The Legend of Zelda (1986)

Developer: Nintendo R&D4
Publisher: Nintendo, Playtronic
Platforms: Family Computer Disk System, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Family Computer, Wii U, Nintendo Entertainment System
Genres: Adventure
Rating: 4.0 of 5, 728 player ratings
Main story: about 6.5 hours
Completionist: about 8.0 hours
Where to get it: Nintendo eShop

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

The legendary original Zelda invites free exploration of a dangerous overworld and dungeon-crawling to restore a shattered relic.

classicexplorationadventurefantasynostalgicopen worldpuzzle-heavy

About

The Legend of Zelda is the first title in the Zelda series, it has marked the history of video games particularly for it's game mechanics and universe. The player controls Link and must make his way through the forests, graveyards, plains and deserts of the Otherworld to find the secret entrances to the eight dungeons and try to restore the broken Triforce. Among the game's mechanics, it was the first time we saw a continuous world that could be freely explored, power-ups that permanently enhanced the main character's abilities and a battery save feature that allowed players to keep their progress instead of having to start over. The gameplay balanced action sequences with discovery, secrets and exploration.

Screenshots

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More by Nintendo

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.