The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises since its debut in 1986. More than three and a half decades later, it remains one of the most innovative series in the game industry due to its unique ability to reinvent itself with each new installment.
These innovations are also not simple small adjustments here and there. They are seismic concussions felt in the world of gaming. The Legend of Zeldais now considered the gold standard in the action RPG world and one of the biggest and most influential Nintendo franchises of all time.
5 Puzzles and bosses
Before Zelda, games didn’t really require a lot of thinking when it came to beating the bad guys. Just good old hacking and slashing did the trick. Many games of this era were pretty straightforward about whatever a player had to do. Games were incredibly linear. It was a surprise to say the least to see a game that immediately threw players into the mix without much explanation.
The focus on puzzles and dungeons to get to the big baddies was also unique for the time. Bosses presented another challenge for players. To defeat bosses, players had to use strategy. The Legend ofZelda: A Link to the Past this only reinforced. Entire castles are puzzles and bosses created mini puzzles for themselves. Many modern games continue to follow suit to give players more challenge and provide multi-layered content. It’s a fad that will never die out because it just works so well.
4 Memory and Ram
Old game systems didn’t require in-game loyalty points. Games were usually counted based on the high scores, which showed not only the skill but also the level of survival and playing time. And they would disappear just as quickly. By the time the Nintendo Entertainment System was released, high scores were still a thing, but games started to get longer. However, very few games make use of the in-game save. Most would instead have codes that players would have to dig up from a magazine to get back to certain levels instead of replaying the entire game to get there.
Yet, in 1986, The Legend of Zelda was one of the first games that allowed players to save in-game, which was just unheard of. How did the developers do this? They increased the memory and ram on the game cartridge. At the time, many doubted the functionality of such an enterprise, but sometimes the unthinkable produces the best results.
3 Lock on trigger
When the Nintendo 64 came out, games had aiming features, but no lock-on battle features. The Z trigger was something magical for Nintendo fans and players. Especially when the lock-on system was first used in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It was a major upgrade to melee and ranged combat in video games. It was such a success that other games started implementing lock-on features in their own combat systems.
The system became so widespread in console gaming that players are now seeing progress in these improvements. earlier gun and later Red Dead Redemption‘squick draw systems come to mind. Honestly, that’s just scratching the primer on a surface with many layers. Fans and players would probably find less shooters and melee combat based games without these features than just the opposite. That’s how big it is.
2 In game camera
There were no cameras in-game before Playstation and Nintendo 64 hit the scene. But even then, they were often clumsy and left much to be desired. The technology was not there yet. That’s why most games would just avoid it. Then The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time came out. At that time it was perfection. It was of the highest standard.
Looking at it now, it may seem dated, but considering the competition at the time, it was groundbreaking. It was smooth and it didn’t work against the player in casual play or in combat. It may have gotten a little weird with fishing, but it wasn’t bad. The cinematic focus that would occur on a back flip, side jump, or leap forward with the sword and “HIYAAAH!” was also fantastic. It just gave players a great feeling.
1 Open worlds
In 1986, for the most part, video games were incredibly linear and platform-heavy, at least until The Legend of Zelda. Players weren’t just dropped in the middle of Hyrule with no idea where to go, but the destination could have been anywhere. It wasn’t technically the first open world game, but it was one of the first to find mainstream success. Of course, this wasn’t the only time Nintendo innovated when it came to open worlds.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild wasn’t great just because of the beautifully rendered open world experience. Players can march straight to Ganondorf’s castle and attempt to take him down without doing any of the guard missions. In addition, they don’t need to look up Link’s memories or obtain the Master Sword. It’s all optional. Even with Read dead and grand theft auto, there is still story linearity. Things must be done to progress through the game or open an area. BOTW is one of the first major titles to get around everything and make an open world feel really completely open.
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