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History
The Legend of Zelda was originally created by Nintendo CEO and founder Shigeru Miyamoto. The series' original installment, titled The Legend of Zelda, was released exclusively for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986. In 1987, Nintendo released an American version. The game was a critical and commercial success and was hailed for its innovative mix of adventure, action, and puzzle-solving. The series has since spawned over many iterations, some of them direct sequels while others are new iterations of the original core characters and locations.
Story Line
Although most of the games in the Legend of Zelda series have independent story lines, they all rely on the same back story and creation mythology. According to this mythology, in the beginning there were three goddesses: Farore, Din and Nayru. They created the land of Hyrule and all of the creatures that live there. Once their work was done they returned to the heavens, creating a relic that would maintain peace and stability in their stead; this relic is the Triforce.
The Triforce is located in the Sacred Realm, a place of refuge that evil cannot enter. It was placed there by the goddesses because of its ability to "...remake the world and its inhabitants into an image of the holder's heart." The "holder" refers to anyone who touches the Triforce. Many of the games' plots revolve around a villain's attempt to enter the sacred realm and gain access to the Triforce.
Recurring Characters
Despite confusion resulting from the game's title, the protagonist of this series is Link. Link is a human character living in the Elfen village of Kakariko. In each episode, Link is called upon to save the land of Hyrule from a threat, most often personified by the villain Ganon (or Ganondorf in some installments). Although Link is not an Elf, it is often explained that he is special; it is later revealed that he is the innate holder of the Triforce of courage. Because of this, he is also the only individual who can wield the ancient "Master Sword."
Ganon made his debut as Link's archenemy in the original game. Ganon is an evil being known as the "Demon King of Darkness" whose only goal is to obtain unlimited power and plunge Hyrule into chaos. Throughout the series, he serves as a symbol of darkness, and is the personification of evil.
The eponymous princess of the Zelda series is a member of Hyrule royalty and an integral part of the Zelda mythology. Throughout the games, she emerges as a sage and companion to Link instead of the much more common damsel-in-distress type of princess featured in other games. She often supplies Link with Light arrows, a weapon required to defeat Ganon in most of the series' installments.
Gameplay
The game features unique game play that combines action/adventure type fighting with puzzles and dungeons. The main quest of each game can be played through without much exploration, but the games feature many hidden items and weapons available only through the completion of side-quests. Some recurring weapons are bombs, a boomerang, a bow and arrow, various shields and swords and a spring-coiled grappling hook called the "hookshot." Many of the games also feature the ability to use magic, which is used in both combat and to solve puzzles.
Console Appearances
The Legend of Zelda was developed and produced by Nintendo, so it appears exclusively on Nintendo systems. As one of their flagship brands, at least one Zelda game has been released for each new system. Various Zelda characters have also appeared in Nintendo's "Super Smash Bros." series of fighting games.