| First Appearance: Legend of Zelda |
| Genre: Adventure |
| Creator: Shigeru Miyamoto |
Link is the main playable character in the Legend of Zelda series. Also known as the Hero of Time or the Hero of Winds. Link's main goal is often times to save the Princess Zelda and defeat the evil Ganondorf.
History
Link has been through many adventures in his homeland called Hyrule, although several of his games have taken place in lands seperate from his Hyrule. Unlike Mario, who's games can usually go in any order chronologically, there are multiple Links who are said to rise up when a great evil threatens Hyrule, such as Ganon or Vaati.
In Legend of Zelda, Link was chosen by an Old Man to save Hyrule. The Old Man gave him a sword, and Link went off. In this game, Hyrule is largely desolate, with all the citizens going underground to protect themselves from freely roaming monsters. The final enemy, Ganon, is clearly in control of the land. Link finds the 8 pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom in 8 dungeons, then ventures to Ganon's dungeon for a final confrontation in order to save Princess Zelda.
In Adventure of Link, the same Link finds out from Impa that he has in possession the Triforce of Courage. Zelda has been put to sleep by her brother and a magician. Link must go to 6 Palaces in order to release the seal on the Thunderbird Palace, where he goes on to defeat the Thunderbird in order to release the seal on Zelda. In addition, Ganon's minions are wreaking havoc in Hyrule again, hoping to sacrifice Link in order to bring back Ganon. Link defeats the Thunderbird, but then confronts his own Shadow, Shadow Link.
Link comes back in Link to the Past. This time, he has an uncle who is a Knight of Hyrule. Link recieves a telepathic message from Zelda, who has been imprisoned by a wizard named Agahnim. Agahnim was an advisor to the King of Hyrule, but then brought upon him a Coup in order to gain control. Link tells his uncle, who goes off to the Castle. Zelda contacts him once more, and he goes to her. Link finds his uncle injured inside the castle and takes his sword and shield to save Zelda. He rescues her, and then she tells Link that in order to fell Agahnim, he will need to contact a wise man, Saharasla.
Games
Legend of Zelda (1987) In the original title, the evil Ganon kidnapped Princess Zelda, hoping to steal the power of the Triforce. Fortunately, Zelda split the Triforce into pieces, and sent her servant Impa for help. After being saved from a Moblin by Link, the green-clad youth embarked on a quest to regather the eight pieces of the Triforce and defeat the evil Ganon. With a well-placed shot of the mystical "silver arrow", Ganon was apparently destroyed.
Although simplistic by today's standards, for the late 80s the game was epic, featuring sprawling dungueons and an expansive inventory of weapons. The game also established the core of the follow-up titles in the series.
Already Released:
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda: Adventure of Link
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Soon to be Released Titles:
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Conception
Link was created by Shigeru Miyamoto when he wanted to create a character who would traverse lands and uncover secret dungeons. Link was to be a boy open to the world, and his name stems from the "link" he has with the player. Though in game cannon his name is Link, the player can usually name the character whatever they wish to.