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/