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Zelda 1 - The Second Quest

O

oatmeal

Banned
So I'm a big Zelda fan, favorite series, have them all, blah blah blah...and I've beaten the NES Zelda's a number of times (EVEN 2!!!). But every time I beat Zelda 1, I don't even consider doing the Second Quest. For no real reason, really...I just don't see the point.

For some reason that changed yesterday. I was reading that article that someone posted (forgive me) about the Translation of Zelda and it touched on some of the changes in the Second Quest and made me realize that I can play that and get that same 'magical lost in a world' feeling that the first Zelda gave me 20 years ago. So I dusted off my Wii Virtual Console and booted it up.

Turns out I already had a save that had beaten the quest, so I could start from that.

Having never played it before, I was immediately struck by the first dungeon. Everyone knows where the first dungeon is and it's kind of a cake walk, the only room with any semblance of a challenge is the room with the boomerang. But THIS first dungeon, this son of a bitch of a first dungeon, in the shape of a letter E, is not easy at all. There are harder enemies, enemies have double their life and take double of yours, and with the limited 4-way controls it can get very difficult. After several tries, I beat it and was able to leave and set off for the second dungeon...only it wasn't there.

Nothing was there at all. Oh shit. I'm totally lost now. I head down to where the third level is...nope. Nothing there. How the hell...I then save up for a candle so I can at least stock up on some extra heart containers...NOT THERE? Oh God. Maybe I'll get the map to deliver to the old lady so I can at least buy potions...NOT THERE.

Holy shit.

So I scour each available screen, burning each bush, trying to find the differences and am shocked how different it is. And miraculously, after an hour of searching, I accidentally stumble into the second dungeon.

This one is a nightmare. I have the map, I have the compass, but for the life of me I can't find any item in it. I have bombed everything, I have pushed everything, and I have explored every room, and I have even made it to the boss many times (dying quite quickly I might add), but I can't find any item.

And that's where I am stuck...trying to finish that second level. Perhaps when I do, I'll go back in and recheck every crevice and see if I can find the item. I do remember that in the first quest, the only item you got is the blue boomerang...so maybe they just avoided it. I don't know.

Anyway, enough rambling, it is The Lost Levels difficult and it plays on your expectations sort of like the Master Quest does. It's really cool to re-experience the game trying to forget what I know and re-explore, I'm trying very hard not to use any guides or anything like that that might tarnish the experience I'm trying to recreate.

Has anyone successfully gone through it sans guide? What was your experience like?
 
When we got the game I was about five years old. I input my name as Zelda after my father and brother took the other two save slots with their names. Little did we know that it would start me on a different quest. And utterly confusing for me having watched them play to only have my game be nothing like theirs.

Anyhow, yeah, I beat it back then. In fact that's how I knew The Legend of Zelda to be and didn't beat its first quest until some time after.
 
My favourite Iwata Asks factoid ever is from one of the ones discussing the development of the original Zelda, where Tezuka reveals that the Second Quest came about due to the fact that he screwed up his calculations and only ended up using half the space allotted for dungeons, so they decided to throw a second loop in there for the hell of it.
 
I've never played through the Second Quest sans guide. And thank goodness. They introduce a new way to
travel from room to room
that you would never discover except by dumb luck. I would have probably never figured it out were it not for the NES Game Atlas (or the Internet, if I tried it now).
 
Lupin the Wolf said:
I've never played through the Second Quest sans guide. And thank goodness. They introduce a new way to
travel from room to room
that you would never discover except by dumb luck. I would have probably never figured it out were it not for the NES Game Atlas (or the Internet, if I tried it now).
Click to expand...

It's been so long:
was it pressing against a flat wall and you'd go through it after a pause? I seem to recall that being a thing but perhaps I'm remembering something else.
 
Lupin the Wolf said:
I've never played through the Second Quest sans guide. And thank goodness. They introduce a new way to
travel from room to room
that you would never discover except by dumb luck. I would have probably never figured it out were it not for the NES Game Atlas (or the Internet, if I tried it now).
Click to expand...

Level 2 sort of eases you into it, because it has a narrow path leading directly to a
fake wall
that obviously has something behind it.

I played through it for the first time earlier this year. I didn't use any outside help except for one hint that I had read on a message board a long time ago. It was really fun, but I didn't like the extra thing they added to the whistle.
 
oatmeal said:
Has anyone successfully gone through it sans guide? What was your experience like?
Click to expand...

I got and beat Zelda way back when it came out ('87 or '88). It blew me away at the time, but I didn't realize that the 2nd quest was actually a whole new quest with all new dungeons and locations and everything. I just thought it was the same quest again but the enemies had more strength, etc. So I never played through the 2nd quest back then.

I never even learned that the 2nd quest was a new quest until many years later, and by that time my NES had long since been tucked away in the back of a closet somewhere.

Finally, I ended up getting the platinum Gamecube that came with the Zelda Collector's Edition disc - so I was finally able to sit down and play through both quests. Even though it was 15 years later, I was surprised just how much of the 1st quest I remembered.

But yeah - the 2nd quest takes some patience to find everything. Lots of bombing walls and burning bushes and blowing whistles, etc. But I had a lot of fun going through the 2nd quest. And yeah - I beat it without any guides, but as I said, it requires a lot patience and checking everywhere.
 
2nd quest can be an unforgiving bitch, especially if you manage trying some levels out of order

that said, almost every zelda game (and others too) should have one
 
oatmeal said:
Has anyone successfully gone through it sans guide? What was your experience like?
Click to expand...
Yep, more than twenty-something years ago a couple days after I finished it at release week. Frustrating, but if you already went through the first quest without a guide, it wasn't that much more difficult. Took less time because I was already in that zone. Preferred the first quest, as I recall. I was stupid sad when my original cart battery gave up the ghost and I lost my sword-in-hand Link image on my save file. Was a point of pride when I talked to others who couldn't hack playing it to completion the first go 'round, but especially when others I talked to couldn't deal with getting through the second quest.
 
Some of the things they have you do in the second quest are just too much...I got stuck at like the 4th or 5th dungeon.

Harder than Zelda II IMO.
 
Wait.


Walking through WALLS?!?!

Is there a hint to that? I know of the wall in the second dungeon ya'll are referring to (it's at the top of the hole in the A design)...I bombed it and nothing happened.

WTF.

How am I supposed to know that?
 
IrishNinja said:
ah...having just beaten zelda 1 again this spring and shuddering at the thought of Zelda 2's final dungeon, i can't agree man!
Click to expand...
Zelda II only has a few parts that fuck with you (Death Mountain, Great Palace...) Zelda's Second Quest tries to do this the whole way through!
 
oatmeal said:
Wait.


Walking through WALLS?!?!

Is there a hint to that? I know of the wall in the second dungeon ya'll are referring to (it's at the top of the hole in the A design)...I bombed it and nothing happened.

WTF.

How am I supposed to know that?
Click to expand...
Like I said, dumb luck. Best part is that in later dungeons,
Some walk-thru walls are one-way only
. Have fun drawing your maps!
 
IrishNinja said:
guides, or sheer desperation are the only possible ways
Click to expand...

No way anyone is that desperate that they'd try to walk through walls.

Is there a clue anywhere in the game? Some badly transcribed line like "MAN CAN WALK THROUGH SOME WALL" or something?

It's just...dumb luck?

WTF. That's terrible!
 
I think the manual says something about it.

Also: when you get the recorder, use it EVERYWHERE.


Btw, level 2 is where you bought the blue ring on quest #1
 
oatmeal said:
No way anyone is that desperate that they'd try to walk through walls.

Is there a clue anywhere in the game? Some badly transcribed line like "MAN CAN WALK THROUGH SOME WALL" or something?

It's just...dumb luck?

WTF. That's terrible!
Click to expand...

I remember simply being in the habit of bombing the center of dungeon walls because it was something that was common to look for all over the first quest. Once you accidentally walk through a wall the first time just walking around or while setting bombs down near those walls, you don't forget it and it becomes part of your area-clearing repertoire and gaming OCD. No different than burning every bush around you to find hidden entrances in the overworld. I don't think it's terrible as it's a part of the experience of old games which isn't interested in holding hands and explaining everything. When you were stuck or stumped, finding a way forward wasn't that difficult, just time-consuming and tedious. Not like there were all that many possibilities in those tiled and low-res worlds.
 
oatmeal said:
No way anyone is that desperate that they'd try to walk through walls.

Is there a clue anywhere in the game? Some badly transcribed line like "MAN CAN WALK THROUGH SOME WALL" or something?

It's just...dumb luck?

WTF. That's terrible!
Click to expand...

It's been a number of years since I did the 2nd quest, but IIRC, the first time they give you a false wall, they lead you down a long hallway to a dead-end that seems for all the world that there should be a way to keep moving forward. It's pretty obvious that they want you to find a way through the wall.

I don't know - I found it on my own, and I didn't even feel particularly smart for figuring it out. I think you just missed it. It didn't feel like dumb luck at all though - it felt like I was guided to it as a pretty thoughtful introduction to the false walls without being so blatant as to post a sign saying "Walk Here!".

MightyHedgehog said:
I remember simply being in the habit of bombing the center of dungeon walls because it was something that was common to look for all over the first quest. Once you accidentally walk through a wall the first time just walking around or while setting bombs down near those walls, you don't forget it and it becomes part of your area-clearing repertoire and gaming OCD. No different than burning every bush around you to find hidden entrances in the overworld. I don't think it's terrible as it's a part of the experience of old games which isn't interested in holding hands and explaining everything. When you were stuck or stumped, finding a way forward wasn't that difficult, just time-consuming and tedious. Not like there were all that many possibilities in those tiled and low-res worlds.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this too.
 
I know the wall. It's a thin hallway leading to it. I just assumed it was a dummy dead end (there's a key on the west side of the room that you need to bomb into to get it).

I just can't see myself going "I bombed it...let's try just pushing through it"

Is there resistance? Or is it just mosey through like it's a fake wall?
 
Lupin the Wolf said:
Like I said, dumb luck. Best part is that in later dungeons,
Some walk-thru walls are one-way only
. Have fun drawing your maps!
Click to expand...
No, the best part is that in later dungeons you'd better have a full purse of money at all times, or
in the rooms where the old man demands either 150 rupees or a Heart Container, you're screwed into PERMANENTLY losing a heart (and I'm fairly certain at least one of them locks you in and forces you to pay)
. It hurts the soul.
 
oatmeal said:
I know the wall. It's a thin hallway leading to it. I just assumed it was a dummy dead end (there's a key on the west side of the room that you need to bomb into to get it).

I just can't see myself going "I bombed it...let's try just pushing through it"

Is there resistance? Or is it just mosey through like it's a fake wall?
Click to expand...

Hmm... I don't remember the resistance involved. But yeah, you might miss it the first time through the dungeon, but once you realize that you never found the secret item room, that dead-end sticks out as the obvious location of what you missed in the dungeon.

Really, you'll need to develop a good deal of patience to search everywhere and try everything if you'll want to get through the 2nd quest without a guide. It's absolutely manageable (I know, because I did it), but there's a lot of tedious searching involved to find all the secret entrances to everything.
 
oatmeal said:
Is there resistance? Or is it just mosey through like it's a fake wall?
Click to expand...
There is resistance, if you just try to walk through then nothing happens. You have to push against it for a couple seconds and suddenly you're sucked in and through, complete with the "secret discovered" melody. If I recall correctly.
 
oatmeal said:
I know the wall. It's a thin hallway leading to it. I just assumed it was a dummy dead end (there's a key on the west side of the room that you need to bomb into to get it).

I just can't see myself going "I bombed it...let's try just pushing through it"

Is there resistance? Or is it just mosey through like it's a fake wall?
Click to expand...

Like I hinted at when I posted about it, there's some resistance, albeit very short. I'm sure it only amounts to something like .3 seconds before you go through but enough that it would be missed by just walking up and trying a bomb in most cases.

Edit: Yeah, what the person before me said.
 
oatmeal said:
No way anyone is that desperate that they'd try to walk through walls.

Is there a clue anywhere in the game? Some badly transcribed line like "MAN CAN WALK THROUGH SOME WALL" or something?

It's just...dumb luck?

WTF. That's terrible!
Click to expand...

it really is! it's basically OH GOD I HAVE LIKE ONE HEART LEFT AND THE MAP SAYS THERES A WAY IN BUT NO BOMBS WORK WHY WONT I

...

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME NINTENDO*

*i was like 7 so this was probably "what the heck man"
 
I honestly don't think I'd ever figure that out...in a million years.

Having said that, I am remembering a 2nd Quest speedrun that I thought the guy was cheating because he was busting through walls like a ninja.

I need to reassess my life.
 
The second quest starts way harder than the first one, but then, after the fifth one or so, It felt easier to me. But I had to use a Map to find the Dungeon entrances to the levels 7-9. I mean, how are you supposed to know to bomb such a random wall?
Levels 5 and 6 can be found if you like pushing stuff, but 7-9 really requires you to burn every bush and bomb every wall.

I think I figured that wall thing out by complete accident. Especially since the "hint", the long hallway, isn't a great hint either. It looks like a room you just have to enter to see that there is a key you can get, and nothing else.
 
oatmeal said:
So I'm a big Zelda fan, favorite series, have them all, blah blah blah...and I've beaten the NES Zelda's a number of times (EVEN 2!!!). But every time I beat Zelda 1, I don't even consider doing the Second Quest. For no real reason, really...I just don't see the point.

For some reason that changed yesterday. I was reading that article that someone posted (forgive me) about the Translation of Zelda and it touched on some of the changes in the Second Quest and made me realize that I can play that and get that same 'magical lost in a world' feeling that the first Zelda gave me 20 years ago. So I dusted off my Wii Virtual Console and booted it up.

Turns out I already had a save that had beaten the quest, so I could start from that.

Having never played it before, I was immediately struck by the first dungeon. Everyone knows where the first dungeon is and it's kind of a cake walk, the only room with any semblance of a challenge is the room with the boomerang. But THIS first dungeon, this son of a bitch of a first dungeon, in the shape of a letter E, is not easy at all. There are harder enemies, enemies have double their life and take double of yours, and with the limited 4-way controls it can get very difficult. After several tries, I beat it and was able to leave and set off for the second dungeon...only it wasn't there.

Nothing was there at all. Oh shit. I'm totally lost now. I head down to where the third level is...nope. Nothing there. How the hell...I then save up for a candle so I can at least stock up on some extra heart containers...NOT THERE? Oh God. Maybe I'll get the map to deliver to the old lady so I can at least buy potions...NOT THERE.

Holy shit.

So I scour each available screen, burning each bush, trying to find the differences and am shocked how different it is. And miraculously, after an hour of searching, I accidentally stumble into the second dungeon.

This one is a nightmare. I have the map, I have the compass, but for the life of me I can't find any item in it. I have bombed everything, I have pushed everything, and I have explored every room, and I have even made it to the boss many times (dying quite quickly I might add), but I can't find any item.

And that's where I am stuck...trying to finish that second level. Perhaps when I do, I'll go back in and recheck every crevice and see if I can find the item. I do remember that in the first quest, the only item you got is the blue boomerang...so maybe they just avoided it. I don't know.

Anyway, enough rambling, it is The Lost Levels difficult and it plays on your expectations sort of like the Master Quest does. It's really cool to re-experience the game trying to forget what I know and re-explore, I'm trying very hard not to use any guides or anything like that that might tarnish the experience I'm trying to recreate.

Has anyone successfully gone through it sans guide? What was your experience like?
Click to expand...

Yep, if you didn't beat the second quest, you never really beat Zelda 1. That would be like playing any Zelda up to the second half and then stopping. It's totally different.

I almost beat it on my own when it came out in '87. I had to call a game counselor twice because I got stuck, but other than that I did it on my own. I still remember finding Level 9 by bombing a random wall and being amazed because I was hoping to find a heart container or a shop.

Keep updating the thread as you play it. I can't wait until you get to the horror that is the Red Bubbles.
 
oatmeal said:
So I'm a big Zelda fan, favorite series, have them all, blah blah blah...and I've beaten the NES Zelda's a number of times (EVEN 2!!!). But every time I beat Zelda 1, I don't even consider doing the Second Quest. For no real reason, really...I just don't see the point.

For some reason that changed yesterday. I was reading that article that someone posted (forgive me) about the Translation of Zelda and it touched on some of the changes in the Second Quest and made me realize that I can play that and get that same 'magical lost in a world' feeling that the first Zelda gave me 20 years ago. So I dusted off my Wii Virtual Console and booted it up.

Turns out I already had a save that had beaten the quest, so I could start from that.

Having never played it before, I was immediately struck by the first dungeon. Everyone knows where the first dungeon is and it's kind of a cake walk, the only room with any semblance of a challenge is the room with the boomerang. But THIS first dungeon, this son of a bitch of a first dungeon, in the shape of a letter E, is not easy at all. There are harder enemies, enemies have double their life and take double of yours, and with the limited 4-way controls it can get very difficult. After several tries, I beat it and was able to leave and set off for the second dungeon...only it wasn't there.

Nothing was there at all. Oh shit. I'm totally lost now. I head down to where the third level is...nope. Nothing there. How the hell...I then save up for a candle so I can at least stock up on some extra heart containers...NOT THERE? Oh God. Maybe I'll get the map to deliver to the old lady so I can at least buy potions...NOT THERE.

Holy shit.

So I scour each available screen, burning each bush, trying to find the differences and am shocked how different it is. And miraculously, after an hour of searching, I accidentally stumble into the second dungeon.

This one is a nightmare. I have the map, I have the compass, but for the life of me I can't find any item in it. I have bombed everything, I have pushed everything, and I have explored every room, and I have even made it to the boss many times (dying quite quickly I might add), but I can't find any item.

And that's where I am stuck...trying to finish that second level. Perhaps when I do, I'll go back in and recheck every crevice and see if I can find the item. I do remember that in the first quest, the only item you got is the blue boomerang...so maybe they just avoided it. I don't know.

Anyway, enough rambling, it is The Lost Levels difficult and it plays on your expectations sort of like the Master Quest does. It's really cool to re-experience the game trying to forget what I know and re-explore, I'm trying very hard not to use any guides or anything like that that might tarnish the experience I'm trying to recreate.

Has anyone successfully gone through it sans guide? What was your experience like?
Click to expand...

I'm 31 years old. I have beaten Zelda 1 numerous times, but I have NEVER played the 2nd quest.

I think this will be the first thing I do with my XL. Thanks for this post. It made me smile. Too few games have that sense of being lost. :)
 
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