The Legend of Zelda scores 9/10 in the verdict of The Games Market editorial team.
Once Upon a Time
The Legend of Zelda: May the Triforce Be with You
by Simon Larocca·May 6, 2024
In the beginning there was the Triforce.
Then came the princesses, the villains, and the heroes destined to fight them for generations, in an apparently endless circle.
Di sicuro, this aspect so far has been a good thing for us video game players and collectors, because it has allowed us to enjoy one of the longest-lasting and most fabulous sagas in the history of video games.
I’m talking about The Legend of Zelda, an absolute masterpiece that saw the light of day in 1986 in Japan, and which later became a huge hit all over the world, giving rise to characters so iconic that they could rival Nintendo’s ultimate mascot, namely the mustachioed plumber Mario.
Approaching the Zelda saga means immersing oneself in a narrative universe as fascinating as a Terry Brooks novel, with fairy creatures, enchanted woods, territories infested by relentless enemies, and weapons hidden in the depths of labyrinthine dungeons.
The NES version represents a small Holy Grail for long-time collectors due to its rarity, but not only that.
The beauty of the cover and the richly illustrated manual, which on their own constitute an invaluable gem, enrich the gaming experience we are going to have when we insert the cartridge into our marvelous machine.
Link, the chosen hero, will have the task of recovering the fragments of the Triforce from the Shrines scattered throughout the world of Hyrule, so as to acquire the powers needed to defeat Ganon, the terrible emissary of Evil, a diabolical being who not only wants to seize the pieces of the Triforce, but has also kidnapped Zelda, the princess guardian of the sacred artifact.
Every self-respecting Zelda game features an essential trinity: Link, Ganon, and Zelda, the princess who over the decades will undergo a truly interesting process of growth and redefinition. With his green cap, sword, and shield, Link is instead the perfect embodiment of the Hero, a character whose characterization is defined by the way the supporting characters relate to him: Link never speaks, a fundamental feature of the series that will be maintained to this day.
The contrast between Good and Evil, the importance of balance, and respect for the Earth and its precepts represent the foundations of Legend of Zelda: all of this made the video game and its sequels a precursor of themes that would later be explored and examined in every way by other media.
A this point you might ask yourselves: The Legend of Zelda as a tool for mass awareness? No, I don’t think Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary Dream Creator of Nintendo, intended to develop anything other than simply a nice, fun game, with the main purpose of entertaining, but I have always found certain parallels very interesting.
First of all, the Shrines to which Link goes in search of the Triforce always involve trials to overcome, and to do so the hero must learn to know his enemies and the world in which he moves. The monsters that try to throw a wrench in his plans are all evil emanations of the land they infest, while Zelda is the personification of respect and justice.
Ganon, as an aberration, is the shadow that Link is destined to dispel, perhaps forever, destiny and curse alike.
Combattendo con tutte le sue triforze.
9
Pro
Iconic characters and unforgettable bosses: the Adventure with a capital A
A vast and intricate game world, highly varied and with longevity that will leave you speechless
Exemplary in every department, sonically catchy, colorful and pleasing graphics: technically perfect
Contro
The difficulty with which it is presented to the player leaves little room for too many mistakes: a long and exhausting learning curve
At times scattered due to the vastness of the main setting
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
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