Remembering the NES: The Legend of Zelda (NES Review) by Carl B.

The Legend of Zelda
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
System: NES, GBA, GCN, Wii, 3DS
Release: February 21, 1986

June 27, 2011, by Carl B. - On February 21, 1986, Nintendo released what would turn out to be the first ever million seller on NES; this title was the starting point for one of the greatest franchises in all of gaming: The Legend of Zelda. Inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto's explorations of the hillsides in Sonobe, Japan, The Legend of Zelda blew away gamers when it released on Nintendo's 8-bit system. It features an open world to explore, nine challenging dungeons, and many secrets to uncover. After 25 years, how does the original classic hold up?

The story is simple, and is only told in the instruction manual and during a pre-menu scrolling screen: the evil Prince of Darkness, Ganon (famously misspelled as "Gannon") has stolen the Triforce of Power and kidnapped Princess Zelda. Before she was captured, though, Zelda was able to split the Triforce of Wisdom into eight separate pieces, which are hidden in eight dungeons throughout the world of Hyrule. It's up to the hero – Link – to travel to acquire the eight pieces of the Triforce of Power and rescue Princess Zelda from the clutches of Ganon.

Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda is huge – something that was a major accomplishment in 1986. As mentioned in the Five Gaming Innovations Pioneered by Zelda, exploration was a main focus in the NES classic. Players were thrust into the world with no direction at all, save for a Nintendo game help line that players could go to for assistance. Free exploration, coupled with the ability to save one's progress, is what really set The Legend of Zelda apart from arcade machines and other NES titles.

That open world, however, worked against the title somewhat. While the world was huge and littered with secrets, it was very easy to get lost for hours without finding a single dungeon. On my first ever playthrough of the game I wasn't able to find the second dungeon until I had completed every other dungeon, other than Ganon's hideout at Spectacle Rock. The game has held up well, but the lack of direction makes it difficult for first-time players to get into the adventure, even today.

Dungeons in The Legend of Zelda vary in difficulty, but none of them are overly challenging. The first five dungeons in the game are relatively easy, and then things start to ramp up once players hit the Wizzrobe-filled dungeon six. The Legend of Zelda has some of the harder enemies in the game, specifically Dark Nuts, which can only be damaged by attacking their sides or back. Every dungeon in the game houses a new item or weapon for Link to add to his inventory. The items themselves are pretty creative and useful for an 80s game, but nothing beats rolling around Hyrule with the Magical Boomerang and Magical Sword.

The Legend of Zelda is filled with plenty of secrets. Shops litter the barren Hyrule overworld, each with their own set of items and prices. There are a few hidden items that are completely optional for players to acquire – the Power Bracelet and Blue Ring – but they aid Link's quest greatly if players can find them. Caves throughout Hyrule aren't just home to merchants, though – there are quite a few greedy old women that will tell players a helpful little riddle if they pay them the right amount of rupees, the currency of Hyrule.

Music has always been one of the series' strong points, and it all started with this first title. The Legend of Zelda has one of the better NES soundtracks, even if it's limited to a handful of tracks. The Legend of Zelda really does show its age visually, something that's common among most NES games. There's plenty of variety in the game's overworld and dungeons to keep it from becoming too stale.

When players complete the game's main quest they'll be able to start the Second Quest, a much harder version of the game. Second Quest has the same overworld, but dungeon entrances have been moved to different spots, and the dungeons themselves are completely different. This new quest really adds to the replay value of The Legend of Zelda, as it will take players much longer to complete than the standard quest does.

The Verdict

Sound
13/15 - A classical, iconic soundtrack that still sounds great today.

Graphics
13/20 - The Legend of Zelda shows its age, but very few 25 year old games still look good.

Appeal
23/25 - There are tons of secrets to uncover in The Legend of Zelda, plus a Second Quest that re-creates that feeling of being lost in Hyrule all over again.

Gameplay
35/40 - Compared to an NES game like Dragon Warrior, The Legend of Zelda has aged pretty well. The game is very playable, and it isn't overly difficult like some NES games.

Overall
84/100 - The Legend of Zelda was nothing short of brilliant when it released in 1986. It certainly shows its age now, but it's far from unplayable. Newcomers to the game may have some difficulty finding out where to go next, but this classic adventure is so fun that it shouldn't be passed up on.