The Legend of Zelda

Gameplay of The Legend of Zelda games feature a mix of puzzles , action-adventure , and exploration. These elements used to be constant {{cite web |last=Aonuma |first=Eiji |author-link=Eiji Aonuma |date=January 23, 2013 |title=Wii U Direct - Nintendo Games 1.23.2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MzG6lDA1A0 |via=[[YouTube]] |publisher=[[Nintendo of America]] |access-date=August 18, 2025 |time=30:13–30:38}}</ref>\n* [[Eurogamer]], 2016: \"[Until ''Breath of the Wild'', i]t's hard to think of many entries since [the original ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]''] which have refreshed the series so completely, and with so much style.\"<ref>{{cite web |last=Phillips |first=Tom |date=July 15, 2016 |title=The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the most ambitious Nintendo game in years |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-is-the-most-ambitious-nintendo-game-in-years |website=[[Eurogamer]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=August 18, 2025}}</ref>\n* [[GamesRadar+]], 2017: \"Well, ''Breath of the Wild'' doesn't want to play by the rules. The rulebook isn't just torn up. It's crushed beneath boulders, burned in a forest inferno and struck by lightning. Science has arrived in Hyrule, a rush of freeform simulation that brings with it a spark of life that could never quite ignite in the hand-crafted worlds of old... As a long-term fan, it's a treat to see Nintendo take its gift for problem solving outside of the Zelda comfort zone - a place the series has arguably inhabited since ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]''. Not since that game's leap to 3D and introduction of lock-on targeting has a Zelda game made this many breakthroughs.\"<ref>{{cite web |last=Castle |first=Matthew |date=March 2, 2017 |title=The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild review: 'It's taken 18 years, but Nintendo has done it again: this is the adventure game to beat' |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/zelda-breath-of-the-wild-review/ |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=August 18, 2025}}</ref>\n* [[Hidemaro Fujibayashi]], 2017: \"e chose March 3, 2017 as the release date [of ''Breath of the Wild''] because we wanted more time to make the game as interesting as possible. We were thinking about breaking the conventions of the ''Zelda'' series from the very start of development. Specifically, our process was to think of all kinds of different mechanics, and to try to distinguish between the unchanging, universal traits of the ''Zelda'' franchise and things that had simply become conventions of the series.\"<ref>{{cite web |last=Fujibayashi |first=Hidemaro |author-link=Hidemaro Fujibayashi |date=March 14, 2017 |title=The Making of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Video – The Beginning |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30jGWna4-Ns |via=[[YouTube]] |publisher=[[Nintendo of America]] |access-date=August 18, 2025 |time=0:51–1:21}}</ref>\n* ''[[The Guardian]]'', 2017: \"The greens of the open plains contrast with the dark black of Death Mountain, which is streaked with orange lava on the distant horizon. As the sweeping orchestral soundtrack swells, you realise that you can go anywhere and that this is not like any ''Zelda'' you've played before. Released on Wii U and [[Nintendo Switch|Switch]] in March, ''The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'' (BotW) is the biggest ''Zelda'' title ever made. One-and-a-half times the size of open-world trailblazer ''[[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim|Skyrim]]'' and 12 times the size of ''[[Twilight Princess]]'', it provides a vast terrain to explore with barely any restrictions beyond a few hours of subtly enclosed preparation.\"<ref>{{cite web |last=Gray |first=Kate |date=May 30, 2017 |title=Is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild the best-designed game ever? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/30/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-nintendo-game-design-open-world-player-explore |website=[[The Guardian]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=August 18, 2025}}</ref>\n* [[GameSpot]], 2023: \"[''[[Tears of the Kingdom]]''] builds upon the foundation so thoroughly and transformationally that it feels like a revelation. This is ''The Legend of Zelda'' at its finest, borrowing the best pieces and qualities from across the franchise's history and creating something new that is emotionally resonant, captivating, and endlessly rewarding... ''Breath of the Wild'' upended the ''Zelda'' formula by presenting a vast and lush open world to explore--a reenvisioning of the unguided experience of the original ''Legend of Zelda'' for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]... These tools, and the sprawling world they inhabit, give ''Tears of the Kingdom'' a particular flow that feels unique to the ''Zelda'' franchise. You aren't simply solving puzzles or fighting battles--you're engineering solutions.\"<ref name=\"gamespot totk\">{{cite web |last=Watts |first=Steve |date=May 11, 2023 |title=The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-review/1900-6418063/ |website=[[GameSpot]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=August 18, 2025}}</ref>"}},"i":0}}]}"> throughout the series, with small refinements and additions in each new game. Later installments include stealth gameplay, where the player must avoid enemies while proceeding through a level, as well as racing elements. Depending on the game, players control Link or Princess Zelda from a fixed top-down perspective, {{cite web |last=Oddo |first=Marco Vitto |date=June 18, 2021 |title=How Ocarina of Time Defined The Legend of Zelda Franchise |url=https://collider.com/ocarina-of-time-zelda-games-legacy/ |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=August 22, 2025 |quote=Let's start with the basics: ''Ocari