Nicolas Courcier - Zelda: The history of a legendary saga

For Yuna and Isia B.

Zelda. The history of a legendary saga.
by Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi
Published by Third ditions
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Copying or reproducing this work by any means constitutes an infringement subject to the penalties stipulated in copyright protection law n57-298 of 11 March 1957.

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Edited by: Nicolas Courcier et Mehdi El Kanafi
Texts by: Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi
Chapter on Link: A Character and His Evolution: Selami Boudjerda
Chapter on Music in Zelda: Damien Mecheri
Proofreading and page layout: Thomas Savary
Covers: Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi
Cover assembly: Frdric Tom
Translated from French by: Keith Sanders (ITC Traductions)

This educational work is Third ditions tribute to the classic Zelda video game series. The authors present an overview of the history of the Zelda games in this one-of-a-kind volume that lays out the inspirations, the context and the content of these titles through original analysis and discussion.

The Legend of Zelda is a registered trademark of Nintendo. All rights reserved.

English edition copyright 2017 Third ditions. All rights reserved.

ISBN 979-10-94723-59-3

This book is dedicated to Justin Carroz, to his family,
to his friends and everyone who loves the legend.
Remember, the world can always use another hero.
May the Triforce guide you on all your adventures.
Never stop working for a better future.

In February 2016, the Zelda saga celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. More than a quarter-century later, Nintendos hit series is still very much a standard-bearer for the brand, alongside its iconic Mario series. Created by Shigeru Miyamoto in 1986, the saga is still viewed by players with a certain reverence. Each individual title has a strong reputation, and the series as a whole enjoys a level of prestige that is rarely called into question. With installments available on all of Nintendos different platforms, this flagship franchise has also served as a showcase for the Kyoto-based developers technical and design prowess.

The first episode of Zelda made a powerful impression upon its release, introducing a new approach to the action-adventure genre. One Zelda installment followed another in sure-footed succession, displaying an impressively consistent level of quality that few other series have been able to match. Although the franchise has appeared in many incarnations in a variety of media (manga, animated series, merchandise), it has above all been a source of inspiration to other games that have taken it as a model. Those titles, ranging from kami and Darksiders to Alundra and 3D Dot Game Heroes, all of them heirs to the original ideas first set forth by Miyamoto, have helped to popularize and build upon the Japanese designers vision for video games.

What is it that defines the Zelda series more than anything else? We might start by mentioning the world in which it takes place, Hyrule, along with its three main characters: Link, Princess Zelda and the evil Ganon. We might also mention the Triforce, the magical artifact that everyone covets. However, as part of the more rigorous and analytical approach that we intend to take here, we will instead focus on its gameplay system, quite innovative for 1986, which ties the heros development of new skills to exploration and the acquisition of precious new objects. To complete his quest, Link has to visit villages, explore dungeons, and battle tough bosses, all within a well-defined framework that is re-used in one episode after another.

We can also quite reasonably argue that the essence of Zelda lies first and foremost in Nintendos skill in game design. In these games, the developer has chosen to express its own vision of what an adventure game should be: a seamless blend of action, adventure and role-playing (stripped of the genres unwieldier aspects), yielding a gameplay experience that is not only simple, but deeply intuitive. This original structure reflects a certain philosophy towards video games, manifested on screen in the character of Linkso very appealing, and yet so very silent.

Just as in the Mario and Donkey Kong games, players find themselves on familiar ground from the very first moments of a Zelda game. In fact, this sense of familiarity goes well beyond visual impressions. Its something you experience with the controller in your hands, through a control scheme that instantly feels natural and immediate. Anyone returning to the world of Zelda has the chance to re-experience the unique science of its gameplay, in which the individual elements (story, level design, difficulty) are masterfully combined in service of a single goal: player enjoyment.

Fascinated by print media since childhood, Nicolas Courcier and Mehdi El Kanafi wasted no time in launching their first magazine, Console Syndrome, in 2004. After five issues with distribution limited to the Toulouse region of France, they decided to found a publishing house under the same name. One year later, their small business was acquired by another leading publisher of works about video games. In their four years in the world of publishing, Nicolas and Mehdi published more than twenty works on major video game series, and wrote several of those works themselves: Metal Gear Solid. Hideo Kojimas Magnum Opus, Resident Evil. Of Zombies and Men, and The Legend of Final Fantasy VII and IX. Since 2015, they have continued their editorial focus on analyzing major video game series at a new publishing house that they founded together: Third.

In the kingdom of Hyrule, a legend has been passed down since the beginning of time: A mysterious artifact known as the Triforce, symbolized by three golden triangles arranged to form a fourth triangle, is said to possess mystical powers.