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What is your favorite Zelda overworld?

2D: Link's Awakening, that map was tightly packed with what felt like something new every screen, it's a joy to uncover, minus the raft area taking up too big a chunk.

3D: Ocarina of Time, the power of nostalgia compels me here, it really does. The world isn't that big but it left a strong impact on me that's for sure, for whatever reason I really like Zora's River.

More individually my favourite overworld areas in 3D entries were Ikana Canyon and Eldin Volcano, the first for its rich atmosphere and the second for it simply being fun to traverse up.
 
A Link to the Past and Wind Waker are my favorites.

Twilight Princess's was horrible. Honestly don't remember anything from that overworld, just how boring it was.
 
A Link to the Past. Dat music.

And before I played TWW, I thought it would had my favorite Zelda overworld because:
- I didn't know the overworld was basically going from land to land on a boat
- I thought it would use this http://youtu.be/acRy9mvfJEw?t=53s as the overworld theme
 
Ocarina of Time. Its version of the Haunted Wasteland alone destroys every Zelda locale ever. Exploration isn't as blocked off as most Zeldas* so that gets extra points.

Wind Waker. The Great Ocean and its islands are pretty sparce, but that makes it more epic. Islands load seamlessly before you even reach their shores.

Twilight Princess. It had epic bridges, canyons, small mountains, etc. so they did a good job designing Hyrule in a massive 3D space. I wish it had more recognizable OoT landmarks though.

*LoZ1 and LttP have fairly unobstructed overworlds. I just prefer OoT's.

As for Skyward Sword, it's mini-overworlds were great (especially Lanayru!) but they're completely closed off until the story calls for them. It's a very different game in that aspect.
 
Best overworld: Wind Waker's Great Sea.

Best overworld music: Spirit Tracks
 
Yeah, I have to give it to Link to the Past. Beautiful, colorful art design in the light world, and grim, bizarro design in the dark world. The interplay of the two worlds -- connections, contrasts, etc. Great music. Secrets on almost every screen. Awesome teases -- obstacles you couldn't yet get passed, but knew you eventually would.

And I know I shit on the game all the time, but I found Ocarina of Time's overworld to be a huge disappointment. Especially Hyrule Field. There's just so little to see and do. 2D Zeldas have the same problem in parts, but it's mitigated by the fact that you only see one screen at a time. You can't look out ahead of you and see an empty field like in Ocarina of Time. Just feels so lifeless and dull.

There's some cool parts, though. Lake Hylia. The little river section that runs from Hyrule Field to the entrance of Zora's Domain. I really loved the atmosphere of Castle Town (wish there was more to do there, though.) Finally being able to cross Gerudo Valley. Those were some of the highlights for me.

Edit : I'm shocked at how many people have said Wind Waker. For me, the sense of wonder and exploration was HUGE the first time I played it, but subsequent playthroughs feel kind of tedious. It's been years since I've played it last... I wonder how I'd feel about it now.
 
Solid SOAP said:
There's something going on in every square of this game's overworld. I've yet to play the Oracle games and I absolutely will upon their debut to the 3DS eshop, but as of now this is my favorite Zelda world.
Click to expand...
It took me a full 20 seconds to figure out what game this was from. I'm not used to seeing it in color! I assumed it was Link to the Past, but then it slowly dawned on me... I've never played the DX version of LA. Just feels wrong to me.
 
Skyward swords over world was way better than twilight princess. My favorite by far is a link to the past though.
I still don't get why people hate skyward sword, I thought it was fantastic.
 
dkerkhove_minishcap.jpg


Definitively Minish Cap!

My favourite LoZ game (OoT is a close second) and the best tunes.

It's crazy how they made such a huge game for GBA, it's the best 2d zelda by far

Seriously if I had a GBA and Minish Cap, I would be happy forever.
 
A Link to the Past.

Something about it is just magical. Though I certainly enjoy Ocarina of Time, Minish Cap, and Twilight Princess.
 
Wind Waker's. Sure it felt empty most of the time but discovering islands and 'stuff' at the bottom of the ocean was pure joy. It was the one that gave me the biggest sense of adventure.
 
Wind Waker.

Unconventional choice perhaps but there was something about just being able to explore everything on your own, even if they were small islands. Traveling the seas with those beautiful aesthetics and the feeling of progression made it feel like a grand adventure that still lives on in my heart to this day. There was something to be found on every square, and I actually enjoyed treasure hunting a lot. Maybe that's why the Triforce Hunting didn't feel so bad for me; it made me want to explore more, fill in more spots on my chart, get to talk to the fish and learn more hints and see what mysteries were hidden within the islands. The music certainly sweetened the deal, can't think of a better soundtrack to sail the seas with.

Skyward Sword could have had all that freedom take place in the sky, but it sucks that it wasn't realized.
 
Not my favourite, but shall we focus on the first Zelda's world for a bit?

3uQFIYt.jpg
Click to expand...

It's great! A huge desert wasteland full of surprises. Its remnant nostalgia of a golden era long gone, its unbelievable wilderness, the signs of change spreading all through the land... In many ways, Hyrule in the first Zelda is a truly unique, fantastic land. When you compare it to the past Hyrule in A Link to the Past, you especially appreciate the taste it gives to the series.
 
Link's Awakening for 2d, and probably for overall best as well. That world is nearly perfect. The only flaw is how huge the raft ride segment is on the map, but otherwise, it's perfect.

For 3d, probably Twilight Princess. TP's world seems bland at first, but once it opens up, past the second dungeon or so, it's great. It's big, there's a lot to explore, everything looks beautiful... great stuff. All five 3d Zelda games have great overworlds, but I think that I like TP's a little more than the others. It is hard to choose, though, with how good all five of them are... but TP is the best. Second place, though, I"m not sure if I can decide...
 
I'm gonna replay LoZ soon. It's been about four years since I last played it, so I'm pretty stoked.

A Black Falcon said:
Link's Awakening for 2d, and probably for overall best as well. That world is nearly perfect. The only flaw is how huge the raft ride segment is on the map, but otherwise, it's perfect.
Click to expand...
I almost voted Link's Awakening, too, but the frequent item switching just to navigate the overworld gets tedious after awhile, in my opinion. Still fantastic, though.
 
Wind Waker.

Also when you go beneath the sea and see old Hyrule it was so cool even though you couldn't leave the temple area.
 
TalesOfWin said:
Looking at it now, it seems a bit small. But back in 1998, it felt HUGE!
Click to expand...

Wow. No it didn't at all. There were so many complaints when it came out about it being a small hub world. Many of them coming from me. OoT had easily the worst overworld.

LTTP probably had the best overworld or the original.
 
This is tough. I love the small but packed overworld of Link's Awakening, but I loved the dynamic change occurring in Link to the Past when warping between worlds.
 
A Link to the Past. Followed by Gameboy (original, color, advance) Zelda games.

A Link to the Past felt like it had the most cool secret stuff lying around in its overworld. It actually had mini-dungeons guarding treasures, and you could find awesome items like the Ice Rod or Magic Cape in it. It also had a perfect balance between ease of travel and interesting features and obstacles.
 
Twilight princess ...its huge and vast and riding epona through it feels great

wind waker 2nd place ..its big ...too big for my taste and sailing kinda got boring after a while

OoT 3rd i liked it a lot before but now ..it feels a bit too small

..last would be skyward sword cause nothing is connected and not enough different areas =/
 
A Link to the Past with a qualification: the overworld that is formed in your mind over the course of the game, something that's not very visual, the knowledge of where and how the two overworlds correspond and deviate.
 
Zelda 1 and 2

hyrule-map.jpg
Click to expand...

the overworld in the first 2 Zelda games had scale. Multiple towns, castles, lakes, oceans, etc.

The recent Zelda games have all become cookie cutters of aLttP, even down to the same damn tiny map scale.
 
Majora's Mask. Termina Field is big but not a hassle to travel across like Hyrule Field in OOT or TP or the Great Sea in WW. Its also very easy to see where you want to go without needing the map due to the distinct areas unlike the hill-filled Hyrule Field and its poorly placed fences.

I find the LTTP style overworlds (extending to the Oracle games and LA) pretty darn annoying to travel across period. LA because its filled with more item-dependent overworld travel and LTTP due to a neat looking but ultimately useless map and then that dark world. I don't remember the Oracle games having such annoying travel hiccups (even with their own alternate-world mechanics). I liked the smaller Minish Cap overworld best from the 2D games.

MM is the best balance. It also has bunny hood and song of soaring (without the need to park your boat) going for it. I enjoy an overworld I don't have to constantly trek across but get to revisit for new areas until I unlock the statue.

And because my post looks anti-LTTP/OOT; they are all great games m'kay?

I don't have enough Zelda I & II expirience. Shame on me. Oh and Skyward Sword has an atrocious overworld.
 
Some Zelda Classic quests have great overworlds especially if you like them maze-like and packed with stuff. Gottta love Lost Isle.

Lothar said:
Wow. No it didn't at all. There were so many complaints when it came out about it being a small hub world. Many of them coming from me.
Click to expand...

That just makes you a vocal minority.
 
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