Console Differences

This is a sub-page of The Legend of Zelda.

To do: Moving this to "Version Differences" would work better.

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: The FDS version appears to have a crash handler that shows up if the game encounters a fatal error that doesn't cause a hard freeze (which is rare given its age). Seems to show up more frequently on Nintendo Classics. https://youtu.be/UB7M6HNEttU?t=93

Original Release#

There were a few changes between the Disk System, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Family Computer cartridge versions of the game.

Title Screen#

FDS	NES	Famicom

The original Japanese title is The Hyrule Fantasy: The Legend of Zelda. The NES version removed "The Hyrule Fantasy" from the title, and "The Legend of" took its place; the Disk Side B message was replaced with "Push Start Button".

The Japanese re-release on cartridge changed the title to The Hyrule Fantasy: The Legend of Zelda 1, with the graphics repositioned (the leaves being the only parts left unchanged aside from one due to the longer copyright text) to accommodate for the longer title. In the process they messed up the shape of the Triforce in the area below the sword, and the sword itself became a bit shorter. Additionally, the tail of the stylized "ダ" character was shortened, presumably for saving graphics space when tiles for the "1" were added. The copyright information was updated (though it strangely reads 1992 instead of 1994, implying the re-release was delayed quite a bit and possibly was originally going to release around the same time as Super Mario USA), and again the Disk Side B message was replaced with "Push Start Button".

Prologue#

FDS	NES / Famicom

The title of the story was changed from "Legend of Zelda" to "The Legend of Zelda". However, the foliage next to the title wasn't updated to accommodate for this change.

FDS	NES	Famicom

The item originally known as the "Bible" in the FDS version was renamed to "Book of Magic" in the NES version. The Japanese re-release on cartridge and the Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda release of the FDS version both retain this change, but the katakana text still says "Bible". In addition, the English text for all the items is blue instead of white in the Japanese versions to more easily distinguish the languages from each other.

FDS	NES / Famicom

The sign or sheet of paper Link is holding was slightly modified when the English text was added, and the spacing between text and the Triforce was also reduced.

Name Screen and Font#

FDS	NES	Famicom

For the NES release of the game, Kill Mode was renamed to Elimination Mode.

FDS	NES / Famicom

The letter and number characters of the FDS version were changed from a thinner, unique font to the standard 8x8 video game font first seen in Atari's 1976 arcade game Quiz Show. Interestingly, various early screenshots of the FDS version showcase the game using the cartridge versions' font (though with minor differences). These characters got the same treatment as the NES version in the Japanese re-release as well.
Of note is that the Japanese versions of the name entry screen mistakenly maps the numeral zero twice and misses the English 'O'. This was likely because with the FDS font, the two characters are visually identical (though with different character mapping, as can be seen when entering the name, zero has the tile ID 0x00 and the letter O has the ID 0x18). However, this becomes visible with the font used in the Famicom cartridge version. Likely the FDS' name screen text and menu layout was copied over to the cartridge version without notice.

Loading Screen#

When you change disk sides or save your progress in the FDS version, a loading message appears in katakana text, translated to "Please Wait".

Text#

FDS / Famicom	NES

All the dialogue text appears right-aligned and starts right above the characters heads in the Japanese versions, sort of like a speech bubble in a comic (only without the bubble). In the NES version, the text appears centered for the most part of the game due to space constraints. The space between rows was also changed in order to fit three rows of text instead of two.

Additionally, some of the hints were changed rather than translated for the English localization. The severe Engrish and odd reasoning behind some of the changes makes it unclear what Nintendo had in mind for some of the choices made.

Level 1#

Literal translation: "You can't use arrows if you run out of money."

The hint in the Japanese version is a useful tip on how the Bow works, which you get in this dungeon. In the English version, it was changed to a hint for a secret 100 Rupee location.

Level 5#

Literal translation: "There are some creatures that are weak against sound."

The hint in the Japanese version refers to the Pols Voice's weakness. Since the NES controller doesn't have a built-in microphone like the Famicom's second controller, the method to defeat Pols Voice was changed and the different advice reflects this.

Level 7#

Literal translation: "Spectacle Rock is an entrance to death."

The hint for how to find Level 9 was for some reason moved to Level 8 (see below). "The tip of the nose" is apparently the room in Level 7 where a secret path to the boss' lair is found. A very odd choice...

Level 8#

Literal translation: "Look for the arrows in Death Mountain."

The English version's hint was moved from Level 7 and in the process replaced the hint for where to find the Silver Arrows. What?!

Literal translation: "Search for the Lion Key."

The hint that you should look for the Magical Key in Level 8 (aka Lion) was replaced with... not the most helpful of hints.

The English line may be an attempt to hint that if you defeat ten enemies without getting hit and defeat the 10th one with a bomb, said enemy will drop a set of four bombs. If you defeat the 10th enemy with the sword, it will give you a blue Rupee instead. This video goes more in depth about the meaning of the new English line.

Level 9#

Literal translation: "Have you found the Red Ring?"

The reminder that you should probably find the Red Ring was changed to a hint for how to find the Compass.

Literal translation: "Destroy the topmost boundary."

The Japanese line may be a hint for how to find the Red Ring, but it's really vague and could as well refer to something else. Maybe that's the reason it was ultimately replaced in the English version?

What's odd is that this hint was already in place in the prototype version of the game, where all the items in Level 9 were still in different locations.

Level 6, Second Quest#

Literal translation: "There’s a secret north of a lake."

Another really vague hint in the Japanese original that was replaced with something that made more sense - in this case, a hint for finding Level 8.

Game Over / Save Option Menu#

FDS	NES	Famicom

The Game Over / Save Option menu was slightly re-positioned for the NES version and yet again for the Japanese re-release where the options are spaced further apart.

The cartridge versions' text flashes when you select something. This does not happen in the FDS version.

Zora#

FDS	NES / Famicom

A black outline was added around the Zora sprite to make it more visible. The eyes and mouth were also redrawn.

Pols Voice#

In both the original FDS version and the Japanese re-release on cartridge, Pols Voice is invulnerable to arrows, but instead they're extra-vulnerable to the Famicom's built-in microphone feature. As the NES' hardware (in both the original 1985 release and 1993 redesign) lacked this feature, it was instead given a weakness to arrows. Besides their unique weakness between versions, they can also be defeated the hard way with the sword in all versions of the game.

It's worth noting that support for the Famicom microphone was removed in the NES version, however the Famicom cartridge version retains the functionality.

Screen Transitions#

FDS / NES	Famicom

When you enter or exit a cave in the FDS and NES versions, the HUD will blink and Link can briefly be seen at the bottom edge of the screen. Both issues were fixed in the Famicom re-release.

Map Changes#

Two dungeon rooms in the game have additional enemies in the NES and Famicom versions.

FDS	NES / Famicom

Eight Keese were added to this otherwise-empty room of Level 4 (First Quest).

FDS	NES / Famicom

And again, there are eight Keese added to this room of Level 5 (First Quest).

Memory Corruption Glitch#

Because hidden staircases in the game are considered sprites, the game reserves one sprite slot on all screens where hidden staircases can appear to prevent sprite overload. However, there's one instance where the programmers forgot: on the Second Quest, there's a hidden staircase in the graveyard that appears when you play the Flute. Spawning enough Ghinis from the nearby graves to reach the sprite limit then playing the Flute to spawn the hidden staircase corrupts the game's memory and leads to arbitrary code execution.

This oversight was fixed in the NES version. It does carry over to all rereleases of the FDS version, such as the emulated version contained in the Japanese The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition.

Ending#

FDS	NES

In the FDS version, after Zelda thanks Link, they hold up the Triforces of Power and Wisdom, and the frame starts to flash; they both disappear just before the rest of the text starts to appear under them. In the NES version, they don't disappear until the frame starts to scroll to reveal the staff credits.

Other differences:

• The FDS version has short loading times when you start the game or whenever you enter or walk out of a dungeon.
• There is far less slowdown in the FDS version compared to the NES and Famicom.

Audio#

Music#

The compositions are often much richer in the FDS version, due to the use of the system's wavetable sound channel.

Title Theme

Fanfare for Treasure

Because the NES version uses one of the pulse channels for the sound effect that plays alongside (unlike the FDS version that uses the FDS wavetable for the sound effect), the aforementioned pulse channel is omitted in the music.

Secret Discovery / Puzzle Solve Chime

In the FDS version, the secret discovery chime doesn't play when pushing blocks that open doors in dungeons, though this oddly wasn't the case in the prototype. This was changed for the cartridge versions.

Game Over

For some reason, moving the cursor on the Game Over screen in the FDS version resets the musical loop. This was corrected in the NES and Famicom versions.

Level 9 (Death Mountain)

The FDS version has more bass beats before the rest of the tune begins. In the NES and Famicom versions, it proceeds straight into the melody, which effectively makes the musical loop more seamless.

Ending Theme

Sound Effects#

The FDS version utilizes the system's wavetable sound channel for many sound effects as well. Some of the FDS version's sounds were later used in Super Mario Maker 2 in various scenarios when playing as Link.

Boss Noise

The sound the bosses make that is heard whenever you are close or inside their rooms.

Boss / Mini-Boss Get Hit

Door Opening and Closing

Item Appears

The sound for items that appear after clearing a room of enemies.

Link's Sword Beam

Flute

Enemy Killed

In the FDS version, this sound plays (on the FDS-only PWM channel) along with the enemy hit sound (on the other channels) when the enemy is killed. The cart versions only play the death sound effect when the enemy is killed.

Rupee Pick Up

This is also heard when moving the cursor on the File Select and Inventory screens.

Item Got

Link Hurt

Also heard when deleting a saved game file.

Link's Death

When Link dies, there's more of a series of sound effects in the FDS version as opposed to the little theme that is heard in the NES and Famicom version.

Bombs Detonate

Picking Up Hearts and Keys

Moving the Cursor on Game Over Screen

The FDS version uses the same sound for moving the cursor as in all the other menus in the game. The cart versions changed it for this particular screen to the same sound effect as when a projectile hits Link's shield.

Revisional Differences#

To do: Other differences?

Heart Container Glitch#

In the original FDS release (Rev 0), there is a glitch that allows players to easily get a lot of extra Heart Containers: on the eastern shoreline, there's a Heart Container that is normally only reachable with the Ladder. However, if you use the Flute while standing in the same row as it you'll pick up the Heart Container when the whirlwind drags you across the screen, and the Heart Container will still be there when you return.

The glitch occurs because the current room index ($00EB) is changed once you get caught by the whirlwind, setting it to the room to the left of the dungeon entrance that you spawn at. This variable is checked to determine which collect flag to set when obtaining the main room item. As such, the heart piece can be obtained only once per Flute destination for a total of 8 "duplicated" hearts, plus one more for obtaining the Heart Container normally. The number of Heart Containers will still max out at 16, and you can't get any more than that. This trick is perhaps most effective in the much harder Second Quest, where you obtain the Flute in Level 2. Using this trick makes the Second Quest much easier, not only because of increased life, but the quicker you increase the number of hearts you have, the quicker you can obtain the stronger swords.

This glitch was partially fixed in Rev 1 by making it impossible to collect the Heart Piece while being swept up by the whirlwind, but since the ($00EB) address is still being overwritten too early, it will cause a "phantom" Heart Container to appear when caught by the whirlwind. The glitch was finally fixed in later releases by storing the room index set by the whirlwind at ($00EA) instead.

Title Screen#

Revision 0	Revision 1

NES Revision 1 adds a trademark symbol to the title screen.

Save Option Screen#

Revision 0	Revision 1	GameCube / GBA

NES Revision 1 adds a small warning to the Continue/Save/Retry screen. The GameCube and Game Boy Advance versions of the game keep this screen layout but remove the warning, as it is unnecessary in these systems.

Some Virtual Console versions use this screen layout as well.

2003 Version#

The game was re-released for the GameCube as a playable NES game within Animal Crossing (though it is unobtainable without cheat devices), then in 2003 as an included game in The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, and for the Game Boy Advance in 2004 as part of the Famicom Mini / Classic NES Series lineup. It was later re-released for the Wii Virtual Console in 2007, and the Wii U Virtual Console in 2013. These emulated versions are all altered with a new translation, in an attempt to reduce the amount of Engrish. This altered version of the game, oddly enough, didn't make the cut when the game was released on the Nintendo 3DS, which instead uses a modified US Revision 1.

Story#

Famicom / NES	2003 Version

In addition to cleaning up the severe Engrish in the original release, the quotation marks were scrapped and the color coding was altered. Whereas the original put emphasis on the Triforce and its eight pieces by using blue and Link's quest by using red, the updated version instead went with a blue color for Zelda.

Treasures#

Additional Engrish fix-up in the treasure listing.

Dialogue#

A few lines of text were (somewhat) corrected as well.

Screen Flashing#

When you pick up the Triforce and the fragments in the original version, the screen flashes rapidly. In the updated versions, it was greatly reduced to prevent seizures.

GameCube (Collector's Edition) and GBA versions#

In these versions only, when the game is paused, a small, black box that says "PAUSE" appears.

GameCube	GBA

Additionally, the shortcut to the save menu from the subscreen, originally used by pressing Up and A on controller 2, is simplified to an X press in the GameCube version, and changed to Up and Select in the GBA version. These changes also apply to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

Japanese Re-release#

The game was also re-released in Japan on GameCube in 2004, and later on Wii Virtual Console, and Wii U Virtual Console. The Japanese re-release is based on the FDS version with the rewritten intro from the international re-release, along with an updated 2004 copyright. The Japanese 3DS VC release, similarly to the international 3DS VC release, opted to use the Famicom cartridge version instead of the 2004 one.

The Japanese Game Boy Advance version of the game is based on the Famicom cartridge version rather than that of the FDS. It does not include the rewritten intro, but does include the black box that says "PAUSE" seen on the international GBA and GameCube versions.

The version featured in the Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer and Nintendo Classics - Nintendo Switch Online app reverts the copyright back to just 1986, and PRESS START was changed to PRESS ANY BUTTON.

FDS	Wii Virtual Console	Famicom Mini / Nintendo Switch Online

It is a near-identical emulation of the original FDS version, but at least one weird audio glitch can be heard in the dungeons: namely, the sound the bosses make that is heard whenever you are close or inside the lair has the same volume no matter if you are outside or inside their rooms. In the FDS version, the volume was a bit lower when you were outside the boss room.

Other#

A modified (read: glorified ROM hack/savestate) version titled The Legend of Zelda SP (Special) (also known as The Legend of Zelda: Living the life of luxury!) was released for the Nintendo Switch's NES game collection, available to users of the Switch Online subscription service. It gives the player 255 Rupees, 9 keys, 8 bombs, three additional Heart Containers and all equipment from the start, though Bomb upgrades, Book of Magic, Boomerang, Bow, Letter, Magical Rod, Magical Boomerang, Magical Key, Magical Sword, Raft, Whistle, Red Candle, Red Ring, Ladder and the Silver Arrows still need to be obtained during the game.