Product Description

The Legend of Zelda: the game that defined adventure gaming. Embark on a quest to find the Triforce, slay Ganon and save Princess Zelda in this enduring epic that single-handedly invented the adventure genre. It's part of the NES Classic series of specially priced masterpieces! Before she was captured by the Dark Lord Ganon Princess Zelda scattered the pieces of the Triforce across her beloved Hyrule. Link must reassemble the Triforce and defeat Ganon before he can free the princess.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13619 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Nintendo
• Model: GANIN 045496734022
• Released on: 2004-07-09
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: Game Boy Advance
• Subtitled in: German
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.25" h x 5.00" w x 5.00" l, .18 pounds

Customer Reviews

MASTERPIECE
This is the very first Zelda game releaesed on the GBA! I still have this on the NES with the gold cartridge! Superb game, with at the time good graphics, gameplay was superb, with all these little quests you have to do to save the tri force and the princess. Loads of enemies to defeat, loads of secrets and hidden treasures to uncover and the weaponry in this game is brilliant! It truley is a master piece even today it is still an enjoyable game. Which brings me to say that tau_sigma from Ireland who rated the game as disappointing, you mustn't have a clue, this is a game from 1985, and back then, this game was incredible then even for 8 bit computers, and today its still as good as it was! It is deffintley not dissapointing, and I think your brain is hooked on games from todays standards and you're not reliesing what games were like back then and could only do a certain amount, graphics and power wise in the game! I will give you respect for saying it paved the way for a legacey of great Zelda titles though!

But either way this is brilliant and always will be!

The NES classic reborn on the GBA!
A Quick Explaination

This is a remake of the first ever game in the long-running and very successful Zelda series, it was fist released was back in 1986 on the fist Nintendo games console - the 'Nintendo Entertainment System' or the 'NES' as it was more commonly known as.

Background

When this game was released, it was the first of its kind, it even predates most RPG's, before this there where just on platform, arcade and simple racing games to play on. Zelda was going to change all that! Zelda offered a 3D over world where you could go around searching for weapons, potions and even heart pieces so players could withstand the brutal dungeons where they had to do puzzles and defeat enemies and then finally the dungeon master, upon defeating him you were rewarded by a piece of triforce.

This game was a massive success when released, afterwards eight sequels, 5 spin-offs, a board game, a cartoon Series and a comic series were released.

Layout of the game

The layout is similar to that of most other Zelda games. The over world is where you find weapons and items (and enemies) and in that over world you have to find the dungeons. Inside the dungeons is where this game differs slightly. You go around the dungeon defeating enemies and doing simple puzzles. Both of which sometimes give you a 'small key' that is used to unlock some doors. Also somewhere in the dungeons is a staircase, the staircase leads down into a 2D side scrolling area were you find a weapon (bow, boomerang, candle e.t.c.) and then you can go and defeat the boss (However sometimes you can defeat the boss without needing the weapon). When you defeat the Boss you are rewarded with a heart piece then you can proceed into the next room (that is unlocked by defeating the boss) to get... a piece of triforce there are eight pieces of triforce to get all together, all at the end of dungeons.
The health system - basically you have hearts at the top of the screen, there are three of them to start with but you get more by defeating bosses or finding them in the over world. When you get hit you (normally) lose half a heart and when all 3 hearts have gone its game over. The downside to getting more hearts however is that you sword only fires bolts when you are at full health, and when you start again even if you have collected four hearts you we still start with three (except you can get more by defeating enemies). Having your sword firing bolts is very useful, it kills most enemies in one hit and is very fast firing. Also it doesn't use up rupees like the bow and arrows do (seriously)

Storyline

Prince of darkness, Ganon wants to cover the world in darkness and to do that he will need to obtain the two pieces of the triforce. One he already has the other Princess Zelda has, so he goes to capture her (typical) but before he gets to her she splits the triforce into 8 pieces (one for each dungeon) and sends her trusted maiden to find someone brave enough to find the 8 pieces of triforce and defeat Ganon. Impa finds... Link, our hero. Link agrees to take up the quest and well... the game begins!

Playability

This is a very good and very zeldery. The main Problem is that its too limited you don't have things like the hook shot that make future Zelda games so much fun, there also isn't any towns (just caves with merchants and wise men and women in them) the movement is also very slow due to it being a NES game and there are cliches here and there.

Graphics and Sound

Bad, you can tell what is what though, so you not going to be slashing at walls! The classic Zelda tune is there only a bit fuzzed up is very weird.

Overall

Good for hardcore Zelda fans, and for poeple interested in seeing how the Zelda series started. I would advice getting the other Zelda game boy games first though as they are much better.

Pros:
The first Zelda game.
Its more fighting oriented.
Even the regular sword shoots beams!
In some ways its better than the sequels.
Faithfully Repackaged and Reproduced.
Cheaper than most GBA games.

Cons:
Cliches.
£15.99 is a bit expensive for an 18-year-old game.
Bosses are very annoying.
Too hard.
Puzzles are too simple.
Not as good as the sequels

I give this game 91% although it has lost 7% over the 18 years. But hey its hade some stiff opposition.

A fun fact to go out on:
In Japan, this game was called 'The Hyule fantasy: The Legend of Zelda 1'

great
i love this game... its funny because its so simple graphically and it shows how graphics arn't always that important... when i play it its like im being constantly shocked at how good (and sometimes difficult) older games were. i played a Link to the past first, and when i play this it really gives me the same feeling i had when i played that all those years ago.it could just be the music, but i think its more that frantic obsession that seems to hit you after you've played it a few times,urging you to play it more.

good game to buy , i also like how you can get it for a portable console,it seems to fit well on a gameboy.