A world-renowned action-adventure video game, The Legend Of Zelda saga is one of Nintendo's greatest successes. From the NES console in the 80s to the Nintendo Switch today, the story of Link and Princess Zelda has spanned all generations and has reinvented itself each time to remain in the hearts of players and become cult games. Let's discover the history of this video game series and its secrets.
The creation of The Legend of Zelda: childhood memories
It was in 1986 that the first The Legend of Zelda was released at Nintendo offices. It was Shigeru Miyamoto, video game creator and producer, who came up with the idea for this project. He drew inspiration from his childhood memories, particularly his old house in Kyoto, Japan, which was surrounded by forests, lakes, caves, and country villages—all the elements that formed the basis of the first game and all subsequent ones.
When asked about the origins of The Legend Of Zelda, Shigeru Miyamoto confided that when he was younger, he discovered a cave in the middle of the woods, not far from his home. Armed with a lantern, he began exploring this cave and was fascinated by the scenery he discovered. Passionate about Celtic, Norse, and Japanese mythology, as well as Western medieval culture, Miyamoto wanted to recreate a miniature garden in which the main character interacts with a dreamlike and enchanting world: this is how the idea of The Legend Of Zelda was born, offering a perfect balance of the creator's inspirations within the game's mechanics.
Zelda: the princess of eternal beauty
According to the information stated in the book The Legend Of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, which traces the history and creation of the franchise, it took a long time to find the game's name. Shigeru Miyamoto already had the idea for a game that would be called "The Legend Of...", but he couldn't find a suitable follow-up. During a discussion with a person from the marketing team at Nintendo, he learned that the wife of writer Francis Scott Fitzgerald was named Zelda. Very well-known and appreciated in the United States, he decided to honor this woman by naming the game's princess after her first name!
Hyrule: the kingdom of The Legend Of Zelda
In the vast open world the game offers, the action primarily takes place in the kingdom of Hyrule. Just like in real life, different types of climates and terrains are present, offering a wide variety of landscapes and gameplay modes for total immersion. As in reality, the kingdom of Hyrule pushes the character to confront good and evil by delivering a moral. The goal is always to subjugate enemies (the evil king of whom is the character Ganon) and overcome physical and intellectual challenges to bring peace to the kingdom.
In most games of The Legend Of Zelda franchise, there is also a large castle where Princess Zelda is hiding. Although the design of the castles changes slightly between each game, it always retains recognizable elements inspired by a real castle: that of Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, which remains today the most famous and visited castle in Germany, since its creation in 1869.
Regarding the official language used in the kingdom of Hyrule, it is called Hylian. In reality, this language is inspired by Japanese katakana, the alphabet intended for foreign words in Japan! It is thanks to this language that the different peoples and characters of this magical world communicate and interact. Thus, we find a very rich universe where dozens of creatures mingle, such as Hylians, Kokiris/Kogorus, Gerudos, Gorons, Zora, Rito, Sheikahs, etc. Moreover, some creatures are inspired by mythology, like Hylians who refer to elves, while others are representations specific to several cultures from different countries.
Music: a central element of The Legend Of Zelda saga
From the very first game, music took a prominent place. Indeed, chosen with the greatest care by the franchise's developers, it is a central and characteristic element of The Legend Of Zelda games. The sound universe offered is so rich that all fans and connoisseurs of the saga instantly recognize the melodies that are played and evolve throughout the main quest. The team in charge of creating the music includes Koji Kondo, considered "the greatest legend in the video game industry," as well as Akito Nakatsuka, Minako Hamamo, Kozuo Ishikawa, Kazumi Toyaka, and Yuichi Ozaki, great video game music composers, recognized for their exceptional savoir-faire by fans and collaborators worldwide, particularly in Japan and the United States.
Within the saga, two types of music are programmed: first, there are tracks that play automatically when entering a location or during cutscenes. Their mission is to create an atmosphere conducive to the ongoing action. Then, captivating songs with varied melodies have been added and are triggered during puzzles to be solved. It is also possible to play several musical instruments throughout the different games such as the ocarina in Ocarina of Time, the trumpet, bongo, and guitar in Majora's Mask, the pan flute in Spirit Tracks, and finally the lyre in Skyward Sword. In addition, you can also wield a conductor's baton in The Wind Waker or sing in the form of a wolf's howl in Twilight Princess.
Finally, it's impossible to ignore the famous The Legend Of Zelda Theme, the recurring and flagship piece of all games in the saga, starting with the first one. Koji Kondo had originally planned to use Maurice Ravel's Bolero as the game's theme, but he was forced to abandon this idea due to copyright issues that had not yet expired. Lastly, there's a superb CD featuring tracks played during The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary concert (to mark the saga's 25th anniversary) which was included in special and limited editions of the game The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
From The Legend of Zelda to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - a global success
From the release of the first game in the saga in 1986 on the Nintendo NES console, success was immediate. Unique in its genre, The Legend Of Zelda is considered a pioneer of open-world games, with significant emphasis on exploration. In total, there are 19 games that make up the series, and 6 of them have received over 95.5% positive ratings, an exceptional score. Critically acclaimed many times, the games are loved all over the world and blend modernity and nostalgia across different installments. Since its release in 1998, the Ocarina Of Time episode has been named the best video game of all time, across all consoles!
The franchise's latest major success is The Legend Of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, released in 2017 on the Nintendo Switch console. This new game offers innovative and original gameplay mechanisms both in terms of gameplay and immersion, with the addition of voice-overs for the main characters, intricate puzzles, sanctuaries to visit, and an always captivating story in an enchanting and mesmerizing world. A sequel was announced during E3 2019, promising many more great years with certain success for the saga, which has millions of fans worldwide!
We hope you enjoyed this article about The Legend of Zelda saga! If you're a video game fan and want to continue enriching your knowledge of Nintendo's great works, you can also read our articles on Mario or Pokémon.
