The iconic music of Hyrule performed live â composed by Koji Kondo for The Legend of Zelda series
Explore 5 screens connected in a + pattern. Walk off any edge to travel to adjacent screens. North has rocky hills with Moblins. West has a lake with Octoroks. East has a cave. South leads to the dungeon entrance!
Octorok â Red blob. Shoots projectiles toward Link.
Move to dodge and slash with your sword.
Moblin â Purple warrior with lance.
Pursues Link relentlessly. Takes 2 sword hits to defeat. Worth 5 rupees!
You start with 3 hearts (6 HP). Collect heart pickups to restore health. After taking damage you have 1.5 seconds of invincibility (Link flickers). Octorok projectiles deal 1 HP damage. Moblin contact deals 1 HP damage.
The Legend of Zelda launches on Famicom Disk System in Japan. Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka create an open-world adventure unlike anything before. The golden cartridge becomes iconic. Players explore Hyrule, collect Triforce pieces, and save Princess Zelda.
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link introduces side-scrolling battles, experience points, and magic spells. A bold departure that divides fans but expands the lore.
A Link to the Past (SNES) perfects the Zelda formula â Light World / Dark World duality, Master Sword, and the definitive Hyrule map. Widely considered one of the greatest games ever made.
Ocarina of Time (N64) becomes the highest-rated game of all time. Z-targeting combat, fully 3D Hyrule, and Koji Kondo's orchestral score set a new standard for games.
Breath of the Wild (Switch) reinvents open-world gaming. Climb any surface, cook food, glide with a paraglider. Over 30 million copies sold. Won Game of the Year at virtually every major awards ceremony.
The original Zelda overworld theme uses the NES's square wave channels to create an adventurous, exploratory feel. Kondo wrote it to make players feel the vastness of Hyrule in just a few bars of music.
First composed for A Link to the Past, Zelda's Lullaby became the most recognized Nintendo melody after the Mario theme. The ascending triplet motif appears in every mainline Zelda game in some form. It was performed at hundreds of live concerts worldwide.
The ocarina in-game was inspired by real folk instruments. Players learned to play Zelda's Lullaby, Saria's Song, the Song of Time, and many more â each with a specific musical effect on the game world. Music as a game mechanic was revolutionary.
"The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses" toured the world from 2012â2019, performing Zelda music with full orchestras. Tickets sold out in minutes. Kondo himself has appeared at several performances to thunderous applause.