Famicom Mini: The Legend of Zelda

By Spencer . September 29, 2005 . 4:36am

Part of the Classic NES collection outside of Japan.

When Nintendo of Japan announced the Famicom Mini series I was ecstatic. The idea of having some classic NES games to carry around and play on your Game Boy Advance was a novel idea. The line up was solid, Super Mario Brothers, Ice Climbers, Bomberman, but I was most excited when I saw the Legend of Zelda would be released. Known as Zelda no Densetsu in Japan and originally released for the ill fated Famicom Disc System, the Legend of Zelda was released in the US in 1987. Sales of both the NES console and the game were on the top of the sales charts when it was released.

For good reason too, the Legend of Zelda was a ready made classic. If you haven’t played any Zelda game before you pick up the Wind Waker, the re-release of A Link to the Past of purchase this right away. The Legend of Zelda series stars an elfish looking, green tunic wearing hero name Link. I’m sure you’ve seen him somewhere before on the Legend of Zelda animated series, TV commercials, countless games, ads, well you get the point. Link’s first adventure has him collect the pieces of a powerful relic known as the triforce. Only by obtaining the pieces of the triforce can Link bring peace to his homeland of Hyrule.

Obtaining the triforce isn’t going to be an easy task. Throughout Link’s entire adventure he has to battle Moblins, Octrots, and hulking Armos Knights. Link starts out by getting his trusty sword and soon after many familiar tools such as bombs, the boomerang and the bow. Link also has tools that such as the candles, which reduce damage, and the raft to traverse over water. Unlike other games where you get a tool in a dungeon, tools can be picked up anywhere at anytime. Some of the important tools are actually sold in shops, which forces you to battle enemies in the hope of getting rupees. Another thing to note is that rupees aren’t as plentiful as they are in say, Ocarina of Time or the Wind Waker. You’ll be lucky if you get a couple, which means you’ll be fighting for a long time. Rupees are also important to have during a dungeon because there are rooms that force you to either leave your money or a heart container.

The majority of the game isn’t battling monsters, its navigating the world. The world map of the Legend of Zelda is large, its even large compared to some of the maps of today’s games. You’ll have to make Link walk screen after screen to just get to a dungeon. Once you’re in the dungeon you’ll have to walk from room to room collecting valuable keys, finding hidden doors and solving puzzles. Unlike other Zelda games there aren’t as many hints telling you where to go or even what to do in a dungeon. It’s not as easy as get a weapon and use it to complete the dungeon. Most of the puzzles require you to ambiguously figure out where to place a bomb or what door to open. Most of the dungeons have multiple paths, meaning you don’t need to enter every room to complete it. This makes life even more confusing since you could be walking around a dead end for awhile expecting a way out, when you really just need to go find a hidden door.

The graphics in the Game Boy Advance version are an exact copy of the original NES graphics, sans the title screen. While some gamers may complain that it is a re-release (which it is), many gamers are glad to see familiar graphics even for nostalgia. When the Legend of Zelda came out it broke the standard for NES graphics. Fifteen years later in the world of 3D graphics the Legend of Zelda obviously pales in comparison. However, if you can appreciate the graphics from the period they came in you will most certainly see some of the better NES graphics ever in a game. The sound also suffers from a dated feel. Hearing the old 8-bit theme on the GBA isn’t going to win an awards, even though I was glad to hear the familiar tune when I turned the game on. It would have been nice if Nintendo had an arranged version of music such seen in Final Fantasy Origins. Although it seems like Nintendo’s goal was to keep the game intact, which for better or worse leaves the game sounding a little high pitched on the GBA speaker.

The Legend of Zelda is a classic and if you don’t own an original NES copy or the collectors disc you should pick it up. This is the game that started the whole action RPG genre and expanded the audience of the NES. The game is a great play through and even though it’s 15 years old it is still fun to play. While the game is shorter than many other GBA games even with the second quest (if you don’t remember how to start the second quest put ZELDA in for your name and yes it does work look at the screen shots) and it doesn’t feature even the slightest remake it comes at the budget price of 2000 yen. This translates into about $20 US, where most import stores are selling it for under $30. Under $30 is a real steal, since a used copy of the original Zelda goes for about $20 and you need a working NES to play it.

Import Friendly?

Fortunately some of the menus have English text with Japanese text, but the little in game text that exists is in Japanese.

US Bound?

Quite possible, if the Famicom Mini series sparks enough popularity you can bet on seeing US GBA carts of Super Mario Brothers and the Legend of Zelda.

+ Pros: Still as great as it ever was, classic music, nostalgia, reasonably priced

- Cons: For some it may be a little too nostalgic

Overall: If you’ve never played this game before you owe it to yourself to play it. If you’ve played you already know you want it.

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