Zeldasages.com Review by Webmaster Bob
In a world of uncertainty, in a land distraught with evil, only one can save this land. Link, a young man of the time, wished to take upon a fatal task. For years the land of Hyrule was enslaved by a dark wizard Ganon whom held captive the beautiful Princess Zelda. Many have tried to take on Ganon although all were left to a dreadful fate. Link however rose above them all and saved Hyrule from the dark grip of Ganon.
Story
The story of the game is very simple, exactly what is stated above. However, for its day the Legend of Zelda was a complex game with a very large amount of story. As a matter of fact, an entire two pages of the manual is made to specifically tell the story. There is truly not much to be said, even though with its time the story then was still slightly lacking in a twist as would usually appear in NES games somewhere. so for this we give it a solid 8/10.
Gameplay
Again, for its time this game was amazing. Actually, as a mater of fact the original Legend of Zelda set many standards in the business as we know it today. From climbing ladders to finding pieces of heart to using a wide variety of weapons and gadgets at your disposal to a free explorative world. Never before had any game ever had a good free explorative world full of passages and secrets. You can actually spend hours with the game just having fun running around Hyrule trying to find hidden secrets. Not only this, but the game introduced the first real collection system requiring you to assemble a piece of the triforce before entering the final level. Again, very common today, although so many things have just set huge standards for today. There is just so much to list here I can’t even fit it all in the limited space of my typing to prevent you from becoming very bored., We would probably shoot ourselves if we didn’t give gameplay a perfect 10/10.
Sound
Not only does this game contain one of the catchiest songs ever created but includes great sound effects and tones to keep you in the action. There are not to many songs, however for the time on an 8-bit cartridge it really packed something. From the game over screen to Hyrule field, to the dungeons, all the way to Ganon’s dark fortress the music is simply put perfect for its time. It would be a shame to go without saying sound earns a 10/10.
Graphics
You will all chuckle when you here me now. However, before I say anything I want you to think, this is an 8-bit game made in the 1980s. Now said for its time this was the hottest thing out there. Every game wanted to match what Nintendo did. The way the bosses were designed was something very new until then along with the water effect to many others. Even so the graphics are really not that different then Mario. As a matter of fact you can probably see alot of areas where Nintendo took their original blocks and just gave them a new color. That, and the weird commercial advertising the graphics is sickening for more then one reason. However still, this earns a very nice 9/10.
Overall
The Legend of Zelda is simply something that can’t be passed up by any true fan of the series. This is it, the game that started it all, the game that captivated the imagination of so many, the game that left people wanting more and more, the game that one day will evolve the shape the world of gaming in many ways we know it today. I can’t say much more, compared to today’s works of art and style it may seem like nothing to some, although even just jumping into the game today you can feel the same joy, the same desire, the same passions as your parents or even some older people like myself felt all those years ago.
*Scores weighed differently total 100%*
