Instruct: Given a question, retrieve passages that can help answer the question.
Query: When was Zelda first released?
Since the original The Legend of Zelda was released in 1986, the series has expanded to include 19 entries on all of Nintendo's major game consoles, as well as a number of spin-offs. An American animated TV series based on the games aired in 1989 and individual manga adaptations commissioned by Nintendo have been produced in Japan since 1997. The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo's most prominent and successful franchises; many of its games are considered by critics to be among the greatest video games of all time.
In April 2008, Miyamoto stated that "the Zelda team is forming again to work on new games". Miyamoto clarified in July that the Zelda team had been working on a new Zelda game for the Wii.[86] In January 2010, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated that the game would be coming out at some time in 2010, and confirmed that the game would make use of the Wii's MotionPlus feature, which had been announced too late to be integrated into the Twilight Princess Wii release. The game's subtitle was announced at E3 2010 as Skyward Sword, but its release was delayed to 2011.[87] The game, the earliest in the Legend of Zelda timeline, reveals the origins of Hyrule, Ganon and many elements featured in previous games. It was released on November 20, 2011; the first run included a 25th Anniversary CD of fully orchestrated music from various Zelda games, including Skyward Sword.
In addition to the main quest, "Link's Awakening" contains side-missions and diversions. Collectible "secret seashells" are hidden throughout the game; when twenty of these are found, the player can receive a powerful sword that fires energy beams when the player character is at full health, similar to the sword in the original "The Legend of Zelda". "Link's Awakening" is the first "Zelda" game to include a trading sequence minigame: the player may give a certain item to a character, who in turn gives the player another item to trade with someone else. It is also the first game in the "Zelda" series in which the A and B buttons may be assigned to different items, which enables more varied puzzles and item combinations. Other series elements originating in "Link's Awakening" include fishing, and learning special songs on an ocarina; the latter mechanic is central to the next "Zelda" game released, "".
Dark Horse released "The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts", a follow-up art book to "Hyrule Historia" containing additional artwork and interviews, in February 2017. Another follow-up to "Hyrule Historia", namely called "The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia" containing additional information about every title starting with the first game up until "Twilight Princess HD" would be the third and final book in the series. It was released in April 2018. In May 2018, Dark Horse announced that it would publish the final book in The Legend of Zelda series titled "Master Works". It is scheduled for release on November 20, 2018 in North America.
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii and GameCube home video game consoles. It is the thirteenth installment in "The Legend of Zelda" series. Originally planned for release on the GameCube in November 2005, "Twilight Princess" was delayed by Nintendo to allow its developers to refine the game, add more content, and port it to the Wii. The Wii version was released alongside the console in North America in November 2006, and in Japan, Europe, and Australia the following month. The GameCube version was also released worldwide in December 2006, and was the final first-party game released for the console.
Four years later, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past returned to the top-down view (under a 3/4 perspective), and added the concept of an alternate dimension, the Dark World. The game was released for the Super NES on November 21, 1991.[55] It was later re-released for the Game Boy Advance on March 14, 2003, in North America, on a cartridge with Four Swords,[55] the first multiplayer Zelda, and then through Nintendo's Virtual Console service on January 22, 2007. In addition, both this game (unchanged, except for being converted into a downloadable format)[57] and an exclusive "loosely based" sequel (which used the same game engine) called BS Zelda no Densetsu Inishie no Sekiban[58] were released on the Satellaview in Japan on March 2, 1997, and March 30, 1997, respectively.
Released nearly 8 months after the first two "Zelda" CD-i games, "Zelda's Adventure" was created by a different third-party developer, Viridis. The game again follows a nontraditional Zelda-saves-Link plotline, but it uses a different game engine than "Faces of Evil" and "Wand of Gamelon". Whereas the first two CD-i games were patterned on the side-scrolling "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link", "Zelda's Adventure" took the top-down "The Legend of Zelda" as its model. "Zelda's Adventure" featured FMV cutscenes, but rather than using drawn animation, the game used live-action scenes. Reception for the game was poor, and whereas some modern critics have given more nuanced reviews of the first two games, modern criticism for "Zelda's Adventure" is unanimously negative.
Paired with "Zelda: Wand of Gamelon" in a simultaneous release, "Link: The Faces of Evil" represents the first of the "Zelda" games to be released by Philips for the CD-i. Following the traditional Link-saves-Zelda plotline, "Faces of Evil" was patterned most closely upon Nintendo's previous side-scroller, "". The game broke new ground in the video game industry by using outsourced Russian animation to create all cutscenes, and the game received largely positive contemporary reception. Modern criticism is almost universal in its harsh negativity toward the game and the animated cutscenes have become particular targets of derision.
The next Legend of Zelda for the DS, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, was released in December 2009. In this game, the 'spirit tracks', railroads which chain an ancient evil, are disappearing from Hyrule. Zelda and Link go to the 'Spirit Tower' (the ethereal point of convergence for the tracks) to find out why. But villains steal Zelda's body for the resurrection of the Demon King. Rendered disembodied, Zelda is left a spirit, and only Link (and a certain few sages) can see her. Together they go on a quest to restore the spirit tracks, defeat the Demon King, and return Zelda to her body. Using a modified engine of that used in Phantom Hourglass, the notably new feature in this game is that the Phantom Guardians seen in Phantom Hourglass are, through a series of events, periodically controllable. It was the first time in the series that both Link & Zelda work together on the quest.
Based on "", it spans 2 volumes and 12 chapters. Included in volume two is an omake. The series is published in English by Viz Media in North America as Volumes 6 and 7, respectively.Written by Akira Himekawa and published in early 2006 in Japan, this manga chronicles the adventures of Link in the , including a short omake featuring Ezlo and Vaati.
Viz released an English adaptation of this manga as Volume 8 of their Zelda series on December 1, 2009.A manga adaptation of "" following the release of the Game Boy Advance port. In its telling, Agahnim is revealed as a friend of Link's father. Agahnim took to magic and learned how to break the Seal of the Sages, being recruited to Ganon's services. When confronted by his friend, Agahnim sent him and his wife into the Dark World.Viz released an English adaptation of this manga (renamed "A Link to the Past" to fit the game's North American counterpart) as Volume 9 of their Zelda series on February 2, 2010.Originally released in Japan in early 2009, it is based on the DS adventure, , the sequel to . Strangely, though the manga retains the game's characters and overall plot, many of the character's personalities and some events in the game were changed, sparking negative reactions from several fans of the original game. Despite this, however, it continues to receive positive reviews. Viz released an English adaptation of this manga as Volume 10 of their Zelda series on September 7, 2010.The "Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" is a manga loosely based on the game of the same name drawn by Akira Himekawa. A preview of the first 32 pages of the manga were included in the artbook Hyrule Historia. The manga serves as a prequel to the story of Skyward Sword.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages are two action-adventure games in "The Legend of Zelda" series, developed by Flagship (a subsidiary of Capcom). They were released in 2001 for Nintendo's Game Boy Color handheld console and re-released on the Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013.
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is an action role-playing video game with platforming elements. The second installment in "The Legend of Zelda" series, it was developed and published by Nintendo for the Family Computer Disk System on January 14, 1987, less than a year after the original "The Legend of Zelda" was released and seven months before North America saw the release of the first "Zelda" title. The game was released in North America and the PAL region for the Nintendo Entertainment System in late 1988, almost two years after its initial release in Japan.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in November 1998, and in Europe and Australia the following month. "Ocarina of Time" is the fifth game in the "Legend of Zelda" series, and the first with 3D graphics. Originally developed for the 64DD peripheral, it was instead released on a 256-megabit (32-megabyte) cartridge, the largest-capacity cartridge Nintendo produced at that time.
The Legend of Zelda, the first game of the series, was first released in Japan on February 21, 1986, on the Famicom Disk System.[55] A cartridge version, using battery-backed memory, was released in the United States on August 22, 1987, and Europe on November 27, 1987. The game features a "Second Quest," accessible either upon completing the game, or by registering one's name as "ZELDA" when starting a new quest. The Second Quest features different dungeons and item placement, and more difficult enemies.[56]
Released nearly 8 months after the first two "Zelda" CD-i games, "Zelda's Adventure" uses a different game engine from . Whereas the first two CD-i games were patterned on the side-scrolling "", "Zelda's Adventure" took the top-down "The Legend of Zelda", "", and "" as its models. "Zelda's Adventure" is the only "Legend of Zelda" game to feature live-action cutscenes. Reception for the game was poor, and whereas some critics have given more nuanced reviews of the first two games, modern criticism for "Zelda's Adventure" is unanimously negative.
Between August 6, 1995 and May 30, 1999, Nintendo, in collaboration with St.GIGA, broadcast three different "The Legend of Zelda" titles to fans for download via the Super Famicom's Satellaview subsystem. BS Zelda no Densetsu, BS Zelda no Densetsu: MAP2, and BS Zelda no Densetsu: Inishie no Sekiban all featured SoundLink narration which was the first time that Nintendo-sponsored "Zelda" titles made use of voice-actors to provide vocal tracks. As the first SoundLink Game released via Satellaview, "BS Zelda no Densetsu" in particular was identified by Nintendo as the world's first integrated radio-game. Also broadcast during this time, starting on March 2, 1997, was a non-SoundLink port of "", known as "Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce" in Japan. Broadcasts of "Kamigami no Triforce" continued periodically throughout the tenure of Nintendo's partnership with St.GIGA (which ended on May 30, 1999), after which St.GIGA independently broadcast the game until May 29, 2000.
Like the other two CD-i Zelda games, "Zelda's Adventure" was widely panned by critics. The graphics of "Zelda's Adventure" were called "blurry and digitized". "Wired" magazine said that the graphics were some of the worst ever encountered. The game's acting was criticized as unprofessional. Another flaw that has been identified is that the game could not produce both sound effects and music at the same time. Scott Sharkey of 1UP.com called the box art of "Zelda's Adventure" one of the 15 worst ever made. "Zelda's Adventure" was released as the Philips CD-i was being discontinued and has become very rare over time, as have the first two Philips Zelda games; "Zelda's Adventure" is regularly sold for over $100. "Zelda's Adventure" appeared in a bracket poll of "The Greatest "Legend of Zelda" Game" along with "". It lost in the first set of rounds to "".
"Zelda" was first released in the early 1990s along with the "Super Mario Bros." cartoon. It was produced in the form of two-episode VHS tapes in four volumes; the gold color of the VHS slipcases matched that of the original NES games. The series was released on DVD in two volumes by the animation company "Allumination FilmWorks" The first DVD, "Ganon's Evil Tower", was released on July 22, 2003, including three episodes of the "Zelda" cartoon and two of "Sonic Underground". The second DVD was released on September 27, 2005, titled "Havoc in Hyrule", containing a further five "Zelda" episodes.
Three Zelda-themed LCD games were created between 1989 and 1992. The Zelda version of Nintendo's Game & Watch series was released first in August 1989 as a dual-screen handheld electronic game similar in appearance to today's Nintendo DS. It was re-released in 1998 as a Toymax, Inc. Mini Classic and was later included as an unlockable extra in Game & Watch Gallery 4, a 2002 compilation for the Game Boy Advance. While the Game & Watch Zelda was developed in-house by Nintendo, the subsequent two LCD games were developed by third parties under license by Nintendo. In October 1989, The Legend of Zelda was developed by Nelsonic as part of its Game Watch line. This game was an actual digital watch with primitive gameplay based on the original Legend of Zelda. In 1992, Epoch Co. developed Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce for its Barcode Battler II console. The game employed card-scanning technology similar to the later-released Nintendo e-Reader.
"The Legend of Zelda" is a video game series created by game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is developed and published by Nintendo. The series debuted in Japan with "The Legend of Zelda" (known in Japan as "The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu") on February 21, 1986, and was later released in North America (August 22, 1987) and Europe (November 27, 1987). "The Legend of Zelda" video games have been developed exclusively for Nintendo video game consoles and handhelds, dating from the Family Computer Disk System to the current generation of video game consoles. Spin-off titles, however, have been released on non-Nintendo systems. The franchise consists of 27 video games, including original titles, ports, and remakes. Over 52 million copies have been sold since the release of the first game. The franchise also includes a cartoon adaptation, multiple comic book adaptations, and soundtracks.
The score to "A Link to the Past" was composed, arranged, and produced by Koji Kondo. The overworld theme of "The Legend of Zelda" ("Hyrule Overture") returns in "A Link to the Past", redone in S-SMP style. The theme is also featured in "Light World Overworld" and in "End Credits". "A Link to the Past" helped to establish the musical core of the "Zelda" series. While the first game originated the "Hyrule Overture", many recurring motifs of the "Zelda" scores come from "A Link to the Past", including "Zelda's Lullaby" (Princess Zelda's Theme), "Ganondorf's Theme", "Hyrule Castle" (Royal Family Theme), "Kakariko Village" and "Select Screen/Fairy Cave". These themes have been used in subsequent "The Legend of Zelda" games. A soundtrack to "Kamigami no Triforce", entitled "The Legend of Zelda: Sound and Drama", was released by Sony Records in Japan on June 22, 1994. The first disc is 44 minutes long and features rearranged versions of a selection of the game's themes, along with a bonus drama track. The second disc features 54 minutes of the original arrangements for the game and those of the original NES game, "The Legend of Zelda".
Link, using a design based on Skyward Sword, appears as a playable character in Mario Kart 8 via downloadable content, along with a "Hyrule Circuit" racetrack themed on The Legend of Zelda series.[113] The first pack is named after the series. In Sonic Lost World, a DLC stage based on The Legend of Zelda series was released in March 2014, named "The Legend of Zelda Zone". While built around the core gameplay mechanics of Sonic Lost World, "The Legend of Zelda Zone" incorporates some elements from the Zelda series, including a heart-based vitality meter, rupee collection, and a miniature dungeon to explore.[114]
A new "Zelda" game was first hinted at in April 2008, when Miyamoto stated that the "Zelda" development team were reforming to create new games. Miyamoto later confirmed at the 2008 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) that a new "Zelda" was in development for the Wii. The game was unveiled at E3 2009, although its title remained unknown. Due to its in-development state, Miyamoto could not show off gameplay as he had wished. Instead, he showed promotional art featuring Link and Fi. He also announced the game's use of Wii MotionPlus, along with its planned 2010 release window. In a later interview, Aonuma's comments on the game's playability brought this release window into doubt. He also noted that his wish to focus on the new game meant that the release date of "Spirit Tracks" was shifted to the end of 2009 rather than its initial projected release in early 2010. The game's title was announced at the event, along with its revised release period in 2011 and a playable demonstration. According to Miyamoto, the game was delayed from its planned 2010 release window as the staff felt that they would be releasing an unfinished product if they put the convenience of the company ahead of creating a quality experience. They used the extra year to both finish the core elements and polish up the game as a whole.
First announced during an early July 1995 SoundLink Magazine broadcast of Hikaru Ijuin's , the official "BS Zelda" pre-release party was hosted by Hikari Ōta and took place during the August 3, 1995 SoundLink Magazine broadcast of Bakushō Mondai, and the first episode of "BS Zelda" was released on Sunday August 6, 1995 with new episodes broadcast every subsequent Sunday through the 27th. The game was re-broadcast on at least 4 subsequent occasions as reruns throughout the lifetime of the Satellaview.
"Majora's Mask" first appeared in the media in May 1999, when "Famitsu" stated that a long-planned "Zelda" expansion for the 64DD was underway in Japan. This project was tentatively titled ""Ura Zelda"" ("ura" translates roughly to "hidden" or "behind"). This expansion would take "Ocarina of Time" and alter the level designs, similar to how the "master quest" expanded upon the original "Legend of Zelda". In June, Nintendo announced that ""Zelda: Gaiden"", which roughly translates to ""Zelda: Side Story"", would appear as a playable demo at the Nintendo Space World exhibition on August 27, 1999. The media assumed that "Zelda: Gaiden" was the new working title for "Ura Zelda".