Even a near-universally beloved, influential series likeThe Legend of Zeldahas its flops.Zeldahas made it this far because of its willingness to take risks: every two or so games, the series changes its face entirely, switching its graphical style, setting, gameplay, and main focus. That willingness to take risks has created some of the greatest,most groundbreakingZeldagamesof all time, including all-time greats likeMajora’s Maskand modern classics likeBreath of the Wild.
But it’s only natural that, from time to time, a series that consistently reinvents itself will fall flat on its face. You might think that’s the case forZelda’s worst-rated game,Tri Force Heroes. With a 73 onMetacritic, it’s tied withZelda 2for the lowest ranked game in the series by a long shot - the next one up isSkyward Sword HD, at 81. Its bad reputation is understandable, but at the same time, it introduces some unique ideas that set it apart from the rest of the series. In fact, I’d argue it’s underrated.
Is Tri Force Heroes Really The Worst Zelda Game?
Why People Were Disappointed With Tri Force Heroes
Tri Force Heroeswas first released in 2015, exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS. It’sa fairly typical 2DZeldagame, with a few exceptions. You crawl through a variety of different dungeons, collecting items and beating bosses, as you attempt to save the princess Styla from the horribly unfashionable clutches of The Lady. Story-wise, I’m willing to admit it’s one of the weakerZeldagames. But it has some interesting gameplay concepts that the series hasn’t attempted since.
Unlike almost anyZeldagame before or since,Tri ForceHeroes' main focus is on co-op play. You can play it alone, but you’re supposed to play as a trio. Each player may have different items, different outfits, and different abilities, and the aim is for everyone to work together to overcome certain challenges. You need to coordinate carefully with the other players in order to progress through each dungeon.
Tri Force Heroesrightfully caught some flak for its single-player mode, which is understandably lackluster - it doesn’t have the benefit of the game’s core gimmick. It plays a lot better online, but even then, you need a full party of three - you can’t play with just one other person. And its matchmaking was pretty poor overall, which made it difficult to find a game to join.
Judging it by its own merits,Tri Force Heroesisn’t necessarily a bad game, though it certainly has its flaws. The problem is thatplayers have different expectations for theZeldaseries, andTri Force Heroesjust doesn’t live up to them. Dungeon crawling is all well and good, butZeldais so much more than that.
For me,the best thing about theZeldaseries is exploring the worlds it inhabits: traveling all over the map, finding secrets, returning to old locales with new abilities, and unlocking new pathways. You don’t really get that withTri Force Heroes' more linear structure, which is almost entirely focused on dungeon crawling. That’s an important part ofZeldagames, too, but by itself, it didn’t meet a lot of fan expectations.
Actually, Tri Force Heroes Is Underrated
Zelda’s Worst-Rated Game Has A Lot Going For It
Even so,Tri Force Heroesis pretty good for what it is. The dungeon crawling is fun, and meets the sameZeldastandards set by decades of quality level design. And the ability to play with friends is underappreciated, creating both moments of chaos and incredibly satisfying successes. While it’s no longer possible since 3DS multiplayer servers have been shut down, it was nice while it lasted.
In many ways,Tri Force Heroesbuilt on the legacy of theFour Swordssubseries, which had humble beginnings as a bundle-in with the Game Boy Advance version ofA Link to the Past. It later evolved into its own entity, getting a sequel on the GameCube and a spiritual successor inTri Force Heroes. Although largely considered lesser among the series, these games do a fantastic job of creating a co-opZeldaexperience, even if they lack certain things you’d want out of a mainline game.
Tri ForceHeroesis basically a dead game today, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for itin theZeldaseries' future. I’d love to see a co-opZeldaon the Switch 2 - maybe using theLink’s Awakeningremake/Echoes of Wisdomart style to create something unique.The Legend of Zeldahas a reputation for reinventing itself, and a new co-op experience that builds on past failures would be a great way to do that.
