Piece of Heart

Pieces of Heart, occasionally formatted pieces of Heart, Pieces Of Heart or pieces of heart, and also referred to as Pieces Of Heart Containers or Heart Pieces, are items in The Legend of Zelda series that represent a fraction of a complete Heart Container. When a certain number of Pieces of Hearts are collected, usually four, another heart is added to Link's health meter. Pieces of Heart first appear in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, where they replace the overworld Heart Containers from the first The Legend of Zelda game. Pieces of Heart resemble heart-shaped glass containers with a heart inside, similar to Heart Containers, except Pieces of Heart can be distinguished for encasing a smaller heart. Pieces of Heart are usually found throughout the overworld, within a Treasure Chest, or obtained for completing a sidequest.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
In The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, there are 24 Pieces of Heart for Link to collect. A new heart is gained from every 4 pieces collected.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Pieces of Heart reappear in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and retain their role from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The game has 12 Pieces of Heart for Link to collect. In the Nintendo Switch remake, this number has been increased to 32. A new heart is gained from every 4 pieces collected.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
In The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, there are 36 Pieces of Heart for Link to collect. A new heart is gained from every 4 pieces collected.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Pieces of Heart retain their role from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. There are a total of 52 Pieces of Heart for Link to collect. Once collected, latter 3-day cycles replace overworld ones with Recovery Hearts. Chests containing them, however, remain opened. A new heart is gained from every 4 pieces collected.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages
In both The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, there are a total of 12 Pieces of Heart, the same number as in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, which they also retain their appearance from. A new heart is gained from every 4 pieces collected.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, some Pieces of Heart are found within treasure chests that are sunk within the Great Sea. Link can use Treasure Charts to help find these treasure chests (although the charts do not explicitly list the locations of the Pieces of Hearts). When Link reaches a treasure chest location, he can use the Grappling Hook to pull it out. Several of these treasure chests contain a Piece of Heart. Additionally, the Island Hearts Chart shows islands with Pieces of Heart as well as amounts, though the shop trading sequence is listed as Windfall Island (where it starts) instead of Greatfish Island (where it ends). A new heart is gained from every 4 pieces collected.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
In The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, there are 44 Pieces of Hearts, which is the same number as in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. It is the first game where Pieces of Heart are displayed on pedestals, instead of being in chests or on the ground. A new heart is gained from every 4 pieces collected.

Aside from usually being found on the overworld, some Pieces of Heart are located in dungeons, making it the second game where Pieces of Heart are found within dungeons. Every dungeon has a Piece of Heart except the Temple of Droplets and Dark Hyrule Castle. A Piece of Heart is often the reward for a Kinstone Fusion.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, unlike other games, five Pieces of Heart are needed to form a complete a Heart Container. There are 45 Pieces of Heart in the game, making a total of nine Heart Containers. Pieces of Heart can be found in several locations, including the overworld and most dungeons. At Fanadi's Palace, if Link asks for Fanadi's advice about love, she reveals the location of a Piece of Heart. This game is different from all other games in that a new heart is gained from every 5 pieces collected.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a Piece of Heart is featured as a sticker. It can only be applied to Link, Toon Link, Princess Zelda, and Ganondorf. When applied, the character gets a +50 bonus to the effects of Heart Containers.

Hyrule Warriors series
In the Hyrule Warriors series, like most games of The Legend of Zelda series, four Pieces of Heart make up a Heart Container, which is then automatically added to the character's health bar. Pieces of Hearts are usually obtained from a treasure chest, which themselves usually appear after capturing certain keeps. Depending on the character used, the treasure chest might have a different reward than a Piece of Heart.