On February 21, 1986, gaming super giant Nintendo released the first game in the action-adventure Zelda game series, The Legend of Zelda, in Japan. Zelda was unlike any previous game. It was such a hit that it was released on a cartridge version with battery-backed memory on August 22, 1987 here in the United States.
For Zelda, Miyamoto wanted to go in a completely different direction than the previous games he had made that year (DK and Mario). He wanted to develop a new sub-genre that included the best components of various gaming genres such as exploring or solving puzzles for transportation, using a monetary system and building simple levels without experience points.
But what made Zelda so compelling was how Miyamoto was able to fuse these elements together while keeping the premise utterly simple. The gamer plays the lead character and protagonist, Link, a young boy on a huge quest, placed on a large map with only the directions to assemble the Triforce. Throw in the lure of a fair royal princess kidnapped by an evil antagonist for good measure, and you have yourself a downright good new game.
So where did the inspiration for this new sub-genre come from? Miyamoto says it was inspired by the boyhood exploration of his beloved hillsides in Kyoto, Japan. Miyamoto explored the land through forests with hidden lakes, caves and rural villages. At one point, Miyamoto recalls pointedly, discovering a dark, hidden cave. He was afraid but decided to go in anyway. Apprehensively, he explored the depths of the cave with the help of his trusty lantern. It was exciting. And that is the aura he tried to create for Zelda players in a sort of garden-like setting.
The name for Zelda, the frequently abducted Princess of Hyrule and sweetheart of Link, was inspired interestingly enough by American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald. Upon learning that the novelists wifes name was Zelda, Miyamoto thought the name to be pleasing and significant. So he based the series on The Legend of Zelda.|For a side note, heres how Zelda got her name: Shigeru had heard of the name of novelist F. Scott Fitzgeralds wife, Zelda. He thought the name was pleasant and important. So in tribute to her, Miyamoto named the pretty princess and the series after her.
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