Upon its release, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild became the most popular game in the series. The game takes place much later in the kingdom of Hyrule’s timeline, after Link has disappeared for a while. Like other games in the series, the game is full of dungeons, puzzles, plenty of enemies and a gorgeous setting. It is the game’s twist in the classic storyline and the new open-world mechanic that set it apart – along with a drastic improvement in graphics!

Though the Molduga battle scene is just one of many little moments in the large open world of Hyrule, the music that accompanies this fight is some of the best in the whole game. The theme starts out one way, and then changes to a secondary version when the beast gets knocked to the ground. This is a fun mini boss fight in the middle of the desert with the music alone making it well worth the trip!

Despite being released much more recently in the franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a prequel tale for the series, explaining the origins of the fabled Master Sword. In this game, Link hails from an island floating in the sky and must traverse to other mysterious lands to save his childhood friend Zelda. Full of enough lore to satisfy even the most zealous fan of the series, Skyward Sword has been mostly overlooked by the gaming community; but this is actually a great game for the franchise overall.

Composed by Takeshi Hama, Fi’s theme accompanies the fairy-like spirit that helps Link in Skyward Sword. Though the soundtrack accompanies most moments when Fi is interacting with Link, we are specifically highlighting the variation for Fi’s emotional departure. Fi is a powerful ally and source of power for Link throughout the game, but must remain sealed with the Sword, meaning her journey with Link has to come to an end. Even as she finally shows emotion before entering an eternal slumber, so too does this song manage to convey the emotion of the moment to us.

Easily one of the best games in the series, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker follows Link on an ocean-voyaging adventure! As young Link celebrates his coming-of-age day, a giant bird swoops over his home island and flies off with his younger sister, setting Link on the path to an adventure he never could have dreamed of. Wind Waker was an open world game, allowing players to sail to various islands in the world after the initial opening part of the story.

As each island or area has its own unique theme, it can be difficult for them to all stand out from one another – but one of the most memorable comes from early on, at Dragon Roost Island. The theme has just enough flair to make it truly unique, embodying Link’s excitement at starting a new journey, while capturing a cultural feel for the specific island and its inhabitants. Though it can get repetitive after spending too much time on Dragon Roost Island, the theme remains nostalgic for us after more than 15 years!

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is remembered as one of the best games in the franchise, as well as one of the best video games of all time! You begin the game as a young Link, traversing an unknown world outside of the forest where he grew up and soon becoming involved in the fate of the entire kingdom of Hyrule. When Link pulls the Master Sword from its seal, he himself is sealed away for seven years, awakening again as an adult in a darker Hyrule. Ocarina of Time is where many of us were first introduced to Link and the characters of Hyrule as a whole.

Even as the game is well-remembered by fans of Legend of Zelda, so is the soundtrack, with plenty of songs that stand out for emotional and nostalgic reasons. Song of Storms is one of the best Ocarina of Time has to offer, brought forth in the game for a rather ridiculous reason but remaining with us. Though it is a far less important song in the game than many others, Song of Storms is an inspiring theme nonetheless!

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is another of the more recent games in the series, claiming a top spot in the franchise for adding in some unique elements to the classic tale. Link is trying to prevent Hyrule from being encased by the Twilight Realm, and to do so, he must transform into a wolf as he traverses through puzzles and takes down enemies with the help of a strange being named Midna. To rescue the people of Hyrule and Princess Zelda from the darkness overtaking their kingdom, Link and Midna must work together to overcome the evil forces in the land…

Going along with the darker atmosphere of the Twilight Realm, much of the soundtrack follows along the same lines. This particular theme, Midna’s Desperate Hour, is one of the most beautifully written and emotional tracks in the whole game, following along with Midna’s story. Midna is another one of Link’s guides that becomes an important part of his journey, and this song becomes a tragic reminder of the emotion behind the character.

In the Ocarina of Time, Gerudo Valley is a desert where the gang of thieves resides, with a bridge that Link can cross as a child but he finds destroyed as an adult. Link must sneak through the Gerudo Fortress and free the carpenters to earn the respect of the Gerudo.

The Gerudo Valley theme is another easily recognizable one for many of us, capturing the feel of the exotic desert landscape and its people. This is not a song that Link uses on his own at any point in the game, but the way that it highlights the Gerudo Valley as important area in so many people’s minds is truly astounding! The nostalgia of this theme will definitely stay with us.

Breath of the Wild is a unique experience for many Zelda fans, as most of the games are quite linear. That being said, Breath of the Wild does have a main storyline for the player to follow, one that puts its own twist on the classic Legend of Zelda tale to bring you into Hyrule’s distant future. As you return to Hyrule Castle, one of the most iconic places from the series, Breath of the Wild puts its own version of the theme into play.

Throughout Breath of the Wild, Link is rediscovering his past, even as he fights for the future of the land. The moment when he ascends Hyrule Castle is one of the parts in the game where this is really apparent, as the music builds into a reminiscent version of the old Hyrule Castle theme. The theme brings us into this moment -as Link is remembering his own past on the climb up the Castle, so are you!

Life on the sea is a different adventure every day! Link spends the majority of Wind Waker traveling across the vast ocean with the King of Red Lions to guide him. Rather than living a peaceful life on his tiny island, Link sets out on a journey to stop evil from taking over. Of course, with so much of the world now open to exploration, it’s understandable that he could get off track from his main quest! The world of Wind Waker is vast and full of secrets. And Link aims to make the most of his freedom on the sea!

Hours on the open sea can be boring if you don’t have anything to keep you occupied. Yet the Great Sea theme is one of the most entertaining tracks, making you actually want to sail in Wind Waker! The theme inspires, and makes you think of all the possible adventures in store as you sail to new destinations. It’s difficult to find music that can make players actually want to explore an open world. The Great Sea is one of the most successful themes in this regard. It is a soundtrack that manages to convey the setting of the world accurately and is very enjoyable.

Link begins Wind Waker on small Outset Island, his childhood home. His life is relatively simple, spending his time with his grandmother and younger sister. Link is just reaching his coming of age, learning to fight from the island guru and receiving the legendary Hero of Time’s outfit from his grandmother. But when his sister is taken by a giant dark bird, Link steels himself to set out with a band of pirates and save her. Throughout the course of this journey, Link will become a hero himself. From a humble beginning to an actual Hero of Time, Link’s adventures are just beginning when he decides to leave his home in pursuit of his sister. This young child will hold the fate of the world in his hands once again!

A title screen is often overlooked by many, but it can set the tone for the rest of the game. This is especially true with the music that is chosen to introduce a game. As you progress through Wind Waker, you will hear music of all kinds, but none like that of the title theme. Somehow, this melody is able to convey the sense of high-seas adventure that Wind Waker embodies and keeps us coming back for more of the game! Although we are forced to listen to the title theme every time we open a game, Wind Waker’s brings back a wave of beautiful nostalgia for us that can’t be easily replicated.

The first game that started it all, The Legend of Zelda is the original tale of our hero Link. When an evil prince named Ganon invades the small kingdom of Hyrule and steals the Triforce of Power, Princess Zelda splits up the Triforce of Wisdom and hides the pieces from Ganon. She asks her nursemaid Impa to find someone courageous enough to face Ganon and Impa discovers young Link. The Legend of Zelda was the beginning of the modern RPG as we know it, bringing in the adventure and puzzle-solving that we all love. Not only have the mechanics of this game translated over into many video games, so has the style of in-game music!

There are so many good and inspiring themes in the Legend of Zelda games, but none of them quite hit the same level as the original main theme! To this day, the main theme is still used -in various levels of modification and revision- for new games, though it always keeps a certain level of recognition. The Legend of Zelda holds a significant part in gaming history, and therefore so does its main theme. Able to convey Link’s quest for adventure in an epic fashion, this theme now holds an immense amount of nostalgia behind it as well. Though thousands of games could come out for The Legend of Zelda, none of the music will ever be able to top the original heroic melody.