These days, it’s hard to imagine there was ever a day when some ofNintendo’smost famous franchises were just simple ideas by video game developers. However, every great success has its origin story, which is just as true with the biggest video game series of all time. It’s especially true of Nintendo games that started quite a few console generations ago.
Related:Iconic Nintendo Characters Who Haven’t Been Made Into Super Smash Bros Fighters Yet
Oftentimes,Nintendo’s biggest games got their inspirationsfrom real-life memories and environments, but every so often pop culture would play a role in inspiring some of these now-beloved IP. While pretty much every video game knows these franchises by now, they may besurprised to learn where the original idea for their first games came from.
10Donkey Kong
Lots of people know that theSuper Mario Bros.franchise started way back in 1981 with the arcade titleDonkey Kong, which featured the first playable appearance of Jumpman, the character who later became Mario, as he tried to rescue his girlfriend Pauline from the titular ape. However, this character dynamic originated from another popular ’80s franchise.
Initially,Donkey Kongwas meant to be a game inspired byPopeye, with Donkey Kong originally being Bluto, Pauline being Olive Oil, and Jumpman being Popeye himself. However, after failing to get the proper license for the characters, Nintendo repurposed the game’s concept for original characters, resulting invideo gaming’s most iconic faces.
9The Legend Of Zelda
The Legend of Zeldais filled with lots of lore and backstoryfor the world of Hyrule, but the original NES title released in 1986 had simpler origins. According to Shigeru Miyamoto,The Legend of Zelda’s open world setting originated from his own experiences exploring the Japanese city of Kyoto as a child, wanting players to feel the wonder of nature.
Although this idea predates the franchise’s medieval setting, it’s still present in the most recent entries, likeBreath of the Wild, which really emphasize the freedom of exploration. Additionally, the name of the franchise’s titular princess was inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wife Zelda, though that was mainly because Miyamoto liked the sound of it.
8Metroid
Metroidalso debuted on the NES in 1986, the same year asThe Legend of Zelda, though its development was helmed by Gunpei Yokoi. However, one of the biggest inspirations for the sci-fi title came from character designer Yoshio Sakamoto. A big influence on the game’s creature designs and female protagonist was Ridley Scott’s 1979 filmAlien.
Related:Metroid: Samus Aran’s Biggest Mistakes & Failures Ever
In fact, Ridley Scott’s influence on theMetroidfranchise even resulted in his name donning one of the most iconic Nintendo villains: Ridley. The game’s lead role of Samus Aran obviously draws inspiration from Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley, though her last name originates from the full name of Brazilian football star known as Pelé.
7Kirby
When the firstKirbygame released for the Game Boyin 1992, the character hadn’t even been given his iconic pink color scheme, only appearing as colored white even in the box art. Furthermore, the initial design of Kirby wasn’t even meant to be final, and was utilized by the game’s developers as a prototype until they fully fleshed out a character to suit the series.
However, as development progressed, the designers behindKirby’s Dream Landgrew attached to the simplistic, lovable design of Kirby. The character was originally named Popopo, but after polling with Nintendo of America, they changed it to Kirby based on numerous suggestions, forever cementing this as one of Nintendo’s greatest mascots.
6Star Fox
Star Foxwasincredibly influential for the video game industry, being the first Nintendo game to utilize 3D polygonal graphics on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Its design as a rail shooter also made it incredibly advanced even for more primitive video games. However, the aesthetics of the game came from a pretty obvious sci-fi inspiration.
For the Arwings that players control throughout most of the originalStar Fox, Shigeru Miyamoto cited the X-Wings from theStar Warsfranchise as major inspirations. The gameplay itself was also inspired from the 1986 Atari titleStarglider, which incorporated wireframe vector graphics and drew influence fromStar Warsas well.
5Pokemon
For the creatures themselves,Pokemonhave found inspiration everywhere, from mythology, to animals, to even inanimate objects. However, the premise of the series itself came from its developer, Satoshi Tajiri, who used to collect insects as a child. His hobby decreased in frequency with the urbanization of modern living, particularly the dawn of gaming.
Related:Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Possible Animals That Could Inspire Pokemon In The New Games
This inspiration eventually resulted in how personalPokemoncould be as a franchise, with players able to name their caught creatures and trade with friends via the Game Boy Link Cable. The game’s main characters, in English known as Red and Blue, were also called Satoshi and Shigeru, after Tajiri and his fellow Nintendo designer.
4Mother
Similarly toPokemon, theMotherfranchise has been heavily influenced by urban communities. The first title, which released in 1989 for the Famicom, was inspired gameplay-wise by Square Enix’sDragon Questfranchise. However, to differentiate itself from RPGs of the time,Motherwas designed to take place in a modern-day American setting.
This concept was carried over toMother’s more influential sequel,Earthbound, which released on the SNES in 1994. This time around, gameplay elements drew elements from pachinko machines for the HP bar, while the music composed by Hirokazu Tanaka was inspired by artists like The Beach Boys, John Lennon, and Randy Newman.
3Fire Emblem
The firstFire Emblemgame, subtitledShadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, released in 1990 for the Famicom. The series didn’t become a hit overseas until titles likeFire Emblem Awakeningfor the Nintendo 3DS, but Japanese audiences were very invested in Nintendo’s RPG franchise, which was influenced by many similar titles from the time period.
Related:Easter Eggs In Animal Crossing Games
Particularly, designer Shouzou Kaga was compelled to makeFire Emblemafter noticing that RPGs typically had strong stories with weak characters, while strategy games had limited stories but many characters. Thus,Fire Emblemnot only combined elements from both genres in terms of gameplay, but in how audiences could relate to its cast of heroes.
2Animal Crossing
Animal Crossinghas slowly become one of Nintendo’s most popular video game series, especially with those who aren’t typically hardcore Nintendo fanatics. The first entry in the series, released in Japan in 2001 asAnimal Forest, centers on a player character moving into a new town, where they interact with fellow neighbors and shopkeeps in day-to-day life.
According to designer Katsuya Eguchi, the original inspiration forAnimal Crossingcame from his own life. After moving from his hometown of Chiba to Kyoto to work for Nintendo, Eguchi experienced loneliness and homesickness in his new environment. Thus,Animal Crossingwas created with the intention to instruct players about socializing with others.
1Pikmin
The firstPikmintitle released in 2001 for the Nintendo GameCube, as one of Shigeru Miyamoto’s most recent classics. The game centers on space explorer Olimar, who crash-lands on a mysterious Earth-like planet and becomesthe leader of the highly-organized Pikmin, who help him repair his ship, so that he can return home.
While the Pikmin themselves were inspired by Miyamoto’s love of gardening, the gameplay had different origins. Early in development, the game took after the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, with players as a God-like figure helping them survive. Eventually, the two would populate the Earth, resulting in the many controlled characters that inspired the Pikmin.
