Laying the groundwork for the open-world adventure genre all the way back in 1986, The Legend of Zelda's DNA can be spotted in just about every open-world game even to this day. A sprawling map filled with hidden areas and secrets, upgradable weapons and abilities, boss fights, dungeons, and a non-linear approach to the story are all just a few of The Legend of Zelda's defining features. It has passed those features on to future open-world games like Skyrim, and one of the biggest Zelda influences in Skyrim can be seen in its approach to puzzles.