Up until a few years ago, I had never been an incredibly HUGE fan of The Legend of Zelda. Allow me to briefly explain - I loved the series, and respected the games for their mostly revolutionary trappings, but surprisingly few of the games cracked my top 10 Favorite Games list at any one time. That list was managed by Mega Man, Mario, Terra (Final Fantasy VI) and Cecil (Final Fantasy IV).
Playing some of The Wind Waker, and then seeing the first Twilight Princess trailer, is what possibly turned me around. I've been in a mad dash to "catch up" - as it were - on this old series. I just started playing Ocarina of Time a couple of months ago, and am slowly but surely getting through it. I just started replaying A Link to the Past on the GBA, and began the Minish Cap (also on the GBA).
On the same collector's disc that houses Ocarina of Time lie the two originals: The Legend of Zelda and Link's Adventure. The Legend of Zelda - well hey, everyone has fond memories of that.
What of the red-headed stepchild of the series, then? That being, of course, Link's Adventure.
Oddly enough, that was the first Zelda game I had ever played. I was given a NES after that game had been released, and because I was a stupid 7-year-old child who based purchase decisions on silly things like colors, I asked my sister to get Link's Adventure. If you remember the box art, the title was in blue, whereas The Legend of Zelda's title was in red. Blue was (and still is), naturally, my favorite color. So we picked up Link's Adventure.
Yeah, go figure.
I just started replaying this game with a 24-and-a-half year-old's experienced gamer mindset. While some of the nostalgic moments of the game make me smile, it's the overall design - which I now recognize as genius - that surprises me. Surprised in terms of the amount of backlash towards this game, that is; it simply amazes me. It combines the adventuring element of the first game with skill-based, challenging and engaging, heavily action-oriented gameplay. It at once both befriends and alienates you by giving you townspeople to talk to, and then thrusting you headfirst into a palace where you get that Metroid-like feeling of being helplessly alone.
The presentation, perhaps, is a big part of that latter concept. The palaces look downright creepy. The enemies are now fully drawn-out in bigger sprites, and some of them look absolutely terrifying. When you lose all of your life (and lives), a blood red screen flashes as the silhouette of Ganon appears on the screen - laughing at you in evil mockery. Let's not get started on the music in these palaces, which is so belligerent, demonic and antagonizing all in one fell swoop such that every single enemy you destroy causes your scowl to scrunch tighter and tighter as your bloodlust rises.
If I may make a quick and not fully researched observation, this may be perhaps one of the darkest games in the series.
But it's the combat and platforming that really bring this adventure its air of unique dread. Dissolving platforms and precarious jumps, which when missed will give you a nice steamy lava bath, tax your reflexes and panic threshold. Enemies take flight and snipe at you, or jump on your head, or combat you with the same skill as you possess.
Remember your very first fight with an Ironknuckle? Fighting the recoil that Nintendo programmed in after every hit, whether successful or deflected? Staying light on your feet to counteract that recoil and stay within range? Balancing both the need to defend against his strikes while successfully penetrating his defenses in what are perhaps the most intense sword-fighting moments in NES history (eat your heart out, Ninja Gaiden)? Remember that sense of dread when you first witness the blood-red Ironknuckle that took more hits... or the bright blue Ironknuckle that tosses his blades at you? Like certain scorpions, his bright glowing colors served as venomous warning.
My spine is tingling at this very moment.
I myself did this classic a huge disservice in my retro-review of it on RPGamer.com. I am personally striking that review from the record, even if the site continues to host it. Link's Adventure is nothing short of fantastic.
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