Concept and design Japanese video game designer
Shigeru Miyamoto conceived the land of Hyrule as the setting for the original
The Legend of Zelda (1986), describing it as "a miniature garden that you can put into a drawer and revisit anytime you like". He drew his inspiration from the
Kyoto countryside that he had explored in his childhood and wanted to recreate the experience of adventure and discovery. Alongside writer
Takashi Tezuka, Miyamoto created a fantasy world in the style of fantasy authors like
Tolkien, which was viewed from a
top-down perspective. It was populated with colourful characters, monsters and dungeons for the player to explore.
2D world design Miyamoto and Tezuka started working on
The Legend of Zelda during the development of
Super Mario Bros. (1985). Initially, the game did not feature an overworld. In
Hyrule Historia, Miyamoto said that Nintendo aimed to develop a launch title for the
Famicom Disk System. An early game was initially designed to make use of the Disk System's ability to rewrite data, allowing players to create dungeons and explore other players' creations. He explained: "We made a one-player game with dungeons under mountains that surrounded Death Mountain, but we couldn't shake that "I want to play above ground, too!" feeling, so we added forests and lakes, and eventually Hyrule Field". The first specifications were drawn up on a whiteboard by Miyamoto and then copied onto a document on 1 February 1985. The document detailed early concepts for items and enemies that would later feature in the game, such as a compass, bows and arrows and a boomerang, and "Hakkai", an early name given to
Ganon. This was developed into rough sketches for various items and enemies within the following two weeks. The name for the game had not yet been decided, so the title was simply labelled "Adventure". Long paper was used to create the first land map of Hyrule, which was developed by Tezuka and Miyamoto sitting side by side and drawing together. Miyamoto said that the name "Hyrule" seemed like the perfect choice during a discussion to find a name for a
high-fantasy region. In Japan,
The Legend of Zelda game was released as
The Hyrule Fantasy, which was almost chosen as the name for the entire franchise, but was dropped after the first game. Miyamoto said this could have been due to the name being too similar to
Final Fantasy, which was released in December 1987. The original Hyrule map was designed to encourage exploration and discovery, requiring up to several hours to navigate. The map is
nonlinear, so players are free to choose from several unmarked paths, with just a few areas being inaccessible at the start. Miyamoto was influenced by
The Black Onyx (1984) and
Ultima (1981), two games that centre around fantasy
dungeon crawling. The
Zelda world was defined by its mazes, hidden rooms and treasures. The game's nine dungeons were designed to be difficult to locate, forcing players to uncover the secrets of the map with little help. In addition to its underworld, the Hyrule map consists of a large overworld created out of a grid structure that is much larger than can be displayed on a single screen. It is 16 blocks wide and eight blocks high and comprises 128 areas. Miyamoto said that maps for the game were included in North America: "The maps included various hints, but to be honest, I thought it would be more enjoyable to play the game without any help. So we sealed the map, with a message reading 'You should only use the map and strategic tips as a last resort'". Players were required to begin their adventure in the centre of Hyrule and use instinct alone to find an old man inside a cave who gives Link a sword and declares, "
It's dangerous to go alone!". While navigating Hyrule's overworld and its many dangerous enemies, players must eventually find the dungeons, which each feature various enemies, items and a
boss. The fantasy characters of Hyrule, and the universe of
The Legend of Zelda as a whole, were partially inspired by the American television series
Twin Peaks (1990–2017).
Transition to 3D Hyrule continued to evolve over the course of successive games. The transition from a 2D to 3D world occurred with the release of
Ocarina of Time (1998), due to the capabilities of the
Nintendo 64, which gave players the opportunity to experience a more realistic game environment. The 3D world was also accompanied by an expanding fictional lore that laid the foundation for other games in the series within an
official fictional timeline. The game's dungeons were each unique and connected to a specific area of Hyrule and its inhabitants. Several recurring races, such as the Gorons, Zora and Gerudo were introduced and given a distinct history and culture. an expansive open grassy area, was positioned at the centre of Hyrule, acting as a hub that connects other areas to create the illusion of a vast world. Due to concerns about the limitations of the Nintendo 64, Miyamoto initially conceived the game taking place within a central hub in the confines of Ganon's Castle, similar to Peach's Castle in
Super Mario 64 (1996). He described
Ocarina of Time as a "huge project" due to the fact that it involved making the game environment from 3D
polygons and was larger in scale than anything that he had previously worked on. He said that he had approached the game by first focusing on what types of characters he wanted to include, rather than on the story or the game functions.
Ocarina of Time was designed with several innovations to help the player navigate the expansive 3D world and interact with the environment. The camera system was designed to integrate with the 3D world of Hyrule, giving the player a sense of perspective and tracking the movements of Link. The game's Z-targeting system was created to provide the player with a simple way to lock on and interact with objects, characters and enemies in the game world. The game also made use of context sensitive controls by using the A button for a range of interactions, such as mounting a horse or opening a treasure chest. These features were landmarks for Nintendo and influenced 3D world development within the games industry. During development, the staff spent less time on developing the dungeons. According to Miyamoto: "Instead of mapping your way through a maze, I think what's more important is a sense of dread, a sense of pressure, and of course an opportunity for finding secrets and solving puzzles—we should be pursuing an emotional immediacy, the sense that you are really there". Hyrule and its characters in
Ocarina of Time were depicted in an art style that drifted towards Western fantasy, although Miyamoto said there was no intentional replication of cultural elements from one specific country.
Open air concept Aonuma approached
Breath of the Wild (2017) by breaking the conventions of previous games. He explained that in
Ocarina of Time, the game world featured "routes" to help players navigate the 3D environment without getting lost, but that certain handholding and blockages had caused players to feel frustrated. By contrast,
Breath of the Wilds Hyrule was designed to allow the player to explore a vast world in any way they liked. Nintendo's senior product marketing manager
Bill Trinen described the game as "open air": "I look at this game and I see a world that is fully integrated into the exploration and the adventure. It's not just a world that you're passing through. It's sort of a world that you're a part of". The game world benefited from advancements in Nintendo hardware. Earlier games had been restricted by the available technology, creating the need to separate Hyrule into individual connecting areas, but
Breath of the Wilds game world could be experienced as a seamless environment on the
Wii U and
Nintendo Switch. The concept of an "open air" environment began during work on
The Wind Waker (2002). Aonuma said that he wanted to remove the small connecting areas of
The Wind Waker and replace them with open expanses, but the world ended up feeling smaller than he intended.
Breath of the Wilds open world was inspired by other video games. The game's director
Hidemaro Fujibayashi named
Minecraft and
Terraria (2011) as his inspirations for "the sense of adventure, exploration and how it inspired curiosity". Aonuma also mentioned several other games that he had played, including
The Witcher (2007–),
Far Cry (2004–) and
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011). He also cited
Skyward Sword (2011) as the basis for many of the world's mechanics, such as the ability to climb and explore between areas. The development team began
Breath of the Wild by working on a prototype of Hyrule that looked 2D to test interactions between objects. This was developed into a complex physics and chemistry engine that would present a higher level of realism. The chemistry engine allowed for elements, such as fire, water and electricity to interact with each other and objects in the game world. This was designed to provide the player with a more interactive gameplay that was coined "chemical reaction play". Hyrule in
Breath of the Wild was depicted using an art style that was based on the stylised visuals of
The Wind Waker but developed into a more realistic, detailed style. The civilization of the Hylians was developed with a focus on their castle in the style of
medieval Europe to return to the roots of the series, while the ancient technological features of the Sheikah were inspired by the
Jōmon period of Japanese history. This measurement of distance allowed Hyrule to be scaled up to an enormous world that appears twelve times the size of its predecessor in
Twilight Princess (2006). Hyrule was extensively expanded, by introducing Sky Islands to the map to place emphasis on vertical gameplay. In addition to its sky expansion, the game introduced the Depths, a vast pitch-black area beneath the surface of Hyrule. Aonuma said the development team had learned lessons from
Skyward Sword, where Link was restricted by the hardware to descend from particular points. He explained that the team had wanted to create the ability to "traverse a world that's not only horizontally connected in a single world, but vertically connected as well", noting the sense of freedom the player experiences by diving into that.
Depiction '' The a
medieval-based fantasy land, After the goddesses completed their tasks, they departed for the heavens, leaving behind three golden triangles containing their power to govern all things; this relic became known as the
Triforce. The creation myth was elaborated upon in
Echoes of Wisdom, with the goddesses creating the world to be a prison for a primordial
chaos entity named Null that had previously consumed anything that tried to form within the void.
Skyward Sword expanded on this history by detailing the rise of Demon King Demise and his dark forces, who attempt to take the Triforce and destroy the world. The goddess Hylia stays to protect the Triforce and leads an army of free people into battle to weaken Demise and seal him away from the world. The realm was eventually named Hyrule after its dominant race, the Hylians, who established a kingdom across the land. The kingdom is ruled by the Royal Family of Hyrule, into which the various incarnations of
Princess Zelda are often born. The Hylian alphabet is a
cipher of either English or Japanese that first appears in
A Link to the Past, where it is identified as "the ancient language of the Hylians" and is composed of symbols that
Link must translate to progress. In Japan, an explanation of the Hylian alphabet was written on the back of the instruction manual for
The Wind Waker with a phonographic writing system, or
syllabary, like the Japanese language. Since its first appearance, five more Hylian scripts have been developed and deciphered: the Old Hylian Syllabary used in
Ocarina of Time, the Modern Hylian Syllabary used in
The Wind Waker, the Hylian Alphabet used in
Skyward Sword, The first three are used for transcribing Japanese, while the latter three are used to transcribe English, totaling six variations of written Hylian. Additional languages have subsequently appeared in the series. The language of the Gerudo was introduced in
Ocarina of Time, a written and spoken language that is similar to Hylian and is written in elongated, wispy letters. The Sheikah language was introduced in
Breath of the Wild and consists of a complete alphabet of square-shaped symbols. Players have deciphered these languages to translate numerous signs and inscriptions commonly found around Hyrule. The almost-universal
currency of Hyrule is the rupee. Although it shares its name with
the real-world currency, Miyamoto said in an interview that this was not intentional and that he chose the word because it seemed cute and sounded like "rubies". In the manual for the original game, the currency was called rubies, but this was changed to rupees in later games. Subsequent games introduced more colors and sizes for rupees, each denoting a specific value. Generally, green rupees have the least value, while gold and silver rupees have the most.
Hyrulean geography Although the geography of Hyrule varies from game to game, it typically features several recurring geographical landmarks, which appear in different locations relative to each other depending on the game. • is a large volcanic mountain. It is in the northern part of Hyrule in many games, but in
The Adventure of Link it is in the south. It first appeared in the original
The Legend of Zelda and has appeared through the series up to
Tears of the Kingdom.
Twilight Princess reveals it is part of the Eldin Mountains, a mountain range in the (or Region, in later games). The main inhabitants of Death Mountain are the Gorons, a race of rock people that mine the mountains in search of food; the mountains are littered with caves as a result of their
mining activities. • is Ganon's fortress, which has acted as the battleground between him and Link in
Ocarina of Time and
The Wind Waker. In
Ocarina of Time, when Link travels to the future, it has been built in place of Hyrule Castle. • is the home of Hyrule's royal family, which first appeared in
A Link to the Past. It is a symbol of the power of the Hyrulean monarchy and is frequently the main target of Hyrule's enemies, particularly Ganon. It is often a central area that Link visits during his quest. • is a village that first appears in
A Link to the Past and has since reappeared in
Ocarina of Time,
Four Swords Adventures,
Twilight Princess,
A Link Between Worlds,
Breath of the Wild,
Tears of the Kingdom, and
Echoes of Wisdom. Kakariko Village is often portrayed as a small, prosperous town that was originally founded by the Sheikah. In
Twilight Princess, most of the villagers have turned into Shadow Beasts, making the town resemble a ghost town. In
Breath of the Wild, the village has survived the Great Calamity and is inhabited by the Sheikah. • is the largest freshwater lake in Hyrule. It commonly features collectible items and dungeons, and is often where Link encounters members of the Zora race, especially in their hostile "River Zora" forms. • The is a large
enchanted forest that appears in various games, starting with
The Legend of Zelda. It is home to the Kokiri,
Koroks and Fairies, and its maze-like structure leads travelers in circles unless they take the correct path through the forest. Rumors state that those who become lost are turned into
Stalfos. • is a location consisting of two large rock formations next to each other that resemble a pair of eyeglasses. It housed the final dungeon in
The Legend of Zelda. It is usually associated with Death Mountain, but is located in the in
Breath of the Wild and
Tears of the Kingdom. Spectacle Rock also appears in
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link,
A Link to the Past, and
A Link Between Worlds. • The is the temple that houses the Master Sword in
Ocarina of Time and
Twilight Princess, and is where the Master Sword can be used in these games to traverse time. In
Skyward Sword, Zelda and Impa go to the Temple of Time in the to travel through time, although not with the use of the Master Sword or the Goddess Sword. In
Twilight Princess it serves as a dungeon, and in
Skyward Sword it is located at the end of the dungeon. In the era of
Breath of the Wild and
Tears of the Kingdom, there are two Temples of Time. Each one is located on the two games' tutorial areas—Hyrule's in
Breath of the Wild and the in
Tears of the Kingdom—and each Temple of Time contains a way of allowing the player to progress past the starting area. Link opens a doorway in the Temple of Time at the beginning of
Tears of the Kingdom to pass the broken Master Sword on to the missing Princess Zelda in the past. The
Breath of the Wild version of the Temple of Time is the only one in the series to not have any connection to time travel. == Objects ==