16 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know About Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most popular franchises by Nintendo today. Whether they’re a gamer or not, anyone can recognize the main character (here), Link (who is often mistaken by non-gamers as the titular Zelda). But before it became the household name that it is now, it had its humble beginnings as a game in the Famicom Disk System that was being developed alongside Super Mario, another well known Nintendo game. And even though this game was released a long time ago, there are still a few facts that you can learn about this epic action-adventure game.

1. Zelda and Mario (here) were developed at the same time, so the two borrowed some elements from each game. The fire bar from Zelda made its way to Mario and the piranha plant from Mario crossed over to the Zelda games.
2. You might notice Link’s green outfit and long cap that resembles another character. That is because Link is actually based on Walt Disney’s depiction of the boy who never grows old – Peter Pan.
3. The triforce has become an icon in itself that is almost always tied to the Zelda games. You can see this logo in every game. This emblem was based on a Japanese emblem called the Mitsuuroko, which translates to “The Three Dragon Scales”
4. One thing that fans might not notice in some of the game art is that Link usually holds the sword in his left hand. That’s right. Link is (Usually) Left-Handed.
5. The developers really put a lot of effort in the development of their dungeons. This is noticeable when you finally reach the second quest in the original Legend of Zelda game. The first five dungeons from the second quest spell Z-E-L-D-A.
6. The Japanese developed the game, so it’s no surprise that they get more perks than in other countries. Aside from having a much better soundtrack quality in the game, the Japanese version of the Legend of Zelda also came with stickers.
7. Link was originally going to start with a sword, but late in the development of the game they decided to give it to him instead via an old man who tells him “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.”
8. Speed runs are now famous in every video game out there. This is where people will try to finish the game in the fastest way possible. The Legend of Zelda is no exception either. “Lackattack24” is an addict gamer that completed entirely the Legend of Zelda in 30 minutes and 6 seconds.
9. According to Miyamoto, the name Zelda was inspired by the wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald, who was named Zelda.
10. The second quest from the Legend of Zelda was an accident. This is all thanks to a programming mistake that left the cartridge with half of the memory free to use.
11. The late Robin Williams was a big fan of the Legend of Zelda games that he named his daughter after the titular princess Zelda.
12. This game has quite a history with its foreign release. The first Legend of Zelda almost didn’t get a U.S. release because former Nintendo of America president Minoru Arakawa didn’t think Americans had enough patience to understand the game.
13. The Legend of Zelda was originally called The Hyrule Fantasy: Legend of Zelda in Japan, but it got shortened to Legend of Zelda instead for the American release. It just rolls of the tongue easier than Hyrule Fantasy.
14. The Ocarina of Time was planned to be a first person game, but because the developers knew that gamers love seeing Link in action, they ultimately scrapped that idea. After all, Link has been a big part of the game that removing him from the screen can be quite a downer for the gamers.
15. There is a hidden second quest in the first Zelda game. You can play this secret quest when you enter your name as “ZELDA”.
16. The Legend of Zelda was supposed to be a dungeon building simulator. Nintendo wanted to make use of the re-writable aspect of their newest platform after NES, the Famicom Disk System, so the Zelda game was being developed as a creation tool that lets you build your very own dungeons. Over time, the company decided to drop that aspect and build the dungeon themselves.

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Lisa

I'm a mother of two and constantly searching for ways to have adventures and create memories as a new family. I love all things Disney, I'm obsessed with family costumes, and I will find any excuse to dress up and celebrate.

Lisa plays the role of the Fairy Godmother on the Pure Costumes team.

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