The Legend of Zelda (series)
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The Legend of Zelda is a fantasy-themed action-adventure game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto and developed primarily by Nintendo. It is the main and titular series of the overall franchise of the same name. The series' first installment is also called The Legend of Zelda, first released in Japan as a launch title for the Family Computer Disk System before being released for the Nintendo Entertainment System overseas. The games follow the adventures of Hylian hero Link, as he battles the forces of evil. In most games, Princess Zelda appears as a deuteragonist, while Ganon is the primary antagonist. Both Link and Princess Zelda are not necessarily the same character, as they have appeared in various incarnations throughout the series. One consistency is that Link, Zelda, and Ganon are all connected via a mystical force known as the Triforce.
The The Legend of Zelda series has shared much synergy with the Mario franchise, namely the Super Mario series, and is considered a related series because several of its titles include Mario-related content, either as a cameo or a guest appearance. The Legend of Zelda series even introduces some species that are either relatives or notable members of Mario ones, such as Manhandla, a species of large Piranha Plants, and Head Thwomp, a notable Thwomp who is a boss in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. Some recurring Mario enemies are also an enemy within The Legend of Zelda series, which even consists of some of their earlier appearances, such as Chain Chomps in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
On various occasions, a The Legend of Zelda series title was developed side-by-side with a Super Mario series title, on the same console by a similar team of developers; this occurred as early as the first The Legend of Zelda, which was developed alongside Super Mario Bros.. Sometimes there was overlap between the development of Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda, namely how the linear ideas were used in Super Mario Bros. and the open-world ideas in The Legend of Zelda, although this would mostly become a standard within the respective series. Another instance is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which was developed on the Nintendo 64 alongside Super Mario 64, and the game even uses a heavily modified version of Super Mario 64's engine.
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