The Legend of Zelda

Story

In the once peaceful kingdom of Hyrule, chaos reigns. Ganon, the Prince of Darkness, has taken over Hyrule and captured Princess Zelda. Link must explore the underground dungeons to find the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom. It is only with this that Link can enter Death Mountain to challenge Ganon and rescue the Princess.

Why we chose it

Even with its basic gaming graphics, The Legend of Zelda was able to create an engaging world that is still producing games decades after its first release. The game is more detailed (even in its initial release) than most other adventure games with secrets and a non-linear gameplay within the dungeons. It’s a game that has kept its popularity throughout generations by maintaining its core concept but changing to more attractive, 3D graphics that are popular in games today.

Where it came from

As a child, Shigeru Miyamoto would explore the caves in the woods near his home in Sonobe, Japan. One of the most influential adventures was when he explored the cave’s depths with nothing but a lantern. This is why the game has such a focus on dungeon exploration.

Where it went next

The Legend of Zelda has won numerous rankings. It was highest-rated video game by the Guinness World Records and in 1999, The Legend of Zelda ranked as number 1 in Next Generation’s “Top 50 Games of All Time’ list. As of November 2019, the franchise has sold over 90 million copies and the original game is the fourth best-selling Nintendo Entertainment System game of all time.

Associated stories

The series has 19 games in total. It was adapted as a TV series in 1989 and had a short series of comics by Valiant Comics. In Cologne, Germany there was a video game music concert called Symphonic Legends in which the second half was dedicated to the series.