If you love gaming, then you would surely know this series The Legend of Zelda, as it has indeed become a legend within the gaming industry. Every new generation of gamers gets the opportunity to fall in love with it even by their current Nintendo console. No doubt that the fundamentals of the game have remained pretty much the same. A boy in green whose quest is to save the princess and stop an evil wizard. But something that keeps hitting our mind is that where did the inspiration for this game come from? What is the motivation that made Nintendo create a series that has subsequently exhilarated millions of gamers worldwide?
The origin of The Legend of Zelda
Well, it may sound familiar to you, but it all started with a young boy named Shigeru Miyamoto. If you recognize this name, then you are absolutely a seasoned gaming fan. He’s the guy who is also responsible for other indie franchises like Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros, F-Zero, and Star Fox. There is no surprise as to why he is known as the “father of modern gaming” as he’s the one responsible for our all-time favorite video games. In addition to the series mentioned above, Miyamoto is known to be the principal creator of Legend of Zelda.
Miyamoto has stated himself that his primary inspiration for the game flow and character was derived from his explorations. During his childhood, the town of Sonobe in Japan was surrounded by the hillside. He liked the adventure very much. He used to go through the caves, lakes, forests, and small villages, which was adventurous for him. While enjoying his explorations and adventures, there was a memorable moment of experience when Miyamoto discovered a cave entrance, and he explored the interiors of the cave with the aid of a single lantern. It was fun, but yes, there presumably wasn’t an older man inside handing out wooden swords.
Title of the game
As for the titular name of the game is concerned, it was derived from none other than the great Zelda Fitzgerald. Some of you must be thinking who is she, well she was the wife of highly publicized and incredibly free-spirited legend F. Scott Fitzgerald, creator of The Great Gatsby.
The only reason he chose this name for his princess was that he thought the name sounded significant and pleasant, which he certainly wasn’t wrong about the latter.
Character of Link
Link’s depiction was inspired by Peter Pan, who was a green-clad boy that never seems to grow up. Miyamoto said he wanted his protagonist to be easily recognizable, and there wasn’t any other better way to use this depiction, which arguably became the most well-known boy in children’s entertainment. As we talk about the name, it came from the series taking place in the future, present, and past, with the main character being the “link” between them.
So this is all about how the famous Legend of Zelda was originated. It came from an adventuresome boy who loved exploring and created a great legacy. It is to date that the Zelda franchise has sold around 70-80 million copies of the various games in the franchise.