Welcome to Zelda Classic reviews, a section where I go over both old and new quests. For my first review, I'm checking out the Zelda 1 Classic Randomizer as it's the inaugural game but now modified. The Randomizer isn't a new mechanic in programming as Zelda: A Link to the Past was the first to do it. A randomizer takes every item and sometimes the location and completely sets them in random places. It presents a new challenge from the vanilla game we have played so many times. The mod recreates replay value in more ways than one where the player won't find certain items until later. Not only has ALTTP been modded but even Ocarina of Time received its own randomizer function. A user by the name of HeroofFire put together a script to recreate the same experience but for the Original Zelda. It is quite admit able that the vanilla game did get boring after 30 years so I sought to find a new challenge that would exceed the second quest. It's been a couple of years since watching a few videos of ZC but for nearly a year I've been hooked. After watching several ALTTP Randomizers let's play, I wanted to try the first Zelda under this mod. The first thing I noticed is now Link can move and attack in eight directions. HeroofFire even added slashing at an angle with the sword and a magic meter for the magical items. These changes really enhanced the Original gameplay as stabbing forward on a four-way grid movement did make it really challenging. Slashing at an angle made it easier to take down most enemies like the Darknuts because the blade would go into their side defenses. The magic meter doesn't really change much aside from using enchanted tools like the Magic Rod or the Lens of Truth. The quest maker also added eight additional heart pieces as now the life meter can get maximized up 24 hearts. It wasn't a feature that enhanced the gameplay as once you acquire the red or gold rings the damage becomes the bare minimum. The items saw its numbers go from 26 to 127 as every tool from the later games got added. These include the Zora Flippers, hookshot, Cane of Byrna, magic hammer, mirror shield, Roc's Feather, Hover Boots, Lens of Truth and Ball n Chain. You can say this mod truly breaks the original challenge and probably overpowers the player. However, the randomizer balances that out because of the unpredictable nature of the program. During one seed, I didn't get the Blue Ring or the White Sword until 12 hours later so hardly do you get overpowered. It's not until you nearly collected everything before the player gets at that point. By then you ready to tackle five of the level 9s and the dungeon of Zelda. Another thing about the large list is the mod even includes 2nd, 3rd and fourth level upgrades to items that never had these in the vanilla game. Even upgraded exclusive items from the original game to later installments can get a 2nd, 3rd and 4th upgrade. These tools do include the Boomerang, bombs, Magic Rod, Magical Sword, Cane of Byrna and Magic Hammer. There is now a gold ring, gold arrows, silver and gold swords which doubles and triples the capability. Ten magic rings were also added and they can either help regain health and magic as well as defense depending on the situation the player is in. Even extra attacks can be learned through finding new scrolls such as the great spin attack. A new variation makes Link spin around several times on a constant. There are more than the original 18 dungeons from Quest 1 and 2 combined as 27 more levels got added across two overworlds. These dungeons have original designs with new challenges completely different from the official game. The problem with Classic Randomizer is it never keeps track of the items you collected. There are many times I had to return to the same completed dungeons to make sure. If you are a speed runner then it's better to mark these down or create a visual map of what's been collected. A handful of items did make the gameplay more stream-line as seen from the Cane of Bryna and the Lens of Truth. However, there were also tools that came off completely useless and didn't benefit the challenge. I'll begin with the Hookshot, and it really has no purpose considering the original game never had rocks or wooden posts. The Flippers were also a problem and came off like a novelty instead of getting through an area. Yes, it made this easier to cross the middle lake, but what's the point when the raft and the step-ladder can get me to these places. The Super bombs were kind of useless as all they did was create a bigger explosion. In ALTTP, the Super Bomb only had one purpose and that was to gain access to the Great Fairy in the Golden Pyramid. The only reason it's in this mod is to solely give a bigger explosion. It's not to destroy stronger walls or specific enemies but for the same thing as the regular bombs. The Classic Randomizer was a good start for HeroofFire to make his own mod. It's clear he/she would improve the script and program with later releases. I already play through both Modern and Super Randomizers and those have better design choices compared to Classic. The best thing about this version is how much it improved the original experience. Classic had a combination of tools and items from the later entries with 2D modern mechanics which truly enhanced the gameplay. The quest does have a few issues and if you expecting A Link to the Past quality randomizer then this isn't one of them. The biggest issue comes from the game not keeping track of what you collected or the dungeons that were already completed. It becomes tedious having to check old places again just to make sure those very level got checked off multiple times. The tools from the later games might have helped, but a handful got tact on for the sake of it. These weren't intended for the vanilla game to begin with, and the creator should've never added them in the program. The Classic edition might come off as a rough blue print to the updated quests. However, if you are a user wanting a quick and simple fix to these types of adventures then I can recommend this randomizer. Rating: 8.2/10 Very Good
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Retro Gamer is an avid Zelda fan who has enjoyed the series for nearly 30 years ever since she first touched the NES. Whether its the official titles or fan produced stuff like Zelda Classic, there hasn't been a game she missed.
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