The Legend of Zelda
ゼルダの伝説
- Year
- 1986
- Developer
- Nintendo R&D4
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Platform
- FC / NES
- Hardware
- Family Computer (8-bit)
- Genre
- Action-Adventure
- Players
- 1 player
- Controls
- D-pad + A (sword) / B (item)
- Series
- The Legend of Zelda series
Gameplay Screenshots
About This Game
The Legend of Zelda invented the open-world action adventure. The kingdom of Hyrule is a single seamless overworld you can explore in any direction, dotted with caves, secret grottoes and eight underground labyrinths. You play Link, a boy entrusted with collecting the eight fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom before Ganon can reassemble it.
The game quietly establishes most of the series' rules: bombable walls, burnable bushes, bomb-bag and sword upgrades sold in hidden shops, and a second, harder quest that rearranges every dungeon and item location once you finish the first. Its save battery meant progress was kept between sessions, which was genuinely novel for a 1986 console cartridge - and its map-based exploration still makes it the template for the genre.
- One seamless overworld you can explore in any order
- Eight dungeons plus a remixed Second Quest after completion
- Bomb-and-burn secret system - hidden caves are everywhere
- Battery-backed save, unusual for a 1986 cartridge
Version History
- Famicom Disk System (Japan)1986-02-21
Original release as a disk game with an extra sound channel.
- NES US version1987-08-22
Cartridge release with battery save. The version on this page.
- Game Boy Advance / Virtual Console2004
Officially re-released on later Nintendo platforms.
Cheats & Secrets
Register the name "ZELDA"Start the Second Quest immediatelyOn the name entry screen, type ZELDA. The game begins in the rearranged Second Quest instead of the normal first playthrough - dungeon layouts, item locations and enemy placement are all changed.
Second Quest completionHear the secret soundFinish the Second Quest and a hidden audio track plays on the title screen - a small reward for the game's hardest challenge.
Tips & Strategy
Bomb every suspicious wall
Cracked-looking walls and dead ends in dungeons are almost always bombable. If a room has a wall segment with no exit behind it, bomb it.
Buy the Blue Ring early
The Blue Ring halves all damage taken. Saving for it before tackling dungeon four makes the mid-game dramatically easier than grinding hearts.
Burn bushes on the overworld
A single bush in each screen region hides a secret. The Candle is one of the most valuable items in the game because it opens the overworld up.
Map the Second Quest before you grind
The Second Quest relocates every item. Exploring systematically - one region at a time - saves hours of wandering without the map.
Download Resources
Resource packs for this game are provided through the button below.
⬇ Coming soon