The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda
Writer(s)		Kensuke Tanabe
Composer(s)	Koji Kondo
Platform(s)	Nintendo Entertainment System Game & Watch Super Nintendo Entertainment System Game Boy Nintendo 64 Game Boy Color Game Boy Advance GameCube Wii Nintendo DS Nintendo 3DS Wii U Nintendo Switch
First release	The Legend of Zelda February 21, 1986
Latest release	The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom May 12, 2023
Spin-offs	List of spin-offs

The Legend of Zelda

games.

The series centers on the various incarnations of

that created Hyrule, to remake the world in his own dark image. When gathered together, the power of the Triforce can grant any wish its user desires; however, if someone with a heart that does not possess a balance of the three virtues of Power, Courage, and Wisdom attempts to touch the Triforce, it will split into three triangles and bond with three people whose hearts embody the required virtue.

Although their personalities and backstory differ from game to game, the incarnations of Link and Zelda often have many traits in common, such as Link often being left-handed and clad in green, and Zelda being associated with wisdom, light, and prophesy. While the conflict with Ganon serves as a backbone for the series, some games have featured other settings and antagonists, with Link traveling or being sent to these other lands in their time of need.

Since the

greatest video games of all time

.

Gameplay

The Legend of Zelda games feature a mix of puzzles, action, adventure/battle

Every game in the main Zelda series has consisted of three principal areas: an

, and items. Each dungeon usually has one major item inside, which can be essential for solving many of the puzzles within 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 and smaller items such as keys and equipment. In later games, the dungeon includes a special "big key" that will unlock the door to battle the dungeon's boss enemy and open the item chest.

In most Zelda games, the player's

is represented by a line of hearts, each heart typically representing two hit points. At the start of the game the player only has three hearts but players can increase their max hearts by finding heart-shaped crystals called "Heart Containers". Full heart containers are usually received at the end of dungeons and dropped by dungeon bosses. Smaller "Pieces of Heart" are awarded for completing side quests or found hidden around the game world in various places, and require a certain number (usually four) to form a full heart container. Health can be replenished by picking up hearts left by defeated enemies or destroyed objects, consuming items such as potions or food, or going to a Great Fairy Fountain to have the Great Fairy heal Link completely. Occasionally the player will find fairies hidden in specific locations; these fairies can either heal Link immediately or be kept in empty bottles, and will revive the player the next time they die.

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 let the player lock the camera on to enemy or friendly NPCs which simplified 3D combat.

Inspiration

The Legend of Zelda was principally inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto's "explorations" as a young boy in the hillsides, forests, and caves 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.^[3] 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.^[4]

The story and setting was developed by

Hearing of American novelist, socialite and painter

Audio

Games in The Legend of Zelda series frequently feature in-game musical instruments, particularly in musical

"The Legend of Zelda Theme" is a recurring piece of music that was created for the first game of the franchise. The composer and sound director of the series,

Up until

Plot

Setting

The Legend of Zelda takes place predominantly in a

, Link, and the eponymous princess, Zelda.

The fictional universe established by the Zelda games sets the stage for each adventure. Some games take place in different lands with their own back-stories.

Story

According to the in-game backstories, the world of Hyrule was created by the three

In Skyward Sword, the Triforce was sought by the Demon King Demise,[38] an eternal being that had conquered time itself.^[39] After a long battle against the goddess Hylia, guardian of the Triforce, Demise was sealed away within her temple.^[34][40] Hylia, placing the Hylians on a floating island (called Skyloft) in the sky to protect them, orchestrated a means to stop the demon from escaping: creating the Goddess Sword (later becoming the Master Sword) for her chosen hero^[41] and discarding her divinity to be reborn among the people of Skyloft.^[42] In time, Zelda and Link (the reborn Hylia and her predestined warrior) enacted the goddess's plan and Demise was destroyed, but he vowed that his rage would be reborn and forever plague those descended from Link and Zelda.^[43] Following the establishment of Hyrule Kingdom, Demise's prophecy came to fruition in Ocarina of Time, when Ganondorf's attempt to get the Triforce scattered it with him gaining the Triforce of Power. The Triforce of Wisdom ended up with the Hylian princesses descended from Zelda, each named after her, while the Triforce of Courage is passed to a youth named Link across generations. While the Triforces 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. Even in the original The Legend of Zelda, Zelda breaks her Triforce of Wisdom into 8 pieces for Link to find, before she was captured by Ganon.

Fictional chronology

The Legend of Zelda story chronology^[44][45]

Skyward Sword The Minish Cap Four Swords Ocarina of Time
The Hero is Defeated	The Hero is Victorious
	Child Era	Adult Era
A Link to the Past Link's Awakening Oracle of Seasons & Ages A Link Between Worlds Tri Force Heroes The Legend of Zelda The Adventure of Link	Majora's Mask Twilight Princess Four Swords Adventures	The Wind Waker Phantom Hourglass Spirit Tracks
Breath of the Wild Tears of the Kingdom

The chronology of the Legend of Zelda series was a subject of much debate among fans until an official timeline was released within the Hyrule Historia collector's book, first released in Japan in December 2011.^[46][47] Prior to its release, in a 2003 interview, series creator Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed the existence of an internal document which connected all the games, with series producer Eiji Aonuma later revealing in 2010 the confidential nature of this document, which only himself, Miyamoto, and the director of each game had access to.^[48][49]

In-game content, marketing material, and developer statements once partially established a timeline of the released installments: the

In the early 2000s, Nintendo of America released a timeline on the official website of the series as one of the possible interpretation of the events from all entries released up to that point, featuring a single protagonist named Link, the "Hero of Time" from its first adventure in Ocarina of Time. It was followed by Majora's Mask, A Link to the Past, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, the original The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and finally Link's Awakening.[71] In 2011, series translator Daniel Owsen revelead that, at one point, his coworkers at Nintendo of America and him conceived another complete timeline and intended to make it available online, but the Japanese series developers rejected the idea so that the placement of each game would be kept open to the imagination of the players.^[72]

On December 21, 2011, to celebrate 25th anniversary of the series, the

In 2018, Nintendo revealed Breath of the Wild's timeline placement after all previous games in the series, without specifying a connection to any of the three timeline branches. Aonuma and Breath of the Wild director, Hidemaro Fujibayashi, justified the vague placement with the previous idea of keeping it open to players' imaginations.[45] Nintendo also moved Link's Awakening to take place before Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages.^[45] In 2020, Nintendo released Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, and marketed the game as a prequel to Breath of the Wild, being set 100 years before,^[73] but the events of Age of Calamity diverged from the backstory established in Breath of the Wild, creating an alternate timeline separate from it.^[74]

Characters

Main article:

Characters of The Legend of Zelda

Link

Main article: Link (The Legend of Zelda)

The central protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series, Link is the name of various young male Hylians who characteristically wear a green tunic and a pointed cap, and are the bearers of the

Triforce of Courage. In most games, the player can give Link a different name before the start of the adventure, and he will be referred by that given name throughout by the non-player characters (NPCs). In Link's Awakening, if the player steals from the shop, characters would later refer to him as "Thief". Miyamoto said in a 2002 interview that he named the protagonist "Link" because the character is/was supposed to be the "link" between the player and the game world that he (Miyamoto) had created. The various Links each have a special title, such as "Hero of Time", "Hero of the Winds" or "Hero chosen by the gods". Like many silent protagonists

in video games, Link does not speak, only producing grunts, yells, or similar sounds. Despite the player not seeing the dialogue, it is referenced second-hand by in-game characters, showing that he is not, in fact, mute. Link is shown as a silent protagonist so that the audience is able to have their own thoughts as to how their Link would answer the characters instead of him having scripted responses.

Princess Zelda

Main article: Princess Zelda

Princess Zelda is the princess of Hyrule and the guardian of the

Tetra (in The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass). In Skyward Sword, it is revealed that the Zelda of that game is a reincarnation of the goddess Hylia, whose power flows through the royal bloodline. The name "Zelda" derives from the American novelist Zelda Fitzgerald.^[75]

Ganon

Main article: Ganon

Ganon, also known as Ganondorf in his humanoid form, is the main antagonist and the final boss in the majority of The Legend of Zelda games. In the series, Ganondorf is the leader of a race of desert brigands called the Gerudo, which consists entirely of female warriors save for one man born every one hundred years. He is significantly taller than other human NPCs, but his looks vary between games, often taking the form of a monstrous anthropomorphic boar. His specific motives vary from game to game, but most often his plans include him kidnapping Princess Zelda and planning to achieve domination of Hyrule and presumably the world beyond it. To this end, he seeks the Triforce, a powerful magical relic. He often possesses a portion of the Triforce called the Triforce of Power, which gives him great strength. However, it is often not enough to accomplish his ends, leading him to hunt the remaining Triforce pieces. Unlike Link, Zelda, and most other recurring characters, he is actually the same person in every game, with the exception of Four Swords Adventures, where he is a reincarnation of the original. In each game the battles with him are different and he fights using different styles. The game Skyward Sword indicates that Ganon is a reincarnation of an evil deity known as Demise.

Development

Release timeline

Original releases in bold

1986	Skyward Sword HD
2022
2023	Tears of the Kingdom

1986–1997: 2D origins

BS Zelda no Densetsu, was released for the Super Famicom's satellite-based expansion, Satellaview, on August 6, 1995, in Japan. A second Satellaview game, BS Zelda no Densetsu MAP2 was released for the Satellaview on December 30 the same year. Both games featured rearranged dungeons, an altered overworld, and new voice-acted plot-lines.^[78]

The second game,

experience points) not used previously or thereafter in the series. The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II were released in gold-colored cartridges instead of the console's regular grey cartridges. Both were re-released in the final years of the Nintendo Entertainment System with grey cartridges.^[79]

Four years later,

BS Zelda no Densetsu Inishie no Sekiban^[81] were released on the Satellaview in Japan on March 2 and 30, 1997, respectively. A Link to the Past was re-released for the Game Boy Advance

in 2002. The SNES version was later re-released on the Wii Virtual Console on January 22, 2007, on the Wii U Virtual Console, and on Nintendo Switch Online.

Barcode Battler II console. The game employed card-scanning technology similar to the later-released Nintendo e-Reader

.

The next game, Link's Awakening, for Nintendo's Game Boy, is the first Zelda for a handheld, and the first set outside Hyrule and to exclude Princess Zelda. Link's Awakening was re-released, in full color, as a launch game for the Game Boy Color in 1998 as Link's Awakening DX. This remaster features additions such as an extra color-based dungeon and a photo shop that allows interaction with the Game Boy Printer. Link's Awakening DX was released on the 3DS' Virtual Console on June 7, 2011. An HD remake of Link's Awakening was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2019.^[82][83]

A series of video games was developed and released on CD-i in the early 1990s as a product of a compromise between Philips and Nintendo, after the companies failed to develop a CD-ROM peripheral for the Super NES. Created independently with no observation by or influence from Nintendo, the games are Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, together with Zelda's Adventure. Nintendo never acknowledged them in the Zelda timeline, and they are considered to be in a separate, self-contained canon. These games are widely acknowledged to be the worst installments in the series, though have since gained a cult following in the form of internet memes.^[84]

1998–2001: Transition to 3D

After five years without a new game, the series made the transition to

Ocarina of Time 3D for the 3DS, featuring remade graphics and stereoscopic 3D, was released in mid-June 2011. Ocarina of Time has been made available on the higher tier of Nintendo Switch Online

in HD resolution.

Ocarina of Time's follow-up,

pre-order incentive. Copies of the game that are not collector's editions feature a normal sticker cartridge label. Majora's Mask was available on the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console catalogues. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D

was released for 3DS in North America and Europe on February 13, 2015, and in Japan and Australia a day later. The Nintendo 64 version was added to Nintendo Switch Online in February 2022; with this, all of the 3D games in the series have been re-released in HD resolution.

passwords^[95] or a Game Link Cable.^[96] After one game has been completed, the player is given a password that allows the other game to be played as a sequel.^[95] 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^[97] to be called the "Triforce Series".^[98] When the password system linking the three games proved too troublesome, the concept was reduced to two games at Miyamoto's suggestion.^[99] These two games became Oracle of Ages, which is more puzzle-based, and Oracle of Seasons, which is more action-oriented.^[100]

Both titles were later released on the 3DS Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online.

2002–2005: Introduction of Toon Link and multiplayer

Four Swords, released in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance, was the first multiplayer game

in the series, and introduced a new cartoon art style.

The

DSiWare

available until February 20, 2012.

When Nintendo revealed the

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD

was released for Wii U in 2013.

. The game 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 and Korean versions include an exclusive third segment, "Navi Trackers" (originally designed as the stand-alone game "Tetra's Trackers"), which contains spoken dialogue for most of the characters, unlike other games in The Legend of Zelda series.

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. It was later released on the Wii U Virtual Console.

2006–2011: Motion and touch-based swordplay

motion controls, in which the player controls Link's sword using the Wii Remote (GameCube

version pictured).

In November 2006,

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD released for Wii U in 2016.^[107]

At 2006 Game Developers Conference, a new title Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS was shown. It revealed traditional top-down Zelda gameplay optimised for the DS's features, with a cel-shaded 3D graphical style similar to The Wind Waker for Gamecube. The game is a direct sequel to The Wind Waker.^[108] Phantom Hourglass was released in June 2007, for Japan and October for North America and Europe. It was later released on the Wii U Virtual Console.

The next Legend of Zelda game for the DS,

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. It was the first time in the series that both Link and Zelda work together on the quest. It was later released on the Wii U Virtual Console.

A new Zelda game for

2013–present: Open-world emphasis

In 2013, Nintendo released A Link Between Worlds for the Nintendo 3DS, a sequel to A Link to the Past.^[112][113] Progression is more open-ended than previous titles, with the possibility of completing many of the game's dungeons in any order. Certain dungeon obstacles require the use of rented or purchased items.

Tri Force Heroes, a cooperative multiplayer game, was released for the 3DS in October 2015.^[114] It features the same Link as A Link Between Worlds but lacks open-world gameplay.

While Nintendo had showcased a Wii U demo reel at E3 2011 that depicted Link fighting a monster in HD^[115] and the first original HD Zelda game was scheduled for a 2015 release, it was delayed.^[116] The title was finally revealed at E3 2016 as Breath of the Wild, and the game was released on March 3, 2017, as the last Nintendo-published game for the Wii U and a launch title for the Nintendo Switch.^[117][118] Similar to the original The Legend of Zelda, players are given little instruction and can explore the world freely. The world is designed to encourage exploration and experimentation and the main story quest can be completed in a nonlinear fashion.

A Breath of the Wild sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, was released on the Switch on May 12, 2023.^[119][120] New to Tears of the Kingdom are the battery-powered Zonai devices, which the player can use for combat, propulsion, exploration, and more. The game also features the new abilities to fuse materials together, ascend through ceilings, reverse objects' movement through time, and autobuild structures.

Other games

Cancelled games

Throughout the lifespan of The Legend of Zelda series, a number of games (including main series games as well as re-releases and spin-offs) in varying states of completeness have had their releases cancelled. Perhaps the earliest of these was Gottlieb's The Legend of Zelda Pinball Machine (cancelled 1993). After securing a license from Nintendo to produce two Nintendo-franchise-based pinball machines, pinball designer Jon Norris was tasked with designing the table. Before it was completed, Gottlieb decided to repurpose the game with an American Gladiators theme. Licensing for this version ultimately fell through and the game was released as simply Gladiators (November 1993).^[121]

In 1998, Nintendo cancelled

In 2001, under license from Nintendo,

Before its 2006 release, both Link and Samus from the Metroid series were planned to be playable characters for the Wii version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but they did not make the final release because they were not Marvel characters.^[131]

In 2011, an unnamed Zelda 25th Anniversary Compilation was cancelled. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series, Nintendo of America originally had planned to release a compilation of games together for the Wii, similar to the collector's edition disc released for the GameCube in 2003. Nintendo of Japan's president Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto decided against releasing it, believing it would be too similar to the Super Mario 25th Anniversary collection released in 2010.^[132]

Spin-off games

As the franchise has grown in popularity, several games 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 game

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 games in which Link does not star as the protagonist, games such as the shooter game,

Color Changing Tingle's Love Balloon Trip

was released in Japan in 2009 as a sequel to Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland.

containing more content and gameplay modifications, was released in March 2016.

To commemorate the launch of the

puzzle game developed by Jupiter for download to the Nintendo 3DS.^[136][137]

Cadence of Hyrule, developed by Brace Yourself Games and released on June 13, 2019, is an officially licensed crossover of Zelda with Crypt of the NecroDancer.^[138]

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, developed by Koei Tecmo, shares the hack-and-slash style of the spin-off game Hyrule Warriors.^[139] Age of Calamity was released in November 2020.^[140][73]

A new Zelda-themed variant of Vermin was included on the limited edition Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda unit, which also included The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, and Link’s Awakening.

Reception

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2023)

Sales and aggregate review scores
As of 30 September 2023.

Game	Year	Units sold (in millions)	GameRankings	Metacritic (out of 100)
The Legend of Zelda	1986	6.51[141]	NES: 84%[142] GBA: 79%[143]	NES: — GBA: 84[144]
The Adventure of Link	1987	4.38[141]	NES: 78%[145] GBA: 69%[146]	NES: — GBA: 73[147]
A Link to the Past	1991	7.43[n 1]	SNES: 93%[149] GBA: 92%[150]	SNES: — GBA: 95[151]
Link's Awakening	1993	10.29 [n 2]	GB: 90%[153] GBC: 91%[154] NS: 87%[155]	GB: — GBC: — NS: 87[156]
Ocarina of Time	1998	14.04 [n 3]	N64: 98%[157] GC: 90%[158] 3DS: 94%[159]	N64: 99[160] GC: 91[161] 3DS: 94[162]
Majora's Mask	2000	6.80[n 4]	N64: 92%[163] 3DS: 90%[164]	N64: 95[165] 3DS: 89[166]
Oracle of Seasons and Ages	2001	3.96[141]	(Seasons) 91%[167] (Ages) 92%[168]	–
Four Swords	2002	2.82[148]	GBA: 92%[169] DS: 85%[170]	GBA: 95[171] DS: 85[172]
The Wind Waker	2002	6.8[n 5]	GC: 94% Wii U: 91%[176]	GC: 96 Wii U: 90[178]
Four Swords Adventures	2004	–	GC: 85%[179]	GC: 86[180]
The Minish Cap	2004	1.76[148]	GBA: 90%[181]	GBA: 89[182]
Twilight Princess	2006	10[n 6]	GC: 95% Wii U: 86%[186]	GC: 96 Wii U: 86[189]
Phantom Hourglass	2007	4.76[173]	DS: 89%[190]	DS: 90[191]
Spirit Tracks	2009	2.96[173]	DS: 87%[192]	DS: 87[193]
Skyward Sword	2011	7.82[n 7]	Wii: 93%[195]	Wii: 93 NS: 81[197]
A Link Between Worlds	2013	4.26[152]	3DS: 91%[198]	3DS: 91[199]
Tri Force Heroes	2015	1.36[148]	3DS: 72%[200]	3DS: 73[201]
Breath of the Wild	2017	32.85[n 8]	Wii U: 97%[203] NS: 97%[204]	Wii U: 96[205] NS: 97[206]
Tears of the Kingdom	2023	19.5[202]	-	NS: 96[207]

The Legend of Zelda series has received outstanding levels of acclaim from critics and the public.

Richard Wagner's use of leitmotifs to identify characters and themes.^[219] Ocarina of Time was so well received that sales increased for real ocarinas.^[220] IGN praised the music of Majora's Mask for its brilliance despite its heavy use of MIDI. It has been ranked the seventh-greatest game by Electronic Gaming Monthly, whereas Ocarina of Time was ranked eighth.^[221][222] The series won GameFAQs Best Series Ever competition.^[223]

As of September 2023, The Legend of Zelda franchise has sold over 150.83 million copies,[n 9] with the original The Legend of Zelda being the fourth best-selling NES game of all time.^[226][227] The series was ranked as the 64th top game (collectively) by Next Generation in 1996.^[228] In 1999, Next Generation listed the Zelda series as number 1 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting that Zelda series had always more gameplay and innovations than most other titles in their series.^[229] According to British film magazine Empire, with "the most vividly-realised world and the most varied game-play of any game on any console, Zelda is a solid bet for the best game series ever".^[230]

The Legend of Zelda franchise has garnered the most Game of the Year nominations in the history of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' D.I.C.E. Awards with eight (Ocarina of Time,^[231] Majora's Mask,^[232] The Wind Waker,^[233] Twilight Princess,^[234] Skyward Sword,^[235] A Link Between Worlds,^[236] Breath of the Wild,^[237] and Tears of the Kingdom^[238]); two of them, Ocarina of Time^[231] and Breath of the Wild,^[239] would go on to win the top honor during their respective awards ceremonies.

Legacy

Multiple members of the game industry have expressed how Zelda games have impacted them, including

Cloud Imperium Games), cited Zelda as an influence on his action role-playing game, Times of Lore.^[245]

CD Projekt Red cited the Zelda series as an influence on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.^[252] Majora's Mask served as the primary influence on Alex Hall's web series Ben Drowned.^[253] Final Fantasy and The 3rd Birthday director Hajime Tabata cited Ocarina of Time as inspiration for the open world of Final Fantasy XV.^[254]

Cross-overs

The Legend of Zelda series has crossed over into other Nintendo and third-party video games, most prominently in the

Ocarina of Time) were added to the player roster for Super Smash Bros. Melee, and appeared in all subsequent releases except for "Young Link" (who is later replaced by "Toon Link" from The Wind Waker, in subsequent releases Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U). Both Young Link and Toon Link appear in the fifth installment, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Other elements from the series, such as locations and items, are also included throughout the Smash Bros. series. Outside of the series, Nintendo allowed for the use of Link as a playable character exclusively in the GameCube release of Namco's fighting game Soulcalibur II.^[255]

• Link, using a design based on
  Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Link and his vehicle received alternate styles based on Breath of the Wild.^[257]
• In the Wii U version of Sonic Lost World, a DLC stage based on The Legend of Zelda series was released in March 2014, named "The Legend of Zelda Zone". It was built around the core gameplay mechanics of Sonic Lost World, with some elements from the Zelda series, including a heart-based vitality meter, rupee collection, and a miniature dungeon to explore.^[258]

In other media

Main article: List of The Legend of Zelda media

TV series

See also: The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! § Format

A 13-episode American animated TV series, adapted by

Viacom Enterprises, aired in 1989.^[259] The animated Zelda shorts were broadcast each Friday, instead of the usual Super Mario Bros. cartoon which was aired during the rest of the week.^[260][261] The series loosely follows the two NES Zelda games (the original The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link), mixing settings and characters from those games with original creations.^[262] The show's older incarnations of both Link and Zelda appeared in various episodes of Captain N: The Game Master during its second season.^[263]

A live-action television series had been in development around 2015, as reported from an anonymous Netflix employee to The Wall Street Journal. The program was a joint effort between Netflix and Nintendo, and was said to be aimed as a family-friendly version of Game of Thrones.^[264] Further details of this series went sparse until 2021 when Adam Conover gave an interview regarding his College Humor period. There, the College Humor team had been planning a skit that would have combined Star Fox with Fantastic Mr. Fox and had even had talked to Miyamoto on the project. Conover said that they were told about a month into the project that Nintendo had requested they stop all work on the project as a result of the leak related to the live-action Zelda show; Nintendo, already protective of its IP, had pulled many external projects including the live-action show.^[265]

Print media

Manga adaptations of many entries in the series, including A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap, Phantom Hourglass, and Twilight Princess have been produced under license from Nintendo, primarily written and drawn by Japanese artist duo Akira Himekawa

. These adaptations do not strictly follow the plot of the games from which they are based and may contain additional story elements.

A number of official books, novels, and gamebooks have been released based on the series as well. The earliest was Moblin's Magic Spear, published in 1989 by Western Publishing under their Golden Books Family Entertainment division and written by Jack C. Harris. It took place sometime during the first game. Two gamebooks were published as part of the

You Decide on the Adventure

series published by Scholastic. The first book was based on Oracle of Seasons and was released in 2001. The second, based on Oracle of Ages, was released in 2002. Both were written by Craig Wessel. In 2006, Scholastic released a novel as part of their Nintendo Heroes series, Link and the Portal of Doom. It was written by Tracey West and was set shortly after the events of Ocarina of Time.

In 2011, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the series, an

50 Shades of Grey trilogy.^[267] Dark Horse released The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts, a follow-up art book to Hyrule Historia containing additional artwork and interviews,^[268][269] in North America and Europe in February 2017.^[270]

Music

Taking place in

Symphonic Legends focused on music from Nintendo and, among others, featured games 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.^[271][272]

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series in 2011, Nintendo commissioned an original symphony, The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses. The show was originally performed in the fall of 2011 in Los Angeles and consists of live performances of much of the music from the series.^[273] It has since been scheduled for 18 shows so far throughout the United States and Canada.^[273][274] Nintendo released a CD, The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Special Orchestra CD. Featuring eight tracks from live performances of the symphony, the CD is included alongside the special edition of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Wii. Nintendo later celebrated The Legend of Zelda's 30th anniversary with an album which was released in Japan in February 2017.^[275]

Merchandise

The Legend of Zelda-themed Monopoly board game was released in the United States in September 2014.^[276] A Clue board game in the style of The Legend of Zelda series was released in June 2017.^[277] A UNO-styled The Legend of Zelda game was released in February 2018, exclusively at GameStop in North America.^[278] A limited edition Zelda 25th anniversary 3DS was released on December 1, 2011, in Australia.^[279]

Film

In 2007, Imagi Animation Studios, which had provided the animation for TMNT and Astro Boy, created a pitch reel for a computer-animated The Legend of Zelda film. Nintendo did not accept the studio's offer due to the memory of the failure of the 1993 live-action film adaptation of Super Mario Bros.^[280] In 2013, Aonuma said that, if the development of a film began, the company would want to use the opportunity to embrace audience interaction in some capacity.^[281][282] In June 2023, it was said that Nintendo was close to closing a deal with Illumination and Universal Pictures to produce a film adaptation of the franchise following the success of their film, The Super Mario Bros. Movie,^[283] but Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri denied these reports later that month.^[284]

By November 2023, Nintendo was developing a live-action Legend of Zelda film with Sony Pictures, which will co-finance and distribute the project worldwide.^[285] Wes Ball has been attached to direct the film, and Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad will be producing alongside Ball and his producing partner Joe Hartwick Jr. through their Oddball Entertainment company.^[286] Although the casting had not been announced, Patricia Summersett, who had previously done voice work for Princess Zelda, said that she would like to reprise her role for the character.^[287] Hunter Schafer has also expressed interest in playing Zelda.^[288]

Notes

1. ^ Japanese: ゼルダの伝説, Hepburn: Zeruda no Densetsu, usually romanized as Zelda no Densetsu

Group n

1. ^ A Link to the Past sales breakdown:
   • Super Nintendo Entertainment System version: 4.61 million^[141]
   • Game Boy Advance version: 2.82 million^[148]
2. ^ Link's Awakening sales breakdown:
   • Game Boy/Game Boy Advance version: 3.83 million^[141]
   • Nintendo Switch version: 6.46 million^[152]
3. ^ Ocarina of Time sales breakdown:
   • Nintendo 64 version: 7.6 million^[141]
   • Nintendo 3DS version: 6.44 million^[152]
4. ^ Majora's Mask sales breakdown:
   • Nintendo 64 version: 3.36 million^[141]
   • Nintendo 3DS version: 3.44 million^[152]
5. ^ The Wind Waker sales breakdown:
   • GameCube version: 4.43 million^[173]
   • Wii U version: 2.37 million^[174]
6. ^ Twilight Princess sales breakdown:
   • GameCube version: 1.43 million^[173]
   • Wii version: 7.42 million^[183]
   • Wii U version: 1.15 million^[148]
7. ^ Skyward Sword sales breakdown:
   • Wii version: 3.67 million^[194]
   • Nintendo Switch version: 4.15 million^[152]
8. ^ Breath of the Wild sales breakdown:
   • Wii U version: 1.7 million^[148]
   • Nintendo Switch version: 31.15 million^[202]
9. ^ The Legend of Zelda series:
   • 130 million series sales up until March 2023^[224]
   • Sales between April and September 2023: 20.83 million
     • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - 1.33 million^[225][202]
     • The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 19.5 million^[202]

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Works cited

• "ZELDA: The Second Quest Begins". Nintendo Power. Vol. 1. July–August 1988. pp. 26–36.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Legend of Zelda.

• Official website