2 Comments
Link's latest adventure, "The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks" just released for the Nintendo DS. In it, you play as a cutesy cartoon Link who travels around Hyrule on his very own runaway train with the recently-disembodied soul of Princess Zelda finding asylum on board. Yeah -- it's pretty crazy. That's why we decided to take a look back at the franchise's 20-plus-year history and unearth the strangest facts and tidbits about everybody's favorite princess-saving elf.

Read on for the most interesting and weird facts about "The Legend of Zelda."


1) Link is the strong, silent type

Outside of a few rare instances, Link is the most mute video game character ever, right up there with "Tetris"'s L-block and the little square from "Adventure." Sure, when cartoon Link debuts in "The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker" he shouts "come on!" to beak-nosed bird girl Medli, and he often yells unintelligible battle cries, but otherwise he keeps his mouth shut and his eye on the prize, which more often than not is saving Zelda's skin. Oh, and for the sake of argument, we're completely ignoring those Philips CD-i Zelda games that made us want to punch the TV in the vain hope Link would feel it.


2) There is a character named "Error"

OK, well his name is actually supposed to be Errol, but thanks to a programming error (heh) he became the stuff of legend. Back in the day, video games were typically translated poorly from their native Japanese to English. And since the industry wasn't the multi-billion-dollar giant that it is today, these localization issues were rarely addressed or even noticed by publishers -- even Nintendo. "I am Error" went on to become an Internet meme, a phrase jokingly passed between gamers in the know (it's the Zelda equivalent of "Final Fantasy IV"'s "you spoony bard!") and even made its way onto T-shirts.



3) The boomerang is Link's best friend

One of Link's most trusty side weapons, the boomerang has appeared in virtually every Zelda game to date. However, giving a green-tunic-wearing elf, who is able to cast magical spells and has a sword that shoots energy bolts, a boomerang does seem strange. It's like giving an Army Ranger a BB gun. Luckily, Link often has reason to use the weapon as it stuns certain enemies and retrieves far away items. We wish actual boomerangs could do that; we'd use 'em to fetch sandwiches and bottles of alcohol.

4) The "Legend of Zelda" theme song is the video game equivalent of the "Star Wars" theme
The catchy tune that began in glorious 8-bit MIDI format in the NES classic is revered by gamers worldwide. Right next to the original "Super Mario Bros." song (which itself is the video game equivalent of the "The National Anthem"), it's nostalgia in musical form -- an ode to a simpler time full of beeps and boops. You're probably humming it right now, aren't you?


5) Link hates the movies

Despite being one of the longest-running, most popular video game series of all time, "The Legend of Zelda" has never been turned into a Hollywood film. Judging by some of Nintendo's other silver screen efforts (the "Super Mario Bros." film leaps to mind), this is probably a good thing. Can you imagine not only forcing Link to speak, but casting him? It'd be a nightmare for Zelda fanboys, who aren't just notoriously hard to please, but actually impossible to please. For what it's worth, our vote would go to Shia LaBeouf for his masterful ability to evoke raw emotion with as little dialogue as possible.


6) Link left his three hearts in Hyrule Castle

A staple of the series since its inception, Link begins each quest with a measly three hearts, which represent (obviously) his health. Taking hits from enemies decreases his life, giving an all-too-literal meaning to the term "heart attack." Link can refill his health by picking stray, floating hearts off the ground, which we'd like to think is a metaphorical call for health-care reform, specifically in regard to organ transplant waiting lists. Even Hyrule has socialized medicine, albeit in the form of smashable jars that hide healing fairies and rejuvenating elixirs brewed by witches.


7) Toon Link angers gamers

When Nintendo first showed off what would become the Gamecube's first Zelda title, "The Wind Waker," it featured a realistic Link squaring off against a noticeably badass Ganon. Suffice to say, gamers got stoked. When Nintendo officially announced the game, however, a great deal of that hype died due to a drastic departure from the early footage. A cel-shaded world where Link was a little kid? Gamers cried foul, but mostly just cried. "How could Nintendo do this to the series? It's about an elf fighting land-crawling octopi to rescue a princess from a man-pig. The graphics should be dark and gritty, not this cartoon shit!" The game released to rave reviews even as it divided the fanbase.



8) Princess Zelda isn't afraid to get her silken gloves dirty

Without spoiling key moments from certain games, let's just say Zelda isn't the helpless royal you'd expect. She is more than willing to help Link kick ass, so long as she isn't under a magical sleeping curse, dead or imprisoned by Ganon. Unfortunately, she usually is at least one of those so her assistance is a rarity.

9) Link travels in style

Through the years, Link's had to traverse myriad environments, from vast oceans to rolling plains. Some of the modes of transportation he's used, from least weird to weirdest: raft, horse, steam train, talking boat.

10) "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link" is the black sheep of the series

How would you follow up one of the most successful (at the time) games ever made? Nintendo decided to ditch almost every aspect of the original for the sequel, working in experience points, an overhead overworld map, more fleshed-out NPCs, random battles and side-scrolling 2D-action platforming. Some parts went on to become staples of the series, while others still stand out as WTF moments.