Question

The 1986 japanese release of legend of zelda introduced ________, the concept that players could go wherever they wanted and there were multiple routes to winning.

Answer 1

The 1986 Japanese release of legend of Zelda introduced open world, nonlinear gameplay; the concept that players could go wherever they wanted and there were multiple routes to winning.

A non-linear game is a game that can be completed taking different approaches and routes in contrast to a linear game which has always a fixed path of sequences. Zelda is considered for many as the founder of the non-linear genre known these days as sandbox.