10 Things You Won't Believe Inspired Iconic Video Games

4. Ocarina Of Time Was Heavily Influenced By A Disney Story

Chipper and Sons Five Nights at Freddy's
Disney/Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda is one of the most celebrated franchises in video game history. The series draws inspiration from folklore, personal experiences, other games, and literature. But what was the inspiration for Ocarina of Time, which is often heralded as the greatest game of all time?

Would you believe that the character and story took many cues from Peter Pan? This sounds far fetched at first but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Link and Pan wear green clothes and wield swords. Both characters play a wind-instrument (Pan plays the panflute while Link plays an ocarina). They are both accompanied by a fairy (Tinkerbell and Navi) and they live in the forest with ageless children (The Lost Boys and The Kokiri). Time plays a pivotal role in both stories; Pan lives in a world where children don’t grow old and Link can time-travel using the Master Sword.

In The Water Temple, Link must face his doppelgänger, Dark Link. This mini-boss is the hardest enemy in the game because he mimics Link's movements like a shadow. This battle is an analogy to how Peter Pan wrestles with his shadow.

There are so many similarities in both stories, you will wonder how you never saw them sooner.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows