The Legend of Zelda retrospective: The gold standard | NES Works

Nintendo's biggest and most consequential release for 1987, and one of the most important games of the year across all platforms, brings a newfound depth and maturity to the NES. Other ’87 releases have been flirting with the idea of merging action and role-playing concepts, but Zelda goes all-in with a sprawling, challenging journey across the land of Hyrule to rescue the princess Zelda and retrieve the Triforce of Power. And in the process, an instant classic is born.
(Note: The Hyrule overworld map image appearing in this video original appeared on nesmaps.com)

[@CalaveraCandy]

True story: my first time playing Zelda was the 2nd quest. I assumed Zelda was the name of the hero and entered that as his name. I had no idea that would be automatically unlocking a harder version of the game.

[@judgegroovyman]

Calavera Candy awesome! How did you ultimately find out it was the hard version?

[@CalaveraCandy]

@@judgegroovyman when my brother started a game using his own name, the dungeons were completely different.

[@xxxaragon]

btw: and that's why I disagree with Jeremy regarding question like "who could possibly deduced on their own that blowing a flute on a certain screen would cause the lake where fairies don't live to evaporate?" it's either happening by chance or by players roaming endlessly to find out secrets to their favorite game. for example, while forty-year old me admittedly probably wouldn't have the patience for that anymore, ten year old me *loved* witnessing every tiny detail in adventures like "Monkey Island" - and would only attempt to get my hands on outside help after I had already been stuck for hours.

[@retrogamepuppy1445]

Same here. Took me years not using the name Zelda to see the first quest

[@pentelegomenon1175]

@@xxxaragon Maybe I'm misremembering, but you know how the flute will take you to different dungeon entrances, I swear I remember the flute taking me to that lake which led me to accidentally open it.

[@staguar]

I remember beating Zelda for the first time. I was so excited I ran to the phone to call and tell a friend who was struggling to also beat the game. His mom answered the phone and didn't sound impressed when I blurted out what I'd accomplished.

[@JeremyParish]

Take it from me, parents just don't understand

[@jeffmckenzie7282]

@@JeremyParish not all parents. My dad play Zelda 1, both quest's, Zelda 2, and TLoZ:ALttP. He was in his forties at the time. Best memories I still share with him. He's 74 now, and will watch the grand kids play video games.

[@snetmotnosrorb3946]

Those moments were life milestone. @Jeff McKenzie Wow, great dad :)

[@jedgrahek1426]

@@jeffmckenzie7282 My father also played Zelda 1 with me (we used separate files) when he first bought it, me being 7 and him being in his mid 30s... I could never get him to to play ALttP unfortunately, he just stopped playing games entirely pretty much after beating both quests of Zelda 1. But here's the cool thing: he actually made his own hand drawn maps of the final dungeon for both the first and second quest, which he of course succeeded at long before I did, and when I got to that point as a child, I was able to use his excellent maps to greatly ease the pain of those labyrinths. Those maps are some of my most treasured sentimental possessions from childhood, despite the rather rocky terms we've been on as father and son in more recent years. In that regard at least (lol) he was truly the best dad ever.

[@LorenHelgeson]

My dad would have had the opposite reaction. To this day he still remembers those hours if me playing Metroid and Zelda way back in '88/89.

[@nate_d376]

Oh man, my brother and I saved for months, by doing chores, selling lemonade, etc, to be able to buy this when it came out. The commercials were absolutely enthralling to two young boys in the 80s! Oh, and this remains my favorite game of all time.

[@tyhggb]

Paul Rudd

[@dezm101]

one of my favorite qualities of your content is how you elegantly thread the historical context into the topic. Fantastic job

[@_o_]

You know Zelda is a special game when a random comment from 3 weeks ago is recognizably someone you know IRL. Serendipity, Mr. J.I...this is Mr. K.S.! See you on twitter again soon, I'm down low while applying for jobs.

[@dezm101]

yooo! whats up man! thanks for the shout out! I was just thinking of you and looking at that little mudman statue you gave me way back when... hope you are well!

[@_o_]

@@dezm101 Doing good, just moved to Portland OR. On pins and needles currently waiting on a job offer for 100% remote from home work(!). Caught myself wanting the job too much and started getting anxiety (struggle with that when I'm running on all cylinders), watching some zelda review because the og zelda is my favorite, and there you are in the comments haha! Recognized your avatar immediately. Also will be setting up music studio in the next month or so, we can collaborate yes? I'll reach out to you on twitter when I have things setup. What's up in your world?

[@NEStalgia1985]

Not to mention that Lisa simpsonesque nerdy quality

[@gplechuckiii]

LoZ was the first cart I got after getting my Nintendo for Christmas in '87. What I remember most was just how it was almost an alien experience playing it for the first time. For every kid I knew video games meant action or exploring, not both. There was this whole story you needed to know before you start. It was a very surreal experience.

[@rabiroden]

I recall reading that Japanese arcades left notebooks with their Druaga cabinets where players would leave tips and strategies for eachother for getting through the game. I find this social aspect fascinating and it probably influenced some of the more cryptic aspects of Zelda. Unfortunately it's not really something that can exist again with the internet around, for better or worse. Though I suppose Miiverse came pretty close.

[@PandaXs1]

hmm, might explain the messages in dark souls

[@TJ1380]

I kind of miss how social gaming used to be. Hanging out at arcades with friends and playing the newest games was fun, as was going to a friend's house and playing through two player games. And yes, sharing tips with friends on the playground was part of all of that. You couldn't figure out how to beat Zelda on your own, but that was the point. You were supposed to go out and talk to people to figure things out.

[@hobojoe9337]

Yeah, most video games of the 20th century were basically ARGs in that regard. Games like StarTropics especially embodied that when they gave you little interactive clues for the game in the box.

[@darsparx]

miiverse was basically the same thing when it was around. I wish it hadn't died, I honestly think they could've ported it over somehow to the switch even if they had to end the mii monkier since it does make it sound like it's something for the wii systems. I'm not sure I understand the logic in shutting it down other than the fact of the U's failures(I still like the system....despite it's short comings. I also didn't see the need for 1080p or 4k on it, getting a good sized tv where the benefits are worth it are just too expensive tbh)

[@PandaXs1]

@@TJ1380 man speak for yourself. this shit never happened if you were socially inept. in my case it was either I waited for an older relative to finish a game for me, or I got a hold of a magazine that talked about the game (or in later cases got a hold of game genie codes). and hell, we still do this today on the internet. destiny is one example of this, and I'm sure there's a lot more. it's not like games no longer have secrets lol

[@The_Mimewar]

The legend of Zelda. It’s STILL fun to play, and has been a part of my life like no franchise

[@TheIronhide4ever]

I've always found the religious iconography that was peppered throughout the first two games really interesting. The crosses on the shields, the bible, the gravestones; it all gave the series a slightly more grounded and specific medieval fantasy feel that was never going to survive Nintendo of America's localization in the long term.

[@ThomasMHead]

That stood out to me even more (when I was a kid) in Zelda II: crosses on churches, graveyards, and the Cross item you acquire. I guess it made sense at the time because the iconography was readily identifiable. But in retrospect, both of NoA's localization practices, and in-world logic of why that would be a holy symbol in Hyrule, it's a head-scratcher.

[@TheIronhide4ever]

@@ThomasMHead One theory my headcanon holds is that in-world in the first game and into the second, Hyrule has been in a period of darkness and dismay for so long, as the lore was forgotten by the people, the intricacies of religious symbolism that was long developed eventually devolved to reference the most base level symbols left over from before The Dark Times; the cross, the triforce, etc. The true sense of what these symbols meant and where they came from was mostly lost. I also don't subscribe to the Timeline Theory, aside from the 1st two games being explicitly connected, I also like to think that Every Game in the Legend of Zelda Series, is different because each game is another retelling by a different hyrulian culture of "The Legend"; similarities exist like Link and Zelda because of the enduring nature of the myth, but the details, such as a world trapped in water, or an ocarina, are a side effect of that specific culture's lens which retells the myth in the oral tradition. Perhaps in the first two games, the hyrulian culture retelling "The Legend" is doing so with a background of Christian-like icongraphy, which informs some of those details.

[@cyankoopa8111]

@@TheIronhide4ever Majoras mask and ocarina of time are also directly linked. and the oracle of ages/seasons is linked with a link to the past and links awakening. and theres phantom hourglass and windwaker. which again. share links. And then the oot/mm link also appears in twilight princess as the heroes shade. there are a lot of zelda games that *link* together like that. (badumtsss), Not just zelda one and zelda two.

[@snetmotnosrorb3946]

@ThePoey @Cyan Koopa I think you both are right. My own idea about it is that every Zelda "era" is like it has its own director that gives it a specific style and adds their own touch to it. It's like there is a grand storyline to follow, and every game tell a different piece, but it's a bit loosely followed and things are added for dramatic and entertaining effect that doesn't really add up when you think about them and try to connect everything. And then there's the element of history repeating itself, which is the overall legend. I also think that Wind Waker is a clear successor to Ocarina of Time, despite them being from different "eras". I'm pretty sure the Deku tree is the same in both (young one in OoT). I haven't played any newer, so no spoilers please :/

[@angrytheclown801]

I've always found the Christian imagery interesting myself. Especially since they wanted Christianity to be canon. I wanted to know if Jesus popped by. Did he have the triforce? Maybe the Triforce of Fish Portion Control. Did he kick Ganon out of Death Mountain?

[@2yoyoyo1Unplugged]

You _had_ to start it with the OG Zelda commercial playing in the background. Nintendo’s never gonna live that one down. Lmao

[@LorenHelgeson]

Not nearly as cringe-worthy as the one at 1:27. One is a couple of kids doing a bad rap song. The other? I don't know. A beta tester for the NES localization who finally snapped?

[@azforu29]

I still have vague memories of watching the M.A.S.K cartoon and the "Zelda!" commercial came on, followed by The Animal monster truck toy. 87? I was in 2nd grade. Nuts what we can recall given the circumstance.

[@CarbonRollerCaco]

And then Japan would have their own rap commercial for A Link to the Past. Marketing. It's something.

[@andrewkaye2108]

One of the most bizarre video game commercials I ever saw.

[@MarginalSC]

Wikki wikki wack

[@FamilyMadeFilms]

When we were kids, we got the NES and Zelda for Christmas. We also got Simon's quest and Qbert, but Zelda ruled the NES, I remember watching my step dad play and was just floored by how great it was.

[@dugroz]

That battery is pretty amazing. I can still pick up my cartridge and play games that were saved in the late 80's.

[@mdmenzel]

I think the relative non-linearity is a big selling point for the game that often goes overlooked in many of the retrospectives. Thanks for touching on it.

[@jasongarrett768]

Who else remembers looking at the animation cel-style artwork on the manual as a child and wondering about the cartoon from which they "obviously" had to be taken? The feeling that there was even more to learn about LoZ's world just added to the mystique. The manual as a whole and that map really expanded the experience of the game, which makes it a bit sad that younger players don't get access to them in digital rereleases. Sure there are online FAQs, but those don't come with strange clay-sculpted backdrops representing the land you'll be exploring. I've always bounced off the run-and-bump style of adventure-RPG gameplay mentioned here and wondered at its persistence in releases like Fairune, but this video's rundown of that styles prevalence before and after Zelda helped put some perspective to that. I'll never begrudge anyone their Hydlide nostalgia, though I'll always prefer having active sword swinging. That "lone performance artist in an abandoned warehouse" commercial still baffles me to this day.

[@willmistretta]

Not truly a "cartoon," but here you go: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHnMqHSabb-pldE

[@jasongarrett768]

Oh wow. Thanks for linking that, because that ties together some things I've been wondering about for years, like the vague similarities between Link and Takumaru and further details about the anime studio Nintendo commissioned to produce that Zelda artwork as mentioned in Art and Artifacts(IIRC). Now I wonder if the same holds true for Zelda 2 and any potential sibling games in production alongside it. That video also showed off some interesting differences from the final release, such as the first old man in a cave giving a choice between weapons. I wish Murasame Castle was more familiar so I could tell if the same held true for that.

[@willmistretta]

@@jasongarrett768 No problem. I found it myself when I was researching my own Murasame review last month. Funny enough, that weird guy in the Zelda commercial was John Kassir, who's best know as the voice of the Crypt Keeper from the HBO Tales From The Crypt series. How I wish I'd known that when I ran into him at a horror convention a few years back! I'd love to have heard the backstory on that ad.

[@Tarquin23]

Quite cool is that the NES Classic allowed you to scan a QR code and access all scans of the original manuals, which was super useful for some games.

[@codekhalil6437]

Been saving this video on my "watch later" for a while. It did not disappoint. Then when I thought it couldn't get any better, I nearly fell off my chair when I saw that Metroid is next! KEEP...DOING...THESE!

[@Laserbryte]

"Triforce of courage..." *wisdom

[@CODMarioWarfare]

*One of the Triforce with wisdom

[@bigtone7824]

It truly is the Gold Standard, no game captivated the imagination of me and my friends as kids in the late 80's more then Zelda. Hence why it still my favorite series to this day! Hell for my 8th bday party which falls around Halloween I had a costume party and dressed as Link, this was in 1988 and I was obsessed

[@synthoelectro]

I too started playing Zelda in 88, so much fun, I was 11. I remember the giddy feeling of reading the booklet and learning all the names of the mobs, the map of Hyrule and rules. I wish I had never parted with my gold cart. Because of Zelda I was hooked on all things RPG, and still am to this day. Oh and A link to the past is my all time fav Zelda game.

[@MNicolai]

Thank you for pointing out the common elements that Legend of Zelda has with Tower of Druaga! Atari's Adventure and LoZ were indelible parts of my childhood, and finding Druaga as an adult, it felt like a missing evolutionary step between the two.

[@DrewPicklesTheDark]

The Triforce fragments you collect are for the the Triforce of Wisdom (Zelda broke it up), Courage was not introduced until the 2nd game.

[@johngordon6792]

An excellent retrospective! NES The Legend of Zelda is still my favorite game of all time. This video does the game justice.

[@ajpiskel]

Thank you so much for including some of the pre-Zelda history that helped bring this title into existence. This was a fantastic retrospective that shows a lot of insight on what makes Zelda an amazing game from a design perspective that I feel the majority of people miss, from the way inventory is interacted with and managed to how the player upgrades their strength and defense, and of course the way the player is allowed to traverse the majority of the world without acquiring even a single item.

[@JeremyParish]

Thanks. The evolution of JRPGs has been a key area of study and developer interviews for me over the past decade (in fact, I just recently grilled Koichi Nakamura about the topic via Skype), so I'm glad I was able to put it to good use here.

[@RayRayZ28]

In my opinion, the most iconic NES intro theme of all time. Love this game, miss these days of gaming

[@ScottALowe]

The surefire way to kill a dodongo is to feed them bombs, but if you blow one up in front of them (smoke in their face) then you can kill them with one swing of your sword. I would have never known this before speedruns.

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

Isn't that the ONLY way to do it?

[@JeremyParish]

It's the budget approach, because it only uses one bomb. The one-percenters feed 'em TWO bombs.

[@MissAshley42]

The first time I did that, I thought I broke the game. Then I realized that makes so much more sense with the whole "Dodongo dislikes smoke" tip.

[@merendell]

I remember figuring it out on accident as a kid (was 6 or 7 when this game came out and I got it). I "missed" with my last bomb and ended up smokeing him instead. with no more bombs I tried the only thing I could think of poked the thing with my sword, I was rather surprised when it worked.

[@snetmotnosrorb3946]

Didn't the manual say how to kill Dodongo?

[@akxmedia0]

The Legend of Zelda was also one of the last rereleases on the famicom from Nintendo (along with Wario's Woods) back in February '94.

[@Meachumz]

You absolutely hit it out of the park with the script you wrote for this episode. Fantastic work!

[@LDQBBQ]

At 42 years old I still remember nearly every single path in the 1st quest and can still beat it with relative ease in a few hours even as a non gamer. I played it so much as a kid that it's all stuff I'll never forget.

[@darktetsuya]

oh the stories I could tell growing up with The Legend of Zelda... hands down my favorite NES game of all time! Admittedly it wasn't until this decade that I finally got around to completing the 2nd quest, growing up it was just way too intimidating for me. But I could basically finish the first quest almost blindfolded!

[@yuberus]

Fun bit of trivia: Before his death, this was a favorite game of Joe Weisbecker, game pioneer and the RCA engineer behind the Studio II console's development!

[@robdawg1017]

TLOZ *_and_* this video are both masterpieces

[@MykeBatez]

My ears pricked up at the Eva ost at the end. Cheers, thanks for a great video

[@IlGreven]

"...even if you claim the sword in the cave on the very first screen." Spoiler alert!

[@hobojoe9337]

10:32 Somebody online with some electronics knowledge did the math on various cartridge batteries and calculated that NES cart batteries should last on average 70 years in optimal conditions. So the records of your childhood adventures in Zelda 1 will probably outlive you. On a more downer note, most other carts don't last anywhere near as long. Most only have a lifespan of 20 years and some, like 2nd gen pokemon games, only last about 5-10 years. Which means most cart saves outside the NES are all starting to die off at this point, if they haven't already.

[@snetmotnosrorb3946]

Mine in Zelda I died already 1992 :( Aw man, I haven't touched my Gameboy games in 15 years! Is my complete Pokémon Blue run gone? Warioland II and 3? SMB DX?

[@WrathOfNolla]

AHEM *pushes glasses up nose* ACTUALLY they were pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom, sir.....please don't throw eggs at me.

[@davidgill7412]

You're not wrong.

[@lounowell4171]

Glad I'm not the only one who noticed XD

[@EspyLacopa2]

Indeed, the Triforce of Courage didn't crop up until Zelda 2, wherein you are questing to gain said Courage triangle.

[@ReeseKaine]

Though you may be correct, I DID just come back from the grocery store with an 18-pack of eggs...........

[@AdamDane]

@@EspyLacopa2 Link already had the Triforce of Courage at the start of Zelda 1, so it wasn't super relevant in the story.

[@Ravuun]

I was 11 when this game came out and I was immediately in love! We rented a NES and the game for a few weeks and I played it every free moment. This video really brought back some memories. Thank you.

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

When I was a kid, seeing that unique, eye-catching box on store shelves was like getting a glimpse of the Holy Grail- only this time picking the shiny golden trinket was the CORRECT decision. "You have chosen... wisely" indeed! Unfortunately I never had a chance to play it, because I never owned a NES, much to my ongoing despair, although when I finally got a SNES one of the first games I ever got was A Link To The Past, which I played countless times.

[@noside.foxhound]

In one phrase: The Legend of Zelda is a MASTERPIECE!

[@AlexRN]

Noside Foxhound it was but sadly, unlike Zelda LttP, the two NES Zeldas have aged pretty badly.

[@skyvader1238]

Maybe it is weird to say but for me one of the best things about the original loz is the game manual. The Zelda universe came to life because of it. The game manual had backstory, lore and great artwork. Also the hints and a piece of the overworld map they included were great. I spend hours of reading the game manual (I was very young lol). I can't imagine playing the loz without the game manual.

[@andrewkaye2108]

Yeah, the poster with the overworld map and hints helped me greatly, though it never said the solutions out right, you still had to figure it out yourselves

[@Riz2336]

Fitting the game contains the word Legend in the title, it certainly is a legendary game

[@TheJamison86]

Jeremy Parish, your voice has become synonymous with the great video games of old. Thank you for your accurate depictions of these classic gems from my childhood.

[@hw5091]

such a great game. Man the nes was just full of great, original games.

[@barowt]

Just the games beginning intro gives me goosebumps, flood of memories..

[@mattb1]

This video is excellent. Well done as usual.

[@400KrispyKremes]

Yeah my favorite part is where he refers to the Triforce pieces that Link collects as "The Triforce of Courage", instead of the Triforce of Wisdom like it says in the opening crawl of the game. You know the opening crawl that he included at the beginning of this video? Sure man. Top notch work. Exactly in line what I've come to expect from a self proclaimed "Games Journalist". lol

[@andrewkaye2108]

Still my favorite all time game. The only commercial I saw about it back then. Was some nut yelling, "ZELDA!" and acting weird, so I had no idea exactly what it was, when I took a chance and bought it. One of the best game purchases I ever made! Exploring a huge world, secrets galore, multiple uses for some items and a freakin SECOND QUEST!!! Epic and timeless. :)

[@Matt_Desrochers74]

Pure AWESOME! This game defined my teens. I guess I was 13 when it came out. I mapped every inch of both quests and found EVERYTHING. If there was such a thing as a Platinum Trophy for a game back then, I'd have had it.

[@yourdirge]

Every time I see that KZbin notification with the big red NESWorks box it feels like Christmas!

[@86twin]

My sister had the game since the late 80’s, and when I powered it on, the file I had from 2005 was still there.

[@JohnHenrySheridan]

Awesome retrospective thanks!

[@treyduval5399]

This video brings back such great memories of my childhood :) thank you!

[@davidbowne122]

Just checked today, the battery still works in my 31 year old copy of "The Legend of Zelda"!

[@Tarquin23]

It’s two years on now - how’s it holding up? =D

[@hazy33]

I might not like or know all the games you showcase but every video is a fascinating study. So thankyou very much.

[@aman1632]

That is an utterly spectacular video. I'm extremely glad I ran I to it. Thank you sir! You are doing a service to all us old guys who played it in our youths.

[@400KrispyKremes]

My favorite part is where he calls the Triforce of Wisdom the Triforce of Courage. Even though it's in the opening crawl of the game, and he even shows the Triforce of Courage at 0:33 of the video. It's like he never even played the games.

[@jasonjuneau]

Still have the gold cartridge in the original box with the maps.

[@VVK5W]

Excellent content. This game was one of the best.

[@NESADDICT]

Great video! Zelda was just ground breaking and love that it is still so fondly remembered today.

[@dejongejohan]

GREAT vid. i remember getting a second hand Zelda cart from my local video store and grinding it until i finished it.

[@justinmohns8279]

Wow... I never heard Jeremy's voice before. I only read his incredible library. Great video.

[@JeremyParish]

I have a podcast! It's pretty OK!

[@PapiFed]

The NES was my first home console and it came with Zelda. Fond memories !

[@MaxW-er1hm]

"Uh oh. It's starting to get frustrating, I guess I'll call nintendo power and ask where the 9th dungeon is"

[@mielthesquid6536]

Jeremy Parish never disappoint when he talk about video game history.

[@thaddeusmcgrath]

I remember X-mas 1988 getting this and beating it without any guides just word of mouth from friends at school. Best game experience I ever had as a kid with both Zelda and Link NES titles!

[@MannyDer]

I got chills when the Zelda music started :)

[@RhubarbGames]

Beat Zelda 1 for the first time last year and it's one of those games that ruined other games for me because of how good it was.

[@NesNyt]

Why dont u have like a billion subs you got the best and most content ive ever seen and not just a one console love

[@mraaronhd]

I remember being 5 years old, and playing this back in ‘92. I didn’t know what to do, where to go, and did I know how to read at the time. However, Zelda still drew me in. I knew how to get the sword, and sometimes found a dungeon. I never beat Zelda, but I still have fond memories of it.

[@technicalmachine1671]

No "be sure to expect lots of fanservice!" at the end…

[@BainesMkII]

There was another difference between the FDS and US NES version of Zelda, the ability to use the microphone to stun Pol's Voices. Which led to much confusion among US players, as the clue about the feature was kept in the game.

[@telengardforever7783]

I went from an Atari 2600 to a NES with Zelda as my first cart. I remember thinking that "The Legend of Zelda" was far more advanced than anything I have ever seen before. The music, the adventure, the graphics, the storyline... I was truly in a new age of gaming.

[@danielhaddix644]

An episode on Kickle Cubicle would be totally awesome voraciously extreme

[@METR0lD]

Fantastic as always Jeremy. Looking forward to the Metroid episode!

[@Miketar2424]

OMG cancel all appointments, call in sick to work, its the original Zelda episode!

[@stephen22890]

Since people are talking about what is and isn't an RPG, I figure I'll add my take. The genre developed from D&D-style tabletop games into video games that inherently couldn't be as open-ended as human players and a human dungeon master interacting, so they basically shed almost all of the character and world customization that was so central to tabletop games being true "role playing games" and retained three key mechanical aspects: character/enemy stats, turn-based combat, and dice rolls (in the form of RNG in video games, and usually isolated to combat interactions only, although in particular some Western RPGs have kept stats that don't pertain to combat and stat-based interactions outside of combat). In time, video game RPGs would come to have larger scale, more ambitious stories than most other types of games, retaining some of the spirit of the pen and paper roots of the genre, but there aren't many video games that we could really say were on an equal level in the mid-'80s. I can see how Zelda has some RPG influence, but I don't think that makes it an RPG, either by contemporary or modern standards. Game genres are usually defined by the actual gameplay rather than setting or story. I don't think a Halo or Call of Duty-style first person shooter where you rescue a princess or use magic would correctly be classified as belonging to the adventure or RPG genre. I can see how Zelda has settings and story elements in common with hallmark games of the RPG genre of the time, but combat is not turn-based and it has no stat system that interacts with other stats or a random chance element to determine the end result of actions taken (an attack with a certain item or by a certain enemy *always* does the same amount of damage to its target; there are no critical or less effective hits. Link gets different equipment that increases damage given or lessens damage taken, but has no attack or defense stat of his own further modifying either of these). Wizardry, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, etc. all do have these things. Without them, I think Zelda is missing the main thing that makes a video game an RPG. Zelda II, of course, has an experience and leveling system, stat building, a world map distinct from in-battle or in-location gameplay, and random encounters. These are all typical characteristics of RPG games, but real time combat with a lack of randomization or stat-based modifiers in interactions is what makes it an action game with RPG elements, rather than a straight RPG.

[@wulver810]

So much fun playing with my bro and neighbors on this, Zelda II and A Link to the Past. Back then I didn't beat 1 and 2, but we all would hang out together and help each other. You would always go to the friends house with all the bikes in the yard, that is when you knew shit was going down. The last time I beat the original is sometime after I beat Ocarina of Time.

[@SendyTheEndless]

My first open-world-feeling game was Jet Set Willy on the ZX Spectrum. Yeah, it's a flickscreen platform game with about 60 screens/locations, but back then it felt like a world inside the computer. The game was also cleverly designed to allow exploration of much of the game world without too much difficulty, with the more challenging jumps and platforming segments devoted to giving you a challenge to get the items. I bring this up because back then the concept of an actual miniature digital world to explore was something that wasn't exactly common or formalized.

[@willmistretta]

Pitfall II on the Atari 2600 got me before Zelda, but Zelda still completely captivated me a few years later.

[@retrorami]

What about "Adventure" on the 2600?

[@tjanas]

One difference between the FDS and NES version is that the latter does not support blowing into a microphone on the 2nd controller to kill the Pols Voice enemies (weakness changed to arrows in the NES version).

[@HighPriestFuneral]

Great video! Just one minor nitpick... Link is collecting the Triforce of Wisdom. The Triforce of Courage wasn't around until Zelda 2, but I can see why you would make that mistake.

[@JeremyParish]

Clearly I need to go on a quest to collect the Triforce of Reading the Backstory in the Damn Manual

[@Smokydoggg]

Just like in the lore thereafter Zelda had the Triforce of Wisdom but she split it into pieces to keep it away from Gannon. Gannon had the Triforce Of Power and Link gets it after defeating him. Link is attached to but can only obtain the Triforce Of Courage after going on a journey to the Great Palace.

[@ThomasMHead]

"Back in my day, Hyrule had only two Triforce: Power and Wisdom."--some middle-aged guy

[@JeremyParish]

Triforce? More like Biforce!

[@bfish89ryuhayabusa]

I've seen someone complain that they called it a triforce in this game despite there being two and not three of them, and all I could think was, "It's a triangle."

[@TroyBlackford]

Lovely take on this classic that meant and means so much to so many.

[@azforu29]

I still remember May 21st of 1988. It was 6 30am and I was standing on my porch with my new jean jacket eating an apple before school. 2nd grade. My mother stormed the room, apparently cross, not knowing what I did I started getting nervous. Haha she looks at me and says "open your present!" It was a vhs. I wanted Disney's live action king Arthur movie. Forget what it was called. Guy holding a sword on the clam shell cover at the time. I tore open, and it was NOT that movie, but Jackel by Konami and Zelda 2 The Adventure of Link. I cried. Loudly. My brother also cried, cause he wanted Mechanized Attack and didn't get it. Lol I'm dyin. You should of seen his face. I'm like dude it's my birthday, not yours!

[@7thangelad586]

I love that there are still videos with the word “fulcrum.”

[@RBCraneGongfu]

Excellent video as always but I must point out: not just pedants you know, no kid I knew back in the day considered the first Zelda to be an RPG. In fact back then we where psyched that the second game actually had RPG elements and we prefered it by a long shot.

[@JeremyParish]

When we were playing the original Zelda, my friends and I had no idea what an RPG was. Well, that's not quite true. I read a lot of G.I. Joe comics, so I knew it meant "rocket-propelled grenade."

[@RBCraneGongfu]

@@JeremyParish We didn't know what an RPG was either until the releases of Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy, but then we figured RPG meant ¨games that you can level-up in by getting experience points¨ so Zelda 2 was the only Zelda to pass the test for us haha.

[@brillopad6901]

I got this game in 88 when I was 15 and loved it it’s still one of my all-time favorite games and I play through it at least 2 to 3 times a year. What’s funny is right when I was playing this game a lot was when my mom was like OK you’re old enough now to start doing your own laundry which I agreed with her so I started doing my laundry while I was in the midst of playing this game all the time so whenever I do a load of laundry now I can’t not think about the legend of Zelda so it’s forever associated like that in my head. Lol

[@danielolsson7134]

Lets not forget that the Legend of Zelda has in my opinion, the best creation/main influence of them all: Shigeru Miyamotos's own childhood adventures and discoveries outside his home town!

[@thankyou329]

Ive been looking for a channel like this for so long. Goodbye free time.

[@floivanus]

Another difference between the FDS and NEs version, there’s an enemy (poes voice IIRC) that can be defeated by yelling at your Famicom controller. Which is absent from NES

[@macethorns1168]

This also threw off American players who read the tip about those mouse things disliking loud noises.

[@RLomoterenge]

You can beat the game in the amount of time this video runs

[@ManSkirtBrew]

I could not be happier to see Wizardry here. As a (ahem) seasoned gamer, Proving Grounds shaped my love for RPGs in the very early 80s. It really set the model for so many games going forward.

[@sovrinn16]

I was one of these "tedious pedants" who's always insisted Zelda isn't an RPG and you've turned me around, Jeremy. It's all about context, and it seems clear that an adaptation of the D&D RPG formula was absolutely the intent.

[@JeremyParish]

Welcome to the right side of history!

[@defunctchannel942]

traitor!

[@mielthesquid6536]

You know, Nintendo itself marketed this game as an hybrid between twitch arcade game and computer RPG back in 1986 in their magazines. This was their own words. ;)

[@mchevre]

I mean Zelda 1 is pretty clearly an adventure game with RPG elements. We don't have to choose between 1 box, it can be in multiple at the same time.

[@handsomebrick]

@@mchevre The term "action adventure" was made by extreme RPG purists who didn't like games like LoZ blurring genre definitions of the time.

[@ParadeTheGospel]

I remember staying up late playing this game as a kid. Something almost magical about those early NES games that I just don't feel can be recaptured with today's games. But maybe that's just the old part of me talking, you know, how our parents or dad specifically would say how different and better his childhood was than the current generation? Lol

[@ParadeTheGospel]

Those were the days!

[@Coinspinner2]

I'm not gonna call Zelda an RPG myself but it's been 15 years since I felt any desire to argue about it.

[@peteranon8455]

*glove smack* Duel accepted.

[@PunchPerfectPlayer]

Coinspinner2 Miyamoto himself called it an action rpg

[@elliotpierson8350]

@@PunchPerfectPlayer GTA is my favourite RPG

[@geogaither]

16:06 It's the triforce of wisdom in this game, that you're piecing together. The triforce of courage is what you get in zelda 2! See 0:33

[@400KrispyKremes]

I'm surprised he didn't notice that. Seeing as it's in the opening crawl in capital letters. I guess he never read it. Even when he edited the crawl into this video.

[@ChristopherPayneMUA]

I clicked this video because I'm a huge Zelda fan and am always happy to watch BTS videos. I assumed this would all be stuff I already knew, but I was delighted to find an insightful and well-researched video with a lot of stuff I didn't know. You've earned yourself a new subscriber!

[@treycoors2977]

Happened to be listening to Retronauts #66 Zelda episode when this popped up in my feed 😊

[@DanZero77]

At least by the time this game came up in the series, he was able to name the save file NESWORKS, not GDN10SHN!

[@DrWho2008t101]

Thanks for the video! I really appreciate your work!

[@antshield]

Omg. Best Zelda 1 review I ever watched.

[@SirSquash]

Second quest. The false walls in the dungeons were brutal if you didn't know they existed, It just seemed like you hit a dead end.

[@setadriftonfishandchips]

My Zelda cart still works.

[@macethorns1168]

I was at a friend's house and he had this game. I asked him if it was fun and he said "it's pretty good" and let me borrow it. I had it for several weeks and I *loved* it.

[@randywilliams6248]

I remember playing this at about or 5 or 6 and loving it but only being able to find and beat up to level 4. I didnt have the manual and my older brother/cousin were teens at this point so I was on my own! That's what I loved about it. I never beat it as a kid but it sucked me in and have loved the series since. Way cooler than Mario!

[@j0nnyism]

But Mario bros 3 is just soo good

[@inkajoo]

This game was like a rite of passage for 80's kids. More than just a game.

[@HeyIts_B_A_618]

It's a double use health refill potion at 14:11

[@stephentrever1769]

Still my favorite game of all time. To this day, I will pick it up and play it through about once a year. Last time I opted to play through without getting the wooden sword. Truly amazing how open world this game is for its time.