Many players enjoy The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but I don’t think enough of us give it the credit it deserves for shaping the entire series. Similar to how a modern moviegoer might watch John Carpenter’s Halloween and find it cliché, players who go back to check out A Link to the Past might see it as just another Zelda game because they don’t realize this is where many of the series’ tropes first started.

Even as someone whose first Zelda game was A Link to the Past, I didn’t fully realize the game’s impact on the series before looking further into it. When things that A Link to the Past created popped up in later Zelda games like Ocarina of Time, I just assumed they must have been mainstays from the beginning. However, there are a lot of elements that A Link to the Past came up with that weren’t in the original two Zelda games, but have since become major recognizable elements of the franchise.

A Link to the Past Introduced Link's Iconic Weapon

The Master Sword First Appeared In A Link To The Past

Although not present in every game, Link’s Master Sword is easily one of his most iconic weapons. Initially, I had assumed it was always part of the franchise, so I was surprised to learn that it first appeared in A Link to the Past. Not only was this the first appearance of the Master Sword, but the game also established all the major details of the sword.

A Link to the Past established the Master Sword’s iconic look, from its large curved purple hilt to the Triforce engraved on its blade. It also established some of the requirements necessary for wielding the Master Sword. In order to pull the Master Sword from its stone, the prospective wielder must collect three spiritual objects. In A Link to the Past and its sequel A Link Between Worlds, these are the Pendants of Virture, but there are analogous objects in Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and Phantom Hourglass.

Ironically, at the end of A Link to the Past, the game claims that the Master Sword “sleeps again… forever!” This is very much not the case, as the sword has gone on to appear in 10 games after its initial appearance. While there are variations on how the Master Sword can be retrieved and its location in each game, the sword itself and its appearance have remained a consistent part of the series.

A Link To The Past Gave Us Proto-Ganondorf

Agahnim Created The Blueprint For Ganondorf

Ganon’s alter ego, Ganondorf, is another consistent part of the Zelda franchise. Although he isn’t in every game, the Gerudo sorcerer is still seen as one of the franchise’s major villains. While Ganondorf didn’t appear until The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, A Link to the Past did give players a very similar character that was essentially the first version of him.

Agahnim fills almost the exact same role that Ganondorf does in Ocarina of Time.

At the beginning of the game, A Link to the Past’s main villain is Agahnim, an evil sorcerer who sends Zelda to the Dark World and breaks the Seal of the Seven Sages. Initially, it seems that Agahnim is just a servant of Ganon, but it is later revealed that he is simply Ganon’s alter ego. Also, when fighting Agahnim, players reflect his magic attacks back at him with the Master Sword.

If all of this sounds familiar, it’s because Agahnim fills almost the exact same role that Ganondorf does in Ocarina of Time. Ganondorf is a better form of Ganon, which is why he stuck around longer than Agahnim. However, A Link to the Past still created the blueprint of what would become Ganondorf.

A Link To The Past Introduced Alternate Realities

Later Zelda Games Incorporated The Idea Of Multiple Parallel Worlds

A Link to the Past takes place across two parallel worlds: the Light World and the Dark World. Each has essentially the same layout, but there are some notable differences between the two, with the Dark World being more dangerous. Players travel between them, sometimes having to hop back and forth to solve puzzles.

This idea of multiple worlds is something that would come back in the series later on. Ocarina of Time’s time traveling is very similar, with the future being similar to the Dark World and the game’s present more like the slightly safer Light World. A similar dynamic was present in The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess, where players switched between Hyrule and the encroaching Twilight Realm.

Although most Zelda games don’t use these types of mechanics as heavily, the idea of different realities or time periods within a single game does pop up from time to time. For example, players travel to the past in Wind Waker to retrieve the Master Sword. Funnily enough, although the idea of multiple worlds sometimes manifests itself as time travel, and the word “past” is in the title, A Link to the Past doesn’t actually deal with time travel.

A Link To The Past Created Iconic Pieces Of Equipment

The Hookshot, Swimming Equipment, & New Tunics Originated In A Link To The Past

Aside from the Master Sword, A Link to the Past is also the first time several of Link’s well-known items appear in the franchise. For instance, this is the first game where Link can upgrade his tunic, going from green to blue to red. Ocarina of Time used the same colors, giving its blue and red tunics some unique abilities instead of making them armor upgrades. Twilight Princess also includes multiple Tunic upgrades, again using the green, blue, and red color schemes, though this time with more accompanying details.

A Link to the Past also introduced several items that helped Link traverse the overworld and would show up in some form in later games. The hookshot is a good example of an item that has shown up quite a few times since its introduction and is considered an iconic enough part of Link’s arsenal to make it into the Smash Bros. games. This game also introduced Zora’s flippers, which allowed Link to swim. While Link can typically swim from the get-go in 3D Zelda games, he does usually get a similar upgrade that allows him to breathe underwater.

From items to characters, to plot devices, A Link to the Past could very possibly be the most influential game in The Legend of Zelda series. That isn’t to say other games haven’t made their own meaningful contributions to the game’s world and its fictional history since, but pretty much every game after A Link to the Past is heavily influenced by it. I think the game deserves a lot of credit for introducing so many of the series’ most iconic elements.