emulation community is really gonna get this made. But from what I’ve read about it, it seems like a crappier version of the Game & Watch Zelda, so I don’t have high hopes for it. The controls are most likely very hard to navigate because of the small size of the watch face, and the sound is limited to a few beeps. This watch debuted a few weeks after the two-screen Game & Watch version by about a month and a half, but is significantly smaller since it had to fit on a person's wrist.
Here is the plot synopsis from the Zelda Wiki: Link enters a cave unarmed to collect the pieces of the Triforce. He travels through four dungeons with four caves in each, while being attacked by Iron Balls, Keese, and at the end of each dungeon, Aquamentus. After reaching the end of the fourth dungeon, Link reassembles the Triforce. Also, here's footage of the watch being played.
EDIT: I actually got one of these. I was correct in that the controls are hard to navigate. It probably would have been easier when I was 10 years old and had smaller hands/fingers. The limited range of sounds doesn't give you a lot of feedback; in other words, when I hear a beep, I'm not sure if that means I picked something up or if I'm running into a wall. And because the display is so tiny, it's really hard to tell the Iron Balls apart from bombs or other objects. I think if it were just a bit bigger, it would be easier to play/see. The main problem from a gameplay point of view is that the starting position of the Iron Balls is random, and sometimes includes the doorway - meaning that when you enter a new room you might die instantly just from random bad luck. Where I would say that the Game & Watch is better functioning than a Tiger handheld, the one is just like a Tiger, but smaller and harder to play for the reasons I listed above. The battery life is also quite short.
General Score: 1/10 Ranking: #19
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Link: The Faces of Evil (1993, Animation Magic/Philips Media)
[Released between LA & OoT]
Hooooo, boy. Where to begin on this one. The AVGN covered this pretty well, so I'll link his video here. But this game has some major issues. As a combination Platformer/Fetch-quest adventure game, I can see a fun concept buried deep, deep beneath a myriad of problems. There's a reason these games are considered the laughing stock of the Zelda series by pretty much everyone, and not acknowledged by some as even being Zelda games (Nintendo themselves is included in this second group). This game and its sister game (The Wand of Gamelon) are more or less identical in terms of controls, gameplay, graphics, and sound. So I'm kinda reviewing them together, almost like how people often review the Oracle games together. I'll do the good parts in this one and the bad parts in the next one.
The redeeming qualities are that the music is decent with a good beat, though it doesn't really fit in with the genre, and sounds kinda more like someone was showing off their fancy new synthesizer by making generic video game music that could work for almost any game. The art style of the background graphics is pretty good and colorful for its day and some parts have animations woven into them (like waterfalls). Those are the only good things I can think of. The bad will be in the next review, but keep in mind that I ranked these games below the LCD Game & Watch, and just above the ones that aren't really games. Comparatively, as simple as the LCD game was, it had reliable controls and patterns that could be learned, while the controls for these games are awkward and badly programmed.
I played this (and Z:TWoG) using the MESS emulator with the CDiMono bios and ROMs in the CHD format.
General Score: 2/10 Ranking: #17
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Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (1993, Animation Magic/Philips Media)
[Released between LA & OoT]
This is continued from The Faces of Evil review above, where I listed the positive things I could think of. The negative parts are next, and they are . . . numerous. The controls are really clunky. If the programmers had used all 3 buttons available to the CD-i with a dedicated "jump" and "menu" button, it would have made the game 5 times better. There is no recovery time after being hit by an enemy (i.e., no "blinking"/temporary invincibility) so 1 determined enemy can drain your life really fast. Also, swinging the sword while jumping stops Link/Zelda's momentum, meaning you can't use it while trying to jump over a hole/chasm lest you suffer instant death - and this goes against every instinct I have to collect items or defend myself while jumping. This is the bread and butter of Adventure of Link, where jumping and stabbing is paramount to a successful campaign.
While the backgrounds are pretty, it's damn near impossible to tell what is considered foreground - meaning a platform that Link/Zelda can stand on. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where the doors are supposed to be (as opposed to what's just background decoration), and even more time randomly jumping around trying to discover where solid ground can be found. Link and Zelda look like retarded white-skinned Gremlins (from the 1984 movie) with a 3-frame walk, and a lot of the enemies don't look a whole lot better. Making it through an opening level opens up a new level, but it's often not super clear where this new level is on the map, nor is it coherent as to why completing level B unlocked level G - it just is. If all the selectable levels on the map were highlighted in yellow, for example, and levels not yet unlocked were darkened, and furthermore, if a path was shown how finishing level J unlocks level K, it would make plotting one's course way more intuitive.
But the worst part are the god-awful cutscenes, which have made these games somewhat of an internet joke. Terrible animation, bad voice-acting, and an atrocious script written by someone who took their cues from the Zelda animated series (from the Super Mario Bros. Super Show) all contribute to making the experience unforgettable, and not in the good way. As far as ranking goes, I put Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon higher than Link: The Faces of Evil only for the fact that there's a little less item grinding involved.
General Score: 2/10 Ranking: #16
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[Released between AoL & ALttP]
Here is the plot synopsis from the Zelda Wiki: Link enters a cave unarmed to collect the pieces of the Triforce. He travels through four dungeons with four caves in each, while being attacked by Iron Balls, Keese, and at the end of each dungeon, Aquamentus. After reaching the end of the fourth dungeon, Link reassembles the Triforce. Also, here's footage of the watch being played.
EDIT: I actually got one of these. I was correct in that the controls are hard to navigate. It probably would have been easier when I was 10 years old and had smaller hands/fingers. The limited range of sounds doesn't give you a lot of feedback; in other words, when I hear a beep, I'm not sure if that means I picked something up or if I'm running into a wall. And because the display is so tiny, it's really hard to tell the Iron Balls apart from bombs or other objects. I think if it were just a bit bigger, it would be easier to play/see. The main problem from a gameplay point of view is that the starting position of the Iron Balls is random, and sometimes includes the doorway - meaning that when you enter a new room you might die instantly just from random bad luck. Where I would say that the Game & Watch is better functioning than a Tiger handheld, the one is just like a Tiger, but smaller and harder to play for the reasons I listed above. The battery life is also quite short.
General Score: 1/10 Ranking: #19
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Link: The Faces of Evil (1993, Animation Magic/Philips Media)
[Released between LA & OoT]
Hooooo, boy. Where to begin on this one. The AVGN covered this pretty well, so I'll link his video here. But this game has some major issues. As a combination Platformer/Fetch-quest adventure game, I can see a fun concept buried deep, deep beneath a myriad of problems. There's a reason these games are considered the laughing stock of the Zelda series by pretty much everyone, and not acknowledged by some as even being Zelda games (Nintendo themselves is included in this second group). This game and its sister game (The Wand of Gamelon) are more or less identical in terms of controls, gameplay, graphics, and sound. So I'm kinda reviewing them together, almost like how people often review the Oracle games together. I'll do the good parts in this one and the bad parts in the next one.The redeeming qualities are that the music is decent with a good beat, though it doesn't really fit in with the genre, and sounds kinda more like someone was showing off their fancy new synthesizer by making generic video game music that could work for almost any game. The art style of the background graphics is pretty good and colorful for its day and some parts have animations woven into them (like waterfalls). Those are the only good things I can think of. The bad will be in the next review, but keep in mind that I ranked these games below the LCD Game & Watch, and just above the ones that aren't really games. Comparatively, as simple as the LCD game was, it had reliable controls and patterns that could be learned, while the controls for these games are awkward and badly programmed.
I played this (and Z:TWoG) using the MESS emulator with the CDiMono bios and ROMs in the CHD format.
General Score: 2/10 Ranking: #17
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Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon (1993, Animation Magic/Philips Media)
[Released between LA & OoT]
This is continued from The Faces of Evil review above, where I listed the positive things I could think of. The negative parts are next, and they are . . . numerous. The controls are really clunky. If the programmers had used all 3 buttons available to the CD-i with a dedicated "jump" and "menu" button, it would have made the game 5 times better. There is no recovery time after being hit by an enemy (i.e., no "blinking"/temporary invincibility) so 1 determined enemy can drain your life really fast. Also, swinging the sword while jumping stops Link/Zelda's momentum, meaning you can't use it while trying to jump over a hole/chasm lest you suffer instant death - and this goes against every instinct I have to collect items or defend myself while jumping. This is the bread and butter of Adventure of Link, where jumping and stabbing is paramount to a successful campaign. While the backgrounds are pretty, it's damn near impossible to tell what is considered foreground - meaning a platform that Link/Zelda can stand on. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where the doors are supposed to be (as opposed to what's just background decoration), and even more time randomly jumping around trying to discover where solid ground can be found. Link and Zelda look like retarded white-skinned Gremlins (from the 1984 movie) with a 3-frame walk, and a lot of the enemies don't look a whole lot better. Making it through an opening level opens up a new level, but it's often not super clear where this new level is on the map, nor is it coherent as to why completing level B unlocked level G - it just is. If all the selectable levels on the map were highlighted in yellow, for example, and levels not yet unlocked were darkened, and furthermore, if a path was shown how finishing level J unlocks level K, it would make plotting one's course way more intuitive.
But the worst part are the god-awful cutscenes, which have made these games somewhat of an internet joke. Terrible animation, bad voice-acting, and an atrocious script written by someone who took their cues from the Zelda animated series (from the Super Mario Bros. Super Show) all contribute to making the experience unforgettable, and not in the good way. As far as ranking goes, I put Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon higher than Link: The Faces of Evil only for the fact that there's a little less item grinding involved.
General Score: 2/10 Ranking: #16
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BS-TLoZ: Map 1 (1995, Nintendo/St. Giga)
[Released between LA & OoT]
I covered this a bit elsewhere, but the short version is that with an add-on to the Super Famicom and the proper subscription, players could download what was essentially the pre-internet DLC of its day. Some of this content were new games, or in this case, a remix/remake. This was essentially more Zelda 1, but made using SNES graphics and broken up into 4 parts with a time limit. Which is another way of saying that it was great. It's easy to make an analogy that this was kind of like what Super Mario All Stars was for the Mario series - an 8-bit game remade on SNES. Originally there was CD/Radio quality music and voice-over acting broadcast during the game, but now the version I emulated just had some slightly enhanced versions of the original audio and text screens replacing the narration.Honestly, it feels almost like a Third Quest for the original LoZ game, in that the overworld is mostly the same (albeit smaller) but the dungeons have been moved around and remixed. Using the L/R buttons for item switching eliminated one of the major sources of tedium with the original game, the upgraded graphics look nice, and adding in the random buffs/nerfs give some variety to an older-but-still-great game. Originally there was a weekly contest to have the most rupees, so players who completed each stage of the game used extra time to wander around the overworld collecting extra rupees, but on the emulation there is no such need. My only gripe with the game is that once you accomplish all of the current week’s tasks there should be an option to fast forward the game to the end of the timer. Unfortunately it can't be played with the original audio, but the fine folks who hacked it into its present state have used a text based workaround. This can be played on any SNES emulator using ROMs downloaded from the BS Zelda Homepage.
General Score: 7/10 Ranking: #6
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BS-TLoZ: Map 2 (1996, Nintendo/St. Giga)
[Released between LA & OoT]
General Score: 7/10 Ranking: #10
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Zelda’s Adventure (1996, Viridis/Philips Media)
[Released between LA & OoT]
This game is the third in the Unholy Triforce, and it's marginally better, but only for the fact that there's no platforming involved. I think the idea behind this game was to sort of re-imagine Zelda 1 but with realistic textures instead of sprites. Unlike the other two CD-i games, instead of terrible animation it uses terrible digitized FMV or photographs. They used digitized photos of bad cosplay and awful rubber-suit Halloween costumes in various poses to create the frames to animate them. It's sort of like Zelda 1 (with a splash of King's Quest), but without the good music, the intuitive controls, the ability to use a sword and another item, or any of the fun. The voice-over work is just as bad as the animated clips from the previous two games, and there's no warping, apparently. The only word I can use to describe the dungeon design is 'uninspired.' More than half of the NPCs offer no hint, item, or quest and are just a waste of pixels.
This game is the third in the Unholy Triforce, and it's marginally better, but only for the fact that there's no platforming involved. I think the idea behind this game was to sort of re-imagine Zelda 1 but with realistic textures instead of sprites. Unlike the other two CD-i games, instead of terrible animation it uses terrible digitized FMV or photographs. They used digitized photos of bad cosplay and awful rubber-suit Halloween costumes in various poses to create the frames to animate them. It's sort of like Zelda 1 (with a splash of King's Quest), but without the good music, the intuitive controls, the ability to use a sword and another item, or any of the fun. The voice-over work is just as bad as the animated clips from the previous two games, Zelda 1 had 8 usable items and 6 more automatic items organized neatly on the subscreen. However, this game has many, many items arranged into two rows that require scrolling left/right to find the one you want. None of the items/treasures have clear instructions what each one does and no clues are given as to which is the appropriate item to use on an enemy. Had there been some kind of text box explaining it and how many rubies it costs to use (like in every game since ALttP) it would have been far less confusing. Or perhaps for all of the single-use items, once whatever its purpose is has been accomplished it goes away. Subsequently. the subscreen just gets really cluttered; for example, Zelda keeps each compass and map she finds on the item screen instead of a separate dungeon subscreen just acknowledging that they were found, meaning that when you want to select a particular item late in the game you have to scroll past all of the maps and compasses and other single-use items you found earlier to get to the item you actually need. (Edit: My 10-year old son accidentally discovered that using the compasses as an item in the overworld warps Zelda to that particular dungeon's entrance. So my previous statement of no warping is incorrect and my objection to keeping every compass on the subscreen is lessened. It would have been nice for the game to indicate this, as there's no hint to use the compass as an item in the instruction manual.)
Like the previous two games, it is really hard to tell where you're allowed to walk; sometimes it appears there's a wide doorway available to move to the next room of the dungeon, but Zelda has to be within a very narrow section of it to advance the screen. Other times she can walk under things, like trees. Each overworld screen's background was made from aerial photography badly photoshopped together, and the dungeons are mostly composited rock textures. And it comes as no surprise that it has bad hit detection (this seems to be a theme with the CD-i games). Sometimes you can hit enemies through an object (like a tree) and vice versa, almost like it was a Newton's Cradle (i.e., you hit the tree so the tree hits the moblin, I guess?). Certain enemies require being hit by a special weapon or spell (which is fine) but it's a big game of guess/check/revise to figure out the right spell. Even when you have the correct spell selected, if an enemy bum rushes you and your spell doesn't have enough space to actually activate, being hit by the wand casting the spell doesn't damage the enemy (the way the wand does damage in the original LoZ), and you lose a bunch of life in the process.
Had they put Maurice Ravel's Bolero (the song Koji Kondo originally wanted to use for the first Zelda game title screen but didn't have the rights to do so) playing in the background in addition to the wind, birds, and river sounds, it would have made the game way better and it would have been a nice tribute of sorts. When there is a bit of music or background environmental noise it's short and awkwardly looped. It really makes you appreciate how good Breath of the Wild's minimalist music is by comparison. I actually started playing with Bolero running in the background after completing Dungeon 3 and can confirm that it makes the game better.
The best way of summing it up is that after playing Zelda 1 (hell, even after seeing the goofy TV commercial) I couldn't stop thinking about it. But I was just bored with this game, and it felt like a chore to complete. Because I was playing it on a broken emulator, I couldn't use save states (which would have sped up the process) and it crashed every time I died. There was also another quirk where sometimes Zelda would suddenly change direction when using the wand, leaving her open to attack from enemies. The AVGN has a pretty good review as well. I played this game using the TinyCDi Emulator. (Edit: I found a slightly better configured TinyCDi emulator that let save states sorta work, so my son will have a slightly easier time getting through some parts.)
General Score: 2/10 Ranking: #15
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[Released between LA & OoT]
General Score: 9/10 Ranking: #1
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Navi Trackers (2004, Nintendo)
[Released with FSA in Japan]
Like Four Swords Adventures, you can play single player (against a computer-controlled Tingle). However, it won't let you play single player with a Game Cube controller since most of the game happens on the GBA. After a mini-game to acquire initial items/rupees, the main part of the game resembles some of the multiplayer portions of Phantom Hourglass and Four Swords all while Tetra and Salvatore (the Sploosh guy) give you updates or hints with voice acting. Using the items collected, Link tries to get rupees and find the correct numbered pirate who is giving away medals (which must be found in order). After it's all over, the totals are tallied up to see who got the most stuff and some bonus rupees are handed out (it has a few Mario Party-like elements to make the results a little more unpredictable). It has an odd combination of Wind Waker graphics on the TV but Four Swords graphics on the GBA.
I am kinda torn between calling this a spin-off and just a different playing mode. It was going to be kinda like a "Zelda Party" stand alone game originally (based on an old BS-X Treasure Island game made by Eiji Aonuma) but I suspect that the developers realized that the concept wasn't deep enough to justify it being its own game, so it was incorporated to Four Swords Adventures; however, because the mechanic of having Tetra and others give updates/encouragement/etc. and the fact that it features so many characters from Wind Waker is so different from the rest of FSA and it has 12 stages (not just 3 or 4) and isn't just a 'battle mode,' I lean towards calling it a spin-off. Another factor in this decision was that the game kinda reboots between the normal menu and starting Navi Trackers, leading me to believe it was added on late in development and uses a completely different game engine. So I consider it a spin-off that just happens to have been included on a regular series game disk (at least in Japan). And since it was never localized, understanding Japanese is fairly important to begin with, but once you play it a few times you kinda get the hang of it and don't need the voice acting from Tetra as much. This can be played either by importing a Japanese GameCube and disc or by the Nintendont method mentioned above.
General Score: 6/10 Ranking: #9
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Freshly Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland (2006, Nintendo/Vanpool)
[Released between MC & TP]
In Japan, Tingle is a fairly popular character, but is not at all popular over in the US. So when Nintendo made a Tingle spin-off game, it's understandable why it was never released over here. However, it did get a European release, so it can be imported and needs no fan translation work. This game can be best classified as an RPG-adventure type game with a lot of fetch quest elements in it. Tingle’s goal is to amass enough rupees to make it to Rupeeland. Each area of the map has a goal to accomplish to earn rupees before moving on, with many little side quests to earn additional cash. It incorporates a fair amount of the stylus equivalent of button-mashing, and smaller amounts of treasure/scavenger hunting, dungeon crawling, crafting, and bargaining/haggling. Some of the side quests involve paying people off - literally buying their acceptance and friendship because Tingle is kinda repulsive naturally. As he does this, more options and sidequests to earn extra cash are opened up. Tingle can hire mercenaries to aid him in dungeons or other dangerous situations for a price as well. Overall it’s an okay game, nothing too special, but it's at least enjoyable. This can be played using a EU region DS with the EU cartridge, or alternatively, on a CFW 3DS (which is region free). General Score: 5/10 Ranking: #11
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Tingle’s Balloon Fight DS (2007, Nintendo)
[Released between TP & PH]
This game is just a slightly updated version of the original arcade/NES classic Balloon Fight. The main difference is that the original unnamed character is replaced with Tingle. It was only released in Japan as a DS game for Club Nintendo members. The second screen of the DS adds a little bit of vertical space to the playing area, but other than that, it’s just normal Balloon Fight. The analogy I made is that it would be like re-releasing Pac-Man, except that the sprite is swapped out with Kirby. The main addition is its multiplayer option and upgraded graphics. It’s fun for a few minutes and deals a healthy dose of nostalgia (assuming you played it 30 years ago), but also serves as a reminder why repetitive, single-screen games like this probably aren’t too popular these days. It’s only available in Japanese, but other than menu navigation (which is admittedly pretty easy to do if you’ve ever played any game before) it’s not necessary to speak/read the language. The fact that it's basically an updated remake hurts its ranking. This can be played on a CFW 3DS. General Score: 5/10 Ranking: #13
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Link’s Crossbow Training (2007, Nintendo)
[Released between PH & ST]
This game could be summed up as a Zelda-themed first/third-person on-rails shooter game that used the pointing function of the Wii Remote. All of the graphics, music, and sound effects were re-used from Twilight Princess, so it very much feels like you’re back in that version of Hyrule. Included with it was the apparatus to turn the Wii Remote + Nunchuk into a 2-handed crossbow style weapon. Some stages were stationary, some required walking around, some were “on rails,” and one was even on horseback. It made effective use of the pointing feature of the Wii Remote to turn it into a target shooting game similar to many arcade games. There are 28 unique levels, and the opportunity to earn a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum medal depending on the score. There is an option for multiplayer, but it’s no different from the regular game; each player just takes turns playing the stages. While I would have liked to see a few more modes/options and perhaps a simultaneous multiplayer game, it was a fun little shooting game + accessory that was a good value for the price ($20). It's easy to pick up and doesn't require a huge time commitment. This can be played on a Wii or Wii U with the original disk.
General Score: 6/10 Ranking: #4
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Too Much Tingle Pack (2009, Nintendo/Vanpool)
[Released between PH & ST]
It’s kind of hard to really call this a game, but it’s technically on the list of Zelda spin-offs. It’s really more of a collection of small utilities, including a timer, a coin flipper, a calculator, and a fortune teller. It’s the kind of thing that might have been useful for kids with a DSi before smart phones with apps (like the tip calculator or currency converter) became ubiquitous. It was only released in Japan, and requires knowing how to read Japanese to really use it. The best I can say about it is that it’s the kind of application that makes one say, “Hm. Mildly interesting,” and then it’s soon forgotten. But because it's slightly more useful than just a watch (since the DSi has an internal clock already), its ranking is just above the Game Wristwatch. Also, even though it's not really a game, per se, it does have the potential to hold one's attention for a few minutes and its audio/visuals/controls are much more appealing than a tiny watch face. This can be played on a CFW 3DS. General Score: 1/10 Ranking: #18
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Ripened Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love (2009, Nintendo/Vanpool)
[Released between PH & ST]
In contrast to his last adventure, this game is mostly a point-and-click adventure type game with little bits of dungeon crawling, puzzles, and fetch quests being thrown in. Tingle is taken from the real world to a fantasy land where his goal is to dance with a girl and get a girlfriend. Along the way he meets 3 companions and wins over people who shun him because of his looks by giving them presents (sort of the bribery thing again). It features a better plot than his last game with plenty of humorous moments and a journey somewhat based on The Wizard of Oz. While I initially started it because of the completionist in me, I found myself actually enjoying it quite a bit. Admittedly there’s a lot of Japanese culture male-female relations that don’t translate well to western sensibilities, so I see why they might not want to do a western release, but I was able to play with a fan-made translation because my 3DS has custom firmware. Overall, it’s actually (and surprisingly) a decent game, and my dislike for Tingle actually decreased because of it. This can only be played on a CFW 3DS with a ROM that has been patched with a fan translation script (unless you want to play in Japanese). Note: sometimes this game's title is translated as "Color-Changing Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love," due to the confusion that the verb to change color (irodzuki) is also applied to things like leaves in Autumn or vegetables that turn yellow/red when they are done growing. General Score: 6/10 Ranking: #8
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The Legend of Zelda Battle Quest (2012, Nintendo)
[Released between SS & ALBW]
Like Navi Trackers, I debated on whether it really belongs on the list, not being a standalone game. The reason I ultimately included it is because it has Zelda music and enemies, and has the words, "The Legend of Zelda," in the title, which is more than I can say about some other entries (I'm looking at you, CD-i).
For a mini-game, it's fine, and it has some form of "Achievements" to entice players to get better, and it even incorporates some of the directional sword mechanics similar to Skyward Sword. It does have some Zelda music played on marimba in it, but it's ranking is hurt mainly because it's not a stand-alone game, it gets a little monotonous, and it's not extremely different from Link's Crossbow Training or portions of Wii Sports Resort. But one other interesting and positive note is that this is the first spin-off game to have its music featured later in a mainline game, when usually it's the other way around. The Time Attack mode music was used in A Link Between Worlds for the race from Lake Hylia to the Woodcutters' Shack. Neat! This can be played on the Wii U with the original disk.
General Score: 5/10 Ranking: #12
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Hyrule Warriors (2014, Nintendo/Koei Tecmo)
[Released between ALBW & TFH]
This game is essentially a Dynasty Warriors game with a coat of Zelda paint overtop of it. It features many playable characters from the series and a lot of levels that have names which should look familiar, it has Zelda themes in the music, and it does kinda cover a bunch of non-canon tangential Zelda lore from all three timelines.
The main problem is that it gets rather repetitive. Mowing down peons turns into button mashing, and having to do each stage 13 times (or more) to pick up all the little upgrades and complete it for every character starts to get old fast. It’s great that there are so many options, but 100-percenting the game is damn near impossible, and that really bothers the completionist in me.
It was ok value-wise on the Wii U, and it makes good use of the Wii U Gamepad to play 2 players, but I only got it on 3DS because I didn’t have to pay for it, and don’t want it on the Switch (again, unless it's free). However, it is a whole, entire game that stands on its own which takes many hours to finish through the campaign mode, and not any kind of remake/remix or glorified mini-game. It wasn't my favorite, but I put it higher up in the rankings because compared to a lot of the titles it has originality and a decently sized campaign going for it. This can be played on the Wii U, 3DS, or Switch using original media.
General Score: 6/10 Ranking: #5
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My Nintendo Picross: Twilight Princess (2016, Nintendo/Jupiter Corporation)
[Released between TFH & BotW]
There have been many Picross games, and this is an entry that just happens to be based on Twilight Princess. Picross is a puzzle game that could be compared to a pictorial version of Sudoku. There is some information given about which squares of a grid should be filled in and using methods of elimination and context clues it’s possible to create a picture. Once it’s completed correctly the picture fills in some of the color making it easier to see what it was you were drawing the whole time. As a puzzle game it’s okay, but having it be Zelda themed makes it just a little better. Though I will say that even knowing the source material well (Twilight Princess) doesn’t really confer an advantage to the player. Midna serves as a guide/tutor to get started, and there’s music from Twilight Princess playing the entire time, which is nice, but it would have been even better if there were a few more tracks so as to not be so monotonous. It’s fun to play while half-watching something in the background or listening to a podcast, and there are several modes to try. This can be played on the 3DS using coins earned in MyNintendo rewards.
General Score: 6/10 Ranking: #7
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Cadence of Hyrule (2019, Nintendo/Brace Yourself Games)
[Released after BotW]
Like Hyrule Warriors, this is less of a traditional Zelda game and more of a Crypt of the Necrodancer game with a coat of Zelda paint. But that doesn’t make it any less fun. It has a great selection of songs from past Zelda games but have been jazzed up with a nice beat to make them easier to move to. While not terribly deep, it does have some puzzle elements in the form of block pushing to make stepping stones or bridges to acquire some of the items/treasures, and has familiar places and people (like Kakariko and Impa).
One thing that’s great is that every playthrough (meaning when a new file is created) is different because the overworld is somewhat randomized, as are some of the dungeons. The ability to play as Link, Cadence, or Zelda adds some variety as well. It takes some getting used to, but once you learn the enemies’ patterns it becomes easier. The only thing I think I would add is a digital instruction manual for certain things that aren't communicated to the player clearly (or at all) and how some of the mechanics work for elements like weapon upgrades.
Ever since playing the Theatrhythm games for the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games, I have wanted something like that for the Zelda games, and while this isn't exactly what I was asking for, it was quite enjoyable and I really liked the use of so many songs I love. And in case it's not obvious, my love of the music is what propelled this to the number 2 spot on the rankings. This can only be played on the Nintendo Switch.
General Score: 8/10 Ranking: #3
For a mini-game, it's fine, and it has some form of "Achievements" to entice players to get better, and it even incorporates some of the directional sword mechanics similar to Skyward Sword. It does have some Zelda music played on marimba in it, but it's ranking is hurt mainly because it's not a stand-alone game, it gets a little monotonous, and it's not extremely different from Link's Crossbow Training or portions of Wii Sports Resort. But one other interesting and positive note is that this is the first spin-off game to have its music featured later in a mainline game, when usually it's the other way around. The Time Attack mode music was used in A Link Between Worlds for the race from Lake Hylia to the Woodcutters' Shack. Neat! This can be played on the Wii U with the original disk.
General Score: 5/10 Ranking: #12
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Hyrule Warriors (2014, Nintendo/Koei Tecmo)
[Released between ALBW & TFH]
This game is essentially a Dynasty Warriors game with a coat of Zelda paint overtop of it. It features many playable characters from the series and a lot of levels that have names which should look familiar, it has Zelda themes in the music, and it does kinda cover a bunch of non-canon tangential Zelda lore from all three timelines. The main problem is that it gets rather repetitive. Mowing down peons turns into button mashing, and having to do each stage 13 times (or more) to pick up all the little upgrades and complete it for every character starts to get old fast. It’s great that there are so many options, but 100-percenting the game is damn near impossible, and that really bothers the completionist in me.
It was ok value-wise on the Wii U, and it makes good use of the Wii U Gamepad to play 2 players, but I only got it on 3DS because I didn’t have to pay for it, and don’t want it on the Switch (again, unless it's free). However, it is a whole, entire game that stands on its own which takes many hours to finish through the campaign mode, and not any kind of remake/remix or glorified mini-game. It wasn't my favorite, but I put it higher up in the rankings because compared to a lot of the titles it has originality and a decently sized campaign going for it. This can be played on the Wii U, 3DS, or Switch using original media.
General Score: 6/10 Ranking: #5
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My Nintendo Picross: Twilight Princess (2016, Nintendo/Jupiter Corporation)
[Released between TFH & BotW]
There have been many Picross games, and this is an entry that just happens to be based on Twilight Princess. Picross is a puzzle game that could be compared to a pictorial version of Sudoku. There is some information given about which squares of a grid should be filled in and using methods of elimination and context clues it’s possible to create a picture. Once it’s completed correctly the picture fills in some of the color making it easier to see what it was you were drawing the whole time. As a puzzle game it’s okay, but having it be Zelda themed makes it just a little better. Though I will say that even knowing the source material well (Twilight Princess) doesn’t really confer an advantage to the player. Midna serves as a guide/tutor to get started, and there’s music from Twilight Princess playing the entire time, which is nice, but it would have been even better if there were a few more tracks so as to not be so monotonous. It’s fun to play while half-watching something in the background or listening to a podcast, and there are several modes to try. This can be played on the 3DS using coins earned in MyNintendo rewards.General Score: 6/10 Ranking: #7
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Cadence of Hyrule (2019, Nintendo/Brace Yourself Games)
[Released after BotW]
Like Hyrule Warriors, this is less of a traditional Zelda game and more of a Crypt of the Necrodancer game with a coat of Zelda paint. But that doesn’t make it any less fun. It has a great selection of songs from past Zelda games but have been jazzed up with a nice beat to make them easier to move to. While not terribly deep, it does have some puzzle elements in the form of block pushing to make stepping stones or bridges to acquire some of the items/treasures, and has familiar places and people (like Kakariko and Impa).One thing that’s great is that every playthrough (meaning when a new file is created) is different because the overworld is somewhat randomized, as are some of the dungeons. The ability to play as Link, Cadence, or Zelda adds some variety as well. It takes some getting used to, but once you learn the enemies’ patterns it becomes easier. The only thing I think I would add is a digital instruction manual for certain things that aren't communicated to the player clearly (or at all) and how some of the mechanics work for elements like weapon upgrades.
Ever since playing the Theatrhythm games for the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games, I have wanted something like that for the Zelda games, and while this isn't exactly what I was asking for, it was quite enjoyable and I really liked the use of so many songs I love. And in case it's not obvious, my love of the music is what propelled this to the number 2 spot on the rankings. This can only be played on the Nintendo Switch.
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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020, Nintendo/Koei Tecmo)
[Released after BotW]
I must say that I was pleasantly surprised, and it rose to be my second favorite spin-off. What made the difference between this and the original Hyrule Warriors is that it's the same world and characters as BotW and not just shameless callbacks or fan service. Its story fits into and fleshes out one of the best games in the series, and it features the same characters, locations, items and musical cues which makes it inherently more interesting. It's also less "grindy," in that I don't feel like I have to play every level with every character in every mode to 100% the game. The battle mechanics have incorporated elements from BotW enough that it blurs the line between the HW style and typical Zelda style combat, apart from the 1 vs 100 battles. By comparison, I guess I wasn't invested in the story of the original HW, where I was very much interested in this one, even if it turned out to be an alternate timeline thing (the marketing was somewhat deceptive in calling it a canon spin-off).
The only thing I would like to see added in DLC is the ability to just walk around the various levels in peace (no enemies/time limits - especially Hyrule Castle) to get a sense of what pre-Calamity Hyrule was like, and a canon story of how Hyrule and Link actually fell (sorta like how in Star Wars: Rogue One we got to see the main characters die knowing that they made a difference for future generations). This can only be played on the Nintendo Switch.
General Score: 9/10 Ranking: #2
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There is also an obscure game series that scans UPC codes on cards, and some Zelda cards were released for it. From what I understand, it plays more like a JRPG or electronic Dungons and Dragons kind of game where instead of rolling dice and announcing your move you scan cards with items. My main reason for not including it is because it isn't a video game (there being no graphics - just numbers) unless you also count a calculator as a video game (though I do own the cards for it).
The WarioWare series has several micro games that are Zelda themed, and in that sense isn't too dissimilar from Nintendo Land. I would consider adding them if each lasted more than 3 or 4 seconds per game, but as it is they are such a small portion of the overall game that I wouldn't consider them spin-offs as much as I would call them easter eggs or cameos. I would also count the Zelda portions of the NES Remix games in the same manor.
So the end tally is that there are 2 LDC Watch games, 4 mini-games (2 of which were given a Twilight Princess theme), 4 that are some kind of remix, 3 abominations not made by Nintendo, 1 utility program, 2 original games featuring a character from the main series (Tingle), and 3 games from a different genre given a Zelda coat of paint. For a casual Zelda fan, the top eight are definitely worth checking out. Hardcore Zelda fans should consider playing the top fourteen, but only the most masochistic Zelda fans should worry about the bottom five. A CFW 3DS can play most of these, with a few needing a Wii/Wii U/Switch, and a computer for the 3 CDi games.
#1) BS-The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets #2) Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
#3) Cadence of Hyrule
#4) Link’s Crossbow Training
#5) Hyrule Warriors
#6) BS-The Legend of Zelda: Map 1
#7) My Nintendo Picross: Twilight Princess
#8) Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love
|
Definitely worth playing
|
#9 Navi Trackers
#10 BS-The Legend of Zelda: Map 2 #11) Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland
#12) Battle Quest
#13) Tingle’s Balloon Fight DS
#14) Zelda Game & Watch
|
OK if you’re a serious
Zelda fan |
#15) Zelda’s Adventure
#16) Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon
#17)
#18) Too Much Tingle Pack
#19) The Legend of Zelda Game Watch
|
Only for completionists
and masochists |
More Resources: YellowSuperNintendo's video of most of these games.
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