cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/43419708
Known in Japan as The Hyrule Fantasy: The Legend of Zelda. The main title was dropped in the US to make the name shorter and some claim it was to avoid confusion with the upcoming Squaresoft Final Fantasy game, which would debut a year later.
The Legend of Zelda was inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto's explorations as a boy in the surrounding areas of his home in Sonobe, Japan. One of his most memorable experiences was finding a cave entrance in the middle of the woods. After some hesitation, he entered the cave and explored its depths with the aid of a lantern.
The story and setting were developed by Takashi Tezuka. He drew inspirations from fantasy books such The Lord of the Rings. The legend of the Triforce was written with inspirations from the battles of medieval Europe. The Master Sword was introduced as their version of Excalibur in A Link to the Past, which is regarded as reminiscent to the legend of King Arthur. Princess Zelda was named after American novelist, socialite and painter Zelda Fitzgerald. Tezuka modeled Link's appearance after the eponymous character of Walt Disney's Peter Pan.
What is your favorite Zelda memory?
I still don't think enough credit is given to the people who work on these games. They are one of the most reliable development teams in the world, consistently putting out high quality games. One of the only series where I would feel 100% confident in a pre-order without any knowledge other than "new Zelda game (for a console I own)".
It is the only reason I get a nintendo console. It’s why I skipped over the Wii U. It’s the only system that I haven’t owned.