Customer Reviews

The Legend of Zelda

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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. 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 ADVENTURES 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 are the best NES games by far. Lets hope they re-release it soon!

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.

What's most appealing to me about the original Zelda is how Link is just this tiny green guy with nothing fancy- just a sword, shield and other basic items. To save the princess, he basically has to go through hell with all the dangerous monsters he's forced to face along the way. A little guy like him has to stand up to THOUSANDS of monsters along the way. You really have to stay on your toes if you want to stay alive and finish the game. I love how such a simple story can stand up for years and years, and the gameplay never gets old because the game provides a perfect challenge. All you fancy gamers out there today- you don't NEED a fancy story to have a solid video game. Here's your example of that- find the princess and go through many different enemies and many difficult obstacles and complete them. It's that easy... or is it?

Swinging that sword and moving Link around is SO easy. I actually use the shield in this game. How many times do I need a shield in video games? Not often.

I love how, every time I walk into a new screen, it's like walking into a new land, with a new challenge. Every area of the land and every area of the castle feels like it was carefully created and distinct. In every other Zelda game I've played, there were parts that were just boring to walk through and a chore to complete. Nothing like that in this game. As I mention above: you are required to stay on your toes because of the very large amount of enemies just about everywhere you turn. If you can't handle that, then don't play this game.

It also feels really good when you go through a castle and defeat the boss. Even the very first one. It's amazing how the upbeat atmosphere of completing a castle can be so simple, and yet, so brilliant. Thanks to the heroic music, you really feel like you've just accomplished something big. I've been playing this game for over 15 years and even though I'm an adult now, there's a certain childhood feeling that immediately returns whenever I play this game. Having two quests featured in one game just makes the whole experience feel complete- it makes a great game almost perfect now. It blows my mind that a game from 1986 can be so enormous. In fact, this game takes a lot longer to complete than most games out there today.

I think if someone asked me what my favorite game of all-time would be, I might have to go with the original Zelda. Maybe Medal of Honor (the first one on the Playstation) would be my next choice.

If you can't handle a difficult game, then don't bother playing the original Zelda. You won't be able to handle it. However, even though I'm not really a good gamer by any stretch of the imagination, I can still complete both quests. It just takes a lot of time and patience.

It makes you wonder what the first person who had to write a guide for this game was doing when he or she first found out there are hidden entrances around the land and inside the dungeons. If I remember right, don't you have to hold down on the directional pad for a few moments as you're facing a wall in order to access the hidden entrance? Imagine someone trying to find every single entrance in *every single screen* throughout the entire land. It would take longer than a lazy Sunday afternoon to find them all, that's for sure.

Now imagine all the entrances that require bombs to access, and how someone would have to keep going through each screen and using them on every section of the wall, in the slim chance an entrance may be there. Then imagine that, when they run out of bombs, they have to keep going back and finding more, in order to experiment with them on the next section of land! We're talking hours and hours of gaming here. Seriously, people back then who wrote NES guides had to be extremely patient and willing to do the same things over and over again in order to find every little thing inside the game.

What a beautiful and fantastic game the original NES Zelda is. Pick it up... NOW!

Ah, yes, the good old classic!

My friend and I Agree on this game, we are classics fans!
I understand why others dont wanna play this... There is just no explanation about this game, the new ones are cool and all but they are, well "New". The old ones just are, well good!
The main challenge is to figure out what you are suppost to do!
It can be very confusing, but very fun!

All in all, if you are 3D fans but are willing to give up the high tech for the cool old 8bit games, then you got it made.
If this didn't make the cut, where would The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask be?

I'm the kind of person who would pay $100 for a First issue something, Not open the Box of something I had etc. However, I wanted to get The Original Legend of Zelda to try out and play. I was expecting it to be Very Very Very Very easy. I was wroung...

The story is just Ganon wants the Triforce, Zelda has one triforc and splits it up into 8 pieces before Ganon can capture her. Link must then go, recover the 8 Triforce pieces and rescue Zelda.

I'm Currently up to level 6. I have only gotten up to the room before the Boss room once. I discovered I didn't have a key. Now months later I came back and (with a key) attempted to get back to that room. I failed. Now I had the key when I came back to playing it, So I can't remember if I got it somewhere or Didn't notice it in the room before the Boss room.

Anyway, enough of that, The game was hard, and challanging. The graphics are nothing great, but I don't llok for How well the graphics and sound are. The music and the sounds a bit repetive, but you should be able to work around that (Or not). The Gameplay is alright. There are only two things that annoy me in this game.

The dark rooms and the Old Men. The dark rooms annoying especially if you need to use your ladder to get through it. Say your ladder comes out and thats as far as you could go because theres more water there. The Old Men are annoying and you can't kill them but if you try they kill you!

Anyway. story 10/10 (it was pretty original when it was made) Sound 8/10 Music 8/10 Graphics 5/10 Gamplay 9/10 Fun 9/10 All in All 8.1/10.

For me this is the game started it all.I beat this game when I has little(about6).Every time think about it brings back good nentendo thoughts:)My system still works and I play it to bring back those good times.It is a great game and will stay with you for a long time. I've been a Zelda fan ever since.

This is the greatest game ever created on any console. With smooth and exciting game-play and catchy music The Legend of Zelda is highly addictive. It is simple to play yet challenging to master. All of the fun secrets and puzzles along with straight forward battling help propel this one to the top.

"Walk into the waterfall." -Old Woman