The Legend of Zelda, originally released in Japan as The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu (THE HYRULE FANTASY ゼルダの伝説?), is a 1986 video game developed and published by Nintendo, released in North America in 1987 and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka.[1] Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to collect the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom in order to rescue Princess Zelda from the antagonist, Ganon.[2] During the course of the game, the player sees Link from a top-down perspective and must navigate him through the overworld and several dungeons, defeating enemies and finding secrets on the way.[3][4]
The inaugural game of the Legend of Zelda series, it was first released in Japan as a launch title for the Family Computer Disk System peripheral.[5] More than a year later, North America and Europe received releases on the Nintendo Entertainment System in cartridge form, making the game the first home console title to include an internal battery for saving data.[6] In 1994, this version would be released back in Japan, now named The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu 1 (THE HYRULE FANTASY ゼルダの伝説1?).[7] There were also reissued ports for the GameCube, Game Boy Advance and the Virtual Console.[7][8][9]
The Legend of Zelda was a bestseller for Nintendo, selling over 6.5 million copies. It's often featured in lists of games considered the greatest or most influential and is considered a spiritual forerunner of the role-playing video game. The game spawned a solitary sequel, several prequels, and a number of spin-offs; the series has become one of Nintendo's most popular.
