Link is one of our favorite heroes and that’s why he had to be featured in Loot Gaming’s HEROIC theme this month! With that said, there’s such a huge backlog of Legend of Zelda facts that we’re sure some folks may not know. So, let’s get into it!
1. Robin Williams was such a massive fan of the first Legend of Zelda game (and subsequently more in the series) that he named his daughter Zelda. Not a bad namesake, right?
2. Link was actually heavily inspired by Peter Pan in quite a few ways, which Shigeru Miyamoto noted his clothing and his often accompaniment by fairies gives it away.
3. The music in Kakariko Village in Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is actually inspired by Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service. The rather beloved movie came out in 1989 and they were in love with the aesthetic. If you haven’t seen Kiki’s Delivery Service, you should because it’s got a lot of Zelda feels in it. Heck, most Studio Ghibli feels have a lot of those vibes.
(Nintendo)
4. Ocarina of Time was also the first time that Link didn’t have a sword that shot fire or light from it whatsoever. This was actually seen as a problem for many fans as they wanted that authentic feel until realizing this was less about Link having power and more about repairing what power had done to the world.
5. Nintendo had been actually working on additions and subtractions even before Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask and this is seen by the fact A Link to the Past is the first time you’re able to store the items you need for later, i.e. hearts, fairies, etc. This was due to them wanting to extend the game and make its gameplay longer but knew if they didn’t offer inventory aid and retention — players may get worn out from the struggle.
6. It’s a rare thing but Ganon is actually completely absent from one title, even in language. Which one? Majora’s Mask is completely devoid of Ganon which is kinda nice because that guy gives us nothing but trouble from then on.
(Nintendo)
7. Most of the assets that went into making Majora’s Mask were recycled from Ocarina of Time. This was due to Miyamoto challenging his team to come up with a new title within a year in order to not have to work on a test console Zelda title. The team was so desperate to not have to come up with this new title on a test system that they re-used assets in clever ways and completed Majora’s Mask within the time Miyamoto set for them.
8. The Hero’s Shade in Twilight Princess is actually the Hero of Time from Ocarina of Time. The Hero had died from his sadness over feeling he would never actually have or achieve the glory he wanted. Kinda nice little callback and it teaches Link a lot, I feel.
9. Another interesting little thing is Midna’s voice is mixed-up and twisted pseudo-speech that, if you untangle and reform as a full track — you can find out she’s speaking English. It’s like Simlish but waaaay more compelling.
(Nintendo)
10. Link is the only character to remain completely silent in all of the Legend of Zelda titles. This is because he is meant to be a ‘link’ between the player and the world you’re playing in. Kinda interesting, right? And here you thought it was just a lack of foresight to give him a voice actor? Nah, Miyamoto knows what he’s doing.
