Things Only True Zelda Fans Understand

Few franchises command the kind of love and attention to detail from fans as The Legend of Zelda. Since the release of the first game in the series in 1986, the story of Link and the titular princess has only expanded with time (and occasional time travel). The Legend of Zelda has inspired everything from fan films to fan-made games that explore different corners of this magical world. 

With that kind of history, the series is bound to have more than a few idiosyncrasies that only folks who really love the series would pick up on. The game series itself definitely has interesting quirks and secrets, and sometimes the franchise has broken out into some other forms of media — in very odd ways. In other words, there are simply things about The Legend of Zelda franchise that only true fans would understand. Let's all put on our tunics and pointy caps and take a look at them.

The Phillips CD-i was a short-lived and overpriced disc-based console released in 1991. Possibly the most memorable thing about the ill-fated system was that Phillips had negotiated deals with Nintendo to use some of their characters for CD-i games. This is how we got a one-two punch of awfulness like Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda: The Faces of Evil. While it's cool to note that these games first gave us Zelda herself as a playable character, that's where all of the innovation and fun ends. These titles were essentially rushed to market; the resulting games were bogged down by horrible gameplay and some of the ugliest (and awkwardly hilarious) cutscenes in the history of video games. Not even the most dedicated of Legend of Zelda fans would view these games as anything more than embarrassing novelties.

In the years since, these awful games have found a bizarre form of second life as a meme, with people chopping up the footage to use in parody videos. Even more impressive, an enterprising fan by the handle of C4DNerd animated a fake trailer for an imagined HD re-release of the CD-i games.

Once upon a time, we nearly got an animated Legend of Zelda film from Imagi Animation Studios, the folks behind 2007's TMNT animated movie. TMNT showcased plenty of style and flashy action sequences, which suggests that Imagi might have at least given us some pretty interesting visuals to bring the series' lore to life. A short teaser, in which Link and Zelda fought off a horde of monsters, was created as a proof of concept so that Imagi could pitch a full feature film to Nintendo. Unfortunately, the pitch was turned down by Nintendo, and Imagi went on to make 2009's Astro Boy instead, which would sadly go on to be their final film as a studio.

Meanwhile, the full tantalizing teaser eventually made its way onto the internet, as well as a video showing off the animation process behind the short. Though it's very brief, it's clear that there was a lot of love and excitement for the source material. If nothing else, Link would have certainly come off better in this than in the 1980s cartoon series.

Though The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is a beloved entry in the franchise, the initial response to Link's cutesier, cel-shaded design wasn't very kind. Petitions were started by unhappy fans to get a different game made altogether. People were genuinely angry over what they perceived as Nintendo's intent to be more childish. Though the game received rave reviews, a lot of this fan backlash is what led to Nintendo canceling a Wind Waker sequel on the Wii, opting to make the more serious Twilight Princess instead. Even now, there are still people who hate the "Toon Link" design.

Even the series' creator, the great Shigeru Miyamoto, confessed that he understood the look wasn't universally accepted. However, he felt that it was the best way to show that this Link was at a very different age and mindset than the one we're all familiar with. Miyamoto said, "I'll admit it took courage to use this more cartoon design ... As Link is a young boy rather than an adult, he was completely reinvented with a more streamlined look... So yes, I know that there are plenty of people who hate his cartoon version."

To put it simply and in the most scientific of terms, the timeline of The Legend of Zelda is totally whackadoo bonkers. As our very own Christopher Gates put it, "The hero of every game is named Link and the princess is always named Zelda, but they're not always the same Link and Zelda ... Every time there's a big time jump, it's a new Link and Zelda on the scene." Got that? Maybe not, but Legend of Zelda fans have kind of made it their mission to suss out where and when each game takes place in the grand scheme of the series.

Luckily, Nintendo gave us Hyrule Historia, a book containing the official timeline (or timelines) of the series. It's here that we learned the timeline of the series is actually three separate ones, with continuities that branch off into a cycle of death and reincarnation following a decisive battle between Link and series antagonist Ganondorf. Naturally, even these intricate timelines have a few outliers, with a few of the games' events contradicting one another or featuring design aesthetics that seem to be at odds. It's confusing, but it's something that the series' fans genuinely love. 

When asked why there wasn't an option to play as a female character in Breath of the Wild, series producer Eiji Aonuma said, "If we're going to have a female protagonist, it's simpler to have Princess Zelda as the main character ... [but] if we have Princess Zelda as the main character who fights, then what is Link going to do?"

That's some slightly reductive reasoning, considering the fact that fans have been clamoring for the opportunity to play as Zelda in a main series entry for quite some time. We've gotten smaller opportunities to do so, in games like Hyrule Warriors, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and (SIGH) the Phillips CD-i games, but it would be great to play as Zelda protecting her own kingdom for once. 

Considering Zelda's status by the end of Breath of the Wild, there's a chance we may get our wish sometime soon. While Aonuma has also been somewhat cagey about whether or not we can expect to play as Zelda in the sequel to Breath of the Wild, even the slight tease is exciting for many fans. 

In an era when New Game+ is more or less a given aspect of the medium, it's hard to remember a time when that was something that wasn't always guaranteed. In fact, when the original Legend of Zelda dropped, many fans were likely amazed to find that there was a whole new journey waiting for them after they rescued Zelda. This new challenge, also known as the Second Quest, rose from a mistake from game designer Takashi Tezuka, who realized he'd only used half of the game's memory when creating its dungeons. Therefore, he decided to remix the dungeons and throw in some extra baddies for players to discover after their first play through.

This tradition was continued in Zelda 2, with the added benefit that Link kept all of his gear from the first playthrough, a design that has been echoed by many of today's New Game+ modes. These days, it's just second nature for longtime Zelda fans to expect more game for their buck, but that feeling can be traced back to that exhilarating first game and its surprise second half.