General Zelda Do You Like Playing the Original LoZ

[Djinn]

I have seen quite a few people praise the original game for either being the first in the series, introducing open ended gameplay, or giving players that freedom to explore. But I have also seen a large number of people say that they think the first Zelda is jut unplayable, too hard, totally lacks any story or motivation, or the game is just that out of date and annoying to attempt. I wondered if it was more of a generational thing, if some people who played it back when it was either still new and relevant, or if it was one of the first games they played. While others who began playing with the 3D games find going back and trying this just impossible. But then I saw quite a few newer gamers try it and love it.

So now I am just curious about the members here, do you like playing the original Zelda? If so/not then why is that?


For me I don't mind it. Yea the game is hard at points but so is nearly every NES game ever made. Compared to most it is not so bad, and I only really have trouble with the darknuts. And that is still true in Wind Waker. I think of all of them it has me looking things up the most, either where some secret is located or how do I get pas some obstacle. It definitely has me torching every bush and bombing every rock with a few creative results on part of the developers that I would not have expected of an 80's era game to have.

 

[Mercedes]

I played it on the Master Collection, was still pretty fun. I wouldn't say it's too hard though, but stuff isn't very intuitive I think. A lot of "Well what the **** do I do here?", "Where the **** do I go now?", "Why the **** does this **** hit so ****ing hard?" moments. But still enjoyed the time I spent on it, and did finish it!

 

[A Link In Time]

I'm not a fan of the original LoZ. It's not that I find it too hard, but I simply can't get into NES games. Even though I didn't grow up on the NES, I have some 8-bit nostalgia from the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Unfortunately, it didn't rub off on its console counterpart. The only NES game that doesn't get boring or repetitive to me is Super Mario Bros. 3.

 

[Sheik]

I enjoy playing the original LoZ. The game is so nonlinear and open that you can progress through the entire adventure in pretty any fashion you wish, undoubtedly making it the one game in the series that gives you more freedom than any other. Also, nothing beats the feeling of satisfaction you get when you find all the random secrets scattered throughout the overworld, like the Heart Containers inside the randomly placed bombable walls, or the really powerful sword underneath the gravestone. I just don't play it that often, because whenever I attempt a higher-level dungeon, I always get repeatedly destroyed, no matter how many upgrades or Heart Containers I have. I will be forever cursed to suck at all NES games (except for Kirby's Adventure... Yeah...)

 

[Farore's Chosen]

I still have a blast playing the original Zelda even after all these years. It's still an amazing game and I don't think its as hard as some other NES games, but it definitely had its moments when your going through it the first few times, I have no idea how I figured some of it out on my own back in the day.

Besides players today have walkthroughs and detailed maps that you don't have to pay a dime for, so sorry if I don't quite sympathize. :bluesnake:

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

no
my issue isn't that its hard,my issue is that its cryptic and its pretty much impossible to beat it w/o some sort of guide
this mainly comes from the flute in the lake and the random tree burning in order to get into dungeons

 

[alexanderraimo]

I enjoy the original Legend of Zelda. Now Zelda II, that's a whole different story.

 

[davidlarocca]

I was 6 years old the first time I played both the original Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventures of Link. I have not played either of them since getting my first Super Nintendo when it came out, but I do remember loving the original and hating the sequel. I would play the original for hours, until my older siblings decided they wanted to watch something on TV.

 

[misskitten]

To give some context, I came into Zelda with the 3D titles, however I've been gaming since the NES era, so I wasn't unfamiliar with the type of games that came with the system. I don't find the original Legend of Zelda too hard, but I do find it to be rather... I guess I have to use the word 'empty'. Yeah, there are things to kill in pretty much every screen, but there is pretty much no story, it feels like aimless wandering. I played a couple of dungeons, to really give it a chance, but it just doesn't engage me.

I think the original Legend of Zelda is outdated. But I also want to point out that I also think the original Super Mario Bros is outdated as well, and that was the very first console game I ever played. But that is to be expected. The first game is what introduces the concept, and is revolutionary, but then other titles come along that improve on the concept, and make it more enjoyable. Doesn't mean the original game was "bad" in comparison, just that it's become outdated with how gaming has advanced.

 

[Heroine of Winds]

Despite being a bit dated, I still think Zelda 1's a good game to this day. Sadly, I can't get into it as much as the later Zelda games when it comes to having more interesting stories & characters. For an NES game, it's understandable, but it doesn't change the fact that I don't find it as fun as something like WW or OOT.

 

[Link Floyd]

It's good. For it's time and game system. I like to play it casually, but I'm not really a huge fan of it. Yeah, I like how free exploring the world is, but I'm a person who likes to play games for the storylines and characters.

 

[Seth]

I don't see the need for so many people to point out it is outdated, it's an NES game, of course it's outdated

I personally love it, it's a great game and very challenging. Plus the two quests thing is pretty cool.

 

[misskitten]

I don't see the need for so many people to point out it is outdated, it's an NES game, of course it's outdated

I personally love it, it's a great game and very challenging. Plus the two quests thing is pretty cool.

Well, yes and no. Graphically speaking all NES games will be severely outdated compared to today's standard. Gameplay-wise, it depends on the genre and what the game brought to the table. Like I would say the original Super Mario Bros is severely outdated, because the mechanics were very simplistic and limiting (only one ability, screen only moving from left to right). But if we just move on to games like Super Mario Bros 3 or World, when comparing them to today's side-scrolling Mario-titles actually hold up rather well.

Maybe not a fair comparison since Zelda-titles generally demand more than the platforming genre games. But it's just to illustrate that while a lot of older games are very dated compared to today's games, the degree of it isn't that tied to age.

Also, it's important to supply the context when we discuss the merits of an older game. Like, is our opinion based on having been playing it on the NES years and years ago? Or is it based on playing it now with little to no experience with NES-type games? Was it the very first Zelda game we played? Or did we play a lot of the newer titles before giving this one a chance? It all contributes to how we experience the game. Like, I have NES-type game experience so I didn't view it as that difficult. But I played a lot of newer Zelda titles before tackling this one, and that made this one feel basic and empty in comparison. Context matters, especially in these kinds of discussions.

 

[Salem]

I like it, I played all the way only recently, so it's not "nostalgic" for me, despite the fact I grew up on 80s and 90s video games.

I actually found it very addicting for some reason, it almost usurped alttp's place as my favourite Zelda game.

 

[Snow Queen]

I have a lot of trouble playing this game because it's another "it was good for it's time" situations where a game just doesn't hold up except for in the nostalgic nostrils of fanboys. It's just so... raw and unrefined I can't get into it.