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159-477: There are a total of seven main installments and various media spin-offs , including music albums and a series of manga books in the Soulcalibur series. The first game in the series, Soul Edge (or Soul Blade outside Japan), was released as an arcade game in 1995 and was later ported to consoles ; the widespread success of its second main installment Soulcalibur in 1998 led to Soulcalibur becoming

318-406: A sidequel , a portmanteau of "side" (as in side-by-side) and " sequel ", when it occurs in the same timeframe as the original, sometimes contacting with the main narrative at points. In Japanese , the word gaiden ( 外伝 , pronounced [ɡaideɴ] , lit. "outside legends") also refers to such contemporaneous spin-offs and is frequently translated as "side story". Sometimes even when

477-585: A 3DS game titled My Nintendo Picross - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess , a picture-puzzle game made available through the My Nintendo rewards program. The Master Sword and Hylian Shield appear alongside Link's Champion's Tunic from Breath of the Wild as Amiibo-unlocked content in the Nintendo Switch version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim . In 2019, Link was added as a playable character in

636-425: A basic square, Soulcalibur II introduced stages with walls that blocked off parts of the ring and made Ring Outs possible only in certain parts of the stage or removing that condition altogether, and Soulcalibur III introduced low walls that can be destroyed to create a Ring Out opportunity). Soulcalibur V introduced a new aspect of Ring Outs; if a Ring Out is declared on certain stages, the battle will continue in

795-626: A character counter properties for the duration of its charge). Large gameplay changes have been implemented for Soulcalibur V . Critical Finishes are no longer part of the gameplay, being replaced by the Critical Edge (a different attack from that used in Soul Blade ). Critical Edge attacks can be used after filling up the new Critical Gauge, which works similarly to "super meters" in other fighting games. Guard Impacts are now tied to this gauge (a segment must be sacrificed to execute one) and

954-1533: A character to which anyone could relate. Link has been voiced by eight actors in the series and also voiced in other games: Nobuyuki Hiyama in Ocarina of Time as adult Link, Majora's Mask as Fierce Deity Link, Super Smash Bros. , Super Smash Bros. Melee and Soulcalibur II , Fujiko Takimoto in Ocarina of Time as young Link, Majora's Mask , A Link to the Past and Four Swords , and as Young Link in Hyrule Warriors , Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , Sachi Matsumoto in The Wind Waker , Phantom Hourglass , Four Swords Adventures and as Toon Link in Hyrule Warriors , Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate , Akira Sasanuma in Twilight Princess , Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Link's Crossbow Training , Yūki Kodaira in Spirit Tracks , Takashi Ōhara in Skyward Sword , Mitsuki Saiga in A Link Between Worlds and Link's Awakening (2019), and Kengo Takanashi in Breath of

1113-467: A common goal; finding either the cursed sword Soul Edge or its holy counterpart, Soul Calibur. As the game is set in the late 16th century, many real-life events happening during the timeline often influence the story, one example being Oda Nobunaga as the initiator for Yoshimitsu 's journey to find Soul Edge. Out of all the characters in the series, four characters have appeared in all nine games so far: Cervantes , Mitsurugi , Siegfried and Nightmare ,

1272-448: A core aspect of Link's design is that players need to relate to him and put themselves in his shoes, while still playing as themselves. Link is silent to allow the player to interpret how he sounds, make decisions for the character and become the hero. Link's character design has been consistent, but it has evolved across the series. His sprite design was created by Tezuka. In an interview with Gamekult , Miyamoto said that Tezuka used

1431-457: A defining aspect of the series. Ganon, Zelda and Link embody the three pieces of the Triforce , with Ganon representing Power, Zelda representing Wisdom and Link representing Courage. This trinity dictates the enduring relationships of the three characters who are repeatedly reincarnated across the series in an endless battle for good and evil. The nature of Zelda and Link's relationship has been

1590-421: A descendant of earlier incarnations or a spiritual reincarnation. In some games, such as Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask , the same version appears in both, continuing that character's individual story. Skyward Sword , which was released in 2011, explained Link's incarnations by creating an origin story, in which the antagonist Demise curses the hero to be caught in an endless cycle of defeating evil in

1749-474: A face that turns red when pulling objects. The game reverted to a top-down perspective and features items that upgrade Link's moves with extra abilities such as running and swimming. It introduced several recurring elements, including the hookshot and the Master Sword . Link's combat abilities were developed to be more complex, giving him the ability to move diagonally, swing his sword in an arc and perform

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1908-483: A fireball. In Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity , which acts as a prequel to Breath of the Wild and exists within the same game world, Link is accompanied by a roster of characters to fight alongside on the battlefield. The game progresses in the form of various missions that level up Link and his allies. Among SNES games, Link makes a cameo in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest where he

2067-554: A game world drained of colour and a story with a more mature tone. A direct sequel to The Wind Waker , Phantom Hourglass , was released in 2007 for the Nintendo DS . It follows Link as he embarks on a journey to save his friend Tetra. The game was designed to appeal to a wider audience, with 3D cel-shaded graphics and a light-hearted tone. It takes inspiration from the style and tone of The Wind Waker , with Toon Link displaying various humorous expressions. The game made use of

2226-595: A kiss from Zelda. Nintendo released a shooting video game in 2007 for the Wii titled Link's Crossbow Training . It is set within the Zelda universe and features Link as a playable character holding a crossbow. The game revisits the world of Twilight Princess and features the same landmarks and enemies. It involves the use of the Wii remote and nunchuck to create a light gun, which targets enemies with an onscreen reticule. In

2385-740: A level of Donkey Kong . The Skyward Sword incarnation of Link was introduced as a playable character in Mario Kart 8 riding a motorcycle. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , his Breath of the Wild incarnation also appears. He is referenced in 2015 downloadable content for Monster Hunter 4 with armor resembling his tunic, Monster Hunter Generations DLC and also Monster Hunter Stories . Incarnations of Link from The Legend of Zelda , The Wind Waker , Twilight Princess and Tri Force Heroes also appear as "Mystery Mushroom" costumes in Super Mario Maker . In 2016, Link appeared in

2544-683: A mini game in the 2012 party game Nintendo Land , which involves archery and sword fighting in a cloth style. His costume appears alongside that of Samus in Dynasty Warriors VS for the Nintendo 3DS. Link appears in Sonic Lost World as part of "The Legend of Zelda Zone", where he rides his signature Crimson Loftwing and Sonic wears his green cap and tunic. In the 2013 compilation game NES Remix , players can play remixed portions of NES games, including playing as Link in

2703-526: A new character named Dampierre, a conman who wears twin blades on his wrists. In addition, Kratos from the God of War franchise appears as a guest character. Broken Destiny received very positive reviews. Released in 2014, Soulcalibur: Lost Swords is a free-to-play video game distributed through the PlayStation Network. It is a strictly single-player game based on Soulcalibur V in which

2862-549: A new location that is below the point where the Ring Out occurred. V also includes infinite stages (the stages have no edges of any kind, allowing the battle to continue in any direction with no limit) for the first time in the history of the series. Soul Edge is unique in the series as it is the only game to feature the Weapon Meter; a sword-shaped meter under the characters' vitality bars that determined how much damage

3021-455: A new timeline. Like Tekken 7 , it uses Unreal Engine 4 , and features downloadable guests, while one guest character ( Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series) acts as one of the base roster and plays a vital role on the storyline. Released in 2007 for the Wii, Soulcalibur Legends is the series' first spin-off title. Departing from the usual fighting game genre, it is an action-adventure game with elements of hack and slash , in which

3180-633: A pair of interconnected games released in 2001 for the Game Boy Color , Link is controlled from a top-down perspective within a flat 2D game world. The two games involve Link being sent on a mission to the foreign lands of Holodrum and Labrynna in order to stop the disruption of the seasons by the General of Darkness, Onox, and the disruption of time by the Sorceress of Shadows, Veran. Link's key tools for uncovering areas and fighting his enemies are

3339-474: A parallel timeline, the events after 1583 have been altered. While traveling to Ostrheinsburg to confront Nightmare, Kilik and his companions were aided by Grøh of the Aval Organization, a group created by the late King Arthur to use Soul Calibur to defeat Soul Edge. A few characters have learned of the dark future that was to come, and have started to work on changing that future. Zasalamel received

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3498-491: A powerful sword that has fallen into the hands of an evil prince who plans to use it to open the gates of hell and destroy the world." The now-defunct teaser website for the film (soulcaliburthemovie.com) contained a citation from Nostradamus . The film remains in development hell . Soulcalibur Pachislot (ソウルキャリバーパチスロ, Sourukyaribāpachisuro) is a spin-off game in the Soul series as a pachislot machine created to celebrate what

3657-576: A problem with Link appearing in a violent game, as he had already been established as a fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series. As part of the styling of a Zelda -themed game mode, he is featured in the 2006 puzzle video game Tetris DS . In Scribblenauts Unlimited , many Zelda series characters are summonable in the Wii U version, including Link. He is referenced by an archer dressed in green in The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest ,

3816-540: A result, the Hytopian king calls for adventurers to break the curse. The gameplay departs from the usual Zelda open-world structure and involves completing dungeons and collecting materials to fashion outfits that provide specific abilities. Breath of the Wild was released on the Nintendo Switch and Wii U in 2017 and reinvented the franchise by creating a massive open world for Link to explore. He has

3975-412: A richer variety of expression and provided a better way of representing the puzzles and mechanisms than a more photorealistic design. After many experiments, the development team had decided that cel-shading was the best option for expressing a young, energetic boy. Although the team loved the idea of basing the next Zelda game on a cartoon Link, Aonuma held off presenting it to Miyamoto until later in

4134-528: A round point for their opponent. The idea of Ring Outs in 3D fighting games was originally conceived by the Virtua Fighter series of fighting games and adopted by Namco for Soul Edge . A combatant cannot be knocked out of the ring without being eliminated by some effort from themselves or by their opponent. Later games introduced new ring designs that modified the way Ring Outs were handled ( Soulcalibur allowed rings to take different shapes instead of

4293-420: A second chance by Edge Master to purify Pyrrha without killing her. However, Patroklos was trapped subconsciously to fight Soul Calibur's spirit, Elysium , the one who had guided him all this time, as she was angry at him for sparing his malfested sister. After defeating Elysium, he alongside Pyrrha pierced Soul Calibur with Soul Edge, after which he accepted to live with his sister regardless of who she is. In

4452-550: A sharp nose and a slight build. His hair has been inspired by the fashion of the era, beginning with a mullet in the 1980s, then followed by blond curtain bangs and pierced ears in the 1990s, moving to choppy, layered side-swept bangs by the release of Twilight Princess . His look was updated in Breath of the Wild to include a ponytail and a wide variety of outfits. Although Link is a male character, Aonuma said that he wanted him to be gender neutral in Ocarina of Time : "I wanted

4611-472: A show is not a spin-off of another, there will nevertheless be crossovers in which a character from one show makes an appearance on another. Sometimes crossovers are created in an attempt to provide closure to fans of another failed series. Sometimes show producers will re-introduce a character from an older series into a later one as a way of providing a connectivity of that particular producer's television "world". Link (The Legend of Zelda) Link

4770-411: A similar artwork style. Following the response to The Wind Waker , Nintendo reversed the art style for Twilight Princess in 2006, by depicting Link in a more realistic style with a darker, grittier tone. Nakano and Takizawa stated in The Legend of Zelda: Art and Artifacts that they had planned to design him aged mid-to-late twenties and that he would be well built, but this was rejected because

4929-632: A slightly taller 2D sprite wearing a similar green outfit. In the production art, his outfit was largely the same, but he wore brown trousers and longer hair. His shield was decorated with a cross, but this was removed in the games that followed. The game switches between top-down exploration and side-scrolling action sequences. Link's combat capability evolved with the ability to stab up and down with his sword while jumping. Experience points gained by defeating enemies enable his health and attack power to be levelled up. A series of magic spells also grant him special abilities, such as extra defence. To complete

Soulcalibur - Misplaced Pages Continue

5088-552: A spin attack that enables multi-directional attacks. His heart containers, which featured in the first game, were broken into pieces, necessitating the player to locate them and upgrade his health in smaller increments. The first handheld title in the series, Link's Awakening (1993) on the Game Boy , introduced Link in monochrome until the DX port brought the game to the Game Boy Color . It takes place on Koholint Island after Link

5247-581: A story mode called "Chronicles of the Sword" which is a mode with some strategic aspects for created characters. It is the only game in the Soulcalibur series to be THX approved. Released in 2008 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the fourth installment of the series is the second game with no arcade release prior to the release of the home game, as well as being the first to take bouts online and

5406-433: A sword and declares " It's dangerous to go alone! ". Link must rescue Princess Zelda and the kingdom of Hyrule from the evil wizard Ganon, who has stolen the Triforce of Power . He explores 128 areas of Hyrule and nine dungeons, which contain special items that help him to defeat each dungeon boss; he must defeat them all before fighting Ganon. Link's second outing, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987), depicted him as

5565-471: A sword and shield. Link's age varies across the series, starting the first game at ten years old and its sequel at 16. In Ocarina of Time , he is initially aged nine and is aged up to 16 after the game's time shift. In The Wind Waker , Toon Link is 12, whereas in Twilight Princess , Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild , Link is aged 16 or 17 years old. In the mythology of the series, Link

5724-474: A warning from his future counterpart of the mistakes that he would make, and decided to be a leader for mankind instead of seeking for a permanent death. Cassandra Alexandra , younger sister of the holy warrior Sophitia, was given a warning by her original timeline counterpart, who had been stuck inside the Astral Chaos and became malfested. The warning was about Sophitia's death and Pyrrha's malfestation in

5883-534: A weapon could sustain. As a character blocked attacks; the meter would deplete until it emptied which resulted in a weapon breaking (the player would also have to pay half the Weapon Meter to perform a Critical Edge combo ). Once the character's weapon was broken, they were forced to fight bare-handed until the end of the round. The Weapon Meter was designed to promote consistent offense and deter constant defense (other fighters have adopted similar means to deter over-defending; Street Fighter Alpha 3 ' s Guard Meter

6042-527: Is a fictional character and the protagonist of Nintendo 's video game franchise The Legend of Zelda . He was created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto . Link was introduced as the hero of the original The Legend of Zelda video game in 1986 and has appeared in a total of 21 entries in the series, as well as a number of spin-offs. Common elements in the series include Link travelling through Hyrule whilst exploring dungeons, battling creatures, and solving puzzles until he eventually defeats

6201-417: Is a card-based fighting game where players can pick different attack cards to strike enemies. Elemental system makes a return from Soulcalibur: Lost Swords ; players can mix the cards with one of the five elements: fire, water, wind, light, and dark. There are over 200 weapons as well as more than 150 player avatars featured. The game's story revolves around Cassandra and Edge Master in their efforts to find

6360-402: Is a demonic transformation caused by Soul Edge's curse. It is regarded as a type of cancer, or even an entirely new parasitic organism. However, it causes enhanced physical abilities among its victims and can cause them to mutate into more powerful states of being when they experience intense emotion. It can also cause some to gain what appears to be some kind of immortality. The traits gained by

6519-444: Is a fighting game designed for Java-based cellphones, heavily based on Soulcalibur IV released in 2012 by Namco Bandai. The gameplay mechanics are primarily borrowed from IV but movesets are watered down for mobile devices. The main difference is that Mobile is a 2D Fighter but still retains 8 directional movement. Much of the story is the same as IV . The Soulcalibur series is a successful fighting game franchise. As of 2012,

Soulcalibur - Misplaced Pages Continue

6678-504: Is a list of times in which Link has appeared, sorted by video game release date. Link made his debut on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in The Legend of Zelda (1986) as an 8-bit 2D character within a flat environment viewed from a top-down perspective . He was depicted as a short, stubby character with brown hair wearing a green cap and tunic. During the game, he meets an old man who offers him

6837-430: Is a new addition to the series. However, unlike Soulcalibur III , the only available weapon disciplines are taken from the existing roster and there are no unique disciplines for created characters. Released in 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Soulcalibur V is the sixth installment of the series and the second game to take bouts online, as well as the last installment to conclude the original timeline story. Like

6996-448: Is an example of such a device). The Weapon Meter was abandoned following Soul Edge and instead replaced with Soulcalibur ' s trademark 8-Way Run system. The 8-Way Run allowed players to walk in any direction at any time instead of using a specific command to sidestep. This kept the fights truly three-dimensional and made it easier to maneuver around attacks or away from ring edges (as well as launch specific 8-Way Run attacks). Each of

7155-413: Is available through Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade and Sony's PlayStation Network digital storefronts. Being based on the original PlayStation 2 and Xbox releases, both ports include the two guest characters ( Heihachi Mishima and Spawn ) who were originally exclusive to each platform. Breaking with tradition, the PlayStation 2 version of Soulcalibur III was released in 2005 before an Arcade Edition

7314-476: Is controlled by a different player. The four versions of Link must then work together to complete the game's challenges. The Wind Waker , which was released in 2002 on the GameCube , depicted Link and the game world in a cute childlike graphical style. He appears as a preteen cartoon character with a large head and huge eyes. His facial expressions communicate a range of emotions. The game involves exploring

7473-634: Is done and the character roster undergoing major changes, with former mainstays being replaced by their younger successors. The series is notable for its inclusion of characters from other series appearing as guests. Since Soulcalibur II , every sequent game have hosted guest characters, usually from other Namco franchises, although more recent games have branched into titles developed by other companies, such as The Legend of Zelda , Spawn , Star Wars , God of War , Assassin's Creed and The Witcher . The guests, though, can only appear in one game due to licensing. Guest characters who have appeared in

7632-533: Is for the Xbox 360 version. Each character was also available for download on the consoles in which they do not appear. Both versions of the game include the Apprentice character from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed . Like Soulcalibur III , the game includes a character creation system with various customizable parts, some of which have to be unlocked. These characters can be taken into online bouts, which in itself

7791-780: Is given to players in the form of cutscenes that flow normally or are arranged on the fly based on the player's progress. Soul Dimension is the main mode, and it features Patroklos and Pyrrha battling monsters in Astral Chaos, Deadline Battle mode features Patroklos fighting Cervantes, Astaroth, Voldo, or Tira in a more classic environment mimicking the fighting games in a theatrical style, Justice Overdrive mode features older characters from V , Nightmare Battle mode features Patroklos protecting Pyrrha from Nightmare, Omega Mode features Pyrrha becoming malfested in order to protect Patroklos from Nightmare and his army, Just Judgement mode that features Inferno, and Algol Bonus mode features Algol giving players bonus points. Soulcalibur Mobile (ソウルキャリバー モバイル)

7950-401: Is not featured in the arcade version of Soul Edge and in home versions there is a role-playing -type mode titled "Edge Master" where the player can unlock various items including weapons for the default characters. The first installment, titled Soul Edge , was released for arcade, and was later updated to Soul Edge Ver. II . This enhanced version was then ported to the PlayStation, where it

8109-735: Is ranked against the player next to Mario and Yoshi . Alongside Samus Aran , he makes a cameo in Super Mario RPG , where they are seen sleeping in separate beds at an inn. Link can be also be found at the start of a challenge course in F1 Race . He is a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series and has appeared in every title since the first Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64 . In 2008, Toon Link from The Wind Waker appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl on

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8268-584: Is reincarnated within a seemingly ordinary boy or young man whenever evil arises. To defeat Ganon, Link usually obtains the mystical Master Sword or a similar legendary weapon obtained after completing many trials. In addition to the main series, Link has appeared in other Nintendo media, including merchandise, comics and manga , and an animated television series . He is a prominent character in various spin-off games, including Hyrule Warriors , Cadence of Hyrule and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity . He has appeared in several other game franchises, including

8427-425: Is set within the same world as A Link to the Past and was designed with a similar art style. Players are able to explore the two separate worlds of Hyrule and Lorule, which are reminiscent of the contrasting worlds of light and dark in A Link to the Past . The game introduced the ability for Link to turn into a painting, allowing him to walk along walls and switch between the two worlds. Tri Force Heroes (2015)

8586-486: Is the "Hero of Hyrule", the archetypal hero and protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series. Whenever a great malevolence threatens the Kingdom of Hyrule, typically in the form of Ganon, Link is the counterpart who is destined to fight that evil and restore peace to the people of Hyrule. He begins each game as either a child or young adult who is often lazy and unprepared for battle, but develops his skills and experience over

8745-529: Is the first portable installment of the Soulcalibur series. It uses many of the features used in Soulcalibur IV , such as the soul crush, armor destruction, critical finishers, and Character Creation, and also brings in some new features such as new lighting effects for stages that correspond to different times of day, and the new Gauntlet Story mode. The game's features are similar to Soulcalibur IV , including its customization features, but it introduced

8904-513: Is the most critically acclaimed video game playable character and the most ubiquitous action-adventure video game character. He was recognized by the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition as the second best video game character after Mario. Critics have named him as one of the greatest and most influential video game characters of all time. Link's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto , said that his concept of The Legend of Zelda

9063-469: Is the reincarnated soul of a hero, chosen by the goddess Hylia to protect the kingdom of Hyrule from Ganon and save Princess Zelda whenever the need arises. He is also the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, one of the three components that combine to form the Triforce , a sacred artefact and symbol of power. The Triforce of Courage symbolises the essence of Link, specifically the courage and curiosity of

9222-413: Is washed ashore and features a combination of mostly top-down adventuring and some side-scrolling action sequences. It was the first overhead game in which Link's move set includes the ability to jump. Link is depicted in an anime art style in the game's cutscenes. The game involves collecting eight musical instruments from eight dungeons to wake the sleeping Wind Fish. Ocarina of Time (1998), which

9381-556: The Super Smash Bros. series, SoulCalibur II and Mario Kart 8 , and has also been referenced in other games, such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim . Alongside fellow Nintendo character Mario , Link is one of the most recognizable characters in the video game industry. He has been instrumental in the establishment of the role-playing video game genre as the protagonist of the series, which has influenced numerous other video games with its concepts of open world and nonlinear gameplay . According to Guinness World Records , Link

9540-471: The Disney character Peter Pan as a source of inspiration when creating Link in order to make the character recognizable. Due to the limited capabilities of the technology at the time, the development team was only able to use three colours and chose green as Link's signature colour, as the first game was mainly set within a forest environment. Link's sword and shield, long hat and ears were all created to make

9699-465: The GameCube . Featured on the PlayStation 2 version's roster is Heihachi Mishima of Tekken , while Image Comic 's character Spawn was an addition for the Xbox version. A high definition-optimized enhanced port of the game, entitled Soulcalibur II HD Online , was released in November 2013, and features revamped HD visuals, online play, and trophy/achievement support. It is a digital release and

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9858-401: The Soulcalibur original, in both graphics and gameplay. Soulcalibur II was released in arcade format three years after the previous release in the series, and was subsequently ported to all three active sixth-generation consoles . This is the first game in the Soulcalibur series to feature characters from non-Namco media, such as Link from Nintendo 's The Legend of Zelda , playable on

10017-442: The Soulcalibur series had sold more than 13 million units worldwide, with that number, as of 2018, rising to more than 15 million. As of July 2021 the series has crossed over 17 million units worldwide. The series has been rated favorably for the majority of its main series titles. Spin-off (media) A spinoff or spin-off is any narrative work derived from an already existing work that focuses on different aspects from

10176-542: The "8-Way Run". The title Soulcalibur became a trademark title to be used throughout the series since. In 2008, Namco Bandai released Soulcalibur on the Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360. Although online leaderboards and achievements were supported in this version, there was no online playing mode or mission mode, as there was in the Dreamcast version. 2002's Soulcalibur II further improved and expanded on

10335-485: The 2014 hack and slash video game Hyrule Warriors another incarnation appears as a Hyrulian soldier-in-training who helps to lead the campaign against the forces of evil. Young Link from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask also appears in the game as a playable character via downloadable content , while Toon Link from The Wind Waker appears as a playable character in Hyrule Warriors Legends ,

10494-475: The Guard Impact defense system and the Ring Out condition of victory. In the first game ( Soul Edge/Blade ), the Guard Impact system is a repelling technique that allows the player to check an incoming strike and push it back to allow a free hit. A Guard Impact requires precise timing (with the player pressing forward and guarding at the instant an opponent strikes) but it results in tactical advantage for

10653-697: The Japanese version and Outsiders ( 異分子 , Ibunshi ) by the Aval Organization is a being corrupted by the power of Soul Edge be it by the sword itself or shards of it if it's in pieces. They serve as the primary antagonists in the Soul series. Initially thought to have been created by the Evil Seed, it is later revealed that the Evil Seed merely transformed them from humans into mutated monsters. In Soulcalibur Legends , Malfested initially were on

10812-449: The LCD wristwatch product line licensed to and developed by Nelsonic Industries . In addition to its timekeeping function, the unit features gameplay based on the original The Legend of Zelda game but without a storyline. It features Link adventuring through eight dungeons comprising four rooms in each. He also appears in Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce (Barcode Battler II), which

10971-499: The Master Sword. The game introduced Link's stamina meter for climbing surfaces and sprinting, and the ability to craft materials to make new items. A Link Between Worlds was released in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS and is a sequel to A Link to the Past . The plot revolves around a sorcerer named Yuga who has the ability to merge into walls and turn people into paintings. Link must foil his plan to revive Ganon. The storyline

11130-574: The N64 with the release of Majora's Mask (2000). Appearing again as a child, he must save the land of Termina from the evil of Majora's Mask, which has drawn the moon into a decaying orbit, threatening to crash into Termina's Clock Town in three days. Link uses the Ocarina of Time to play the Song of Time, which allows him to repeatedly travel back in time to relive the three days until he successfully prevents

11289-473: The Nintendo 3DS port of Warriors . Link is also a playable character in the 2019 Nintendo Switch rhythm game Cadence of Hyrule , a crossover between Crypt of the NecroDancer and The Legend of Zelda series. Players can choose to play as either Link or Zelda and both are required at the end of the game. Link can perform a spin attack and carries a shield, while Zelda uses an ethereal block and

11448-606: The Ocarina of Time, which when played is used for teleportation. In Breath of the Wild , Link's key tool is the Sheikah Slate, a handheld tablet featuring various runes that enable him to manipulate the game world. A similar device named the Purah Pad provides Link with a multitude of functions, including a camera, map and telescope, in Tears of the Kingdom . Link's relationships with the other two main characters have been

11607-621: The Rod of Seasons and his magic harp. In 2002, Nintendo published A Link to the Past & Four Swords on the Game Boy Advance . Four Swords was an original title packaged together with the rereleased entry A Link to the Past . Diverging from the traditional single-player approach, Four Swords was based on cooperative gameplay , allowing four players to interact together by connecting four Game Boy Advance systems. In Four Swords , four Links of different colours appear, each of which

11766-512: The Ultrahand ability, which enables the construction of vehicles, and the Ascend ability, which enables Link to ascend through ceilings. In the main quest line, Link also obtains Autobuild, which gives the ability to rebuild vehicles automatically without needing to manually build with Ultrahand. Echoes of Wisdom (2024) is the first mainline Zelda game to feature Zelda rather than Link as

11925-462: The Wii. He was also introduced in 2014 in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U . Link later returned in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch in various incarnations, including green tunic Link, blue tunic Link from Breath of the Wild , Toon Link and Young Link. In the GameCube version of Namco 's Soulcalibur II , Link is a guest character. Miyamoto did not see

12084-618: The Wild , Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity , Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Tears of the Kingdom . Link was voiced by Yuki Kaji in Hyrule Warriors . In Cadence of Hyrule , he was voiced by Caitlyn Bairstow . In the cutscenes of the CD-i titles Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon , he was voiced by Jeffrey Rath. On television, Link was voiced by Jonathan Potts in both The Legend of Zelda animated series and Captain N: The Game Master . Link

12243-502: The Wild nearly 100 designs were considered to ensure that Link remained a neutral character. Aonuma commented: "We thought that the iconic green tunic and hat had become expected, so we wanted to mix things up and update his look. Interestingly, though, nobody on the team said, 'Let's make him blue!' It just organically ended up that way". Link's physical features have also evolved, influenced by trends in masculinity. His handsomeness has been defined by soft, androgynous facial features,

12402-426: The ability to climb most surfaces, jump from structures and soar across the sky using a paraglider. He was designed to interact with the environment, collect materials for cooking and react to cold and heat. The complex nature of the environment also determined that his preexisting autojump functionality had to be developed into the ability to jump manually. The game introduced significant changes to his design, notably

12561-452: The absence of his signature green outfit. The player can instead dress Link in a variety of outfits and more emphasis is placed on using a bow as a prominent weapon. Link appears in Tears of the Kingdom , a direct sequel to the previous game released in 2023, which is set in the same version of Hyrule. Link loses his right arm after being attacked by a substance called Gloom and is saved by

12720-506: The adventure, Link must defeat his doppelgänger Dark Link to awaken sleeping Zelda. A Link to the Past (1991) recreated Link in a 16-bit colour palette for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System , with the unusual characteristic of pink hair. By contrast, the game manual depicts Link as a tall blond character. Link's sprite was designed to appear more expressive, by featuring an animated hat and

12879-475: The animal to be the best representation of a hero and that this function gave the adult version of Link limited human abilities, allowing him to mature over the course of the game. Link's signature green tunic and cap have evolved over the course of the series. At a Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Takizawa described the subtle changes made to Link's outfit. For Twilight Princess he, "made

13038-456: The battle was eventually ended by Taki, who managed to slay Cervantes. Siegfried then came to check Soul Edge, but he became possessed by the release of the "Evil Seed" and turned into the monstrous Nightmare . The Evil Seed event had major impact to the world, including several people going insane, and Nightmare replaced Cervantes in terrorizing the world, wanting to recover the lost Soul Edge fragments. Three years later, Nightmare had prepared for

13197-574: The character easily distinguishable. For Ocarina of Time , Miyamoto said that the team started by designing a grown-up model followed by a child model, but realised that both could be used in the game, "to tell the story of a boy growing up". Link's teenage appearance in Ocarina of Time was designed with the aim of making him more handsome, influenced by developer Yoshiaki Koizumi 's wife declaring, "all of Nintendo's characters have funny noses; don't you have any handsome ones?" Nintendo illustrator Yusuke Nakano said that Link's design in Ocarina of Time

13356-635: The character(s) involved: Soul Calibur plays a crucial role in counteracting the curse. Characters like Siegfried have used Soul Calibur to resist and even partially cleanse themselves of the malfestation, showcasing the sword’s powerful counteracting abilities: None the less, wielding Soul Calibur does come with some drawbacks and complexities: The Soulcalibur series features a wide variety of characters hailing from various countries, backgrounds, and disciplines. Most characters typically have their own reasons in partaking their journey, although they frequently meet and interact with each other and most also share

13515-481: The console's touchscreen functionality, which enabled the player to control Link using a stylus instead of the traditional button controls. Following on from Phantom Hourglass , Spirit Tracks (2009) reintroduced Toon Link to the Nintendo DS. The game is a sequel to its predecessor and has a similar format but replaces sailing by boat with travelling by train. Link must explore four main map pieces, return

13674-570: The course of the game as the player upgrades his weapons and health. His story varies from game to game, but typically involves a similar thread of solving dungeon puzzles, saving Princess Zelda and defeating Ganon or some other evil. He displays the characteristic traits of the Hylian race, being of humanoid form with elfin features, including pointed ears. Since the first The Legend of Zelda video game, he has been repeatedly depicted wearing his characteristic green cap and tunic and typically wields

13833-471: The darkness of Inferno. Four years later, Nightmare had begun on his Soul Edge ritual again in his old castle, wanting to resurrect Soul Edge, but his ritual was interrupted by an exiled French nobleman, Raphael Sorel , who wanted Soul Edge in order to get revenge on the French nobles who exiled him. Although Raphael was utterly defeated, he was able to penetrate Soul Edge, which gave Siegfried and Soul Calibur

13992-496: The defender. The opposing player is able to counter a Guard Impact with their own and this can result in a stalemate until one of the players misjudges the timing on a subsequent Guard Impact. As the series progressed, the Guard Impact system was developed further. In Soulcalibur , Namco introduced new Guard Impact techniques: Parry and Weapon Strip, while the original repelling technique was renamed Repelling. These different Guard Impact types have been kept in subsequent installments of

14151-418: The differences between three versions of human Malfested: Being malfested comes with several significant notable downsides. These downsides add a layer of tragedy to the characters affected: Breaking the curse of malfestation is a complex and often tragic process. The curse is deeply tied to the evil sword, Soul Edge, and its corrupting influence. The exact method can vary depending on the game’s storyline and

14310-441: The disaster. During the game, Link finds various magical masks that transform him into a Goron , Deku Scrub , or Zora , which each grant him special abilities such as gliding, swimming underwater and rolling. In the final boss battle with Majora , Link is transformed into Fierce Deity Link, a dark, adult version of himself with white eyes, before finally reverting to his child form. In Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages ,

14469-481: The early part of the game, he becomes trapped in the Twilight, which transforms him into a wolf. Throughout the game, he is aided by Midna , an imp-like creature, who rides on his back and helps him on his quest. The game uses a variety of animal abilities for progression, such as the ability to follow scents. Twilight Princess aimed to provide a stark contrast to the cartoonish style of The Wind Waker , presenting

14628-420: The fighting genre of games. With Versus (one-on-one battle mode), Survival (take on a gauntlet of opponents until the player is unable to continue), Time Attack , Team Battle (a selection of combatants will take on an opposing group, a victor is announced when the last remaining member of a team is defeated) and Training modes, the console port also saw the addition of Edge Master, a single-player mode in which

14787-651: The form of Ganon . As no canonical game in The Legend of Zelda series to date has contained substantial spoken dialogue for Link, he is mostly a silent protagonist , but not a mute character. His voice acting consists only of grunts, battle cries, and other sounds, although in The Wind Waker , he can be heard saying, "Come on!" Despite lacking spoken dialogue, Link interacts with other characters through visual responses, such as nodding or shaking his head, reactions from side characters, or game text that expresses his dialogue. Series producer, Eiji Aonuma explained that

14946-541: The four Links to explore the game world and defeat enemies in order to complete each level. The release of The Minish Cap in 2004 on the Game Boy Advance returned the series to a single-player format. Link appears as a child viewed from a top-down perspective and is tasked with saving his friend Princess Zelda. After a mysterious stranger arrives at a festival celebrating the coming of the Picori , he destroys

15105-429: The fragments of Soul Edge. Unbreakable Soul received unfavorable reviews. All the games in the Soulcalibur series retain some specific features while others features vary from game to game. The basic button layout for the series launches two weapon attacks (horizontally and vertically aligned strikes), a kick button, and a guard button for blocking. Two features that have been kept in the series since its inception are

15264-406: The fragments of the Triforce were supposed to be electronic chips. The game was to be set in both the past and the future and as the main character would travel between both and be the link between them, they called him Link". In the Nintendo book Hyrule Historia he said that the character is named Link because he, "connects people together" and, "he was supposed to spread the scattered energy of

15423-678: The future, and the new Cassandra set off to prevent the tragic fate of her family. Meanwhile, Azwel , who had been a member of the Aval Organization but betrayed them, set about to create the “Ultimate Seed,” which was similar to the original Evil Seed. But his plans were thwarted by the Conduit, a warrior who had the power to absorb astral fissures and who was aided by Grøh. But the Conduit later had to fight Grøh, who had succumbed to his malfestation. The Conduit will either kill or spare Grøh, depending on their actions from their journey. A Malfested  (referred to as Evils ( イヴィル , Ivuiru ) in

15582-537: The game's Quest Mode: Soulcalibur Legends , as generic enemies that can be encountered on some stages; and in Soulcalibur VI , as NPCs that can be encountered in its Libra of Soul mode. Depending on the circumstances guardians and berserkers can maintain each other roles. Malfested animals that act as minions for Soul Edge are known as Watchers (監視者). Cervantes' shark, Nightmare's hawk, and Tira's crows are examples of Watchers. Malfestation, in and of itself,

15741-529: The game's development. When he did view it, Miyamoto reportedly cringed, believing that the game would not sell, but the team insisted that there was not enough time to develop a realistic art style. Toon Link eventually carved his own identity into the franchise by appearing in multiple entries in the series and being introduced as a playable character in Super Smash Bros . Aonuma said that despite some initial outrage, gamers began to accept Toon Link, so Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks were created with

15900-474: The game. In the fifth game, Guard Impacts were slightly altered by giving the Parry maneuver the new property of slamming opponents to the ground rather than just easing their weapon off course. Repels still work in the same way as they have in previous Soulcalibur series games. Ring Outs occur when one of the fighters is forcibly removed from the game's arena (or ring), instantly ending the round and resulting in

16059-425: The games were licensed by Nintendo to use official Zelda characters, they were not produced or supervised by Nintendo. As well as being critically panned, none of these games are recognized by Nintendo as part of the series' official chronology. Unlike the main series, Link has the ability to speak. His personality mirrors his animated series counterpart in which he yearns for adventure and repeatedly attempts to get

16218-526: The goal is for the player to collect loot, including raw materials and weapons, through battles in the new Quest Mode. Initially trademarked by Bandai Namco in October 2013, Soulcalibur: Unbreakable Soul was announced on Bandai Namco's Global Gamer's Day 2014 for the mobile phones, the first installment made specifically for the platform, this time iOS (the previous mobile game was an Android port of Soulcalibur ). Released on May 8, 2014, Unbreakable Soul

16377-471: The group's combined accomplishments. All games in the series before Soulcalibur III were originally released as arcade games, and subsequently ported to home consoles. The ported versions are known for their extra features, including characters, weapons, costumes, art galleries, martial arts demonstrations and involved single-player modes, when compared to the original arcade versions. For example, Seung Han Myong (Romanized in later games as Seong Han-myeong)

16536-411: The hat long, so it would flap in the wind and move around", but for Skyward Sword , he made it more diminutive and gave it less motion. The release of Breath of the Wild in 2017 broke the conventions of Link's design, notably by the absence of his signature green outfit. Takizawa explained that "as the graphic fidelity has increased it becomes more difficult to make that hat look cool". For Breath of

16695-487: The islands that are dotted around the map to encounter characters and uncover dungeons. Link's key tool is the titular Wind Waker, a magical baton that enables him to manipulate the breeze as he crosses the Great Sea. Nintendo artist Satoru Takizawa explained that the game's sequel was abandoned due to being set on land and Toon Link's proportions not being suitable for horseback riding. Four Swords Adventures , which

16854-452: The kingdom of Hyrule. His abilities were extensively developed to perform a variety of movements, including a swipe, stab, roll, dodge and dive. The game's Z-targeting system enables him to lock on to enemies and circle around them in combat. Through a built-in autojump function, he can also jump from a ledge. During his adventure, he is accompanied by the fairy Navi , who gives him hints about enemies and his surroundings. Link returned on

17013-424: The last game to conclude the 1590 A.D. trilogy. Soulcalibur IV introduces new gameplay mechanics into the series in the form of damage-absorbing armor (that can be shattered) and Critical Finishes (both tied to the new Soul Gauge). Like Soulcalibur II , the fourth game also included cameos from different media. The Star Wars character Darth Vader is a playable character on the PlayStation 3 version, while Yoda

17172-410: The latter two making one appearance each as an alternate costume to each other. Four characters: Astaroth , Ivy , Sophitia , and Taki have come close, appearing in eight games. Other characters who do not appear often make cameos or are commented upon in-game. While continuously being revised in each game, the character lineup generally stay consistent until Soulcalibur V , in which a major time skip

17331-406: The least as a historical mention, in the new subseries. Spin-offs sometimes generate their own spin-offs, leaving the new show in its own series only vaguely connected to the original series - for example, the police procedural franchises of NCIS / JAG and CSI have both spun multiple shows, including multiple spin-offs from series and spin-offs from spin-offs. A spin-off may be called

17490-477: The name of the franchise, with all subsequent installments also using the name onwards. More recent games in the series have been released for consoles only and have evolved to include online playing modes. The central motif of the series, set in a historical fantasy version of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, are mythical swords, the evil weapon called " Soul Edge " and the subsequent sword used to oppose this evil, " Soul Calibur " (parsed as two words, while

17649-417: The original Guard Impact mechanic is replaced by Just Guard, which works similarly but removes the consequence for missed timing. The Critical Gauge can also be used for Brave Edge attacks, which are stronger attacks than regular ones that don't require an entire bar. In addition to the 8-Way Run, Quick Step allows players to execute a faster sidestep to circle their opponent. A long time ago, an ordinary sword

17808-400: The original work (e.g. particular topics, characters or events), and includes books, radio programs , television programs , films, video games , or any narrative work in any medium. In genre fiction , the term parallels its usage in television; it is usually meant to indicate a substantial change in narrative viewpoint and activity from that (previous) storyline based on the activities of

17967-440: The original work. One of the earliest spin-offs of the modern media era, if not the first, happened in 1941 when the supporting character Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve from the old time radio comedy show Fibber McGee and Molly became the star of his own program The Great Gildersleeve (1941–1957). A spin-off (also spelt spinoff ) is derived from already existing works that focus on more details and different aspects from

18126-531: The other Soulcalibur series, this game features guest characters; in this case Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the Assassin's Creed series and as well as the fighting style of Devil Jin from the Tekken series. Soulcalibur VI was released in 2018. While the storyline takes place after the fifth game, it acts as a soft reboot, taking the series back to mostly reimagined after Soul Edge and eventually set in

18285-449: The people who had ostracized her, Tira was confronted by Pyrrha's long-lost brother, Patroklos Alexander , formerly a warrior under Graf Dumas, who had made his life's goal to find his sister and avenge his mother's murder. While he was able to bring her back, they were confronted by Nightmare and Pyrrha awakened her Soul Edge powers. She was disappointed when Patroklos was hesitant in accepting her, and decided to follow Tira again. Patroklos

18444-547: The player blocks an attack and is replenished by landing attacks on the opponent, it also refills slowly over time). Also tied to the Soul Gauge is the concept of destructible character armor (akin to Fighting Vipers ) that can be smashed off characters to weaken their resistance to attacks. The Critical Finish itself replaces the Soul Charge from the other three Soulcalibur games (a supercharge-like move that can give

18603-440: The player can then use in gameplay. Many of these objects possess magical properties that bestow specific abilities on Link, such as a magic cape that makes Link invisible when he wears it, or potions that replenish his health. Others have various practical purposes, such as the hookshot, which enables Link to pull items towards him, and bombs for detonating walls. Link has used various musical instruments on his travels, most notably,

18762-455: The player character. The game begins with a sequence in which Link saves Zelda from Ganon but is sucked through a portal into another dimension. In 1989, Link appeared in Zelda , which was released in the Game & Watch series of handheld electronic games . The unit features a multi-screen liquid-crystal display (LCD). The lower display renders Link fighting against dungeon monsters, while

18921-470: The player controls one out of the game's seven playable characters through a level infested with enemies and defeats the boss in the end. It features competitive and cooperative gameplay in addition to the single-player mode. Soulcalibur Legends , although set between the events of Soul Edge and Soulcalibur , is non-canon to the series. Released in 2009 for the Sony PSP , Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny

19080-443: The player setting out on the adventure. In several Zelda games, Link's main objective is to recover the fragments of the Triforce in order to defeat Ganon. Although Link can carry an arsenal of weapons, including bows, boomerangs and magic rods, his signature weapon is the Master Sword , a powerful magic sword with the ability to repel evil. Throughout each game, Link is able to obtain various items during his adventures, which

19239-414: The player to think 'Maybe Link is a boy or a girl'. If you saw Link as a guy, he'd have more of a feminine touch. Or vice versa, if you related to Link as a girl, it was with more of a masculine aspect". For Twilight Princess , he created a more masculine Link, but later decided to return him to a more gender neutral character. He said that Link is definitely male in Breath of the Wild , but wanted to create

19398-497: The player would guide one of the ten main characters in a story-like manner while obtaining a variety of weapons for use. The sequel to Soul Edge was released for arcade a year later, with a port for the Dreamcast in 1999. The plot is set two–three years after the first game. The title is derived from Soul Calibur, a legendary weapon which opposes the evil of Soul Edge. Though retaining elements of its predecessor, Soulcalibur incorporated an extensive number of new features, including

19557-631: The power of the spirit tracks using the Spirit Flute, and navigate the Spirit Tower, the main labyrinth hub, aided by the spirit of Zelda. The gameplay also incorporates the mechanic of controlling both Link and Zelda in a series of cooperative puzzles and boss battles. Skyward Sword was released in 2011 on the Wii and made use of the Wii MotionPlus to swipe Link's sword, control a mechanical beetle, and ride his loftwing through

19716-487: The ritual to complete Soul Edge, but three warriors from Asia, Chai Xianghua , Kilik , and Maxi stormed his castle, the Ostrheinsburg, and managed to defeat Nightmare, with Soul Edge's spirit ( Inferno ) being shattered by Xianghua's blade, which was revealed to be the lost Soul Calibur. Though Siegfried temporarily regained his sanity, he became possessed again shortly after, as did Soul Calibur, which succumbed to

19875-522: The sacred Picori Blade and turns Zelda to stone. During the game, Link is accompanied by a magical talking cap named Ezlo, who helps him on his quest and teaches him to shrink to the size of the Minish . Twilight Princess (2006) was released on the GameCube and Wii and offers a darker adventure to previous entries in the series. The game features a more detailed depiction of a teenage Link who appears ready for battle wearing chainmail beneath his tunic. In

20034-690: The second time in the Tower of Remembrance, where Siegfried managed to destroy both Nightmare and Soul Edge, seemingly once and for all. Seventeen years later, however, Soul Edge had reformed itself, as did Nightmare, who had possessed a swordsman and became the king of Hungary under the alias "Graf Dumas". His former servant, Tira, did not accept him and intended to search for a new vessel for Soul Edge. She eventually found her now-dead nemesis Sophitia's daughter, Pyrrha Alexandra , whom she had once kidnapped to blackmail Sophitia, who had Soul Edge's power in her blood. Though successful in advising her to attack and kill

20193-671: The sequels to Soulcalibur has used the 8-Way Run movement system. In Soulcalibur IV , Namco introduced a new variation of the Critical Edge combo, called the Critical Finish. Rather than being a combo, a Critical Finish is more of a finishing move which involves an elaborate move that defeats opponents in a single attack. This new attack is tied to the Soul Gauge that works similarly to the Guard Break meter in Street Fighter Alpha 3 (the meter decreases whenever

20352-459: The series by Namco, Enterbrain , Gamest, Nintendo and V Jump . Two soundtrack albums were released for Soul Edge , and one album for each of Soulcalibur , II , III , IV , V and VI . Soulcalibur series characters were featured in the 2006 collectible card game Universal Fighting System . Taki and Ivy were also the subject of a 2011 erotic gamebook in the Queen's Gate series. Pyrrah

20511-637: The series include Heihachi Mishima , Devil Jin , King , Ling Xiaoyu , Asuka Kazama , and Jun Kazama from Tekken (the latter five as attires for custom characters), Link from The Legend of Zelda , Spawn from Spawn , Lloyd Irving from Tales of Symphonia , KOS-MOS from Xenosaga (as an attire for custom characters), Darth Vader , Yoda , and The Apprentice from Star Wars , Kratos from God of War , Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Assassin's Creed , Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher , 2B from NieR: Automata and Haohmaru from Samurai Shodown . Other than featuring characters from other series,

20670-463: The series' characters have also appeared in other video games as well, including the Ridge Racer series, Pac-Man Fever , Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 , Queen's Gate: Spiral Chaos , Musou Orochi 2 Ultimate , as well as crossover titles such as Namco × Capcom and Project X Zone 2 . A five-volume manhua based on Soulcalibur (劍魂 Jiànhún lit. translation 'Soul of Sword' )

20829-428: The series' primary antagonist, Ganon , and saves Princess Zelda . Throughout the series, Link has made multiple appearances in a variety of incarnations, but has been traditionally depicted in his signature green cap and tunic wielding a sword and shield. He has appeared as both a child and young adult of the elf -like Hylian race. Within Zelda mythology, Link is the soul of a legendary hero that throughout history

20988-419: The series' principal protagonist, and so is a shift to that action and overall narrative thread of some other protagonist, which now becomes the central or main thread (storyline) of the new subseries. The new protagonist generally appears first as a minor or supporting character in the main storyline within a given milieu and it is very common for the previous protagonist to have a supporting or cameo role, at

21147-442: The series' title is written as a single word). While it has developed during its various iterations, some of the characters and gameplay elements have remained consistent throughout the series. Project Soul is the internal Namco development group responsible for the Soulcalibur franchise after the release of Soulcalibur II . Although the games are usually credited to Namco itself, the team established its name to draw attention to

21306-1214: The side of the Ottoman Empire , but after the defeat of Barbaros , they joined the Masked Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire . Malfested that protect shards of Soul Edge are known as Guardians (ガーディアン). While Guardians exist throughout series' lore, they are most prominent in Soulcalibur Legends and serve as boss characters. Notable Guardians include Fafnir, Ammon, Geki, Maki , Lizardmen/Lizardwomen , and Cervantes. Berserkers (バーサーカー) are names given to various warriors who have been driven mad with blood lust due to exposure from Soul Edge and care for nothing else other than to cause as much death and destruction as inhumanly possible. They have appeared in Soulcalibur II , as an unlockable character ; Soulcalibur III , as an NPC that can be fought in Tales of Souls; Soulcalibur: Lost Swords , as NPCs in

21465-551: The skies. The plot involves a romantic relationship between Link and Zelda. Beginning in Skyloft, a land floating above the clouds, Link is forced to descend to the surface after Zelda is kidnapped and then travels between the two lands wielding the Goddess Sword, a magical sword that holds a spirit named Fi , who acts as his guide. During his journey, Link imbues the Goddess Sword with three sacred flames and reforges it into

21624-410: The special effects would be done by Rhythm and Hues Studios because of their relationship with Namco. In 2004, Warren Zide's Sony -owned Anthem Pictures acquired the rights to adapt the game to film, which would be produced by Matthew Rhodes and Noel Vega and released in 2007. It has been stated that the film's plot "revolves around two warriors who are chosen by Shaolin monks to recover and destroy

21783-563: The spirit Rauru who grafts his own arm onto Link. This new arm plays a major role as the source of his abilities. It was designed to distinguish him from previous iterations, as the theme of "hands" was chosen as a key recurring aspect of the game for creating items as well as cooperating with other characters. Link's abilities include the Recall ability, which rewinds an object's movement, the Fuse ability, which merges objects to create new weapons,

21942-401: The subject of speculation and remains ambiguous. A romantic relationship was particularly emphasised in an official "romance trailer" for Skyward Sword . In an interview with Game Informer , Aonuma said, "we wanted the player to feel like this is a person who's very important to me, who I need to find. We used that hint of a romance between the two to tug at the heartstrings". The following

22101-506: The sword, from which he then made a weapon in grief, naming it "Soul Calibur". He was sacrificed to complete the sword's ritual which would then be protected by a cult; no one knew that Soul Edge would reform on its own later on. Soul Calibur itself was lost after it was stolen by a member of the cult, Zasalamel . In 1553, a Spanish pirate, Cervantes de Leon stole Soul Edge from a dealer's ship, but gradually became corrupted by its spirit until it devoured his soul, influencing him to terrorize

22260-407: The team expected that fans wanted to see Link as he appeared in Ocarina of Time . Aonuma explained that the design team wanted to express Link as an older teenager: "The fact that we're seeing Link on horseback and swinging a sword, I think that's one more way in which Link has matured". In Twilight Princess , Link has the ability to transform into a wolf. Aonuma said that the design team considered

22419-463: The time to break free of its control fully. Soul Edge was then pierced by Siegfried using Soul Calibur, trapping them in the "Soul Embrace". While things seemed to go normal afterwards, Zasalamel had returned to try and free both swords, intending to use their power to break his cycle of reincarnation induced by Soul Calibur. He managed to do so, and Inferno took a physical form to become the "second Nightmare". Siegfried clashed with this new Nightmare, but

22578-453: The upper display features the inventory. The gameplay is simpler than the NES game and replaces Ganon with eight dragons that kidnap Zelda. After battling through a dungeon, Link must defeat a dragon on the upper screen to receive a piece of the Triforce, before freeing Zelda with the eight recovered Triforce pieces. In the same year, The Legend of Zelda Game Watch was released, which was part of

22737-494: The victims are possibly based on their personality and physique, as Tira may have stopped aging due to being part of a clan that valued survival above all else. Male Malfested often display physical transformations while females generally don't, though exceptions like Pyrrha Ω , and Maki exist. When Cervantes became malfested, he was a zombie due to being revived by Soul Edge. When Raphael and Amy became malfested, they gained vampiric traits and abilities. Soulcalibur VI introduces

22896-434: The world for over twenty years. This terror made several warriors to venture out and stop him, including a female ninja, Taki , who wanted to destroy Soul Edge for having corrupted her master, and a German rebel, Siegfried Schtauffen , who desperately wanted to blame someone for his accidental murder of his father. Eventually, a Greek warrior, Sophitia Alexandra , confronted and managed to destroy one of Cervantes' blades, but

23055-484: The world through the ages". Link is the playable character who appears in every installment of The Legend of Zelda series. Although there are many iterations of Link, each with a similar role and appearance, they are not the same individual. The series spans thousands of years in Hyrule's history across The Legend of Zelda fictional timeline , so that each version of the character is a different Link, sometimes being

23214-454: Was based on a well-known American actor at the time of the game's development; several gaming publications speculated this comment to reference Leonardo DiCaprio . Prior to The Wind Waker a cartoon version of Link was created by graphic designer Yoshiki Haruhana as a way to evolve the series, which was well received by the development team. According to designer Satoru Takizawa, this oversized anime-inspired design with huge eyes offered

23373-470: Was based on his childhood memories as well as books and movies that he and video game designer Takashi Tezuka had enjoyed, notably J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings . Miyamoto wanted people to have the opportunity to be heroes and created Link as a normal boy, with "a destiny to fight great evil". On the origin of the character's name, Miyamoto said: "Link's name comes from the fact that originally,

23532-444: Was later included. During spring 2001, the martial arts film star Sammo Hung announced plans for a film adaptation of Soulcalibur entitled Soul Calibur: The Movie . The film was to be directed by Hung and would be produced by Alan Noel Vega, Michael Cerenzie, Sam Kute and Joseph Jones. According to a statement posted on his website, the film budget would need to be $ 50 million, locations were to include Eastern Europe and China, and

23691-454: Was named as Soul Calibur's new wielder afterwards by Siegfried and also purified the holy sword through the help of several Asian warriors, before going on an all-out battle in Europe. Nightmare was eventually killed by Siegfried's subordinate, Z.W.E.I. , who was immediately wounded by the possessed Pyrrha, who proceeded to battle Patroklos. Patroklos accidentally killed his sister, but was given

23850-555: Was published for the GameCube in 2004, again reinterpreted traditional Zelda gameplay with a multiplayer approach. The plot centres on Link being split into four versions of himself by the Four Sword, resulting in four Links of different colours. He must embark on a quest that involves rescuing seven princesses from an evil sorcerer. The game depicts the Links in a 16-bit top-down perspective and involves each player controlling one of

24009-623: Was published in 1999 by author Mó yì (魔翼) and was published by Qingwen (青文). A separate two volume manhua titled Soulcalibur: Spirit Sword (靈神劍, Ling Shenjian, lit. translation: Spirit Holy Sword ) was released in 1998 that retold the events of the first game but with Hwang as the central character in a setting with Sci-Fi elements. A two-volume novelization was written by Tobita Mandom (supervised by Project Soul), illustrated by JUNNY, and published by Shueisha in Japan in 2012. Several guide and art books were published in Japan for various installments of

24168-638: Was released by Epoch Co. in 1992 in Japan but not in North America. It was developed for the Barcode Battler II console and involves swiping cards to unlock various characters from A Link to the Past . Link appears in Link: The Faces of Evil , Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda's Adventure , The Legend of Zelda CD-i games published by Philips Interactive Media for its Compact Disc-Interactive (CD-i) players. While

24327-399: Was released for the Nintendo 64 (N64), was the first 3D game in the Zelda series. Link was depicted with blonde hair and his horse Epona was introduced as a mode of transport. The plot's time shifts allow the player to control Link first as a child and later as a young adult. His green outfit reflects his role in the story as a Kokiri and his shield was updated to display the crest of

24486-426: Was renamed Soul Blade outside Japan. Set in the late sixteenth century, the game follows nine warriors in a quest, each of whom has their own reasons for joining the quest but they all share a common goal: to obtain the legendary sword, called 'Soul Edge'. After appearing in arcade, the game was made available for PlayStation in 1996. Along with its soundtrack, it has been praised for being innovative yet traditional to

24645-404: Was seen. It used a different graphics engine . Soulcalibur III contains a new single-player mode called "Tales of Souls", a story mode in which the player can make course-altering decisions. Arenas are more interactive, for example with rocks breaking if a character were to impact against them. Soulcalibur III is the first game in the series to feature a character creation system, and features

24804-499: Was soaked with blood through the endless battles of its era, causing the sword to be corrupted and becoming sentient by its own, which earned it the name "Soul Edge". No one dared to wield the sword without getting corrupted by its evil spirit, and only the Hero King, Algol can wield it without getting possessed. However, Algol's son, jealous of his father's feat, wielded the sword and became corrupted. Algol destroyed both his son and

24963-433: Was the 20th Anniversary of the Soul series. It was developed by Project Soul and published by Yamasa for arcades and Apple iPhone , iPad , and iPod devices which was developed by Ichikaku Co,. Ltd. in Japan on January 29, 2017. The game's story is based off of and uses assets such as music, graphics, and models from Soulcalibur V along with the some of its more notable characters across various in-game modes. The story

25122-440: Was the second original Zelda entry for the Nintendo 3DS and a departure from the series' tradition, with a focus on a three-player cooperative campaign. Link appears alongside two companions that can be stacked to reach high places, solve puzzles and defeat tall enemies. The storyline revolves around the theme of fashion and is set in the realm of Hytopia, where a witch has cursed Princess Styla to wear an ugly brown body suit. As

25281-638: Was wounded in the process and had to be healed by Soul Calibur, tying him with it permanently, while Soul Edge was cast to the void to heal itself. The clash of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur had awakened Algol from his slumber, who rose the Tower of Remembrance to wait for warriors to challenge him. Meanwhile, Nightmare, with his servant Tira , wanting to gather the Soul Edge fragments to complete Soul Edge, forced several warriors, including Astaroth , Sophitia, and Voldo into servitude, while Siegfried, having recovered, set out to confront Nightmare. The two clashed for

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