| Main character | Link, a young swordsman in green |
|---|---|
| Villain | Ganon, the Prince of Darkness, who holds the Triforce of Power |
| Goal | Rebuild the Triforce of Wisdom from its eight pieces and defeat Ganon |
| Rescue | Princess Zelda, held captive by Ganon |
| Setting | The kingdom of Hyrule: 128 overworld screens and nine dungeons |
In The Legend of Zelda you are Link, a young swordsman who sets out to rescue Princess Zelda and stop Ganon from taking over the kingdom of Hyrule. The plot gives you one clear goal, and the rest of the adventure is about finding the pieces needed to reach it.
Table of Contents
The story
The kingdom of Hyrule has a legend about the Triforce, golden triangles with mystical powers. One day an evil army attacks the kingdom and steals the Triforce of Power. Ganon, the Prince of Darkness, leads that army. To keep the last sacred triangle safe from him, Princess Zelda breaks the Triforce of Wisdom into eight fragments and hides them across the land. She then sends her nursemaid Impa out to find a brave hero, but Ganon imprisons Zelda and sends his henchmen after Impa.
Cornered in the forest, Impa is saved by a young man named Link, who drives the henchmen away. Impa explains everything that has happened, and Link decides to rescue Zelda. The problem is that Ganon holds the Triforce of Power, and Link cannot beat him without the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom, which must be rebuilt into a single triangle. Link has to find each fragment in one of the hidden labyrinths, which are the dungeons, and then make his way to Death Mountain, where Ganon lives.
Characters
Link
Link starts the game without a sword. The Wooden Sword is the first weapon he gets, and he later gains the White Sword and the Magical Sword, along with the bombs, bow, boomerangs and other tools you find in the dungeons. Link is the character you control for the whole game.
Princess Zelda
Zelda is the princess of Hyrule. She splits the Triforce of Wisdom so that Ganon cannot take the whole of it. She is held prisoner for most of the game, and your final battle with Ganon is what frees her.
Impa
Impa is Zelda’s nursemaid and protector. She escapes the castle to find a hero, and her meeting with Link starts the adventure.
Ganon
Ganon is the Prince of Darkness and the main enemy of the game. He is a porcine, monster-like villain, and he holds the Triforce of Power. Ganon is the last boss you face, after the nine dungeons are complete. The guide covers the fight in the Level 9 chapter.
Setting
The overworld
Hyrule is one large overworld made of 128 screens. Picture a grid of 16 columns and 8 rows, with each screen the size of one view on the game screen. Link can walk freely from screen to screen, and nothing forces you to go in any order. The maps page divides the grid into eight sections and lists where the dungeon entrances and the main secrets sit.
Death Mountain
Death Mountain is the rocky range in the north of the map and the home of Ganon. Its peaks are reached by climbing the hills and by finding the entrance to the final dungeon on Spectacle Rock. Some of the most dangerous enemies of the game wait on these screens, so arrive with a good stock of hearts and potions.
The Lost Woods
The Lost Woods is a maze of trees in the south-west of the map. You have to pass through the woods in the right order to get out to the west. An old woman in a cave in the lower left of the map will tell you the route, which is north, west, south and west.
The graveyard and the lake
The graveyard, a field of headstones in the north-west, hides the Magical Sword and the entrance to Level 6. The central lake is crossed by the Raft and holds island entrances to several dungeons. Lakes also have fairy ponds where you can restore health.
For more on how the overworld and the dungeons are laid out, go to the maps page. For the order in which to visit them, the walkthrough follows the route from the first cave to the final battle.
