Action role-playing game
An important influence on the action RPG genre was the 1986 action-adventure, "The Legend of Zelda", which served as the template for many future action RPGs. In contrast to previous action RPGs, such as "Dragon Slayer" and "Hydlide," which required the player to bump into enemies in order to attack them, "The Legend of Zelda" featured an attack button that animates a sword swing or projectile attack on the screen. It was also an early example of open-world, nonlinear gameplay, and introduced new features such as battery backup saving. These elements have been used in many action RPGs since.
The Legend of Zelda
, "The Legend of Zelda" franchise has sold over 80 million copies, with the original "The Legend of Zelda" being the fourth best-selling NES game of all time. The series was ranked as the 64th top game (collectively) by "Next Generation" in 1996. According to British film magazine "Empire", with "the most vividly-realised world and the most varied game-play of any game on any console, "Zelda" is a solid bet for the best game series ever."