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I agree with your best and worst. Majora's Mask sounds ominous and creepy, like the tone of the game. It couldn't have a better name. Tri Force Heroes sucks, and until now I never even noticed the 'typo'. Makes this stain on the Zelda series even worse. Or is it actually a typo? It dawned on me, it's probably meant as a pun; there's three Links in the game that do stuff, so 'Tri Force', the force of three, as well as referring to the Triforce itself. Anyway, what I don't agree with your line "incredible entry, arguably the best". I'd say it's by far the worst, even worse than Four Swords and like I said a stain on the Zelda series, but okay this is a topic for another day.

As far as Tears of the Kingdom is concerned, I like the name, even if yes I also immediately noted how similar it is to Breath of the Wild because it is also 'somethingsomething of the somethingsomething' which sounds too 'easy'. It could be because they thought they needed something similar for a direct sequel (even though there's plenty in the series that don't do this). I do think it sounds better than Breath of the Wild though, because I feel it sounds like it actually means something, what is for example a 'breath of the wild', how does the wild breathe? I like the ring of your 'Tears of Hyrule' suggestion, though, maybe, the "Kingdom" isn't Hyrule?.. We don't know yet.

I'd personally discount The Legend of Zelda, because while that is the name of the first game and it is great, it's now the name of the series, so every game has that name. You could however consider The Hyrule Fantasy, which is the Japanese name for the first game.

Let me rank some;

Best
5 - Ocarina of Time: It sounds grand and epic, which is good, legendary even, but the word 'Ocarina' isn't the easiest.
4 - A Link Between Worlds: A clever name, that not only harkens back to it's spiritual predecessor, but also refers to the game's main mechanic.
3 - The Wind Waker: A name that feels as adventurous as the mood of the game itself does. Having "Wind" in the name, means freedom.
2 - Link's Awakening: Another clever name which at first glance refers to how Link wakes up stranded on a beach, but actually gives away the entire plot without you knowing it.
1 - Majora's Mask: Perfect name, which captures the creepy ominous feeling of the game.

Honourable Mention: Spirit Tracks: Similar to Wind Waker, it has a feel of freedom and adventure.

Worst
5 - Twilight Princess: Great game, underrated, but a name that doesn't really roll off the tongue.
4 - Skyward Sword: Similar to Twilight Princess, however in this case the name sounds too 'small', it's not really epic.
3 - Adventure of Link: A bit of a generic name, which doesn't tell you much because every other game is an adventure as well.
2 - Four Swords Adventures: Too long of a name that doesn't flow well and doesn't differentiate itself much from its predecessor. For a time I thought Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures were the same game.
1 - Tri Force Heroes: Bad game with a bad name. More a name for a childish spin-off.

Honourable mention: A Link to the Past: While it has a epic feel to it, it has little to do with the game, and exists more because the game was set before the original, though I also once read that the name refers to the fact that the story of the game is the consequence of the events of the backstory as told in the intro, which happens in a distant past. In any case it just makes a lot of people think the Dark World is "the past", which is untrue.

Last edited by S.Peelman - on 15 September 2022