The Legend of Zelda
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Legend of Zelda<tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: 100%; text-align: center;">Image:Legend of zelda cover (with cartridge) gold.png</td></tr> | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Nintendo R&D 4
<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)</th><td>Nintendo</td></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Designer(s)</th><td>Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Release date(s) | JPN February 21 1986<ref name="gamespot date">Zelda no Densetsu. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.</ref> NA August 22 1987<ref name="gamespot date2">The Legend of Zelda. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.</ref> EU November 27 1987 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player
<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Rating(s)</th><td>ESRB: E (Everyone) |
| Platform(s) | Famicom Disk System, Nintendo Entertainment System, Satellaview, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console
<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Media</th><td>Floppy disk (FDS version), 1-megabit cartridge (NES version)</td></tr> |
- This article is about the first game in the series. For information on the series as a whole, see The Legend of Zelda (series).
The Legend of Zelda (THE HYRULE FANTASY ゼルダの伝説 THE HYRULE FANTASY Zeruda no Densetsu?, known in Japan as "The Hyrule Fantasy: The Legend of Zelda") is a video game designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and published by Nintendo in 1986.<ref name="gamespot date">Zelda no Densetsu. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.</ref> A classic example of the action-adventure genre, the game is set in the fantasy land of Hyrule and centers around a young hero's quest to rescue Princess Zelda from the villainous Ganon by collecting the eight fragments of a powerful artifact known as the Triforce of Wisdom.
The inaugural game of the The Legend of Zelda series first released in Japan as a debut title for the Famicom's Disk System peripheral. With its vast world, open-ended gameplay, scrolling capabilities, and battery save system (in cartridge-based versions), Zelda featured groundbreaking technological advancements. Because the Famicom Disk System was not released outside of Japan, the game was published internationally on the Nintendo Entertainment System's cartridge format in 1987, where it enjoyed even greater critical and financial success.
Zelda has been re-released on multiple platforms, most recently in 2006 on the Wii virtual console. The game was also included in The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition for the Nintendo GameCube,<ref name="collectors">IGN Staff (October 6, 2003). True Zelda Love. IGN. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.</ref> and is available for download on Wii's Virtual Console. The entire game is also unlockable in the GameCube version of the game Animal Crossing. As one of Nintendo's flagship franchises, Zelda is among the most recognized names in video games.
Contents |
[edit] Story and characters
Due to space limitations, The Legend of Zelda's plot heavily relies on backstory given in the short in-game prologue and the instruction manual:<ref name="rpgamer review">Andrew Long. Oldest School. RPGamer. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.</ref> Hyrule was engulfed in chaos after an army led by Ganon, the Prince of Darkness, invaded the kingdom and secured the Triforce of Power, a magical artifact bestowing great strength.<ref name="manual three">The Legend of Zelda Instruction Booklet (1989), p. 3</ref> Hyrule's Princess Zelda split the artifact's counterpart, the Triforce of Wisdom, into eight fragments, hiding them in secret dungeons throughout the land to prevent them from falling into Ganon's hands. She commanded her most trustworthy nursemaid, Impa, to escape to find a man courageous enough to destroy Ganon. Upon hearing this, Ganon grew angry, imprisoned the princess, and sent a party in search of Impa.<ref name="manual three">The Legend of Zelda Instruction Booklet (1989), p. 3</ref>
According to the manual, Impa fled for her life but was overtaken by her pursuers. As Ganon's henchmen surrounded her, a youth appeared to drive the monsters off. The boy's name was Link, and Impa told him of Hyrule's dilemma.<ref name="manual four">The Legend of Zelda Instruction Booklet (1989), p. 4</ref> Link resolves to save Zelda, but to fight Ganon he must find and reassemble the scattered fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom. Undeterred, Link sets off for Hyrule in an epic adventure.<ref name="manual four">The Legend of Zelda Instruction Booklet (1989), p. 4</ref>
During the course of the game, Link locates the eight dungeons and retrieves the Triforce fragments from the clutches of powerful guardian monsters. Along the way, he picks up a collection of useful items and weapons, including the powerful Magical Sword (possibly the Master Sword, according to the official Zelda website<ref>The Great Hyrule Encyclopedia. Nintendo. Retrieved on 2006-09-27.</ref>) to aid him against Ganon's minions. With the Triforce of Wisdom, Link is able to infiltrate Ganon's fortress high upon Death Mountain. He confronts the Prince of Darkness himself, destroying him with a Silver Arrow which he had discovered deep within Ganon's dungeons. Link picks up the Triforce of Power from Ganon's ashes and returns both Triforces to Princess Zelda, whom he releases from her nearby cell. According to Zelda's words, peace would then return to Hyrule.
A symbol of callow youth and raw courage,<ref name="pedia">Nintendo (January 1, 2006). The Great Hyrule Encyclopedia - Link. Zelda Universe. Retrieved on 2005-09-20.</ref> Link was designed by Miyamoto as a coming-of-age motif for players to identify with: the silent protagonist begins the game an ordinary boy but grows in strength and fortitude to triumph over the ultimate evil.<ref name="origin">Superplay Editorial Staff (2003-04-23). Shigeru Miyamoto Interview. Superplay Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-09-24.</ref>
The name of the eponymous Zelda was inspired by Zelda Fitzgerald: "Zelda was the name of the wife of the famous novelist Francis Scott Fitzgerald. She was a famous and beautiful woman from all accounts, and I liked the sound of her name. So I took the liberty of using her name for the very first Zelda title," Miyamoto explained.<ref name="amazon">Todd Mowatt. In the Game: Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.</ref>
[edit] Gameplay
When Zelda was released, its gameplay defied categorization, incorporating elements from action games, adventure games, computer role-playing games, and computer puzzle games. The game begins with the player controlling Link, armed with a small shield. A sword is immediately available in a cave behind him. To advance, Link must explore the overworld, a large outdoor map with varied environments. Scattered across the overworld and hidden in caves, shrubbery, or behind walls are merchants, gamblers, old ladies, and other people who guide Link with cryptic clues. Barring Link's progress are creatures he must battle to locate the entrances to nine underground dungeons.
Each dungeon is a unique, labyrinthine collection of rooms connected by doors and secret passages and guarded by monsters different from those found on the overworld. Link must navigate through each dungeon to obtain the eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom. Items, many required to complete his quest, are also stored in dungeons. The third dungeon, for example, contains a raft needed to reach the entrance to the fourth dungeon. Other accessories include upgrades for Link's sword and shield, bombs for uncovering secret caverns, a boomerang for retrieving items, and a recorder with magical properties. The first six dungeons have visible entrances, but the remaining three are hidden. The order of completing the dungeons is arbitrary, but it is recommended to complete them in sequential order, because the higher the level number, the more difficult it is, but the final dungeon can only be entered after assembling the entire Triforce of Wisdom.
Nonlinearity, the ability to take different paths in completing the game, separated Zelda from its contemporaries. Link can freely wander the overworld, finding and buying items at any point. This flexibility enables unusual ways of playing the game; for example, it is possible to reach the final boss of the game (but not defeat him) without taking a sword.<ref name="rpgamer review">Andrew Long. Oldest School. RPGamer. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.</ref> Nintendo's management initially feared that players may become frustrated with the new concept, left wondering what to do next.
After completing the game, the player has access to a more difficult quest, officially referred to as the Second Quest,<ref name="np27">Nintendo Power July/August issue (1988), p. 27</ref> where dungeons and the placement of items are different and enemies stronger.<ref name="np27">Nintendo Power July/August issue (1988), p. 27</ref> Although a more difficult "replay" was not unique to Zelda, few games offered a "second quest" with entirely different levels to complete.<ref name="rpgamer review">Andrew Long. Oldest School. RPGamer. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.</ref> This adds a great deal to the replay value of the game. Entering "ZELDA" as the player's name at the start of the game begins the second quest automatically.<ref name="np26">Nintendo Power July/August issue (1988), p. 26</ref> However, only the first five letters must be "ZELDA", there is still space for 3 more letters in the name. The Second Quest can be replayed each time it is completed.
[edit] Development and release
Nintendo's top developer, Shigeru Miyamoto, dazzled millions of gamers with Super Mario Bros., which released for the Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985. In Mario, Miyamoto downplayed the value of the high score in favor of a more concrete goal: "complete" the game. The evolution of games from endurance tests to simple narratives gave players a reason to play beyond simple continued survival.<ref name="gamespot history">Andrew Vestal et al. (September 14, 2000). History of Zelda. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.</ref>
Miyamoto's team worked on The Legend of Zelda at the same time as Super Mario Bros., and since the same team did both games, they tried to separate the ideas: Super Mario Bros. should be linear whereas The Legend of Zelda should be the total opposite.<ref>Nintendo Power Editorial Staff (1996-10-01). Miyamoto Interview. Nintendo Power. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.</ref> Miyamoto was in charge of deciding which concepts were "Zelda ideas" or "Mario ideas." Contrasting with Mario, Zelda was made non-linear and forced the players to think about what they should do next with riddles and puzzles.<ref>Ben Bufton (2005-01-01). Shigeru Miyamoto Interview. ntsc-uk. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.</ref>
With The Legend of Zelda, Miyamoto wanted to take the idea of a game "world" even further, giving players a "miniature garden that they can put inside their drawer."<ref name="gamespot history">Andrew Vestal et al. (September 14, 2000). History of Zelda. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.</ref> He drew his inspiration from the fields, woods and caves outside Kyoto he explored as a boy, and always tries to impart this sense of exploration and limitless wonder to players through the Zelda titles.<ref name="gamespot history">Andrew Vestal et al. (September 14, 2000). History of Zelda. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.</ref> "When I was a child," he said, "I went hiking and found a lake. It was quite a surprise for me to stumble upon it. When I traveled around the country without a map, trying to find my way, stumbling on amazing things as I went, I realized how it felt to go on an adventure like this."<ref name="Sheff 51">Sheff (1993), p. 51</ref> The memory of being lost amid the maze of sliding doors in his family's home in Sonobe was recreated in Zelda's labyrinthine dungeons.<ref name="Sheff 52">Sheff (1993), p. 52</ref>
In February 1986, Nintendo released the game on the Famicom's new Disk System peripheral. Zelda was joined by a rerelease of Super Mario Bros. and Tennis, Baseball, Golf, Soccer, and Mahjong in its introduction of the Famicom Disk System. It made full use of the Disk System’s advantages over the Famicom with a disk size of 128 kilobytes, which was expensive to produce on cartridge format.<ref name="gamespot history">Andrew Vestal et al. (September 14, 2000). History of Zelda. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.</ref> Due to the amount of space on the disk, however, the Japanese version of the game was only in katakana. It used rewritable disks to save the game, rather than using passwords.<ref name="wiieurope">alistairw (September 8, 2006). Special: History of The Legend of Zelda Series. Nintendo. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.</ref> It also used the microphone built into the Famicom's controller that wasn't included in the NES: the instruction manual reads that Pol's Voice, an enemy in the game, "hates loud noise;"<ref name="manual 36">The Legend of Zelda Instruction Booklet (1987), p. 36</ref> blowing or shouting into the microphone kills these creatures.
Contrary to the fears of Nintendo's management, the game was wildly popular. Nintendo published the game a year later in North America, released with a small portion of the box cut out to display the unique gold-colored cartridge. In 1987, The Legend of Zelda became the first NES title aside from Super Mario Bros. to sell one million copies.<ref name="Sheff 172">Sheff (1993), p. 172</ref> In 1988, 7 million more NES units were sold, along with 33 million game cartridges. Nintendo of America sought to keep its strong base of fans: anyone who purchased a game and sent in a warranty card became a member of the Fun Club, whose members got a four-, eight-, and eventually thirty-two page newsletter. Seven hundred copies of the first issue were sent out free of charge, but the number grew as the data bank of names got longer.<ref name="Sheff 178">Sheff (1993), p. 178</ref>
From the success of the magazines in Japan, Nintendo knew that game tips were an incredibly valued asset. Players enjoyed the bimonthly newsletter's crossword puzzles and jokes, but game secrets were most valued. The Fun Club drew kids in by offering tips for the more complicated games, especially Zelda, with its hidden rooms, secret keys, and passageways.<ref name="Sheff 178">Sheff (1993), p. 178</ref> The mailing list grew. By early 1988, there were over 1 million Fun Club members, and this led to Arakawa's decision to start Nintendo Power magazine.<ref name="Sheff 178">Sheff (1993), p. 178</ref>
Since Nintendo had so few products, it made only a few commercials a year, meaning the quality had to be phenomenal. The budget could go up to $5 million for one commercial, easily four or five times more than most companies spent.<ref name="Sheff 188">Sheff (1993), p. 188</ref> One of the first commercials made under Bill White, director of advertising and public relations, was the market introduction for The Legend of Zelda, which received a great deal of attention in the ad industry. In it, a wiry-haired, nerdy guy walks through the dark screaming for Zelda.<ref name="Sheff 188">Sheff (1993), p. 188</ref>
Zelda became a gold mine for Nintendo, and the company released a slew of Zelda-related merchandise, from toys and guidebooks to watches, apparel, trash cans, and even breakfast cereal. The game (and its sequel, The Adventure of Link) was also adapted into an animated series, episodes of which were shown each Friday on television's The Super Mario Bros. Super Show. Link and Zelda also appeared in select episodes of Captain N: The Game Master, though these episodes revolved more around themes from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
[edit] BS Zelda
BS Zelda, a modified version of the original, was for download in four episodes on the Satellaview, a satellite modem add-on to Nintendo's Super Famicom system, from August 9 1995 to August 30 1995. The first game broadcast on the Satellaview, BS Zelda featured updated graphics, a smaller overworld, and different dungeons. Link was replaced by the Satellaview mascots, a boy wearing a backwards baseball cap and a girl with red hair. It also featured "Sound Link," where every few minutes players were cautioned to listen carefully as a live narrator, broadcast over the network, gave them play clues.<ref name="bs zelda">BS The Legend of Zelda. IGN. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.</ref> When the game was rebroadcast in December 1996, Nintendo changed the dungeons again. This revision had a smaller broadcast audience and is known as "~map2~." A fanmade PC version, Zelda Classic, allows users to create custom quests with new tile sets and level layouts.
[edit] Reception
Zelda quickly became a bestseller for Nintendo.[citation needed] The game was brought back for Nintendo's "Classic Series" reissue in 1990, with Zelda II, Metroid, and other high-profile games. The game placed first in the player's poll "Top 30" in Nintendo Power's first issue and continued to dominate the list into the early 1990s.
Zelda places prominently in lists of games considered the greatest or most influential: it placed first in Game Informer's list of the greatest games ever, fifth in Electronic Gaming Monthly's 200th issue listing "The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time,"<ref name="egm">S.B. (February 2006). The 200 Greatest Video Games of their Time. Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.</ref> seventh in Nintendo Power's multi-issue list of the 200 Best Nintendo Games Ever,<ref name="np2006">Nintendo Power February issue (2006), p. 58-66</ref> and 80th among IGN readers' "Top 99 Games."<ref name="ign readers">Readers' Picks Top 99 Games: 80-71. IGN (April 11, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-09-30.</ref> Zelda was inducted into GameSpy's Hall of Fame in August 2000<ref name="gamespy hall of fame">Christopher Buecheler (August 2000). The Gamespy Hall of Fame. GameSpy. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.</ref> and voted by GameSpy's editors as the tenth best game of all time.<ref name="gamespy best">GameSpy Staff (July 2001). GameSpy's Top 50 Games of All Time. GameSpy. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.</ref> Editors of the popular Japanese magazine Famitsu voted the game among the best on the Famicom.<ref name="pinkgodzilla">taragan (2006). Famitsu Readers' All-time Favorite Famicom Games. Pink Godzilla. Retrieved on 2006-09-20.</ref>
Even in its Game Boy Advance release, dated 17 years, Zelda passes the test of time, scoring 79% at the Game Rankings and 87% at the Game Ratio rankings compilations. In individual ratings, IGN scored Zelda with an 8 out of 10, GamePro a 4.5 out of 5, Nintendo Power a 4.5 out of 5, and 1UP.com a 9 out of 10.<ref name="gamerankings">Classic NES Series: The Legend of Zelda. gamerankings.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.</ref><ref name="gameratio">Classic NES Series: The Legend of Zelda. gameratio.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.</ref>
[edit] Impact and legacy
Zelda is considered a spiritual forerunner of the console role-playing game (RPG) genre.<ref name="rpgamer review">Andrew Long. Oldest School. RPGamer. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.</ref> Though its gameplay elements are significantly different from those typical of computer or console RPGs, its bright, cartoonish graphics, fantasy setting, and music would be adopted by many RPGs. Its commercial success helped create a market for involved, nonlinear games in fantasy settings, such as those found in successful RPGs. RPGs compared to Zelda include Crystalis, Soul Blazer, Square's Seiken Densetsu series, and more recently, Alundra and Brave Fencer Musashi.
Zelda spawned numerous sequels and spinoffs and remains one of Nintendo's most popular series. Although the plot of Zelda is simplistic by today's standards, it established important characters and environments of the Zelda universe: Link, Princess Zelda, Ganon, and Impa, and the Triforce was introduced as the power that binds Hyrule together.<ref name="gamespot history">Andrew Vestal et al. (September 14, 2000). History of Zelda. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.</ref>
In the game "Final Fantasy" the left-most tombstone in the Elf town reads "Here lies Link".
Zelda is also referenced in popular culture, including:
- Joel David Moore's character "JP" in Grandma's Boy (2006) mentions that he beat The Legend of Zelda before he could walk.
- The Legend of Zelda was featured on the VH1 show I Love the '80s 3-D.
- Actor Robin Williams named his daughter Zelda Ray after the game, which is a favorite of his sons.
- Kids in the Hall character "Gavin" often sports a Legend of Zelda baseball cap.
- The rapper Benefit performed a song about The Legend of Zelda, describing how he beat the game and scored with the Princess.
- Joe Pleiman created a song parody of the main Zelda theme for his album The Rabbit Joint.<ref>Josh Spaulding; Joe Pleiman. ZELDA (Flash). Retrieved on 2006-11-08. “Joe Pleiman is a sound editor is Boston. The song "Zelda" was released on his 1998 album "The Rabbit Joint."”</ref> The song is commonly mis-attributed to System of a Down or The Rabbit Joint.
[edit] Footnotes
<references/>
[edit] References
- David Sheff (1993). Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children. Random House, 445. ISBN 0679404694.
- (1987) The Legend of Zelda Instruction Booklet (in English). Nintendo of America, Inc., 46. Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.
- (1989) Nintendo Power July/August 1988 (in English). Nintendo of America, Inc., 104.
- (2006) Nintendo Power February 2006 (in English). Nintendo of America, Inc., 104.
[edit] External links
[edit] Official
[edit] General resources
- The Legend of Zelda entry at StrategyWiki
- The Legend of Zelda at MobyGames
- Map of Legend of Zelda
- An original Legend of Zelda TV commercial
fr:The Legend of Zelda it:The Legend of Zelda he:זלדה (משחק) ja:ゼルダの伝説 no:The Legend of Zelda pl:The Legend of Zelda ru:The Legend of Zelda fi:The Legend of Zelda sv:The Legend of Zelda
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements | 1986 computer and video games | 1987 computer and video games | 2004 computer and video games | Action-adventure games | Famicom Disk System games | Game Boy Advance games | The Legend of Zelda games | Nintendo Entertainment System games | Satellaview games | Wii Virtual Console games
