There is no greater feeling in one Legend of Zelda game than when you enter Hyrule Field, isn’t it? That’s it O moment when games come off the wheels and let you loose in the world of Hyrule, free to go in any direction you choose.
Where the hell do you even start? What is that settlement over there? Oh God, why do skeletons sprout from the ground? Whether you’re galloping along with Epona or simply trudging along in your trusty brown boots, strolling through Hyrule Field truly encapsulates the adventurous spirit of the Zelda series.
As with any recurring location or feature in video games, however, there are those that do it better than others. Today we’re taking a look at which Hyrule Field is the cream of the crop, which it may have sown, and everything in between. And if you disagree with our choices, There’s a poll right below for you to give your opinion.
Before we start, how do we define ‘Hyrule Field’? Should it be limited to an actual named location within the wider world of Hyrule? Or is it simply a section of the Hyrule map that might constitute a ‘field’? For the purposes of this list, we’ve opted for the former, so the entries that follow are all the locations that are actually called ‘Hyrule Field’ in their respective games.
So, without further ado, let’s get started with… End? OK then.
Therefore, according to our own rules, we cannot classify Campo Termina here because it is clearly no a Hyrule Field. But we couldn’t go through this list of the most famous Zelda pastures without mentioning this one, could we?
Termina Field looks about as different from Hyrule Field from Ocarina of Time as you can imagine. Its circular layout, with Clock Town serving as the region’s focal point, feels almost overwhelming to new players starting their journey; where the hell are you supposed to go first? It has reignited the sense of adventure that Ocarina so gracefully nailed the first time around, but now with an added sense of mystery.
We also have to give a special shoutout to the Termina Field theme. After an intro almost identical to the Hyrule Field theme in Ocarina, it launches into the classic Zelda overworld theme that was absent from its predecessor, a fun song that longtime fans absolutely adore, but with some menace and whimsy. added that could only be associated with Majora’s Mask. Us love this.
OK then. Time to head back to Hyrule…
Something had to come last, right?
Hyrule Field appears as a stage in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (and, in fact, you can check it out for yourself in the free eShop demo). The reason it appears at the bottom of our list is simply due to the fact that Hyrule Warriors puts a very more emphasis on combat and enemy counts over the environment.
while the stage he does it looks pretty good, it’s still not on par with Breath of the Wild, and given the structure of the game, you don’t get to fully explore the environment as much as you’d probably like. The level of interaction is also significantly reduced; Yes, you can still cut trees, but it just doesn’t feel the same.
We still enjoyed it mind you – not as much as the others.
Compared to its depiction in Age of Calamity, Hyrule Warriors features a Hyrule Field that is arguably more interesting than its successor. Rather than being based on another game, this location is entirely unique and feels like something of a mash-up of every Hyrule Field we’ve seen so far. Stylistically, it’s probably the closest to the Hyrule Field seen in Twilight Princess, albeit with deeper colors and an overall dark atmosphere.
Yes, it lacks a bit of environmental detail; the lush grass seen in Age of Calamity is obviously not present here. But nevertheless, there’s definitely something unique about this version of Hyrule Field that we haven’t seen anywhere else. We’d love to see him return in a mainline Zelda game.
Twilight Princess took the general concept of Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time and made it all bigger.
Rather than being confined to just one area, the location is spread across three provinces: Lanayru, Eldin, and Faron. Due to its hefty size, it really felt like it was built with Epona in mind, with Twilight Princess putting heavy emphasis on combat on horseback (remember that awesome announcement trailer?).
One could argue that Nintendo made this version of Hyrule Field a little too big, not enough to keep players engaged (and you’d be right), but he does successfully recaptures some of the magic of riding across vast landscapes to one of the best theme songs in the entire franchise.
Minish Cap is an absolutely beautiful game, so of course the Hyrule Field shown here is a real visual treat. It’s divided into two sections – the North and the South – with Hyrule Town in the middle and Link’s own house located in the southern region.
As pretty as it looks, however, it’s not a particularly large region and can’t pack the same punch as its 3D counterparts. Given that it’s also one of the first areas you’ll visit in the game, it’s also devoid of any real threat of challenge, with Red Octorocks being the only enemies you’ll encounter.
But man this really looks pretty, doesn’t it?
Breath of the Wild’s Hyrule Field is a pretty dangerous place. Granted, there are monsters in every iteration of the location, but here, you’ll come face to face with not only Bokoblins and other standard beasts, but a bunch of Guardians as well.
It’s designed to prevent the player from heading straight to Hyrule Castle, and while it’s definitely possible to get there early in the game, it won’t be easy. Needless to say, you won’t have much time here to really appreciate the scenery before a Guardian decides to blast you with its laser beam, which is mainly why it doesn’t appear at the top of our list, despite its visual splendor.
Based on what we’ve seen so far, we can’t imagine that Tears of the Kingdom will go to great lengths to make Hyrule Field a more pleasant place to visit (in fact, we bet the area will have even more monsters to face), but it’s still a very beautiful location regardless.
For anyone who played Ocarina of Time in 1998, nothing compares to stepping into Hyrule Field for the first time, after a brief lecture by Kaepora Gaebora. Seeing such a wide open space in an era when 3D console gaming was still in its infancy was just mind-blowing.
By today’s standards, the course looks a little bare, with few trees and structures to add visual variety, but that doesn’t matter – . Whether you’re heading to Lon Lon Ranch in the heart of the countryside, Gerudo Valley to the west, or Kakariko Village to the east, there’s an unparalleled sense of freedom and adventure that, frankly, wasn’t quite felt until Breath of the Wild arrived nearly 20 years later. . And that music…
He’s still king in our books, and it will take something truly magical to topple him from his throne.
Those are our picks for the best versions of Hyrule Field in The Legend of Zelda franchise. But what do you think, dear readers? Do you think we got it all wrong? Be sure to vote in the poll below and let us know in the comments which one you think is the best.