Zelda Challenge - Outlands Review by: endings - 7.9/10
A NES Zelda for those who crave something more difficultOUTLANDS is to the original NES Zelda game what skins and a new world are to Minecraft. Its still plays like the game you enjoy, just with some new creatures behaving like old creatures, and completely redesigned maps(for all dungeons and overworld! Amazing!). Let me just start by saying this game deserves a lot of credit, as its clearly a labor of love for the Zelda series. That being said, I felt it was short of being an improvement or really even equal to the original game its based from. Its a good game, but skewed towards players who have finished the original, and are looking for a more difficult game.
The meat of what Outlands has is the new maps. Every screen is redone. The overworld has been totally redesigned, I didn't spot any screens from the original game (though I didn't search every single one). The dungeons as well, are redone, and now each has color coded walls - the first dungeon grey, the second orange, and so on. The programmer also changed all the hidden entrances in the overworld (via bombs, burning shrubs, etc) and created numerous hidden passageways and bombable walls in the dungeons.
While this is great for challenging veterans to relearn the game, it is not without its faults. The dungeons, while devious, don't seem to gel or feel like they belong. It just seems to be a series of random rooms thrown together and the maps look haphazard. The overworld is very limiting at first, with many areas blocked off until the player has unlocked the proper items, but this helps with narrowing down where to search for the dungeon locations.
The human, helpful residents have been changed to gerudos and goron, which was a nice touch to the newer games. The monsters are about 90%, reskinned. The Octorocks are now spiders from Zelda II, I think the Octorock is now in the water instead of the Zola. The giant Ghoma crab enemy is now a giant jelly blob! The same techniques you used to deal with each foe still apply here, its just a new coat of paint. The fact so many enemies have been retouched is quite a feat. I'm not sure if its design, but often some of the dungeon enemies will blend in with their surroundings a bit, some natural camouflage (purple foes in a purple dungeon)- I'm sure it was intentional to make the game a bit more difficult.
I did find some issues though. While some reskins compliment the game - the whistle is now
replaced with the series favorite ocarina, some things have just been swapped senselessly. The dog-headed Moblin and the boomerang throwing ferret guy, the Peahats and the Keese bats, but the worst in my eye is the Wizrobe and the centaur guy. Now Wizrobe shoots swords, and the centaurs are in the dungeons and teleports with spells. Huh? Why? The game seems to want to expand on the lore set up by the series, I'm not sure why changing two unlike types to behave differently is a good idea.
Scoring was a bit difficult, as I also had to consider what I would have graded the original game.
Graphics: 7
The reskins are OK, they will surprise you the first time.Some, like the new Wall Master skin, look kind of bad. As said above, some changes to reflect the items used often in the future sequels shine here - the ocarina, the cane being used instead of the wand. I wouldn't grade the original Zelda much different from this, honestly.
Sound: 9
The music is one of the few things untouched. Its just as classic as it ever was, and no sound files were swapped to different things. Since there is no change, Outlands earns the same score I'd give the original game.
Addictiveness: 7
At first, I dug the challenge. Then after you're about halfway, the challenging enemies just aren't there and you just end up bored or frustrated trying to find the next dungeon. The unorthodox way the first dungeons are handled (it is designed you have to backtrack to them) is done away in the later dunegons, making the process seem annoying in the first place. Just finding the note to give for medicine was a huge chore!
Story:10
This is one area where Outlands trumps the classic game. Expanding on the lore of Zelda, most of its
replacement graphics and text are trying to add flavor to the dull original cast of Old Man and Woman - and succeeds wildly. Even the end boss has been
replaced thoughfully, that's right, theres no Ganon here! Very well done, despite a few enemies acting odd (Wizrobe and centaur, I'm looking at you again).
Depth: 8
Besides the addition of the new maps, Ok this game is quite sneaky. Lots of hidden areas, warp zones, secret -walk through walls in the dungeon, it really tells you to explore everything. Sadly you will feel this game has 0 depth at first, as you have to struggle without winning items from dungeons and no sword for awhile, but it gets a lot better. I did feel some items were underdeveloped - namely the raft and the lantern (candle). The wizrobe wand is still just a optional, but ignorable weapon, which makes it seem a waste. There is not much to burn to discover (at least in the first quest), and there is only one place to use the raft!!
Difficulty: 7
This is tricky, as it starts off quite fearsome, about an 8.5. You are weaponless, and the first items you can get, a raft or a ladder, stay out of your reach for a bit. The enemies quickly escalate to their palette swap harder versions and the screen is often full of 8 baddies to start with. Once you get about halfway through the dungeons, the difficulty tapers off dramatically. This game almost throws the kitchen sink at you in the beginning, but overplays its hand so there is nothing it can do to escalate the odds or danger later on. In a sense, I actually got kind of bored around level 6, smoking through even the bosses.
Final Scoare: 7.9
This is a great Zelda mod for those retro gamers seeking a challenge. The fact its totally remade is a great way to breathe new life into this old game. Sometimes Outlands just tried too hard, either in difficulty or bad planning dungeons or some enemy swaps, so I would still prefer the original over this, but it was interesting in its level of detail and devotion to the series.
Graphics
7 Sound
9 Addictive
7 Depth
8 Story
10 Difficulty
7
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