The Legend of Zelda series is something that has touched the hearts and adventurous spirits of many gamers over the decades, and its popularity has endured to today.
It has been hailed as one of the greatest franchises in the history of video games, and for good reason. Its games have been consistently excellent, and each entry offers a fresh, immersive perspective to gamers. Its early titles influenced a generation of gaming that would only evolve in years to come, and its modern entries are still innovative and fun. There is nothing about a Legend of Zelda game that is stale or egregious, which is rare in a franchise of any genre. The series has been going strong since 1987 and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon three decades later.
There are countless features of the games themselves that make them so endearing. Every Zelda game impresses with its graphics and visual scope, which enhance the player’s experience by immersing them in the game’s world and providing appealing eye candy. Another consistent feature of Zelda games is precision control. From Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 to the Wind Waker on the GameCube to Skyward Sword on the Wii, etc., every Zelda game makes innovative use of its console’s controller and simply makes the experience more fun. The action-adventure franchise consistently brings something new to every title, making it feel fresh while still maintaining stability, and that is the primary reason I am still a fan of the series, having been one since 2011 when I first played The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Perhaps one of the more staggering aspects of the Legend of Zelda franchise is its uncanny ability to tell an engaging story complete with fascinating characters. The plot nearly always revolves around series protagonist Link and namesake Princess Zelda, but each title provides a fresh take on the kingdom of Hyrule (or other settings) and elements of ancient lore, magic and adventure. Throughout the series, Link thwarts the attempts of series villain Ganondorf to rule the world, and in doing so saves it. Every adventure is memorable in its own way: The story of Ocarina of Time is incredibly deep and offers excellent plot twists, The Wind Waker starts out slow but turns the tide with a significant plot twist that culminates in a shocking finish, Twilight Princess has a compelling world with some of the series’ best characters and Skyward Sword delves into the origins of the events of the series chronology, featuring perhaps the best incarnations of Link and Zelda.
I believe that gamers have always dreamed of being heroes of a kingdom at some point in their lives, and the Legend of Zelda series has captured that vision time and time again. The latest entry in the franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is already being hailed as one of the greatest video games of all time, just like Ocarina of Time was in its heyday. The ability to thrill fans on a regular basis like the Legend of Zelda series does is extraordinary for any video game series, and I believe it will surge into the future forevermore.