Original "The Legend of Zelda" for NES ported as a native SNES game

FzGpa32WwAIasH8.jpg

The original title that started the beloved Zelda franchise, "The Legend of Zelda" on the NES, has been the imprint to which almost all subsequent games in the franchise would follow suit, mostly those in 2D, but almost every title afterwards followed a similar structure to that of the original. The original NES title has been a beloved title for years, though some don't see themselves going back to it due to some of the hurdles found in it, like the sword stab, lack of direction, non-existent overworld map, secrets seemingly placed at random, etc., but it still is remember by many fondly.

This very game was the main focus for renowned romhacker, infidelity, which has worked before on porting NES titles as native SNES games, like porting Megaman 2 and Megaman 4 to the SNES before it, making "The Legend of Zelda" his 3rd game that he has successfully ported over from the 8-bit NES console into the 16-bit SNES. The porting process is quite the hurdle, as not only does the logic and coding of the game need to be reimplemented into the SNES (which uses 65816 assembly, compared to the NES' 6502), but the way in which graphics work would also need to be reworked to work with the hardware and technicalities of the SNES.

The process was quite a hefty one, and infidelity has been really active over at his Twitter account, showcasing the many aspects of the game in which he has encountered interesting things to tackle and resolve during the porting process, from getting the game to load the title screen graphics properly to start with, to then have the game load the music adequately, and then handle the game save/load, having the proper Link movement working, to then working on all of the game's mechanics, slowly but steady, to reach the point of a stable release. Not only that, but infidelity has also worked on getting MSU-1 support working for the game (for those unaware, MSU-1 allows a SNES game to have CD-quality audio tracks).



The amount of work put into the porting process is nothing short of a technical wonder, from beginning to end, and the game has also been tested to work on real hardware, so those with flashcarts can find the ROM and try it out on their own SNES systems! Those wanting to try it out might have to search around for the ROM online, but it shouldn't be hard to find. It hasn't been confirmed yet if infidelity will work on Quality of Life features for his port or not, hopefully something similar to what The Legend of Zelda Redux romhack does for the original NES title could be possible, but not known if infidelity himself would work on that.
 

RichardTheKing

Honestly XC2>XC3...
Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2020
Messages
1,045
Trophies
1
Age
26
XP
3,203
Country
Australia
Lol, you can't let go of TOTK, can you ?

While I fondly hate this game for the 20 hours of my life it utterly wasted, I have to admit it has one quality: thanks to it, I now consider the concept of 'respect of the player's free time' as part of a game quality.

Zelda 1 could be accomplished in a couple of hours, not 150, so wandering around wasn't that redundant.
The 7 yo me had to go from friends to friends in order to find hints on how to find and beat temples.

Never had the guts to dive in hard mode, then I became a Sega loyalist.
I can't "let go of TotK" (or BotW), because it's seemingly replaced what made this series FUN for so many years - I enjoy Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and The Wind Waker, and can find the fun in Ocarina of Time. Even Skyward Sword, as clogged with unnecessary bloat as it is (breakable shields, inaccurate motion controls, stamina, Pouch, etc.), has an enjoyable formula at its core, making it possible to suffer through the above shit mechanics to experience its dungeons.

We haven't gotten another game in that classic style in over a decade- the last one being Skyward Sword, on the Wii, which was just not a good way to go out. TP HD and TWW HD were fantastic remasters, bringing back two amazing games to the then-modern console, but haven't yet been ported over to Switch, for some stupid reason; Majora's Mask 3D was great too, but requires a fanmade Restoration Patch to be truly amazing - and even then it's on the 3DS, so it can't live up to its full potential.

That's why I despise BotW and TotK so much - it replaced something generally really fun with frustrating, patience-testing, time-wasting, disrespectful open-world bullshit with extremely fragile weaponry and limited stamina. It's like Nintendo's deliberately left behind the heart and soul of Legend of Zelda - even when A Link Between Worlds tried something new by making the usual dungeon items rentable/purchasable in Ravio's shop, it still had additional items found in dungeons regardless (Master Ore, defense-boosting tunics, etc.).

Oh, and speaking of ALBW, we also haven't received a new 2D Zelda in years either - Link's Awakening on Switch was a remake, not something brand-new, though still very much appreciated. We used to have a split between handheld console and TV console, and thus 2D and 3D Zeldas, but with the Switch being both...yeah, nothing. Just fucking awful BotW and TotK with no signs of 2D Zelda ever returning, just like classic 3D Zelda.

If Nintendo would announce a new 2D or classic-3D Zelda, I wouldn't be so utterly pissed off with these two recent titles, but they haven't so I am.

Zelda 1 was fun for what it was, at its time; that should NEVER have been brought back decades later, replacing a solid core formula.
 
Last edited by RichardTheKing,

LuigiXHero

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2014
Messages
183
Trophies
0
XP
1,135
Country
United States
Arent those 4 chapters?

And then the official/unnoficial continuation of A Link to the Past, named: Ancient Stones or something like that.
You're best off just looking through the BS Zelda website: http://bszelda.zeldalegends.net/bszelda.shtml
But there are four complete versions of BS Zelda 1 to pick from for both quests of it. Ranging from trying to be as accurate as possible to making it as close to Zelda 1.

Also yeah this site also is where the ancient stone tablet project is on too which is also fully restored. They both also have english fan dubs.
 

JuanMena

90's Kid, Old Skull Gamer & Artist
Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2019
Messages
4,933
Trophies
2
Age
30
Location
the 90's 💙
XP
10,305
Country
Mexico
You're best off just looking through the BS Zelda website: http://bszelda.zeldalegends.net/bszelda.shtml
But there are four complete versions of BS Zelda 1 to pick from for both quests of it. Ranging from trying to be as accurate as possible to making it as close to Zelda 1.

Also yeah this site also is where the ancient stone tablet project is on too which is also fully restored. They both also have english fan dubs.
Aye aye, have had BS Zelda and Ancient Stone Tablets in my Wii for ages, just couldn't recall which were the NES remakes.

Just saying that, not despising the author's work, but a port of Zelda 1 to SNES seems useless to me because OG Zelda 1 < BS Zelda 1.
 

LuigiXHero

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2014
Messages
183
Trophies
0
XP
1,135
Country
United States
I can't "let go of TotK" (or BotW), because it's seemingly replaced what made this series FUN for so many years - I enjoy Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and The Wind Waker, and can find the fun in Ocarina of Time. Even Skyward Sword, as clogged with unnecessary bloat as it is (breakable shields, inaccurate motion controls, stamina, Pouch, etc.), has an enjoyable formula at its core, making it possible to suffer through the above shit mechanics to experience its dungeons.

We haven't gotten another game in that classic style in over a decade- the last one being Skyward Sword, on the Wii, which was just not a good way to go out. TP HD and TWW HD were fantastic remasters, bringing back two amazing games to the then-modern console, but haven't yet been ported over to Switch, for some stupid reason; Majora's Mask 3D was great too, but requires a fanmade Restoration Patch to be truly amazing - and even then it's on the 3DS, so it can't live up to its full potential.

That's why I despise BotW and TotK so much - it replaced something generally really fun with frustrating, patience-testing, time-wasting, disrespectful open-world bullshit with extremely fragile weaponry and limited stamina. It's like Nintendo's deliberately left behind the heart and soul of Legend of Zelda - even when A Link Between World tried something new by making the usual dungeon items rentable/purchasable in Ravio's shop, it still had additional items found in dungeons regardless (Master Ore, defense-boosting tunics, etc.).

Oh, and speaking of ALBW, we also haven't received a new 2D Zelda in years either - Link's Awakening on Switch was a remake, not something brand-new, though still very much appreciated. We used to have a split between handheld console and TV console, and thus 2D and 3D Zeldas, but with the Switch being both...yeah, nothing. Just fucking awful BotW and TotK with no signs of 2D Zelda ever returning, just like classic 3D Zelda.

If Nintendo would announce a new 2D or classic-3D Zelda, I wouldn't be so utterly pissed off with these two recent titles, but they haven't so I am.

Zelda 1 was fun for what it was, at its time; that should NEVER have been brought back decades later, replacing a solid core formula.
I get that botw, totk isn't for everyone but if you don't like the durability and stamina systems to the point of venomously hating the games then you don't really get them and you're not engaging with the other systems in the game properly. I'd take those games over skyward sword any day and this is coming from someone who's top 3 zeldas are albw, oot and zelda 2.
 

YuseiFD

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2016
Messages
605
Trophies
0
Age
34
XP
2,642
Country
Imagine all the hours and productivity wasted in this pointless effort, to showcase what they call "the ultimate edition" of the game, there is a reason why nintendo never ported this, plus wasn't there some satellite version of this that is snes native ??
 

raxadian

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2018
Messages
4,416
Trophies
1
Age
41
XP
4,624
Country
Argentina
Really? I don't remember them being any worse than original hardware, though the games ran pretty badly even on N64 in retrospect lol.

Well that's the nostalgia effect but anyone who has played the games a lot notices that the N64 games on Gamecube are bad.
 

osaka35

Instructional Designer
Global Moderator
Joined
Nov 20, 2009
Messages
3,757
Trophies
2
Location
Silent Hill
XP
5,999
Country
United States
I can't "let go of TotK" (or BotW), because it's seemingly replaced what made this series FUN for so many years - I enjoy Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and The Wind Waker, and can find the fun in Ocarina of Time. Even Skyward Sword, as clogged with unnecessary bloat as it is (breakable shields, inaccurate motion controls, stamina, Pouch, etc.), has an enjoyable formula at its core, making it possible to suffer through the above shit mechanics to experience its dungeons.

We haven't gotten another game in that classic style in over a decade- the last one being Skyward Sword, on the Wii, which was just not a good way to go out. TP HD and TWW HD were fantastic remasters, bringing back two amazing games to the then-modern console, but haven't yet been ported over to Switch, for some stupid reason; Majora's Mask 3D was great too, but requires a fanmade Restoration Patch to be truly amazing - and even then it's on the 3DS, so it can't live up to its full potential.

That's why I despise BotW and TotK so much - it replaced something generally really fun with frustrating, patience-testing, time-wasting, disrespectful open-world bullshit with extremely fragile weaponry and limited stamina. It's like Nintendo's deliberately left behind the heart and soul of Legend of Zelda - even when A Link Between World tried something new by making the usual dungeon items rentable/purchasable in Ravio's shop, it still had additional items found in dungeons regardless (Master Ore, defense-boosting tunics, etc.).

Oh, and speaking of ALBW, we also haven't received a new 2D Zelda in years either - Link's Awakening on Switch was a remake, not something brand-new, though still very much appreciated. We used to have a split between handheld console and TV console, and thus 2D and 3D Zeldas, but with the Switch being both...yeah, nothing. Just fucking awful BotW and TotK with no signs of 2D Zelda ever returning, just like classic 3D Zelda.

If Nintendo would announce a new 2D or classic-3D Zelda, I wouldn't be so utterly pissed off with these two recent titles, but they haven't so I am.

Zelda 1 was fun for what it was, at its time; that should NEVER have been brought back decades later, replacing a solid core formula.
Can't disagree. I quite like tears of the kingdom, though not so much the engineering which seems to be a large part of it. But I would also like my traditional Zelda. I would love a tick-tock release schedule of traditional and experimental Zelda, personally.

That being said, you can beat tears of the kingdom in an hour or two if you're brilliant at perfect dodges.
 

CoolMe

"Action-packed movie" star
Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2019
Messages
7,565
Trophies
1
Age
29
XP
34,042
Country
United States
Interesting.. Though i would love if someone does one of those "Demakes" demo projects of any of the 3D Zelda games, in the style of ALttP.. Full game if possible. 😍


Because he can?
Also, typical Reploid reply.. 🤦🏻‍♂️


It's been at least 3 weeks since this...
kid.gif
..And? If it wasn't posted here alot folks would probably miss it (myself included).
 

Reploid

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2010
Messages
2,839
Trophies
2
XP
6,336
Country
Serbia, Republic of
Interesting.. Though i would love if someone does one of those "Demakes" demo projects of any of the 3D Zelda games, in the style of ALttP.. Full game if possible. 😍



Because he can?
Also, typical Reploid reply.. 🤦🏻‍♂️



..And? If it wasn't posted here alot folks would probably miss it (myself included).
Typical CoolMe reply 🌈
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jayro

Jayro

MediCat USB Dev
Developer
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
13,046
Trophies
4
Location
WA State
Website
ko-fi.com
XP
17,229
Country
United States
The fact that the pre-compiled .SFC ROM was included in the archive was a surprise. Normally we have to provide our own ROMs and then compile them ourselves.
 

kuro0628neko

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
May 7, 2023
Messages
126
Trophies
0
XP
492
Country
United States
I can't "let go of TotK" (or BotW), because it's seemingly replaced what made this series FUN for so many years - I enjoy Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and The Wind Waker, and can find the fun in Ocarina of Time. Even Skyward Sword, as clogged with unnecessary bloat as it is (breakable shields, inaccurate motion controls, stamina, Pouch, etc.), has an enjoyable formula at its core, making it possible to suffer through the above shit mechanics to experience its dungeons.

We haven't gotten another game in that classic style in over a decade- the last one being Skyward Sword, on the Wii, which was just not a good way to go out. TP HD and TWW HD were fantastic remasters, bringing back two amazing games to the then-modern console, but haven't yet been ported over to Switch, for some stupid reason; Majora's Mask 3D was great too, but requires a fanmade Restoration Patch to be truly amazing - and even then it's on the 3DS, so it can't live up to its full potential.

That's why I despise BotW and TotK so much - it replaced something generally really fun with frustrating, patience-testing, time-wasting, disrespectful open-world bullshit with extremely fragile weaponry and limited stamina. It's like Nintendo's deliberately left behind the heart and soul of Legend of Zelda - even when A Link Between World tried something new by making the usual dungeon items rentable/purchasable in Ravio's shop, it still had additional items found in dungeons regardless (Master Ore, defense-boosting tunics, etc.).

Oh, and speaking of ALBW, we also haven't received a new 2D Zelda in years either - Link's Awakening on Switch was a remake, not something brand-new, though still very much appreciated. We used to have a split between handheld console and TV console, and thus 2D and 3D Zeldas, but with the Switch being both...yeah, nothing. Just fucking awful BotW and TotK with no signs of 2D Zelda ever returning, just like classic 3D Zelda.

If Nintendo would announce a new 2D or classic-3D Zelda, I wouldn't be so utterly pissed off with these two recent titles, but they haven't so I am.

Zelda 1 was fun for what it was, at its time; that should NEVER have been brought back decades later, replacing a solid core formula.
Although this isn't a solution, there are plenty of copycats around that seem faithful to the original format, think Tunic.
 

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Quincy @ Quincy:
    Usually when such a big title leaks the Temp will be the first to report about it (going off of historical reports here, Pokemon SV being the latest one I can recall seeing pop up here)
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    I still like how a freaking mp3 file hacks webos all that security defeated by text yet again
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    They have simulators for everything nowdays, cray cray. How about a sim that shows you playing the Switch.
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    That's called yuzu
    +1
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I want a 120hz 4k tv but crazy how more expensive the 120hz over the 60hz are. Or even more crazy is the price of 8k's.
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    No real point since movies are 30fps
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Not a big movie buff, more of a gamer tbh. And Series X is 120hz 8k ready, but yea only 120hz 4k games out right now, but thinking of in the future.
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    Mostly why you never see TV manufacturers going post 60hz
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I only watch tv when i goto bed, it puts me to sleep, and I have a nas drive filled w my fav shows so i can watch them in order, commercial free. I usually watch Married w Children, or South Park
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    Stremio ruined my need for nas
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I stream from Nas to firestick, one on every tv, and use Kodi. I'm happy w it, plays everything. (I pirate/torrent shows/movies on pc, and put on nas)
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    Kodi repost are still pretty popular
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    What the hell is Kodi reposts? what do you mean, or "Wut?" -xdqwerty
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    Google them basically web crawlers to movie sites
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    oh you mean the 3rd party apps on Kodi, yea i know what you mean, yea there are still a few cool ones, in fact watched the new planet of the apes movie other night w wifey thru one, was good pic surprisingly, not a cam
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Damn, only $2.06 and free shipping. Gotta cost more for them to ship than $2.06
    +1
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I got my Dad a firestick for Xmas and showed him those 3rd party sites on Kodi, he loves it, all he watches anymore. He said he has got 3 letters from AT&T already about pirating, but he says f them, let them shut my internet off (He wants out of his AT&T contract anyways)
  • K3Nv2 @ K3Nv2:
    That's where stremio comes to play never got a letter about it
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I just use a VPN, even give him my login and password so can use it also, and he refuses, he's funny.
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I had to find and get him an old style flip phone even without text, cause thats what he wanted. No text, no internet, only phone calls. Old, old school.
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    @BigOnYa, Lol I bought a new USB card reader thing on AliExpress last month for I think like 87 cents. Free shipping from China... It arrived it works and honestly I don't understand how it was so cheap.
    Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo: @BigOnYa, Lol I bought a new USB card reader thing on AliExpress last month for I think like 87...