STACK NZ Mar #71

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The endearing Zelda series celebrates its 30th birthday this year. We’ve done our best to compile a list of the biggest releases in Zelda’s 30-year history, from ‘86’s The Legend of Zelda all the way through to HyruleWarriors . By Alesha Kolbe. A LINK BETWEEN CONSOLES

SNES port of A Link to the Past, developed after hours by staff, before eventually becoming a full- fledged project. The game is one of the few in the franchise not to feature Princess Zelda or the Tri- Force relic, and doesn’t take place in the land of Hyrule. Ocarina of Time (1998) Originally a Nintendo 64 title, Ocarina of Time introduced 3D graphics to the world of Zelda, and played a large part in the commercial popularity of Ocarinas.

The Legend Of Zelda (1986) The very first Zelda title was originally released as The Hyrule Fantasy: The Legend of Zelda – which makes more sense considering the game revolves around Link anyway. Shigeru Miyamoto’s masterpiece goes on to define a generation, alongside a little red plumber. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1988) The Adventure of Link is the first game is a direct sequel to the previous instalment. The title introduces Dark Link, and came out less than a year after the original in Japan. A Link to the Past (1992) A Link to the Past is the inception of Link’s namesake as a “link” between

Tasked once again with defeating Ganon (Ganondorf in this iteration), Link must learn songs on his Ocarina and travel through time to prevent his enemy from retrieving the Tri-Force. Majora’s Mask (2000) “You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?” The Happy Mask Salesman is only one of the creepy elements in this time-bound tale. Link has only three days to save the world, using a variety of different masks to transform – and ultimately stop – the moon crashing into the planet and destroying life as we know it. No pressure.

the past, present and future. This release heralds the initial reveal of the Master Sword – which has the power to repel evil – often used by Link to take on Ganon (or Ganondorf), his arch-nemesis. Link’s Awakening (1993) Link’s Awakening began as a

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages (2001)

Launched for the GameBoy Colour, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages

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