The Legend of Zelda Series: From Its Origins to Breath of the Wild
Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series, which began on the Disk System in 1986: its origins, how it plays, why it's a classic, and how to play it today.
The Legend of Zelda is an action-adventure series Nintendo has been making since 1986. Its basic framework is the story of Link, a boy in green, who roams the land of Hyrule, conquers dungeons, and stands against the demon king Ganon to protect Princess Zelda and the Triforce. Nearly 40 years after the first game, it remains a series that comes up in every conversation about game design whenever a new entry is released.
In this post, we look at the ideas behind the first game, the style of play the series shares across entries, and why it has been called a classic for so long. At the end, we also suggest which games to start with if you're new to Zelda today.
At a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Release | February 21, 1986 (Japan, first game) / August 22, 1987 (North America, NES) |
| Developer | Nintendo (Nintendo R&D4 for the first game, Nintendo EPD for recent titles) |
| Platforms | Started on the Famicom Disk System, then nearly every Nintendo home and handheld system |
| Genre | Action-adventure |
Origins
The series was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. The two co-directed the first game, with Miyamoto also serving as producer. The music was composed by Koji Kondo, also known for the Super Mario series.
The starting point was Miyamoto's childhood memories. Growing up in Sonobe near Kyoto, he wandered fields, forests, and caves without a map, and he wanted to bring the wonder and tension he felt then into a game. That's why the first game tells the player almost nothing about where to go. It simply drops you into a vast field and makes you find your own way by walking around.
The first game launched in Japan on February 21, 1986, the same day as the Famicom Disk System. The following year it came to North America as an NES cartridge, and this version was one of the first games with a battery inside the cartridge to save progress. Being able to continue without writing down a password was an essential feature for a long adventure.
How It Plays
The first game is played from a top-down view. Its two pillars are a wide field (the overworld), which scrolls one screen at a time, and the dungeons hidden throughout it. Collecting the Triforce pieces from eight dungeons opens the final, ninth dungeon. Tools found in dungeons, such as the boomerang, become keys to reaching the next area, and after seeing the ending, you could start a harder second adventure (the Second Quest) with rearranged locations and dungeons.
This structure carries on throughout the series. In summary:
- Field exploration: Roam towns and fields to gather information and find hidden places.
- Dungeon puzzles: Use keys, switches, and terrain to open the way and defeat the boss in the final room.
- A world that expands with tools: Each new item lets you reach places you couldn't before.
Ocarina of Time, released on the Nintendo 64 in 1998, brought this framework into 3D. Its lock-on feature, which fixes the camera on an enemy or character, made sword fighting comfortable in 3D space, and many later 3D action games adopted a similar approach.
Breath of the Wild (2017) greatly loosened the flow of clearing dungeons in order. Link can climb almost anything, and a physics engine works together with a "chemistry engine" that defines the properties of objects, so a single problem can be solved in many ways. Tears of the Kingdom (2023) added building elements such as Ultrahand, which attaches objects together to make vehicles, and Fuse, which combines weapons and materials, and it expanded the stage to include sky islands and the Depths below the surface.
Why It's a Classic
First, it's designed so that exploration itself is the reward. Rather than kindly guiding you, Zelda makes players move because they're curious. Heading over a hill just to see what's on the other side being the fun of the game itself has been consistent from the first title through Breath of the Wild.
Second, tools and puzzles interlock. Because new items change combat, puzzles, and movement all at once, the world looks a little different every time you get one. This approach has become a basic grammar of many action-adventure games.
Third, the series never stayed in the same mold. Even as it moved from 2D to 3D, and then to an open world with almost no fixed order, it kept its core of "the joy of discovering things yourself." Breath of the Wild won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2017.
Sequels and Influence
The main series has continued steadily. The major titles by year are:
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Legend of Zelda | Famicom Disk System |
| 1991 | A Link to the Past | Super Famicom |
| 1993 | Link's Awakening | Game Boy |
| 1998 | Ocarina of Time | Nintendo 64, first 3D entry |
| 2002 | The Wind Waker | GameCube |
| 2006 | Twilight Princess | Wii |
| 2017 | Breath of the Wild | Wii U / Nintendo Switch |
| 2023 | Tears of the Kingdom | Nintendo Switch |
| 2024 | Echoes of Wisdom | Nintendo Switch, Zelda's first turn as protagonist |
Echoes of Wisdom, released on September 26, 2024, was co-developed by Nintendo EPD and Grezzo, and it is the first mainline entry with Princess Zelda as the protagonist. Its signature mechanic is using the Tri Rod to summon echoes of objects and monsters to create paths and fight.
According to English Wikipedia, the series had sold more than 150 million copies as of September 2024. In 1989, an animated series based on the games also aired in the United States. Above all, its structure of open fields, dungeons, and a world that expands through tools has become a familiar framework in many later action-adventure games.
How to Play Today
If you're new, the safest place to start is Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom on Nintendo Switch. Both received Nintendo Switch 2 Editions on June 5, 2025, so you can also play them on Switch 2. Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, so playing them in order makes the story easier to follow.
If you want a short, light taste of Zelda-style puzzles, the 2D Echoes of Wisdom is a good choice. If you're curious about the series' roots, you can try Nintendo's classic game service, Nintendo Classics. The first game has been available on it since September 18, 2018. By today's standards it can feel unforgiving in many ways, but you'll immediately understand why this series is called an "adventure you discover for yourself."