The Legend of Zelda

"Classic Legacy"

Name me one franchise that has had so much of an impact on the gaming society, and I will seriously commend you. LOZ truly started a legend, and I feel that few will, if ever, come close to its brilliance. Let's face it, not much was really available to the developers at the time. Graphics were still in its infancy, game play mostly consisted of side scrolling beat-up titles that did little for anyone, and the idea of giving a player free roam; Un-heard of. As history dictates though, that soon changed. I was not even born when this first title in the series came out, and to my misfortune I waited several years before I even played the title that truly changed my outlook on legacy gaming as a whole. Now before I even start reviewing, I just want to go into something quickly. Back in the day, LOZ came in a really cool gold cart, and I think that some people actually thought it was gold for a bit XD. Now getting back to reality, here's the review XD.

Story
LOZ didn't start with Link. It started with the player. That's a key point. Back in that time period, developers really didn't have the ability to truly develop a character, and I think that because of that, players had the ability to mold Link into what they wanted him to be in their own eyes. Few games actually do that today, mainly because it's just so hard to pull it off. For the games that do though, a true masterpiece is put in place. I know the bulk of you just love a great story, and I really don't blame you; but in that you are really missing the true point. Sometimes, in a lot of cases, you find a character that you just don't like. A great example would be the widely used clichéd hero. Everyone knows how that person is going to turn out, and it really destroys the story. That's the point I'm trying to make. In a game that doesn't rely on a hero to tell the story, you find that it can definitely be more enjoyable. You can give the personality to the hero that you want to give him or her. That's another key point. You decide. It's freedom like that that is virtually un-heard of in today's society of gaming, and I truly think that it is a real shame.

The main story revolved around Link trying to save the princess from the evil clutches of Ganon, a villain. Ganon didn't even appear in human form, but as a pig. That's very interesting. In mythology, pigs-or swine-are related to filth, demons, and what-not. They gave Ganon the role of that because they new that if they could hit it like that, they wouldn't really have to explain what he really was. In my eyes, Ganon's a demon. It wasn't until OOT that we really saw that he is of another race in Hyrule. Until that point though, mainly because of the lacking of ability, they just left him at that. I don't blame them, it was simple to understand in concept. Simplicity makes it easier as a whole for the masses to understand a concept thoroughly. For an example, let's say you read this incredibly hard to read peace of work that is extremely advanced in its concepts and ideas. You don't understand much, and the points that are trying to be made fall to a death ear. Now let's say you take another peace of literature that's simple but still has a point. I'd say that the piece of literature that was simple to understand was better. Why? Because if you even are just discussing one point, it's better to have that one point get across to your reader than a plethora of advanced work that nobody in their right mind could understand. By taking a route of simplicity, they made it better as a whole in my perspective.

Game Play
This game is special for one reason and one reason alone. It laid a solid foundation from which games in the future could build on in an excellent respect. Let's look at that for a second. Have you ever seen a game that has the ability to take an idea and mold it to what they want? Not nearly as much as before; why is that? It's simple in reality, mainly because back then they didn't exactly have the ability to copy others, mainly because the ideas hadn't been used yet! That's what is cool about this. They started out in an uncharted territory that few had bothered to adventure into. They had no map that they could rely on as a foundation like the games of today have; they really had no bar of standard to meet when you really think about it other than the fact that they were trying to truly make a great game; they really didn't have any real concepts to flow off of that had been used previously; just their own imaginations. Boy, did they sure take those imaginations and let them flourish! Now, when you compare a Zelda game today, you look at some of the wildest weapons available. The gale boomerang, the claw shot, light and dark arrows, you name it, it's been done. Back then they really didn't have any of that. They just had a plain boomerang that flew from one place to the next. Know what? That actually worked. It may not have been the most thoughtful idea ever, but it worked to the extent that it needed to work to in order for it to make a big splash.

Now we all know that the series as a whole has evolved over the years, that's real given; but what few really seem to hit is the fact that it actually did start somewhere. It did have its roots like every-other big series that has ever landed on a console. Mario, Samus, DK, they all started somewhere. What few of them actually did accomplish though, and I really want you to pay attention to this, is allowing the player to actually have a very wide open non-linear story to follow. Grated, Samus in her game had it to a degree, but it just wasn't like this. Not even close in my humble opinion. Link introduced his player to a full open grid of squares. Now before that may have been the best thing to ever happen, but now it's not. Why? Because it has been done; advances have been made to the extent that that would be considered low tech. People! We have to go back to our roots! These roots are the foundations, and we have to follow them in order to succeed! I'm not crazy either when I am saying this. We may not need to go back to a square grid when moving, but what we do need to go back to is that openness that let the game thrive to such a better level.

Dungeons are another huge part of this game. Most people just loved the fact that the enemies were actually fun to face, and that puzzles, albeit easy to most, were actually fun to solve. They didn't leave you with that feeling that few other games had to impress on their player in order to be mentioned in a remembered sentence. That is a huge point. If we intend to actually get back to what really matters, we have to simplify to a level that people can enjoy. I'll be blunt, I thought that the oracle games were horrible. They were just too elaborate in what they were doing. The bosses were looking like they were slapped together, the enemies were re-used, and the game as a whole was horrible. Some may contest that, but it's my opinion. At the end of a dungeon, you always had a boss. What was really different though was the fact that those bosses were actually fun to face! Those bosses, albeit easy and not very well done, showed a level of imagination that few in that time dared to even decide to incorporate into their games. If you haven't played the game yet, then you should just for that fact.

Graphics
Back in those days, graphics just weren't there. You couldn't really expect it either to an extent. People just didn't have the technology to pull of a life like image on a consistent basis. You know what? That didn't take away from the experience at all. In fact, it made it better. Want to know why? It really allowed me to get an insight at what it truly was back then, and through it I really came to appreciate legacy gaming as a whole. If people can get past the polygon counts and the huge amount of just raw numbers, we could be in a much better place, a place that game play is the main marketing tool; a place that people actually think about going beyond their limits to the extent of not relying on a polygon count to move their game along. Let's face it; we all at one point are another have been sucked in by graphics, but it is up to those of us that do get in that trance to get ourselves out. Graphics aren't everything, and I feel that if we as a whole can past them, it will force those that rely on them on a consistent basis to bring the developers to another level in order to remain competitive with others. I really wish it would return.

Music
You know those awesome tunes that you heard in some of the more recent Zelda games? Well, they had a beginning too. In this game we got our fist glimpse at what the series would come to be known by. Let's face it, almost everyone in their mothers uncle knows the original Zelda tunes, mainly because they have been reincarnated so many times that we as a whole just have gotten used to them. Granted, now they sound less stringy and pixilated, and to a whole they do sound better, but in the fact that we have to remember our roots, this is were they came from. I loved them, they really had an air to them that others just unfortunately pass up. When we as a whole can start really listening to music, we'll be better. Hey, even I have learned to play to an extent some of the classic tunes we hear, and they are honestly great to both play and hear myself play. Rocking out with them is great, as it reminds me of one of my favorite hobbies.

Finale
So, if you got anything out of this at all, it's that remember your roots. You came from somewhere once yourself, and it's on that that you build your future. In my eyes, the Zelda universe has grown so much, and people as a whole have gained so much from it. It truly is a testament to what people believe. A legend is a legend, and as the name implies, this game is a legend.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/07