Zelda

About

Zelda for Game & Watch is a portable adventure that packs dungeon crawling into a clamshell design. Play unfolds across two small screens linked in a foldable unit, guiding Link through eight labyrinths to collect Triforce shards. Each level is a side-scrolling gauntlet of enemies and traps, requiring precise movement and timing. The goal: rescue Princess Zelda by defeating dragon guardians in their maze-filled strongholds. Combat is button-mash simplicity, but navigation demands attention, miss a step and you’ll respawn at the start. The story is thin but serviceable, focusing on freeing Zelda from a dragon-led coup. This title stands out as one of Nintendo’s earliest experiments with dual-screen gameplay, decades before the DS. Its compact design and self-contained hardware made it a niche curiosity, later re-released in Mini Classics batches and virtual console ports. While the 2D mechanics feel dated by modern standards, retro fans appreciate its role as a precursor to the series’ larger adventures. The lack of save features means permadeath is a constant threat, adding tension to each run. A brief but punchy entry for handheld legend enthusiasts.

Storyline

As the eight dragons cannot live in peace with humans, they decide to take over the world. Eventually, they kidnap Princess Zelda and lock her in a dungeon which can only be opened with the Triforce. Each of the dragons is located in their own labyrinth, and each guards a different fragment of the Triforce. Link sets out to destroy all eight dragons and reassemble the Triforce to free Zelda from the dragons' dungeon. Once Link defeats the last dragon, he reassembles the Triforce and frees Zelda from her prison.