The Legend of Zelda

aka: A Lenda de Zelda, Adventure, Adventure Mario, TLOZ, Zelda no Densetsu
Moby ID: 3393
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In one of the darkest times in the Kingdom of Hyrule, a young, pointy-eared boy named Link takes on an epic quest to restore the fragmented Triforce of Wisdom and save the Princess Zelda from the clutches of the evil, power-hungry Ganon.

The Legend of Zelda marks the first title of the Zelda series. Players must make their way through the various forests, graveyards, plains, and deserts of the Overworld to find the secret entrances of the eight dungeons in an attempt to piece together the broken Triforce. Once all pieces are joined, Link will be able to gain entry to Death Mountain, home of Ganon, and prison of Princess Zelda.

The game is drawn in a top-down perspective. Link begins his quest in the Overworld, which features forests, mountains and lakes and is divided into several screens. Link can explore the Overworld freely, though when he enters a screen, he will encounter several enemies. He can attack them with his sword. If Link is at full health, he can toss his sword to attack enemies from afar, but when he is hurt, even slightly, he can only fight in melee range.

Link's health is represented by hearts; initially he can have a maximum of three hearts, but as he progresses in the game, he will find heart containers that increase his maximum health. The enemies are varied - some attack from up close, some shoot projectiles. When killed, they often leave behind an item - a heart to restore energy, rupees that function as money (and can be used to buy stuff in various shops in the Overworld), or bombs which can be picked up and set down to attack enemies or destroy some walls. Some items function as weapons or armor, while others are used to solve puzzles. When enemies are killed, they stay dead and will not re-appear once the screen is entered again.

To find the Triforce pieces, Link must explore dungeons. Once he finds an entrance to the dungeon and goes in, he must explore the rooms, fight enemies and collect keys until he finds the boss monster he must defeat. He will then be able to pick up a Triforce piece and gain a permanent health increase. Once he does so, however, all the monsters in the Overworld come back to life.

If Link dies on his quest, he can continue it; he will go back to his start position in the Overworld (or the entrance to a dungeon), but with the items he managed to collect so far. When Link finishes his quest, the player can choose to play the "second quest", which is essentially a harder version of the game.

The Legend of Zelda is known for several factors that were advanced at the time: a continuous world that could be freely explored, power-ups that would permanently enhance the main character's abilities, and a battery back-up save feature that allowed players to retain their progress instead of having to start over. The gameplay balanced out frequent action sequences with discovery, secrets, and exploration.

Spellings

  • ゼルダの伝説 - Japanese Famicom Disk spelling
  • ゼルダの伝説1 - Japanese Famicom Cartridge spelling
  • 젤다의 전설 - Korean spelling

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Credits (NES version)

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Reviews

Critics

Average score: 85% (based on 60 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 294 ratings with 15 reviews)

My favorite NES title

The Good
After having played the dated "A Link to the Past" and the insufferable "Majora's Mask", it is kind of peaceful to go back to basics and enjoy the original Zelda. Simplicity is key and a lot of titles in the 80's stayed simple, but while staying simple, The Legend of Zelda also provided almost unmatched depth.

The part of Hyrule we are allowed to explore is HUGE and filled with interesting locations and secrets that you have to find. It is already rare to see a game that uses a full overworld as opposed to levels, but it is even rarer to see an NES title that does it this well. As you walk around Hyrule, the screens go past you without loading time, if you leave the screen it transitions to the next one just as smoothly as Super Mario Bros.

As mentioned before the Overworld is literally filled with secret areas to be found, some of these are simply filled with some currency, but others can be part of side-quests or reward you with new and interesting items to use in your adventure, I have even seen instances where a secret turned out to be the entrance to one of the key areas.

Just when I got over the initial surprise the Overworld had in store for me, I ran into the first temple/dungeon which introduced me to the actual goal of the game. As Link you are tasked with tracing down a number of hidden temples and obtain the pieces of the Triforce that are hidden within, this Triforce is the key to defeating Ganondorf, a monster that is holding the princess of the kingdom prisoner. These temples are very entertaining because they are all sprawling and full of monsters and best of all, it doesn't take too long to get through them once you went into all the side-paths found all the keys (take note, ALttP).

There is a huge amount of enemies that you can encounter on your travels and most of them require a different approach or weapons to beat. The Darknuts for example require that you stab them from the side or back, but a bomb would be more effective while a standard blob (no idea what they are called) just require a bit of timing when they are stabbed, but a boomerang should not be used against them. Enemies also make frequent reappearances in later dungeons and the bosses are very challenging (plus they turn up again in later dungeons as mini-bosses, just to punish you).

The difficulty curve is really well mapped out, as you progress through the story both your health and items improve, plus there are secret areas where you can upgrade your sword for better models. However at the same time the enemy ranks swell too and not only do they come in higher numbers, but they also start working together to form deadly combinations and some of the later enemies can kick your ass faster than you can run back to the exit.

The Bad
I have to admit that while A Link to the Past's interaction with characters was absolute crap, here there are barely any characters at all. There are a few people hidden in caves, but they act even more demented (read: out of place) than the ones from Ocarina of Time. I lost count of how many times I walked into a room and some old lady sat there with important information, that she forced me to pay or play a game for. Sorry lady, but a few rupees aren't going to help you much while you are stuck in a cave surrounded by monsters, demanding payment from the only one who is doing something against them.

There is little to no information regarding the location of the temples, I respect the game for been the first ever popular sandbox game, but unless you find a map somewhere in a game store, you are going to have a tough time getting anywhere. The first few temples aren't too bad and just demand a bit of exploration, but later ones will need you to use certain items in very specific locations. There were also annoying locations that refused to let you leave the screen unless you did a very specific cycle of entering and leaving the area without giving you any indication that you are doing it right.

The Bottom Line
The Legend of Zelda's legacy should be enough to tell you that the original was quite a hit, while I prefer Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time, it is still a very decent adventure. While the story is kind of flat and the Overworld might be a little confusing, I feel comforted by the richness of the experience and the enjoyable gameplay that keeps me hooked for hours.

Playing it anno 2011 is limited to the nostalgia-fans and collectors, but if you are interested in gaming history, it is a stop worth taking. Skyward Sword is one the way though, so my advice is to keep your money in your pocket for that first!

NES · by Asinine (957) · 2011

Action/adventure history starts here

The Good

  • Let's not start by overlooking the obvious: this is, if nothing else, a classic, important, and deeply influential game. It could be convincingly argued that every modern fantasy RPG/adventure video game can trace its roots back to The Legend of Zelda; beyond this, it was the first game with an open world, the first game which incorporated a non-linear style of play, not to mention that it spawned one of the most consistently excellent franchises in all of gaming history. Whether you like this one or not, its influence will be echoing down through the corridors of video gaming's future forever.
  • Because of the nature of the game, you are forced to explore the world on your own. This brings with it a very satisfying sense of discovery on your first playthrough. With only a very crude map of the game's overworld, you'll find yourself having to memorize the world as you travel through it. You start to learn all the game's secrets; if I'm low on hearts, what's the quickest way I can take with the least enemy encounters to get to the fairy to heal me? Now that I have this item, what parts of the map are open to me that weren't before? I'm just now rethinking that old woman's hint to me; I bet I know what it means and where another secret can be found.


    The simple, ugly game world slowly comes to life. You start with no idea where to go, and spend the first half hour or so bumbling around, trying to figure out if there's any rhyme or reason to this game's layout. Simply put: there's not (and this ends up being a weakness in addition to a strength). But in a way this just makes it all the more fun to explore. On your first play through, you literally have no idea where you are supposed to be going, what anything does, or where you're ultimately supposed to end up. This is a part of the game's charm, though. It's essentially a gaming trial by fire, and you come out the other end knowing the land of Hyrule better than anyone else.

  • This game's difficulty is almost perfect. If you complete the dungeons in more or less the right order, you'll find them slowly getting harder and harder, but you also are getting more and more powerful and there's a nice ramp-up in difficulty where it never really becomes frustrating (except for a few points). Part of this is because of the way the game was designed - essentially, you're thrown into the middle of the game's world with nothing but a shield and told "Good luck!" By its very nature the game forces you to adapt from the beginning, so you start to learn little tricks to give yourself every advantage you can. By the time the game starts throwing new, more difficult enemies at you, you already know how to teach yourself to change your playing style to fit their patterns. It's a lovely mechanic, and it really helps keep the game interesting even later on.
  • This is probably in large part due to the hardware limitations at the time, but the game is simple, and this has become (at least for me) one of the Zelda series's hallmarks, and one that I love. The controls are simple, the items you get have simple functions, the overall concept is simple...there's nothing here that will tax your brain - except the puzzles. And this is the kind of game I like, the type that forces me to think. It's brilliantly designed in this sense, and it only got better as the series progressed.


**The Bad**
  • Similarly to the good section, let's get the obvious out of the way first: the game's graphics and sound are pretty awful. Now, I'm admittedly saying this as a modern gamer (who nevertheless grew up with an NES and Sega Genesis), but I think it's worth mentioning. The graphics are hideous, and it's not even just because of the NES's limitations - the color palate of Hyrule makes it one of the least interesting-looking places in all of video games (although it's still better than Borderlands). Brown, tan, and green dominate the land, and although there are thankfully distinct environments throughout the overworld, the distinction is due less to the color than to the actual scenery. The character/enemy designs are actually nicely detailed, though, and the graphic simplicity never hindered my immersion in the game, so this is a pretty minor complaint.


    The sound however...well, you're much better off putting this game on mute and listening to some of your own music. Although the overworld music is the Zelda theme we all know and love, it's about a 20- to 30-second piece on infinite loop. After even five minutes it slowly starts to drive you insane. The dungeon theme is just as annoying, and there is really no reason not to mute the TV when you're playing this game. Again, this is forgivable because, let's face it, we're dealing with a game that came out in 1986. But, if you haven't played this game before...you've been warned.

  • As other reviewers will repeatedly point out, the game designers reused bosses and minibosses from previous dungeons. For me this wasn't a huge deal, and it didn't subtract anything from my experience. However, I can see how this might be a hang-up for some players, and these situations do point to a lack of creativity on the designers' parts.
  • Unless you go out of your way to thoroughly and obsessively explore the overworld, you will likely miss upgrades that would otherwise make your job much easier. There are items which, although you don't NEED them to complete the game, are hidden throughout the overworld, but are not hinted at anywhere else in the game. Although part of the fun of Zelda is interpreting the cryptic clues of the men and women you come in contact with, they won't show you everything. Thus the game can be significantly more difficult if you're not looking at every little thing to get every single item in the game. If you grew up on other Zelda games, as I did, this lack of direction can at times be frustrating.
  • Compared to the later games in the series, this game really has no sense of direction, in that it's really difficult to see any kind of pattern to how the world was laid out. As I already explained, I found this more charming than not, but there were times where I had absolutely no idea where to go, and just happened on the next dungeon by chance. This allows you to complete the game in a completely unorthodox way, but sacrifices cohesion and logic in the process.


**The Bottom Line**
In today's gaming landscape, it is easy to overlook the classics. There are some games that can act purely as a history lesson (the original Final Fantasy, for example), and others that are lots and lots of fun, but failed to really add anything to their genre (say, Ristar for the Sega Genesis). The Legend of Zelda walks the fine line between these two extremes. This game not only made history, it paved the way for lots more history to be made. Plus, it's a heck of a lot of fun.


As a result, I really do think that this is a game you need to have played at least once in your life in order to truly be called a gamer. Within this game you see the seeds of so many modern gaming tropes and elements - to the point where even if you've never played an NES game before, it feels immediately familiar. It inspires the imagination, it piques one's curiosity, it thrills with every secret uncovered. In short: it's a Zelda game, through and through.

NES · by CrackTheSky (30) · 2013

It comes in a Gold Cartridge for a reason.

The Good
Zelda is the very first RPG I ever played, back in the "good ol' days". Aside from "Super Mario Bros." I think this was probably one of the most purchased and loved games on the console.

The gameplay, controls, and story stand the test of time. The game is still challenging and enjoyable after all these years.. and I would even say that from a conceptual perspective, this game is superior to many present-day RPG's.

The Bad
Not much bad with Zelda. The only really disappointing part was that some of the puzzles were so complicated that you needed a guide to find the proper solution.

The Bottom Line
There are few games that can stand the test of time and become classic. This one, I think, was destined from the start. It's in a gold cartridge for cryin' out loud! This is definitely a must-have for the avid collector.

NES · by Nick Seafort (16) · 2004

[ View all 15 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Not much fun to play now, except for seeing how it was a leading game in the action/RPG combination. Andrew Fisher (697) Mar 27, 2024
Legend of Zelda tribute on MTV Daniel Saner (3503) Mar 14, 2011
Super-epic orchestral take on Zelda music J. P. Gray (115) Jun 2, 2008
RPG Controversy SharkD (425) Oct 31, 2007

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The NES version of The Legend of Zelda appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Cartoon

The Legend of Zelda was popular enough to have a TV cartoon based on it in the late 1980s-early 1990s. It was part of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, and aired only on Fridays during its original run in the US.

Cartridge

The Legend of Zelda was the first NES cartridge was released with a shiny gold colored plating, breaking away from the usual gray color.

Cereal

The Legend of Zelda was popular enough to have a breakfast cereal based on the game called the "Nintendo Cereal System" and was co-packaged with Super Mario Bros. cereal. The sweetened corn bits were in the shape of Link, Link's shield, boomerang, key, and a heart.

Character names

  • Link was named as such because of Shigeru Miyamoto's desire to "link" the player and the character together.
  • Zelda was named as such when Miyamoto learned that F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife was named Zelda. Feeling that the name was appropriate, the princess was named Zelda.

Famicom Disk System

In Japan, The Legend of Zelda was the first original game released for the Famicom Disk System add-on, being the only launch title not previously released on cartridge. The Japanese cartridge version was not released until 1994, and was the very last first-party Famicom release. As there had been three sequels produced in the meantime, the cartridge version was titled The Legend of Zelda 1 to avoid

Innovations

In the United States, The Legend of Zelda was the first NES cartridge to include a battery-backed save feature.

Microphone

The instruction manual says that Pols Voice -- an enemy in the game that looked like a ghost with large rabbit ears -- "hates loud noises", although the flute item has no effect on it. This text actually refers to a microphone which was built into the Famicom's controller, but was not included in the NES; blowing or shouting into the microphone killed these creatures.

Sales

As of 2004, The Legend of Zelda has sold eight million units.

Version differences

A modified version of the game, complete with updated graphics, a smaller overworld, and completely different dungeons was released in 1995 for the Satellaview, the Super Famicom's (Japanese Super Nintendo) Japanese-only satellite-based add-on.

Called BS Zelda (the 'BS' standing for Broadcast Satellaview), several sources from Japan allude to this as being intended as a "third quest", much like the second quest accessed via the secret code.

When the game was 'rebroadcast' in 1996, Nintendo changed the map layout again. This revision apparently had a smaller broadcast audience than before, and is known only as "~map2~". This second map could again be thought of as a "fourth quest". Additionally, Link was replaced by the Satellaview mascots: A boy who wore a backwards baseball cap, and a girl who had red hair.

Awards

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly
    • November 1997 (Issue 100) - ranked #10 (Readers' Top 10 Games of All Time)
    • November 1997 (Issue 100) - ranked #13 (Best 100 Games of All Time)
    • February 2006 (Issue #200) - #5 on the "Greatest Games of Their Time" list
  • Game Informer
    • August 2001 (Issue #100) - #1 in the "Top 100 Games of All Time" poll
    • October 2004 (Issue #138) - One of the "Top 25 Most Influential Games of All Time"
  • GameSpy
    • 2001 – #10 Top Game of All Time
  • The Strong National Museum of Play
    • 2016 – Introduced into the World Video Game Hall of Fame

Information also contributed by 雷堂嬢太朗 -jotaro.raido-, Big John WV, Captain Canuck, Guy Chapman, Indra was here, Maw, ModestMr.Green, Son of Kyuss and vedder

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Game added by NetDanzr.

Nintendo 3DS added by ResidentHazard. Wii U added by Michael Cassidy. Wii, Game Boy Advance added by Guy Chapman. Nintendo Switch added by Kam1Kaz3NL77. NES added by Servo.

Additional contributors: PCGamer77, Jeanne, Guy Chapman, chirinea, Exodia85, NH, Alaka, monkeyislandgirl, samsam12, Zaibatsu, Patrick Bregger, sgtcook, Thomas Thompson, yenruoj_tsegnol_eht (!!ihsoy), FatherJack, firefang9212, SoMuchChaotix.

Game added February 24, 2001. Last modified February 16, 2024.