HEY LISTEN!
OK, hopefully that is sufficiently stuck in your head for the remainder of this read. As of this writing, Nintendo has yet to come out with any sort of celebration, kind of like how the Dursley’s never celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday, so we at NintendoFever decided to throw the series a dirty thirtieth birthday extravaganza. In the article we’ll look back at a few of the greats and turning points in the series and share thoughts from some of the members of the team.
The Legend of Zelda has always represented the paradigm of what open-ended adventure titles should be. When Ocarina of Time came out for the Nintendo 64, I was so excited to play it that without thinking, I named my file ‘Lukas7’ (my name and age at the time). Little did I know that meant everyone in the game would refer to Link by that name. I’ve played a lot of Zelda since then, but to this day I always pause at the opening menu to make sure I input the right name. (Lukas)
If you were unaware, Shigeru Miyamoto was inspired to create The Legend of Zelda based on his memories of exploring the rural hillsides of Sonobe, Japan. He would go on excursions into forests, lakes, and caves as a child and that instilled in him the memories that he would use to design a timeless classic. Zelda was the first adventure game most of us would play. The first game gave the player a distinct explorative style that rewarded him for taking the time in finding its many secrets. The three pillars of gameplay have remained the same for 30 years: exploring an overworld, interacting with NPCs in towns, and solving dungeons. Releasing on February 21st, 1986, The Legend of Zelda would go on to sell 6.5 million copies worldwide and set up a legacy that would cross generational lines of people and consoles like few other games in history. Plus we were graced with this absolutely ridiculous commercial.
Jumping ahead to the Super Nintendo, Miyamoto would release the first game to truly capture the potential evil that lies within chickens and let players scour a 16-bit Hyrule to end their tyrannical reign before it could begin. Is it just me that thought Ganon was a front, and the chickens were really the puppet masters pulling the strings with “fowl” motives? Yes? Fine. Moving on, but don’t say you weren’t warned. Many of us on the staff have poured dozens of hours into A Link to the Past and to this day, it remains one of my favorite games of all time. Below, one of our resident Nintendo nerds shares his appreciation for this rupee. (Rupee! Get it? Cause it’s a gem! No more puns, I promise.)
I think after the history and legacy and impact that The Legend of Zelda has left over the past 30 years, it’s almost principle to respect the series. I’ve never been as attached to the series as I have with other Nintendo franchises like Pokemon or Metroid, but the original NES title was one of the first games I’ve ever played. Growing up I would wander around the overworld of Hyrule until I’d either die or wander into the first dungeon…which I needed my older brother to beat for me because I was too scared to try it. Then I ended up having to the same for his son a few years ago. Oh the irony!
“The best part about Zelda to me isn’t the games itself, but the excitement I get each time a new game comes out and I get to play it. Between titles I’m always thinking about how much fun I had with each game but never pick them back up; but when a new iteration comes out (Skyward Sword being the most recent new example for me), I find myself calling out of school and work and spending ten to twenty hours exploring every nook and cranny for secrets. The name itself demands excitement, the games exude quality, and I’ll always be looking forward for the next trip through Hyrule. Or Lorule…or whatever new world they come up with! (Mike)
Fast forwarding another generation to the N64, and we have arrived at the moment when Zelda transformed into a fully realized 3D world complete with horseback travel on Epona and a magical instrument known as an Ocarina. For many gamers this would be their first time entering the world of Hyrule and it delivered. Considered by many to be the game of the decade, Ocarina of Time had everything that a Zelda fan could want and in glorious 3D. Transitioning from a young Link to the frozen-in-carbonite, 7 years older version was a fantastic way to jump between past and future to show varying stages of the Hyrule timeline. Even the combat was balanced in different ways since the younger Link was quicker but not strong enough to wield the Master Sword. Fun fact! During early development Miyamoto tinkered with the idea of making the game playable in the first person perspective. Music played a large role and the buttons of the N64 controllers matched up to the virtual ocarina Link plays in the game.
Not all is sunshine and daisies when it comes to the history of Zelda. At Spaceworld 2000, Nintendo released a now infamous video showing the capabilities of it’s soon to be Gamecube console. Adult Link and Ganondorf dueling one on one in 128-bit graphics with, at the time, stunning detail. Soon thereafter Nintendo would announce its sequel to Majora’s Mask and, unlike the gritty version we had seen previously, it was the “toon-shaded” Wind Waker. Reaction was mixed from many gamers at the time, but it was a critical darling and sold very well. Wind Waker also included the best damn pre-order bonus ever seen, an emulated copy of Ocarina of Time and The Master Quest of Ocarina. Unfortunately this precedent was not followed by the gaming industry, but that is a mudslinging for another day. This world was later revisited in the well reviewed DS games, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks.
Wind Waker, though graphically unorthodox, has aged very well and is still my personal favorite Zelda experience. The opening title music alone still brings back all the memories of that game and how lovingly rendered it was. Koji Kondo is an absolute genius and really got to expand his range musically. Aesthetically it is simply a beautiful game that balanced the cel-shaded childlike look with a dark story. A report came out eventually that the incredibly long and drawn out end quest of finding 8 (8!) shards of the triforce of courage was implemented due to failing to complete another large dungeon in time for release.
I had played A Link to the Past as well as Ocarina of Time extensively and loved both games but never finished them at the time due to not owning either a Super Nintendo or an N64. Wind Waker was the first Zelda game I completed since the original release on the NES. Thankfully Nintendo loves rereleasing their classics so I was able to finish the Master Quest of Ocarina of Time when I preordered the game and A Link to the Past on the GBA. Even after playing the previous classics there was something that just felt intrinsically unique to Wind Waker and that particular world of Hyrule. There isn’t a series I hold nearer or dearer to my heart than I do The Legend of Zelda. The timeline is absolutely ridiculous but the quality of these games is beyond reproach. (Dante)
Recently on the site I wrote a feature on the greatest videogame trailers ever. In it I included one of the most important trailers ever released and certainly the one with the biggest reaction. That is of course, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. It was originally supposed to release back in 2005 but was heartbreakingly delayed a full year to 2006 and released on the brand new Wii console FIRST! Those lowly Gamecube faithful had to wait another 2 full weeks for Twilight Princess to be unleashed on their preferred console. Twilight Princess sports probably the darkest story to date for a Zelda game and the best secondary character in the series, Midna. Link’s transformation into a wolf left a lot of jaws dropped but the mechanic worked tremendously. Below I included the initial unveiling of Twilight Princess complete with Conan The Barbarian music, bombastic crowd reaction, and the quintessential Miyamoto moment. People literally cried because of this trailer. The HD remake of Twilight Princess will be released on the Wii U March 4th, 2016.
I waited far too long for my copy of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword to come in the mail. Its release date was on a Sunday, and I didn’t receive my package until 8 days later, on a Monday (it also happened to be two days after my birthday). I had almost lost hope it would even come that day, seeing as I had checked that morning with no results. Mail rarely gets delivered at my local post office in the afternoon, but that fated package from Amazon.com was a happy exception to that rule.
I was finished with work around 7:00 p.m., but I clung to a fleeting hope and stopped by the post office afterward. The hallway was dimly lit, rather lonely and foreboding. I reached the very end and leaned over to turn the key and slide open our box, an extra large one on the bottom row. A lone package sat in the middle. My eyes flitted over it, taking in the details. I caught my name, “Holly”, and the word “Amazon”, but I didn’t comprehend that this thing I had been waiting for in such anticipation could possibly arrive now, so it took what felt like several minutes to compose myself and gently remove the contents of that box. Once I was sure Skyward Sword and a gold Wii remote waited for me in that bubble mailer, I was off like a rocket.
Thankfully, the game didn’t disappoint. I loved every minute of Skyward Sword, and it holds a place right next to Ocarina of Time as one of my all-time favorite video games. (Holly)
These games mean so much to fans around the globe and have combined to sell over 75,000,000 copies. There seems to be no end in sight for The Hero of Time to don his green tunic, Master Sword and shield. We wait patiently for more information on the brand new Wii U Zelda and if the hints are true we will see a fully open world Hyrule to explore to our heart’s content. Happy 30th Anniversary to Hyrule, Miyamoto, and the thousands of artists and developers that have brought this world to life across 18 games, 10 consoles, and 3 decades. It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this, an absolutely beautiful orchestral recording of the overarching theme from The Legend of Zelda. Why the conductor isn’t using a Wind Waker replica is beyond me.
