Back in the 1980s, the original Legend of Zelda for the NES was a massive success. People all over the world were journeying into the land of Hyrule for the very first time, figuring out its puzzles and spilling its secrets on the playground, in the breakroom, at the pub, you name it. Many of its riddles were extremely cryptic and if you didn’t have the manual or map that came with the game or a sibling or a friend with all the knowledge, who knows how long it could take you to get anywhere.
These days, someone could just Google the correct route through the Lost Woods or the location of extra Heart Containers, but back in the day, players would write their own notes and craft their own maps to help themselves traverse the world and dungeons a bit easier. One artist by the name of Philip Summers has garnered quite a name for himself by sketching his own walkthroughs for classic games all by hand, and a guide for the very first Legend of Zelda is his latest creation!
True to its name, every single sketch of Link, every item, enemy, and map is hand-drawn and every string of words is handwritten. Philip's drawings and words give new life to the game and the land that encompasses it. To be able to see it through this new lens is a pretty magical experience.
The first few pages cover the characters, enemies, items, and a brief rundown on how to play the game. The rest of the guide then covers the overworld and its dungeons. Each dungeon spread features a map of the dungeon and shows off a few of the monsters you’ll find, along with an extremely detailed sketch of the dungeon boss. Seeing these originally 8-bit bosses in this sorta detail is really something to behold. Each dungeon section is also bridged together with story segments and tips on where you or Link should travel next. At times it feels like you’re reading a storybook, the way that Philip has managed to connect together the sections of the game. The book also comes with a useful fold-out map of Hyrule, complete with a key on the side detailing locations, heart containers, and other secrets.
Regardless of if you’ve played the original into the ground or are curious to see what the original Legend of Zelda is all about, this hand-drawn game guide is a great way to experience Link's first adventure in the land of Hyrule. It stands up there right next to the Magic Sword as one of the most important equipment pieces you could have in your inventory. A hand-drawn love letter to the game that started it all.
You can purchase a PDF version of the Legend of Zelda Hand-Drawn Game Guide on June 29th at the Hand Drawn Game Guides store with a name your price option of $1 or more. 100 physical editions of the guide will also be available online as well and if the demand is there Phillip did say he would consider printing more. You can follow Philip over on Twitter or more updates about the book.
Do you still find yourself referencing paperback guides whenever you find yourself stuck in a game? What sort of guide would you like to see Philip tackle next? Let us know with a comment below.
Comments 54
Wow, this is totally radical.
Brilliant! Would love to get at least the pdf
On an off note: video is not working here. Says it's private?
This guy definitely grasps what makes the original official art so special. Does a great job hitting on all those vibes.
I've always wondered if stuff like this is frowned upon by the Nintendo ninjas, since that technically is profiting off their IP.
I really appreciate you mentioning the availability date. I must have missed that on the podcast I heard about this on and was going crazy trying to figure out why I couldn't find the Zelda one on the site.
Loved the vid @ziondood and what a cool manual. Call me what you will, but I've used a walkthrough on my first playthroughs of most older zelda games lol. You simply have to if you didnt have the official guides back then or even now. It's not like you're getting any extra help in some of those dungeons or treks through death mountain on zelda 2, trust me.
I will at least say i beat both 1 and 2 without using a single save state for what it's worth. Zelda 2 isn't as spectacular as 1 but you should give it a shot and I recommend a walkthrough. I used zeldadungeons walkthrough..
The fact that it needs to exist at all is why I have never beaten the first Zelda and I never intend to unless Nintendo remakes it Breath of the Wild style.
I've already got this person's first guide for Ninja Gaiden, and I intend to by this one too.
Title should read;
"A Breathtaking Hand-Drawn Guide for The Original Zelda by Philip Summers"
Give the artist credit, especially since you've featured his work before
That game needs a remaster lol
That takes me back to my childhood. I used to do this with my own game ideas all the time, admittedly not nearly as well as this. I love seeing this kind of thing.
I remember the days of talking to my friends at school trying to figure out Zelda’s secrets (hungry Goriya had me stumped 😂). This reminds me of how I used to study the game booklet and wish the game looked like the cartoon drawings within (a reality now BTW). Will definitely be buying this when it’s available.
No, YOU'RE breathtaking!
@Guitario They gave the artist sufficient credit. You're criticizing for the sake of criticizing and nothing more.
Above and beyond 🙇 Creative minds of focus continue to make the world a more lovely place. Thanks to you, Philip Summers!
Ah, very cool!
I'll probably buy this guide. I'm going through Zelda 1 for the first time, though I took a bit of a break, because it can get a bit anxiety-inducing. I'm really loving it thus far, though. I know it's an anachronism, but from a modern perspective, it feels like Zelda with a Souls-like sensibility, and Nintendo is just never going down that route ever again, so Zelda 1 stands as kind of an outlier that's still relevant, though in a different way than it was in the 80s. (I know Zelda II is even harder but, from what I played, I didn't find it as appealing as the original.)
I don't need it since I've been playing Zelda since elementary, but it looks so good and that artwork is so nice, that I want one.
As handy as online text guides are, there's still a certain charm to hand-drawn illustrations. Especially in physical form. Man do I miss reading through manuals and smelling that new print smell....
This is beautiful!! My second favorite Zelda of all time!
Several years ago, I actually played through this thoroughly (trying to bomb every wall, for instance) and created my own maps using some spreadsheets - so that I could just use them on any subsequent playthroughs. I did so with both quests in Zelda 1 and also with Zelda 2.
Even so, I'll definitely pick up at least the pdf version of this. (I'd love the physical version, but I don't know how much that will cost and I imagine 100 copies will sell out fast.) It just looks amazing, and has all the charm that my maps do not.
In the days of Zzap and Crash hand drawn maps were commonplace but this takes it to the next level
Looks really good, the artwork is awesome.
The Legend of Zelda and Zion Grassl are a perfect combination!
I love both of them <3
@johnvboy Not as awesome as Zion <3
You can get a high quality scan of the original manual and maps from Nintendo. Just search "nes classic manuals".
Oh no teh rom hax! My virgin eyes ;(
This is such a small stupid personal preference, but I'd love if around the Pols Voice info it had like a fun fact how in Japan they were hurt with your actual voice through the controller's mic instead.
@ElFlorro,
Thanks I will have to check that out.
@GrandScribe It was definitely a very different game from the Zeldas of today! I didn’t know until recently that the original came with a map and was designed to be played with it. Knowing that, I wish I’d had it for my first play through! Spent hours getting lost and trying to remember where everything was.
@Guitario They credited him in the article though..?
@Beaucine I feel that Zelda 1 hasn’t aged well, also that’s funny to say it’s souls-like. Funny how modern games borrow so much from older ones.
However, everything is basically a variation of Pac-Man. Even Dark Souls has ghosts that require a special power up to defeat!
And shoot ‘em ups? Those are the opposite of Pac-Man.
Everything is Pac-Man 😑
@Rocky2418 I tried to do the same thing for Solstice using graph paper. I gave up on the idea, but it was fun while it lasted!
What a great artist!! Please NL do run a feature piece on this dude!!!!!
This was my mate Phil.
@TG16_IS_BAE
Well, I think it's definitely aged well, once you accept the rather spartan graphics, which aren't anywhere near the NES's technical ceiling. (Kirby and Mario 3 would later show what that system could do.) However, in my case, it did take some getting used to, because of the difficulty and the opaqueness. Also, as I found, it's clearly a game from the "Read The F'ing Manual" age of videogaming. All the tutorials modern games drop into the mouths of NPCs were in the instruction booklet back then. Not to mention the map that came in the box, since the in-game map is so hilariously useless.
I clicked on the link but the zelda one isn't there. It's just ninja gaiden and contra
@Beaucine Sorry, I was half asleep when I first wrote in lol
Graphics, map layout, enemy placement have all aged well. It also has excellent pacing.
For me, what hasn’t aged well are the controls. I always feel like I’m wrestling with them. Diagonal movement would solve that, honestly!
One gripe about the dungeons is that the limited tile set makes them hard to memorize for me, so I never feel like the game is sinking in my dumb brain, hahahah...they all sort of blend together.
Zelda 2 I actually enjoy to this day, I’ve probably played it for 25+ years! I know that one isn’t as popular, but it’s got more memorable locations for me, so I can actually remember what to do!
Zelda 3 is a masterpiece, I love it so much
@TG16_IS_BAE
Ah, I get that. Yeah, I had to adjust to the controls, especially coming in from Link to the Past, which is more intuitive and refined.
As for the dungeons, yeah, they're not quite full-fat Zelda dungeons. They often feel like little more than a collection of rooms with enemies in them. Still, I don't mind it, because the game's more focused on hectic battles anyway, and the dungeons highlight that. Of course, I prefer the puzzling that'd become a series trademark after Link to the Past and, especially, Link's Awakening. But it does give the original a distinctive flavor, from a modern perspective.
As for Zelda II, it's the one I haven't given a real chance to. I'll drum up the courage eventually!
@Beaucine Zelda 2 is incredibly obtuse, so be prepared to do a little searching on GameFAQs. Once you get the hang of it it’s in my opinion one of the best Zelda games out there. I especially enjoy the speed running aspect of it. Zelda 1 has an incredible speedrun community if you haven’t checked it out yet. Seeing these people just blaze through the game in under half an hour is stunning.
Gotta say it, when I saw the video on YouTube a few days back I thought
Cool a video about improving my NES Zelda fir the 21st century
I expected a whole video about getting the most out of the original hardware
What I got was an advert to purchase a book which I didn’t need back then nor do I need it now.
With my time wasted I couldn’t believe Nlife were playing add a click bait title to get more views 😔
@Guitario He's credited in the piece itself?
@wolvesboy Get out of the wrong side of bed this morning?
@Valdney What's your 1st?
@Damo no not at all, I just thought the title was a little misleading which is a first as I’ve always watched constant nlife videos and thought the title wasn’t greatly put over.
Don’t get me wrong the book looks great and all but should’ve actually said the video was about the book not to say the title that they went for which could’ve been taken as a workaround to play the NES Zelda in the 21st century, I mean he even shows the original cart
@wolvesboy That's because he's also showing the guide books from back in the day, and how this new one compares to them. It's not a misleading title at all - many people who haven't played the NES original before will be wondering precisely how they should approach playing it in 2020; you could, of course, just use a walkthrough on the web but Phil's book is a much better choice in our opinion.
Extremely good, extremely beautiful... but we're still far from the original equipment that came with the cartridge. I'm afraid that going through the game with this book would feel again like being guided.
Back in the day all you had was a map which was not complete, because you were supposed to explore the world and draw yourself the squares that were left blank; on the back side of the overworld map sheet you only had the maps of the first three dungeons, and then it was up to you. The awesome part is that beating the game WAS possible, though you needed something often missing from modern gaming mentality: months, patience.
@Damo trust me I think the book is greatly drawn but imo the title Should’ve been along the lines of BEST GAME GUIDE TO PLAY NES ZELDA IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Anyway I much prefer Alex’s videos instead 😏
@MrBelmont Breath of the Wild it is. It combines the open worlds aspects of the original Zelda and the exciting combat of Zelda 2.
Now my top 3 are: BotW, LoZ and Zelda 2 respectively.
I have to say I have a lot of respect for you @ziondood for admitting you could not finish these games. There are certain games I love but have been unable to finish due to the immense information needed and time allowed. I am re-attempting some of these but what I really miss is the availability of game guides that used to be everywhere in the day. One of my best purchases was a strategy guide for Doom when it launched. This guide sounds like what I need if only for the satisfaction of having it.
@NintendoByNature Thanks for saying so! Congrats on beating both of those as well! I had ambitions of beating the original without save states, but once I got to the sixth or seventh dungeon I finally gave in 😅
@Zidentia I appreciate that! I thought I'd catch some flack for it, but no one really seemed to care, which was really refreshing for the internet, haha. I absolutely feel ya on the game guides! I still have a huge bookshelf of them here at home. While I don't look at them very often, when I do I feel a boatload of nostalgia 😄
@Ziondood i mean.....on my 2nd and 3rd playthroughs of both 1 and 2, I abused the save States lol. I'm not a purist by any means haha
This looks awesome.
What I miss for these older games are guides or hints that only help you with the most impossible missions, and only give you vague hints or pointers instead of the answer right out, like in which area you should look for the hidden village in Zelda II. Once I get stuck in one of these older games, I sometimes look up the solution too early, as there’s no way to tell if you’ve currently been stuck for 20 minutes on a 30 minute obstacle or a 3 hour obstacle.
Very beautiful.
Tap here to load 54 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...