The initial The Legend of Zelda, in its time had one of the largest in-game worlds. It was very easy to get lost or forget a particular item or door due to the vastness of the overworlds and the dungeons they had.
In fact, it was so huge that a few players had to resort to come up with their own sketches and draw up their own maps, to prevent them from getting lost. Today, some of these unofficial sketches of maps, on the basis of dexterity and skill of the artists involved can be claimed as works of art.
It also not less exciting to know that the creators of The Legend of Zelda, also had their own versions of maps, which were hand drawn while they were at the developmental stages of the game.
Nintendo of Europe has released quite a few of the illustrations that were used in this classic game’s development. This move by Nintendo was done to mark the celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. They have also posted a video of the overworld map in addition to a few handpicked sketches from the developers.
One such drawings to be presented is the sketch of the famous skullroom, created by Takashi Tezuka. Thanks to the pictures being presented in .gif formats, we can further relate to how these images compares to the ones from the actual game.
Not just Tezuka, also involved with some of the sketches is Shigeru Miyamoto. Already known for being a talented artist, Shigeru Miyamoto is an artist in his own right, which is evident from the level of the details shown in these drawings.
The above said hand drawn maps are so exceptional that it wouldn’t be half a bad idea if Nintendo decides to compile them in the form of a collectable book. It sure is no mystery that fans of retro gaming and Zelda enthusiasts will be looking forward to collecting them anyhow.
As a few more of Nintendo’s franchises have their anniversaries lurking in the horizon; it would be nice to see the company reveal a few more contents in this manner relating to its popular franchises.
For it would be very interesting for fans to get an understanding of how these unique games were created.
Since the release of The Legend of Zelda, which was thirty years ago, the world of Hyrule has come a long way. Therefore, Nintendo had nostalgia on full flow when it revealed the sketches that played an active part in the evolution of the game.
It is through the works of Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, that audiences get a visual into the ideas that shaped the game ultimately into the pixelated Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game.
Apart from the individual pictures Nitendo has also released a clip that shows the sketch of the entire map from the iconic game. Nintendo has also confirmed by writing about the video that, indeed the video is the overworld map from the original The Legend of Zelda.
They also further stated that If one observes the videocautiously, one might be able to spot some secrets concealed around Hyrule.Two drawings from Takashi Tezukademonstrate the preparation behind two familiar rooms, as well as the skull room. Plus, maps from Shigeru Miyamoto disclose the introductory stages of a number of other locations.
The Legend of Zelda on NES had anexpansive world by the standards of 1980s console games. While yearsago,folks used to draw their own maps to keep trail of where each dungeon and secret door were situated, alternative approaches now exist.