One thing I'd like to point out is that the colours in the poll results are similar between certain games. Zelda 1 did not take the majority vote in "best dungeons," as some people thought. That's on me, though. The footage didn't show every corresponding game. Here are the full results for you to look at! docs.google.com/forms/d/1mW5VcsI30KMAdK4IT29275gNKUkeukKgRgJtTk0Br-Q/viewanalytics Thank you so much for watching, and here's to 2023!

Over the years as I’ve played and replayed all the Zelda games, I honestly feel link between worlds might be my favorite. The gameplay and dungeon design are absolute top notch

It's so incredible that they managed to make this game look this beautiful and play so well due to it running at 60 fps *_on the Nintendo 3DS!_*

I remember after playing this game back when i was in school, i’d look at walls and a part of my brain would say “merge with that one”

A Link Between Worlds has some of the best game design ever. No cap, it's probably the perfect Zelda experience.

One thing you didn’t mentioned is how good the 3D effect is and how it helps on some puzzles/platforming. I was blown away, and it was one of the few games which I always put 3D on max

This game was my first Zelda game ever. It’s also the first video I am ever watching of 2023. I love and appreciate you Liam. Happy new year

I never played a link to the past so I had no sense of nostalgia or familiarity with a link between worlds and I loved it so much. Favorite 2d Zelda fs

I really enjoyed playing this one on hero mode. Cannot believe this game is turning a decade old, and playing it now won't be the same as streetpass Dark Link battles were everywhere.

The perfect way to end the year. Thank you for your content. You have such a outstanding take on the whole franchise.

I recently discovered your channel and watched all your Zelda videos, so you picked a perfect time to upload a video on my favorite game of all time!

Man you just hit me with a wall of nostalgia at the beginning Almost wanted to shed a tear just remembering the times I played Ocarina of Time with my Dad

I 100% agree with you that ALBW's music is some of the best in the entire series! the mix between nostalgia, remixes and fresh new music is absolutely stunning! I also really love the renting mechanic, it gives the player so much choice in terms of money, dungeon choice and risk (if the items are rented and not bought). Plus Ravio is such a fun and well written character.

Great retrospective, I really owe this game a replay

Link Between Worlds must be the game I've replayed the most. It was my first 3ds game, and the 3ds was my first Nintendo console. I have so many fond memories of this game :) Happy New Year everyone

I think often that A Link To The Past still looks new. The artstyle and it's technical implementation are perfect.

I like the minor puzzle (hidden path only visible in the dark) in the final dungeon that gets you the red mail. It was a nice touch to put an element from one of the previous dungeons in a place nobody would really expect.

I played this after the Link’s Awakening remake and was astonished at how much better this was. The full analog control went such a long way

I played this game at an extremely pivitol point in my life so I will always cherish the memories I made playing this game. It also helps that this is quite possibly the best 2d zelda that alot of people will never play

Replayed this game afew months ago. It's undoubtedly my favourite 2D Zelda, it's so nostalgic.

Seeing you go from my favorite Zelda game (Minish Cap) to my third favorite, really made my day! I'm excited to watch this one and I hope you have a happy new year

link between worlds was my first zelda game i actually got to play, i grew up watching my brother play skyward sword and twilight princess but i was never allowed to play them cus they were on “his” wii. when i got a 3ds and discovered link between worlds tho, i was finally able to dive into a series that i’ve loved for my entire life. i’ll always have massive nostalgia for that game

it's odd to me people like this one less then ALTTP, for me it felt like a true upgrade. its so interesting to see different perspectives!

this is one of my favorite games in the series, even if the dungeons limit their design to only 1 item they're still incredibly well designed dungeons that are really fun and satisfying to explore and solve

The ending of this game makes me cry literally every time

I just got this game a few days ago, and I'm not that far into the game but I can already tell that it's an amazing game.

How crazy it would be if Liam released the Breath of the Wild retrospective on March 3rd, the day of its release. That officially makes the game six years old.

A Link Between Worlds is my favorite Zelda game of all time. It cuts a lot of the fat that plagued the traditional 3D Zeldas and gives me a pure adventure to get lost in. I actually jumped into a second playthrough after finishing the first, something I rarely do in modern games.

This is another one of the best 2D games ever made. I like The Minish Cap more, but A Link Between Worlds has so much to offer in terms of pure fun I do miss the entertainment of finding items out in the world, but I like the character of Ravio and his bird friend. I guess that's a fair trade And the story, while a bit of a rehash of A Link to the Past, is simple and sweet Sometimes, I wish I could play these games on a home console because I don't play video games outside; but I always get sucked into them, anyway and I forget that I'm playing on a handheld

Never before has a game stopped me in my track like the musicians in Kakariko Village. I remember staying a few days at my parent's house, and before heading to bed, I would pay the musicians to play for a good 30 minutes straight.

Hey man, love your videos. They’re a part of my work commute. As much as I love your Zelda videos, coming back has been less about the specific game itself and more about the desire to hear your opinions and feelings on something you’ve played. The Sonic and Mario retrospectives are evidence of that. So don’t feel reluctant to branch out to other games in this video style. Just like your love for games go beyond Zelda titles, so does the audience. I’ll still be listening and I can ensure you that others will be as well! On that note, I’d love to hear your feelings for more Mario and Sonic titles, as well as other games, such as Luigi’s Mansion, Donkey Kong Country, etc.

A Link Between Worlds is my favorite Zelda game. It came out the year i graduated college and I’ll never forget my time with while i was working my first job after school. I love BotW but i truly hope someday we get another game like ALBW but on consoles someday.

Link between worlds was my first Zelda game I played. I was honestly surprised just how much I loved it and it was a perfect introduction into the series for me. You talk about how the Lttp memory helps a lot but of course I didn’t have that or any nostalgia and it was still a very fun and amazing experience

I'm really glad I came across you channel before the year ended. Your 3D Sonic video got me hooked and this one cemented my interest in your style of content. I'm really looking forward to everything you got planned for the new year.

I cant stop rewatching your Zelda retrospectives, you and KingK are very good at what you do but I agree with your take on things alot more. Wind Waker is also my favourite Zelda game, that retrospective i have listened to at the most lonely and honestly bleak times of my life and just hearing your passion for the Wind Waker has brought me back from the brink emotionally several times. The effort you put into building your script and how you tackle analysing these games also really shines through. I can understand the concerns you bring up in this video, that you'll have to find new ways to keep people engaged as time goes on. That is a monumental challenge that i dont envy of content creators. But dont stop doing what you're doing, your passion will guide you!

A Link Between Worlds is hands down my favorite Zelda game in the franchise and my favorite game of all time. It was the first ever Zelda game I was able to beat, I was around 10-11 years old. So this game also holds some nostalgiac value to me as well. It’s just so charming and the art/design of the game is amazing. I’ve been waiting for you to upload a video on ALBW and you did not disappoint!!

Dude, I'll keep watching Top-Lists, Theories etc. it never gets old xD It's insane how I am consuming this kind of content for years and I'm still not tired of it.

I've made it a tradition to watch the new upload, then listening to them when trying to sleep at night. Idk if it works so well because you structure your story telling so well, or because you're just nice to listen to, but my god thank you for your work!! Always love seeing you pop up in my feed

Just found your channel. Love your videos so much. Watched several others all the way through so far. Your my new favorite : )

Just started getting in to your videos about yesterday. And just my luck you post a fire video about my FAVORITE Zelda game. Keep up the good work!!

Looking forward to watching this one. Hopefully you can put into words my appreciattipn for this game because I can explain why I love it so much! Artstyle, gameplay, dungeons, it's just something. Happy new year, Liam!

ALBW was my first Zelda. And it has a warm spot in my heart

Something I thought about while watching: The little textboxes that pop up of "things you forgot to say" make the video feel a bit unfinished or unpolished, as if there wasn't time to add it in. And unfortunaly it's an annoyance when watching to have to pause the video to read, and also listen while you're talking at the same time. Not blaming you for it, I don't know how your conditions were making this video, but it's something I haven't seen much of before in your videos and a room for improvement! Otherwise, great video as always on one of my favorite games! :))

So happy to see Link Between Worlds getting so much love. My absolute favorite Zelda and i was 7 years old when the original dropped. One of the most amazing game franchises ever.

This was my first zelda and definitely in my top 3! I’ve been waiting for you to cover it!

Liam, I just love your videos man. The way you script your thoughts, the findings and arguments you present. Just fantastic. Whatever direction you go, however you modify, I'm there. 👊🏽

Your discussion about change near the end made me realize that may have been a reason you made that Sonic video recently. I'm not sure if anyone else realized that was well, but I am interested to see what you do going forward, regardless of what you cover. Also, the timing of this video was perfect, given New Year's resolutions and all. Well done!

It didn't get much attention in the video, but I really liked the energy meter for item use. In Zelda games up to this point, I was never all that keen on the resource management involved with bombs, arrows, magic, etc, especially since I very much had hoarding habits at the time. If I didn't have to use a limited resource for something I could do with my sword, I almost certainly wouldn't, no matter how inconvenient it was. (Shoutouts to Wind Waker Armos enemies.) The energy meter here, being that it regenerates over time and pretty quickly at that, felt liberating as a result. Being allowed to freely take advantage of all my arsenal at any time, with recklessness as the only real limiting factor, was so fun to me. I have several reasons for considering ALBW my favourite pre-BotW Zelda, but this was a big one for sure.

this is my favourite top down Zelda game of all time and I can not fault much of what you said here, I started playing Zelda with OoT so I understand how people wouldn't like the fact you don't get items in dungeons, main ones anyway, but the core gameplay loop is so satisfying and fun that it really doesn't end up mattering to me in the end Great Video, keep up the good work and if you need to change the format at some point I have faith you'll do well :D

Thank you for making this! I grew up on Zelda games and a link between worlds was the first Zelda game I played but almost no one talks about it

This game didn't lack a sense of progression since you were constantly working on moving from just renting to actually owning your items, and then upgrading them. Not to mention heart pieces, bottles, and the hidden items in dungeons helping you make your journey easier. And the puzzles in this game were honestly quite good. The formula of having to take a relatively linear path through a dungeon every time because you can't cross obstacles without the dungeon's main item, then getting it, and then having to backtrack to go down every path you had to pass by, now that you have the item, is extremely limiting and leads to boring dungeons if you don't get the main item early, unless you add some other gimmick to the dungeon, like basically every "water temple" style dungeon where the designers got rid of the linearity caused by the "find the main item" design by introducing some annoying puzzle box mechanic to slow you down and confound your pathfinding abilities. Having the required items as soon as you enter the dungeon means the designers can introduce puzzle concepts immediately and they don't have to dedicate a bunch of the dungeon to the "pre-item" path, it can just be all about the main item, all the time. Did they succeed with doing this in every dungeon in this game? Unfortunately not, but it was still much higher average quality than most dungeons in the entire series. I still think the best dungeons in the series were in Link's Awakening and the Oracle games, but while those games had the highest peaks, they had some stinkers too, whereas this game had no *bad* dungeons. Even its water dungeon was decent (even though I really do hate water level puzzles, they're just tedious no matter what you do.) So I really can't disagree with the latter half of your video more. In fact, it seems unfair to say that the exploration on repeat playthroughs isn't as good as on the ALttP randomizer... like, duh, of course randomizers are going to be better! It's the same map, sure, but you have to figure out the right route to the end game every time. You wouldn't say repeatedly play the same randomizer seed, would you? They're fun because they mix things up, but they're not *designed* and are never as good as vanilla on their own. It's only the fact that you can generate endless new ways to play the game, often in challenging or downright maddening ways, that makes randomizers any good. If you're gonna compare this game to a rando then you might as well compare apples to oranges.

Finished my play through about a month ago and loved it

Link Between Worlds is in my top five Zelda games. It's one of three I can replay and still have a ton of fun.

Thanks for the video on this game, Liam. Happy New Year!

I'm glad Link Between Worlds was my true first Zelda game. It got me super excited and engaged from day one, and only set me up for the greatness that was to follow.

i listened to this gaming podcast (the besties) go through the entire zelda catalog in a round robin style tournament discussion to decide the best zelda. On one side was all the 3D Zeldas, and on the other all the 2D. On the 2D side, it came down to this very game facing off against its predecessor. I forget which won, but it really could have gone either way and was the matchup that took the longest to decide. I absolutely adore this game. I took it to pieces; I played it all the way through, I played it to full inventory completion, I learned to speedrun the boss rush dungeon; I played the game as a “nuzlocke”, I played it upside down, I learned the speedrun skips, I clipped through the ice temple, I skipped the hand boss, I *found a glitch myself at like 14* just from messing around in-game because gameplay itself is just so fun. Great game.

It is difficult to overstate how much I love this game, easily being among my top 3 Zelda games. And it's also not that easy to see how much change there is in it, looking like the opposite on a surface level due to its connection to ALttP. However, I much agree that its gameplay-loop is incredibly satisfying. The pace is almost entirely dictated by the player and the world is so deeply thought out in that it gives the player freedom and rewards their creativity in a way that is honestly quite amazing. Though I do agree that the game's biggest weakness is its lack of difficulty. And I think this is something the developers really took to heart when designing BotW, because especially in the beginning, that game never messes around.

Keep doing what your doing Liam! I love the way you talk about video games. You put so much passion and emotions into your content. I have the exact same taste in video games as you and when I watch your videos it makes me revisit feelings I feelt as a child playing some of these games for the first time. Doesnt matter what the subjects are realy, music, reviews you name it. I realy hope you will continue making videos becouse you are realy good at it!

The most beautiful opening in the medium of KZfaq videos I've ever witnessed. Great work!

i’m so so glad someone finally made a video on it, this is probably my favorite zelda game, if not my favorite game ever!

Thank You for this video bro! Was questioning myself if I wanted to buy this masterpiece to play for the first time! All the best for this New Year!

This was my first Zelda game ever and i enjoyed it a lot

Good luck with this one Liam! ill be watching soon enough I'm sure u did an amazing job as usual!

my favorite zelda game, ever! i recently went back and beat it on hero mode, and it was the most fun i've had with any video game in a while. thanks for this, liam!

A Link Between Worlds is my most replayed Zelda game and one of my personal favorites, but until a few months ago I hadn't played it in a while. After recently playing through A Link to the Past for the first time, this game was next on my list and this video reflects a lot of my thoughts. I've always been a huge fan of the items in this game and the way you can use them in the overworld, and the way it lets you route your playthroughs to find the treasures in each dungeon, but coming back after ALTTP, it felt a little too open after seeing how that game handled its linearity. I think I still prefer ALBW but the games feel independent enough that I think both warrant coming back to for their own reasons. Great work as always, your thoughts on this series are always excellent. Looking forward to when you cover Breath of the Wild!

I always cry during your Zelda videos so this is not new but the intro fr had me in tears

Wow the 30sec mark really grabs why Ocarina was so incredible at the time. We went from the little top down 2d game to a Hyrule that immersed you into the experience like it was reality.

at 31:25 it will be sustainable for as long as it needs to until you make that spyro 3 video lol i loved your review of the first two but now i wanna see the third! spyro is what got me into gaming! love your videos bro!

yess. this is one of my favorite zelda games, so happy to see you made a video on it :-)

Liam Triforce your videos are some of my favorite to watch after a long day, it’s fun to reflect and wherever your channel goes, it’ll be incredible!

Awesome way to start the year! Thanks for the video.

Dude I can't WAIT for your BotW retrospective. You are so excellent at this style of video making and I will always enjoy your content. Keep it up Liam!!

LBW was the first Zelda game I ever played. I remember when I was younger and couldn't sleep, I would boot up the game and head to the milk bar in kakariko, and just listen to the bard there until I got tired enough to fall asleep. Good memories.

I just love your videos so much, and I get so excited whenever I see you've released new content.

it took me a really long time to buy a 3ds, finally getting one in 2020, and the first game that i played through was a link between worlds. it blew my mind how good it was, and now it sits really high on my list of favorite zelda games, with only majora’s mask and links’s awakening ahead of it

Just wanna say, HotCyber, you did a phenomenal job on this thumbnail. Can’t stop gawking at it when it passes my recommended

Ey Liam, I found your channel recently and I've been binging your Zelda videos while I'm at work. It was a very easy sub, and one of the things that made you stand out in the endless river of video essays is your unabashed passion and optimism for the subject matter that manages to maintain a perfectly healthy level of nostalgia. It stands apart from the great deal of cynical content I've come to accept over the years. Your content might have to change as Zelda does, but I'll be here for it. Also now I have to replay all my Zelda games and it's all your fault.

I absolutely loved this game when it came out and ended up getting the Zelda themed 3ds that came with it , this was a great review of such a fun game and I’m happy to have revisited it

Great video as always. On a seperate note Link to the Past is absolutely a timeless classic and easily one of the best entries in the series.

Favorite 2d zelda game and 2nd favorite in the series. Good to see a video on this channel.

That intro was emotional. Amazing job!

I dont see many people talk about this gem. I remember when this game came out. Was still relatively new to Zelda; going on 3 years at that time. I was basically thrust into this series when it was obvious going through some serious transitions. From discovering Ocarina of Time which had remade for the 3DS, my very first Zelda game that stood the test of time and how enamored i was with the world. To beautifully story-driven Skyward Sword was; my first “New” Zelda title, which I loved at the time but now understood there were pitfalls that muddled the game. And to this, where it still had the “structure” of a Zelda game, but was going through a Transition which will soon become Breath of the Wild. The idea that I could go through the whole map on my own in A Link Between Worlds was mind blowing to me, because I never thought it’ll be possible. But that’s what they did. I really liked the renting system they implemented to counteract the non-linearity of the game, and I find the characters to be extremely charming. The main gimmick of that game also really made for some creative puzzle solving. Oh to experience this game again one more time.

I can't believe it's already been nearly 10 years since it came out, it only feels like 5 at most. I guess it's time for a replay of the game again sometime soon.

Keep up the good work, made my day seeing a new upload

One of my favorite Zelda games. I loved the creative user of game mechanics, the art style and especially the game play. A nice comfy 3DS game to play while its raining outside.

Playing the HD remaster of SS recently I found myself really enjoying it. Reminded me of what I liked about Zelda, something Breath of Wild made me forget.

Looked through the comments and I had no idea people loved this game as much as I did. Thanks Liam Triforce, for looking into this under-appreciated masterpiece.

i really loved how the wallmasters were used during some of the dungeons, i always rly like the concept of utilizing the enemies for puzzle splving :D

My favourite game of all time, this video is gonna be an absolute blast!

Bro that fkn into dude. That shit went hard. I've played so many, if not all of those games. Shit makes me emotional tbh, God damn

Its crazy how, if you think about it... The name of the game is strangely metaphorical. "A Link Between Worlds." A fascinating cross between the classic Zelda formula, and the more open-ended Zelda of the future.

The opening was so long and got me so chill that when you finally spoke, I got startled and went "UGH!!!" and I scared my upstairs neighbor.

21:29 I love this mini game due too the fact on how you learn to play it

me and my best friend cosplayed zelda and hilda when we were 15 and it was so fun and cool. this game holds a special place in my heart

Hope to keep seeing your videos you're one of my fav. Your voice is soothing

One of my favourite Zelda ever! Period! I love every part of it!

This is by far my favorite and my childhood

Great video! I'm surprised you didn't mention the story at all. But I can see why, as it's maybe not really relevant to the core theme of "change" that this game brought to the series. Keep it up!

i think ALBW is one of the most replayable zelda games. and for me, the changes in dungeon approach aren’t bothersome, they’re actually liberating. beyond the one required item, you can take whatever you want into the dungeon. and even though it’s my favorite franchise by far, i’m not as attached to the “zelda formula” as others seem to be. at this point, there are as many zelda games that DON’T follow the formula as those that do! the “zelda formula” for me, is simply the unique sense of adventure imparted by the gameplay, music, and story. nintendo has shown they can achieve this in a variety of ways. ALTTP will always be great, but it need not be the standard for comparison for the series. love your videos and your honesty, Liam!

It's funny how you mention hating the Ice palace in A Link to the Past, because I can never figure out the block pushing puzzle. And I always grab the Blue Mail and skip the rest until i get the Cane of Somaria.