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: Link's Awakening
In addition to the main quest, "Link's Awakening" contains side-missions and diversions. Collectible "secret seashells" are hidden throughout the game; when twenty of these are found, the player can receive a powerful sword that fires energy beams when the player character is at full health, similar to the sword in the original "The Legend of Zelda". "Link's Awakening" is the first "Zelda" game to include a trading sequence minigame: the player may give a certain item to a character, who in turn gives the player another item to trade with someone else. It is also the first game in the "Zelda" series in which the A and B buttons may be assigned to different items, which enables more varied puzzles and item combinations. Other series elements originating in "Link's Awakening" include fishing, and learning special songs on an ocarina; the latter mechanic is central to the next "Zelda" game released, "".