The Legend of Zelda (NES) Review

Two things marked 1987 as one of the best years in the history of mankind. The first being the Western release of Shigeru Miyamotos masterpiece, The Legend of Zelda. The second, typically being the birth of this here reviewer. But instead of talking about my life and how epic it has been up until this point (A 2 page story is epic?) I will instead focus the next 400 words of this review, slash preview, slash, fun thing on the very first title that started one of the biggest series in the gaming industry.

Recent incarnations of the Zelda games involve crisp and artistic graphics, deep storylines and an arsenal of weapons to boot. The original was designed in 8bit glory with a limited palette of colours, had no apparent storyline whatsoever and stored some of the more basic weapons such as the bow and arrow, bombs and even the lantern which has recently made its comeback in Twilight Princess. This was the game that kick started to series into hyper-drive, even if the second round involved a man named Error and a side-scrolling world for the most part.

You play as the hero Link as you venture across the vast world of Hyrule in search of seemingly randomly placed Triforce shards. At the end of each dungeon awaits a boss of some description and once he/she or it has been slain the triforce shard awaits within the next room. Thanks to the nifty Virtual Console feature that saves the game wherever you last left off you dont even have to bother saving each time you enter a new dungeon, though its highly recommended as getting back to the menu screen in the actual game requires your younger brother to kill your character. The map is huge considering this is a classic NES title and will not get boring quickly as there are merchants scattered across the fields in caves and under statues as well as conveniently placed heart pieces.

So how does everything work as a package considering this game is now as old as I am and some are horrified by my mere presence. The gameplay is complete, echoing that old and true feeling that Nintendo are the best at what they do. While probably not winning any awards for its dynamic lighting or ground texture the visuals are much more attractive than say, Arcade Pong. The controls work simply by using either the Wiimote, Gamecube controller or Classic Controller. Either is recommended, the Gamecube controller not much so.

So if youre looking for some post Twilight Princess enjoyment, the original Legend of Zelda is a sure bet to waste those hours until bed time. What was a classic two decades ago is still just as much as a classic nowadays, regardless of feeling a little bit dated.