UNITED STATES—We have chatted for weeks about some of the retro video games particularly highlighting classics from the Super Nintendo gaming system. It is now time for us to focus on what I consider the ultimate classic, the Nintendo, better known to many of us gamers as the NES system. This was the 8-bit gaming platform that personally manifested the gaming arena as we know it.
There are so many classics, and I mean classics that we will discuss in the coming weeks that not only bring back nostalgia, but prove how difficult some video games actually are. Let’s be honest, the NES has games more difficult than what we see in the gaming universe now. Trust me: give any of these so called gamers today a game from the NES and they would struggle greatly trying to successfully complete it. We’re talking about gaming at a time when there was no strategy guide, internet or cheat codes to utilize to your advantage.
This was the first gaming system I ever owned, and this was back in the late 80s, I may have been 5 I think and I had a game that has been a classic of mine over multiple platforms. I am referring to “The Legend of Zelda.” Talk about difficult people, this game was like a massive maze, one that was very difficult to navigate and find your way thru. See a true gamer from back in the day you just followed your instinct when playing, whereas kids nowadays use cheat codes and tips from others to navigate thru a videogame.
Here is the thing people fail to understand about “The Legend of Zelda,” this game was role playing and strategy that forced one to think and utilize one’s brain. For example, there are plenty and I mean plenty of secrets in this game. The only way you will discover those secrets, particularly goodies and money needed throughout the journey is to explore; you have to find such items, and exploration is part of the game people. This is a game that takes time to complete and that is the fun of such a videogame: nostalgia.
I mean once you find your blue candle, you have to start burning away at trees and bushes in order to find heart containers, important knowledge and even pathways to certain worlds. If you’re wondering why Zelda has always been a long game, go back to the 1986 classic people! This game consists of 9 stages, and each stage gets significantly harder. I would argue dungeon 3, dungeon 6, dungeon 8 and dungeon 9 are the worst. However, dungeon 6 is a pesky one to say the least. If you don’t have the right armor, the right weaponry and magic you will NOT survive long here people.
Classic items like the raft, the ladder, the red candle, the blue mail, the skeleton key, the flute and so much more are part of this game, with enemies that can be annoying. Some more than others, but with the right skillset you should not have much difficulty navigating yourself throughout the game. The bosses in the dungeons are not that difficult to defeat, your biggest challenge will be Gannon in the final dungeon, but even he is manageable people.
“The Legend of Zelda” reminds you how the evolution of link (our hero) has transpired over the years close to 40 at this point people. Let’s just say, many ideas for “The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” came from the original people and so did its predecessor, which we will talk about next week, “Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.”
