How The Legend of Zelda Became a Smash Hit
Posted on August 01 2015 by Alexis S. Anderson
IGN’s YouTube series, History of Awesome, held a roundtable discussion about the success of the original Legend of Zelda. The facilitators hit upon its being one of the first games to adopt an open world concept, Miyamoto’s inspirations when creating it, the sense of community that came from needing to look to others for help finding secrets and items, its lack of a solid narrative, and of course its golden cartridge. They also touch on the impact of the Legend of Zelda both at the time of its launch and in the world of modern gaming. Hit the jump to listen to the table’s insights regarding our beloved series’ founding game!
I usually need a strong narrative to keep me invested in a video game, so for a game of this magnitude to stand without one is mighty impressive to me. You can watch more History of Awesome discussions on its website or at IGN Presents the History of Awesome.
Did you enjoy this roundtable discussion? Did the group leave out any wonderful details about The Legend of Zelda? Do you follow History of Awesome? Is there another Zelda game you’d like discussed? Let us know in the comments!
Source: YouTube
Alexis S. Anderson is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon who joined the writing team in November, 2014. She has a JD from the UCLA School of Law and is pursuing a career in Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law. She grew up in the New Jersey suburbs with her parents, twin brother, and family shih-tzu.
