The legend began with this game...
.Unlike other NES games, sprites don't flicker like crazy.
.The start of the Zelda series.
.One of the only NES games that's still fun to play today.
.More focused on combat unlike other Zelda games.
.Great music.
.Fun to go around and kill stuff.
Bad Stuff:
.You'll NEED an FAQ.
.Lack of towns(everyone lives in tiny caves or dungeons.)
.Doesn't live up to today's Zelda games.
.Dungeons have a plain design.
As I said, this was the start of the Zelda series and a good start at that. I never played this game when it was first released on the NES in 1987 in the UK. It's top-down like other retro Zelda games, and it has fun and simple combat.
The best thing about this is that Hyrule is MASSIVE! It's fun and addictive to walk around and kill all the different types of enemies that are around you but there's no detailed map of Hyrule,so you'll pretty much be needing a FAQ to find the dungeon your supposed to go to or to get important things.
The game is literally puzzless unlike other Zelda games, so it's much more focused on combat then puzzles.
The combat is very simple, you press one button to attack and some other button to use your secondary item.
Although simple and plain,it does the simple combat much more better then other top-down Zelda games and that's why it's probably the best of em' (apart from Phantom Hourglass!)
Here's the summing up:
Graphics: It really shows it's age, but they are some of the best graphics on the NES as the sprites don't flicker like crazy when there's more then 3 of em'! 7/10
Story: The evil Ganondorf has kidnapped the princess of Hyrule,Zelda for the power of the Triforce. Before it's too late, Zelda shatered the Triforce into 8 pieces and scattered them around Hyrule. Link(who knows why it's him) Has to collect the Triforce to defeat Ganondorf! Yes I know it's simple but not as simple as other games in it's time. 7/10
Sound&Music: The sound effects and music are pretty great, but sometimes as it was done on a primitive sound system, it can get dogey and the few soundtracks can get repetitive. 8/10
Gameplay: Plain, puzzless and simple, just the way I like it with retro games! 9/10
Overall: A solid start for one of the best series ever made and it is easily reccommended for any fan of the series! 7.5/10