Zelda 101
A brief introduction to Nintendo's legendary series.



The Legend of Zelda is a series of video games from Nintendo that combines action, adventure, and role-playing elements. The hero in the Zelda games is a warrior named Link, and the games often revolve around Link’s quest to save Princess Zelda and the kingdom of Hyrule from the evil wizard Ganondorf.

The first Zelda game “The Legend of Zelda” was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986 and was produced by famous game designer Shigeru Miyamoto.

The stories told in the various Zelda titles have no definite continuity and are often incongruent with each other. For example, in “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker”, Link is a child who lives with his grandmother and sister on an island in the Great Sea, while in “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess”, Link is an adult with no family who has spent his life as a farmhand in a landlocked village.

They are now more than a dozen games in the Zelda series that span over many generations of Nintendo hardware.


Depictions of Link over the years:





Screenshots from key Zelda titles:







Nintendo’s home game consoles include:

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) - 1983

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super NES) - 1991

Nintendo 64 (N64) - 1996

Nintendo Gamecube (GCN) - 2001

Wii - 2006


Nintendo’s handheld game systems include:

GameBoy - 1989

GameBoy Color (GBC) - 1998

GameBoy Advance (GBA) - 2001

Nintendo DS - 2004


Games in the Legend of Zelda Series include:

The Legend of Zelda - 1986 (NES) 

Zelda II: Adventure of Link - 1988 (NES)

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - 1992 (Super NES)

The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening - 1993 (Game Boy)

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - 1998 (N64)

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - 2000 (N64)

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages - 2001 (GBC)

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons - 2001 (GBC)

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - 2003 (GCN)

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures - 2004 (GCN)

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap - 2005 (GBA)

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 2006 (GCN/Wii)

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - 2007 (Nintendo DS)

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - 2009 (Nintendo DS)






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