The Legend of Zelda (series)

The Legend of Zelda is a series of action-adventure games that stars a character named Link. It is the main series of The Legend of Zelda franchise, and is primarily developed by Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda series began in 1986 with the release of The Legend of Zelda. Games in the series are often developed in tandem with a game in the Super Mario series, and therefore share a similar development team. Many of the earlier The Legend of Zelda titles are two-dimensional and primarily consist of a top-down perspective, although they sometimes have side-scrolling segments. The three-dimensional installments are shown from a third-person perspective.

Gameplay
The Legend of Zelda series' gameplay focuses on combat and puzzle-solving mechanics. The combat in the 2D games often is about the player using their Sword and other items to hit enemies, while the 3D games also often have specific sword-based moves and targeting systems. The puzzle solving often requires the player to use items to manipulate the level. The player often has to retrieve items to progress such as the Triforce, and in order to get the items the player often has to go through dungeons, large levels that often revolve around a theme. Most dungeons give the player a new item which the dungeon is themed after, and the player often has to retrieve Small Keys to progress and Boss Keys to face the boss. Before and after the dungeons the player often has to interact with NPCs, which often give the player side-quests. The player can often collect Rupees, which can be exchanged for goods. Certain games allow for a larger amount of exploration then others. By exploring and completing side-quests the player is often rewarded with Heart Containers, although this can vary per game.