

There's a palpable sense of wanderlust and vulnerability in Anodyne, key staples of early Zelda games. Instead of plain old wilderness, you'll be exploring abstract and quirky dreamscape versions of reality - some hauntingly beautiful, some lonesome and malevolent. A bit more surreal than most Zelda games, Anodyne takes place almost entirely within the main character's head. We've collected 15 such titles here, in case you're looking for your next grand adventure. And while there can only be one true blue Zelda series, there are plenty of games that have crafted worthwhile and enjoyable experiences out of the foundation Nintendo built so long ago.

Maybe that's why nowadays there are so many games which - either very clearly or maybe a bit less so - trace their influences back to the ever-morphing story about an elf boy in a tunic out to save a magical kingdom and rescue a princess with a few dungeon stops and boss fights along the way of course.

The video game industry owes a lot to The Legend of Zelda.
