Hyrule Castle
Hyrule Castle is the home of the royal family of Hyrule, a mythical land in the popular Nintendo video game series The Legend of Zelda. The castle's first appearance was in the game A Link to the Past, the third in the series. Each game that contains a Hyrule Castle either features a different layout, or denies you access to parts that are available in other games. There are grounds for speculation that the castle may actually be a different castle in each game, or that it is in fact supposed to be the same castle, and it was changed in each game for aesthetic or gameplay purposes.
Various locations and descriptions (by game)
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Main article: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
Though there is no actual "Hyrule Castle" in this game, its equivalent is generally thought to be the Northern Palace, the resting place of Princess Zelda. This is partly because it's the only "friendly" palace in the in game and, like most Hyrule Castles in other games, is surrounded by a moat.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Main article: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
The third game in the series was the first to name a location Hyrule Castle. It is situated in the middle of Hyrule and appears to be the seat of power of the government as well as the home of Princess Zelda. During the course of the game, Link must break into the castle. He manages to find entrance via a secret passage on the eastern side of the castle. It has a total of 6 floors and features a courtyard and a moat.
In the Dark World/Golden Land, Hyrule Castle becomes the Pyramid of Power.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Main article: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
In the game, Hyrule Castle is first seen during the opening credits. The castle is situated west of Death Mountain and just directly north of Hyrule Castle Town. The entrance to Hyrule Castle Town alone is protected by a moat and a drawbridge which lowers only during the day. Beyond Hyrule Castle Town is a path which leads eventually to Hyrule Castle, but features a gate and several gaurds along the way. In order to infiltrate the castle, Link must sneak past each gaurd until he gets to the castle itself, surrounded by a moat. Link never directly enters any "important" parts of the castle, but he does manage to enter the courtyard (where he meets Zelda) using a secret entrance on the east side (sound familiar?). In the future, Hyrule Castle is destroyed, and replaced by Ganon's Castle.
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Main article: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures.
Hyrule Castle lays just south of Death Mountain, somewhat near the center of Hyrule (seemingly a combination of its locations in A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time).
The interior is very similar to that of the castle's interior in A Link to the Past, while the exterior (shown) is based on that in The Wind Waker.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Main article: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.
Hyrule Castle has a fairly large presence in the game. To restore power in the magic sword broken by Vaati, Link must find four elemental artifacts and imbue the blade with their essence at an Elemental Sanctuary, which can be found in Hyrule Castle. As the story progresses, Vaati disguises himself as the king, making getting into the Elemental Sanctuary more difficult, requiring some stealth to make it in successfully. Finally, toward the game's completion, Vaati transforms the entire castle into Dark Hyrule Castle, which is much larger than normal Hyrule Castle, and by far the most difficult dungeon in the game.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Main article: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
Hyrule Castle, at first frozen in time, is situated under the Great Sea and accessible at the site of the Tower of the Gods. Only the main hall, which contains a secret passage to a room where the Master Sword is found, and a small courtyard may be visited. When Link takes the Master Sword, the castle and the land around it unfreezes. Enemies who were assaulting the castle at the time it was frozen reawaken and must be defeated. As time continues in the game, an area outside the castle is made accessable for Link to explore.
Super Smash Bros. series
Main article: Super Smash Bros..
Hyrule Castle also appears as an arena in Super Smash Bros., but not in the sequel, Super Smash Bros. Melee, where it was replaced by Hyrule Temple. Super Smash Bros.' Hyrule Castle appears to be based largely on the one present in Ocarina of Time, which at the time was the latest Legend of Zelda game. The Hyrule Temple in SSB Melee is seemingly a combination of various Zelda temples and castles.
Soul Calibur II
Main article: Soul Calibur II.
On the GameCube version of Soul Calibur II, a picture of Hyrule Castle appears in the end credits when the player beats the game as Link.