Game Information and Basic Controls
Story
This game has one hero named Link, who is destined to save the land of Hyrule from the evil Ganondorf. The town of Hyrule has a legend. Before human life existed, three goddesses (Din, Farore and Nayru) made the land through three different abilities (power, courage and wisdom). These three abilities combine to form the almighty Triforce. If the Triforce goes under the power of a good person, the land will be preserved. If it goes under the power of an evil person, it becomes a dangerous place to live. Ganondorf works for the King of Hyrule in the past in order to gain the Triforce. When you find the three spiritual stones, you can open the Door of Time and advance seven years into the future to become the true Hero of Time (in the past, you're a young boy and aren't really convincing as the Hero of Time). When you open the Door of Time, Ganondorf possesses the Power portion of the Triforce and takes over Hyrule. You can't do anything to stop that, so all you can do is face up to him. Link grew up as a Kokiri under the guidance of the Great Deku Tree. Legend says that any Kokiri who leaves the forest will die. With the help of the Hyrule gods and his many friends, Link will find the three spiritual stones to open the Door of Time and go into the future to find the 5 medallions (the Light Medallion is given to you when you start the journey, but you must gain the others). You will meet many people and help them to become happy again. You will also travel back and forth through time. Enjoy the game and good luck!
Technical Info
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy
Designer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
System: Nintendo 64
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Player(s): 1
Release Dates: November 21, 1998 (Japan), November 23, 1998 (North America)
My Review
This classic Zelda game is the first to use full-screen graphics without the flat 2D effect of the previous Game Boy and NES/SNES installments of the series. This is the game that reinvigorated the popularity of Zelda from the 1980s and a whole new generation of gamers, myself included. With legendary characters, enhanced plotlines, graphics and animation that remains impressive today, and classic music, this is the Zelda game that set a new standard for adventure games on all levels. I must say that the violence is not extreme at all and kids as young as 9 should be able to play the game. I was a little older (12 or 13) when I played the game, but that's simply because I didn't know about Zelda (I was more into the Mario series). The "violence" of the game is hitting enemies with weapons (swords, slingshot, boomerang, hammer, etc.) and seeing green stuff sprayed from some enemies and Ganondorf when they're attacked. Anyway, I can't see any extreme offensive material for kids, so don't be worried about it. There are other video games out there with extreme violence, so don't assume the word "violence" means a lot of blood and guts.
Pros: Classic gameplay action, terrific graphics and animation, funny dialogue, memorable characters, great music, very fun mini-games and side quests, reasonable dungeons and boss fights
Cons: Slower pace and gameplay control (improved upon in MM and later Zelda games), no easy transportation as a kid (long walks)
Overall: Superb classic- 10/10
Age Recommendation: 9 and up
Decoding My Directions
All compass directions are based on the maps found on the game screen. Basically, north = up, south = down, east = right, west = left, northwest = up & left, northeast = up & right, southwest = down & left, and southeast = down & right.
Sometimes I use a short form #x that means number of times to do something. For example, 2x means “2 times”.
Major items and weapons are bookended by *s for easy searching. To search a keyword in my walkthrough (e.g. *Heart Piece*), use Ctrl + F (or Edit, Find).
You will also notice that at the top of each section of my walkthrough is a tallied list of important items, weapons, and other things found in the section, with a total listing beside it separated by //. For example, you might have found two Heart Pieces in one section and had found two Heart Pieces in the previous section(s), with a total of 45 in the game, so the tally would look like this: 2 // 4/45.
Basic Controls
Walking/Running: Use the Control Stick and point it in the direction you wish Link to walk. The more you press on the Control Stick, the faster he walks. Don't press the stick too hard :o)
Jumping: Link automatically jumps if you move him quickly over a gap. Don't make him jump too far a distance or he'll fall.
Swimming: Use the Control Stick while on the surface of the water to swim. Continually tapping the B Button allows Link to swim faster.
Diving: Look at the Action Icon (blue button at the top of the screen). When it says Dive, press and hold the A Button. Link will dive as far down as he possibly can according to the scales (see Items list.)
Climbing: Point the Control Stick up or down to climb walls or ladders. If you hang on to the edge of a wall and the Action Icon says Down, press the A button and Link will drop safely to the ground below.
Grabbing (Pushing/Pulling/Throwing/Dropping Items): When you come across an object that you can push or pull, walk up to it and watch the Action Icon. When it says Grab, press A for Link to grab on and use the Control Stick up to push or down to pull. When an item can be picked up, walk up to it (or in some cases, press the appropriate C button for an item that you have in the Select Items Subscreen), then press A when it says Drop. If you wish to throw the item, walk quickly in the direction you wish to go and press A when the Action Icon says Throw.
Opening Doors/Chests: Stand in front of the chest or door. When the Action Icon says Open, press the A Button.
Sword and Basic Combat
Swing Vertically: Z + A
Swing Horizontally: B or Z + Control Stick left or right + B
Stab: Z + Control Stick up + B
Spin Attack: Hold B and release (power increases depending on how long the B Button is held.)
Jump Attack: Z + A
Roll Attack: Control Stick up + A
Side Jumping: Z + Control Stick left or right + A
Back Flip: Z + Control Stick down + A
Raising Your Shield: Hold R button and you can move it while raised with the Control Stick
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