The Legend of Zelda is a classic game that many of us grew up with. We all remember it as that gold game, while the rest of the NES cartridges were simply grey. Let's take a look at what made this game so great and why it is still fun to play games today.
The Plot
The story for this game was top notch at the time, even though most of the dialog is poorly translated from Japanese. The main protagonist, Link, sets out to save the princess Zelda from the evil force of Ganon. In order to face Ganon, Link must first gather the scattered pieces of the triforce. The story development during the game is minimal, but the plot is solid. You are a hero, and you know what has to be done from the beginning.
The Land
The world of Hyrule is vast with many unique regions. The landscape is varied as you journey through plains, forests, mountains, and even grave yards. The world has 9 unique dungeons that must be conquered The dungeons are filled with unique enemies and puzzling challenges (how many of these walls can I bomb a hole in?). Each dungeon has a new weapon or object to help you through the quest. You are also rewarded with a piece of heart for defeating each boss. This makes you progressively stronger so that you can survive the next dungeon.
The Adventure
This game is much more than just killing enemies and collecting triforce pieces. It was one of the first real adventure games. The financial aspect of the game meant you had to collect rupees and use them to complete your quest. You could gain rupees from killing enemies or uncovering secrets. The rupees could then be saved for weapons, bombs, health potions, information, and even gambling! The financial aspect added a new dimension to adventure shooting games.
It is no surprise that the Legend of Zelda went on to sell over 6 million copies and become one of the best selling video games of all time. This game is still challenging and a lot of fun of to play. So go pull out your ol NESconsole and head back to the land of Hyrule, you will be glad that you did.
