The COMPLETE History of The Legend of Zelda - Part 1 | Establishing Hyrule

The Legend of Zelda has always been a series that innovates, but how did these ideas come to be? What led to some of the defining early concepts of this beloved franchise? And how did oddities like LCD tie-ins and the infamous CD-i games actually happen? Join Derrick for Part 1 of this COMPLETE Retrospective of Zelda's 37 year history!
Watch Part 2 here! • The COMPLETE History o...
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:46 - The Legend of Zelda
13:07 - Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
21:25 - Zelda: Game & Watch
23:13 - The Legend of Zelda: Game Watch
24:53 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
35:40 - The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods - Barcode Battler 2
37:41 - The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
47:07 - Link: The Faces of Evil & Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon
56:46 - BS The Legend of Zelda
1:04:12 - Zelda’s Adventure
1:09:01 - BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets
1:12:06 - Coming in Part 2
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#thelegendofzelda #nintendo #tearsofthekingdom

[@GVG]

Part 2 of the History is now available! Be sure to check it out! kzbin.info/www/bejne/l6DMf5V-fb2Xr6s

[@pangake]

really enjoying part 1, excited to watch 2!

[@stephengubler557]

Give us part 3

[@cedrikthibert7033]

Zelda 2 took me a while to finish but I honestly think it's the worse one I have played. No I never played the CDI crap and never will.

[@GVG]

Many of you have been asking about Part 2 and I'm happy to say I've finished the research and script today! It's even longer than Part 1 yet covers less games. That's because this Retrospective is going beyond 3 Parts now. There's just a LOT to cover! Thank you so much for watching and look forward to eventual video!

[@ai_is_a_great_place]

I can't wait! This video was phenomenal!

[@HotakXvi]

You guys make the best specials!

[@nesanders311]

Excellent production - research on point - solid script writing - it's beautiful!! I can't wait for more, the rest of this series, and whatever you do next!! Keep it up!

[@WhatisAPaladin]

honestly it wasnt that good, feel like ive seen the same thing 10 years ago.. just with an added game or two.

[@lornbaker1083]

Spinnaker software!? So the game grumps somehow subconsciously stumbled upon Using the term to represent People who do things Incompetently. And it just happened to be the same name. As the company that resulted in Is someone thinking that they could make a good zelda game on it. Resulting in the nightmare of the c d I,? Somebody I beg of you please tell dan. He has to know! Spinnakers were real!

[@solofox9426]

I remember I was 11 years old when me and my 10 year old cousin spent hours after school walking from one store to the other thru-out my city looking for Link to the Past on release day. In those day, release days where a little more open to interpretation so none of the department stores had it yet. We finally found a copy at the now defunct Software Etc store like 5 miles from our house. I remember walking home after dark to then start what felt like a similarly epic nighttime adventure in Hyrule once we returned home. It took us like 45 hours to track down a copy and it was well worth it.

[@DylanBandicoot]

Return of the king.

[@radagast7200]

The Once and Future King. There is actually a lot of subtle Arthurian references across the whole series.

[@GreyWithCreamium]

Love how even the wristwatch game got an entire segment, everything gets covered. Hope part 2 is soon.

[@WRILLI4M]

I got my Zelda wristwatch for a friend who happened to have it, but was regretfully forced to sell it to gather some cash. Though I still have the wristwatch, it doesn't work anymore, sadly...

[@PrimRooks]

I see GVG Zelda video, I click. I hear Derrick narration, I stay.

[@domennysometimesplays2484]

I hear Derrick, I run

[@brabdockable]

I don't hear John, i leave

[@dannykazari]

I think this is the first time I've seen someone do a serious non-ironic retrospective of the CD-i Zelda games that isn't filled with jokes

[@ts7844]

‘Jokes’

[@anthonyduffy6953]

That's because them games are a joke all on their own

[@WRILLI4M]

​@@anthonyduffy6953a bad joke, if I must say.

[@Dragwhite]

you guys have been pumping out some incredible zelda content these last few days, you love to see it

[@LayZKimochi420BlazeIt]

This is one of the best Zelda retrospectives I've seen yet, I appreciate how much depth and background was given to each title especially shedding some more light on the Zelda cdi projects.

[@Retrogameplayer8000]

This isn't a retrospective it's a thesis

[@eagleithrustx5668]

If there is a more definitive ‘History of Zelda’ out there I haven’t seen it. Incredibly well done.

[@SearchmanDS]

Learning about the CD-i and Satellaview games was fascinating since I didn't know much about them aside from them existing. Looking forward to the next part because that's the era where video games started catching my eyes when I was young.

[@lavawingsplays1627]

The TV marketing for Zelda 1 was so goddamn piss poor. I would have avoided this game if all i ever saw were the commercials

[@hotdoggington6962]

I'm SO glad I got recommended this. Just excellent work, I'm super hyped for the next

[@maxg2335]

I love these videos. Would really love one of these for the Metal Gear Solid series.

[@nworder4life]

WOW this is incredible, what a comprehensive guide into each zelda installment, and Derrick you're a great narrator. Very excited for the next parts.

[@BoBennings]

I can’t wait for the next part! I never get tired of listening to Zelda’s history.

[@ChipperAN]

Maybe the best retrospective yet. Can't wait for part 2!!

[@novemberguy8537]

Incredible top tier content as always, Derrick! Love seeing how your work becomes even more amazing year after year!

[@sorash6671]

Incredible work from Derrick with this first part! Even knowing a lot about the series, I still learned a lot on lesser known titles like de BS games and the game watch as well as little details on the main games and their development. A must watch for any Zelda fan for sure.

[@personalgamedevyt9830]

I learned a lot from this video about Zelda that I don't think has been covered in most videos on Zelda's history. Great research!

[@wayfarer1021]

I’ve watched hundreds of Zelda history videos and this is by far one of best! The quality and amount of content and details is on another level! Awesome work! Looking forward to part 2!

[@jbot44114]

Those commercials though... 🫠

[@luffa96]

Great video Derrick!! I’d be down for a Metroid retrospective!!

[@TompaA]

Small nitpick: At 1:11:20, being able to find cracked walls was not introduced in Link's Awakening, you can do the same in regular A Link to the Past as well. But yes, there are no non-cracked walls in ALttP, but unless you want to waste bombs, you still are forced to test walls because of the many faked wall cracks in the game. Great video, looking forward to part 2!

[@cjt217]

I have finally finished this video. Incredible work done to distill it all for this video!

[@SpookySkellyGurl]

For the record, the full title in Japan was The Legend of Zelda 2 [in English] リンくの冒険 [which translates to Link's Adventure or Adventure of Link.]. The truncation to simply "Zelda II," leaving out the "The Legend of" part was only in localized versions, or at least the North American one.

[@joeschmo6637]

THIS is the best and most complete legend of zelda history I have ever seen. Thanks and great work!!

[@lavitikis100]

So much more to Zelda than I ever thought. Thank you for this video! Watching pt 2 now

[@R0KURU]

Wow, such a well put together video! I’m baffled this doesn’t have more views.. gonna watch the next part and I’m so excited to view the Golden Sun video! One of my favorite games

[@robleon6368]

Great video! Exceptional level of detail, as always. I learned quite a lot just in this installment. Looking forward to the next episode and would love to see a similar retrospective of Fire Emblem.

[@Oscarsome]

Amazing retrospective! I learned so many new details! I thought I knew most of Zelda’s history, but clearly not! So excited for part 2 as that’s where most of my fave Zelda games should be.

[@dgc1570]

Congrats on getting part 1 of the Zelda retrospective out before TOTK's release. And glad that you're feeling better

[@kasig2013]

God, this video was outstanding. Comprehensive without being bloated and informative without ever getting dull. This was incredibly cool. Well done.

[@OG_Gamer_Hoff]

This was an amazing video. I have been a fan of the Zelda series since being a small child. I knew tons of info, but was surprised by how much more was out there. I cannot wait for Part Two to release!

[@LooseAsADEUCE]

This is top notch! I'm a huge Zelda fan but I def learned some stuff from this. Yall are really killing it this week!

[@josephspaulding2754]

Thank you so much for your hard work! This is amazing! I can’t wait for part two .

[@justsomedude5727]

Good way to get hyped for the new game, it was cool how the item combining mechanic in the new game goes way back to the start.

[@chaos3two]

Love these retrospectives. Good job Derrick & the rest of the GVG team! ❤

[@Incrediblefatslug]

I thought I had learned everything about this series and I'm glad that you guys brought some new information to it

[@Teedyan]

Fantastic work, I was not anticipating this level of detail. Had a ton of fun watching it in chunks so that I could digest it all 🌟

[@FallicIdol]

Thank you. What a great episode.

[@LochNES]

This was fantastic! Excited for pt. 2.

[@zeldaandmariofan05]

I love this retrospective and can't wait to see more. My favorite game in the series is ALTTP and it is interesting to now know that they wanted to have 3 worlds in it instead of just 2.

[@milesrodger3724]

These videos getting me hyped af GVG

[@npcsonlybeyondthispoint]

Just found this channel and this video blew me away! I have liked and subscribed and look forward to the part 2 and beyond, your research is amazing and deep!

[@pandnh4]

Outstanding work here. Loved the history lesson.

[@GamerFunOriginallyAarush]

What a great story for The Legend Of Zelda!

[@lionablaze8747]

very thorough retrospective. can't wait for part 2.

[@markiimark6573]

One of the very best videos I've seen in a good while. Even if I knew most of this, always nice to have a refresher.

[@morgan9775]

Love this informative video hope for part 2

[@RetroJack]

Great stuff - looking forward to part 2!

[@yemmie]

This so in-depth! I expect to know all the facts but I learnt so much!

[@BobaBushido]

The fact that almost every zelda game exists because the creators had too many ideas to fit into the game prior is pretty awesome

[@GoodOldDaysGaming]

Thanks for this in-depth video. I learned some stuff I never knew before!

[@kirindas4691]

Thanks for the Zelda Retrospective!!

[@chukasssss]

THIS IS SO GRIPPING! I CAN’T WAIT FOR PART 2! THANKS FOR SAVING ME FROM DEPRESSION!

[@sirventagod]

Love the amount of detail in this video!

[@stormRed]

This is SO comprehensive! Well done!!

[@novustalks7525]

The fact that you're actually covering EVERYTHING is great. So many videos claim to do that but leave out all the small LCD stuff or the CDI games

[@mondongo_en_salsa]

what a video. thanks for doing these. looking forward to the next parts

[@rekc_bcq4816]

9:58 WAIT THIS COMMERCIAL HAD A RAP?! I’VE ONLY SEEN THE FIRST FEW SECONDS!!!

[@indexical1897]

Wow this is great. Can’t wait for part 2!

[@gusbus12345678]

Excellent video, really learnt a lot. Thank you so much.

[@denycast]

Wow! And that is only part 1! Looking forward the next😀

[@Axecon1]

Love all the Zelda videos this week, really amps the hype for TOTK!

[@oddishu]

Amazing work Derrick!

[@zanicnight]

Finally, someone mentions Jason. I met Jason in 2005 at the NYRF and we became friends. He had told me about how he had worked on the game and that is how I found the Zelda CD-i games. I love his design work and he is a great guy. Thank you for giving him credit.

[@ben8446]

Link to the past is a golden memory. The use of rain in the opening Gave it such gravitas…

[@davidburnett5049]

It was a rare thing at the time. At least in my young mind

[@ianswift3521]

@@davidburnett5049 oh no it was. and that's a big part of why we were all impressed worldwide by so many nintendo titles, the ones that pushed the limits of what was possible in games and maybe still do though I haven't paid attention in 20 years.

[@IBigDickI]

7:57 Bro made history here

[@AbruptAvalanche]

Wow, this was great! Very thorough! Of course, now I expect a ten minute segment on the Twilight Princess Picross game in the next video.

[@Bhamloud47]

This is a great video. One the better Zelda history ones I’ve seen.

[@stevensuddreth540]

Derrick is the man! This was fantastic.

[@guguig9746]

This is stellar work

[@sarahmonster4936]

Thank you so much!

[@benbodnar976]

Excellent video！

[@SUPERCLUBVIDEO]

Part ONE?! That’s amazing 💖

[@HeyRaguio]

yet another terrific history video from Derrick!

[@Cee_Nelly]

This was AMAZING!!!

[@zainilyas18]

This deserves millions of views, top work

[@adamharris306]

Incredibly well done.

[@ColonialSun-mg6tq]

These are my favorite Derrick videos they are all masterpiece’s

[@zoom4145]

This is one of the videos you watch at 3am and just love ❤

[@patrickvillanueva4656]

Loving this series and felt like I should try and play LoZ on NES for the first time!

[@BileDuctBalderdash]

Yes! But nothing will ever compare to that feeling of waking up in 1986 on Christmas with a Nintendo into your tree in Zelda ready to be played. Best memories of my childhood

[@vwts]

Play blind! Until you absolutely fail to find the last dungeon, at least. IMO still the best Zelda game.

[@tatenaibenbusi]

No small feat! I learned a lot here. Keep up the good work :)

[@Jormunguandr]

Comfy video, filled with fun memories.😊

[@Aultimaespada1]

That's an AMAZING series! Hope you make more of them! Maybe a Metroid one?

[@imreallylukefaulkner]

You love to see a new Derrick History video!

[@JonathanPerez-ts7uj]

Link to the past holds a very special place in my heart. My best friend and I spent our childhood playing the hell out of it and discovering everything together over sleepovers. I feel that with the advent of the internet kids today have lost something special. As adults my friend and I still talk about zelda and even played tears of the kingdom at the same time so we could discuss it together. *sheds a manly tear*

[@abaque24]

Zelda 4, Link’s Awakening is such turning point for the series- it’s my favorite zelda game ever XD

[@leejackowsky7835]

I love how Nintendo turned a Retail Cashier job into a video game system... This video was absolutely amazing in documenting the history of Zelda. Never seen one as thorough as this.

[@TBSkyen]

God, those old TV ads for Zelda... it was a Time™.

[@pjdava]

Good Vibes Gaming, I subscribed because your videos are super cool!

[@mehdigeek]

this is so good

[@TheLeftistLife]

We need a part 2!!!

[@ChrisHoulihan]

This. Was. Amazing. Disappearing from the internet for TOTK made me miss it 😢. I was a little kid when the first LOZ came out, am a lifetime fan and I didn’t know most of this info. Alttp is my childhood favorite and you are my favorite for making a video about it. Can’t wait for the next part! I would love a series that focused on Final Fantasy 😍, how do I vote? I would employ you to make these videos, they are well-researched (those original Zelda commercials!! 😍😍).

[@robharli]

I love this. Seeing these Retrospectives is such a cool thing. Thank you for your hard work Derrick. Now all I need is a Metroid Retrospective. And maybe one for Fire Emblem?

[@ches2]

Derrick just gets it, man.

[@SkarKingg]

The original US Zelda commercial is one of a kind, it even had a freestyle rap. Thanks for making this video so I could become educated and learn and see things I never had. I was born in 1987, for Christmas me and my twin brother got the Super Nintendo & The Legend of Zelda bundle. I was young, so of course, the game was expert difficulty, but my next-door neighbor(4yrs older than me) came over all the time and helped beat or play SNES games since he didn't have a console until the following Christmas. He was a good friend until his family moved but I lightly hold a grudge because he was a knowledgeable collector of Magic card game, GI Joe, Transformers, Star Wars, Legos, Comics, Sports Card and basically everything collectable and I can't count on both my hands how many times he screwed me and my twin with trades as he would make us believe we're getting good trades etc. I don't hate him, nor am I mad at him because being grown up now, I know how kids are, and I'd feel differently if it had happened while beings adults.

[@ianswift3521]

bro everybody had a "friend" or more than one like that... who would manipulate u into trading something they want and you have, and sometimes even get their parents to influence ur parents to get you to do it.

[@WhiteCaneV1]

Wow this was amazing, wish I had played more Zelda.

[@billdonahue3765]

Amazing