The Legend of Zelda
Platforms: NES, GCN(The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition), GBA, Wii(VC), 3DS(VC)
Players: 1
Original Release Date(s): Aug 22 1987(US), Nov 15 1987(EU), Feb 21 1986(JP)
This is where the legend began, considered by many to be Nintendo best series, while Mario may get more attention his adventures don't match the size, scale and sheer epicness that Link's ones do. They have been some of the most influential games at the times they get released as they normally bring something that has never been done before or never seen on the kind of scale before that is on offer.
Starting with the first that was originally released in Japan on the Famicom Disk System, and then later on cartridge for release outside of Japan, it offers a massive no linear world with hundreds of secrets to discover.
Presentation
Much like many games from the time overall its all pretty much laid out in its simplest of form although the ground work and structure for the Zelda series as a whole is there for all to see, it may be all too familiar these days but at the time such open worlds were new and in order to be able to save your progress it had battery back up which allowed you to save your progress fairly easily and pick up from where you left off, unlike a clunky password system which would have had too many variables for such an open worlded game.
Graphics
You typical chunky blocky pixels that the NES was well know for at the time but at the same time having a very high level of detail in the large world that is in front of you, and a look at design that will be familiar to anyone who played any top down Zelda games since, much like Super Mario Bros. you can see just where the overall design of the Zelda series as a whole began.
The overall look and design while basic by todays standards are very well detailed and look like what they are supposed to look like and the in dungeon enemies and boss enemies are the whole foundation for the rest of the series, and still all hold up quite well now.
Sound
From the title tune to the constant yet never irritating over world tune many will instantly recognise them and they have became quite iconic over the years much like those in Super Mario Bros.
The sound effects are you typical 8-bit style very basic but effective, but everything really fits the game perfectly and the music is posibly some of the best on the system and some that you will remember forever.
Gameplay
Much like the overall structure of the game and the look the gameplay is the foundation that the series is built up to this day swinging you sword with the A button and using what ever item you set to the B button became a standard and also helped introduce a larger inventory on items and weapons as well as multiple ways to beat enemies.
Because the game is so open ended and you can pretty much explore everything from the get go it offers a great deal of varying difficulty because of it, making it both good and bad but also meaning it is very hard to follow the correct sequence of dungeons in order of difficulty, call this a design flaw of the time or perhaps something we take for granted now in games being given a much more linear structure.
Lasting Appeal
With such a large open world to explore doing so can take a very long time indeed even longer if you don't use any kind of guide, although because the lack of in game guidance it can often mean a case of stumbling around more than in later games and can put people off who are used to such luxuries.
Those who persist and accept the challenge though will be sucked in by the large adventure on offer and the size is quite impressive for such an old game and then once you beat it once there is the matter that it unlocks a second quest which is a remix of the game with all the items in the over world mixed around and the dungeons being made harder further adding to the challenge of the game as well as the amount of times you will want to play through.
Overall
A great game no doubt and the series roots can be clearly seen here as others that have came since all have something in common with this game, maybe the lack of in game direction will put some people off though because unless you spend some time to explore and be persistent too the game can feel very difficult to get your head around, but any one who sticks with it will be a part of a great adventure and one that you will remember for the exploring alone and not the plot line as this has very little of that because of the open ended world you can make your own story and progression through.
Fans of the Zelda series who have never played this game because either its age or given up quickly because of its lack of story and direction should give it a real go through and see what they missed and where the series really began.
Scores
Players: 1
Original Release Date(s): Aug 22 1987(US), Nov 15 1987(EU), Feb 21 1986(JP)
This is where the legend began, considered by many to be Nintendo best series, while Mario may get more attention his adventures don't match the size, scale and sheer epicness that Link's ones do. They have been some of the most influential games at the times they get released as they normally bring something that has never been done before or never seen on the kind of scale before that is on offer.
Starting with the first that was originally released in Japan on the Famicom Disk System, and then later on cartridge for release outside of Japan, it offers a massive no linear world with hundreds of secrets to discover.
Presentation
Much like many games from the time overall its all pretty much laid out in its simplest of form although the ground work and structure for the Zelda series as a whole is there for all to see, it may be all too familiar these days but at the time such open worlds were new and in order to be able to save your progress it had battery back up which allowed you to save your progress fairly easily and pick up from where you left off, unlike a clunky password system which would have had too many variables for such an open worlded game.
Graphics
You typical chunky blocky pixels that the NES was well know for at the time but at the same time having a very high level of detail in the large world that is in front of you, and a look at design that will be familiar to anyone who played any top down Zelda games since, much like Super Mario Bros. you can see just where the overall design of the Zelda series as a whole began.
The overall look and design while basic by todays standards are very well detailed and look like what they are supposed to look like and the in dungeon enemies and boss enemies are the whole foundation for the rest of the series, and still all hold up quite well now.
Sound
From the title tune to the constant yet never irritating over world tune many will instantly recognise them and they have became quite iconic over the years much like those in Super Mario Bros.
The sound effects are you typical 8-bit style very basic but effective, but everything really fits the game perfectly and the music is posibly some of the best on the system and some that you will remember forever.
Gameplay
Much like the overall structure of the game and the look the gameplay is the foundation that the series is built up to this day swinging you sword with the A button and using what ever item you set to the B button became a standard and also helped introduce a larger inventory on items and weapons as well as multiple ways to beat enemies.
Because the game is so open ended and you can pretty much explore everything from the get go it offers a great deal of varying difficulty because of it, making it both good and bad but also meaning it is very hard to follow the correct sequence of dungeons in order of difficulty, call this a design flaw of the time or perhaps something we take for granted now in games being given a much more linear structure.
Lasting Appeal
With such a large open world to explore doing so can take a very long time indeed even longer if you don't use any kind of guide, although because the lack of in game guidance it can often mean a case of stumbling around more than in later games and can put people off who are used to such luxuries.
Those who persist and accept the challenge though will be sucked in by the large adventure on offer and the size is quite impressive for such an old game and then once you beat it once there is the matter that it unlocks a second quest which is a remix of the game with all the items in the over world mixed around and the dungeons being made harder further adding to the challenge of the game as well as the amount of times you will want to play through.
Overall
A great game no doubt and the series roots can be clearly seen here as others that have came since all have something in common with this game, maybe the lack of in game direction will put some people off though because unless you spend some time to explore and be persistent too the game can feel very difficult to get your head around, but any one who sticks with it will be a part of a great adventure and one that you will remember for the exploring alone and not the plot line as this has very little of that because of the open ended world you can make your own story and progression through.
Fans of the Zelda series who have never played this game because either its age or given up quickly because of its lack of story and direction should give it a real go through and see what they missed and where the series really began.
Scores
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