I Played Zelda 1 NES in 2023, and it was NOT What I Expected

For more Zelda videos in this same style of video format, look here!: Zelda 2: https://youtu.be/_Qs_QOfI-Rg A Link to the Past: https://youtu.be/mylRdMms-cY Link's Awakening: https://youtu.be/m_y7PiOsEsE

As an old man of 45, it makes me so happy to see younger people enjoying the classic NES games that ruled my adolescent and teen years.

It's hard to properly explain how much more fun this game was than anything else you could do back in 1986.

The grumble guy gave me fits when I first encountered him as a kid. I spent a whole week not knowing what to do. Then, one day at dinner, I was lamenting to my family about how I was stuck and there was this stupid guy in the way who just said "grumble grumble." My mom started brain storming ideas and then she said "Could it maybe be a stomach grumble?" I then shouted "That's it" and ran from the table because I knew giving him the food would work. One of my favorite video game breakthroughs.

Back then in schools people were talking about the things they found in the game, sharing secrets and tips, so the adventure was not only on the screen but continued in your real life as well, especially with the manual and maps which were crucial for a good experience. Playing it today on an emulator without that is clearly a different and more steril approach and I think this is why a lot of people are put off by it.

"so then I wandered around aimlessly for a while". Perfectly captures the experience. Gaming in the 80s truly was a different vibe.

If you've ever read Miyamoto's old interviews, Breath of the Wild was basically the realization of the Zelda game he always dreamed of since creating it in 1986 - free exploration inspired by the forests and caves near his childhood house. Of course it would take several decades for the technology to get there.

This game really did change the way we viewed games. Everything back then was spaceship shoot laser, get points. Zelda 1 was such a breath of fresh air.

I am 50yrs old..... Imagine going from SPACE INVADERS... to this. Mind blown. The MERE FACT that you can "save a game" was mind blowing. Nobody knew what "saving a game" meant. Much less "PLAY VIDEO GAMES IN YOUR HOUSE". Mind Blown!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The dungeons weren't called numbered levels "to pay homage to" Mario; it's actually a bit more complicated than that. Mario and Zelda were being developed at the same time, and originally the dungeons were the game. So levels 1-9 were literally levels 1-9. The overworld was added fairly late in the game's development because they wanted something that was very different from Mario with its straight-line progression.

One thing you may not know about since you are young, is that back in '86 there was an actual number you could call to ask Nintendo what to do next. This was advertised as the Nintendo Hotline and a Gamemaster with all the answers in front of them could tell you where to go after describing your progress to them. This idea led to the creation of game guides, where players could buy the printed guide instead of calling someone at Nintendo with the guide. With the advent of the internet, guides fell out of favor as now players could just share information on game secrets with each other!

6:05 The Japanese translation of what the moblin says is more like "Now keep this a secret from everyone" - the implication is that the moblin is bribing Link so he doesn't have to fight him, but he doesn't want his evil friends to know.

I’m 46 in the fall and yeah…playing these originals as a child was magical….It is special how a game like this tapped into your sense of adventure and exploration as you got to leave reality for the first time and immerse yourself in another world and BE a hero…there was nothing like it for a preteen and it moved me and my friends deeply….I’m so glad I experienced NES games as the world changed….ALSO…I think before the Internet we all helped each other figure games out because we interacted more and we were all going through the much more limited selection of games at the same time…

The magic book makes it so that you shoot a fireball with the Wizzrobe wand, along with the normal magic missile-type projectile attack.

The grumble grumble bit is my favorite puzzle in all of gaming. When I was a kid, me and my uncle play the original Zelda and we must have wondered for 30 minutes what the hell we were supposed to do there. Finally my uncle realized it was the guy being hungry, not angry and he gave him the food. That was such an amazing feeling figuring that out. But I saw in the manual when you put it on-screen they DO give you a hint. When it's showing how you should make your own maps, for level 7 it says a hungry moblin will confront you!

I dont mind slowdown old games. Going into slow motion when there are a ton of entities maked me feel like I'm dodging bullets in slow motion like Neo

The choice between the potion and the heart container comes from an earlier stage of development where you couldn't buy potions. So if you have six hearts and you're about to enter a hard dungeon, the choice would be "Do I want seven hearts, or do I want the ability to completely restore all of them twice?" at which point I'd call it a real choice.

Didn't realize until after seeing this that those little goats that launch swords are Lynels. Shows that they've been a problem since the beginning 😂

The good ol’ days of your parents driving you home from picking up a game and diving into the manual in the back seat.

I remember when this game came out kids on the school bus brought the map that came with the game and was pouring over it swapping discoveries and strategies. What an amazing time that was. No internet to guide you, just your friends haha.