Kaktus_Lata said: The lore of the world wasn't very fleshed out or settled in the earliest games.
This, and it takes place in a more realistic setting. Takeshi Tezuka was a big fan of European fantasy and it's quite possible Link was inspired by Christian Crusaders who put crosses on their shields Early art depicts Link in a church praying to a crucifix and the Book of Magic was a Bible in the original Japanese version of the game. ALttP also has a more typical depiction of a Church though it was localized as a Sanctuary and the main antagonist of that game is a priest. I don't think the franchise got a lot of it's lore and world set in stone until OOT with the three goddesses.
