Believe it or not, before Hyrule Warriors not every Zelda game had been developed by Nintendo. In fact, the Game Boy Color titles Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, were developed by teams at Capcom. Nintendo still oversaw the project and made sure the design ides fit withing Zelda, but if you felt the Oracle games were a little different that’s why. Capcom also handled much of development on the Game Boy Advance title, The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap.
The Zelda series has built quite a fan base over the years, with players of all different ages. The franchise even inspired the actor Robin Williams to name his own daughter Zelda, after the princess. Years ago Nintendo ran an absolutely charming series of commercials featuring the two.
The Legend of Zelda is an iconic name, and one that most anyone recognizes, even if they don’t play many video games. However, the original game bore a different name in Japan, The Hyrule Fantasy: Legend of Zelda. For whatever reason, Nintendo didn’t think this name would appeal to western audiences, and rebranded it as simply The Legend of Zelda. Obviously, one name took off more than the other.
Zelda isn’t exactly a common name, and the titular character the series is named after, was based off of the most famous Zelda in history. Zelda Fitzgerald was the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of the Great Gatsby. Miyamoto has said he wanted a name that was simultaneously mysterious, alluring, and unobtainable, in addition to just sounding cool, of course.
Tingle is one of the stranger characters the Zelda series has ever seen, being introduced as a man who wants to be a fairy in Wind Waker. Surprisingly the character is quite popular in Japan even receiving his own game, and boy does it have a name. Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland released on the DS in 2006, and put players in Tingle’s shoes as he was trying to build a tower.
Video game franchises often contain nods or tributes to others, but this is an especially fun one from the original Final Fantasy. In the town of Elfheim, the graveston on the left reads “Here Lies Link,” a direct reference to the Zelda series. The original Japanese NES version contained this reference, as do some other versions, but not all.
Nintendo games are usually rife with references to other franchises, and Zelda is no different. A Link to the Past actually contains a few Mario references, with the most prominent being pictures of Mario himself that you can find in multiple houses in Kakariko Village. You’ll also see Chain Chomps appear as enemies in multiple areas.
Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unexpected places, and that’s exactly what happened with the Game Boy title Link’s Awakening. Series creatores Takashi Tezuka and Eiji Aonuma detailed how David Lynch’s cult hit inspired with Tezuka stating, “At the time, Twin Peaks was rather popular. The drama was all about a small number of characters in a small town.”
Capcom Developed Two Zelda Games
Believe it or not, before Hyrule Warriors not every Zelda game had been developed by Nintendo. In fact, the Game Boy Color titles Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages were developed by teams at Capcom. Nintendo still oversaw the project and made sure the design ideas fit within Zelda, but if you felt the Oracle games were a little different, that would be why. Capcom also handled much of the development on the Game Boy Advance title, The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap.
The Late Robin Williams' Daughter Is Named After Princess Zelda
The Zelda series has built quite a fan base over the years, with players of all different ages. The franchise even inspired the actor Robin Williams to name his own daughter Zelda, after the princess. Years ago, Nintendo ran an absolutely charming series of commercials featuring the two.
The First Game Had a Different Name in Japan
The Legend of Zelda is an iconic name, and one that almost anyone recognizes, even if they don't play many video games. However, the original game bore a different name in Japan, The Hyrule Fantasy: Legend of Zelda. For whatever reason, Nintendo didn't think this name would appeal to western audiences, and rebranded it as simply The Legend of Zelda. Obviously, one name took off more than the other.
The Fastest Ocarina of Time Speedrun is Just Over 17 Minutes
Ocarina of Time is one of the most beloved video games of all time, and by no means is it an incredibly short one. Nevertheless, speedrunners have found some amazing exploits within the game to beat it in no time. A player by the name of Torje managed to beat the game in an astounding 17 minutes and 13 seconds.
Majora's Mask Was Developed In Just One Year
For many years, Majora's Mask was one of the more misunderstood titles in the Zelda series. It launched two years after Ocarina of Time, and some may have noticed how similar it looked graphically. Surprisingly, Majora's Mask was developed in just one year directly after OoT. Nintendo had a smaller team and re-used the engine and assets from the previous game, knocking an incredibly memorable sequel out of the park. Majora's Mask also marked the first Zelda game directed by Eiji Aonuma.
Zelda was named after Zelda Fitzgerald
Zelda isn't exactly a common name, and the titular character the series is named after was based off of the most famous Zelda in history. Zelda Fitzgerald was the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of the Great Gatsby. Miyamoto has said he wanted a name that was simultaneously mysterious, alluring, and unobtainable, in addition to just sounding cool, of course.
Tingle Had His Own Spin-off Game in Japan
Tingle is one of the stranger characters the Zelda series has ever seen, being introduced as a man who wants to be a fairy in Wind Waker. Surprisingly the character is quite popular in Japan, even receiving his own game, and boy does it have a name. Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland released on the DS in 2006, and put players in Tingle's shoes as he was trying to build a tower.
Link's Design Was Loosely Based on Peter Pan
That's right, Link was indeed loosely based on the design of Peter Pan. Once you think about it, the similarities are definitely there; pointy ears, green tunic, pointed hat, never ever has parents. Miyamoto has mentioned that at the time Link was created, pointy ears instantly made you think of Peter Pan. In addition, many of the members of the development team were Disney fans.
Link's Grave Can be Found in Final Fantasy
Video game franchises often contain nods or tributes to others, but this is an especially fun one from the original Final Fantasy. In the town of Elfheim, the gravestone on the left reads "Here Lies Link," a direct reference to the Zelda series. The original Japanese NES version contained this reference, as do some other versions, but not all.
Link's Awakening Drew Inspiration from the Popular TV Show Twin Peaks
Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unexpected places, and that's exactly what happened with the Game Boy title Link's Awakening. Series creators Takashi Tezuka and Eiji Aonuma detailed how David Lynch's cult hit inspired them with Tezuka stating, "At the time, Twin Peaks was rather popular. The drama was all about a small number of characters in a small town."
Pictures of Mario Can be Found in houses in A Link to the Past
Nintendo games are usually rife with references to other franchises, and Zelda is no different. A Link to the Past actually contains a few Mario references, with the most prominent being pictures of Mario himself that you can find in multiple houses in Kakariko Village. You'll also see Chain Chomps appear as enemies in multiple areas.
Link is Left-Handed, In Most Games at Least
Link has been left-handed ever since the very first Zelda game on NES, and has been in almost every title in the series. The biggest exception to this is the Wii version of Twilight Princess, which has Link right-handed to correspond to the majority of players. However, the GameCube version of Twilight Princess still has the hero as left-handed.
The Second Quest In the Original Game Was Made Because of a Mistake
One of the most incredible things about the original Legend of Zelda was unlocking an entire second quest after you beat the game. It even added on new dungeons and challenges. Well it turns out that's only there because of a small mistake. Once Zelda was almost finished, the developers realized they'd only used about half the space on the NES cartridge. Co-designer Takeshi Tezuka decided last minute to add more, and use up the remaining space.
The Dungeon Layout of the Original Game Spells Out Zelda
It's doubtful you would have realized this while wandering through Zelda's dungeons, but each one is designed with a specific layout. The first quest's dungeons are patterend after their theme, so the Lion dungeon looks like a lion and so on. The first five dungeons of the second quest, however, spell out the name Zelda.
The Series Was Inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto's Wilderness Adventures as a Child
Shigeru Miyamoto is the famed creator of Mario, Zelda, and more. Many of his ideas for series came from his childhood, which he spent growing up in the countryside of Japan. Miyamoto has talked about how he didn't have many toys, so he would spend literally hours roaming around outside. One particular memory that inspired Zelda saw Miyamoto grabbing a lantern and exploring a small cave he had found.
