In all of gaming there is one land that is more famous than any others, these come from a wide range of history, but more particularly stem from a historic period in gaming and has helped in its many years to truly change the face of gaming and evolve it beyond previous comprehension. I of course speak of the fantastic and magical series, The Legend of Zelda, but more importantly a key aspect and staple of the series, Hyrule Field, which has forever aimed to show how things can be done.
Linearity had grown into a common theme with games around 1986. As we saw games such as Super Mario Bros that raced from one side of a level to another and many others that were plagued by this similar linearity with no foreseeable end in sight. One game however had the means to remove the ongoing trend and set up a new era of games for future generations, this game was Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda. Prior to Nintendo’s masterpiece nobody had ever considered the true power and potential of games and the associated freedom. But even for the Legend of Zelda’s freedom it couldn’t have done it without the help of one historic location that is almost as famous as the series itself, Hyrule Field. This one location in the original game was set across many screens and was filled with almost limitless potential, it was huge and so full of secrets to find and explore and just a lot of depth in general that you couldn’t help but feel amazed by what we had just beared witness to.
I believe it would be safe to say that gaming would not have been the same thing if Hyrule field had never existed but even with the classic game showing potential this famous field even continued to show the potential of games in the eras to come. Most famously and perhaps what is most generally linked to is Ocarina of Time and the reimagining of the famous field in the third dimension. Super Mario 64 had already demonstrated how well done a game could be in three dimensions but Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time was a true testament to the demonstration of freedom, sure in may have seemed to have majorly condensed in size but it still stood tall as part of a major purpose and famous landmark of gaming kind.
Hyrule field was a thing of dreams particularly after the games more linear opening, while there was always a goal in mind about where you had to be going but straying off and just spending hours exploring the fields to find secrets is always an option. Of course most notably is the beautiful sights that can be seen as you run across the field that fully connect together the world within Hyrule. As you venture across the field you couldn’t help but feel in awe as the eerie yet amazing looking volcano of Death Mountain sat in front of your eyes, for many of us on our first time in the game and across Hyrule Field we looked into the awe of Death Mountain and were excited by our opportunity to go and explore, easily unaware of the dangers and troubles we were set to face there. Hyrule field filled a position as the game’s central hub that interconnected the entire expanse of Hyrule and prepared you to access every part of the world leading to the knowledge of so much adventure to come.
The power of Hyrule Field holds a deeper significance to the series as well, this one field originally acted as our portal that allowed us to get access to a thing about as famous as the field itself, your long journey on foot gained access to a bond that transcended history and for many players filled them with so much joy, I of course am mentioning the bond you gather with one extraordinary equine named Epona. This horse acted as your reward for all the hours you had spent wandering this massive field and now acted as the quickest route around being faster than Link on the field.
Hyrule Field has had many iterations over the years including seeing it below the seas and deep below the clouds but in each iteration whether you see it or not it continues to amaze, but it really is when it appears that we truly care more and love it. Twilight Princess seems to recapture the initial magic of Hyrule Field by literally having a field that expanded across many plains and many landscapes, it was rife with danger and had many secrets to discover and so much to accomplish it even had a much more significant means as part of the story then any iteration had done previously. It was big, it was beautiful and it was so full of potential and it showed just how great the idea of open world is. Hyrule Field was the gate to a new experience for gamers, and while many lands these days seem much bigger than our Hyrule Field, I at least believe many of us will always be amazed by Hyrule Field and strive for great adventure.
Hyrule Field is a great land, it is full of so much potential and the many concepts and ideas this one area introduced us to have made many of us love this field, it may be only one piece of an entire kingdom but it is the gate that connects them all. To quote the Legend of Zelda and tell you the line before we ever truly stepped out and experienced our true taste of freedom, “It is dangerous to go alone, take this”, heed these worlds and we will continue to step out bravely into the great land of Hyrule and the wonderful picturesque gaming location of Hyrule Field. It’s always hard to deny just how beautiful the field is when you are running with the sunset at your side. You know what? Now I want to play some more Zelda and explore Hyrule Field, goodbye.
Simon walked off after this to play Zelda and explored Hyrule Field into the early hours of the morning. Don’t you think you should visit Hyrule Field? You might have some fun.
