News Articles
Friday29th Sep 2023
Random Unused Mario Sprites Spotted In Classic Behind-The-Scenes Footage Of Nintendo
A time of big ideas (and even bigger phones)
There is a lot of retro goodness to be found in looking back on classic Nintendo coverage, and the above 1980s behind-the-scenes peek at Nintendo's Famicom development has it all. Recently featured in a report by the Yomiuro Telecasting Corporation News Channel, this classic coverage has it all: a look...
Sunday6th Aug 2023
Poll Box Art Brawl: The Legend Of Zelda
It's dangerous to go alone, rank these!
It's Sunday and you know what that means. That's right, it's time for another edition of Box Art Brawl! Last time saw a whopping five covers go head-to-head (to-head-to-head-to-head, we suppose) as we matched up the regional art for the SNES' Illusion of Gaia (or Illusion of Time for those of us in PAL...
Tuesday18th Jul 2023
News Nintendo's Famicom 40th Anniversary Website Is A Treasure Trove Of Trivia
Dive in
Nintendo's Famicom has turned 40 years old, if you can believe it. The little console that could pretty much singlehandedly saved the video game industry with classics such as Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda, and now Nintendo is paying homage with a comprehensive website celebrating everything Famicom. The website...
Tuesday7th Feb 2023
Random YouTuber Recreates Classic Zelda In Minecraft With "No Mods"
Taking Minecraft to the next level
We've seen Zelda recreated in Minecraft before, but this latest project by YouTuber C1OUS3R takes it to the next level. Instead of calling on third-party Minecraft mods and resource packs to work some magic, they've managed to recreate Link's original top-down 2D adventure by editing textures and exploiting...
Wednesday11th Jan 2023
Random The Original NES Zelda Has Been Recreated In VR, And It's Glorious
DOOM mods strike again
We've seen Ocarina of Time go VR, and thanks to the Labo, we've also seen Breath of the Wild in VR. What's the next natural step, then? The original NES game, of course! The 1986 game that started it all, The Legend of Zelda, has been recreated in VR. Shared on Twitter by @kite_VR_noe, the entire first section of the NES game...
Thursday17th Nov 2022
Random Fan Preserves Zelda History By 3D Scanning Classic 1980s Figurines
A literal link to the past
It is unfortunately too often the case that pieces of video game history are lost over time. T-shirts are run through the tumble dryer, figures are swallowed by children or kicked under sofas, cartridges are filled with dust and controllers are snapped in rage. Fortunately there are people out there like @KeshiCorner who...
Monday14th Nov 2022
Random God Of War: Ragnarok Director Shares Five NES Games That Inspired Him
Oh BOY, these are good
Santa Monica Studios' God of War: Ragnarok recently launched to critical acclaim (including a glowing review from our good pals over at Push Square), and its director Eric Williams has recently shared some of the games that inspired him and influenced his career. Speaking with IGN (thanks,
Monday10th Oct 2022
Random The Original 'Black Box' Art For NES Zelda Resurfaces, And Link Is Happy
A link to the past
Perhaps producing one of the most iconic box art layouts in Nintendo history, the NES Black Box titles have grown to become synonymous with at-home arcade gaming and all that is retro. Released between 1985 and 1987, the series consists of 30 games including certified classics such as Duck Hunt, Excitebike and Donkey Kong Jr.;...
Monday1st Aug 2022
News Zelda, Pokémon, And Final Fantasy Music Will Feature At The First-Ever Video Game Proms
The concert is tonight
The BBC Proms is probably one of the most well-known classical music concerts in the world. This eight-week extravaganza holds daily concerts for various classical music composers and film scores. But in 2022, the Proms is making history by holding its first-ever video game concert. Conducted by Robert Ames, the show starts...
Wednesday20th Jul 2022
Random Someone's Built A Zelda-Themed Deku Tree PC
Hey, look!
What's your dream PC build? The best specs, graphics, something that lights up with pretty rainbow colours? But surely it's going to be something minimalistic, right? Well, the latest project for gaming PC builder 1YardLoss was anything but minimalist, but it's certainly a Nintendo fan's dream — particular a Zelda fan. 1YardLoss was...
Tuesday5th Apr 2022
News You Can Get Lost In This Hand-Drawn Zelda Map From 1986
"Never-seen-in-full-online before"
When the original Zelda launched in 1986, it captivated players with its massive, sprawling map and an incredible level of detail. While subsequent Zelda games have improved on this foundation dramatically, it's still easy to appreciate the level of complexity present in the NES original – and nothing captures...
Monday31st Jan 2022
Random It's Dangerous To Go Alone, Take This LEGO Map Of The Legend Of Zelda
It comes with a walkthrough!
You heard it here first: Pixels translate quite nicely into LEGO. Who'da thunk it? But we've not seen the likes of this LEGO map of The Legend of Zelda before. (Technically, we've seen a LEGO map of A Link to the Past, but that's a different Zelda game, so it doesn't count.) This teeny-tiny recreation of the map from...
Random Artwork In Retro Japanese Magazine Depicts Link As A Female
Update: Years later, a clearer image appears
Update: Thanks to @HistoryofHyrule, we now have a much clearer look at the mysterious female Link spotted in the 1986 issue of Shonen Captain. Further details on the image's origins can be found in our original article below. Original Article (Tue 2nd Apr, 2019 04:30 BST): Back in 2015,
Friday28th Jan 2022
Random Check Out This 1986 Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Book Where You Play As Zelda
Explore the story of Ganon's long-lost brother
Fantastic game history archiving news, everybody! History of Hyrule, a prolific Zelda archivist, has just uploaded a high-quality scan of The Legend of Zelda: The Mirage Castle, a choose-your-own-adventure book from 1986, shortly after the release of the first Legend of Zelda game. Because The Mirage...
Wednesday26th Jan 2022
News The First Zelda Was Almost 100% Dungeons, According To Miyamoto
"There was no overhead map"
The Legend of Zelda series is famous for mixing a large, non-linear open-world with multiple dungeons, but in an interview from 1999 that has recently been translated by Shmuplations.com, the legendary designer revealed that the original game was very nearly "just dungeons." In the interview – which is primarily...
Friday26th Nov 2021
News Nintendo Shares Classic Legend Of Zelda Art In Celebration Of The Zelda Game & Watch
Official art from Zelda, Zelda II and Link's Awakening
Earlier this month saw the launch of Nintendo's second modern Game & Watch system, this time inspired by The Legend of Zelda series. It's a cool little collectable to keep on your shelf at home, and aside from the odd little secret that it hides, one of its biggest selling points is the...
Friday29th Oct 2021
News Nintendo Launches Three New Zelda Websites To Celebrate Game & Watch
The Triforce of Website
It might be only us games journalists that get hot-under-the-collar for brand new Zelda key art, but this day is extremely special for us: Nintendo have just released three new websites for The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, and Link's Awakening to prepare us all for the release of the Zelda Game & Watch in November. And...
Monday6th Sep 2021
News Hand-Drawn Game Guide Kickstarter Taken Down Following "Legal Trouble"
Update #2: "We did not receive a cease and desist"
Cor, look at 'em Update #2: Phillip Summers has taken to Twitter to clarify some reporting around the cancellation of the Hand-Drawn Game Guide Kickstarter campaign. He states that "the party involved has been polite and I'm hopeful something can get worked out. They have every right to act as they...
Monday19th Jul 2021
News Here's Why That NES Zelda Sold For $870,000, According To The Guy Who Designed The Packaging
"A cartridge selling for such an astonishing amount is really about legacy"
Back when Nintendo conquered the living room for the first time with the NES, one of the key components of that success was branding – something which was handled by GIRVIN Design, headed up by Tim Girvin. The firm worked with Nintendo to create the 'look' of the NES...
Saturday10th Jul 2021
News This Ultra-Rare Copy Of The Original NES Zelda Just Sold For $870,000
It's now the most expensive video game collectable ever
Update [Sat 10th Jul, 2021 07:30 BST]: Well, it's official - a week later the same Legend of Zelda NES cartridge has now sold for $870,000 USD. This not only surpasses the amount Super Mario Bros. sold for, but also makes it the highest-priced video game that has ever been sold at an auction...
Friday9th Jul 2021
News Nintendo Plugs Its NSO Zelda Games Ahead Of Skyward Sword HD's Release
Experience Link's classic adventures while you wait
Next week sees the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD on the Switch. Although it's only an updated version of a 2011 Wii title, Nintendo has been promoting it non-stop since it was originally announced. It's now using the lead-up to the game's release to promote Link's classics...
Tuesday15th Jun 2021
News There's A Zelda Game & Watch Coming This Christmas
Featuring four games
Did you like the Super Mario Game & Watch? Well you're in luck, because Nintendo is bringing out another Game & Watch title which contains Zelda games. And guess what?
Wednesday26th May 2021
Random This 3D Version Of A 2D Zelda Took Two Months To Make
It's a secret to everybody!
Everyone loves 2D Zeldas. Everyone also loves 3D Zeldas. But what about 3D-2D Zeldas? Best of both worlds, in our opinion. Prolific YouTuber CodyCantEatThis makes a lot of videos with titles like "I made (video game) but with (interesting twist)": over the last year, that's included Minecraft but made of LEGO, Sonic the...
Monday22nd Feb 2021
News Game Devs From Riot To Xbox Spoke About Their Love For Zelda, And How It Influenced Them
Huh, we didn't realise Zelda was so popular
In celebration of Zelda's 35th anniversary, journalist Imran Khan spoke to 18 different game developers across the industry for Inverse, including members of Riot Games, Capy, and Phil Spencer himself, the head of Microsoft's Gaming division and the face of Xbox. Although Spencer's quote was a little dry,...
News Nintendo Ignored Zelda's 35th Anniversary This Weekend, But Fans Are Celebrating In Style
Not even a quick social media mention
Yesterday, 21st February, marked the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, the very first game in one of the industry's most successful, popular, and important series. Despite heavily celebrating Mario's 35th last year with remastered games, merchandise, and more, Nintendo has been surprisingly quiet on the...
Sunday21st Feb 2021
Feature The Legend Of Zelda Is The Robinson Crusoe Of Video Games
We start our 35th anniversary feature series at the beginning... and the end?
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, we're running a series of features looking at a specific aspect — a theme, character, mechanic, location, memory or something else entirely — from each of the mainline Zelda games. Today, Alan looks back at the...
Saturday27th Jun 2020
News Someone Created A Hand-Drawn Guide For The Original Zelda And It's Breathtaking
Puts Navi to shame!
Back in the 1980s, the original Legend of Zelda for the NES was a massive success. People all over the world were journeying into the land of Hyrule for the very first time, figuring out its puzzles and spilling its secrets on the playground, in the breakroom, at the pub, you name it. Many of its riddles were extremely cryptic...
Sunday22nd Dec 2019
News Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto Honoured By His Hometown In Japan
One of four citizens recognised
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto is a living legend and an individual responsible for many of the most famous video game series of all time. He currently acts as a 'Creative Fellow' at the Japanese company and passes his ideas and knowledge onto the next generation of video game designers. Now, Miyamoto has been...
Monday15th Jul 2019
Random 'Princess' And 'Zelda' Mentioned On US Game Show Years Before The Game
Contestant randomly links words four years early
Here's a funny little thing. A clip from an episode of Password Plus - a US game show where celebrities would team with members of the public to guess 'passwords' from single-word clues - shows a contestant referring to a 'Princess Zelda' years before the world ever met Nintendo's princess. Mention...
Sunday5th May 2019
News Forgotten Interview With Miyamoto Sheds Light On A Classic Zelda Production
A link to the past
A forgotten interview dating back to 1992 has been spotted on archive.org. It's from issue 25 of the publication Electric Brain and features the one and only Shigeru Miyamoto talking about the development of The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past along with the first two Zelda entries on NES. Throughout the interview, Miyamoto...
