The Legend of Zelda series has been around for a long time--nearly 20 years, and 12 games (not counting the Philips CD-i ones). In that time, it has never faltered or stagnated, but it has also always remained true to its roots. That's a fine line to walk--originality vs. tried-and-true, easy-money brand sales vs. quality sequels, and so on.
Below is a run-down of the Zelda games, why they were important and influential, what made them great, and what each game has added to keep the series fresh and still so popular after all this time.
The Legend of Zelda
When it came out, The Legend of Zelda was unlike any other game. It was more ambitious than most games of its time, and it re-defined the Adventure genre.
Many of the concepts introduced in this first game are still in use; in fact, they're so essential that it wouldn't be a Zelda game without them. The Overworld / Dungeon layout of the game world, the many items that Link can use, the hidden areas accessible by bombing or other means, the expandable life bar, upgradeable weapons, and the enemy roster are all still around. When this game introduced Link, he was the most versatile hero in videogames (and the least vocal). That's still true.
This is the (at the time) huge overworld of The Legend of Zelda. It hides 9 dungeons and lots of secrets. (below)
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Link is a useful guy-- then and now. |
Some of the bosses of The Legend of Zelda.
Zelda 2: Link's Adventure
The second Zelda game admirably took the series in a new direction. Though Nintendo could have easily slapped together a new map and new dungeons to stick into Zelda 1's game code, they decided instead to make an entirely new game from scratch. They kept the important elements, but Zelda 2 played in side-scrolling view everywhere but the overworld. New concepts that were added include RPG elements (like leveling up), magic spells, a cool new sword fighting element, more emphasis on talking with game characters, and my favorite, the down-stab!
The overworld of Zelda II: Link's Adventure. The game would zoom in and become side-scrolling at key spots (like towns, dungeons and caves), or if an enemy touched you (a la most RPGs).
Here's the meat of Zelda II: the cool combat system! It was simple, but deep and challenging. You could stab while standing or ducking (A & B), up-stab (C), down-stab (D) (up- or down-stabbing could also break bricks (F). Many opponents carried shields, so you had to either try to stab around it, or you could jump and knock it down as you struck (E). All of this is while paying attention to your own shield to block strikes or even projectiles (G).
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And here's the magic system. Link would gain a new spell at each town he visited. Spells, when cast, would last as long as he was on a screen. For example, he could cast 'fairy' to transform and get through keyholes, as shown. |
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One of the hardest end bosses ever: Shadow Link. He's only a sub-boss in Ocarina of Time. |
Link saves the day again! |
A Link to the Past
The Super Nintendo Zelda was a re-birth of the series, ignoring the stories (what little there was) of the first two Zelda games in favor of an independent but spiritually similar game. We never knew Link's origin in the older Zelda games. This time, he's a boy who lives with his uncle. The story's nothing special, though: get sword, go to the dungeons, save the princess(es), beat the boss(es), get the Triforce...and retire.
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Here's Zelda's story in a nutshell... |
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Anyway, A Link to the Past introduced other new elements, the most important of which is the Alternate World (in this game, Dark World). The switching back and forth between two similar game worlds is an important mechanic, and works well in this game as well as some Zelda sequels and other games (like Soul Reaver).
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The only way to the top of this mountain is by warping from the Dark to Light World. |
Click for a video of Link warping between worlds to enter a cave in the Light World. |
A Link to the Past also brought new items like the Hookshot and bottles (now both Zelda staples), the shovel and Pegasus Boots, added depth with multi-level dungeons and some pseudo-3D hills in the overworld, and fun touches like the ability to cut grass and bushes. One new ability in particular that was cool and extremely useful (and still is) was the ability to catch a fairy and keep it in a bottle. If Link died, the fairy would revive him and the death wouldn't "count".
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| Some of the items Link finds during his quest... |
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Hostage fairies are a Zelda tradition, which started with A Link to the Past. |
There were also a lot of new enemies, particularly in the Dark World. Some of them are now standard Zelda enemies, like the laser statues. And A Link to the Past included some big, impressive bosses that weren't possible on older systems.
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A Link to the Past boasted some of the coolest boss fights of any game up to its time. |
Link's Awakening
How Nintendo managed to squeeze such a gigantic adventure into a tiny Game Boy game is beyond me, but Link's Awakening managed to almost outdo A Link to the Past in scope and scale, and even add to the mix.
Link's Awakening was the first Zelda game to feature cut-scene art, it gave Link back the ability to jump (now via the Roc's Feather), and it even had bits of foreshadowing of the Ocarina of Time. For example, it put music as an important theme in the game, and it also introduced the on-screen assignable item buttons. That concept allowed Link to combine abilities, such as the Pegasus Boots and Roc's Feather for long-jumping, or Bomb Arrows (which are returning in the new Gamecube Zelda due out this year).
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| A shot from Link's very first in-game cut-scene | As usual, Link carries quite an inventory. |
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| Link combines the Pegasus
Boots and Roc's Feather
for a long jump (click picture for video) |
Arrows and bombs combine to make: Bomb Arrows! (duh) (click picture for video) |
Page two starts with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
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