Laugh Your Way Through Hyrule with These 31 Legend of Zelda Memes

John Summers • Contributor

Sep 2, 2024 10:00 PM EDT

The first Legend of Zelda game (you know, the one that was just called The Legend of Zelda) was my very first virtual adventure. I distinctly remember my 11-year-old self sitting on the floor in front of our "giant" 22-inch TV, completely transported to a different world for hours at a time. I had played quite a few video games by that point, but this was the first time I felt like I was Link. I felt like I was exploring a real land called Hyrule—I knew its forests, its deserts, and its caves.

Looking back now, I can see that the graphics were extremely basic, and so were the music and sound effects, but for me, it was more than enough to transport me into a different realm. Since then, Shigeru Miyamoto has continued to expand the world, the characters, the lore, and, more than anything, the gameplay in ways that couldn't even be imagined back in 1987. But the first game will forever stay with me as one of the most important experiences in my video game history.