Comments on: Anatomy of a Game: The Legend of Zelda I

By: MetManMas

MetManMas — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 06:53:57 +0000

The Legend of Zelda’s starting area is really brilliant. You’re at the center of the southern side of the world, with three directions you can go and a cave. Putting a cave with your first sword on that first screen is clever as well; most players would likely be curious what’s in the cave right in front of them when they start, and are rewarded for their curiosity.

What’s not as obvious is that all the screens adjacent to the first screen have a secret. The northwest one has a plainly visible shop, with the candle, a key, and a better shield for sale. The north and west screen have bombable walls, with a Rupee-giving Moblin and money-making game old man. And the east and northeast screens have burnable bushes, with an old lady who will eventually sell potions after getting the letter and a more jerkass old man who takes Rupees for door damages.

That starting screen’s also six to seven screens away from both of the game’s fairy fountains.

By: LBD "Nytetrayn"

LBD "Nytetrayn" — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 06:10:50 +0000

This remains one of my favorites of the series, just for the sheer amount of freedom it grants the player. Oh, if only they’d make another like this…

The last time they tried to give you a sense of freedom to proceed as you wish, even for just a small, small part of the game, it wound up breaking the blasted thing. =P

Thad: I so, so, so wish they would patch those games up and sell them on WiiWare or the eShop– or both. Or something. Put them all on a disc, maybe with a version of the original game using the same graphics. I don’t care, I just know that I want to play more original-styled Zelda using a boy in a baseball cap or a girl with a red ponytail… or a graphically-enhanced Link.

Choices! I want them!

By: cartman414

cartman414 — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 03:53:42 +0000

There is a bit of monster gating also found in its early console RPG contemporaries on the overworld, indeed. You’ll encounter easy mooks on the way to the first dungeon, making it the least daunting. On the way to the second, the game begins throwing Moblins at you.

Now doing the latter first isn’t as lethal compared to going off the beaten path in, say, Dragon Quest I (and definitely not Final Fantasy II), there’s still that same invisible guiding hand.

I’ve given thought to writing my own article about 1987, and how it, to me, was right about the time gaming started to rapidly evolve in all sorts of directions.