Zelda Runthrough Part 2: SNES Era

A Link to the Past (SNES, 1991):

This game is the epitome of Zelda.  It's a common refrain that all Zelda games after Ocarina of Time are remakes of that classic.  If that's true, then considering that Ocarina is in essence a 3D remake of Link to the Past, then we owe a lot to the sole Zelda game for the SNES.  It's easy to forget that the series could have gone in so many different directions after Zelda 2.  The developers decided to scale back from the larger size of that world, in order to focus on a smaller, more detailed Hyrule.  Somehow the world doesn't feel smaller, because each area has a different theme and feel.  However, the inclusion of the dark world does continue the more depressing tone that originated in Zelda 2.

I didn't play this game until a year or so ago.  After I did, I was ready to call it my favorite in the series.  It felt like an awesome compromise between the soul-crushing difficulty of the NES incarnations and the hand-holding of later entries.  The puzzles made sense, and yet solving them felt like a major breakthrough.  This time I was slightly less entranced.  The dungeons feel a little too combat-heavy - not in itself a bad thing, but constantly refilling my 4 fairy jars began to wear on me after a while.  Maybe I just suck at this game.

As the last major 2D Zelda on consoles, this game is drop-dead gorgeous though.

Link's Awakening (Game Boy, 1993):

Handheld games don't have a right to be this good.  I'd played both this game and its predecessor before, but back-to-back it's incredible how this game improves on Link to the Past in nearly every respect.  It's got better dungeons, with cool puzzles, minibosses, and different music for each.  It's got dynamic NPCs that travel around, have conversations, and generally react to your presence.  It's got new items, including a feather that lets you jump around like your pants are on fire.  And somehow it does all this with hardware that was embarassingly bad for its time.  In what kind of dream world does the existence of this game even make sense?

But seriously, I'm ready to place this game among my all-time favorites.  My 'original hardware' stipulation game me an excuse to buy an old Fat Boy (which I haven't owned since I was 10 - L.A. was the second game I owned).  There's no getting around the dim screen, but the speakers are terrific.  By the way, L.A. has awesome music.

A footnote:  Link's Awakening might be the most light-hearted Zelda game - it has a great sense of humor.  And as much as I love darker entries like Majora's Mask, the series can stand some lightening up.

Zelda Runthrough Part 1: NES Era

Last year, I finally finished the first two Legend of Zelda games for the NES.  I've since decided to continue on and play the rest of the series (in order, on their original hardware).  This is a good excuse to replay some beloved favorites, and catch up on quite a few games that I've missed out on.  As I play them, I'll post some random thoughts here on the blog - don't expect anything very comprehensive.

The Legend of Zelda (NES):

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this game.  On the one hand, it's one of the most expansive, fun-to-explore adventures on the NES.  The wide variety of tools at your disposal are fun to mess around with.  There's an awesome thrill to be had when you discover a new passageway, or decode some oblique hint from a friendly old man that you wrote down hours ago.  The game has a sense of humor too, for its age.  One of my favorite moments is burning a tree down to discover a hidden cave, entering it, and then being fined by its inhabitant for destroying the entryway.

However, finishing Zelda 1 was one of the most frustrating gaming-related experiences in recent memory.  Being stuck in this game is a real drag, because you can have no idea what you should be looking for, or where to start.  Also, it takes far too long to collect rupees (there are no twenty-rupee crystals).  More than once, I lost my metal shield to one of those awful body-hugging things, and then had to spend at least 30 minutes grinding to afford another one.

To top it off, I had the constant and realizable fear that my save game would be lost for no reason.  In a previous playthrough, this happened after I finished 7 dungeons.  Nothing like that to up the anxiety level.

Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link (NES):

Ah, the black sheep.  This one's actually quite a bit of fun, in the right mindset.  All of the items are now used passively - all of the combat takes place with the sword and shield.  (Magic plays a role in defense and healing.)  The gameplay actually feels quite a bit like Castlevania - as in that game, it's quite easy to get knocked into pits, especially late in the game.  (The comparison is ironic, because I think Konami stole considerably from Zelda 2 in turn to make Castlevania 2.)  The punishments for failure also get considerably more severe.

However, Zelda 2 is the first game to have actual towns (and quite a few at that).  The dungeons are a lot smarter, with a lot more variation.  And the combat can be pretty fun, especially after you learn the down strike, which lets you bounce on enemies' heads with your sword.

Which game is harder?  For me, it's something of a toss-up.  Some of the hidden passageways in Zelda 1 are far too difficult to find.  Locating the silver arrows (which no one tells you are necessary to defeat Ganon) would have been impossible for me without help.  On the other hand, the final dungeon in Zelda 2 is an extreme endurance test (even getting to it can be extremely difficult), and I needed serious help to beat that game as well.  Overall, they were interesting experiences, but too flawed to be among my favorite games.