The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda is an action-adventure franchise inspired by the fields, woods, and caves outside Kyoto that creator Shigeru Miyamoto had explored as a boy. In his own words, the intent of the original Zelda game was to give players a "miniature garden that they can put inside their drawer."

The Legend of Zelda


Released in 1986 for the NES, the original Legend of Zelda was one of the earliest games to offer arcade-style, "action" gameplay within the scope of a larger, role-playing adventure. Zelda's direct lineage is difficult to pin down, but Namco's Tower of Druaga (1984) was a likely influence - itself influenced by top-down Maze games from the early 80s such as Pac-Man and Berzerk. Although not strictly an 'adventure' title, Berzerk could be considered the grandfather of top-down action-adventure gaming; inspiring the likes of Castle Wolfenstein (1981), Shamus (1982) and (probably) Dandy (1983).

Zelda refined and innovated upon many of the genre's conventions; enemies to fight and keys to collect are common to all the aforementioned games following Berzerk, but the ability to save your game, a system that allowed you to buy items in-game, and the concept of exploring and solving dungeons were fresh additions for the time.

The official instruction manual does an excellent job of explaining the game's core mechanics, so I'll be including excerpts here to avoid reinventing the wheel. All such images were taken from j0lt78's Imgur gallery and the artwork depicted is, obviously, property of Nintendo. I'll be referencing the English translation of the manual here for personal convenience, but it's worth clarifying that many minor details were lost in translation. The goal of the game is to bring together the eight scattered fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom, defeat the Prince of Darkness, Ganon, and rescue the imprisoned Princess Zelda.

Even though the environment is tile-based, Link's movement doesn't initially appear to be tethered to a grid. There is actually a subtle mechanic that helps correct for potential clipping and wonky collisions: "While Link can move a single pixel at a time, in any direction, the longer he continously moves in any direction the more he gravitates toward aligning himself with the underlying grid of the screen. The tile grid for LoZ is 16 tiles wide by 14 tiles high (including 3 tiles for the status display at the top of the screen). Each tile is 16×16 pixels. Link operates on a half-tile grid, though (32×28 tiles, 8×8 pixels each). As Link moves, if he’s not currently aligned with the half-tile grid, he is adjusted, one pixel at a time, toward the closest correction. As a result, if Link is 4 pixels off alignment he’ll line back up with the grid after moving 4 pixels."



A dungeon is considered complete after the player beats the boss and collects one of the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom. Collecting Triforce fragments is actually really satisfying; a 10-second victory jingle, no text-boxes to mash through, and then you're fully healed and warped to the dungeon entrance. I tend to dread obtaining the MacGuffin in modern games when I know it means gameplay is about to be interrupted for a 10-minute cutscene.

The biggest distinction between 'overworld' and 'underworld' screens from a gameplay perspective is where you end up after a 'Continue'. Continuing the play session in the overworld takes you to the game's very first screen where the player found the sword, while doing so in an underworld dungeon takes you to the first room of that dungeon. How do bombed walls and enemy spawns work when you die in a dungeon????

Enemies take a few moments before spawning, and when they do they'll either enter from the sides of the screen or telegraph their spawn-position with a cloud of smoke, giving the player a brief window to plan their next move. Link raises the shield automatically whenever he isn't stabbing, which is both an ergonomic way of giving the player three options (sword, shield & item) on a controller with only two buttons, and an interesting mental challenge for the seasoned-but-impulsive gamer, as very few games ask you to stand in the path of an enemy projectile and press nothing.

You can change your direction while in the middle of a sword stab, and the 'sword beam' is released at the very end of the stab, allowing for split-second adjustments. Only one sword beam is allowed on screen at a time, discouraging players from slowly picking off enemies one-by-one from a distance. As the sword beam only fires at full health, it functions as a sort-of 'reverse comeback mechanic', encouraging the player to keep their wits about them; even a minor mistake against a weak enemy late in the game can rob the player of one of their most effective tools.


 * Your punishment for making too many mistakes is "back to square one", and the reward for not making any mistakes is a more leisurely play-session
 * The number of chances increases permanently and temporarily as a reward for progression
 * The fact that you're able to completely ignore the sword and all but finish the game without it is an elegant touch.

https://www.zeldaclassic.com/wiki/index.php/Enemy_Editor

OVERWORLD: open world, enemy table, heart containers, old man caves, moblin caves, great fairies, shops, lost woods, gambling minigame, death mountain boulders (spice up gameplay), take and road you want (fast travel), wave sounds
 * Optional secrets (found through bombing walls, burning bushes, nudging armos statues): Secret Rupees, Door Repairs, Shops, Money-Making Game, Old Man Hints
 * Shop prices are initially daunting but balance out as you get stronger and learn the locations of Secret Rupees
 * The Graveyard could be a third of the size that it is

UNDERWORLD:
 * Dungeons: map/compass, keys/locked doors, defeat all enemies (enemy table), block pushing, dark rooms, bombable entrances, ladder-rooms, boss guarding health and progression, rupee room, bomb upgrade, grumble grumble bait moblin

ITEMS:
 * Items: side-scrolling item screen, Sword (stab, sword beam), Shield, Bombs, Raft, Ladder, Boomerang, blue/red Candle, blue/red ring, Flute, arrows, magic rod, magic key, bait, blue/red potion
 * show this as a vertical table



There are 5 different collectable items that have a chance of dropping when an enemy is killed; Rupees (in-game currency), Hearts (health), Bombs (equippable item), Clocks and Fairies. '''Blue Rupees are equivalent to 5 standard Rupees, Fairies restore 3 Hearts and float (away from the player? random direction?) in a manner reminiscent of Super Mario Bros' mushrooms. The Clock is the only collectable to not return in any future Zelda title; it freezes all enemies on screen. - rewrite this'''

An enemy's chance of dropping an item is determined by its group:

Other than the item drop counter shown in Baxter's chart (052A), there is a separate 'consecutive kill counter' (0050) that takes precedence over regular drops. ''"Kill 10 enemies without getting hit (by an enemy, even a non-damaging bubble, or by the whirlwind from the recorder) and you'll get a forced, guaranteed 5 rupee drop from the next enemy that drops items (not in the X group). Kill the 10th enemy with a bomb instead, and instead of a 5 rupee you'll get a forced, guaranteed bomb drop!

Kill 16 enemies in a row and you get a fairy drop forced, but only if the 16th enemy is capable of dropping an item (not in the X group)." - Red Candle (click through for more detailed information, such as storing & bypassing drops).

Intriguingly, in the English translation of the game, a hint in Level 8 encouraging the player to find the Lion Key was altered to read "10TH ENEMY HAS THE BOMB". '''Clearly not just a simple translation error, it seems like someone in the localization team wanted to clue players in to the nature of item drops. In hindsight, the altered hint appears to be a misunderstanding of forced item drop mechanics, as the 10th enemy will only drop a bomb if they are killed with one. - rewrite this'''

FIRST QUEST:
 * Levels 1, 2 and 3 are introductory (easy, medium and hard routes), 4, 5 and 6 provide a more open-world feel, while 7, 8 and 9 are an escalating finale (as evidenced by their hidden entrances).
 * Levels 5, 6 and 8 can be found early to offer a taste of what's to come.
 * The first 6 Levels open with roughly 3 free keys each before presenting locked doors
 * While this allows for a lot of versatility, the thorough player will have more keys than they know what to do with


 * EXPLORATION PREREQUISITES:
 * The Raft, acquired in Level 3, grants access to Level 4
 * The North-West corner of the map can be accessed in two ways:
 * 1. The Stepladder in Dungeon 4 to cross the river
 * 2. Navigating the Lost Woods (initially, presumably, with the Old Woman's instructions)
 * NOTE: Level 6 (the Magic Wand), the Power Bracelet (access to Warp Zones), and the Graveyard (Magical Sword - 12 hearts required) are in this area.
 * The Bow, acquired in Level 1, is required to beat Gohma in Level 6
 * The Whistle, acquired in Level 5, grants access to Level 7, and the Bait is then required to pass the friendly Goriya
 * Level 9 can be accessed immediately, but only properly entered after finishing the 8 other Levels.
 * Obviously, the Red Ring is pointless so late into the game


 * FREEDOM OF EXPLORATION:
 * Dungeons accessible from the get-go: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, Level 5, Level 6, Level 8
 * the Whistle (Level 5) and by extension Level 7 (and the Red Candle? ehh..) can be accessed immediately
 * the Magic Key and Magic Book can be found immediately (Level 8), though the latter can't be used until after the Wand is obtained in Level 6
 * The Letter can be found immediately; granting access to Potion Shops
 * The first Bomb capacity upgrade can be accessed immediately in Level 5 (at the cost of 100 rupees)
 * The White Sword requires only 5 Hearts (which doesn't require completing a dungeon), and is guarded by a single Lynel
 * The Magical Shield, Bait, Arrows, Blue Candle, Blue Ring and 4 Keys can be bought in various Shops immediately

SECOND QUEST:

-IN PROGRESS-


 * The Legend of Zelda Arcade Machine - https://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=387576
 * Zelda Randomizer - https://sites.google.com/site/zeldarandomizer/home

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

 * Fundamentals: Mixed-perspective; side-scrolling battles, temples and towns cross with a top-down overworld with random encounters. Experience points, high-low dynamic, jumping, cracked/falling floor, lava pits, falling screen
 * Overworld: open world, paths, caves, boulders, Death Mountain 'maze', dock/raft, Maze Island, the 'river devil', hidden town, Heart Containers, Magic Containers, Link dolls
 * 'Action' Scenes: grass, forest, desert, swamp, graveyard, mountain, water, rock-throwing, bridges
 * Towns: Health refill, magic refill, wise old man, NPCs & sidequests, houses, jumping on rooftops, sign posts, purple ache
 * Temples: potion statues, keys/locked doors, elevators, breakable blocks, falling block trap, dripping trap, outdoor section, fake walls/floors
 * Items: Candle, Hammer, Handy Glove, Raft, Boots, Flute, Magical Key, Cross
 * Magic: Shield, Jump, Life, Fairy, Fire, Reflect, Spell, Thunder
 * Collectables: blue potion, red potion, point bag


 * Intricate combat system foreshadows the approach taken by 3D Zelda
 * No rupees; experience points essentially serve as a replacement
 * Completing a Temple gives you the option to completely fill your EXP; the player is subtly encouraged to use this system, which blurs the line between EXP as a resource and EXP as a symbol for progression.
 * Both can be grinded for
 * EXP Point Bags are hidden across the world and offered as rewards for optional challenges in Temples, much like chests with rupees.
 * Lots of enemies unique to this game and a very cool implementation of Tektites

A Link to the Past

 * Fundamentals: 8-way movement, z-axis, picking up/throwing bushes/pots/rocks, chests, light world/dark world, cracked walls, no 2D sections, holes, cracked floor/falling floor
 * Overworld: npcs, houses, minigames, sign posts, fortune teller, shops, witch's hut, fairy fountains, water warp tiles, mad batter, cuccoos, falling boulders
 * Dungeons: thin walls, big key/boss door, hint stones, blue/orange switches, swamp palace (water level dynamic), block pushing, lever pulling, lighting torches, moving floor, ice floor, outdoor sections, roundabouts, checkpoint warp
 * Items: Sword (slash, spin attack, upgrades), mirror shield, Pegasus Boots, magic powder, Lantern, mirror, hammer, ocarina (fast travel), bottles, power glove/titan's mitts, flippers, bug net, shovel, medallions, cane of byrna/magic cape, cane of somaria, fire rod/ice rod, hookshot
 * Collectables: Magic, Arrows, Rupees, Hearts, Bombs, Fairies
 * Master Sword grove still holds up today; aesthetically and thematically
 * Cryptic elements
 * Dark World/Light World mechanic takes full advantage of this
 * locations of dark world portals
 * Hookshot across dark world gap
 * Flute to get to dungeon 7
 * hammer order for dungeon 8
 * Eating Shields
 * Pond of Happiness
 * Energy Ball Tennis

https://web.archive.org/web/20120718105011/http://www.glitterberri.com/a-link-to-the-past/development-interview/

https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/NathanSavant/20160104/262944/Enemy_Design_in_Link_to_the_Past.php

Link's Awakening

 * Overworld: marin relationship, trading quest, ghost quest, fishing minigame, stealing, warp portals, photos, library, submerged secrets (heart piece, mermaid), dogs
 * Dungeons: controllable blocks, eagle's tower (z-axis dynamic)
 * Items: Rock's Feather, shield that pushes enemies, diagonal pegasus boots, bomb arrows, optional overpowered boomerang, ocarina (fast travel), magic rod
 * Collectables: Guardian Acorns, Piece of Power, Seashells

Ocarina of Time & Majora's Mask

 * Items: Wooden shield (can burn), deku stick, deku nuts, slingshot, magic beans, Zora/Goron Tunics, Iron/Hover Boots, fire/ice/light arrows, fishing rod, lens of truth, bombchu, egg/cuccoo, silver/golden scale, masks, stone of agony
 * Spells: Farore's Wind, Nayru's Love, Din's Fire
 * Bottle: Red Potion, Green Potion, Blue Potion, Lon Lon Milk, (Full and 1/2), Fairy, Bugs, Fish, Poe Soul/Big Poe Soul, Blue Fire
 * "Here's a secret for saving me! A wall that you can destroy with the Goron's "special crop" will sound different than a regular wall if you hit it with your sword."
 * The Message of Majora's Mask - https://www.zeldadungeon.net/the_message_of_majoras_mask1/#.U4b_avmSz9r
 * Item Drop Rate Chart by Ecksters - https://www.speedrun.com/oot/guide/prwj5

Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons
ORACLE OF SEASONS:
 * Overworld: tree stumps, soft soil, Ring shop, Bipin/Blossom sidequest, secret shop, maple, old man caves, trading quest, following-npcs-in-secret, subrosia, subrosian dance, sokra the wandering prophet, great moblin, gold monsters, quicksand metal detector, ghost ship, signpost subrosian
 * Dungeons: hero's cave (swordless dungeon), mine carts, rupee room, trampolines, walls-closing-in, fire & ice (concept, carrying ice/freezing volcanoes)
 * Items: Flutes, rod of seasons, shovel (digs snow), slingshot, magnet gloves, gale seeds (fast travel), magic boomerang, roc's cape
 * Collectables: Gasha Nuts, Seeds, Rings
 * Seasons: spring flowers, summer vines, snow paths, wilted trees, fallen leaves, mushrooms

ORACLE OF AGES:

-IN PROGRESS-

The Wind Waker

 * The Zen of Sailing
 * Expressive character models, perhaps a more faithful interpretation of the 2D Zelda aesthetic than the N64 games?
 * Stealth
 * Ganon has relatable motivations
 * Spoils; precursor to BotW's item-system

The Minish Cap

 * Overworld: minish portals, swordsmith dojos, growing buds with bottled water, filling holes, warp spots, shoe-maker quest, library quest, bell heart piece, swamp water, activating statues from inside, sand walls, cows, gold monsters, beanstalk, newsletter, monster dream "game", man from a faraway land, magic boomerang/tingle sidequest, sneaking past the castle guards, hotel, school, climbable walls, biggoron, goron cave,
 * Dungeons: rolling barrel, cobwebs (used twice), mushrooms, two checkpoint warps, minecarts, melting ice with light, early boss room (frozen octorok), jumping clouds, one-way jumping panels, fans,
 * Items: ezlo (shrinking, riding gusts of wind, companion), gust jar (lilypad travel), cane of pacci (inverting holes), four sword, picolyte,
 * Collectables: kinstones, seashells

Twilight Princess

 * Epic, serious and Western

Phantom Hourglass & Spirit Tracks

 * Temple of the Ocean King
 * Touch-screen

Skyward Sword
-IN PROGRESS-

Breath of the Wild

 * Runes - Cryonis, Stasis, Magnesis
 * Mipha's Grace/Revali's Gale/Daruk's Protection/Urbosa's Fury
 * Weapon Stats - Attack Up, Durability Up, Long Range, Quick Shot, etc...
 * cutscenes suck
 * loading screens suck
 * the game is in desperate need of traditional Zelda items
 * both the runes and champion powers are clever in concept but feel tacky
 * cryonis is generically useful and a clever mechanic, but doesn't feel "fundamental"
 * infinite bombs? I don't even care that it's tacky
 * statis and magnesis are cool, but feel a tad too situational
 * the camera is flawless
 * befriending a dog has seemed too obtuse so far
 * enemy AI doesn't let you get free damage
 * they punish spin attack if its poorly spaced
 * they maneuver to avoid arrows
 * they have a response if you just run in guns-a-blazin
 * enemy histun armor is a crutch though
 * the high damage output from enemies and prolonged hitstun Link suffers when he gets knocked down is more conducive to a punishing environment than a challenging one
 * not so bad late-game when you can essentially choose how difficult you want a fight to be (stockpiling food, choice of armor, etc...) - but putting that in the player's hand is a luxury, it shouldn't be fundamental
 * the flurry rush is cool but too autonomous
 * bullet time when shooting arrows in the air should probably use more stamina
 * basic weapon attacks should be more dynamic, got very tired of the same patterns - variations like the windcleaver were a massive breath of fresh air
 * inclusion of classic enemies is cool, but a much larger variety would make the world feel larger and more immersive - got very sick of goblins and lizards very quickly
 * enemies hunting prey is nice, but they need deeper personalities
 * stone talus is a great mix of climbing and fighting; the difficult to reach weakpoints are better in theory than practice though because they take away the climbing aspect
 * each mini-boss is exciting on first encounter, but doubly serves as a great way to farm minerals, food and weapons through combat
 * NPCs are too bland. Majora's Mask gave each NPC a life and purpose
 * the game works cohesively whether you make a bee line for Ganon, play through the story in sequence or fluff around
 * weapons should be more durable, and there should be a larger blacksmithing element
 * dragons are cool, but interacting with them is tacky especially the fight with Naydra
 * death mountain is like a giant shrine; clever
 * the leviathans are excellent world building
 * the forgotten temple, the labyrinths, the Yiga clan hideout and the colosseum are great examples of open-world dungeons
 * every tower is unique, but they should be more unique
 * tarrey town is a fulfilling side quest, in the vein of the kafei and anju quest
 * having a house is cute, but it's far too limited
 * eventide island encapsulates everything that's great about the game
 * chu jelly and octo-balloons are too limited a toolkit for manipulating physics, even with magnesis and stasis
 * elixirs are generally redundant
 * luminous stones and the radiant clothes barely let off any light, and there's very few pitch-black areas in the game
 * would be nice to be able to make notes and/or draw on the map like the DS games
 * there should be a reason to revisit Kilton
 * the giant and royal horses are nice, but there should be more unique horses
 * blood moons are brilliant; you can clear out an area but never clear out the whole game
 * memories are pretty unintuitive to find, and when the incentive for finding them is a poorly voice-acted, generic-by-necessity cutscene... meh
 * Shame cause the story is pretty decent
 * changing every item of clothing is tedious, and there is little incentive to mix-and-match clothing items beyond aesthetic
 * enchanting clothes is a way to strike a balance between aesthetic and gameplay
 * it seemed that arrows were too difficult to come by early game
 * Silent Princess is suuuper clever symbolism
 * boomerangs also seem quite bad, not sure if they can even grab items