Check Out This Fan-Made Remaster of the Original Legend of Zelda!
Posted on October 15 2020 by Charles Xavier
A few days ago, a new modpack for The Legend of Zelda running on Mesen, an Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom emulator for Windows and Linux systems, was unveiled. This is the latest remastered version of classic NES games by a dedicated group of fans, starting first with Castlevania and shortly thereafter with Metroid.
This modpack titled “Zelda: Remastered” enhances the original NES game by “replacing graphics, sound effects, and music”. It is not wholly original, however, as it builds upon previous hacks, notably using Zelda Redux as a base. Many of its features have been part of other rom hacks too, but there is a list of completely new features that the developers have laid out:
“The pack includes, but it not limited to, some of the features detailed below. Many of these features are carryover from prior hacks that have previously been developed for Zelda. Items denoted with an asterisk are brand new features that have been created exclusively for the Mesen pack.
• Increased resolution**
• Increased frame count for running**
• Updated sound effects and music**
• New title and game select screen**
• Animated environments**
• Save manually with Up+A when in the items subscreen
• Re-localization of the game script
• Increased bomb max
• Increased bomb upgrade amount
• Faster text printing
• Change the Red and Blue rings to Red and Blue tunics
• Breakable tile hints
• Press the “Select” button to toggle the item assigned to the “B” button
• Faster health refills
• Partial heart pieces in HUD”
The extensive graphics overhaul also utilizes sprites from other official games, mainly Cadence of Hyrule. Additionally, all of the artists who contributed sprite work are credited in the “README” document, which also details what they worked on specifically.
You can watch the trailer in the video above to get a peek of the mod for yourself. But if you’d like, there is also a video showcasing the game’s intro that includes gameplay up to the end of Dungeon 1: The Eagle, to get more exposure on what it offers. In the event that you like what you see, and do plan to download and install the mod, fortunately there is also a video detailing those intricacies. The full mod is pretty demanding, though there is a version for lower-end CPU’s too; the downside is some features are cut in this version.
Overall, it looks like a really awesome facelift to the game; the graphics look absolutely beautiful! My first impression was that it looks like an HD remastered worthy to be on the Switch. It was also pretty exciting seeing the name of an artist and fellow Zelda fan who I know!
Are you impressed by “Zelda: Remastered”? Will you be installing it? What other 2D Zelda games would you like to see remastered, official or otherwise? Tell us in the comments below!
Source: Zelda: Remastered (via Wccftech)
Charles is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. He is a Visual Development artist focused on enviroments and pitch paintings. Check out his Instagram and Twitter to see his latest artworks, a lot of which is Zelda fan art! His favorite candy is Skittles – he feels the world should know this.
