2023-05-14 11:30:02
Since 1986 and the release of the first episode of the saga, The Legend of Zelda games have revolved around… Link and not the heroine Zelda. A name that Shigeru Miyamoto (whose name will be written several times in this article) justifies by its English translation of lien. A hero inspired by the cartoon Peter Pan whose muteness is also explained: this is supposed to allow players to immerse themselves more in the skin of the protagonist by putting themselves in his place. They can then tell their own story. Another explanation is also given in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Overwhelmed by his responsibility to save the Kingdom of Hyrule, our Hero of Time prefers to say nothing for fear of betraying the hopes placed in him. A philosophy of Never complain, never explain.
But being the savior of humanity is not enough to see his name at the top of the bill since otherwise the saga would be called ”The Legend of Link” and the story would end there. It is the princess of Hyrule who recovers this honor whose name comes directly from the American novelist Zelda Fitzgerald, herself named by her mother in reference to two stories published in the 19th century (Zelda : A Tale of the Massachusetts Colony et Zelda’s Fortune). Shigeru Miyamoto liked its sound and decided to keep it for the name of the game.
In the same way, it is the mare Epona which takes its name from the Gallic goddess linked to the horse and the cavalry.
Acheter The Legend of Zelda : Tears of the Kingdom sur Amazon.
A very special first episode
If The Legend of Zelda has become so legendary today, it is partly thanks to the first game. It was released in 1986 and has been distributed in six million copies. A colossal figure for the time and which remains impressive today: for a quick comparison, Sonic Frontiers has become the best-selling 3D Sonic game in history with 3.5 million copies. The only downside that prevented The Legend of Zelda from gaining supreme notoriety was deployed by… Nintendo itself with Super Mario Bros and its 40 million copies distributed.
Before its release, it is above all its name that poses a problem. Although Shigeru Miyamoto has the first name Zelda for his title, the latter is a little too long since it is called Hyrule Fantasy The Legend of Zelda. The first copy is then cut to fit the more digestible name and that’s good: at the same time comes the first episode of a license that will become just as cult with Final Fantasy.
Now that the subject of the surname has been covered, it is now a question of explaining the success of the first game. These are two very simple reasons. The first is that it is still a technical revolution: it is the first console game to include a backup system. What to say in 1986 that it is The Legend of Zelda which ensures the transition from PC players to console players. Then there are also the intrinsic qualities of the game which, for the time, are colossal: it is an open world that the player can explore as he pleases and already displays the ambition to give players extreme freedom.
A Japanese inspiration from the time of the samurai
A total letting go that Shigeru Miyamoto has tried to reproduce in each Zelda video game. Before becoming a developer for Nintendo, he enjoyed exploring the forests around Sonobe: a rural village northwest of Kyoto. He is passionate regarding exploring a cave that he enjoys exploring day following day. It is this feeling of discovery and freedom that he advocates with The Legend of Zelda that he defends tooth and nail during its development.
The Triforce.
The forests of Kyoto are also not his only source of Japanese inspiration for Zelda. Several times in the saga, there is talk of the triforce: a divine artifact representing the three goddesses of Hyrule whose main qualities have been divided into 3: it is Link who recovers the Triforce of Courage, Zelda that of wisdom and Ganondorf that of strength. Its geometric shape is almost identical to that of the mon (geometric shape used by samurai clans to recognize each other on the battlefield) of the Hojo family: an important clan of the Kamakura period (1185 – 1333).
Music composed in one night
More an anecdote to shine in the evening than real information necessary before diving into Zelda, the quick story around the creation of the main musical theme of the saga is interesting. It was originally to be the Bolero by Ravel before copyright got involved. Koji Kondo, who over the years has become the essential composer of Nintendo masterpieces, then composed in one night which has become one of the most iconic music in video games.
The Legend of Zelda: a particular chronology between the games
What will be more worth knowing before diving into this The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is that the Zelda saga displays a chronology that belongs only to it. It is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011) which acts as an introductory episode to the stories of Zelda and Link. Then, the foundations of the Kingdom of Hyrule are launched (not without setbacks with the appearance of Vaati) then disturbed with the reincarnation of the Scourge with Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It is from there that the temporality becomes complicated since it is divided into three: according to his age but especially according to the success or the failure of his main mission.
If our dear Link loses once morest Ganon, then follows the events of the first four Zelda released but in a particular order. It’s A Link to The Past which takes the torch, followed by the Oracle episodes, Awakening to return to the very first episode before concluding with The Legend of Zelda II. If he wins as an adult, it is the temporality linked to Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks that unfolds while if he wins as a child, a slightly darker future awaits him. since Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess and Four Swords Adventure internet in game.
To slightly complicate the equation, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild takes place in an alternate time frame that does not depend on the one described here. It’s still regarding playing the saviors of Hyrule and executioner of Ganondorf but in another time dimension. Time dimension in which Tears of the Kingdom also fits since it is the direct sequel to BotW.
Every Zelda video game innovates
In Majora’s Mask, Link has 3 days to repel the Moon.
Each game therefore really advances a pawn on the chessboard of Zelda’s time while bringing its own innovation. It’s probably in large part for this reason that The Legend of Zelda is still so successful today. Without being exhaustive, we can mention the arrival of the backup with the first episode, the targeting of the camera with Ocarina of Time, the principle of time loop with Majora’s Mask or the revolution of the open world (to which we will return in this article ) with Breath of the Wild.
Admittedly, not all of these innovations have had the same impact. Nevertheless, it must be recognized that it is proof of the care taken by Nintendo in the development of the games of one of its flagship sagas. These features, derisory or not, also always serve the games in the same way: that of making the exploration ever more advanced and the freedom ever more palpable. Every Zelda that comes out wants to be the most permissive and it succeeds.
Almost all Zelda are must-haves
Additions that allow the release of each game to appeal to the press and the public, as evidenced by metacritic. The site is a media rating aggregator and measures the temperature of a game’s appreciation. As far as The Legend of Zelda is concerned, almost all of them are must-play and displays a mark higher than 90/100. This is particularly true for two of them: the first, The Legend of Zelda, inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame and source of inspiration for many adventure games that followed it. Ocarina of Time was also inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame but is, unlike the first mentioned, often considered the best video game of all time.. It is also the only one to have a score of 99/100 on metacritic, the highest score listed on the site to date.
A revolutionary open world for the saga and for the video game
An ambitious challenge, especially since 2017 with the release of BotW. An open world revolution signed by Nintendo which is a hit: the game probably sells Nintendo Switches by the millions (they share the same release date, May 03, 2017) and becomes the best-selling license episode of all time with more than 30 million copies distributed. Proud of their work, Nintendo even attends conferences bringing together video game developers: something surprising for the Kyoto firm, which cultivates a culture of silence and refuses to share its secrets.
Broadly, Nintendo explains that it built an open world by breaking the traditional Zelda formula by trusting the human brain. Without showing it in any way, the game lets the player believe that he is free while constantly taking his hand, leaving points of interest along his way. An apple to pick, then a lumberjack’s ax, then a tree to chop down. The world of Breath of the Wild is littered with hidden points of interest that constantly confuse and distract the player.
Tears of the Kingdom, a heavy legacy
Described as a sequel to Breath of the Wild by Nintendo itself, Tears of the Kingdom must make the torch given to it by its eldest shine even brighter. To be as cult as its predecessor is a daunting task, but on paper it has everything it takes to be. The playing field has been expanded with the arrival of Sky Islands. Some adjustments have also been noticed by players with the presence of caves missing from Breath of the Wild. It is especially around the powers of Tears of the Kingdom that Nintendo puts the emphasis: fusions of objects between them, construction of ships or rockets…
If it has been available since May 12 exclusively on Nintendo Switch, it is probably a few months or even years later that we will realize the scope and impact it will have had on players. It’s hard not to take the example of Breath of the Wild (or Elden Ring more recently) to compare. Players continue to explore these gigantic open worlds that let them express their creativity. It is both surprising and reassuring to see how much new things can be discovered several months following their release. If the observation is observed for Tears of the Kingdom, there is no doubt that it will contribute more than ever to sanctify a saga which is already in legend.
1684115437
#Legend #Zelda #greatest #video #game #sagas
