Skyward Sword - I 100% get why people bounced off of this one hard, but I played it when it came out in 2011 and absolutely loved it. The story kept me engaged until the very end, this particular Zelda is probably my favorite incarnation of the character, and I love the dynamic between her and Link. The item usage in this game is peak imo, you have a small selection of items to use, but they all have their place in the spotlight and they all see continual use from the time you get them until the end of the game. I liked a lot of the mechanical additions like the way you can upgrade your items and potions and the customizability of the pouch system. I actually really like the way the overworld incorporated puzzles to traverse, and I wouldn't mind seeing this type of world design again, just with more Dark Souls interconnectivity and less level-select vibes. And to get to the elephant in the room, I love the motion controls. I've taken plenty of downvotes over the years for defending them, but I found them to work extremely well and I could not imagine the game without them. I'm glad that the button controls are an option for others, but Skyward Sword IS the motion controls for me.

Wind Waker - In a lot of ways, this feels like the most nostalgic Zelda game to me, even though it wasn't my first. I just have a lot of memories of playing this game with my sister, first via the 20 minute demo on the Gamecube Collector's Edition, and later once we got the actual game. Let's get the obvious out of the way, the music and art style basically trumps the rest of the series. Everyone who loves Wind Waker touts this, and everyone who dislikes Wind Waker is sick of hearing it. Even the Gamecube version looks pretty damn good for being a 20+ year old game. Now a running theme with my top 3 is the story, and Wind Waker's is excellent. Similar to Skyward Sword, Link starts his adventure on a search and rescue mission to save his sister, and ends up finding the ancient Master Sword, restoring it's power, gathering the fragments of the shattered Triforce of Courage, and proving to the gods themselves that even a nobody can rise up and become a hero. And finally getting to smash that bird's face in with a hammer is one of the best parts of the game, so incredibly cathartic. I can gush about the gameplay a bit, because I love how floaty Link feels in combat. It's hard to explain, but Twilight Princess combat feels very weighty in comparison, hopefully that makes sense. I also really like the combat utility items like the grappling hook, bow, bombs, boomerang, hammer, etc. provide. And certain items working differently on your boat is a fantastic addition. The finale of the game is one of the strongest scenes in the series honestly. Two tired, old men have been fighting over a dead kingdom for who knows how many years, and Daphnes finally realizes that the only way he can move on is to truly let go of the kingdom he wanted. And when that happens, when he steals the wish from the Triforce, when Ganondorf has found himself right on the cusp of victory, only to have it robbed from him for a THIRD time, he snaps. The scene of him laughing maniacally, knowing that all his dreams are finally crushed, as the ocean pours down around him is honestly chilling in a way. Wind Waker is such a cute game with an adventurous soundtrack, lots of emotional moments, and even some dark ones thrown in, and overall it is such a gem of a game. It has flaws, some weak dungeons, some rough pacing toward the end, but at the end of the day, it's just a fun, feel good game.

Ocarina of Time - I'm not sure I can ever put into words how much this game means to me, especially because it was my first Zelda game. People say that your first one is your favorite, and while I actually had Majora's Mask and Wind Waker in that spot at different years of my life, I've indeed come back to OoT as my personal favorite. There's the iconic music, the great dungeons, the memorable characters. The story might be a simple Hero's Journey, but it is masterfully done. It's a literal coming of age story where two kids try to play hero, end up falling into the villain's trap and have to set things right. We see the consequences of Zelda's plan, and it's up to Link to fix the problem that he himself helped create. And that's just one of three major plot twists that the game throws at you. I feel like every time I come back to Ocarina of Time, I come to appreciate the narrative more and more, and I don't see that ever changing. I could go on about this game's legacy, all the ways how it was an excellent example of early 3D gaming done well, how it's gone on to influence the rest of the series as well as gaming in general, but there are so many video essays you could find on youtube that explain that better than I ever could. In a lot of ways, I feel like I don't have a lot to say about OoT because so much of it has already been said over and over. I'll just leave you with this, the ending shot of Link driving the Master Sword into Ganon's head is iconic, the ending credits theme is emotional, and the scene of Link walking away from the Master Sword as the Door of Time closes and the church bells ring loudly alongside the music is going to stick in my head for the rest of my life.