By - Richard J.
The Legend of Zelda on the NES; the introduction of the brave, green-tunic wearing hero Link to the gaming community. Back in a time when simple side-scrolling games dominated gaming, few games went for a more open experience. Allowing you to travel around a small world, going where ever you wanted gave gamers a whole new type of experience.
Unlike the newer Zelda games, The Legend of Zelda doesn't have much story at all. You play as Link, the hero of time, as he goes on an adventure to save Princess Zelda from the evil Gannon.While this may seem very similar to the much more popular NES game -- Super Ma rio Bros. -- I can tell you that Zelda couldn't be anymore different. Despite the lack of story, The Legend of Zelda still finds a way to make you feel like you are truly going on a long, hard journey and fulfilling a true legend.
This journey mostly takes place on an overworld map, which is a handful of isometric square sewed together. Whenever you go from one square to the next, the screen moves like a bad YouTube video transition. The other part of the journey takes place inside nine different dungeons. Within the dungeons, you must defeat enemies, solve various puzzles, and finally defeat the boss of the dungeon.
With The Legend of Zelda being a fairly early NES game, its graphics aren't the best. The overworld is very basic, small, and repetitive. Not to mention all of the rooms in the dungeons look nearly identical, expect for their shape. However, the game does have that sandbox "go anywhere, do anything" gameplay which is extremely advanced for the console. This brings down the graphics a lot, but it is worth it.
The sound in The Legend of Zelda is pretty great considering how early in the NES's life cycle it was released. Each section has it's own theme, and the overworld theme has become a staple of the series. While there may not be much audio for the game, what little is there has made a huge impact on gaming.
Replay value for the Legend of Zelda is outstanding for its time. Once you play through the main quest, you can continue to travel through the overworld and collect any items or heart containers you may have missed. While that may seem nice, the developers through in an extra that more games should have. They created an entire "Second Quest" that is a different and slightly harder version of the original quest. For a game that was released roughly a year after the launch of the NES, it's quite good.
In conclusion, The Legend of Zelda on the NES is a fantastic game. While it may not have the greatest story or the best graphics, the game does have gameplay that is still being emulated in today's games. The impact this game made on the industry, and how fun it is the first or fifth time you've played it, make The Legend of Zelda a truly classic game.
PROS
- Revolutionary gameplay
- Fairly good use of sound
- Outstanding replay value
- A truly classic video game
CONS
- Basic and unoriginal story
- Mediocre graphics
- Limiting for what it wanted to accomplish
RATING: 9.25/10