In one of Hyrule’s darkest epochs, a young, pointy-eared boy named Link embarks on an epic quest to reassemble the broken Triforce of Wisdom and rescue Princess Zelda from the hands of the villainous, power-hungry Ganon.
The Legend of Zelda is the Zelda series’ debut title. To piece together the fractured Triforce, players must travel through the Overworld’s many forests, graveyards, grasslands, and deserts to uncover the secret entrances to the eight dungeons. Link can enter Death Mountain, Ganon’s home, and Princess Zelda’s prison when all the puzzle pieces are put together.
The game is designed from the top down. Link begins his quest in the Overworld, divided into numerous screens and comprises woods, mountains, and lakes. Link can freely explore the Overworld, but whenever he enters a screen, he will fight multiple opponents, and he can use his sword to attack them. Link can toss his sword to attack opponents from afar while fully healed, but when he is injured, even slightly, he can only fight in melee range.
Hearts represent link’s health; initially, he can only hold three seats, but as the game advances, he will discover heart containers that raise his maximum health. The foes are diverse; some attack from close range, while others fire projectiles. When they are slain, they frequently leave behind an item – a heart to restore energy, rupees that function as money (and can be used to buy things in various shops throughout the Overworld), or bombs that may be picked up and dropped to attack foes or break specific walls. Some goods are weapons or armor, while others help you solve riddles. When enemies are killed, they remain dead and will not reappear when the screen is reloaded.
The link must traverse dungeons to find the Triforce parts. Once inside the jail, he must explore the rooms, fight opponents, and gather keys until he reaches the boss monster, who he must defeat. He will then be able to pick up a Triforce piece, which will grant him a permanent health boost. However, once he does so, all the Overworld monsters resurrect.
If Link dies while on his quest, he can resume it; he will return to his starting point in the Overworld (or the entrance to a dungeon), but with the things he has collected thus far. When Link completes his quest, the player can play the “second quest,” a more challenging version of the game.
The Legend of Zelda is known for several advanced features at the time, including a continuous world that could be freely explored, power-ups that permanently enhanced the main character’s abilities, and a battery backup save feature that allowed players to retain their progress rather than start over. The gameplay alternated between action sequences and discoveries, secrets, and exploration.
