The Legend of Zelda turns 36 years old today.
Although Nintendo has not yet commented anything about this milestone of the saga, here at Game Freaks 365 we bring a series of curiosities that many fans of the saga have never heard about it.
The Legend of Zelda, although the name mentions the mythical princess Zelda, is based on the classic video game character Link. This little character, throughout the history of video games with his perseverance, cunning, skill, and unique personality has won the hearts of many players – both Nintendo fans and fans of other platforms.
February 21, 2022 marks 36 years since the first installment of the saga was released on the Famicom Disk System in Japan. To celebrate it, here are five curiosities that you may not know about The Legend of Zelda.
1. Studio Ghibli’s influence
Studio Ghibli has been a role model for any artist in Japan. Although the game had always presented very colorful and out-of-the-ordinary designs, Wind Waker changed everything. This is due to its vast palette of colors along with unique and striking characters, as presented to us by Studio Ghibli in all their films.
2. Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Season
The Game Boy Color received two installments of the saga, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. Curiously, these games were published by Capcom. They came in two very particular colors: Oracle of Ages in blue and Oracle of Seasons in red. Which games does this remind us of?
Yes, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue after their worldwide success were the inspiration for these two games that came to the Game Boy Color. As in the Pokémon games, you had to play both titles to live the ultimate adventure.
3. Robin Williams was a fan
The late actor and comedian Robin Williams turned out to be a die-hard gamer. His favorite game franchise? The Legend of Zelda.
His fanaticism reached such a point that Williams, with the birth of his daughter, showed how much Eiji Aonuma’s saga had influenced his life. The American actor from Chicago named his daughter Zelda. With this, in advertising campaigns for the Nintendo 3DS, the protagonists were Robin Williams and Zelda Williams.
4. Ocarina of Time and its translation problems
Ocarina of Time marked a before and after in the saga. Many open-world games were inspired, until today, in the work of Eiji Aonuma. This work was a worldwide success but had problems reaching certain audiences.
Ocarina of Time was sold in Spanish-speaking countries but only in its English version. Why? This is because the developers could not introduce the full Spanish translation of the game on the N64 cartridges. Nintendo found a quick solution, offering players game guides completely in Spanish. That helped Spanish-speaking players to enjoy the adventure of Ocarina of Time.
5. Majora’s Mask developed in record time
Ocarina of Time was a total success, but players were waiting for the next game title. Nintendo contacted the game’s new director, Eiji Aonuma, with a request that was totally insane for the time, especially with a game this big.
Nintendo asked Aonuma if he could develop the next title in a year, as the Japanese company was preparing for the launch of the GameCube. He agreed as he saw in this request a challenge for himself, where Aonuma’s ability was demonstrated. Majora’s Mask, with little more than a year of development, is the game of The Legend of Zelda that has been developed fastest.
From the classic games to the latest installments, Legend of Zelda has given hundreds of hours of incredible and unforgettable moments for players. We hope that in 2022, the year of its 36th anniversary, we’ll hear more about the next installment of the saga. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 is coming to Nintendo Switch; a release date is not yet set.
