A game from before I was born! How does it hold up in 2021?
I should note that I have played this game before, but I hadn't beaten it. I decided to finish it since this year is Zelda's 35th anniversary. Nintendo did something for Mario's 35th anniversary last year, so I'm hoping they do something to celebrate Zelda's this year. I'm thinking I might replay the original sometime soon also, especially since my wife is out of town for a few weeks and I can play some clunky games that aren't great to watch. I have previously played through most of the series, but this game and the Oracle of Ages/Seasons games have eluded me for whatever reason.
This was a short game, so I think it's only fair that I keep my "review" short as well. Does this game hold up in 2021? No. This game is full of really weird, archaic game design things that don't make any sense with modern eyes. It also punishes trying new things because all of your resources are so tight in the game. There are lots of well-hidden borderline necessary secrets that you should uncover to aid in your playthrough with no indication whatsoever. There are no difference in world map tiles that contain secrets and those that don't and many are not hinted at whatsoever. When you are in the side-scrolling segments the game is really punishing because many of the enemies read your inputs and react accordingly as you enter your input without delay. It gives you the feeling that the game is cheating. If you watch some tips videos or a speedrun though, you learn that you can kind of cheat the game right back. I have literally no idea how you would/could beat this game without a walkthrough or obscene patience.
That being said, I think there is a lot of good here that hasn't adequately been explored since this game's release 34 years ago. The game is a 2D action RPG and I really think there is some more that could be done with the genre. This game is kind of a rough example, but there is something inherently fun here that I haven't experienced elsewhere. I think maybe this game evolved into Metroid and I think that's a great thing! But I do think that a game with play similar to this, but with modern game design sensibilities would be really fun to play. Also, this music is wall to wall bops.
So much for short! Would I recommend this game? No. Am I glad I played it? Yes, maybe for some weird pride reason. Would I play it again? Nah, I'll just check out the soundtrack on YouTube.
Comments
Post a Comment