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 (video game)
"The Legend of Zelda" was directed and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka (credited as S. Miyahon and Ten Ten respectively in the closing credits). Miyamoto produced the game, and Tezuka wrote the story and script. Keiji Terui, a screenwriter who worked on anime shows such as "Dr. Slump" and "Dragon Ball", wrote the backstory for the manual, drawing inspiration from conflicts in medieval Europe. Development began in 1984, and the game was originally intended to be a launch title for the Famicom Disk System. The development team worked on "The Legend of Zelda" and "Super Mario Bros." concurrently, and tried to separate their ideas: "Super Mario Bros." was to be linear, where the action occurred in a strict sequence, whereas "The Legend of Zelda" would be the opposite. In "Mario", Miyamoto downplayed the importance of the high score in favor of simply completing the game. This concept was carried over to "The Legend of Zelda". Miyamoto was also in charge of deciding which concepts were ""Zelda" ideas" or ""Mario" ideas." Contrasting with "Mario", "Zelda" was made non-linear and forced the players to think about what they should do next. According to Miyamoto, those in Japan were confused and had trouble finding their way through the multi-path dungeons, and in initial game designs, the player would start with the sword already in their inventory. Rather than merely simplifying matters for players, Miyamoto forced the player to listen to the old man who gives his their sword, and encouraged interaction among people to with share their ideas with each other to find the various hidden secrets, a new form of gaming communication. Relatedly, this concept turned into the root of another series to be developed many years in the future: ""Zelda" became the inspiration for something very different: "Animal Crossing". This was a game based solely on communication."