The Legend of Zelda: Remembering Link's Very First Quest

In 1986, Nintendo unleashed a brand new game in Japan...one which would mark the beginning of a series that has continued to enchant players with each new series entry. That game was called The Legend of Zelda, and it was unlike any adventure game that had come before. Americans would have to wait until 1987 before they had the chance to experience Link's first adventure, but when they did, they felt that it was an amazing game, and one of the best NES games ever made. In 2011, the game (or at least the Japanese version of it) will turn 25, and Nintendo plans to mark the occasion with a brand new Zelda game called Skyward Sword. As for the NES game, how well does it hold up in 2010? Well, I am here to explain why the game, while somewhat dated, is still wonderful after all these years.

The once peaceful land of Hyrule has been taken over by Ganon, an evil wizard whose power comes from the Triforce of Power that he has stolen. Monsters now roam the world, and to make matters worse, Zelda, the princess of Hyrule, has been captured and imprisoned within Death Mountain. Impa, her loyal nursemaid, headed off to find someone who could rescue Zelda and defeat Ganon. She was nearly killed by some of Ganon's minions, but a brave hero named Link came to her rescue. Upon learning about Zelda's imprisonment, Link goes on a quest to reassemble the Triforce of Wisdom, the pieces of which have been hidden in various underground labyrinths, so that he may enter Death Mountain, rid Hyrule of Ganon, and save the princess. At the time, this was somewhat deeper than stories from other Nintendo games, although it is still a bit basic.

Link starts his adventure by entering a nearby cave and claiming a sword. From there, his journey will lead him throughout the land of Hyrule, where he must battle monsters and explore dungeons. Link's sword has the power to shoot beams at foes, but only when he is at full health. Nevertheless, the sword is his most common weapon, and will serve him well throughout his adventure. This is a good thing, because the land is crawling with monsters. Such classic enemies as Octoroks, Tektites, and Moblins made their debut here, and they strive to give Link trouble, but they and many other enemies in the over world are simple to defeat.

Sometimes, the monsters drop items when they have been defeated. Hearts can replenish Link's health, and our hero starts off with three of them, though he can collect more by finding Heart Containers hidden throughout Hyrule and winning them when he defeats a boss in a dungeon. Fairies can replenish more health, while rupees act as the game's currency, allowing Link to purchase items in shops. Bombs can destroy enemies and weak walls, and the stopwatch can freeze enemies in their tracks, which makes it easier for Link to finish them off.

In addition to these items, Link can collect weapons that can be used to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Many of these items can be found within the nine dungeons that our hero must locate and enter. Some weapons that Link would use in subsequent adventures made their first appearance here. The boomerang, bow, and power bracelet are used for the first time. Other items that would either make limited appearances in other games or never reappear again at all include a candle that can burn bushes and light dark rooms, a ladder that can help you cross rivers, and a key that can open every locked door and which never disappears. Even in the first game, the weapon variety is neat, and players can spend hours experimenting with every single one of them.

While Link will have more than his fair share of challenges in the over world, it is in the dungeons where his toughest tasks can be found. The enemies are even stronger here, and some of them, such as Stalfos, Wizzrobes, and Dodongos, would show up often in other Zelda games. Link must defeat many foes to gain access to other rooms, and sometimes, he must push blocks, blow up weak walls, or take shortcuts by heading down flights of stairs to advance. Each dungeon has a map which Link can collect to find his way, a compass that reveals the location of the missing Triforce piece, and keys that can open up locked doors. Every dungeon also has a boss which, when destroyed, will let you gain access to the Triforce room. Exploring all of the dungeons makes for a challenging, and fun, experience.

Challenging is a word that describes the game rather well in many respects. There are some foes, particularly Wizzrobes and Darknuts, that will give you a hard time and can drain your life energy pretty fast. If you do lose all of your hearts, you will restart at the entrance to the current dungeon or at the same screen as the cave where Link finds his sword. Since this game was made before it was common for a game to take you by the hand and tell you what you need to do or where you had to go, finding the dungeon entrances can be tricky at times, and some of them are in places where you would not think to find them or require methods that would seem absurd. For example, playing a flute near a certain spring will cause it to drain, revealing a dungeon entrance. It may be hard for a player to figure this out by himself or herself, especially when you consider that there are not many clues in the game, and what clues exist are often cryptic and confusing, though that can be chalked up to poor English translation.

Such confounding riddles represent one reason why the game does not hold up as well as some other games in the series do today. Another is the save feature, which was a first for any cartridge-based game. On the one hand, it allowed players to save their progress and come back to it later, and it paved the way for other games to include save features. On the other hand, you could only save if you lost all of your hearts, and if you saved and then continued on with your journey, you would restart at the very first screen of the game. This meant that if you were exploring a dungeon, you would have to walk back to that dungeon and pick up where you left off from there. Later games would allow you to save and continue from more convenient locations. Here, the save feature, while handy, leads to needless repetition. Other dated features include somewhat simplistic puzzles that would give way to more elaborate ones in later titles and the graphics which got the job done, but made Hyrule into a land without a lot of detail. To their credit, the graphics have some nostalgic value to them, but they are still very much dated.

Still, there are a lot of features that do hold up well and make the game as great today as they did all those years ago. Hyrule is full of secrets that players will want to discover, though with the cryptic information found within the game, it may be hard to find all of them without a guide. The battles are thrilling, and the boss fights are particularly memorable, even though the bosses are often recycled and show up again in later dungeons. The challenge level is higher than in most other Zelda games, but for those who feel that Zelda games in general are too easy, this can be seen as a refreshing change of pace. There is even a second quest that can be unlocked by completing the first quest or by using Zelda as your character's name, and the game becomes much tougher the second time around. Accompanying the action is a truly magnificent soundtrack that includes the debut of the classic Zelda theme song and the spooky dungeon theme. Although the game is shorter than later titles, especially for those who are proficient with it, it is a wonderful journey while it lasts, and is recommended for Zelda fans who are curious as to how it all began.

Luckily, there are many ways to experience the original Legend of Zelda game. Players can acquire the original cartridge, of course, but they can also play it on the Wii by either downloading it from the Wii Shop Channel or hunting down The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition disc made for the Gamecube, but which can be played on the Wii. A Game Boy Advance version is also available for those who enjoy taking their Zelda adventures on the road. Players will surely realize that Link's first quest, despite being somewhat dated, is simply amazing, and one more reason why the series as a whole has become so legendary. This is where the legend began, and it is quite a strong beginning, indeed.