Editing Universe of The Legend of Zelda (section)

==Reception==
In their January 2010 issue, ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' listed Hyrule as one of the greatest Nintendo locations, citing the vast number of areas to explore, as well as referencing players' first experiences with the Lost Woods and Death Mountain as highlights of the players' adventures.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.nintendopower.com/images/NP250_250Feature.pdf |title=Top 250 Games |format=Magazine |access-date=2010-07-17 |volume=250 |date=January 2010 |page=42 |publisher=[[Future US]] |location=[[South San Francisco, California]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229051334/http://nintendopower.com/images/NP250_250Feature.pdf |archive-date=December 29, 2009}}</ref> Steve Watts of ''[[GameSpot]]'' praised the original game world, commenting that although it is minimalist, it, "conveys the feeling of going on a grand adventure through the wilderness, and the lack of hand-holding that would come to define later ''Zelda'' games makes the world feel that much more expansive and mysterious".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Watts |first=Steve |date=11 May 2022 |title=The Best Zelda Games, Ranked From Least To Most Legendary |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/best-zelda-games-ranked/1100-6495709/ |access-date=2022-06-01 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US |archive-date=June 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601173455/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/best-zelda-games-ranked/1100-6495709/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Yannick LeJacq for ''[[Kotaku]]'' commented that "Hyrule is one of the most iconic settings in the history of video games. ''The Legend of Zelda'' players have been poring over it in one way or another for almost 30 years now".<ref>{{Cite web |last=LeJacq |first=Yannick |date=2014-07-31 |title=Accurate Zelda Map Means You'll Never Get Lost In The Woods Again |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/07/accurate-zelda-map-means-youll-never-get-lost-in-the-woods-again/ |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=Kotaku Australia |language=en-AU |archive-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527072821/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/07/accurate-zelda-map-means-youll-never-get-lost-in-the-woods-again/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]''<nowiki/>'s Jeremy Parish remarked on the impact that Hyrule and its centrepiece Hyrule Field had on gamers in ''Ocarina of Time''. He commented: "Open game worlds existed before ''Ocarina of Time''. And in truth, ''Ocarina''{{'}}s rendition of Hyrule isn't even really all that open. But the game explored the relationship between its environments, the camera's 3D perspective and Link's place in it all to create a realm that felt far more like a real location than the game worlds that had come before it".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parish |first=Jeremy |date=2018-11-21 |title=Zelda: Ocarina of Time's Hyrule Field changed how we think about game worlds |url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/21/18107024/zelda-ocarina-of-time-anniversary-hyrule-field |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=Polygon |language=en-US |archive-date=April 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424211004/https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/21/18107024/zelda-ocarina-of-time-anniversary-hyrule-field |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Destructoid]]'' also noted Hyrule's impact in ''Ocarina of Time'', saying "there was nothing else like it before 1998" and continued: "The awesome thing about Hyrule is that I can honestly see a place like it existing in our world. It's not just some fantasy, flashy place like you'd find in the ''[[Star Wars]]'' universe. It's meant to look like the real world, and Miyamoto achieved that goal in a way no one would have expected without actually seeing it first".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-05-06 |title=Other Worlds Than These: Hyrule in Zelda: Ocarina of Time |url=https://www.destructoid.com/other-worlds-than-these-hyrule-in-zelda-ocarina-of-time/ |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=Destructoid |language=en-CA |archive-date=May 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521231911/https://www.destructoid.com/other-worlds-than-these-hyrule-in-zelda-ocarina-of-time/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The open world of Hyrule in ''Breath of the Wild'' has received praise for its design. Noelle Warner of ''Destructoid'' ranked all of the settlements in ''Breath of the Wild'' and chose Tarrey Town as the favourite location, because players must build it from the ground up, making it one of the longest side quests in the game.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Warner |first=Noelle |date=2021-07-04 |title=Ranking the coziness of Breath of the Wild towns before they (probably) get destroyed in the sequel |url=https://www.destructoid.com/ranking-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-towns-coziness/ |access-date=2022-04-23 |website=Destructoid |language=en-CA |archive-date=April 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423203705/https://www.destructoid.com/ranking-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-towns-coziness/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Kate Gray, writing for ''[[The Guardian]]'', was impressed by the beauty and large scale of the game world, noting that "the greens of the open plains contrast with the dark black of Death Mountain, which is streaked with orange lava on the distant horizon". She also commented on the "range of quiet, clever techniques designed to help players navigate the environment".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gray |first=Kate |date=2017-05-30 |title=Is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild the best-designed game ever? |url=http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/30/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-nintendo-game-design-open-world-player-explore |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=the Guardian |language=en |archive-date=April 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424201444/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/30/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-nintendo-game-design-open-world-player-explore |url-status=live }}</ref> Andrew Webster of ''[[The Verge]]'' responded positively to the grandness of the game's massive open world: "The scale could have been daunting, but the joy of discovery and the satisfaction that comes from finding your own way make it inviting instead".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Webster |first=Andrew |date=2017-03-02 |title=The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild review |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/2/14787082/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-review |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=The Verge |language=en |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021035118/https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/2/14787082/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-review |url-status=live }}</ref>

Senior editor Caty McCarthy of ''[[USgamer]]'' ranked the in-game map of ''A Link to the Past'' as the best video game map, describing it as "perfect" world design in terms of the way it integrates with the gameplay.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Caty |date=2020-06-03 |title=20 Amazing In-Game Maps That Did More Than Show the Way Forward |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-20-best-in-game-maps |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=USgamer |language=en |archive-date=April 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424214202/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-20-best-in-game-maps |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[IGN]]'' ranked Hyrule as the sixth greatest game world, commenting that "few game worlds manage to leave as indelible an impression on the collective gaming subconscious as ''Zelda'' has. For that alone it ranks up there as one of the best, most fully realized worlds in all of gaming".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zelda - #6 Top Video Game Worlds - IGN |url=https://www.ign.com/lists/video-game-worlds/6 |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=www.ign.com |archive-date=April 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424070231/https://www.ign.com/lists/video-game-worlds/6 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2021, Evan Narcisse of ''Kotaku'' listed Hyrule as one of the richest sci-fi and fantasy worlds in video games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Narcisse |first=Evan |date=2021-05-14 |title=The Richest Sci-Fi And Fantasy Worlds In Video Games |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/05/the-richest-scifi-and-fantasy-worlds-in-video-games/ |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=Kotaku Australia |language=en-AU |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525021027/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/05/the-richest-scifi-and-fantasy-worlds-in-video-games/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>