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The Legend of Zelda

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Zelda: The History

You are a humble pointy eared blonde boy who wears a floppy green hat and tunic. All you know is your simple life when suddenly, you find you are the chosen one!

You find your destiny, to save the Princess of Hyrule, find artifacts of power, and defeat the evil Ganondorf!

Zelda is one of the longest lived and most successfully repeated themes. This game has extended to many different platforms and taken on many graphical looks. Still, the game has a light sense of humor and an epic sense of fun. The puzzles are engrossing, the combat exciting, and the questlines stimulating.

Few times in the history of gaming has such a series maintained such quality.

In this lens I have listed chronologically all the Zelda releases that Nintendo has ever made. I have written a few facts about each and a blurb about what each title brought to the series. I have also added video samples of each of the game's unique look and gameplay. I hope you like this lens!

Zelda, Link, The Legend of Zelda, and all related plot elements, characters and themes are trademarks of Nintendo. I am just a big fan with lots of time on my hands.

The Evolution of Link

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The Legend of Zelda for NES

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Title: The Legend of Zelda
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment
United States Release Date:1987

This is the first Zelda game that Nintendo published. It was originally released in Japan in 1984 before it came to the U.S.

The game has 16 color graphics and involved the green be-tunic'ed hero roaming the countyside defeating monsters and gaining items from townsfolk which enable him to go into new areas and dungeons.
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Zelda II: Adventure of Link

Zelda Sidescrolling


Title: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System
United States Release Date:1988

This second title was quite a bit different from the original. The game featured a world map along with sidescrolling areas in dungeons and in towns. This is the only released title where Link gains numerical levels and raises them through gaining experience.
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Animatic Magic: the Face of Evil

The Darkest Chapter in Zelda's History....


Titles: The Legend of Zelda: The Faces of Evil
The Legend of Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon
Zelda's Adventure
Platform: CD-i
United States Release Date:1988

At one point, Nintendo gave a licence to use the Zelda trademarks to some absolutely crazy people at the Philips company as well as the companies: Animation Magic and Viridis. Here is what came out of it. Luckily, the three, horribly glitchy games that came out of this unhappy union were not highly publicized. As a result, they did not tarnish Zelda's reputation much.
Zelda CD-I: The Faces of Evil
by MasterAl | video info

2,522 ratings | 959,246 views
curated content from YouTube

Zelda: A Link to the Past

Brings Back So Many Memories!


Title: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
United States Release Date:1992

This was the Zelda game that I grew up with. The style had moved back to the original top-down view. The graphics had moved up to 256 color splendour! This title featured a light world and a dark world, which Link had the power to pass through. The plot was detailed and rich with lore. This title really introduced long and intricate puzzle dungeons, with maps, keys, and everything from block puzzles to water level puzzles.
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Zelda: Link's Awakening

Zelda: Link's Awakening


Title: The Legend of Zelda, Link's Awakening
Platform: Game Boy, Game Boy Color
United States Release Date:1993, 1998

This title takes place after Zelda II. Link travels on and finds himself on Koholint island, where he must gather instruments to wake the Wind Fish.

This is the first Zelda release on a handheld platform. This game incorporates both the sidescrolling elements from Zelda II and the top-down view of the original game.
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Get Old School Games on eBay!

Good luck finding an old cartridge or two!
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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Link Conquers the Third Dimension!


Title: The Ledgend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time
Platform: Nintendo 64
United States Release Date:1998
Ten years after the first game, Link comes to the third dimension. Once again, it is his destiny to collect the Triforce, defeat Ganon, and save Zelda.
everything got more complicated with this title, from 3-D navigation to a more complex battle system, to verbose NPCs and many mini-games and side quests. The graphics also took a huge leap in this title. Instead of a light and dark world, Link has the ability to travel through time, to become a child or an adult.
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Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask


Title: The Ledgend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Platform: Nintendo 64
United States Release Date:2000

After Link defeats Ganon in Ocarina of Time, Link goes back in time to travel and live out his childhood. He comes upon a doomed land. He finds that he has only three days to stop an imp who has gained a mask of great power and summoned a comet to destroy the land. There is a time dimension to this game in that there is a stream of time, which Link can alter, but not entirely stop. Certain events happen at certain times over three days and Link must finish tasks at the right time or go back and start all over.

Another point to mention is the focus on masks. Each mask has a special power. some of them even transform link into another race with different abilities.

Aside from this, this game has essentially the same controls and gameplay as Ocarina of Time.
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Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons


Title: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
Platform: Game Boy Color
United States Release Date:2001

These two companion games both have plots that begin with the triforce seeking Link out. Link helps the denizens of Labrynna and Holodrum. If you beat both these games, you can go on to a final boss battle where you save Zelda and defeat Ganon.
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Four Swords


Title: The Ledgend of Zelda: Four Swords
Platform: Game Boy Advance
United States Release Date:2002
This game contains a re-release of A Link to the Past with some cosmetic changes and a multiplayer game. This game has puzzles that up to four players must solve together. This was difficult to arrange, because each player needed their own cartridge, but it added a new social aspect to the Zelda series which had never before existed.
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The Collector's Edition and Master Quest

just thought i'd mention..


Title: The Legend of Zelda: Master Quest and Collector's Edition
Platform: Nintendo Gamecube
United States Release Date:2003

The Master Quest game is essentially a re-release of Ocarina of Time with different dungeons. The Collectors edition includes:
The Legend of Zelda
Zelda II
Ocarina of Time
Majora's Mask
demo of The Wind Waker

Zelda Titles you can Buy

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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess brings you more...0 points

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The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

The epic story of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wa more...0 points

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The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition

The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition

The Greatest legend in gaming! The ultimate Zelda more...0 points

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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Includes Four Swords)

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Includes Four Swords)

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a retelling more...0 points

Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Avast ye hearties!


Title: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Platform: Gamecube
United States Release Date:2003

Set on the high seas, Link has a new childish look with cel shading graphics. The gameplay is almost the same as the previous Nintendo 64 titles, but it takes place on the open seas, where Link controls the winds to navigate to different islands.
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Four Swords Adventures


Title: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Platform: Gamecube
United States Release Date:2004

A new take on the four swords game, with more complex interactions between players and the added bonus of using a large screen and the power of the Gamecube console.
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The Minish Cap

Link gets a talking duck hat!


Title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Platform: Gameboy Advance
United States Release Date:2005

This game added a redesigned link and a refreshingly different camera angle to the series. Link has the power to shrink very small to go through tiny tunnels used by the Minish people, and otherwise use his magical cap to help him on his quest.
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Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass


Title: The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass
Platform: Nintendo DS
United States Release Date:2007

Use of the DS stylus dominates gameplay in this second seafaring adventure, Players use the stylus to interact with objects and navigate the oceans.
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The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Link, My how you've grown!


Title: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Platform: Gamecube, Wii
United States Release Date:2006

This is the crown jewel of the zelda series. The stunning graphics and seamless environements highlight the somewhat darker plot of this release. Link can transform into a wolf and travel between the light world and the twilight realm
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The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Title: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Platform: Nintendo DS
United States Release Date: 2009

Thanks to better graphical capabilities in heldhelds, Spirit Tracks has shiny 3-D graphics. This title also uses lots of stylus play. In this game, Link is a train engineer, and the player must direct link's train in addition to controlling Link directly.
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The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Title: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Platform: Wii
United States Release Date: Unreleased

The second Zelda title made for the Wii, this features far more precise blade motions following the motion of the Wii controller.
The incarnation of Link lives in the sky long before the events of The Ocarina of Time and discovers the world below in his quest.
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Wanted: Feedback!

Tell me what you think, are the any comments you want to add? Anything you disagree with? I would love to hear it!

  • AthruSaoil Dec 16, 2011 @ 7:39 am | delete
    Why and how is this Lens not more popular?!
  • uruha-fan-girl Jul 19, 2011 @ 4:27 pm | delete
    Well the first game I played was Ocarena, but I was little and the spiders scared me..So I didn't start playing it, again, untill last year ha ha. But I guess the first game I really played was Minish Cap, and I still love playing that game! Great lens, it makes me want to play the other Legend of Zelda games^ ^
  • greenreviews Apr 19, 2011 @ 6:59 pm | delete
    This is a great lens. The First Zelda game is what got me into gaming
  • Zeddicus Apr 4, 2011 @ 10:35 pm | delete
    Great lens!
  • Wir55 May 22, 2009 @ 1:24 pm | delete
    I remember these games! My kids loved Zelda. By the way, I fixed up my weather lens. I figured out how to make the text bold and I put just my featured lenses on. I'm getting there. Good Advice, thanks
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by

AlexandraHubbard

I'm a teacher, dog owner, and multiple hobbyist. I like to share my interests and experiences, and I hope you enjoy my lenses.

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