Hyrule/Appearances by Game

The Legend of Zelda
Hyrule is first seen in The Legend of Zelda as the magical kingdom that serves as the setting for the adventures of a young man named Link in his quest to save Hyrule's young princess, Zelda, from the clutches of the evil sorcerer Ganon. In this game, Hyrule is described as a beautiful kingdom with deep forests and tall mountains bordering a vast ocean to its southern and eastern borders. As Link explores the kingdom, he visits all the different parts of it, including the Lost Woods to the west-southwest, the Graveyard in the shadow of Death Mountain to the northwest, the coastline to the southeastern and eastern borders of the kingdom and even the strange forests in the southeastern region of the country. In this original incarnation of Hyrule, the land is shown to have many forests and lakes in addition to the mountainous terrain of Death Mountain. This would mark the gaming world's first experience in the land of Hyrule and began several long traditions that would continue to be featured in later incarnations of the kingdom and would be vastly expanded upon and improved by the game developers.

The Adventure of Link
The second appearance of Hyrule was in The Adventure of Link, where it is shown to still retain several familiar locales but at the same time with several major changes to the kingdom's terrain as it is revealed that the overworld explored in the previous game was only part of Hyrule. This game takes place in a section of Hyrule not explored in any other game. The overworld of Zelda II lies to the north of the Hyrule featured in the original game, and utterly dwarfs it in size. It features three major continents and more towns and settlements than the barren landscape featured in the original Zelda game. The original Hyrule overworld is still explorable, but it is a tiny landmass south of Death Mountain. As Link progresses through the game, fans see Hyrule has changed somewhat in this incarnation of the kingdom. Although Hyrule still borders a vast ocean, it has swamps, mountains, deserts and islands. The graveyard in the shadow of Death Mountain still remains in this incarnation of Hyrule, although another that is home to the King's Tomb is featured in this game too. The hero also visits several towns that would later provide the namesakes of some very important characters in a future game. This game would also mark the first time that game developers used the idea of palaces or temples to be the dungeons of Hyrule to be explored by the hero, a formula that would come to be used time and again in future games. In this game, Link traverses Hyrule to restore six magical crystals to their proper places within six other individual palaces in order to break the seal on the Great Palace and awaken Zelda with the completed Triforce.

A Link to the Past
A Link to the Past marked the first appearances of such major landmarks as Lake Hylia, the Lost Woods, Zora's Waterfall, Hyrule Castle, and Kakariko Village. The mirror of Hyrule, the Dark World, was also made explorable and marks the only time that the Sacred Realm could be explored in any form. The Dark World appeared to be what Hyrule would be like if it were ruled by Ganon. The two worlds were closely linked, and what happened in one would even affect its twin in the other. This version of Hyrule began many of the more recurring elements of the kingdom, such as Hyrule Castle being the home of the Royal Family and the Lost Woods being the home of the Master Sword. This template of Hyrule would also be heavily replicated in future games as well.

Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time marks the first time the kingdom of Hyrule was represented in three dimensions. It would also be this game's representation of Hyrule that would set the mold of most of its successors in both gameplay and story elements. Familiar locations like Death Mountain and Lake Hylia returned, along with new locations such as Gerudo Valley, Lon Lon Ranch, and the Kokiri Forest. The geography of the land was rearranged, making Hyrule Field a central hub area between most of the major locations.

Four Swords
Four Swords features yet another incarnation of Hyrule that contrasts with previous versions of the kingdom. Several locations appear in the game that have not yet appeared in any other, such as the Sea of Trees, the Chambers of Insight, and Talus Cave. Death Mountain makes a reappearance as one of the few recurring places that appears in this version of Hyrule. There is also a region above the clouds featured, where Vaati's Palace resides floating high above the land.

The Wind Waker
The Wind Waker features a new incarnation of Hyrule, though this version of Hyrule is revealed to be sealed away beneath a vast ocean known as the Great Sea. This is the direct result of a catastrophic deluge known as the Great Flood that befell the land of Hyrule in order to save its people from destruction, and the end result left the original Hyrule locked away and frozen in time at the bottom of the sea while the people would build a new country on the surface, where the highest mountains of Hyrule became islands on the surface of the sea. When gamers see what remains of Hyrule beneath the sea, it is seen to vastly differ from the previous incarnations of the kingdom gamers saw in previous games. For example, Hyrule Castle now rests on an island in the middle of a large lake speculated to be none other than Lake Hylia itself, with a large river running into it that is also speculated to be Zora's River. There are many mountains seen surrounding the outer regions of Hyrule during the brief times it is seen in the game, and these mountains account for the islands on the surface where much of the game takes place. Ganon's Tower is also shown to be located beyond a canyon leading into the mountains surrounding what remains of the kingdom, not far away from the then-site of Hyrule Castle. Hyrule still retains its great beauty, despite its desertion and isolation on the seabed.

Four Swords Adventures
The version of Hyrule featured in Four Swords Adventures shares many landmarks with the version of Hyrule featured in A Link to the Past. The Eastern Palace, Desert Palace, and what is suspected to be the Tower of Hera (the Tower of Flames) are in the same locations, as is Kakariko Village. Hyrule Castle also rests in a similar location to its A Link to the Past counterpart, at the very center of the kingdom, although this incarnation of the castle more strongly resembles the one featued in The Wind Waker. However, some locations have shifted as well. Lake Hylia is now in the northeast, and locations not featured in A Link to the Past are present, such as the Village of the Blue Maiden and Lon Lon Ranch. The southern part of the map is frozen due to Vaati's evil magic. The Dark World is again present, both as the northwestern portion of Hyrule and the base of Ganon's power, and as an actual mirror universe. Most of the Hyrulean races that were introduced in Ocarina of Time return in this game. The Gorons live on Death Mountain, the Deku Scrubs live in the Lost Woods, and the Gerudo live in the Desert of Doubt. A new race, the Zuna, are also introduced. The Zuna are a tribe of green-skinned desert nomads who are descended from the ancient Pyramid builders. Another major difference in this incarnation of Hyrule when compared to others is that a large ocean borders the entire continent upon which Hyrule rests.

The Minish Cap
The geography of Hyrule presented in The Minish Cap introduces new locations such as the wild marshlands of Castor Wilds, the rocky Mount Crenel, and the eerie Royal Valley, while such common landmarks as Death Mountain and Kakariko Village are absent. Hyrule Field is divided into sectors, and locations such as Lon Lon Ranch and Hyrule Town (a different incarnation of Hyrule Castle Town) serve as major populated areas. Another recurring locale is the classic home of the Royal Family, Hyrule Castle, which sits to Hyrule Field's northern borders and plays a pivotal role in the progression of the game. Many areas can only be explored while Link is small, such as Melari's Mines or the Minish Village in the Minish Woods. A large part of the map is also covered in clouds and is known as the Cloud Tops. This is the home of the Wind Tribe and the location of the Palace of Winds. There is some continuity with locations from the rest of the Four Swords trilogy, as this game likely shows the palace before Vaati began using it as his residence, in addition to the Tower of Winds, which is revealed to have begun as the home of the Wind Tribe in this game.

Twilight Princess
The Hyrule appearing in Twilight Princess is much larger than in previous games. The government is centralized in Castle Town, and Kakariko Village again appears at the base of Death Mountain. A sign at the entrance to the Hidden Village identifies it as "Old Kakariko," indicating that the Kakariko Village appearing in Twilight Princess may perhaps be the same one seen in Ocarina of Time. Hyrule Field is larger and again divided into sectors like it was in The Minish Cap. The kingdom appears to have a more developed system of roads, with fortified bridges like the Bridge of Eldin and the Great Bridge of Hylia guarding the roads. New locations such as Snowpeak and Ordon Village also appear for the first time. The Temple of Time reappears in this game, but has shifted locations. It is no longer in the main Castle Town as it was in Ocarina of Time, but its ruins are instead in the Sacred Grove, alongside the ruins of what appears to have been a city. This draws parallels with the Master Sword's location in A Link to the Past. This game also introduces the four provinces of Hyrule: Ordona, Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru.

Spirit Tracks
Hyrule's most recent appearance in Spirit Tracks features a unique and complex railroad system that was born out of the war with the Demon King Malladus, with its most notable features being the titular Spirit Tracks that span four directions all across the land and the Tower of Spirits at the center of the kingdom. These special tracks, the tower, and the four temples connected to the tower by the tracks, serve as the means by which Malladus is kept bound in his prison deep beneath Hyrule. Hyrule is composed of four main regions in this game: the Forest Realm, the Snow Realm, the Ocean Realm, and the Fire Realm. In addition, a vast desert known as the Sand Realm is between the Ocean Realm and the Fire Realm. This new Hyrule's capital city is once again Castle Town. Other settlements such as Whittleton, Aboda Village, and Papuchia Village make up most of the country's Hylian population. The Snow Realm is mostly populated by the Anouki tribe, and the Fire Realm by the Gorons, who live at Goron Village.

Majora's Mask
Hyrule only plays a minor role in the opening and closing of Majora's Mask, where a new section of the Lost Woods is revealed in the opening of the game. Link is searching the woods for "a friend with whom he parted ways" after the Child Timeline ending of Ocarina of Time. The Lost Woods are home to a portal leading to a parallel world to Hyrule called Termina. Link stumbles upon this portal when he chases the Skull Kid through it after a chance encounter in the Lost Woods. The young Hero of Time also returns to Hyrule through this same portal at the end of the game after he succeeds in saving Termina from the demon Majora and frees the Skull Kid from Majora's grasp. During the ending cinematic, a crude drawing of Link and the Skull Kid is seen in the Lost Woods.

Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages
Hyrule in the Oracle games also plays only a minor role in the overarching storyline. The kingdom appears to be at peace, because Ganon was vanquished sometime in the past and the complete Triforce is safe in Hyrule Castle. When Link touches the Triforce, he receives a mark on his hand that signifies that he is the chosen hero of Hyrule. As the two games open, Link is shown riding a horse along a coastline (revealing that this version of Hyrule also has an ocean that borders it), and Hyrule Castle is shown from a distance when Link stops to take in the view and hears the Triforce's call from within the castle. These brief scenes are the only times gamers see Hyrule in the two games, and only one room is shown within Hyrule Castle, the room where the Triforce is kept. It is also revealed that, unlike in Termina, Hyrule is known to members of the two new lands visited by Link within the games. Nayru reveals that she knows that Link and Impa are messengers of Hyrule and Din is able to identify the Triforce mark on the back of Link's hand. This indicates that both Holodrum and Labrynna are different countries in the same universe as Hyrule, and not parallel dimensions like Termina.