Original Zelda documents surface from 1985
The first specification documents from the development of The Legend of Zelda surfaced during Nintendo’s most recent online Iwata Asks segment, titled “Zelda Handheld History”. The documents, which feature Shigeru Miyamoto’s official seal, show some of the stages, characters and items used in the NES classic. Of note, Link’s nemesis Ganon was actually referred to as “Hakkai” which is a pig like creature in a 16th century Chinese novel Xi Yóu Jì.
The maps were originally drawn on long sheets of paper, with Miyamoto working on the right and General Manager Takashi Tezuka working on the left. Pretty interesting stuff! Aside from the technological advancements of how to develop games, Iwata noted that these specification documents really are the “essence” of the Zelda franchise.
Take a look at all the drawings below in our gallery.
