Cheap The Legend of Zelda

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The Legend Of Zelda is an important milestone in video game history. It was the first of it's kind--it combined action/adventure with puzzles and some role-playing elements. Even nowadays, there STILL aren't too many games like this. I recently purchased this game and I must say that unlike many old video games who have lost their luster over the years, the Legend Of Zelda is still just as fun to me as it was when I was a kid. What else is there to say about this classic game? If you own an original NES, you MUST have this one!

A word of warning: If you're buying a used copy, I suggest getting a gray-colored one instead of a gold one. Yes, the gold ones look cooler and are the classic issue of the game, but they're so old that the internal memory (which stores your quest data) may be worn out. Get a gray copy just to be on the safe side.

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So many years after I first played the game on the Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda remains my favorite game of all time. Even after playing so many games, nothing really holds a candle to this 8 bit elf. The premise of the game is simple and very common. You play as Link and you are trying to rescue Princess Zelda from the clutches of the evil Ganon. To do this you must venture through 8 dungeons and collect pieces of the powerful Tri-Force. A simple story, yet this game is loads of fun. You begin with a wooden sword, but can upgrade twice to a more powerful sword (the White Sword, and the Master Sword). As you progress in the game, you acquire various items (a raft, whistle, candle, boomerang) that will held you conquer later dungeons. The idea behind this game is so basic, but it has produced some of the best games on any system (Zelda: A Link to the Past, Zelda: Ocarina of Time). Even considering how good some of the later games are, this one remains my favorite to play. When you conquer the game once, there is still a second world for you to play through. The layout of the world is the same, but the dungeons and some items are in different places, the dungeon layout is different, and the enemies are harder to defeat. A classic game, and my personal favorite game. I still play it.

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Legend of Zelda was released around 1986 in Japan, and 1987 in the U.S. This game was way ahead of its time, and here is why...

Legend of Zelda was one of the first games to have battery back-up memory which let you save your game. No more entering long passwords and making a small mistake when writing them down, which could lead to having to start over from the beginning. There are 3 files, so at least 3 people can keep a save file. The battery is supposed to go dead after 5 years or so, but if you take good care of the cartridge, it'll last a whole lot longer.

The Zelda's have always been about the gameplay, and the original certainly doesn't disappoint. You start out in front of a cave, where you'll find your first sword. From there, this excellent adventure game begins. There is an overworld, where you'll go around searching for dungeons, finding places to buy items, and getting stuff such as heart containers. The underworld, or the dungeons, are where you'll do most of the fighting. You move from room to room, getting keys, beating all the bad guys in a room, and finding clues from wisemen who are located in almost every dungeon. There are 9 dungeons in all, in addition to an item (or 2), a map, and a compass in each. Plus, at the end of each dungeon, you'll have a boss to deal with. You must first beat the first 8 dungeons to get into the 9th. At the end of these first 8 dungeons, you'll find a piece of the Triforce of Wisdom. Collect all 8 to enter the final dungeon to defeat Ganon and save Zelda. I think the challenge of this game is moderate on the 1st quest, and moderate to hard on the 2nd quest.

The story was also very advanced for its time. You're a young boy named Link. The evil Ganon has kidnapped Zelda, because she had in her possession the Triforce of Wisdom. However, before she was kidnapped, she broke the Triforce into 8 pieces and hid them, and she also sent her nursemaid, Impa, to find a hero who could save her. Impa was attacked by enemies, and Link saved her from them. From there, this great adventure starts. As mentioned before, you must go through the 8 dungeons, get all 8 pieces of the Triforce, then enter the 9th to fight Ganon and rescue the kidnapped Princess Zelda.

This is one of my favorite Zelda's, and one of the most fun games of all-time. It's very easy to just pick up and start playing, and it has VERY good replay value. You can even go through the quest a 2nd time after you beat it, but it's a whole lot tougher, and the dungeons are even different, including them being located in different places throughout the overworld.

I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys action/adventure games. Hint: If you want to start off on the 2nd quest without going through the 1st, enter your name as "ZELDA" at the beginning. But be warned: the 2nd quest is incredibly challenging compared to the 1st.

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[I have written two Zelda reviews, one for the original NES release published June 14, 2001, and one for the Gameboy Advanced release [in 2004] for the Classic NES series, published June 15, 2004. Mike London 12-1-2012]

Review 1: Released in the Stone Age of Video Games, this game stands as one of the most influential games ever released. Nintendo players quickly sent the message to Nintendo by making this one of the most played games released on the old NES, with this release staying in the top ten games as voted by Nintendo Power readers for several years. It would become the blueprint for RPG games, and its influence can be felt even now in the current game scene. Others would take this and see what they could do with it, and because of this game the RPG became an established genre, although this will always be the game that started it and stands at the beginning, casting a very long shadow over its descendants. But don't be mistaken, this RPG has some things that are very unlike its genre. Levels are not built up (this would be the next installment), and magic and that were not big concerns. Hearts were used instead of experience. But these would be incorporated in the other release, so even then Zelda has its hands on that as well.

So what is it about this game that so captured the imagination and the dollar of the average gamer? Well, one was the incredible depth of adventure that just permeated the entire thing. Released during a time when most games were side-scrollers, this set you in a world where you could explore and find items. There is the now standard item list, where you obtain items and use them to interact with the world about you. There are hidden dungeons that you must find, and you can burn bushes and push rocks, etc. It radically opened the power of the NES console up, and the gaming world would never be the same after this game.

To give a personal history, my brother and I got a Nintendo when it came out, playing all the standard games but somehow missing this one. Although I played it, it was only in 1999 that I sat down and, for the first time in my life, played through the entire game. It was amazing. We had got the Super NES counterpart when it came out in 1991, so I knew that by heart. This was just as great, although I still think the Super NES instatement, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, is the best overall though I have not yet played the two new Gameboy releases, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons. I'm sure they'll be great.

By today's standards, the graphics are absolutely terrible, and by the standards of the day, they were only average. But this proves only one thing: playability comes over a sleek looking graphical interface. And this game has that. Indeed, even now people call in asking Nintendo tips on this game. Considering the NES has been dead for several years that is something indeed. Of all things, this game desperately needs to be released on the Gameboy, packaged with the sequel Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

As far as story goes, it is nowhere near as complicated as the games that came after it. Essentially, Princess Zelda has been kidnapped and Link must regain the 8 pieces of Triforce to gain entrance to the ninth dungeon for the final showdown. Musically, there are only three tracks, one for the Overworld (the now famous Overworld Theme, commonly called the Legend of Zelda Theme, which this game's N64's counterpart has been criticized for ostracizing, the dungeon theme, and the ninth dungeon theme.) After he beats Gannon the first time, a second quest opens up, meaning yet a whole other adventure. The difficulty rating is greatly increased. I personally think they should have down this with SUPER MARIO BROTHERS II, the Japanese version, now known in the States as THE LOST LEVELS. It corresponds in difficulty to a second quest. But that is neither here or there. The great disappointment is that no one else took this to heart, and this is one feature that has not been a major influence on the RPG genre. The second quest so enriched the game, giving the gamer more for his/her dollar, and I wish they'd do second quests more.

As far as games go, "The Legend of Zelda"'s influence cannot be overestimated. Truly one of the giants of the Gaming Universe. This and SMB 3 Super Mario Bros. 3 are the best NES games by far. Lets hope they re-release it soon!

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Review 2: CLASSIC NES's best release. Wish they had included Zelda II, June 15, 2004. (Four stars for the rerelease. Five stars for the actual game.)

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA, one of Nintendo's most famous NES games, finally sees a rerelease on Gameboy Advance. People have been waiting a long time for this. The Super Mario series got its update (including a graphic overhaul) over a decade ago on the SNES as SUPER MARIO ALL-STARS, including a brand new (for the American market) game called THE LOST LEVELS. The two NES Zelda games, however, never got rereleased until the Game Cube (!), and on top of that, it was a promotional, free rerelease. All this being said, is the long wait worth it?

Well, sort of. Although it's great to play the old school Zelda without hooking up a working NES, it's rather pricy at twenty dollars and the graphics may very well turn off younger video gamers. Not only that, it's very odd NINTENDO gave Zelda fans four Zelda titles in the ZELDA COLLECTION for free, and here they just released the original without any bonus material or extra features. Nintendo could very easily have included ZELDA II on this cart as well. That being said, THE LEGEND OF ZELDA, of all the classic NES games re-released, is one of the few that justify's its pricetag. The rest could easily have been put in an anthology of classic NES games, instead of bringing each one out separately.

The gameplay of THE LEGEND OF ZELDA sets up the template followed by all subsequent games in the series. (Only the NES sequel has any real amount of deviation from the Zelda formula, bring in more RPG elements into the mix). You play as Link, a hero in green, who has to rescue Zelda from the evil megalomaniac, Gannon. Not to much of a story, but about as good as you got in the mid 1980s. You have to rescue eight pieces of the Triforce, which is a mystical triangle (one of three). These triforce fragments are hidden throughout the world map in various dungeons. Items you get in one dungeon gives you access to other dungeons, and as you progress, you get various upgrades for your sword and pick up new items. After you beat Gannon the first time, then a second quest opens up, with items, dungeons, and shops in entirely different locations. I wish they had released a special edition of SUPER MARIO BROTHERS with the Japanese version of SMB II as a `second quest." But oh well. Unfortunately, the second quest never really caught on with other games. The Second Quest is harder than the first. To get to the Second Quest at the beginning of the game, put "ZELDA" as your name.

The game itself is very nonlinear, which is what made it such a popular game. There was the incredible depth of adventure that just permeated the entire thing. Released during a time when most games were side-scrollers, this set you in a world where you could explore and find items. There is the now standard item list, where you obtain items and use them to interact with the world about you. There are hidden dungeons that you must find, and you can burn bushes and push rocks, etc. It radically opened the power of the NES console up, and the gaming world would never be the same.

Ironically, though, some may find ZELDA too challenging for this very reason. Bereft of any real narrative, ZELDA doesn't give you any real direction where to go next, save for the infamous, sometimes incomprehensible old men who give you `clues' on where to go next. If you don't know where you're going, you'll find yourself wondering around a lot, mostly directionless. That's what made the game so popular in the first place, but for modern games it may be off-putting how difficult it is to find some of the dungeons without some internal direction from the game. (As a perfect example, just think how many bombs you would have to use to find the very obscure ninth dungeon on the second quest.) The SNES installment gives you visual indicators on where to bomb, etc; the original ZELDA does not give you visual ques on anything. So unless you know the game well or you have access to walkthroughs, expect a lot of time just trying to figure out where to go next.

The graphics, while looking rather archaic by today's standards, holds up rather well given its age. The sprites are bright and the scenery is colourful. There's only a few instances where you can tell that the screen was squished to adapt to Game Boy Advance's screen, but this isn't very noticeable. The music is a near perfect port too, making this a very faithful recreation of the original. For those old enough to remember the NES glory days, the graphics will bring back a lot of memories; for new gamers, however, they may find it difficult to get over the primitive graphics and into the game itself. Their loss.

Conclusion: One of the few NES CLASSICS worth shelling out twenty bucks for. Still, it's rather puzzling they didn't include anything extra, or even the second NES Zelda game, given they released both ZELDA and ZELDA II, plus the two N64 games, on one spectacular, free collection for GameCube. For those who never played the original Zelda, this will hook you for life. There's no better way to start playing this historic series than the original. For those of us old enough to remember the NES, this is a great game, and a great way to relive very fond memories. Still, if you don't have the Zelda Collection, this is a very worthwhile purchase.

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Yeah, this one is very old, but I'm surprised to see that only two people reviewed it and that they didn't even have it. I'm old and I have it, and you should go try to find a copy. It's very dated and doesn't hold up to today's game graphics, but man! This game was amazing when it came out. It's also pretty tough, and when you beat it, you get to play a second quest, which looks pretty much like the first one, only it's about five times harder than the first one! Get this one for a challenge. Or just get the new game boy oracle of seasons and ages. Those are the best zelda games of all time.