The Legend of Zelda has been one of Nintendo's biggest franchises since making its debut back in 1986. More than three and a half decades later, it remains one of the most innovative series in the gaming industry due to its unique ability to reinvent itself every with each new installment.
These innovations aren't simple little tweaks here and there either. They have been seismic concussions felt throughout the world of gaming. The Legend of Zelda is now considered to be the golden standard in the world of action RPGs and one of the greatest and most influential Nintendo franchises of all time.
5 Puzzles And Bosses
Before Zelda, games didn't really require too much thought when it came to beating the bad guys. Just good old hacking and slashing did the trick. Many games of this era were pretty straightforward on what a player was supposed to do too. Games were incredibly linear. Seeing a game that threw players right into the mix without much explanation was a surprise, to say the least.
The focus on puzzles and dungeons to reach the big bads was also unique for the time. Bosses posed a different challenge for players. To beat bosses, players had to use strategy. The Legend ofZelda: A Link to the Past only solidified this further. Whole castles are puzzles, and bosses provided mini puzzles unto themselves. Many modern games continue to follow suit to give players more of a challenge and provide multilayered content. It is a fad that will never die out because it just works so well.
4 Memory And Ram
Old gaming systems didn't require in-game save points. Games were usually tallied by the high scores which didn't just showcase skill but the level of survival and playtime. And they would disappear just as fast. By the time the Nintendo Entertainment System was released, high scores were still a thing, but games started to get longer. However, very few games utilized the in-game save. Most would instead have codes that players would have to dig up from a magazine to get back to certain levels rather than replay the whole game to get there.
Yet, in 1986, The Legend of Zelda was one of the first games to allow players to save in-game, which was just unheard of. How did the developers do this? They increased the memory and ram on the game cartridge. At the time, many questioned the functionality of such a venture, but sometimes doing the unthinkable yields the best results.
3 Lock On Trigger
When the Nintendo 64 came around, games did have aiming features but not lock-on battle features. The Z trigger was a magical thing for Nintendo fans and players. Especially when the lock-on system was first utilized in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It was a major upgrade to melee and ranged combat in video games. It was such a success that other games started implementing lock-on features to their own combat systems.
The system became so widespread in console gaming that now players see advancements to these advancements. Earlier Gun and later Red Dead Redemption's quick draw systems come to mind. Honestly, that's just scratching the primer on a surface containing many layers. Fans and players would probably find fewer shooters and melee combat-based games without these features than just the opposite. That's how big it is.
2 In Game Camera
In-game, cameras were none existent before Playstation and Nintendo 64 came onto the scene. Even then though, they were often clunky and left a lot to be desired. The tech wasn't there yet. Therefore, most games would just avoid it. Then The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time came out. At the time, it was perfection. It was top tier.
Looking at it now, it may seem dated, but considering the competition at the time, it was groundbreaking. It was smooth, and it didn't work against the player in casual play or in battle. It might have gotten a little weird with fishing, but it wasn't bad. The cinematic focus that would happen when doing a back flip, a side jump, or jumping forward with the sword and going "HIYAAAH!" was fantastic too. It just made players feel awesome.
1 Open Worlds
In 1986 video games were, for the most part, incredibly linear and platform-heavy, at least until The Legend of Zelda, anyway. Players weren't just dropped in the middle of Hyrule without an inkling of where to go next, but the destination could have been anywhere. It wasn't technically the first open-world game, but it was one of the first to find mainstream success. Of course, this wasn't the only time that Nintendo delivered innovation when it came to open worlds.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild wasn't amazing just for its beautifully rendered open-world experience. Right off the bat, players can march to Ganondorf's castle and attempt to take him down without doing any of the guardian missions. What's more, they don't need to seek out Link's memories or obtain the Master Sword. It's all optional. Even with Read Dead and Grand Theft Auto, there is still story linearity. Things must be done to proceed through the game or open an area. BOTW is one of the first major titles to bypass all of it and truly make an open world feel completely open.