Each passing year sees a select few category specific video games elevated to ?game of the year’ status. These games not only need to be great in stature, they also need to portray a lasting appeal. Even fewer titles from this list are good enough to be called ?classics’; and, once in a blue moon a game earns the title ?legendary’. The Legend of Zelda is one of those games, and it may well prove to be a major stepping stone in the gaming world.
The simplistic yet challenging game has been met by gaming fans with raucous applause. A new hero has finally stepped into the limelight to find himself an instant video game icon. Link has the power to plant bombs, brandish a sword, hurl a boomerang, climb a ladder, and use a torch to search through caverns and dungeons. The adventurous concept and storyline of stopping an evil being named Ganon from receiving a powerful item called the Tri-force has immediately hooked gamers with its wide variety and accessible gameplay.
The game’s speed and story never lags and the dungeon levels never grow old or repetitive. The pointy-eared green elfish lad’s fame has grown from the all-encompassing story, and Link’s ability to solve puzzles, traverse perilous dungeons, and battle beasties. The RPG wasn’t very big in the States until the release of Zelda; it opened new and exciting doors and introduced a fresh genre to American gamers. The Legend of Zelda isn’t likely to be just a stepping stone for any following sequels, it’s a rocket propelled elevator to the land of Hyrule.
In a gaming era when games generally only use two buttons – the ?A’ or the ?B’ button – gameplay is extremely difficult for developers to pull off; the more complex the game, the more confusing the gameplay. But Nintendo are masters of gameplay and even though The Legend of Zelda offers many new elements, they don’t impede its largely simplistic nature. The Legend of Zelda’s gameplay is sheer simple brilliance and may well be revisited again and again for inspiration and motivation for future RPG games.
The graphics are fairly simplistic, but the overhead view complements the gameplay. But, Zelda’s graphics are not its main appeal, but they are certainly good enough to attract gamers. Explosive effects are well executed and the dungeons and mazes are mapped out excellently, providing enough graphical prowess to entice the gamer to figure their own way out. Colors are nicely toned and don’t blend, swords look like real blades, dirt has a distinctly grainy effect, and the hero’s green clothing is varied and never the same as the grass or the trees.
The audio in The Legend of Zelda is one great piece of an even greater whole. The theme songs and dungeon tunes will echo through gamers’ ears and minds for many years to come. The music is fantastic and the sound effects follow suit. Everything from the heavy clanking of swords, to the deep explosion of bombs, or the airy poof of a defeated villain – all the sound effects echo through with clear and definite execution.
The Legend of Zelda has huge replay value, the game’s puzzle filled dungeons, varied weapons and convincing story never gets old. The game is neither too long nor too short; it’s that wonderful Goldilocks ?just right’ length. After fighting to save Zelda, players won’t mind starting all over and looking for other weapons or secrets they may have missed. Replay value has never been so high and this game and its story will remain legendary for as long as gamers remember it.
For many gamers, if The Legend of Zelda hadn’t been made then they may never have started playing video games. This game offers hours of quality entertainment and will be fulfilling for gamers of all ages. This is also the title responsible for swaying American gamers to give RPGs a try; before its release many companies were scared to attempt such a feat but, thankfully, that didn’t include Nintendo. For many of today’s gamers The Legend of Zelda is the epitome of modern gaming.
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