There are video game franchises that are recognized around the world. Very few of them defined gaming as everyone knows it today. The Legend of Zelda is one of those franchises. If Mario helped pioneer the side-scrolling platformer, The Legend of Zelda did the same for action-adventure games. Today, Nintendo s beloved adventure series celebrates its 35th anniversary.
What made The Legend of Zelda such a phenomenon? How did it become what it is today? Let s look back at the original NES adventure and break down some of what made it such an incredible journey that still holds up to this day.