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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're ranking every intro in the Legend of Zelda series
00:14before we're whisked off on another adventure.
00:27But before we dive in, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and
00:33ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:39Number 20, The Legend of Zelda Four Swords.
01:01Something has to be at the bottom, and the intro to Four Swords doesn't do much to make
01:06itself stand out.
01:08It begins with Link and Zelda visiting the Four Sword, and the princess giving a brief
01:13exposition dump.
01:14She senses the seal on Vaati, an evil wind mage, weakening, and she's right.
01:19The villain breaks free, kidnaps her, and knocks Link unconscious.
01:24He's awoken later by three fairies and takes up the sword to split into four.
01:29The intro isn't terrible, just a quick, simple way to get to the main hook of being a multiplayer
01:35entry without much nuance.
01:45Number 19, Zelda II The Adventure of Link.
01:58Maybe it's unfair to rank an NES game low since it realistically couldn't do much for
02:03an intro.
02:05But for Zelda II, there's really not much here, nor does it have anything that grew
02:09to be iconic like the original game.
02:12The shot of a sword embedded in the cliffside looks pretty cool, and then we get a text
02:16crawl explaining the tragedy of this game's version of Zelda.
02:20While the setup of the sleeping princess is interesting, that's the whole intro before
02:25you go out to explore the larger world.
02:27There's simply nothing here that argues it should rank higher.
02:37Number 18, The Legend of Zelda Four Swords Adventures.
02:47Like its gameplay predecessor, Four Swords Adventures gets straight to the point with
02:51little buildup.
02:53It just does it a bit better.
02:55Under the opening text crawl, we find Hyrule covered by dark, ominous clouds.
03:00Link is called to Hyrule Castle, where he finds Zelda and six maidens opening the resting
03:05place to the Four Sword.
03:07However, Shadow Link appears, and all seven vanish in clouds of mystical fog.
03:13Chasing the dark specter, Link retrieves the Four Sword and splits, allowing Vaati to break
03:18free and carry the heroes away on a tornado.
03:22They then wake to the owl, Kaepora Gaebora, explaining what they must do.
03:27Fundamentally, it's very similar to Four Swords, just with more elements and a better art style.
03:42Number 17, The Legend of Zelda Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons.
04:01Normally we'd separate the two Oracle games, but their intros are similar enough to lump
04:06them together.
04:07Both games begin with Link being called to by the Triforce.
04:11And after reaching it, he's teleported to a neighboring kingdom.
04:15For Seasons, it's to Holodrum, where he meets the dancer and Oracle Din.
04:20But Onyx, the game's villain, sends a mystical tornado to capture Din, putting the land's
04:25seasons in a constant state of flux.
04:29For Ages, he's transported to Labrynna, where he meets the singer Nayru.
04:34However, the villain Varyn, having possessed Link's ally Impa, then takes control of the
04:39Oracle and flees, altering the flow of time.
04:43There isn't much to either, but they still serve as nice intros to their respective world-shifting
04:49mechanics.
05:02Number 16, The Legend of Zelda Triforce Heroes.
05:20Several handheld Zelda games begin with storybook-like intros.
05:24The opening to Triforce Heroes tells the story of Hytopia, the fashion-obsessed neighbor
05:30of Hyrule.
05:31After its princess is cursed by a witch to be stuck in a horrid brown jumpsuit, the king
05:36calls on the aid of any heroes willing to help.
05:39What also helps this sequence stand out is its music.
05:42The entire soundtrack of Triforce Heroes is way better than it has any right to be.
05:48Exploring the castle town is also a delightful level of silly with plenty of comical characters.
05:54Even if the game is far from the best, the introduction still has charm.
06:05Number 15, The Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds.
06:20The intro to A Link Between Worlds begins and ends with allure.
06:25It opens with Link having a nightmare of a massive, shadowy version of Ganon.
06:30However, he's then comically woken up and given the task of delivering a sword back
06:35to Hyrule's captain by his blacksmith boss.
06:38But after hearing a commotion at the sanctuary, he's forced to brave the underground tunnels
06:43to make it inside.
06:45We are then introduced to the primary villain, Yuga, who quickly turns the priest's daughter
06:49into a painting before becoming one himself and escaping while Link is, once again, knocked
06:55unconscious.
06:56While it shares elements with intros of previous games, the villain and his odd way of collecting
07:01victims is a strong way to pull players in.
07:05As is the introduction of Ravio afterwards, a great side character in the series.
07:17Number 14, The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass.
07:30Following the Wind Waker, Link, Tetra, and the pirates set off to discover new land.
07:36Phantom Hourglass is another game that opens with a storybook-like cutscene, this time
07:40delivered by Nico.
07:41However, the arts and crafts, paper cutout aesthetic is honestly adorable.
07:47We then go to Link, having fallen asleep during the story, and Tetra, being her delightfully
07:52sassy self and not believing in tales of the dreaded ghost ship.
07:58Of course, when it shows up, setting the tone with unsettling fog, she hops aboard in search
08:03of treasure and is taken.
08:06Link attempts to follow as the ship sails away, but falls overboard.
08:10Awaking to a new fairy companion on a new island, we're then introduced to the kindly
08:14old man, Oshus, who teaches us the unique new touchscreen controls.
08:25Number 13, The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks.
08:39At the onset of Spirit Tracks, Nico is, somehow, still alive.
08:43And his art skills have gotten much better.
08:46The opening explains the unique lore of New Hyrule, but humorously, Link still falls asleep.
08:52The starting area, Aboda Village, is cute, but what makes this beginning a bit stronger
08:57than its predecessor is the introduction of Link's train.
09:01We get to conduct our way towards Hyrule, where Link meets Princess Zelda and the obviously
09:07evil Chancellor Cole.
09:09After Link sneaks Zelda out for a train ride, it isn't long before the villain enacts
09:13his plan, removing Zelda's soul from her body to revive an ancient demon king, Malidus.
09:19The scene is a wonderful way to bring in Zelda as the companion, and does well to establish
09:25the new setting.
09:33Number 12, The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom.
09:49Being the first canonical entry to star Zelda instead of Link, we knew Echoes of Wisdom
09:54would have a unique opening.
09:56We begin as the main hero, storming a cave and battling Ganon.
10:01But after a rift opens and swallows Link up, Zelda makes her escape back to Hyrule Castle.
10:06The trouble is far from over though, as another rift claims the king and his two most trusted
10:12advisors, spitting out evil doppelgangers who have Zelda framed and arrested.
10:18Making our escape while learning the signature echo ability is quite fun, but there's also
10:22a significant level of intrigue.
10:25What's causing the rifts if Ganon is gone?
10:28What was Link's journey in finding Zelda and combating this crisis?
10:33Both the gameplay and the setup hook you to keep going.
10:46Number 11, The Legend of Zelda.
10:56Admittedly, the original game's opening gains a lot of points on iconicism.
11:01It begins with an opening text crawl just like Zelda II, along with the game's items.
11:06But it's set to the franchise's main theme, one of the most recognizable pieces of video
11:11game music ever crafted.
11:14We're then plopped into the middle of a giant overworld by NES standards, where we can go
11:19in whatever direction we like.
11:21Of course, heading into the first cave gets you Link's first sword, while the old man
11:26says it's dangerous to go alone, take this.
11:30That line has transcended video games, being only one of many things that makes The Legend
11:35of Zelda so special to so many of us.
11:47Number 10, The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess.
12:02The opening to Twilight Princess usually gets a lot of hate, and we can understand why.
12:08Gameplay revolving around herding goats and catching a fish for that stupid cat isn't
12:12exactly exciting.
12:14In fact, it's kind of boring.
12:16However, what it does well is show Link as part of a real community, better than most
12:22others.
12:23Its pace is slow because he leads a simple life.
12:26That makes it so when things do start happening, you feel a greater pull to set things right
12:31and be the hero.
12:33The moment where the children are kidnapped, with Link helpless to stop it, feels momentous
12:38and surprising.
12:40Then there's the scene where Link enters the Twilight Realm and transforms into a wolf,
12:44leaving an excellent hook in this darker chapter in the series.
12:52Number 9, The Legend of Zelda The Minish Cap.
13:06It's always nice to see a game where Link and Zelda already have a bond.
13:10The Minish Cap begins with the lore of the Picori, a miniature race that helped Hyrule
13:14during dark times, depicted with some great stained glass artwork.
13:19We then move to the princess waking Link up to join her at Hyrule's festival.
13:24There's a lot of charm in seeing Zelda excited over every stall, but the villain's entrance
13:29is what really grabs you.
13:31As the winner of the combat competition, Vaati earns the prize of touching the sacred Picori
13:37blade, which holds a chest full of evils closed.
13:40Of course, he then breaks it open, setting monsters loose on the land, and then turns
13:46Zelda to stone.
13:47Establishing Link and Zelda's friendship and taking her away so suddenly is a great way
13:52to introduce Vaati and set up the conflict.
14:00Number 8, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time.
14:14The first 3D game in the series was a huge leap forward, and that was apparent right
14:19from the start.
14:21Beginning with what we'd learn is a prophetic dream, we see the only fairy-less child in
14:25Kokiri Forest catch a glimpse of the evil that would fall onto Hyrule.
14:30And after a delightful flight sequence from Navi's POV, we get a lovely little woodland
14:35playground to explore.
14:37The opening of Ocarina does a succinct job at explaining this then-new third dimension,
14:42while also summing up Link's status here, not as a member of the community, but as an
14:47outcast.
14:48Embraced by Saria and shunned by Mido, it creates a desire to learn more about our silent
14:54hero, all while giving us a great tutorial area.
15:05Number 7, The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening.
15:18Koholint Island of Link's Awakening is one of the most fascinating settings in the series,
15:24and how Link gets there immediately sucks the player in.
15:27During a raging storm, Link's ship is destroyed, and he washes up on the shore of this strange
15:33new place.
15:34A young girl, whose name we'd later learn is Marin, finds him among the debris and brings
15:39him to her house in Mabe Village.
15:42Though the island's appeal can't be denied, we're then meant to uncover its mysteries
15:47and find a way home.
15:49This intro may have placed lower if not for the 2019 remake, which re-does this sequence
15:55in gorgeous animation, before transitioning to its wonderful, diorama-like aesthetic.
16:07Number 6, The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword.
16:20Even better than establishing Link and Zelda as friends, is establishing them as something
16:26more.
16:27Skyward Sword is another entry that opens with stylized lore, but it's everything in
16:31Skyloft that makes it special.
16:33The floating town is bursting with joyful colors, and the Knight's Academy, along
16:38with the schoolyard bully plotline with fan-favorite Groose, is a great way to show Link's place
16:43in this world and what his goals are.
16:46However, it's Zelda that really brings it all to life.
16:50Her feelings for Link are so palpably sweet, you can't help but fall in love with her.
16:55The controls may take some getting used to, but they don't overwhelm you during the
16:59intro.
17:00After winning both the ceremony and the girl, Link has everything he wants snatched away
17:06from him.
17:07It's a fantastic opening that instills a stronger desire to rescue Zelda.
17:16Number 5, The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker.
17:27Of all the Zelda games that begin with lore, The Wind Waker does it the best.
17:32We're suckers for that medieval-inspired art style, the music is truly stunning, and
17:37it quickly sets up the crux of the conflict.
17:40After that, we get to know the pleasantly quaint Outset Island.
17:45This game's cell-shaded graphics make this small locale shine, and giving Link a family
17:50makes it all the more heartbreaking when he has to leave.
17:54After celebrating his birthday with his grandma and sister, Link is shocked to see a gigantic
17:59bird with a girl in its talons, fleeing from a pirate ship.
18:04Rushing to her rescue after she falls into the forest, it seems Link has saved the day,
18:09until the bird reappears and takes his sister instead.
18:13We feel the desire of Link to leave, as much as the sorrow of his grandma to be left behind.
18:25Number 4, The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past
18:39In terms of setting the tone, A Link to the Past still does that better than most games
18:44in the series.
18:45It's the first in the franchise to give us solid lore on Hyrule, before moving into
18:50instant peril.
18:52The king is dead at the hands of the wizard Agahnim, and his daughter is captured, sending
18:57out a telepathic message for help.
19:00While Link's uncle tells him to stay inside, he naturally goes after him, during a dark
19:05and stormy night.
19:07He sneaks into Hyrule, only to hear his uncle's dying words and have the job of saving the
19:12princess thrust upon him.
19:14Navigating the castle to rescue Zelda remains just as tense and exciting as it was decades
19:20ago, and it's as excellent a foundation as a Super Nintendo game could have.
19:34Number 3, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
19:47Breath of the Wild is another that begins with a mystery, and it is delivered with the
19:51utmost beauty.
19:53After hearing a voice and waking in a strange pool inside a cave, Link steps out onto a
19:58cliffside with an establishing shot of a now-desolate Hyrule that's been reclaimed by nature.
20:04As the camera shows an old man by a fireside, we get our first clue towards the story, but
20:09Breath of the Wild then establishes its key theme, freedom.
20:14The Great Plateau is a phenomenal tutorial area where you can explore, uncover, and tackle
20:20your objectives in whichever order you wish.
20:23Plus, we instantly wondered about the history of this version of the kingdom, one of the
20:28many elements that kept us digging and working to unravel it.
20:41Number 2, The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask
20:53The opening to Majora's Mask is just as strange, unsettling, and enrapturing as the
20:59rest of it.
21:00As Link travels through a forest in search of Navi, he's attacked and robbed by the
21:05masked Skull Kid.
21:06Giving chase, he falls into a deep hole not knowing he's entered the unusual land of
21:12Termina.
21:13It's here where Skull Kid plays a cruel trick, using the dark magic of the mask to
21:18turn Link into a Deku scrub.
21:21We barely have time to get used to our new body before we're saddled with a new fairy
21:26companion, the embittered but compelling Tatl, and travel through a twisting corridor to
21:31Clock Town.
21:32The happy masked salesman who greets us at the end is almost as disturbing as the Skull
21:37Kid, uttering the now famous line,
21:40You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?
21:43Along with a light, creepy chuckle.
21:51In terms of immediately pulling the player in, there's only one game that does it better.
22:04Number 1.
22:05The Legend of Zelda, Tears of the Kingdom
22:18The intro to Tears of the Kingdom has everything to grab your attention.
22:22As Zelda and Link explore the depths beneath Hyrule, there's tangible mystery surrounding
22:27the Zonai, as well as the mummified remains they find at the end.
22:32There's also heart-rending loss as Zelda falls and Link fails to catch her, in an incredible
22:38slow motion shot.
22:40After he wakes in a cave high in the sky, Nintendo outdid the cliffside shot from Breath
22:46of the Wild with an astonishing title card drop as Link plunges towards the tutorial
22:51area, the Great Sky Island.
22:54This is also an improvement.
22:56While it's again open-ended, it maintains the greater mystery of where these islands
23:00came from, what happened to Zelda, and who this mysterious spirit is guiding you.
23:07On top of introducing fun new mechanics, this opening is one of pure art.
23:18Which Zelda game has your favorite opening?
23:21And which one is your least favorite?
23:23Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to Mojo Plays for more great
23:27gaming videos every day.