AOC, Smash, and Spirit tracks. I kinda wish we have a playable Zelda in TOTOk. Have no dlc of the master mode and a companion story is obviously a mistake.
Spirit Tracks deserves so much more respect: not only this game's the only playable Zelda in a mainline game (up until EoW), she's also got the most charming personality, and KICKS ASS in her phantom armour. Don't even get me started on the final battle **chef's kiss**
She was so real lol ngl im sad the windwaker series did badly i hope theres a remake for phantom hourglass and Spirit Tracks the license was renewed like 3 years ago so i have hope
Did you know that you were supposed to be able to play as Zelda in skyward sword as a second quest? But they sadly scrapped it. You can see what the story was like during the cutscenes that play during the credits.
@@jasmineBloodrose the map's locations are at random place apart from the castle and the starting house as link, if every map where the castle is at the center in a top down 2D rpg is a link to the past we have a lot of a link to the past games
The Warriors games and Smash have been my favorite ways to play as Zelda. I just wish we had more control in Spirit Tracks since we basically just gave her a path to follow and then sat back to watch. It would have been more fun to move and attack as her ourselves.
Its always nice seeing a Zelda youtuber giving the Hyrule Warriors games the attention they deserve. Most ZeldaTubers tend to just ignore them, or if they do mention the games its very begrudgingly. So its noce to see some enthusiasm when mentioning them. I also want to bring up that technically Hyruke Warriors has 5 playable Zeldas: Zelda, Sheik, Tetra, Toon Zelda, and Marin. In Links Awakening Marin was made from Links memories of Zelda when in the dreamscape of the Windfish. And in Hyrule Warriors when fighting Marin as an enemy she drops Zeldas materials: Zeldas Broach and Tiara.
Marin, while inspired by ALTTP's Zelda from Link's memories, is it's own character, so much that Malon kind of is her "reincarnation" on later games, with Talon being Tarin's "reincarnation" as well
@@l3rvn0 while fair. I was talking about in the context of Hyrule Warriors, not the Zelda series as a whole. In HW playable characters, as enemy units, drop their own character specific materials. Link's scarf and boots, zeldas broach and tiara, ect ect. In HW Zelda and Marin share the same material drops, defeating Marin gives you Zeldas Tiara and broach. Similar to how Ravio drops Young Link materials, and Yuga drops Ganondorf materials. Funnily enough Toon Zelda drops Tetra materials, lol.
Girl you back up off other ZeldaTubers this instant. Tubers such as Zeltik, Zeldom, and Swagmasta give a LOT of attention to ALL the Zelda games. And if you consider that begrudgingly, they mention it PERFECTLY JUST LIKE SUPERZELDAGIRL! Stop caring for ONLY ONE ZeldaTuber and start caring for more. Very deranged of you.
For all the heat that the CDI games get, I always think it's impressive that they were able to make those cutscenes using what seemed to be nothing more than Microsoft Paint
when Zelda unlocks her powers in Age of Calamity she becomes a completely different character. She suddenly is unbelievably powerful! Seeing her like this and playing her like a real Hylia reincarnate was so epic and I hate that they didn't make this possible in Tears of the Kingdom. There she somehow forgets about all her abilities, like literal flight (we get to see that at the end of BotW) and helplessly falls down a pit. I cannot begin to imagine how epic a fight between a fully powered up Zelda and Ganondorf would have been.
She didn't forget.. in the True Ending of BOTW, pay attention to her dialogue. She exhausted her light powers holding back Ganon for 100 years. THAT is why she cannot use them in the start of totk. Plus, TotK is a closed time loop. It was essentially destined for her to fall back in time.
@@SuperZeldaGirl But Still Zelda Hasnt Awakened Her TRUE Powers But In The Start Of Totk She Was Reaching With Her LEFT Hand And Suddenly She Glowed And Was Gone This Makes Me Wonder If Her Power Was Awakened In Her Left Hand And Not Her Right Hand Could You Look Into That???????
Since Ganondorf’s body may exist in an alternate timeline Terrako has created, Nintendo needs to make a sequel to Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (with Sidon, Riju, Teba, Tulin, Sidon, and Yunobo pulled from the OG timeline). It would be a great way to make the Ancient Sages more fleshed out, give Rauru, Sonia, and Mineru more screentime, unraveling the origins of the Zonai, and explore in depth backstory of who Ganondorf is before he became the Demon King.
Either that, or make a Hyrule Warrior where Link and Zelda were both transported in the past, maybe. This way, they all fight along with the original sages, and maybe we can even save Sonia. And, because she survive, she then succeed into bringing Link and Zelda back to their time. (The possibility of the TOTK sages coming to help would be interesting, but I am not sure how this one would be done with my suggestion. (plus, it means having to name the previous sages)
@@SuperZeldaGirl Ok yeah you've convinced me. I originally thought they'd just give her a new moveset like BotW influenced Link, but they could absolutely introduce Echoes Zelda as "Toon Zelda"
2024 is the year of our Nintendo Princesses (Peach and Zelda)! While I am currently playing Princess Peach: Showtime, I am hella excited for upcoming Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom this September. A playable Princess Zelda is something I have been long waiting since Skyward Sword and Spirit Tracks. And it would've helped benefited TOTK's story since the plot has been divided into two parts(from the perspectives of her and Link).
So glad that you gave all of these games the recognition they deserve. I've always loved that Zelda takes such an active role in the story and gameplay of spirit tracks. And I loved both the Hyrule Warriors games as well as playing zelda in smash bros.
@@SuperZeldaGirl minus the different circumstances which led to her soul possessing an old suit of armor pretty much yeah. Almost makes me wish the concept could be used with link loosing his arm to make the reference go full circle lol
I'm still a bit bitter that we didn't get to play Zelda in TotK It would have been so cool to explore the Zonai past with her. I can see why the developers didn't want to make another map and stuff, but still a little disappointing
While I also wanted to play a game with Zelda as the primary character, I always despised the Idea of having her be an "She Link". I already play as a Soldier with Link. For her, I always wanted it to focus of her hole as a Ruler. So, my dream "Zelda Game" would be a Tactics-like, where we can have Zelda be a commanding unity, forming her own personal army through the game (Age of Calamity was pretty close to fulfilling that wish). As for Echoes of Wisdom. Although it isn't focused on the ruler/commander I wish for, having her main ability be a condensed version of "choosing the right person to the right job" is close enough, for now.
Age of Calamity for me will always be nice to look back upon, and will always have a warm place in my heart. I followed your playthrough while I was playing through it myself for the first time. While I wanted and was excited back then for Zelda to be playable, I ended up using Link, Mipha and especially Impa way more. ^^' Also, I somehow preferred the Goddess-awakened Zelda a lot more over Shiekah-Slate Zelda, and was way more comfortable playing with the former. Haven't played Spirit Tracks so far, but after your video, I'm excited to try it out.
@@a.jthomas6132 I agree with you that it does deserve a sequel. Either one following the AoC-timeline (Ganondorf is still down there, after all) or a "Hyrule Warriors: War of Imprisonment" - that would be really cool. Honestly, especially in regards to theorizing (which was a huge reason why I was so excited for this game), I consider it mostly canon (with the exception of contradicting information to BotW/TotK, of course). It's a really great game.
@@romano-britishmedli7407 I strongly believed Ganondorf’s body is still there in AOC timeline. The question is now is who can the Upheaval be like there. It would be interesting to see the Ancient Sages more fleshed out, provided more in depth to Ganondorf’s background, bringing back Twinrova and more. The possibilities are endless.
Hyrule Warriors is honestly my favorite game in the Zelda series. It's a greatest hits album of LoZ characters and locations we're basically never going to see again, I enjoy the original characters and the new incarnations of recurring ones, and Warriors gameplay scratches my itch so well that I'm genuinely confused by people who call it a repetitive chore. So yeah, Hyrule Warriors is my favorite Zelda game, and Hyrule Warriors Zelda is my favorite version of her royal highness.
Waifu thief alert!! Whenever I shout that, it means I’m reading a comment in which someone loves a Zelda waifu that I love, too. I wanna feel loved but I can’t when they’re being shared. :( I also say “you’re taking over my waifu turf.”
@SuperZeldaGirl, this might be wishful thinking on my part, but something about the title makes me think that this may actually be 1 part of a trilogy? "Echoes of Wisdom"..."(Something) of Power", "(Something) of Courage".
And this is why Sony make Sony Playstation 😂 For who don't know: Sony collaborated with Nintendo to create a console that used CDs to have larger storage which would later be called the Nintendo Playstation. But Nintendo instead betrayed Sony and collaborated with Philips. Sony, who was angry, finally continued the project and succeeded in releasing the Sony Playstation and this console was much more successful than the Nintendo N64. And Zelda game on the Philips CDi become the worst Zelda game even among its fans. 😂
My favorite playable Zelda was definitely the one in Spirit Tracks. Wind Waker was my first Zelda game, so owning Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks was a given by that point. Though I vibe with Tetra a lot, the Zelda in Spirit Tracks was so much more relatable to me. I loved her progression through the story, the fact that she was an active companion, and any emotional story beats that involved her. Everything about that game was so fun.
I do like to play as Zelda in Spirit Tracks because of all of the different Phantoms that she can control. I'm also really excited for Echoes of Wisdom because it feels so new and fresh for a Zelda Game. One final thing to add I do like how every Zelda that has been made playable have their own unique fighting styles and that makes them really unique, kind of like how every Link is unique
@@SuperZeldaGirl If Spirit Tracks ever gets a Remake I hope there's a mode in which Zelda posses the phantoms and toy have to try and take out as many of the other phantoms as possible
so I went on a quest to find, what's the first idea of playing as Zelda in *any* way? what's the first time they actually indulged on the idea of kids and fans liking Zelda? my first thought was the board game, but that one featured, multiple colored links. it wasn't until much much later ones, usually clones of standard board games, that had playable Zelda. I lit up when I saw barcode battler, since that'd technically be a videogame... but nope, only Link, and all the monsters in the game. Card games? there were collectible cards, but you don't really play with them And then I looked at gamebooks, and they do have playable Zelda! In english, "The Crystal Trap" does predate the CDi games! It stars her as the main character. But the very first playable Zelda appearance, in *any* form, right after the original the Legend of Zelda, is Battle of Mirage Castle. It was released even before Zelda II! It features Zelda from the first game, and you play as both her and Link simultaneously in a time system. The canonicity is... not, but it's officialy licensed by Nintendo. And it's interesting some ideas do end up in later actual games. It's in japanese, but it's pretty well liked. -There's one other gamebook, but it's a secret and not as good.- And... that's, it. Nothing else before CDi Zelda. Only two books. Not even obscure figurine sets featured Zelda! Just Link and various monsters! For something more official, there was a set of really cool action figures for Ocarina of Time, featuring Zelda and Sheik, and a buildable castle playset that would make various room set-ups with traps, so it was a bit like a board game, that had a Zelda piece marker, both of which pre-date Melee. Me and my girlfriend actually had these, which remembering it after watching this video inspired me to look into this! (The same set had, of all other characters, Impa, which makes Smash Bros disappointing)
I love game with teamwork mechanics. Mario & Luigi, Bug Fables, Lost Vikins. Now hopefuly in the future something like that for the Zelda feanchise could come true. Imagine play as Link and Zelda in more equal positions. Or even that cancelled DS game with a hero of each race going to save Link
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="88">1:28</a> The CD-i wasn't a "system" it was a video player. That has a lot to do with why the gameplay for these games sucked. The CD-i Tetris game's soundtrack has a small fanbase though.
I personally consider Zelda the main character of Age of Calamity. While Link is the first playable character and obviously serves a pivotal role, Zelda is the character whose perspective we see from. It’s probably my favorite of these games just for that reason.
While I wish she had more active combat in her game (like her warriors games counterpart), I hope this at least paved the path forward to more mainline games where you can play as Zelda and actually have an active combat role using magic, light bow, and maybe even sheik transformation. It would be cool as a mix of action/stealth game which would differentiate her from link in addition to mainly using magic in combat instead of weapons.
I won't lie, I was bummed when Super Smash Bros Ultimate came out and yet we didn't get Breathe of the wild Zelda in the game. Though I know it's due to them not wanting to make a full new moveset for her. But with Tears of the Kingdom having come out I do hope we get both that version of her and Ganondorf in the next Smash Bros. But to stay on top here I am looking forward to giving Echoes of Wisdom a try when it comes out this fall.
@@SuperZeldaGirl Oh for sure. But let's just hope some characters do get a brand new move set in the next Smash Bros would be nice. Or if that doesn't happen at least let's hope we get updated characters even if the movesets are still old.
@@jesusramirezromo2037 Honestly as soon as they revealed Echoes of Wisdom I figured we'd get that version of Zelda in the next Smash Bros. Which will be interesting if that does indeed happen.
I appreciate you starting all the way back and acknowledging the existence of the Phillips games because it took Nintendo a long time before they trust the Zelda series in another hands Edit I believe the first time they did and I looked it up also was for the Oracle games in the 2000s which capcom probably at that point had made themselves known of actually producing decent games
I've always thought of Zelda as a sorceress. I grew up with the NES lore, and Zelda fought Ganon and lost, split her triforce into pieces and scattered them so Ganon couldn't get them. So it's always been my understanding that the bosses guarding the triforce in that game were Zelda's monsters. We never really got the NES Zelda as a playable character, but I imagine she's have used lots of magic, maybe a spell list like in Zelda II.
According to interviews, she was going to be playable in a Link to the Past, with the magic items in that game being remnants of her spells. A prequel to the first Zelda where you play as her has always been my dream, and it's my headcanon that the reason you find the Silver Arrows in Level 9 is because Zelda was wielding them to try to kill Ganon.
What I'd really like to see is a game where Link and Zelda are seperated and trying to get back to each other - Say one in the Dark world and one in the light world - What one does in one world affects the other - allowing you to switch back and forth between the characters to open up new areas.
While I did believe a top down Zelda had a good chance of happening, I didn't anticipate Zelda starring in a main role. As thats usually for the spin offs. And if Zelda did have playability it would be alongside Link which could still be an amazing Zelda game if done right to the fullest extent.
I just wish for her first official solo outing, she was actually cool. I would have loved to see her as Tetra for example. I love both Hyrule Warriors, but the first is my favorite of the two because of Impa and her design. Also, the fact she uses a Nodachi and a Naginata.
Honestly the role Zelda plays in it made the Malladus one of the best final bosses in Zelda history. The way both of them have to push the blade in for the final blow hits hard. On a slightly unrelated note the entire multiphase bossfight against Bellum, the Ghost Ship and Bellumbeck was epic too. Say what you will about the control scheme, the DS games have strong endings.
Bellumbeck was the most emotionally invested I've been in a Zelda game, it's such a great final boss and having to play the flute against Malladus and the whole final phase of basically playing as Zelda and Link simultaneously, using the light arrows with her, was amazing (also it was so tense because it's such a *long* fight, you just, feel it yourself as the player) the DS games are honestly my favourites of the series, they have a lot of passion in them and their endgames are incredible
I love watching compilation that truly mean it when they say "EVERY Time!", because I was gonna be mad if you didn't talk about the CDi games! Speaking of which, I think Echoes of Wisdom may actually be a very subtle nod to Wand of Gamelon, because the Tri Rod is essentially a wand, so.... What do you think? Also, to answer your pinned question, my favorite Zelda to play as would be her Master Cycle form in Age of Calamity!
Just found ur channel! Really love the fun vids and analysis! You have so much knowledge of the series ! It’s so great to watch how passionate you are !
One super frustrating thing about Zelda for me is that... Zelda, story-wise, tends to be really active and usually has her whole own adventure... and it happens entirely offscreen. Zelda in OoT spent 7 years fighting Ganondorf's rule secretly as a ninja. Tetra is a freakin' pirate! There's so much potential and things you can do with them!! Even in aLttP where she has no fighting skills, she'd sneak out of the castle and is an active leading presence (and supposedly if SBBU is to go by, a strong magic user). In the BS sequels she outright joins you for the final dungeon! Even the original Zelda, from Zelda 1, is the one that hid the triforce pieces in the temples *herself*! The game is her story... buried in the background I always wished that for the first game starring Zelda they'd revisit the original and make a prequel, involving her confrontation with Ganon invading. Make the Silver Arrows her weapon and that be why they're in the final dungeon, because she *tried* to kill Ganon!
Also according to interviews, we would've gotten our first playable Zelda as early as a Link to the Past! The magic items there, like the Ice/Fire rods and medallions, were going to be how Zelda played, tagging along with Link and a fairy.
Now we need Zelda to meet Valkyrie from Valkyrie no Densetsu(1989 arcade game), who has also appeared in Namco X Capcom & Project X Zone (1 & 2). There was an earlier different game in 1986 on the Famicom called Valkyrie no Boken but the remake version in Namco Anthology 2, which has game play like the 1989 arcade game, is probably the better experience for Valkyrie no Boken. (I think the Namco Anthology 2 allows you to choose to play either the remake or the original Famicom, so if the game feels/looks like Final Fantasy 1 - 6 overworld, it's the Famicom one).
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="721">12:01</a> Shiek is pretty obviously 100% definitively female in Smash Bros Wii U and 3DS onward. She even has a more physically effeminate design, with her torso being less square-shaped and more curvaceous. Officially Sheik identifies a female to begin with, in spite of Zelda using magic to disguise herself as a male because Sheik is just Zelda in disguise. Eiji Aonuma himself says Sheik is female and Sakurai said Sheik was female well before this.
@@BrothersCourage Zelda disused herself as male. Zelda identifies as female, Shiek is Zelda, Shiek's gender identity is female because Zelda identifies as female. Also it is entirely within reason that a woman could use padding to disguise herself as a man. Fact of the matter is, we've never seen what's under Shiek's clothes so it's impossible to claim she is physically male when it could just be padding. Also Smash Bros Wii U and 3DS changed Shiek's design to a smash-original sleeker design, with her outfit form fitting to Zelda's body.
@@BrothersCourage Also Sheik has literally the same voice actress as Zelda in OoT, Smash Melee, Smash Brawl and Smash Wii U and 3DS. Shiek's voice was literally just Zelda naturally deepening her voice.
Echoes of Wisdom coming out right after the true spiritual successor to Wand of Gamelon, Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore came out. Coincidence, I think NOT! (An honestly fantastic game too)
Hyrule Warriors is one of my favorite games of the series (probably #2 after Twilight Princess), and also one of my favorite games period. I have long had an idea/desire for a game where Zelda is the main character, and her power is transformation. She starts being able to switch between 'Zelda' and 'Sheik' forms, but throughout the game unlocks other forms like Impa, Nabooru,
The nee game is also known as The Legend of Link, Zelda's Awakening. Besides the joke with changing name places, i totally guess we will also play as Link in some under/mirror/dark world. Nintendo did it with TOKT, with one hand "Hey, look islands in the sky, look how many islands are in the sky", while the other hand performed the magic trick hiding the underground. I will not be surprised if they did it.
The best part of the Zelda CD-I games is that two of them have some pretty good box art. ... That's it. It's not playable Zelda, but at least the Super Famicom Satelliview Zelda games were there letting players play as a girl character. Funny thing is Zelda's ghost form with Link helping her out reminds me of the old Zelda cartoon, and an episode where Zelda (who was a bow user in that series) dealt with Link being forcibly turned into a ghost and she had to fight on his behalf and save him. I wonder if the developers had any inkling what that American cartoon was doing or if they got any inspiration from that episode, or if it's just a funny coincidence? Meanwhile, Princess Peach Toadstool got her first playable outing in Super Mario Bros 2... the second one! Well, yes the history of the US version is pretty convoluted, but it's still a great game and in some ways a more worthy sequel than the Japanese 2, and it certainly counts, what with establishing a lot of Peach's abilities early on. She also got a playable role in Super Mario RPG less than a decade later. She just didn't get to be the standalone lead until Super Princess Peach much later on the DS... and come to think of it, much like the more current Peach game, she's got a magical helper spirit giving her powers in both games. What's with Nintendo these past few years and constantly giving everyone magical helper spirits every single game, and different ones each time too? At least Link finally managed to ditch decades of that with Breath of the Wild finally letting him set out without a fairy or an imp or a talking sword or whatever for once. Sorry, I just kind of wish Zelda got the rod on her own instead of needing a fairy that looks NOTHING like any other Zelda fairies showing up to grant her power.
I'll always have a soft spot for TP Zelda because of Brawl. During the entire Subspace invasion, this badass magic lady kept her cool even in equivalent situations where Peach is taken by surprise instead. And the sneaking mission with her having transformed into Sheik for it was so cool cinematically (because in gameplay I just switched back to Zelda immediately, I cannot play Sheik for the life of me lmao). Both Hyrule Warriors games were my only other times playing as her. I borderline became a god of combos with her rapier in HW Definitive Edition, and I thought her Sheikah Tablet moveset in Age of Calamity was so much fun that even when she unlocked her true powers I just stuck to the power of technology (indirectly fulfilling her canon wish for her to be able to fight back to the Calamity without these accursed powers whose attempts to awaken just caused her stress and nothing else).
Zelda magic powers from smash brothers should totally be explored more for a real game…. It baffled me they never took the opportunity. I’m picturing like Sailor Moon style attacks
I think the better context for reason of celebration is her having the Protagonist Role that usually Link holds and not just simply being playable that I could only give to her very much meme'd CDI self but sure good to spread the other times she has been playable even though they are mostly spin-offs and Collab projects from other companies like the Necrodancer devs and KoeiTecmo let alone Smash Bros I also respect how close she was to the role in Spirit Tracks working together WITH Link for a change
My favorite playable Zelda is in Age of Calamity. The scene where you get the arrow of light (or as i like to think of it, "Hylia mode") is so cool and a real hero moment for her. I'd even argue that she's the true main protagonist of that game. But shoutout to Melee as another favorite. It's not a LoZ game, but I loved OoT Zelda and Sheik as a kid and really wanted to play as them so badly! So my 12yro self was ecstatic when I saw that Melee reveal.
Now I want to play as Gannondorf, a version of him purified from evil or whatever that has to save link from a corrupted zelda that got herself corrupted from purifying gannon. It would be the perfect reversal.
Actually, Zelda uses a wand as her weapon in Zelda's Adventure, not a sword. But it does look and function pretty much identically to the sword in other 2D Zelda games.
<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="96">1:36</a> Nintendo's only involvement in the CD-i games was making sure their characters on the box art and manual were on-model. <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="177">2:57</a> Zelda uses a wand instead of a sword in Zelda's Adventure.
Id really love to see another crossover game like Hyrule Warriors that leans into her mystic abilities like that game did. I think the Warriors franchise is a little too grindy for my tastes. So something more like an RPG or an exploration fighting game could be really interesting. Something like Kingdom Hearts, for instance.
Spirit Tracks is my favorite incarnation of Zelda. She has more depth of personality and emotional expression than any other version of Zelda until Tears of the Kingdom.
I adore Zelda in Spirit Tracks. She’s a hoot and is an amazing character. I love her character in Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity. I’m excited for Echo’s of Wisdom!
I loved that Zelda was the central character in Age of Calamity. Sure Link is the guy who gets things done, but Zelda was the one with the cutscene time and character arc.
I often asked for this or a game with out Link and fans would always get pissed and yell at me. "only Link can defeat Ganon / use the master sword" fans were so smug certain we would never see this.
Great job on the video! I was wondering the whole time, is she going to mention smash bros? that's the first time I remember getting to play as Zelda. And you did! Most comprehensive list I can think of for sure!
Are you serious? Instead of “wondering”, you can literally look ahead and check the chapters of the video. Then you’ll know what games will be mentioned beforehand. Come on man, you know better. You’ve joined this application 17 years ago.
I'd say Zelda mostly using a bow was established in the cartoon which I do think Gamelon took some inspiration from. I do on the other hand think that Zelda should have a smaller lightr sword in the new game in addition to her magic cause that's not new to her either (see Twilight Princess). I tink Aonuma doesn't want her overlapping with Link's skill-set at all (aside from maybe the bow), but that's a bit irksome. Still new game looks fun.
Technically, Zelda is slightly playable in Twilight Princess since she shoots Light Arrows in the direction you point the control stick when you’re riding on Epona chasing down Ganondorf.
