The Legend of Zelda

Yes, this game was a bit ground breaking in its day. An action game like no other I had played at the time as it was the first game I could save in and stop playing and pick up the game at another time where I had left off. It was also the first game I had personally played that had ending credits. It was also relatively simple to pick up on as I was rather young when I first played it. The story is rather simple, a boy named Link goes on a quest to save the princess Zelda from the evil Ganon by collecting pieces of an object known as the triforce. He goes through numerous dungeons to find the pieces and also must traverse a very large over world filled with many monsters and locales such as desert, sea, and cemeteries. He receives help from various people including an old man who provides him with a wooden sword to begin his quest. You also have grouches who proceed to take your money if you damage their door. You are also given life by faeries. The combat is simple for the most part, strike your enemies down with your sword. You usually collect objects in dungeons that help you continue further in your quest all the way to Death Mountain. The game could use a bit more depth and the enemies get rather annoying near the end, however this game was a game I could not put down when I first got it to the point I saw that screen shift when I would first go to bed after playing it so much.

I read somewhere in a magazine that "The Legend Of Zelda (1986)" is one of the greatest video-games of all-time. I wouldn't be shocked if it was the greatest. It is certainly my favorite video-game. I have played thousands of video-games, and this easily tops them all. Old games and new. This game has no genre of the tops, it tops all of the genres.

I remember crying when I was seven years old because my kid brother (who was about 3) deleted my Link. As I look back on that moment, to this day, it still seems logical to cry, because as a little boy, I put a lot of work into getting where I was. I think anybody, old and young, puts a lot of work into "The Legend Of Zelda (1986)". You spend so much time playing this game, and the game grows on you more and more. This game kind of becomes a part of your life. A classic never dies, my friend; and neither does a legend. :) It took me over five years to beat both of the quests together, while at the same time I was using Game Genie and a Walkthrough for some of it. This game is for the PROS ONLY! The score is unforgettable; I love the music so much. There is not one thing wrong with this game. I find it very shocking that they could've fit all this data into a NES game. 10/10. I don't think I'll ever see a video game, that tops this one.

Just thought I'd put in a few cents on this video game masterpiece, as I rarely pipe in about video games (I rarely play them anymore). Somehow, likely as much for nostalgia as for pure enjoyment, The Legend of Zelda for the original Nintendo Entertainment System (and now available on the Game Boy Advance XP in the 'classics' edition un-changed), is one of the all-time great RPG's ever. It's relatively simple, and for some it's probably winnable and over-and-done with in a night's playing. But there's something addictive too about playing such with such simplicity and (by today's standards) primitive kind of software. The whole task of the game is to get more coins, get more hearts, defeat dragons and dancing fires and ghosts and red/blue knights and so on, in order for Link to save the title character. Whether or not this is the very first Zelda game I'd leave to research, but it is the first that really broke through and has a lasting impact as also being the very first that one could save their game on NES. In other words, if you get tired, save and come back to it, and keep on playing to get all the triangles and top level 9. As someone who has a definite bias from having played the game for nearly my entire life (ever since Nintendo first came into my life and now on Game Boy), it goes without saying that I recommend it to those who may have forgotten it in the smoke of the several new Nintendo systems and even the new (possibly better) Zelda games. But even to the younger ones who already have Playstation 3.14, it's worth a try to get a glimpse of the really nifty days when all you had was a sword, 2-D, and some very typical- in a good way- music for the show. It's a treasure of its time.

The evil Ganon invades the land of Hyrule and steals the Triforce of Power. Princess Zelda, sensing danger, splits the Triforce of Wisdom into eight pieces and hides the pieces from Ganon and his minions in eight separate dungeons. Enraged, Ganon imprisons the princess, but not before Zelda dispatches Impa to find a savior. Impa finds the young Link and gives him his task: Reassemble the Triforce, defeat Ganon, and rescue the princess Zelda.

The Legend of Zelda's underworld was a tangled mess of deadly traps - a maze of twisty passages, none alike. Rooms were connected to the north, south, east, and west by open doors, locked doors, switch doors, one-way doors, and even bombed-out passageways. Old men (and hungry Goriyas) lived in these dungeons and dispensed poorly translated advice to would-be adventurers.

Link could wield a wooden, white, or magical sword and wear a blue or red ring to increase his defensive strength. A regular shield repelled most projectiles, but a magical shield defended against fireballs and magic. Heart containers (either found or won) increased Link's life force. The boomerang retrieved items from afar, while bombs damaged foes and opened blocked passageways. Candles burned bushes and lit up darkened rooms. Wooden and silver arrows could be shot for the cost of a rupee apiece. You could cross rivers with a ladder; cross lakes with a raft. The power bracelet let you push heavy things. A magic wand and book let Link send Wizzrobes packing with a taste of their own medicine.

Having the regular NES and being able to go back and play this masterpiece feels amazing. After almost all the other games from that era which could be tossed in the dumpster, this and Dragon Warrior were cornerstones of two golden empire series. Well worth having- this is the first of a great series.