The Legend of Zelda Strategy Guides

Legend of Zelda Million Publications
GameThe Legend of Zelda
PublisherMillion Publications
AuthorHard Studio
Release DateMay 5th, 1986
Cost¥300 (yen)
Length80 Pages
Page Size11 x 18 Centimeters
ISBN978-4-88672-201-0
9784886722010
4-88672-201-6

ZD Rating:
A-
A colorful guide with great cover artwork that is very nice to flip through.

Unique artwork for every single enemy, boss, item, character, and dungeon symbol.

An awesome overworld guide splits up the large map into 4x4 segments and has Detailed information on each of these blocks of screens.

Screen-by-screen analysis, with a screenshot, the number of enemies in each room, a small mini-map, spoils to be found, and a short description.

Guide covers dungeons 1-6 in full depth, while it just briefly touches on dungeons 7-9.

No guide provided for the 2nd Quest.
Legend of Zelda Futami
GameThe Legend of Zelda
PublisherFutami
Author
Release DateMay 10th, 1986
Cost¥320 (yen)
Length64 Pages
Page Size11 x 17 Centimeters
ISBN978-4-576-86047-0
9784576860470

ZD Rating:
C+
Plenty of screenshots and small maps for parts of the overworld and the first three dungeons.

A huge foldout map that shows a small portion of the overworld and the complete first three dungeons.

Enemy appendix with the same artwork from the game manual.

This is a preview guide, covering only a portion of the overworld and dungeons 1-3 in full depth. Nothing on the later dungeons or the rest of the overworld.

No guide provided for the 2nd Quest.
Legend of Zelda Futami
GameThe Legend of Zelda
PublisherFutami
Author
Release DateMay 25th, 1986
Cost¥380 (yen)
Length96 Pages
Page Size11 x 17 Centimeters
ISBN978-4-576-87019-X
978457687019X

ZD Rating:
A-
A well displayed enemy appendix with high quality versions of the artwork from the game manual.

Plenty of high quality artwork throughout the guide, including some eclusive images.

A huge foldout map that shows the entire overworld and complete maps of dungeons 1-6.

Overworld portions are nicely done, broken up into smaller maps showcasing all the overworld secrets.

Covers the first six dungeons in great depth with plenty of text, screens, and maps. Has sections for dungeons 7-9, but they are meant to give hints and not completely guide the player.

It doesn't completely cover the second quest, but it has 26 pages of mostly text, giving hints and incomplete maps of dungeons.
Legend of Zelda Dawn Publications
GameThe Legend of Zelda
PublisherDawn Publications
AuthorFamikonburazazu
Release DateMay 22nd, 1986
Cost¥350 (yen)
Length65 Pages
Page Size11 x 18 Centimeters
ISBN978-4-7508-0521-4
9784750805214
4-7508-0521-1

ZD Rating:
B
Large, high-quality, exclusive enemy artwork found for every enemy and boss within the game.

The guide is very colorful and fun to flip through, much because of the scene and enemy artwork.

Dungeons use a numbering system, assigning each room a number, and then covering it in the guide. Makes it easy to follow.

Guide has decent coverage of dungeons 1-6, while it is a bit thin on dungeons 7-9.

No guide provided for the 2nd Quest.
Legend of Zelda Futabasha
GameThe Legend of Zelda
PublisherFutabasha
Author
Release DateMay 22nd, 1986
Cost¥400 (yen)
Length120 Pages
Page Size11 x 18 Centimeters
ISBN978-4-575-15041-X
978457515041X

ZD Rating:
B-
At 120 pages, it is one of the longer and more indepth guides for the Legend of Zelda.

There is some exclusive artwork for the characters and enemies, but not all enemies have art for them.

A decent overworld map section that splits up the overworld into smaller sections, giving screen by screen analysis.

Dungeon segments are more indepth than most guides, but the pages aren't as visually appealing.

The guide has 10 pages of tips for the 2nd quest, but does not have a full guide.
Legend of Zelda Futabasha
GameThe Legend of Zelda
PublisherFutabasha
Author
Release DateMarch 20th, 1990
Cost¥400 (yen)
Length48 Pages
Page Size11 x 18 Centimeters
ISBN978-4-575-15155-6
9784575151556
4-575-15155-6

ZD Rating:
C
A full foldout overworld map for the 1st and 2nd quest, showing all dungeons and secret locations.

Appendices for all items and enemies, but they are very bland looking with poor quality images and only a small amount of text.

Dungeon Maps for all 1st and 2nd quest dungeons, but they are black and white and very simplistic. They do show the quickest route through the dungeon though.

Unlike other Legend of Zelda guides, there is no official artwork at all throughout this guide.

It covers a lot, but at 48 pages, it's just way too short to be informative enough.

One of the few Legend of Zelda guides that gives a full feature to the 2nd quest.
Legend of Zelda Dai Nippon Printing
GameThe Legend of Zelda
Publisher実業之日本社
PrinterDai Nippon Printing
EditorStudio Hard
Release DateMay 28th, 1986
Cost¥490 (yen)
Length120 Pages
Page Size13 x 19 Centimeters
Code63912-70

ZD Rating:
C
High quality unique artwork for all the bosses and enemies that very much resembles the art from the Million Publications guide.

Nice appendices at the beginning covering the items, enemies, and characters found within the game.

Majority of the pages are cut-out pieces that can be put together to form the overworld and dungeon maps, with the backside showing tips.

Cut-outs only cover the first six dungeons with dungeons 7-9 only shown in a couple pages.

The cut-out system makes it necessary to break up the book. The cut-outs looks nice when completed, but they seem to work more like a jigsaw puzzle as opposed to a quality strategy guide.

No information on the 2nd Quest.
Legend of Zelda Keibunsha
GameThe Legend of Zelda
PublisherKeibunsha
Author
Release DateAugust 1st, 1994
Cost¥680 (yen)
Length192 Pages
Page Size13 x 19 Centimeters
CodeT1063554790680
63554-79

ZD Rating:
C
Colorful, high-quality, unique artwork for all the enemies and some of the bosses.

At 192 pages, it is the longest of the Legend of Zelda guides, but only the first 64 pages are in color.

Room by room analysis of the first 6 dungeons, but they are in black and white, and no coverages of dungeons 7-9.

Overworld segments broken up to 2x2 screen sections, with maps and text, but they are in black and white for the most part.

No information on the 2nd Quest.
Legend of Zelda Nova Publishers
GameThe Legend of Zelda
PublisherNova Publishers
AuthorFamikonfaitazu
Release DateMay 15th, 1986
Cost¥650 (yen)
Length80 Pages
Page Size14 x 19 Centimeters
ISBN978-4-405-06068-5
9784405060685
4-405-06068-1

ZD Rating:
A-
A colorful guide with great cover artwork that is very nice to flip through.

Some sweet, high-quality exclusive artwork of the enemies, characters, and items in the game.

A huge fold-out artistic looking overworld map that showcases every dungeon, secret rupee location, and all the shops.

Great appendices for all the items, enemies, and even for heart containers, warp portals, and other secrets.

Covers the first 6 dungeons in full depth, while giving more brief guides for dungeons 7-9.

No information on the 2nd Quest.
Legend of Zelda Tips And Tactics
GameThe Legend of Zelda
PublisherHideo Ogata
Published ByTokuma Shoten Publishing
DesignOHBUNSEIKOHSA Co., Ltd.
EditorMasayoshi Suzuki
Release Date1987
Cost$4.95
Length102 Pages
Page Size13 x 19 Centimeters
ASINB0012ZRREE

ZD Rating:
B
Enemy artwork is the same from the standard instruction manual, but there is new character artwork and alternate item artwork in the manual.

The overworld is broken up into 8 segments and the guide has detailed hints and screenshots about all the secrets to be found.

An expanded instruction booklet that gives more of the backstory, as well as information on the various characters.

Detailed guide through the first 6 dungeons and limited instruction though the next few dungeons.

No information on the 2nd Quest.
Legend of Zelda Compute Books
GameThe Legend of Zelda
The Adventure of Link
PublisherCompute
AuthorDonald R. McCrary
Release DateOctober 1990
Cost$7.95
Length119 Pages
Page Size16 x 23 Centimeters
ISBN978-0-87455-239-3
9780874552393
0-87455-239-7

ZD Rating:
D
Covers all secrets for both the first and second quest of the Legend of Zelda, as well as for Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

The guide does have nice maps, considering they are entirely made of textual characters.

The guide is entirely made of text with no pictures at all other than the cover.

The guide is in black and white. Since there are no pictures, this really only applies to the textual maps.

The lack of color and pictures make this guide seem more like a novel than a strategy guide.
Legend of Zelda Adventure of Link NES Game Atlas
GameThe Legend of Zelda
Adventure of Link
PublisherM. Arakawa
Published ByNintendo of America
Release Date1991
Cost$15.00
Length176 Pages
Page Size21 x 26 Centimeters
ASINB000FG9P6E

ZD Rating:
B+
Complete overworld and dungeon maps for both quests of the Legend of Zelda.

Locations of all items, secret rupee locations, shops, and more for both quests.

Adventure of Link overworld segments showcase where all secrets are located inlcuding 1-up's, magic containers, heart containers, and more.

Quality dungeon maps for Adventure of Link, showing all key, fairy, and boss locations.

It is a Game Atlas, so it covers maps almost exclusively. There is very little text or description of anything in the game.

Only 24 pages are dedicated to the Legend of Zelda series, as the guide covers other NES titles such as Super Mario Bros., Mega Man, Castlevania, etc...
Legend of Zelda Adventure of Link A Link to the Past Adventure Keibunsha
GameThe Legend of Zelda
The Adventure of Link
A Link to the Past
PublisherKeibunsha
Release Date1992
Cost¥880 (yen)
Length160 Pages
Page Size13 x 19 Centimeters
CodeT1063552250889

ZD Rating:
D-
Briefly covers the first three Zelda titles while also having a comic that is 16-pages long.

While it mostly covers A Link to the Past, even as a stand alone A Link to the Past guide this is one of the weakest guides out there, much because of the poor quality images.

Only 22 pages of the guide are dedicated to the original Legend of Zelda and 18 pages for the Adventure of Link, with no coverage for appendices or the second quest.

Less than a third of the book is in color, while the majority of it is in black and white.

The guide is a bit unorganized and with the lack of color, it is a very uninteresting book to flip through.
A Link to the Past Prima's Guide
GameThe Legend of Zelda
Adventure of Link
A Link to the Past
PublisherPrima
AuthorZach Meston
Release Date1993
Cost$9.99
Length240 Pages
Page Size14 x 22 Centimeters
ISBN1559582049
9781559582049
1-55958-204-9

ZD Rating:
F
At 240 pages, it is a lengthy guide, but it appears more like a novel than a strategy guide. The actual text content however is of good quality and works nicely for game help.

The booklet is entirely in black and white, and the print quality of the screenshots is very low.

A Link to the Past gets much of the coverage, but it has very poor organization and doesn't flow well at all.

The Legend of Zelda and Adventure of Link sections have very few screenshots and very generic looking maps.

With absolutely no artwork at all and poor quality images, this is a very boring guide to flip through.

While it covers three games, as a stand alone guide for any of these three titles, this would be one of the weakest of the guides out there. This is for collectors only.


Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Strategy Guides

Adventure of Link Futabasha
GameAdventure of Link
PublisherFutabasha
Release DateMarch 20th, 1987
Cost¥360 (yen)
Length96 Pages
Page Size11 x 18 Centimeters
ISBN978-4-575-15075-4
9784575150754
4-575-15075-4

ZD Rating:
B-
Some enemy artwork that was found in the instruction manual, but there are also a handful of exclusive pieces of artwork.

Some appencies talking about Link's abilities, the items, spells, and the types of land where battles take place.

There are palace maps for the first 6 palaces, along with maps of various parts of the overworld.

There is a generic looking foldout map that shows off the overworld of West and East Hyrule.

The guide covers the first six palaces of the game, but does not cover the Great Palace.
Adventure of Link Futami
GameAdventure of Link
PublisherFutami
Release DateMarch 20th, 1987
Cost¥390 (yen)
Length80 Pages
Page Size11 x 18 Centimeters
ISBN978-4-576-87027-4
9784576870270
4-576-87027-0

ZD Rating:
B+
Huge foldout maps that show off the first six palaces as well as both East and West Hyrule.

Plenty of exclusive pieces of artwork for some of the items, bosses, characters, and enemies found within the game.

Nice enemy boxes throughout the guide, giving difficulty ratings, experiences points, and small pictures.

Plenty of screenshots throughout the guide, including nice panoramic images of some of the towns.

The guide covers the first six palaces of the game, but only briefly mentions anything about the Great Palace




The Adventure of Link - Futabasha
The Adventure of Link - Kodansya
The Adventure of Link - Dai Nippon Printing
The Adventure of Link - JICC
A Link to the Past - ASCII
A Link to the Past - Studio Hard
A Link to the Past Keibunsha
A Link to the Past - Shogakukan (Part 1)
A Link to the Past - Shogakukan (Part 2)
A Link to the Past - Keibunsha
A Link to the Past - Futabasha
A Link to the Past - JICC (Part 1)
A Link to the Past - JICC (Part 2)
A Link to the Past - Continental Shobo
A Link to the Past - Nintendo (German)
A Link to the Past - Nintendo Player's Guide
A Link to the Past - Prima
A Link to the Past - Prima Rerelease
Link's Awakening - Shogakukan
Link's Awakaneing - Futabasha
Link's Awakaneing - Keibunsha
Link's Awakening - Nintendo (German)
Link's Awakening - Nintendo Player's Guide
Link's Awakening Super Game Boy - Nintendo
Link's Awakening DX - T2 Publishing
Link's Awakening DX - Futabasha
Link's Awakaneing DX - Takahashi Shoten
Link's Awakaneing DX - Shogakukan
Link's Awakaneing DX - Suzuna Art Works
Link's Awakening DX - Prima Games
Ocarina of Time - Shogakukan
Ocarina of Time - Axela
Ocarina of Time - KK Bestsellers
Ocarina of Time - Gakken
Ocarina of Time - Takahashi Shoten
Ocarina of Time - T2 Publishing
Ocarina of Time - ASCII
Ocarina of Time - Media Factory
Ocarina of Time - Kodansha
Ocarina of Time - NTT Publishing
Ocarina of Time - Brady Games
Ocarina of Time - Nintendo Power
Ocarina of Time - Versus Books
Ocarina of Time - Prima Games
Ocarina of Time - Prima GameStop
Ocarina of Time MQ - Softbank Publishing
Majoras Mask - Gakken Mook
Majoras Mask - Mainichi Communications
Majora's Mask - Dengeki
Majora's Mask - Shogakukan
Majora's Mask - T2 Publishing
Majora's Mask - EnterBrain
Majora's Mask - Kodansha
Majora's Mask - Media Factory
Majora's Mask - Takahashi Shoten
Majora's Mask - NTT Publishing
Majora's Mask - Square Hennique
Majora's Mask - Prima Games
Majora's Mask - Prima Games (Alternate)
Majora's Mask - Nintendo Power
Majora's Mask - Brady Games
Majora's Mask - Versus Books
Majora's Mask - Paragon
Oracle of Seasons - EnterBrain
Oracle of Seasons - Shogakukan
Oracle of Ages - EnterBrain
Oracle of Ages - Shogakukan
Oracle of Seasons / Ages - Nintendo Dream
Oracle of Seasons / Ages - Nintendo Power
Oracle of Seasons / Ages - Prima Games
Oracle of Seasons / Ages - Brady Games
Oracle of Seasons / Ages - Versus Books
Link to the Past Four Swords - Nintendo Dream
A Link to the Past Four Swords - EnterBrain
A Link to the Past Four Swords - Shogakukan
A Link to the Past Four Swords - Prima Games
A Link to the Past Four Swords - Nintendo power
The Wind Waker - Nintendo Dream
The Wind Waker - Shueisha
The Wind Waker - EnterBrain
The Wind Waker - Shogakukan
The Wind Waker - Dengeki Gamecube
The Wind Waker - Prima Games
The Wind Waker - Nintendo Power
The Wind Waker - Brady Games
The Wind Waker - Piggyback Mini Guide
The Wind Waker - Piggyback
Collector's Edition - Nintendo Power
Four Swords Adventures - ASCII Media Works
Four Swords Adventures - Shogakukan
Four Swords Adventures - Nintendo Dream
Four Swords Adventures - EnterBrain
Four Swords Adventures - Nintendo Power
The Minish Cap - EnterBrain
The Minish Cap - Nintendo Dream
The Minish Cap - ASCII Media Works
The Minish Cap - Shogakukan
The Minish Cap - Nintendo Power
Twilight Princess - Shogakukan
Twilight Princess - EnterBrain
Twilight Princess - ASCII Media Works
Twilight Princess - Nintendo Dream
Twilight Princess Gamecube - Prima Games
Twilight Princess Wii - Prima Games
Twilight Princess - Collector's Edition
Twilight Princess - Nintendo Power
Phantom Hourglass - ASCII Media Works
Phantom Hourglass - EnterBrain
Phantom Hourglass - Shogakukan
Phantom Hourglass - Nintendo Dream
Phantom Hourglass - Prima Games
Phantom Hourglass - Collector's Edition
Spirit Tracks - Nintendo Dream
Spirit Tracks - EnterBrain
Spirit Tracks - ASCII Media Works
Spirit Tracks- Shogakukan
Spirit Tracks - Prima Games
Spirit Tracks - Collector's Edition
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