10 Last Minutes Changes Made In The Legend Of Zelda Series
9. Several Games Were Changed For Religious Reasons
Nintendo are very careful with how religion is depicted in their mainstream games. Over the years, they have changed words, symbols, and even music in the Legend of Zelda franchise due to religious connotations.
The SNES game, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, has the sub-title, Triforce of the Gods, in Japan. This was changed for the Western world because Nintendo didn’t want to upset anyone of religious faith by having the word “gods” in the title. In the Western version, the priest was referred to as the sage and the church was called Sanctuary to disassociate from Christianity. Also, the Japanese version has blocks with a six-pointed star which resemble the Star of David. This symbol was obviously removed when the game was released worldwide.
Religious controversies continued upon the release of Ocarina of Time. In this game, an ominous Islamic chant can be heard in the Fire Temple. This was cut out upon the game’s re-release. Some players thought the symbol that appeared on blocks and the Mirror Shield was similar to a Muslim insignia, forcing Nintendo to revise it for the re-release of the game.