The Legend of Zelda LCD games
LCD adaptations of The Legend of Zelda across multiple platforms.
Several LCD games based on The Legend of Zelda series were produced. The earliest was the 1989 Zelda Game & Watch, made by Nintendo. Later LCD titles were handled by other companies under license. That same year, Nelsonic Industries released The Legend of Zelda game watch, a wristwatch with a built-in game, as part of its Nelsonic Game Watch line. Another title, Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce, was a fighting game for the Barcode Battler II made by Epoch Co. and sold only in Japan.
The Zelda Game & Watch (model ZL-65) was a multi-screen handheld developed by Nintendo and released in North America in 1989. Its gameplay drew heavily from the NES game Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and it had an original story explained in the manual. Unlike the other LCD games, this one was built by Nintendo and appeared on a Nintendo platform. It was Nintendo’s second-to-last release before the Game Boy, followed only by Mario the Juggler.
In the game, players guide Link through labyrinth chambers on the lower screen. These chambers contain Poe-like ghosts, up to four Stalfos, and a Moblin-like goblin mini-boss. The ghosts and Stalfos cannot be killed—ghosts must be blocked with a shield, and Stalfos dodged. The goblin must be defeated to clear the lower-screen labyrinth. Once that is done, stairs appear and the action moves to the upper screen’s Dragon’s Lair. There, Link fights a dragon on the right side while avoiding its fire and tail attacks. The left side shows the dungeon map and items, including a Tomahawk unique to this game, which Link can obtain during the dragon fight. After the dragon is defeated, the game restarts with faster enemies and keeps the player’s high score. A continue button lets players resume after dying.
The plot involves eight unruly dragons causing chaos. They kidnap Princess Zelda, and Link must defeat them to rescue her. The dragons have sealed Zelda behind a barrier that requires all eight pieces of the Triforce to break. Each dragon defeated gives Link one Triforce piece.
The game was developed by Gunpei Yokoi and Nintendo R&D1.
Critics felt Zelda pushed the Game & Watch LCD format to its limits, though its gameplay was much simpler than the NES original. Famitsu noted it captured the excitement and role-playing feel of the series, but criticized it as too easy if the player collected too many power-ups.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Nintendo Research & Development 1
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Genre
- Action-adventure
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- Game & Watch, Nintendo Mini Classics
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The first LCD Zelda game was the Game & Watch: Zelda (model ZL-65), a multi-screen system developed by Nintendo and released in North America in 1989. Its gameplay was heavily inspired by Zelda II: Adventure of Link, and it featured an original story described in the manual. Unlike the other LCD games, this was made by Nintendo and appeared on a Nintendo platform. The handheld console would be Nintendo's penultimate release before the release of the Game Boy (the last being Mario the Juggler).
The Legend of Zelda game watch is a multi-purpose wristwatch released by Nelsonic Industries in 1989 (re-released for European markets by Zeon in 1992) as part of their Game Watch line. It tells the time and allows players to play a game based on the NES's original The Legend of Zelda, and was manufactured in black, red, white and pink colors.
In 1992, Epoch Co. was licensed to print a series of Nintendo-themed cards for their Barcode Battler II platform. The Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce set features 30 cards and is based on the SNES's original The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The system itself was popular in Japan, inspiring the creation of a comic book series as well as the commission of products for Falcom and NTV.
Reader's Guide
The LCD Zelda games represent early attempts to bring the franchise to portable, non-standard hardware. The Game & Watch: Zelda is notable as the only LCD game developed directly by Nintendo, and it is thought to have pushed the limits of what is possible on the Game & Watch LCD format, though the gameplay is far simpler than the NES original. The game was noted in particular by Famitsu as having achieved the excitement and role-playing game-feel of the original series, but was criticized for being too easy if the player attained too many power-ups. Retro Gamer rated it Number 5 in their 'Perfect Ten Games' for Game & Watch, noting that 'it did capture the feel of the world it was played in'.
The Legend of Zelda game watch was well received by critics for its stylishness as an article of clothing, but the game was considered to have been largely unsuccessful in evoking the original NES title. While praised for its ability to give the illusion of multiple screens, the gameplay was criticized for its simplicity and the game as a whole was found to be 'unrelated to its namesake' and generally 'very poor'. Positive aspects included the game's relatively low price and its portability.
The Barcode Battler II Zelda set was released as a Nintendo-licensed special-edition card set. The system itself was popular in Japan, inspiring a comic book series and commissioned products.
Did You Know?
- The Game & Watch: Zelda features a Tomahawk item unique to that game.
- The Legend of Zelda game watch runs on one battery, size #364 (black watch) or #392 (red watch).
- The Barcode Battler II Zelda set allows the player to play as either Warrior or Wizard.
- The Game & Watch: Zelda was Nintendo's penultimate release before the Game Boy.
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