As Nintendo's year-long celebration of The Legend of Zelda's 30th anniversary comes to a close, the Japanese entertainment company's UK division has shared perhaps the final bit of memorabilia before we roll the calendar to 2017.
Developing a game like The Legend of Zelda doesn't happen overnight, especially given its huge map and non-linear gameplay. This meant that creators Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka would need to have a very clear vision of what the Hyrule overworld and its many dungeons and secrets were to look like in advance.
Technological limitations at the time forced the duo to do so the old fashioned way - with paper and pencil. Fortunately for us, this treasure trove of development material has survived for more than three decades and is now on display for all to enjoy.
In case you missed it (like I did), images of a 3D-printed replica of Hyrule surfaced this past weekend. William McFarland, who purchased the work of art via a retro collector's group on Facebook, said the creator spent six months building the map in Minecraft. It was then made into a 3D printer file and after 24 hours of printing and six hours of painting, the masterpiece was complete.
The Legend of Zelda is one of 30 games featured on the impossible-to-find-in-stores NES Classic Edition alongside other favorites like Excitebike, Mega Man 2, Metroid and Super Mario Bros. 1-3. Nintendo has promised additional inventory would arrive in time for the holidays but with mere days remaining until Christmas, that's looking rather unlikely.