Across the many timelines and reincarnations, Hyrule has remained a constantly reinvented world in nearly every game of The Legend of Zelda game series. Since Hyrule was one of the first attempts at an open world map for gamers to explore, Nintendo kept making the worlds bigger with each entry.
In a way, Hyrule is a lot like Link and the other main characters: each version of Hyrule usually has some new gimmick or theme to keep the exploration from becoming bland or predictable. With over a dozen games in The Legend Of Zelda games, there are plenty of Hyrule variants that have enchanted the hearts of fans.
The Legend Of Zelda
The one that started it all on the original Nintendo Entertainment System is still pretty stellar. By today's standards, The Legend Of Zelda and its Hyrule seem basic, but many of the open-world games that gamers know today likely owe it all to the very first game.
Even after all these years, The Legend Of Zelda is an NES game that stands the test of time by featuring a world that's easy to feel immersed in. Gamers can explore at their own pace, discover secrets, and learn to swim or sink on their own. Even the 8-Bit graphics can't hinder what will always be an iconic Hyrule.
Link's Awakening HD
Cute is the best way to describe the Hyrule in Link's Awakening HD, even though it technically is a "fake" Hyrule in Link's dream. Still, the Switch remake gives a colorful and serene island for gamers to explore. Since it is a nearly identical remake of a map for the Nintendo GameBoy, it's also not an expansive map.
However, fans agree that the advanced graphics of the Switch make it a visually appealing map for Link's Awakening HD. The NPCs, dungeons, and locations are simplistic but get the job done in the best ways possible.
A Link To The Past
It was A Link To The Past that revolutionized Hyrule forever with an even bigger world filled with secrets, iconic dungeons, and stunning visuals that made Hyrule feel akin to a world seen in high fantasy films.
For the SNES, A Link To The Past's version of Hyrule was far ahead of its time. It did exactly what a sequel should do: take what was done so well in previous games and simply make it bigger as well as better.
Ocarina Of Time
Ocarina Of Time would set the new standard that future sequels on consoles would follow. From Lake Hylia to the Kokiri Forest to Death Mountain, there are so many places to explore with many secret sidequests, hidden Zelda details to discover, and NPCs to talk to. Of course, the dungeons were also more immersive and challenging than ever, leaking with atmosphere.
However, many fans will agree that the main Hyrule Field hub world has not aged well. It's essentially an empty section of land that connects to all the interesting places with no NPCs and very few enemies. Still, Ocarina Of Time's Hyrule is one that fans will never forget.
The Minish Cap
The GameBoy Advance would bring on what many fans consider one of the most underrated games of The Legend of Zelda series known as The Minish Cap. The Minish Cap definitely takes after A Link To The Past in terms of the structure of Hyrule and builds upon it.
There are many things to discover and do, such as the plethora of challenges that reward Kinstones. The Minish Cap also utilizes its new gameplay mechanic: shrinking and growing. Some locations are only available when small, allowing for a visually stunning look at the world, similar to the Ant-Man films or Honey, I Shrunk The Kids.
Twilight Princess
Similar to The Minish Cap, Twilight Princess gives players the ability to traverse and view Hyrule from two perspectives. Obviously, there is the regular Link as a Hylian trying to stop Zant and Ganondorf's plot. Then there is Link's wolf form which allows him to view things from the Twilight Realm version of Hyrule.
Solving puzzles, defeating dungeons, and interacting with NPCs as Hylian and Wolf Link make Hyrule even more expansive with so many hidden details exclusive to each form. Of course, you also have mysterious locations such as Snowpeak Manor with little to no explanation but fit within the bleak world.
A Link Between Worlds
One Hyrule is already fun to explore but what about two? That's the gimmick of A Link Between Worlds. There is Hyrule but there is also Lorule, an alternate dimension version of Hyrule that can affect things in Hyrule, leading to some surprisingly complex puzzles to solve.
A Link Between Worlds was also refreshing because the dungeons can all be defeated in any order, giving the player much more freedom. Since it harks back to A Link To The Past, a lot of the map remains the same giving nostalgia to older fans while still keeping things fresh.
The Wind Waker
For years, The Wind Waker has what was often considered the most technically impressive Hyrule. The Great Sea (also known as Sunken Hyrule) features a massive world to explore with dozens of islands to discover. Nearly every NPC is unique and memorable too, embracing the pirate-style of the game.
The dungeons, the strange monsters, and the characters are all brought to life through cell-shaded animation. At first, it may seem simplistic but the art style gives The Great Sea one of the more unique looks of the entire series.
Skyward Sword
Swapping an ocean for a civilization living above the clouds, Skyward Sword presents a more majestic world to explore. Flying upon Link's loftwing and soaring above the clouds is euphoric, seeing just how massive the world is and how small they are.
That's not even getting to the massive biomes of the surface, containing jungles, deserts, and massive volcanos. Where it lacks in the number of locations, Skyward Sword makes up for it by having a massive number of side quests to partake in. With Skyward Sword being the first game in the official timeline, fans appreciated seeing how this Hyrule featured things and places that would evolve into what is seen in other games.
Breath Of The Wild
Harking back to the original The Legend Of Zelda, there are no explicit directions pointing where Link needs to go. Instead, Breath of The Wild lets the players explore at their own pace. Breath of The Wild's Hyrule is also the biggest one yet with one of the biggest maps in gaming history, gathering the many races from previous games into one map.
Even the dungeons can rival the size of Hyrule Field from Ocarina Of Time. Combine this with the new hunting and gathering mechanics for recipes, Breath of The Wild's map quickly became a favorite for fans. The structure of Breath of the Wild's open-world would end up inspiring the Mario game, Bowser's Fury.