Despite having her name smack dab in the middle of just about every game in the Zelda franchise, few titles let you play as Hyrule’s iconic princess. Today, her first true starring role, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom lands on Switch. What better occasion to look at the instances that Zelda was a playable character?
Who is Princess Zelda?
When first developing the world of The Legend of Zelda, series creator and Nintendo wizard Shigeru Miyamoto decided to name Hyrule’s princess after Zelda Fitzgerald.
“She was a beautiful woman by all accounts, and I liked the sound of her name,” Miyamoto said. Since the series began in 1987, Hyrule’s princess would always be named Zelda, which is later established as official royal tradition. In most games, Zelda is the damsel being rescued, usually by the hero, Link.
However, in more recent games, this isn’t always the case. One of the most recent titles, Breath of the Wild, has Zelda battling an evil force in a castle for a 100 years, waiting for a hero of legend to wake up from a nap.
What Games Feature a Playable Princess Zelda?
It may surprise you, but Princess Zelda has been playable in more games than just her latest starring role. Granted, her start was rocky, to say the least. These games are featured in chronological order, and on the console they appeared. I’m excluding Spirit Tracks here. This is a list of playable Zelda, not playable Zelda’s Ghost.
1. Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, Phillips CD-i (1993)
Entire history classes can be taught about Nintendo dipping its toes in CD rom games. After a series of foibles and business backstabbing, it led to Sony entering the console market. In the middle of this struggle, Nintendo licensed its Mario and Zelda franchise to Philips to make games for its CD-i gaming console. What followed was one of the most atrocious games of all time. Imagine all the gameplay of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link on the NES, but worse. There’s a reason Nintendo is so defensive with its IP. It’s afraid it will lead to more travesties like this. Still, it gave us plenty of timeless memes, so it wasn’t a complete loss.
2. Zelda’s Adventure, Phillips CD-i (1996)
Zelda’s Adventure is another Phillips CD-i title, and marginally better than The Wand of Gamelon. On paper, Zelda’s Adventure is a top down action RPG, like Link’s Awakening or A Link to the Past. In execution, like its predecessor, it’s a clunky, buggy, unplayable mess. Its one saving grace, like Gamelon, are the memes and reaction images it birthed.
3. Super Smash Bros. Series, Various Nintendo Platforms, (From 2001)
This is perhaps the first time Princess Zelda was playable in a game that doesn’t stings your eyes or makes you want to become a luddite. Zelda has been playable in the Super Smash Bros. fighting game series since its second entry, Super Smash Bros. Melee. Here, not only does she wield powerful magical abilities, but can transform into her alter ego Sheik. This makes her quicker, and perhaps more devastating. Eventually, these two characters became wholly separate entities in Smash Bros.
4. Hyrule Warriors, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Switch (From 2014)
Despite its flashy Zelda coating, this is actually another entry in the Dynasty Warriors series. Princess Zelda, and just about every main, supporting, and tertiary Zelda character is playable here. They even gave Tingle a spot! Zelda’s arsenal is fairly diverse here. Not only does she utilize many of the magic spells she’s known for, but also wields a rapier and a bow. Many of her special attacks, in true Dynasty Warriors fashion, are incredibly captivating. Alternatively, she can also trade in her baton for a Wind Waker. This lets her conduct popular songs from the Zelda series that manifest as powerful attacks.
5. Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo Switch (2019)
It took Nintendo more than two decades to finally get over the pain of the Phillips CD-i games. Nintendo finally licensed out its characters again, this time to indie developer Brace Yourself Games. This top-down rhythm game puts a new spin on the classic Zelda formula, which makes for an addictive, toe-tapping adventure. Zelda is playable here, and if you complete the right quests, you unlock her special weapon, the Royal Rapier.
6. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Nintendo Switch (2020)
The earth-shattering success of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild meant the game would be milked for all its worth. It eventually got DLC, but it also got its own spinoff with Age of Calamity. In attempts to hold us over while we waited for Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo and Omega Force made another entry in the Hyrule Warriors franchise. This game takes place during the fated war that happens 100 years before the events of Breath of the Wild. Zelda and the gang are all playable here. She’s armed with the Sheikah Slate, which is basically an iPad that has the power to kill.
7. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Nintendo Switch (2024)
This may be the seventh game where Princess Zelda is playable, but in my humble opinion, it’s really the first one that counts. This time, Zelda is the one rescuing Link from Ganon. In lieu of a sword, she’s armed with the Tri Rod, a magical wand that can conjure up everything from monsters to furniture. Despite being a classic top down Zelda, reviewers are already comparing its versatility to Tears of the Kingdom. Not only is this the first (good) game starring Zelda, it’s also the first in the series to be directed by a woman, Tomomi Sano.
Read More: Nintendo Finally Suing ‘Pokemon With Guns’ Developer