The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda
Also known as: Zelda no Densetsu: The Hyrule Fantasy (JP, FDS) Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Platforms: NES, Famicom Disk System Released in JP: February 21, 1986 (FDS), February 19, 1994 (Famicom) Released in US: August 22, 1987 Released in EU: November 15, 1987 This game has unused enemies. This game has regional differences. This game has revisional differences.

The Legend of Zelda features Link on a quest to save Zelda from the evil Gannon (sic!). On his way, he gets no help at all, except for the Old Man who gives him a random stick he picked up somewhere (plus some vague hints), and is on his own in the vast land of Hyrule.

Subpages

Console Differences Because not everyone has a Famicom Disk System. Some have a Game Boy Advance.

Unused Enemy Type

Enemy type $42 is a Gleeok with one head, unused in the final game. This can be seen by freezing RAM address $0350 at $42 and changing screens.

Unused Text

クワシイコトハ　マニュアルヲ　ヨミマショウ

In both the FDS and Famicom cartridge versions, this unused string of text is found at the end of the treasure listing. It served the same purpose and says basically the same thing as the sign Link is holding in the final game.

Revisional Differences

To do: Other differences?

Heart Container Glitch

In the original FDS release (v1.0), there is a glitch that allows players to easily get a lot of extra Heart Containers: on the eastern shoreline, there's a Heart Container that is normally only reachable with the Ladder. However, if you use the Flute while standing in the same row as it you'll pick up the Heart Container when the whirlwind drags you across the screen, and the Heart Container will still be there when you return.

The number of dungeons you've completed seems to determine how many times you can do this, so if you've only completed two dungeons, you can only do this twice. The number of Heart Containers will still max out at 16, and you can't get any more than that. This trick is perhaps most effective in the much harder Second Quest, where you obtain the Flute in Level 2. Using this trick makes the Second Quest much easier not only because of increased life, but the quicker you increase the number of hearts you have the quicker you can obtain the stronger swords.

This glitch was fixed in v1.1.

Title Screen

PRG0	PRG1

The PRG1 version adds a trademark symbol to the title screen.

Save Option Screen

PRG0	PRG1	Animal Crossing

The PRG1 version adds a small warning to the Continue/Save/Retry screen. The elusive Animal Crossing version of the game keeps this screen layout but removes the warning, as it's unnecessary on the GameCube. It's worth noting that The Legend of Zelda is one of only two games (the other being Super Mario Bros.) that are completely unobtainable in Animal Crossing without a game enhancer such as Action Replay.

Some Virtual Console versions use this screen layout as well.

Screen Transitions

The Famicom re-release on cartridge has smoother screen transitions compared to the FDS and NES versions. When you enter or exit a cave in the FDS and NES versions, the frame blinks briefly; this was fixed in the Famicom re-release.

English Localization

Some of the hints were changed rather than translated for the English localization. The severe Engrish and odd reasoning behind some of the changes makes it unclear what Nintendo had in mind for some of the choices made.

Level 1

Japanese	English
オカネガナクナレバ 　ヤ　ハ　ツカエナイ	EASTMOST PENNINSULA IS THE SECRET.

Literal translation: "You can't use arrows if you run out of money."

The hint in the Japanese version is a useful tip on how the Bow works, which you get in this dungeon. In the English version, it was changed to a hint for a secret 100 Rupee location.

Level 5

Japanese	English
オトニヨワイ　イキモノ ガイル	SECRET POWER IS SAID TO BE IN THE ARROW.

Literal translation: "There are some creatures that are weak against sound."

The hint in the Japanese version refers to the Pols Voice's weakness. Since the Famicom microphone controller was never released outside of Japan, the method to defeat Pols Voice was changed and the text change reflects this.

Level 7

Japanese	English
メガネイワ　ハ　シヘノ 　イリグチ	THERE'S A SECRET IN THE TIP OF THE NOSE.

Literal translation: "Spectacle Rock is an entrance to death."

The hint for how to find Level 9 was for some reason moved to Level 8 (see below). "The tip of the nose" is apparently the room in Level 7 where a secret path to the boss' lair is found. A very odd choice...

Level 8

Japanese	English
デスマウンテンデ　ヤヲ サガセ	SPECTACLE ROCK IS AN ENTRANCE TO DEATH.

Literal translation: "Look for the arrows in Death Mountain."

The English version's hint was moved from Level 7 and in the process replaced the hint for where to find the Silver Arrows. What?!

Japanese	English
ライオンノカギヲサガセ	10TH ENEMY HAS THE BOMB.

Literal translation: "Search for the Lion Key."

The hint that you should look for the Magical Key in Level 8 (aka Lion) was replaced with... not the most helpful of hints.

(The English line may be an attempt to hint that if you defeat ten enemies without getting hit and defeat the 10th one with a bomb, said enemy will drop a set of four bombs. If you defeat the 10th enemy with the sword, it will give you a blue Rupee instead.)

Level 9

Japanese	English
アカイユビワヲ　ミツケ タカイ	EYES OF SKULL HAS A SECRET.

Literal translation: "Have you found the Red Ring?"

The reminder that you should probably find the Red Ring was changed to a hint for how to find the Compass.

Japanese	English
イチバンウエ　ノ　サカ イメヲ　コワセ	PATRA HAS THE MAP.

Literal translation: "Destroy the topmost boundary."

The Japanese line may be a hint for how to find the Red Ring, but it's really vague and could as well refer to something else. Maybe that's the reason it was ultimately replaced in the English version?

(What's odd is that this hint was already in place in the prototype version of the game, where all the items in Level 9 were still in different locations.)

Level 6, Second Quest

Japanese	English
ミズウミノ　キタ　ニハ 　ヒミツガ　アル	SOUTH OF ARROW MARK HIDES A SECRET.

Literal translation: "There’s a secret north of a lake." Another really vague hint in the Japanese original that was replaced with something that made more sense - in this case, a hint for finding Level 8.

(Source: Legends of Localization)