One faced the return to those nascent, primordial steps. Everything that was familiar was once again new and exciting. The original chill of adventure again shook bones. Enter nomadic trance in the dangerous lands of Hyrule once more. Take up the quest and renew the virtues of adventure.
Recently, I picked up both The Legend of Zelda and the Adventure of Link for the Famicom Disk System. Strangely, playing these games in this format made me feel more nostalgic than anytime I had played the NES versions on any of the myriad of platforms they are available on. This sort of article is kind of unusual for this site, because “nostalgic for Zelda” is a pretty typical subject. But this is a series that I have a very strong love/hate history with. Sometimes a guy just has to talk about the Legend of Zelda.
When I picked up my Twin Famicom, I resolved to mostly purchase games that I could not obtain on the NES. I wasn’t sold on buying games simply for audio differences, I didn’t think it was at all priority above picking up titles that had never seen Canadian distribution. However, I knew the laundry list of differences between the FDS Zelda II and the NES Zelda II. While I have long felt that North America had gotten the better version of this game, by specifications alone, as one of my favourite games a new or “the original” experience was an exciting prospect.
And I guess I convinced myself that if I had one then I would need the other. The act of stroking the nostalgic entertainment humours is not always ingrained in hard logic. But I set out to acquire both of these games, and I am very glad that I did.
I received the Legend of Zelda first. I was surprised to find myself leaving the game on Side A for a while, listening to the title screen music. There are videos out there showing the comparison between the NES and FDS music but there really is no comparison to hearing it from the original hardware. For the record, I love the NES presentation but the FDS version is particularly gorgeous.
Somehow, I convinced myself that this was something entirely new. And in a way, it was. I was excited to explore any differences I could discover within, as few as they were. I was interested to hear all of the audio differences, especially all of the roars. And while the ground was familiar, Link hit it running with renewed zest. He felt at home and at ease with the noise of the Famicom Disk System running his first adventure.
Perhaps I was fulfilling “The Hyrule Fantasy,” on my own personal level. I had come full circle from localized originals to the progenitors played on original hardware. I had gone back home to Hyrule.
The dungeonscapes unfolded readily before me, old locales firmly entrenched in my memory. The world filled with Octoroks and Moblins, and I grinned. I love these games so much partly because their worlds are “alive.” With hidden lore and the relentless forces of Ganon. It’s the kind of game you would play with homemade maps. You would bomb every wall and burn every tree. You would compare shops for the greatest bargains. Delve into old dungeons for the greatest output of Rupees. And then you would do it all again in an arranged quest that was both more difficult and more cryptic.
It’s difficult to recapture your very first playthrough of this game. But this is the nearest I’ve ever come to it.
And there is not much more satisfying than using the second controller’s microphone to destroy those Pol’s Voices with your voice. Say something particularly sultry to them, send them mixed messages~
Zelda II is easier to approach as a newish experience. I won’t go over the list of changes here because they have been covered and covered. I will touch upon the sound differences again first. I believe the NES got the better deal here. Particularly the theme that plays for battle scenes on the overworld and through caves. The NES has different and more interesting compositions for these scenes. Now, while the FDS version is not particularly bad it gets a little samey as it plays for most battles and, as far as I can tell, caves.
But again, I was really impressed by the title screen. Again, I have listened to the title music previously and felt that the NES version pulled it all together more fluently. However, once again hearing it on the original hardware has shown me that yes, this is an excellent take on the theme. Also of note are the different sound effects, even some roaring of certain bosses. Unfortunately Ganon’s hearty Game Over laugh is absent and he too roars.
I will always believe that the NES version is the superior version with some improved/altered sprites, improved dungeon palettes, a new boss, and a higher level difficulty. However, that will not stop me from enjoying the Famicom Disk System version to the fullest.
I love Zelda II for a myriad of reasons. I feel it has the deepest combat in the series, one of the greatest selections of monsters, a huge overworld, and it never patronizes the player. I haven’t played all the way through the FDS version, but I am particularly excited to get down to it.
Can a different platform really make all of the difference for me revisiting these titles? I joked back when I ordered my Twin Famicom that I was “buying an FDS instead of a 3DS” and so far, I have not regretted that decision. Then when I score these Zelda disks, the 3DS folks get both games through their Ambassador program. So, I would have been playing these Zeldas right now regardless of what decision I had made. I would probably not be the happiest codfish in the world if I were an Ambassador, but I would still enjoy playing these games.
But I have played these games on a number of platforms since their release. Zelda II is the only “NES classic” I own on the GBA, if that is any indication. I have always enjoyed my playthroughs and have always “felt nostalgic.” I would feel the same if I were playing via 3DS virtual console. But I have just felt so much more nostalgic playing on the Disk System.
It might be because I am so enthusiastic about this console. I picked it up earlier this year and have gobbled up a few FDS and FMC games that I have never played or have always wanted to own. It’s been great, and maybe I’m just riding that wave of enthusiasm to its fullest.
Or maybe there really is something to being able to put my hands on the original releases of these games. To hear and see and feel them as they were originally meant to be heard and seen and felt. It makes me think of my family. It makes me think of exploring and mapping the woods with my brother. It just makes me feel warm.
I had no intention of purchasing Famicom or Disk System versions of games that I already own or that have an exhaustive list of rereleases. Perhaps these Zelda titles have warmed me to the prospect, and I’d love to pick up the FDS versions of Metroid and Kid Icarus (Palutena’s Mirror). This is really a tremendous console and I’m interested in experiencing these formats even if I keep exclusive titles as the priority acquisitions.
The Legend of Zelda was a highly imaginative title that really captivated the minds of folks playing it at the time. It’s a testament to an ethos that you can operate within a mythos without being spoonfed directions and assistance. It’s a journey to solve the mysteries of a strange land, and we loved it for that. That’s a feeling I’ve been chasing for a long time now. It’s only fitting that I feel it strongest in some of the locales I first felt it.
I had debated posting this blog post, because it’s really just remembering and revisiting the Legend of Zelda on a personal level. But ultimately it’s something I needed to put to words and get off of my chest. The Famicom and the Famicom Disk System have impressed me in both original titles and in variants on what I had already known. I look forward to testing these waters further.
Nostalgic post, eh?
Unfortunately The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II hold no nostalgia for me, for I first played them many a year after they came out, via emulation. I’m almost positive that they would bring nostalgia, though, if I had played them when I had my NES. I have my own personal nostalgia from NES games, and I’m kind of bummed that I didn’t get to play more NES games than I did when I owned the console.
Just saying, everything seems better when you’re younger, even if you’re too dense to understand it completely. I would go so far to say that’s a fact.
I suppose things seemed more “fresh” when I was younger because I hadn’t done them before. Part of the reason I play mostly old games now, however, is that I feel they are closer to the distillation of what the core mechanics are. I guess it’s pretty clear that I generally don’t like overproduction, though of course I’ll play anything as long as I’m entertained.
Does this have to do with these “pure” titles being what I started with? I imagine it does, however there’s more to it than that. Of course I feel nostalgic for games I played as a kid. Yet there is such a body of work that I have never played (and couldn’t hope to ever play) that I am still discovering new titles from old generations all of the time.
When I start writing about such FDS games as Otocky or Arumana no Kiseki, exclusive titles like that, I hope to illustrate that :).
Smashing article. Kick butt my good chops! 🙂 LoZ1 is very simply my favorite game of all time and I don’t expect it’ll be surpassed. As much as I loved its first 2-3 sequels, maybe FFIV came the closest to recreating the sense of awe that LoZ1 had in blowing away my expectations for the VG medium.
I vividly remember the first time I rented this, finding and completing only the first two dungeons on the 1-day rental! The coin really dropped towards the end of that session… walking into a room of Keese and striking them down fluidly and systematically with the boomerang, I was amazed at the visceral precision and immersion of this game… I was possessed, entranced, long before ever tango-ing with a roomful of Darknuts.
Even pushing on a block to reveal a staircase blew my mind… it made intuitive sense but other games seemed so straightforward. All of the cryptic “secrets” in this game left an expectation that few modern adventure games can ever fulfill… the idea that if you think of something, the game-makers have probably thought of it and put it in the game. I still go off on wild goose chases in adventure/RPGs because I hope beyond hope that my imagination has been matched and exceeded. I end up with boast-unworthy playtimes and nothing to show for it LOL!
Anyway the most amazing thing about the Nintendo classics is the lengths they would go to to include superfluous bonuses, like say a Kuribo’s Shoe… in a way these were more generous grin-inducing spirit wrapped up in one Easter Egg than many entire cookie-cutter titles coming out today.
To say nothing of game manuals. The LoZ manual was/is endlessly fascinating… I finally got the feeling of some of that painted artwork in Windwaker’s Dragon Roost Island dungeon (in spite of Link’s scheit character model, which did no justice to the sharper WW promotional art… many of the environments were wonderful). I can see that the FC version of the manual has even more artwork on top of that! Not all the enemy depictions are to my taste but some are amazing 🙂
Anyway as you well know I have willfully never completed the Second Quest of LoZ1, as I don’t see what will remain to match it. It would be all downhill from there! But you’re glowing praise of the FC versions might give me an excuse, a fresh tack, a grail to pursue after the 2nd Quest, to experience these titles afresh or as near as I’ll ever get!
I’ve banged on quite long enough now though I regret not speaking more on Zelda II which I adore, and like so many could not purchase for months after its release due to the intentional “shortage” (when people discuss it’s slightly diped sales vs 1 and 3 they do not factor this in). That was a bigtime, “stay in on a scorching hot summer day and have another go” title if there ever was one. Captivating and intense, easily in my Top 5 of all time, and probably #2 behind LoZ1. I do consider AoL the better game overall in an abstract gameplay sense but freely admit that it’s the nostalgia for LoZ1, the way it annihilated utterly my perceived boundaries on gaming, that earn it the G.O.A.T. spot.
Phewf!
O.P.
P.S. to quote Shadow from FFVI:
“I’m the first brother you heard with jaw harp on a track
And although it’s off-topic, ocarinas are wack”
WORD!
Sorry this reply is so late in the making, not sure why I’ve been slacking so badly. But I digress,
It’s definitely great to hear some first time experiences with this game. At the time I wouldn’t have been old enough to remember my very first play though I do have a lot of fond memories.
Intuitive dungeons and puzzles are a good point. Where misinformation or lack of information is a legitimate issue in some NES era games, it’s not nearly as bad in LoZ as some people make it out to be. It was exciting to bomb every wall and burn every bush, because you wanted to discover what was hidden beneath Hyrule.
That’s the white rabbit I always chase as I play new games. The sense of discovery. Be it hidden secrets or uncovering a plot in a particularly apt narrative. That’s what I relish, being able to play something that is inherently fresh and watching it unfold. I want them to put me back at square one.
Neat read and I don’t think you should feel guilty at all for “re-buying” games on the FDS as it were. I’d love to explode some Pols with my voice, but some audio on the FDS is really quite different than what the NES ever did. Like the Zelda 1 title theme, it’s almost mystical how it sounds.
Zelda 1 was pretty awesome discovering as a kid for me. My 6 year older brother and Dad would mostly play and I’d watch. But particularly my Dad, it was the only game I know that he got good at. I think I mentioned before he named his Link “WACK-MAN” which still cracks me up thinking about that. He beat the 2nd quest and that will always remain a legendary feat to me considering those Nintendo Power days. Did he use Nintendo Power? Did Nintendo Power ever feature tips on the 2nd quest? I’m not sure but my Dad had the info on the game. It was no doubt his favorite game.
Later on when the SNES and N64 came out he complained that there were too many buttons. It simply became too hard for him to play. That’s why Zelda is awesome though, the very simple yet fun game play can attract all kinds of players. My Dad did not play games much at all if I recall correctly but he did like Zelda.
It’s been a long time since I played and beat Zelda 1. It might be time for me to revisit the game and think of my Dad some more. 🙂 (He’s been about 6 years passed)
Dude, this is a great story. I am sorry that he has passed, but it sounds like you have some fond memories.
I find the NES kind of mirrors the situation now where a really wide berth of people are playing games. My folks played games with us too, particularly Super Mario Brothers. It was a highly energized climate for a while.
Perhaps you should pick up LoZ again, then, and have WACK-MAN come back with a vengeance!
Interesting read about the first Zelda and your Dad, Aquas. Sorry about the parenthesis part, though.
Anyway, posting again here because I beat Skyward Sword last month.
When I saw the first trailer it was looking pretty good to me. The colors were much more vibrant than their last (TP) and the settings looked great, though really there wasn’t much to judge at that point. Then I saw Link’s character model and pretty much lost interest in the game (shallow, I know, but who isn’t?). I still maintain the notion after beating the game that Link looks horrible ingame. The actual art outside of the game looks fine, so I hope Nintendo does a better job next time, though I’m not expecting it.
So before I played I was expecting to feel as meh about it as TP, and (shock) I was wrong. Really enjoyed SS. I’m singling out TP here, but it was the last console Zelda and I played it like four months before SS. TP felt like a worse version of OoT to me. It was like more of the same and didn’t add much with a worse setting.
It may seem minor, but the dashing makes the game seem more fun to play. I never had too much problem with the motion controls. The music is pretty friggin’ good. The Kiwiks and the mole things were fantastic additions. Ghiramim (my spelling is surly wrong on some of these) is the best sub-villian of the series. I liked Groose the best, but the rest of the locales were fine. Spoilers, probably not, but I didn’t miss Epona or Ganon at all. In fact, Demise is great and easily the hardest end boss of the 3D Zeldas that I’ve played. Though still very manageable if you prepare.
The flying around Skyloft with your bird was one my least favorite things about SS. It was just so goddamn slow when you didn’t go through those ring things and it’s tiring to always flick your Wiimote up and you go around flying a lot.
Think that’s about it. :p
Glad to hear you liked Skyward Sword, because yes – I do remember you were dubious as to whether or not you would enjoy it. And hey, Twilight Princess is fair game as long as you don’t besmirch Midna’s hindquarters!
I watched someone livestream about an hour of Skyward Sword, not enough to spoil it on myself but I do want to try it. I’ll probably end up playing my brother’s if he picks it up. As hard as I am on Zelda, I can’t resist running through it if given half a chance. I wouldn’t care if the series ended tomorrow, but I still always want the best for it!
So as always I will enter with zero preconceptions, but I’m a little more on the positive side this time.
Yeah, I guess Midna has a decent behind.
Yeah, I am curious of what you’ll think of SS after playing, more so after beating. I already told you that the Oracle games were the last Zeldas I liked, so SS sort of restored my faith for the series.
Actually, I wouldn’t have cared if it ended before playing through SS, but regardless, I can’t imagine the series not going another 25.
That’s the best way to start, and I say you should be. :p