The Legend of Zelda is a cornerstone of Nintendo's vast video game catalog. However, the series wasn't always intended to take place in a realm of fantasy. It's hard to imagine Link's adventures happening anywhere but Hyrule, but back in the 1980s, developers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka had much different ideas for the first game in mind.

Though Nintendo ultimately shot down those original plans, the duo tried revisiting the concepts and themes in later Zelda games like Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. Still, we haven't gotten a game that fully explores time travel in the way Miyamoto and Tezuka intended. There's still plenty of time for that to happen, but for now, it appears Link will forever be trapped in a realm of mythological creatures and without the benefit of any technological advances.

Not that we're complaining. The Legend of Zelda is one of the most revered video game franchises for a reason. Perhaps one day, Nintendo will allow its developers to experiment with the franchise a bit, but were perfectly content to revisit Hyrule and all its inhabitants in the fantasy realm. Just don't mess with the Triforce; it's the perfect artifact for the franchise, no matter where or when Link's adventures take place.

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