BansheeNeet
BACKER
2010
2019
A delightful surprise, it's kind of the exact game I would make. Exploring every part of this island and finding new things to do and new powerups that slowly make you better and better at traversing it is so satisfying and fun. It is short, and I think a bigger and more extensive version of this would be incredible, but I was so delighted by this game I don't mind.
2001
While I like New leaf more than this one, I do miss the grid-based world this game had rather than the log-rolling world every other game would. This game in general has a lot of "first-entry" weirdness that, while it makes sense was ironed in future entries, also gives it a lot of unique charms and features that make it worth revisiting over other entries.
My first Zelda, probably my favorite as well. I love the setting, the story and how it relates to previous games, the music, the art direction and style, the characters, the structure of having the world be these islands separated by water. Maybe fumbles a couple things like the triforce quest, but it gets so much right and does so much incredibly well. So much about it is genius, I can't say enough good things about it.
1986
Surprisingly enjoyed playing this a lot, as someone who just expected this to be really dated. It's the kind of game that got people writing down notes and drawing maps, which I always appreciate. I will admit I did occasionally use a walkthrough for the more obscure stuff but still, I'm really glad I went back to give this a shot.
1999
Love the era of Mario this comes from, where Nintendo would still let third-party developers get real weird with the characters and world, here Square created something really different that actually ended up influencing how these characters are portrayed, as well as the two Mario RPG series that came after it. It's unfortunate Nintendo from allowing something like this to now being furious at the idea of letting Intelligent Systems give a Koopa a different colored shell.
1988
2016
1998
2014