The Legend of Zelda

While this game definitely shows it’s age now, it’s a fascinating part of the artistic and technical history of video games, spawning perhaps one of gaming’s finest experiences. I can only imagine how it would of felt as a kid with an NES in the 80’s, exploring this expansive world, drawing your own maps and solving the secrets of the land of Hyrule. Now? Well, it may not have the same effect, but it’s a robust and fun time nonetheless, if nothing else just to see where Zelda started.

My first playthrough of this game was the Redux hack (I highly recommend playing this version) of this game, which doesn't drastically change anything but iron out some aged mechanics and improve the QoL.

I've played every Zelda game but have put off playing this and Zelda 2 due to the fact that these are cryptically designed games. However I decided to swallow my pride and play this with a guide (and knowing the OG came with a guide in the box makes me feel a little better). Absolutely play this game with a guide, I feel like it's actually meant to be played this way.

Surprisingly Zelda 1 is still very enjoyable if you do play with a guide and holds up pretty well. There is a lack of puzzles which the series is known for and more about exploration in this sense but it's forgiveable being the first game in the series.

I was totally obsess by that time playing all the titles(no internet for me)so It was as great as frustrating but totally worth It.

This was so much fun at the start then quickly became frustrating as the dungeons and enemies became more sporadic. Trying to predict enemy movements or which walls to bomb became impossible and I had to rely on the rewind feature.

play time : +40 hours

It's very hard to give a game like this a rating. While I grew up playing the NES, the first Zelda I played was A Link to The Past, a clear upgrade by most metrics. There are also a lot of overall quality of life things over the years that have made the original Zelda feel less like an adventure I need to figure out and more like trial and error. Some important things you need to do, like giving an item to someone or burning a very specific bush, have little to no clues pushing you towards them. This was expected at the time, and the novelty of not just the open world but saved games made the original Zelda mind blowing at the time of its release. Likely a 10/10. Nowadays, having first beaten it around 2010 and again last year, it doesn't feel as good. I reflexively played with a guide open, and I've always felt that if that's damn near required, a game has failed on some level. But, because of its historical significance, I feel bad rating it based off of that. I think 8/10 fits.

If you want to experience the original, please do. It's worth it to see where so many aspects of not just Zelda, but modern gaming as a whole, got their start. Just don't be afraid to play with a guide.