The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

This third incarnation of Zelda is arguably the best. In 1991 (1992 for North America), A Link to the Past took the original formula, added several new elements, shook them up, and presented the world with a dazzling snowglobe of adventure. The inclusion of a more detailed story, the invention of such staples as the Master Sword and the hookshot (quite possibly the coolest item in the history of gaming), and the establishment of a dual-world that has been included in nearly every Zelda game since all go into making this game exciting, memorable, and, most importantly, fun.

Young Link is at home one rainy night when he hears the telepathic voice of Princess Zelda calling for help. His uncle heads out to rescue her, but Link, following behind, soon finds his injured uncle and takes over his mission. The wizard Agahnim is trying to break the seal on the Dark World, where Ganon is imprisoned, using the descendants of the sages who created the seal in the first place. The Master Sword is the only weapon capable of stopping him, and so Link sets out on his multi-part adventure to find the sword, stop Agahnim, save Hyrule, and, as always, save Zelda.

Images:

Smuggling the pricess to safety
A full inventory is a happy inventory
The Light World
The Dark World
Opening movie

The Legend of Zelda

The 1986 release (1987 in North America) of The Legend of Zelda was a revolution in gaming. The open-ended play, enormous map, top-down view, and puzzle-solving elements were vast changes from the common side-scrolling games with a definite goal for every level. This first game sparked a long line of successors, all of which reframe the basic concept in any number of ways, and even a short-lived TV series. The connection between the games appears to be on a loose chronology that's nearly impossible to decipher without outside assistance, but each game can be played independently of the others. The innovation of the Zelda games has always been in the gameplay, rather than the story, yet Link, the silent hero of all the games, is consistently one of the most popular game characters of all time. Also worthy of mention is the memorable music, which can be heard here.

The evil Ganon has stolen the Triforce of Power—one of the three mystic triangles containing untold power—from the kingdom of Hyrule. The princess Zelda, before her capture, fractured the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces and hid them throughout the land and sent her nursemaid Impa out in search of a hero to help them. Ganon's minions catch up to her, but fortunately Link happens on the scene, saves her, and begins his quest to reunite the Triforce and save Zelda and Hyrule.

That's all there is to the story, and even that is only mentioned in the instruction booklet, but even twenty plus years later, the game draws back old fans and enraptures new ones alike. Later games have refined and expanded on the theme, but the skeleton of a gaming dynasty was built here.

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Booklet art of Link with his collection of items
A classic screen and a phrase that's entered gaming history
The world of Hyrule (and where to find absolutely everything)
Game opening

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The 2006 incarnation of Nintendo’s popular Legend of Zelda series for the Wii and Gamecube, Twilight Princess brings some new twists to the classic format. As ever, the land of Hyrule is in danger and the green-clad Link, with his loyal horse Epona, must save it and its princess, Zelda.

This version of Link is a rancher in the small village of Ordon, in the south of Hyrule. When a wave of darkness rolls over the land, Link is warped by it, transformed into a wolf. He is captured and imprisoned, where he meets a strange imp named Midna, who agrees to help him escape if he will help her in her quest to overthrow Zant, a wizard who has usurped the realm of Twilight. Their wary quid pro quo gradually changes into a genuine friendship, and they each sacrifice for the other in order to stop Zant and, ultimately, Ganon.

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Wolf-form Link and Midna
Link
Zelda
Zant
Ganon
Game trailer