Wow! Bro, I really loved the way you related the gaming vibe of the 80s in your first paragraph. On the other side, Zelda really knew how to create a good marketing campaign for itself with that Willy Wonka-like idea of the golden cartridge :D
Undoubtedly, Zelda was a pioneer in many aspects that we now see as standard in gaming. However, I believe that one of the things that Zelda did best as a pioneer was what you describe so well, which is the introduction of the freedom of an open world.
Awesome post, dude, so concise yet filled with personal feelings and sensations. I like your style.
Cheers, mate.
Thanks a lot buddy!
Zelda was so impactful to me as a child. It was the first time that I ever really wanted to 100% a game. These days I don't ever aspire to something like that but games were also a lot shorter back then. Zelda was seen as a very long game for it's time but it pales in comparison to some of the 100+ hour games that we see these days.
The gold cartridge was a super idea. Others later tried it as well but they were just seen as copycats.
Cool buddy, It's really nice to know how much this Zelda game made you happy when you were just a child, the happiness of a child don't have price :)
Cheers.
isn't that the truth. I was just the right age at just the right time when video games first started to be a thing and Zelda was just an amazing step on the ladder of gaming.