This is one of the most famous games in the history of the NES, so I don't really feel like I need to write too much about the gameplay on this one. I'm sure just about all of you reading this out there already know what kind of a game it is. You would think that after so many years of playing this game I would know what to expect, but there were a few things that surprised me this time around.
Before anyone asks me I will say that I did play through both the first and second quest. What surprised me going through the first quest again was how easy it was. Of course I have been playing this game for over twenty years so it should be easy by now. I would say that this was either the second or third game we got for the NES although it's a little bit difficult for me to remember exactly. My dad got our first NES for Christmas in 1988 or 1989 which would make me about four years old. The first game we got was the Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cart that came with the system. We didn't have much money back then, so I remember that for the first year or so that was the only game we had to play. There weren't even any cheap rental places near us yet. We probably got Zelda either the next Christmas or my Dad's birthday. Anyway, you can imagine what it was like only having a couple of games to play. We must have played it pretty much constantly. Needless to say all that wasted youth paid off and now I can get through the first quest with very little difficulty. I never even got trapped by any Like Likes eat my shield which did help the time go by quicker. I did miss two heart containers which surprised me a little, but as it turned out I didn't really need them. I had a pretty good time going back and reliving old memories while playing this great old game.
My attitude started to change a little when I started playing through the second quest however. I don't know how many of you have played it, but it is much trickier than the first quest. Most of the dungeons are hidden under trees and rocks, so you can spend hours wandering around with your candle, recorder, and bracelet hoping to stumble across the entrance to the next level. I had only been through the second quest once, so all this searching was much more difficult. Other than a few screens that get switched around the map doesn't change. The enemies don't change either.It also seems like there are only two or three different boss characters recycled over and over again in the dungeons. It seems like I killed about fifty Dodongoes in there. All of this gets really repetitive after a while. Be careful you don't start talking to the trees like they're old friends. You're probably going to burn them down anyway.
So about halfway through the second quest my fatigue really started to set in. I guess playing both games back to back wasn't such a good idea. Just turning on the system made me angry, and searching for a dungeon made me want to get rid of this blog and do something productive with my life. I pushed on though, cursing at every one way hidden wall and filling with rage every time I saw a Red Bubble. I hate those Red Bubbles! When I finally killed Gannon for real it was very satisfying. I danced in his ashes before I saved the princess. When you go into the next room you find Zelda surrounded by some fireballs. I walked into one of them and it did hurt me. That made me think about how much it would suck if you beat Gannon with your last heart after trying several times, and when you went into the next room you accidentally walked into a fireball and died. I probably would've had a heart attack right there and died. Then who would write about video games?
Anyway, I think I'm getting a little carried away again. Zelda is undeniably a classic. It pushed gaming to a new level and set the standard for many years to come. However, I'm glad that it's over so I can put it back on my shelf and forget about it again. Sometimes this gaming lifestyle gets to be a little too much. Maybe I'll go read a book tonight. I think I will do that right after a couple rounds of Ninja Gaiden.
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