The Legend of Zelda

This article is about the video game series. For the first game in the series, see The Legend of Zelda (video game). For other uses, see The Legend of Zelda (disambiguation).

The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda current series logo
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Developer(s)	Nintendo Capcom/Flagship Vanpool Grezzo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Creator(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto Takashi Tezuka
Platform(s)	Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, Wii, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U
First release	The Legend of Zelda February 21, 1986
Latest release	The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword November 18, 2011

The Legend of Zelda (ゼルダの伝説, Zeruda no Densetsu), occasionally called Legend of Zelda or simply Zelda, is a high fantasy action-adventure video game series created by Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is developed and published by Nintendo, with some portable installments outsourced to Flagship/Capcom, Vanpool, and Grezzo. Considered one of Nintendo's most important franchises, its gameplay consists of a mixture of action, adventure, and puzzle solving. The series centers on Link, the playable main character and protagonist. Link is often given the task of rescuing Princess Zelda in the most common setting of the series, Hyrule, from Ganon—also known as Ganondorf—who is the primary antagonist of the series. However, other settings and antagonists have appeared throughout the games, with Vaati being a strong secondary antagonist during the lifespan of the Game Boy Advance. The story commonly involves a relic known as the Triforce, which is a set of three omnipotent golden triangles. Link holds the Triforce of Courage, Zelda holds the Triforce of Wisdom and Ganon holds the Triforce of Power. The protagonist in each game is usually not the same incarnation of Link, but a few exceptions do exist.

As of April 2011, The Legend of Zelda franchise has sold over 62 million copies since the release of the first game, with the original Legend of Zelda being the fourth best selling NES game of all time. The series consists of 15 official games on all of Nintendo's major consoles, as well as several spin-offs. An American animated series based on the games aired in 1989, and individual manga adaptations which are officially endorsed and commissioned by Nintendo have been produced in Japan since 1997.

The Legend of Zelda franchise is the inaugural recipient of Spike TV's first ever Video Game Hall of Fame award. The franchise will be inducted on December 10, 2011 during the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards.

Overview

Gameplay

The Legend of Zelda games feature a mixture of action, puzzles, adventure/battle gameplay, exploration, and questing. These elements have remained constant throughout the series, but with refinements and additions featured in each new game. Later games in the series also comprise stealth gameplay, where the player must avoid enemies while proceeding through a level, as well as racing elements. Although the games can be beaten with a minimal amount of exploration and side quests, the player is frequently rewarded for solving puzzles or exploring hidden areas with helpful items or increased abilities. Some items are consistent and appear many times throughout the series, such as bombs, which can be used both as weapons and to open blocked or hidden doorways, boomerangs, which can kill or paralyze enemies, keys for locked doors, magic swords and shields and bows and arrows, while others are unique to a single game. Though the games contain many role-playing elements, they emphasize straightforward hack and slash-style combat over the strategic, turn-based or active time combat of games like Final Fantasy. The game's role-playing elements, however, have led to much debate over whether or not the Zelda games should be classified as action role-playing games, a genre on which the series had a strong influence.

Every game in the main Zelda series has consisted of three principal areas: an overworld in which movement is multidirectional, allowing the player some degree of freedom of action; areas of interaction with other characters (merely caves or hidden rooms in the first game, but expanding to entire towns and cities in subsequent games) in which the player gains special items or advice; and dungeons, areas of labyrinthine layout, usually underground, comprising a wide range of difficult enemies, bosses, and items. Each dungeon usually has one major item inside, which is usually essential for solving many of the puzzles in that dungeon and often plays a crucial role in defeating that dungeon's boss as well as progressing through the game. In nearly every Zelda game, navigating a dungeon is aided by locating a map, which reveals its layout, and a magic compass, which reveals the location of significant items.

In most Zelda games, the player's life meter is represented as a line of hearts, and obtaining hearts from defeated enemies recharges your meter by one point. Most Zelda games feature "heart containers" or "a piece of heart", which can extend your life meter's maximum level by one, and these are very often the prize for completing side quests. They are also awarded after killing the final boss of each dungeon. Fairies also play a role in recharging your life meter, either by filling it to the top, or even, in later games, resurrecting you after you die. In the earlier games, Link is able to fire energy blasts from his sword when at full life.

The games pioneered a number of features that were to become industry standards. The original Legend of Zelda was the first console game with a save function that enabled players to stop playing and then resume later. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time introduced a targeting system that simplified 3D combat. Ocarina of time was game of the year 1998.

Music and sound

Koji Kondo has been a composer for the series since the first game.

The Legend of Zelda series, like many Nintendo games, has been noted for its use of music. Koji Kondo, who has been described as the "greatest legend in the video game audio industry" due to his work for Nintendo, has composed much of the music for the series, although the last game for which he was solely responsible for the composition of the soundtrack was The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Games in The Legend of Zelda series frequently feature in-game musical instruments, particularly in musical puzzles, which are widespread. Often, instruments trigger game events: for example, the recorder in The Legend of Zelda can reveal "secret" areas. In Ocarina of Time, playing instruments is a core part of the game, the player needing to play the instrument through the use of the game controller to succeed. Ocarina of Time is "[one of the] first contemporary non-dance title[s] to feature music-making as part of its gameplay", using music as a heuristic device and requiring the player to utilize songs to progress in the game—a game mechanic that is also present in Majora's Mask and, in different forms, The Wind Waker, Oracle of Ages, and Spirit Tracks.

"The Legend of Zelda Theme" is a recurring piece of music that was created for the first game of the franchise. The composer, Koji Kondo, initially planned to use Maurice Ravel's Boléro as the game's title theme, but was forced to change it when he learned, late into the game's development cycle, that the copyright for Boléro hadn't expired yet; therefore he wrote a new arrangement of the overworld theme within one day. The "Zelda Theme" has topped ScrewAttack's "Top Ten Videogame Themes Ever" list.

Taking place in Cologne, Germany, on September 23, 2010, the video game music concert Symphonic Legends focused on music from Nintendo and, among others, featured titles such as The Legend of Zelda. Following an intermission, the second half of the concert was entirely dedicated to an expansive symphonic poem dedicated to the series. The 35 minute epic tells the story of Link's evolution from child to hero.

To date, the Legend of Zelda series has avoided using voice actors, relying instead on written dialogue. The producer of Skyward Sword has said that, as Link is entirely mute, having the other characters speak while Link remains silent would be off-putting.

Inspiration

The Legend of Zelda was principally inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto's explorations as a young boy in the hillsides surrounding his childhood home in Sonobe, Japan where he ventured into forests with secluded lakes, caves, and rural villages. According to Miyamoto, one of his most memorable experiences was the discovery of a cave entrance in the middle of the woods. After some hesitation, he apprehensively entered the cave, and explored its depths with the aid of a lantern. Miyamoto has referred to the creation of the Zelda games as an attempt to bring to life a "miniature garden" for players to play with in each game of the series.

Hearing of American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife Zelda, Miyamoto thought the name sounded "pleasant and significant". Paying tribute, he chose to name the princess after her, and titled his creation The Legend of Zelda.

Setting

File:Bridge of Eldin.jpg

The Bridge of Eldin, as seen in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Main article: Universe of The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda series takes place in a fantasy land called Hyrule. Hyrule has developed a deep story and wide geography over the series's many releases. Much of the backstory of the creation of Hyrule was revealed in the games A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. Hyrule's principal inhabitants are elven humanoids called Hylians, which include the player character, Link, and the eponymous princess, Zelda.

According to the in-game backstories, long ago, three golden goddesses descended from a distant nebula to the world of Hyrule and created order and life. Din, the Goddess of Power, with her powerful, flaming arms, cultivated the empty space, and created the Red Earth. Nayru, the Goddess of Wisdom, bestowed her divine Wisdom upon the land, and created the world's laws to give a sense of justice and order to the world, and to guide the people in the goddesses' absence. Farore, the Goddess of Courage, endowed Hyrule with her powers, creating life to follow this justice. After their work was completed, the goddesses left a sacred artifact called the Triforce, which could grant the wishes of the user. It consisted of three golden triangles (each also called a "Triforce"—one of Wisdom, one of Power and one of Courage). However, because the Triforce was not divine, and could not judge between good and evil, the goddesses placed the Triforce in an alternate world called the "Sacred Realm" or the "Golden Land", hoping that a worthy person would one day seek it.

According to legend, the discoverer of the Triforce will receive the Triforce as a whole—along with the true force to govern all—only if that person has a balance of power, wisdom and courage. If the heart of that person is pure, the Sacred Realm will become a paradise. If the heart of that person is evil, the Sacred Realm will become a nightmarish world of evil. If they are unbalanced, they will only receive the part of the Triforce that represents the characteristic they most demonstrate, with the remaining parts of the whole transferring into the people in Hyrule who most exemplify the other two traits. The Triforce was first distributed as such starting in Ocarina of Time, with the Triforces of Power, Wisdom, and Courage being transferred to Ganondorf, Princess Zelda, and Link, respectively. While the Triforce of Power and Wisdom have been part of the series since the original The Legend of Zelda, it was only in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link that the Triforce of Courage was first introduced, being obtained by Link at the end of his quest. The triforce, or even a piece of it, is not always distributed as a whole. Such as in The Wind Waker, Link must find all the pieces (called Triforce Shards) of the Triforce of Courage before he can return to Hyrule. The fictional universe established by the Zelda games sets the stage for each adventure. Many games take place in lands with their own back-stories. Termina, for example, is a parallel world while Koholint is an island far away from Hyrule that appears to be part of a dream.

The Legend of Zelda Release Timeline
1986	The Legend of Zelda
1987	The Adventure of Link
1991	A Link to the Past
1993	Link's Awakening
1998	Ocarina of Time
1998	Link's Awakening DX *
2000	Majora's Mask
2001	Oracle of Seasons and Ages
2002	A Link to the Past & Four Swords *
2002	The Wind Waker
2004	Four Swords Adventures
2004	The Minish Cap
2006	Twilight Princess
2007	Phantom Hourglass
2009	Spirit Tracks
2011	Ocarina of Time 3D *
2011	Four Swords Anniversary Edition *
2011	Skyward Sword

Chronology

The chronology of the Legend of Zelda series is subject to much debate among fans, but the producers have confirmed the existence of a confidential document, which connects all the games. Certain materials and developer statements have partially established an official timeline of the released installments. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a direct sequel to the original The Legend of Zelda, and takes place several years later. The third game, A Link to the Past, is a prequel to the first two titles, and is directly followed by Link's Awakening. Ocarina of Time is a prequel that takes the story many centuries back; according to character designer Satoru Takizawa, it was meant to implicitly tell the Imprisoning War from the manual of A Link to the Past. Skyward Sword is then a prequel to Ocarina of Time. and Twilight Princess set more than 100 years later. The Wind Waker is parallel, and takes place in the other timeline branch, more than a century after the adult era of Ocarina of Time. Phantom Hourglass is a continuation of the story from The Wind Waker, and is followed by Spirit Tracks, which is set about 100 years later on a supercontinent far away from the setting of The Wind Waker. At the time of its release, Four Swords for the Game Boy Advance was considered the oldest tale in the series' chronology, with Four Swords Adventures set sometime after its events. The Minish Cap precedes the two games, telling of the origins of villain Vaati and the creation of the Four Sword. However, it is not clear where the Four Sword games stand now. There have also been no statements about the placement of the Oracle titles, or about which timeline branch some of the earlier installments are meant to be set in.

In the early 2000s, Nintendo of America released a timeline on Zelda.com, the official website of the Legend of Zelda series, which interpreted all stories up to the Oracle games as the adventures of a single protagonist named Link. At one point, translator Dan Owsen and his coworkers at Nintendo of America had conceived another complete timeline and intended to make it available online. However, the Japanese series developers vetoed the idea so the timeline would be kept open to the interpretation of the players.

Characters

Main article: Characters in The Legend of Zelda series

History

1980s

The Legend of Zelda on the Nintendo Entertainment System

The Legend of Zelda, the first game of the series, was first released in Japan on February 21, 1986, on the Famicom Disk System. A cartridge version, using battery-backed memory, was released in the United States on August 22, 1987, and Europe on November 27, 1987. The game features a "Second Quest", accessible on completing the game, or by registering your name as "ZELDA" when starting a new quest, in which dungeons and item placement are different, and enemies are more difficult for the player to defeat.

The second game, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, was released for the Famicom Disk System in Japan in January 1987, and for the Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe in November 1988 and North America in December 1988. The game exchanged the top-down perspective for side-scrolling (though the top-down point of view was retained for overworld areas), and introduced RPG elements (such as experience points) not used in The Legend of Zelda. The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II were released in gold-colored game cartridges instead of the console's regular gray cartridges. Both were re-released in the final years of the Nintendo Entertainment System with gray cartridges.

1990s

Four years later, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past returned to the top-down view (under a 3/4 perspective), and added the concept of an alternate dimension, the Dark World. The game was released for the SNES in 1991. It was later re-released for the Game Boy Advance on December 9, 2002, in North America, on a cartridge with Four Swords, the first multiplayer Zelda, and then through Nintendo's Virtual Console service on January 22, 2007. In addition, both this game (unchanged, except for being converted into a downloadable format) and an exclusive "loosely-based" sequel (which used the same game engine) called BS Zelda no Densetsu Inishie no Sekiban were released on the Satellaview in Japan on March 2, 1997, and March 30, 1997, respectively.

In 1994, near the end of the Famicom's lifespan, the original Famicom game was re-released in cartridge format. A modified version, BS Zelda no Densetsu, was released for the Super Famicom's satellite-based expansion, Satellaview, on August 6, 1995, in Japan. A second Satellaview title, BS Zelda no Densetsu MAP2 was released for the Satellaview on December 30, 1995. Both titles featured rearranged dungeons, an altered overworld, and new voice-acted plot-lines.

The next game, Link's Awakening, is the first Zelda for Nintendo's Game Boy handheld, and the first set outside Hyrule and to exclude Princess Zelda. It was re-released, in full color, as a launch title for the Game Boy Color in 1998 as Link's Awakening DX with some additional features, including an extra color-based dungeon and a photo shop that allows interaction with the Game Boy Printer.

Ocarina of Time, the first 3D-styled game of the franchise

After another hiatus, the series made the transition to 3D with Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64, which was released in November 1998. This game, initially known as Zelda 64, retains the core gameplay of the previous 2D games, and was very successful commercially and critically. It ranks highly on IGN and EGM's "greatest games of all time" lists, and scored perfect scores in several video game publications. In February 2006, it was ranked by Nintendo Power as the best game released for a Nintendo console. The game was originally developed for the poorly selling, Japanese-only Nintendo 64DD, but was ported to cartridge format when the 64DD hardware was delayed. A new gameplay mechanic, lock-on targeting, is used in the game, which focuses the camera on a nearby target and alters the player's actions relative to that target. Such mechanics allow precise sword fighting in a 3D space. The game also heavily used context-sensitive button play, which enabled the player to control various actions with Link using only one button on the Nintendo 64's game pad. Each action was handled slightly differently but all used the 'A' button to perform. For instance standing next to a block and pressing 'A' made Link grab it (enabling him to push/pull it), but moving forwards into a block and pressing 'A' allowed Link to climb the block. Or if you stood next to something which you could pick up, you pressed 'A' to pick it up, and to drop it back down to the floor you simply pressed 'A' again (and if you pressed 'A' while moving Link threw whatever he was holding). Those who preordered the game received a gold-colored cartridge in a limited edition box with a golden plastic card affixed, reading "Collector's Edition".

Ocarina of Time was re-released on the Nintendo GameCube in 2002, when it was offered as a pre-order incentive for The Wind Waker in the U.S., Canada and Japan. Europe continued to receive it free in every copy of The Wind Waker, except for the discounted Player's Choice version. It includes a previously unreleased 64DD expansion known as Ura Zelda in Japan and Ocarina of Time Master Quest in North America. Ocarina of Time was included as part of Collector's Edition for the GameCube in 2003. It is now available through the Wii's Virtual Console service. In 2011, Nintendo released a new version of the game in 3D for the Nintendo 3DS titled The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.

2000s

Ocarina of Time's follow-up, Majora's Mask, was released in November 2000. It uses the same 3D game engine as the previous game, and added a time-based concept, in which Link, the protagonist, relives the events of three days as many times as needed to complete the game's objectives. It was originally called Zelda Gaiden, a Japanese title that translates as Zelda Side story. Gameplay changed significantly; in addition to the time-limit, Link can use masks to transform into creatures with unique abilities. While Majora's Mask retains the graphical style of Ocarina of Time, it is also a departure, particularly in its atmosphere. It also features motion-blur, unlike its predecessor. The game is darker, dealing with death and tragedy in a manner not previously seen in the series, and has a sense of impending doom, as a large moon slowly descends upon the land of Termina. All copies of Majora's Mask are gold cartridges. A "Limited Collector's Edition" lenticular cartridge label was offered as the pre-order incentive. Copies of the game that were not collector's editions featured a regular sticker cartridge label. Majora's Mask is now available on the Virtual Console.

The next two games, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, were released simultaneously for the Game Boy Color, and interact using passwords or a Game Link Cable. After one game has been completed, the player is given a password that allows the other game to be played as a sequel. They were developed by Flagship in conjunction with Nintendo, with supervision from Miyamoto. After the team experimented with porting the original The Legend of Zelda to the Game Boy Color, they decided to make an original trilogy to be called the "Triforce Series". When the password system linking the three games proved too troublesome, the concept was reduced to two games at Miyamoto's suggestion. These two games became Oracle of Ages, which is more puzzle-based, and Oracle of Seasons, which is more action-oriented.

A young boy and a young girl are on a pirate ship; one of its sails with the Jolly Roger is in the background.

The cel-shaded art-style of The Wind Waker

When Nintendo revealed the Nintendo GameCube on August 24, 2000, the day before Nintendo's SpaceWorld 2000 exposition, a software demonstration showed a realistically styled real-time duel between Ganondorf and Link. Fans and the media speculated that the battle might be from a Zelda game in development. At Spaceworld 2001 Nintendo showed a cel-shaded Zelda title, later released as The Wind Waker, which Miyamoto felt would "extend Zelda's reach to all ages". The media reported that Zelda was shifting to a younger audience, to Miyamoto's surprise. Nothing further was shown until a playable demonstration was ready. The gameplay centers on controlling wind with a baton called the "Wind Waker" and sailing a small boat around an island-filled ocean, retaining similar gameplay mechanics as the previous 3D games in the series.

Following the release of The Wind Waker came The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, which included the original The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and a demo of The Wind Waker. GameSpot noted that Majora's Mask suffered from a frame rate which appeared choppier and inconsistencies in the audio. This compilation was never sold commercially, and originally could only be obtained by purchasing a GameCube bundled with the disc, (in North America, Europe and Australia), by registering a GameCube and two games at Nintendo.com, or by subscribing or renewing a subscription to Nintendo Power (in North America) or Club Nintendo in Sweden. In the UK, 1000 copies were made available through the Club Nintendo Stars Catalogue program. After these were quickly claimed, Nintendo gave a copy to customers who mailed in proof of purchases from select Nintendo GameCube games.

The next game released in the series was Four Swords Adventures for the GameCube, which was released in early 2004 in Japan and America, and January 2005 in Europe. Based on the handheld Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures was another deviation from previous Zelda gameplay, focusing on level-based and multiplayer gameplay. The game contains 24 levels and a map screen; there is no connecting overworld. For multiplayer features, each player must use a Game Boy Advance system linked to the Nintendo GameCube via a Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance cable. The game also features a single-player campaign, in which using a Game Boy Advance is optional.

Four Swords Adventures includes two gameplay modes: "Hyrulean Adventure", with a plot and gameplay similar to other Zelda games, and "Shadow Battle", in which multiple Links, played by multiple players, battle each other. The Japanese version includes an exclusive third segment, "Navi Trackers" (originally designed as the stand-alone game "Tetra's Trackers"), which contains spoken dialog for most of the characters, unlike other games in The Legend of Zelda series.

A man is on a horse. In the foreground, an imp rides a wolf.

Concept art of Twilight Princess

In November 2004 in Japan and Europe, and January 2005 in America, Nintendo released The Minish Cap for the Game Boy Advance. In The Minish Cap Link can shrink in size using a mystical, sentient hat named Ezlo. While shrunk, he can see previously explored parts of a dungeon from a different perspective, and enter areas through otherwise-impassable openings.

In November 2006, Twilight Princess was released as the first Zelda game on the Wii, and later, in December 2006, on the Nintendo GameCube, the console for which it was originally developed. The Wii version features a reversed world; everything that is in the west on the GameCube is in the east on the Wii, and vice versa (The game was mirrored in order to make Link right-handed to make use of the Wii remote feel more natural). The game chronicles the struggle of an older Link to clear the troubles of the interacting "Twilight Realm", a mysterious force that appears around Hyrule. When he enters this realm, he is transformed into a wolf, changing the gameplay. Twilight Princess also features horseback transportation and mounted battle scenarios, including boss battles. Twilight Princess diverted from the cel shading of Wind Waker and went for graphics featuring more detailed textures, giving the game a darker atmosphere making it feel more adult than previous games.

At the 2006 Game Developers Conference, a trailer for Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS was shown. It revealed traditional top-down Zelda gameplay optimized for the DS' features, with a cel-shaded graphical style similar to The Wind Waker. At E3 2006, Nintendo confirmed the game's status as a direct sequel to The Wind Waker, and released an extensive playable demo, including a multiplayer mode with "capture the flag" elements. Phantom Hourglass was released on June 23, 2007, in Japan, October 1, 2007, in North America and October 19, 2007, in Europe.

The next Legend of Zelda for the DS, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, was released December 7, 2009, in North America and December 11, 2009, in the UK. In this game, the 'spirit tracks', railroads which chain an ancient evil, are disappearing from Hyrule. Zelda and Link go to the 'Spirit Tower' (the ethereal point of convergence for the tracks) to find out why. But villains steal Zelda's body for the resurrection of the Demon King. Rendered disembodied, Zelda is left a spirit, and only Link (and a certain few sages) can see her. Together they go on a quest to restore the spirit tracks, defeat the Demon King, and return Zelda to her body.
Using a modified engine of that used in Phantom Hourglass, the notably new feature in this game is that the Phantom Guardians seen in Phantom Hourglass are, through a series of events, periodically controllable.

2010s

Main article: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

In April 2008, Miyamoto stated that "the Zelda team is forming again to work on new games". Miyamoto clarified in July that the Zelda team has been working on a new Zelda game for the Wii. In January 2010, Nintendo Executive Satoru Iwata stated that the game would be coming out at some time in 2010. The Zelda game on the Wii will be compatible with the Wii MotionPlus accessory to make sword-play more realistic, blocking with the shield using the nunchuck and combining both the remote and the nunchuck for the bow and arrow, similar to archery in Wii Sports Resort. The game's subtitle was announced at E3 in 2010 as Skyward Sword, but delayed to 2011.

In addition, Nintendo plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda game by releasing a Zelda game for all its current consoles in 2011: Link's Awakening in the 3DS's Virtual Console on June 7, Ocarina of Time 3D for the 3DS on mid-June, Four Swords Anniversary Edition on September 28 as a free DSiWare download (later become the paid download starting February 20) and Skyward Sword for the Wii, which was released on November 18, 2011 in Europe, November 20, 2011 in the United States and is scheduled for release on November 24, 2011 in Australia. A limited edition Zelda 25th anniversary 3DS is set to be released on December 1, 2011 in Australia.

Nintendo showcased a demo reel at E3 2011 which depicted Link fighting a monster in HD. Nintendo also hinted they are working on a high-definition Legend of Zelda title for the Wii U, but that the final game may not necessarily take the same form as what was depicted in the demo. Nintendo has confimed an original Zelda title for the Nintendo 3DS and are also considering a Majora's Mask remake.

Other games

CD-i games

A screenshot from Zelda's Adventure.

Main article: CD-i games from The Legend of Zelda series

A series of video games were developed and released for the Philips CD-i in the early 1990s as a product of a compromise between Philips and Nintendo, after the companies failed to develop a CD-based peripheral for the Super Nintendo. Created with no influence from Nintendo, the games are Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and Zelda's Adventure. Nintendo has erased them from the Zelda canon, evidenced by their absence from any of Nintendo's websites and publications.

LCD games

Main article: LCD games from The Legend of Zelda series

Three Zelda-themed LCD games were created between 1989 and 1992. The Zelda version of Nintendo's Game & Watch series was released first in August 1989 as a dual-screen handheld electronic game similar in appearance to today's Nintendo DS. It was re-released in 1998 as a Toymax, Inc. Mini Classic and was later included as an unlockable extra in Game & Watch Gallery 4, a 2002 compilation for the Game Boy Advance. While the Game & Watch Zelda was developed in-house by Nintendo, the subsequent two LCD games were developed by third parties under license by Nintendo. In October 1989, The Legend of Zelda was developed by Nelsonic as part of its Game Watch line. This game was an actual digital watch with primitive gameplay based on the original Legend of Zelda. In 1992, Epoch Co. developed Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce for its Barcode Battler II console. The game employed card-scanning technology similar to the later-released Nintendo e-Reader.

Cancelled games

There have been several titles in The Legend of Zelda series that have never been released for various reasons. One such title was The Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Courage for Game Boy Color. When Yoshiki Okamoto worked to develop Zelda titles for the Game Boy Color, his Capcom team decided to create a series of three games. Referred to as the "Triforce Series", the games were known as The Legend of Zelda: The Mysterious Acorn: Chapter of Power, Chapter of Wisdom, and Chapter of Courage in Japan and The Legend of Zelda: Mystical Seed of Power, Mystical Seed of Wisdom, and Mystical Seed of Courage in the US. The games were to interact using a password system, but the limitations of this system and the difficulty of coordinating three games proved too complicated, so the team scaled back to two titles at Miyamoto's suggestion. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons was adapted from Mystical Seed of Power, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages was adapted from Mystical Seed of Wisdom, and Mystical Seed of Courage was canceled. Another title is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Ura, intended to be an upgraded remake of Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64DD. For a long time the game was not released as the N64DD was never sold outside of Japan due to poor sales. Prior to the release of The Wind Waker, a bonus disc called The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest was released, containing a port of Ocarina of Time and a GameCube-modified version of Ocarina of Time Ura.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series, Nintendo of America originally had planned to release a compilation of titles together for the Wii, similar to the collector's edition disc released for the GameCube in 2003. However Nintendo of Japan's president Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto eventually disagreed in releasing it believing it would be too similar to the Super Mario 25th Anniversary game released in 2010.

Originally at one point both Link and Samus from the Metroid series were planned to be playable characters for the Wii version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance however they didn't make the final release because they weren't Marvel characters.

Spin-off games

As the franchise has grown in popularity, several titles have been released that are set within or star a minor character from the universe of The Legend of Zelda but are not directly connected to the main The Legend of Zelda series. Both map versions of the title BS Zelda no Densetsu for the Satellaview (released in August and December 1995) could be considered spin-offs due to the fact that they star the "Hero of Light" (portrayed by either the Satellaview's male or female mascot) as opposed to Link as the protagonist of Hyrule. A third Satellaview title released in March 1997, BS Zelda no Densetsu Inishie no Sekiban (BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets) could also be considered a spin-off for the same reason. Other spin-off titles include Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland for the Nintendo DS – an RPG released in September 2006 in Japan (Summer of 2007 in the UK) to star supporting character Tingle. A second Tingle title is Tingle's Balloon Fight DS for the Nintendo DS. Here Tingle again stars in this spin-off arcade style platformer, released in April 2007 only in Japan and available solely to Platinum Club Nintendo members. In addition to titles in which Link does not star as the protagonist, games such as the shooter title, Link's Crossbow Training (for the Wii), have been considered spin-offs due to the lack of a traditional "Save Hyrule" plot-line. Released in November 2007 as a bundle with the Wii Zapper, this game allows players to assume the identity of Link as he progresses through a series of tests to perfect his crossbow marksmanship. "Color Changing Tingle's Love Balloon Trip" was released in Japan in 2009 as a sequel to Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland.

Zelda in other video games

Characters from and references to The Legend of Zelda series have appeared in a variety of other video games that go beyond what is considered a typical cameo appearance. This may include major story elements, character development, and even affect major game features. Link appears as a fighter in Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64. Link is also a fighter in Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo GameCube, alongside Zelda (also able to transform into Sheik), Ganondorf and Young Link (the child version of Link from Ocarina of Time). In Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii all Zelda characters make a return with the exception of Young Link, who was replaced by Toon Link (Wind Waker's Link). Instead of their Ocarina of Time appearances that have been used in previous Super Smash Bros. games, all but Toon Link are depicted in the style of Twilight Princess. Link appears as an exclusive fighter in the GameCube version of Soul Calibur II, and is also featured prominently in several mini-games from WarioWare: Smooth Moves and WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!. The Game Boy Camera: Gold Version contains Ocarina of Time themed stamps of characters and items for editing photos that are not found in any other color version of the Game Boy Camera. Multiple items from the Zelda series are obtainable in-game in the Satellaview-exclusive SatellaWalker 2. Link also makes a brief appearance in Super Mario RPG where he appears sleeping in an inn, remaining asleep in a bed throughout the game. Examining him will cause a jingle (that which plays when the player completes a puzzle or opens a doorway in The Legend of Zelda games) to play. Also, a text box may appear with only "....." inside, referring to Link's tendency to be silent. In the Super Nintendo game Kirby Superstar (and its Nintendo DS re-make Kirby Superstar Ultra), the Triforce can be found in the game The Great Cave Offensive. (Also, when Kirby obtains the Sword ability, he wears a hat highly similar to Link's.) In Final Fantasy, there is a tombstone in the elven town which reads, "Here lies Link." Ōkami director Hideki Kamiya states that he has been influenced by The Legend of Zelda series in developing the title. The developers of the game Dark Sector have stated they have been heavily influenced by The Legend of Zelda series, and that the structure of the game is much like a Zelda game. Other games which reference the series are Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and the Animal Crossing series. In the Nintendo game Captain Rainbow, Crazy Tracy from Link's Awakening is one of the featured characters where she wants to enslave all men in the world. One of the levels in Super Mario 3D Land was inspired by The Legend of Zelda.

Reception

Aggregate review scores
As of April 30, 2011.

Game	GameRankings	Metacritic
The Legend of Zelda	(GBA) 79.02%	(GBA) 84
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link	(GBA) 68.88%	(GBA) 73
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past	(SNES) 92.78%	-
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening	(GB) 91.23% (GBC) 90.39%	-
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time	(N64) 97.48% (3DS) 93.99% (GC) 89.50%	(N64) 99 (3DS) 94 (GC) 91
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask	(N64) 91.92%	(N64) 95
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages	(Ages) 91.89% (Seasons) 91.50%	-
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords	(GBA) 91.70%	(GBA) 95
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker	(GC) 94.53%	(GC) 96
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures	(GC) 84.58%	(GC) 86
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap	(GBA) 90.22%	(GBA) 89
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess	(GC) 96.00% (Wii) 94.51%	(GC) 96 (Wii) 95
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass	(NDS) 88.91%	(NDS) 90
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks	(NDS) 86.92%	(NDS) 87
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword	(Wii) 93.51%	(Wii) 93

The Legend of Zelda series has received nearly universal acclaim from critics. GameFAQs has held a contest for the best video game series ever, with The Legend of Zelda claiming the top position. Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker and Skyward Sword have each received a perfect 40/40 score (10/10 by four reviewers) by Japanese Famitsu magazine, making Zelda one of the only series with multiple perfect scores. Computer and Video Games awarded The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess a score of 10/10. A Link to the Past has won Gold Award from Electronic Gaming Monthly. In Nintendo Power's Top 200 countdown in 2004, Ocarina of Time took first place, and seven other Zelda games placed in the top 40. Twilight Princess was named Game of the Year by X-Play, Game Trailers, 1UP, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Spacey Awards, Game Informer, GameSpy, Nintendo Power, IGN, and many other websites. The editors of review aggregator websites Game Rankings, IGN and Metacritic have all given Ocarina of Time their highest aggregate scores. Game Informer awarded The Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword with a score of 10/10. Phantom Hourglass was named DS Game of the Year by IGN and GameSpy.

Ocarina of Time and its use of melodic themes to identify different game regions has been called a reverse of Richard Wagner's use of leitmotifs to identify characters and themes. Ocarina of Time was so well received that sales increased for real ocarinas. IGN praised the music of Majora's Mask for its brilliance despite its heavy use of MIDI.

Cultural influence

The Legend of Zelda series has led to many influences in popular culture. The series has also been parodied, including an episode of The Powerpuff Girls which features the Mayor of Townsville playing a spoof of Ocarina of Time, and a season 3 episode of Robot Chicken, in which a skit based on The Legend of Zelda references aspects of the series, including the existence of multiple Links, Triforce, Rupees and rescuing Princess Zelda. IGN.com made a fanfilm trailer based on the Legend of Zelda as an April fools prank. Additionally, The Legend of Neil is a web-video series that aired on Comedy Central, spoofing the original Legend of Zelda game.

Professional wrestler Cody Runnels (better known as Cody Rhodes) is a fan of the series and has stated he replays A Link to the Past yearly. His wrestling boots feature a Triforce symbol. Actor/comedian Robin Williams revealed in an interview with Jimmy Fallon that his daughter Zelda Rae is named after the title character in the series, which in 2011 both he and his daughter starred together in an advertisement for Ocarina of Time 3D. In the 2010 film adaptation of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World there are multiple references to the Zelda games and the soundtrack, including use of the "Fairy Fountain" theme in one of the film's dream sequences.

Other media

Main article: List of The Legend of Zelda media

Cartoons

A man holds a shield

Animated series logo

Main article: The Legend of Zelda (TV series)

The Legend of Zelda was made into an animated series as a "show within a show" in the semi-live-action The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! TV series produced by DiC and distributed by Viacom Enterprises. The animated Zelda shorts were aired each Friday, instead of the usual Super Mario Bros. cartoon that aired during the rest of the week. The series loosely followed the NES Zelda games, mixing settings and characters from those games with original creations. Thirteen animated Zelda shorts were featured within the show's 65-episode run. The show's incarnations of Link and Zelda also appeared in various episodes of Captain N: The Game Master during its second season.

Comics and manga

Main article: Comics from The Legend of Zelda series

Valiant Comics released a short-lived series of comics featuring characters and settings from the Zelda cartoon as part of their Nintendo Comics System line. In addition, manga have been created based on the many of the series' games, including A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, the Oracle series, The Wind Waker, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap and Phantom Hourglass. These cartoons are usually not involved with the chronology of the actual games.

Books

A number of official books, novels and gamebooks have been released based on the series. The first was Moblin's Magic Spear published in 1989 by Western Publishing, Inc. under their Golden Books range and written by Jack C. Harris. It took place sometime during the first game. Two gamebooks were published as part of the Nintendo Adventure Books series by Archway and both written by Matt Wayne. The first was The Crystal Trap which focuses more on Zelda and the second titled The Shadow Prince, both released in 1992. A novel based on Ocarina of Time was released in 1999 written by Jason R. Rich and published by Sybex Inc. under their Pathways to Adventure series. Another two gamebooks were released as part of the You Decide on the Adventure series published by Scholastic. The first based on Oracle of Seasons released in 2001 and the second based on Oracle of Ages released in 2002, both written by Craig Wessel. In 2006, Scholastic released a novel as part of their Nintendo Heroes series titled Link and the Portal of Doom. It was written by Tracey West and was set shortly after the events of Ocarina of Time.

References

• "ZELDA: The Second Quest Begins". Nintendo Power. Vol. 1. July/August 1988. pp. 26–36. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
• Pelland, Scott (ed.) (2001). The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages Player's Guide. Redmond, Washington: Nintendo of America, Inc. ISBN 1-930206-10-0. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)

External links

• Zelda.com – Official US website, featuring an encyclopedia
• Zelda Wiki, an external wiki
• Zeldapedia, an external wiki