The Legend of Zelda SPECIAL

Living the life of luxury!

So, Nintendo released a "SPECIAL" or "SP" version of the original The Legend of Zelda for Nintendo Switch Online. These SP versions of NES games already were listed a while ago and I was wondering what it could mean, but luckily I didn't put much thought into it, because it turns that they aren't all that special after all.

In case of The Legend of Zelda, it's really just a pre-defined savegame, where someone uncovered most of the secret caves and did get all the items that you can obtain before entering any of the dungeons. So, your inventory got the following additions, when you start the game:

• Three of the five overworld Heart Containers
• The White Sword
• The Magical Shield
• The Blue Ring
• The Power Bracelet
• The Blue Candle
• The Arrow
• Food
• Red Potion
• 8 Bombs
• 9 Keys
• 255 Rupees

For the most part this is exactly what I'm always doing, when I start a new game of The Legend of Zelda. Well, I usually don't go for the Power Bracelet this early and I usually also don't buy any Keys, but otherwise this is my exact shopping list before going into any of the dungeons. It makes the game simply a lot easier and enjoyable to go for all these items early. And that's probably the thought behind this "SPECIAL" version...

However, for me personally this version takes a big part of the fun away, because I really like going for all these items early in the game, growing more powerful on every step. And this version already has the job done for me, which is kind of boring. But I guess, it's a nice offer for anyone, who isn't that familiar with the original game and just wants to try it without much frustration or the use of any guides.

Anyway, if they do more of these "SP" versions, they definitely should do one for Zelda II - The Adventure of Link. Last time, when I replayed the game on the 3DS two years ago, I noticed how much more fun it is to replay the game in its "2nd Quest". There you play the same game over from the start, but you get to keep your levels (ideally everything on 8), all your Spells and the two sword techniques.

The game plays so much better this way and is a lot more enjoyable, especially in the beginning. This would be ideal for such a "SPECIAL" version, where certainly many players would give the game a real chance for the first time, simply because it doesn't kill you left and right early on. So, let's see...