So, the Legend of Zelda. This should be a fun game!
I'm personally glad I beat this game before writing this review, since I didn't want to jump the gun on any part of the game I deemed "cheap" or "unfair". Anyways, let's get to this review, shall we? Firstly, the graphics. I'm really glad to say that the emulator that I was playing it on made Hyrule look GORGEOUS. Smooth framerate, very high quality coloring and top-notch quality really make this a recommended version of the game to play. But as to the graphics themselves, they also still look very nice for the time. However, there really should be more setpieces to the land of Hyrule itself, as its very easy to get lost, or at the least, a better map. That gray square is an inexcusable excuse for a map, and for first time players, I highly recommend you look online for a guide or a map, so you won't get frustrated. Next, the sound. The music is nice to listen to, its not screechy or high pitched, very easy on the ears, but the repetitiveness can definitely turn people off from the experience. There's a very limited amount of tracks in the game, and they loop very quickly, so you could be pressing the mute button on the emulator rather soon. Addictiveness I'll save for last, that's a special case, so let's move on to the story. The story isn't too big or grand or epic, its another "save the princess" plot, although it is fleshed out a little more, showing that Ganon (NOT "Gannon", as the game calls him) took the Triforce of Power, and Zelda, not wanting him to have both Triforces (yes, there were two at this time, not three), broke the Triforce of Wisdom into 8 pieces. As Link, you need to gather the 8 pieces and save Zelda. Its fine for what it is, it doesn't need to delve into the history of Hyrule or whatnot too much, so that gets a pass from me. The depth is very nice, Hyrule is diverse and there's a lot to do. A bit of a shame there's no sidequests or the like to do, heck, even some towns or interaction would be nice (the old man doesn't count here). You mainly go from dungeon to dungeon, get Heart Pieces or potions or the like, and continue on in that manner. Next, the difficulty. Man, this game doesn't know what it wants to do in terms of difficulty, its so schizophrenic! You have an easy time with the first palace, and the second, but the third will definitely test your patience with the introduction of Darknuts. The fifth palace will also frustrate you with the two variants of Wizzrobes you can find. Other than that, the other palaces (save Palace 8) aren't that strenuous, Palace 7 is actually one of the best spots to grind for Rupees if you need it. When Link is fully upgraded, he can do some serious damage to some enemies...save Darknuts, which for the most part, you can only attack from the back. Anyways, time for the addictiveness. I won't go back to play this game again, once I've gotten the fear of Darknuts out of my system. Link's control is very sluggish; he can't move and attack at the same time. Another issue I have with him is that he can only stab (yes, that word usage was intentional) in 4 directions. That severely limits his combat abilities and really makes it hard to pick this game back up. His attacks have no range to them (save for the sword beam when you're at full health, which won't last for too long, thanks to the cheap enemies), thanks to the stab, and his 4-directional movement makes for some very cheap hits that could be easily avoided. Combine that with some enemies not taking knockback damage from Link's attacks and you can have a very frustrating experience depending on where you are. Combine that with the schizophrenic difficulty and you have a game that's rather difficult to pick back up, at least in my opinion. Overall, I do think the Legend of Zelda was a fun-ish game. I can definitely see where the game started and what it could evolve into, and I can also see why lots of gamers have it as a fond memory of their childhoods. I wouldn't recommend this game for new players wanting to get into the series though, definitely not. There's some other games I think will suit your needs better than this one can. But what do I know, play it and find out if you like it or not! So, the Legend of Zelda. This should be a fun game!
I'm personally glad I beat this game before writing this review, since I didn't want to jump the gun on any part of the game I deemed "cheap" or "unfair". Anyways, let's get to this review, shall we? Firstly, the graphics. I'm really glad to say that the emulator that I was playing it on made Hyrule look GORGEOUS. Smooth framerate, very high quality coloring and top-notch quality really make this a recommended version of the game to play. But as to the graphics themselves, they also still look very nice for the time. However, there really should be more setpieces to the land of Hyrule itself, as its very easy to get lost, or at the least, a better map. That gray square is an inexcusable excuse for a map, and for first time players, I highly recommend you look online for a guide or a map, so you won't get frustrated. Next, the sound. The music is nice to listen to, its not screechy or high pitched, very easy on the ears, but the repetitiveness can definitely turn people off from the experience. There's a very limited amount of tracks in the game, and they loop very quickly, so you could be pressing the mute button on the emulator rather soon. Addictiveness I'll save for last, that's a special case, so let's move on to the story. The story isn't too big or grand or epic, its another "save the princess" plot, although it is fleshed out a little more, showing that Ganon (NOT "Gannon", as the game calls him) took the Triforce of Power, and Zelda, not wanting him to have both Triforces (yes, there were two at this time, not three), broke the Triforce of Wisdom into 8 pieces. As Link, you need to gather the 8 pieces and save Zelda. Its fine for what it is, it doesn't need to delve into the history of Hyrule or whatnot too much, so that gets a pass from me. The depth is very nice, Hyrule is diverse and there's a lot to do. A bit of a shame there's no sidequests or the like to do, heck, even some towns or interaction would be nice (the old man doesn't count here). You mainly go from dungeon to dungeon, get Heart Pieces or potions or the like, and continue on in that manner. Next, the difficulty. Man, this game doesn't know what it wants to do in terms of difficulty, its so schizophrenic! You have an easy time with the first palace, and the second, but the third will definitely test your patience with the introduction of Darknuts. The fifth palace will also frustrate you with the two variants of Wizzrobes you can find. Other than that, the other palaces (save Palace 8) aren't that strenuous, Palace 7 is actually one of the best spots to grind for Rupees if you need it. When Link is fully upgraded, he can do some serious damage to some enemies...save Darknuts, which for the most part, you can only attack from the back. Anyways, time for the addictiveness. I won't go back to play this game again, once I've gotten the fear of Darknuts out of my system. Link's control is very sluggish; he can't move and attack at the same time. Another issue I have with him is that he can only stab (yes, that word usage was intentional) in 4 directions. That severely limits his combat abilities and really makes it hard to pick this game back up. His attacks have no range to them (save for the sword beam when you're at full health, which won't last for too long, thanks to the cheap enemies), thanks to the stab, and his 4-directional movement makes for some very cheap hits that could be easily avoided. Combine that with some enemies not taking knockback damage from Link's attacks and you can have a very frustrating experience depending on where you are. Combine that with the schizophrenic difficulty and you have a game that's rather difficult to pick back up, at least in my opinion. Overall, I do think the Legend of Zelda was a fun-ish game. I can definitely see where the game started and what it could evolve into, and I can also see why lots of gamers have it as a fond memory of their childhoods. I wouldn't recommend this game for new players wanting to get into the series though, definitely not. There's some other games I think will suit your needs better than this one can. But what do I know, play it and find out if you like it or not! |