Role-playing video game
Typically action RPGs feature each player directly controlling a single character in real time, and feature a strong focus on combat and action with plot and character interaction kept to a minimum. Early action RPGs tended to follow the template set by 1980s Nihon Falcom titles such as the "Dragon Slayer" and "Ys" series, which feature hack and slash combat where the player character's movements and actions are controlled directly, using a keyboard or game controller, rather than using menus. This formula was refined by the action-adventure game, "The Legend of Zelda" (1986), which set the template used by many subsequent action RPGs, including innovations such as an open world, nonlinear gameplay, battery backup saving, and an attack button that animates a sword swing or projectile attack on the screen. The game was largely responsible for the surge of action-oriented RPGs released since the late 1980s, both in Japan and North America. "The Legend of Zelda" series would continue to exert an influence on the transition of both console and computer RPGs from stat-heavy, turn-based combat towards real-time action combat in the following decades.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
In April 2013, during a Nintendo Direct presentation, a new "The Legend of Zelda" game was announced for the 3DS with a late 2013 release date. The game was described by Nintendo as a successor to "A Link to the Past", set within the same world but featuring new mechanics, new dungeons, and an original story. Shortly after the presentation, Nintendo released a gameplay video on the Nintendo eShop. Later in June, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2013, the English title for the game was revealed as "The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds". In Japan, the game was titled "The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods 2". At the Seattle showing of "" concert tour in 2013, "A Link Between Worlds" was playable along with "".
"A Link Between Worlds" released in Europe and North America on November 22, 2013, in Australia the following day, and later in Japan on December 26, 2013. The European version of the game contained a reversible cover sleeve; the inside cover featuring multicoloured art and the outside cover featuring the golden-hued version. Alongside the game's launch, Nintendo released a bundle including a copy of the game and a themed Nintendo 3DS XL with the Triforce logo. In 2015, "A Link Between Worlds" was rereleased under the Nintendo Selects label in Europe, along with five other Nintendo 3DS titles. In early 2015, Nintendo released the original soundtrack for "A Link Between Worlds" on CD in Europe via Club Nintendo. Music from the soundtrack was included in the 2015 concert tour "".