Game Review: The Legend of Zelda (NES Classic Edition)

Ok, so I picked up one of those NES Classic Editions last month, and to say I'm in Classic Gamer Heaven is an understatement. Growing up as a gamer from the early 80's through today has been a trip in its own. I have been playing video games since I could physically function an Atari 2600 and Odyssey II joystick. Then in the mid-80's, I gathered up money and bought myself a Nintendo Entertainment System and my own 13" CRT television. I felt as if I could rule the world. Titles like Super Mario Bros., Mike Tyson's Punch Out and Contra owned my days and nights. But there was one title that ruled them all, and that title was none other than The Legend of Zelda. This title was bestowed upon America in the summer of 1987, and just shy of 30 years later, it still stands the test of time.

Now that I have a solid version of The Legend of Zelda and the sequel, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, I have decided to embark in a mission to play through all Zelda titles in release order from start to finish.

With that, I will stop my babbling and get to the first of many upcoming Zelda title reviews.

The Legend of Zelda is one of those titles that paved the way for many games and developers from its release in the mid-80's to today. At the time, there wasn't really anything like it. Short of Atari's Adventure, the dungeon crawler wasn't a common type of game. But unlike Adventure, this game was HUGE in comparison. This game has an entire world to explore, and the original cartridge even came with a partial map to help you navigate. There were mountains, woods, deserts, and even an old graveyard. To add to the size of the game, there are a handful of dungeons to make your way through underneath it all. Due to it's size, Nintendo put into place one of the earliest save systems into it. The average Joe wouldn't be able to sit through multiple hours of this game and beat it in one try, so this was pure genius on Nintendo's part.

Most titles on the 8-bit days of gaming were side scrolling where you move something from left to right with some sort of mission. The Legend of Zelda tossed all of that out the window and created a game that would pave the way for action role playing games and dungeon crawlers for years to come.

The Legend of Zelda puts you in control of Link, who is tasked with gathering up 8 pieces of what we can call the Tri Force, and to beat up on some guy named Ganon and save Princess Zelda. You do all of this with as basic of controls as you could get, while still adding depth to what you can accomplish. You immediately get a sword which will be used always with the (A) button and purchase / find items that you can use with the (B) button.  You can switch which items are assigned to the (B) button with an easily navigated in a inventory sub-menu.

 


Throughout the title, you have to make your way from dungeon to dungeon, gathering more and more items which make more and more sense as you gain access to them. With a little brain, and little patience, you can quickly learn how to navigate through the more difficult screens and levels while feeling accomplished at the same time.

Now, back in my youthful days in grade school, following along with the map that came with the cartridge, and exploring each nook and cranny was and adventure in its own. Playing through this title again, was just as much of an adventure, it didn't even seem like a chore. Yes, I've played through this game dozens of times and have memorized most, if not all of it, but this time, I went through it with a bit more thought and care.  And boy is this (as most gamers already know) a solid game. The Legend of Zelda is a true adventure in gaming, whether you've been playing it most of your life, or you're about to play it for the first time (which you should). You can tell the attention to detail that was given to this by the developers and producers, and boy did it pay off. Heck, people are still writing reviews for it 30+ years later! Praising this game this many years later isn't beating a dead horse, because this horse is still driving hard and full (Tri) force ahead.

The Legend of Zelda will stand the test of time for as long as we are able to play video games. It's one of the most successful home system Action RPG's to ever be release. It was so successful, this title alone was instrumental in driving the way we all play action role playing game to this very day.

I give The Legend of Zelda 5 out of 5 Tri Forces.

And now...?  On to playing Zelda II: The Adventure of Link  (Let's see if I have the patience for this).