The Trademarks Of The Legend Of Zelda

Throughout The Legend of Zelda's 25-year history, Link has utilized dozens of different items and weapons.

Throughout The Legend of Zelda's 25-year history, Link has utilized dozens of different items and weapons. Some have been around since his NES debut and are crucial to virtually every title in the series, such as bombs, the bow, and the boomerang. Others were introduced later or came and went as the series went on. With Skyward Sword on the horizon in just a couple of months, we're likely to see most (if not all) of the following items once again. Read on to learn about the series' running trademarks.

The Master Sword

First Appearance: A Link to the Past

While The Legend of Zelda featured a powerful and coveted magic sword, the official Master Sword wasn't introduced until Link's SNES debut. This legendary blade can repel evil, and typically isn't acquired until several dungeons have been completed. Depending on the game, it features different abilities like shooting magic (A Link to the Past) or advancing/rewinding time (Ocarina of Time). Based on the information we received during our cover trip, signs point towards the blade making its return in Skyward Sword.

Boots

First Appearance: The Adventure of Link

Link first gained access to magic boots in Zelda II: The Adventure of
Link, allowing him to walk over certain bodies of water. Later in the
series, various boots granted him a wider range of mobility. Navigating
Hyrule in A Link to the Past was much faster thanks to the Pegasus
Boots, Iron Boots and Hover Boots allowed him to sink in water or
briefly hover in air in Ocarina of Time, and the Iron Boots in Twilight
Princess let him stick to magnetic surfaces like in the picture above.
Considering Link has the ability to run in Skyward Sword, we'd expect
the dash to be learned thanks to a new pair of boots.

The Big Key

First Appearance: A Link to the Past

Keys have always been required to navigate Zelda's dungeons, and A Link to the Past introduced a special one that must be collected before entering a boss chamber. This concept has returned in all of the future titles in the series, with occasional changes in name (the Nightmare Key in Link's Awakening) and function (the Big Key had to be carried to the boss room in Spirit Tracks).