The Legend of Zelda

About

The Legend of Zelda ^[1] is an adventure video game series published by Nintendo. The games revolves around the hero, Link. In the majority of games he must rescue Princess Zelda from the main antagonist, Ganon.

Origin

The Legend of Zelda was created by Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto ^[2] and Takashi Tezuka ^[3] and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System on February 1st, 1986. Zelda broke the tradition of linear game-play and instead focused on a open world, and was also the first commercially available game that allowed you to save your progress without the use of a password.

Main Games in the Series

So far the console games released in the series are:

Certain games have also been made for handhelds.

Spread

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Legend of Zelda pre-dates the Internet, however it is likely that it’s popularity on and offline began to increase with the release of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64.

Interest Over Time

The search interest seems to spike at the release of each game, before returning down to a relatively consistent rate.

Sub Memes

Navi / Hey! Listen!

“Hey! Listen!” is a catchphrase used frequently by Navi the Fairy, Link’s Companion in Ocarina of Time. The phrase is most well known when Navi is trying to inform you of something you most likely already knew.

CD-i Legend of Zelda

During the early 90s, Nintendo signed a contract with Sony to make a CD based Peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Which eventually got turned into the first PlayStation), however Nintendo decided to cancel the contract as it gave Sony full rights to use all Nintendo franchises.

The day after Sony announced this partnership Nintendo told the public that they had instead partnered with Phillips to make a CD based add on for the SNES. However, witnessing of the failure of Sega’s CD add-on for the Sega Genesis, Nintendo wanted to cancel the project, however negotiations with Phillips eventually spun into Phillips making their own console, the CD-i with permission to use Nintendo’s top two franchises, Mario and Zelda.

The CD-i was criticized for its high price point, graphics, controllers and low amount of good-quality games. Three Zelda games and one Mario game were released on the system with the first two, Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: Wand of Gamelon released in 1991, being released the same year as the CD-i.

The game used animated cartoon cut-scenes with campy and terrible dialogue. Many of these scenes have been used in Youtube Poop as remixes.

Timeline Theories

The Zelda series’s chronological order is a mystery with no fan yet coming up with a plausible time-line. Zelda Timeline theories are speculative guesses on where the games fit chronologically. Most fans believe in either a split or linear timeline, with some others typically believing there is no direct timeline and that it is a story being retold through the ages.

Ben Drowned

Ben Drowned is a popular creepypasta based off a haunted copy of The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask.

It’s Dangerous to Go Alone! Take This.

“It’s Dangerous to Go Alone! Take This.” is a image macro meme originating from the first Legend of Zelda game. On the first screen of the game there is a cave, inside is a old man who says the phrase with a sword in front of him. The player can touch the sword to collect it. The catchphrase is commonly used in images where a person receives a certain object from another person.

Newfags Can’t Triforce

The Triforce is a relic in most Zelda games that represents courage, wisdom and power. Newfags Can’t Triforce is a trolling game used mainly on 4chan. Experienced members would challenge others to create a triforce in their post. Whereas experienced members are aware this needs the usage of Alt-codes, new members would simply copy & paste a triforce, failing in the proces as the top triangle falls to the left.

Gannon Banned

Gannon Banned is a term similar to a “Super-ban” purposely misspelled, used on those who misspell Ganon as “Gannon” or are incorrect about a piece of Zelda trivia.

Well Excuse me Princess!

In 1989, Nintendo licensed a cartoon based on The Legend of Zelda as part of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. In the show, Link was depicted as constantly whining and would respond to Princess Zelda’s complaints / nagging with the line “Well, Excuse Me Princess!”.

Link Finds an X

Link Find an X is a exploitable pose that Link makes in the Zelda Series. Link will oftentimes find items hidden in Treasure Chests, and after he obtains said item he will hold it above his head as the screen announces what he found and how to use it. Videos using this often combine this with the particular tune that’s played on the background.

I Am Error

In Zelda 2: Link’s Adventure, Inside a house a man when you talk to him he says “I AM ERROR”. This is used as a parody of bad localization. However, knowing this is vital to beating the game.

Groose

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Webcomics, Video parodies, and Fangames.

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The Legend of Neil

(NSFW) The Legend of Neil is an adult three season online series, hosted by Atom.com. The series follows Neil, who is sucked into the world of The Legend of Zelda while playing the game. As he travels Hyrule he is mistaken for the hero of the game, Link. The series is “full of self degrading, foul humor”, such as when Neil is being sucked into the game he is masturbating and strangled himself with his NES controller.

Zelda’s Birthday

Zelda’s Birthday is the first ever finished hacked game made for Ocarina of Time. It was made by programs such as “The Utility of Time” and “Hex Editor”. The plot of the game is that Link overslept and forgot about Zelda’s birthday and must go around Hyrule searching for a present and retrieving stolen presents for the other party guests.

The Legend Of Princess

The Legend of Princess is a side scrolling action game created by Konjak. The game borrows the style of old 16bit era games, and has a difficulty level depending on what equitment you decide to take into the dungeon.

Zelda Movie (April Fools Joke)

The Legend of Zelda Movie was an April Fools Joke sponsored by IGN in 2008.

The Legend of Zelda, Parellel Worlds

Parellel Worlds is a infamous Rom Hack of The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past. Known for it’s extream difficluty, it gained popularity though Lets Plays.

Link’s Awakening Remakes

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Legend of Zelda Rap (Smosh)

WIP Created by the youtube group Smosh.

External References