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: A Link to the Past
GamesRadar included it in its lists of the greatest video game Easter eggs and the nine "video game secrets that were almost never found." GamesRadar's Jason Fanelli called it "one of the "Zelda" franchise's biggest mysteries." GamesRadar's Justin Towell included it in his list of the top seven secret rooms in video games at number two. He felt that the contest prize was exciting, and called it "one of the coolest and most exclusive secrets in the "Zelda" universe." 1UP.com featured it in its list of "25 things you didn't know about "The Legend of Zelda"." Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Good Game, "The Escapist", IGN, GameSpy, G4TV, PALGN, and Nintendo Life referenced it in articles which discuss video game Easter eggs and secrets.