Today marks 25 years since Nintendo's sword and sorcery adventure title, The Legend of Zelda hit the Famicom in Japan. Since then, it's been one of gaming's most highly regarded franchises, a constant harbinger of new technologies and a guaranteed hit from instalment to instalment.
In that quarter of a decade, Link and pals have touched almost every Nintendo console, and a few non-Nintendo systems too. If you're counting terrible Philips CDI spin-offs, ancient Game and Watch handhelds and downloadable SNES games, Link's adventures have appeared in over 20 games.
Almost every element that binds the series -- from Link's pointy
green hat to the golden triforce logo and from the catchy theme tune to the demonic flock of chickens -- has gone down in gaming legend. Not to mention its colourful, eclectic and just plain weird cast of characters.
From the mute, time-travelling boy-hero to the cross-dressing Princess, a talking tree to an annoying fairy, this monstrous franchise has seen a cast of hundreds spread over distant lands, dream worlds, sprawling Hyrulean kingdoms and massive stretches of ocean. Here's a toast to just 12 of our favourite characters in the series.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
