The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

This is the game that started my lifelong love of video games.  

My first game (which came with my new SNES) was Super Mario Brothers, and that was a pretty great game.  But Link to the Past was about more than just mastering the moves… there was puzzle-solving, exploration, story, characters, ambiance… it was fully-immersive.  I also played almost all of the first play-through with my dad, so this game will always be tied with fond memories and nostalgia.  In fact, Dad and I have had a great time reminiscing about the game over the last couple months as I've played it again.

Literally one of the first things I did... for old time's sake.

Link to the Past does an excellent job of letting you figure things out as you go.  Unlike the first two Zelda games, it doesn't just plunk you down with zero guidance.  It instead introduces you to new elements slowly, without lazily relying on tutorials like some of the later Zelda games.  Also, a single play takes just long enough to make you feel like you got your money’s worth, but not so long that you get bored or frustrated.  Basically, it’s the Goldilocks of Zeldas.

One of the most epic moments in video game history.

One of the great things about playing through again is trying new things, like defeating Agahnim with the bug net.

When Dad and I played we didn't have a walkthrough guide, so we just explored and usually found everything we needed.  However, the game did come with a little booklet called “Top Secret Messages from Sahasrahla”, which also had the Nintendo Help Line phone number on the back.  You know… because this was back before you could just use the internet if you got stuck.   Dad did end up calling the help line for us – twice I believe.  I specifically remember us being stuck in the Ice Temple, so I made Blake play it this time to see if he could figure it out.  He got stuck in the same spot, so our pride is intact.  Overall though, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I remembered most of the tricky secrets, even so many years after my last play.  It was kinda nice to show off my expertise of the game, since it’s usually Blake who remembers old games so well.

Blake begging the Ice Monster to open the door.

Beating the game felt nearly as rewarding as it did the first time, and we even stuck around for the credits to see how all our favorite characters fared.  I was glad to see that (in my biased opinion) the game has held up well over the years, meaning it was just as enjoyable as it was when I was a kid.  As an adult, I have decided that that’s the real test of a genuinely good vintage video game. 

Lindsay’s Picks:

1st – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

2nd – The Legend of Zelda

3rd – Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Blake’s Picks:

1st – The Legend of Zelda

2nd – Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

3rd – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

It Came From Japan

Now onto The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.  This game is exciting because it is the first time I’m going to play a game on an original Game Boy cart in more than a decade.  But I’m not going to squint to see my old GB fatty.  Nope, I’m picking up one of the numerous oversights by Nintendo of America: The Game Boy Light.

This guy has seen better days.

Ask anyone who tried it what the biggest problem with the Game Boy was and you get one answer, “You can’t see anything.”  All sorts of aftermarket solutions were released.   

Speakers + Light + Magnifier + Joystick = WTF?

The one I had was the Handy Boy.  You can hardly even see the system under that monstrosity.

In 1998, Nintendo came up with a solution: The Game Boy Light.  This system has two settings on the power switch.  

The first works like a traditional Game Boy Pocket with black and white color.

But flip the switch and you get this.  The light is actually behind the display and works sort of like the old indiglo watches.   

 

It’s easy on the eyes and you can look at it for a long time without straining your eyes.  It is everything you would want the Game Boy to be.  

Sadly, NOA never brought it over to America.  Maybe it was because the Game Boy Color came out just six months later or maybe it was NOA’s misguided beliefs in what Americans like (I’m looking at you “Play it Loud”).  

Either way, I got all my gaming information at the time from Nintendo Power so I had no idea this thing even existed until about five years ago.  They are especially popular now with chiptune musicians because you can see them in a club.  If you ever find one, I highly recommend it.  

Gator's gotta have his dog food.

As for the game, I’m loving its lighthearted attitude.  It’s a nice change of pace.  I look forward to playing more of it and its inspiration (more on that to come).

Linking To The Past

I'm cruising right through A Link to the Past for like the 20th time.  There are a ton of reasons I love this game and I thought I'd highlight a few of my favorite moments.

The rain scene at the beginning of the game is amazing.  It feels so foreboding and you can instantly tell this game is much more cinematic than the NES games.

This was the first game with the master sword and really establishes the tradition of making the moment you get it feel epic.  It starts as soon as you enter the forest and get the buildup by pulling out fake swords.  Then, there is the long walk up to the sword and the epic moment you pull it out.  This part is cool no matter how many times you do it.

Fool, if only you knew how many rupees I would have given you for that bottle.

This game has so many secrets but this hobo living under the bridge is my favorite.  Then to top it off, he gives you one of the more valuable items in the game; a bottle.

The dark world was such a cool idea.  I love how it manifests the personalities of the people who go there.  Bunny Link is such a cool surprise the first time you get sent there.  I also love the little ball guy rolling around.

I will find you and I will hunt you down.

Oh, and who can forget being attacked be chickens, the true menace to Link.

I love all these moments and more and look forward to experiencing the rest of them again.  Onward in the Zelda quest! 

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

At Christmas, 1988, Grandma and Grandpa gave James and me the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).  The system came with 2 controllers, the NES Zapper, and one game; the combination game of Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt.  After 2 or 3 weeks of playing that game non-stop, Dad finally got fed up and took us to Toys R Us to buy one new game each (I think it was the Mario soundtrack that was annoying him).  I remember seeing a friend of mine play Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and I knew that it would be a fantastic game.  I also knew that Super Mario Bros. 3 was an amazing game, mostly due to The Wizard movie.  I had a huge dilemma, which of these two amazing games should I get?  James, on the other hand, was holding California Games, a game featuring a girl wearing a yellow bikini on roller skates and a young man on a BMX bike wearing a GT Dyno shirt.  There was no convincing James to pick Mario 3, his mind was made up.  So, as it turned out, Dad bought me Zelda II, and there began my Zelda obsession.

I did not “beat” Zelda II until years after we bought it.  It was VERY difficult for a 7 year old and other games drew my attention (admittedly California Games was one of them).  I remember only getting to the 2^nd palace and not knowing how to cross the river in the Town of Saria.  When I finally did beat it, it was mainly due to using the NES Game Atlas, which provided maps, walk-throughs, and tips for certain areas of the game. 

Turns out, I’m a real hero.

Alas, playing the game again brought back many fond memories of my childhood.  Lindsay let me play this one exclusively, due to the odd side scrolling nature of this sequel.   She watched as I played on the big screen or on the Wii U game pad (which has a small screen).  I have to admit I didn’t remember the game quite as well as I had hoped.  The palace layouts had been erased from my memory, so I had to use trial and error to help me find where I was going.  The final palace was particularly difficult to find my way through, but after a few tries, I learned the correct path.  Lindsay watched as I fought the last two bosses, Thunderbird and Dark Link.  After a satisfying cut scene, we finished the game.  Since finishing the game and writing this blog, I've continually heard Lindsay say, “Can we start A Link to the Past yet?!?”

Thunderbird

 Dark Link

 Receiving the Triforce of Courage

 Waking up Zelda (I need to try this with Lindsay on the weekends)

Some privacy, please!

My review of the game:  Very challenging, yet very engaging.  The monsters in the game required quick reflexes and knowledge of their abilities and weaknesses.  Some of the puzzles of the game seemed unbeatable if you didn't know where to look.  For instance, finding Bagu in the forest; nearly impossible.  Lindsay often said, “How did you know to look there?” for many of the secrets throughout the game.  Some I found on my own, some were passed to me from friends, and the others were supplied via the NES Game Atlas.  One of the most important things to know about the game was when to fight monsters, or when to skip them.  Also, some of Link’s spells were barely used; Fire, Reflect, Spell, and Thunder had very little utility in the game.  On the other hand, some spells were used very frequently; Shield (damage reduction), and Life (healing) were used during difficult times.

Since this is the second game on our quest, I want to start ranking the games as we play them.  The lists will get longer and start showing differences soon, I promise.

Blake’s Picks:

1^st – The Legend of Zelda

2^nd – Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Lindsay’s Picks:

1^st – The Legend of Zelda

2^nd – Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Next up, A Link to the Past, originally released on the Super Nintendo.  We will be playing it on the Wii/Wii U because our SNES is experiencing some technical difficulties.

Stay tuned for more posts and follow our day-to-day adventures on our Facebook Group.

A Beginning

I’m getting ready to bring my original Zelda adventure to a close.   

One of the coolest aspects was firing up the cart 20 years later and finding an old save of my dad’s on there.

Memories (He played the most on a borrowed cart)

My dad was the one who got me into gaming.  Growing up we were an Intellivision family.  I was still too young to really know what was going on, so I would sit on the orange shag carpet in our basement (not a lie) and watch my dad play.

My favorite game to watch him play was called Demon Attack.   It’s basically a Phoenix clone with this ridiculous “mothership.”

Mothership!

It was awesome.  I was hooked.

I remember when my dad and I went to a local Toys r Us one day and picked up a Nintendo Entertainment System.  It was awesome.  My mind was blown.  By then, I was old enough to play along.  My dad and I would play and our favorite game was Ice Hockey.

One day he brought home this game he got from a coworker called, The Legend of Zelda.  He had maps with it to help him get through.  I think he beat it.  I was never good at Zelda.   Sadly, that is the last game I ever remember him playing.  He just ran out of time and interest.

Meanwhile, my love for video games would continue to grow into what it is today.  Though we don’t play together anymore, it’s cool to know that one of those saves is still on the cart all these years later and relive just a few of those gaming memories.

Power + Reset

Congrats Lindsay and Blake!  I’ve got some work to do.  

Playing on the NES, I’m always nervous every time I start up the game.

OBEY!

Seriously, this is probably the scariest image in any game ever.  Think about it.  These days, saving is something we take for granted; it just works.  At work, I save almost every line of text I write.  But with The Legend of Zelda, saving was something new and fickle.  If you didn’t hit start and restart, who knows what would happen.   You just hoped the game was there when you came back.  Thankfully, so far so good.

Anyway, I’m through the first four dungeons and have the best sword, all heart containers and blue ring.   

OMG, Nazi Level! (not really)

I’ll try to make it through the rest and catch up!

The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda was one of the first games I had ever seen played on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).  I was over at my friends’ house, Evan and Ryan, and there I saw on their TV a little green hero swiping his sword at little red creatures who spat rocks at him.  I was amazed!  My “let me try” moment only lasted a few minutes before I had to leave and go home.  I knew then that Zelda was a big deal.

I can’t remember how I got The Legend of Zelda; my best recollection is that my Mom got it used from someone at work, along with some other NES games.  I already had Zelda II (more on that later), so I figured playing the first game would be just as fun.  Playing Zelda was way easier than Zelda II and it had a simpler story.  Save Zelda, got it.

I obsessed over The Legend of Zelda.  At a young age, I was tired of being lost in dungeons, lost in the overworld, and forgetting where everything was, so I created a series of maps on graph paper to keep track of everything.  My first try at being a video game cartographer.  

Here are the results: (note the bad spelling and strange use of cursive)

The Overworld

Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

Levels 6, 7, and 8 

Level 9 

Later, one day when I was “sick” and stayed home from school, I decided to play The Legend of Zelda all the way through and never dying.  I was a bit tricky, but I remember finding the letter and buying healing potions first, then continuing the game as normal.  It only took a few hours and some long pause breaks, but in the end, I did it. 

Saving Zelda!!

Blake and Lindsay beat the game!

Lindsay and I just beat The Legend of Zelda tonight, our first of many games during our quest.  We didn’t do it without dying, or all in one day, but we did have a lot of fun and spent some quality time with this legendary game.  Next up, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link!  Stay tuned and keep up with us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/632408553530348/