Experience an early slice of gaming history with this late-1985 pre-release prototype of Nintendo’s foundational action-adventure masterpiece for the Famicom Disk System (NES). Before it went on to define the genre, this beta build featured fascinating, subtle differences in level layouts, enemy placements, and audio that give fans a unique glimpse into the creation of a legend.
How to play
Guide the young hero through the treacherous overworld and labyrinthine dungeons of Hyrule to recover the scattered fragments of the Triforce. Use the D-pad (mapped to arrow keys) to navigate from a top-down perspective. Press the A button (Z or X on your keyboard) to strike enemies with your sword, and the B button to use your equipped secondary item, such as the boomerang or bombs. Press Start (Enter) to access the sub-screen where you can select items and check your progress.
Tips
- Keep your health completely full to shoot sword beams, which lets you safely dispatch enemies from a distance.
- Experiment with bombs on cracked dungeon walls and use the candle to burn solitary bushes in the overworld, as many hide secret shops and valuable heart containers.
- If you find yourself stuck in a dungeon room, try defeating every enemy on the screen; this often unlocks the doors to proceed.
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