Famicom · 1986
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda’s NES adventure: explore Hyrule, read dungeon maps, start the first quest and learn in-game saving and browser backups.
Play The Legend of Zelda
FamicomThe Legend of Zelda
Click the button below to launch the Famicom emulator and start playing instantly in your browser.
Loading player files…Large games can take longer on a slow connection.
The player could not finish starting. You can retry or report the problem.
Try a related playable game
- Zelda II The Adventrure of LinkFamicom · Another game or edition in this series
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The PastSuper Famicom · Another game or edition in this series
- The Legend of Zelda: Four SwordsGame Boy Advance · Another game or edition in this series
These are separate games or editions; your saved progress does not transfer.
Browse all playable games →Having trouble starting?
Wait for larger games to download. If loading stalls, reload and try again. Check your connection and allow this site's player files if a browser extension blocked them. Once the screen appears, click inside it before using the keyboard.
Read the playing helpPlaying on a touch screen
Start the game, then use its on-screen direction pad and action buttons. If they are hidden, choose Show touch controls above the game. Turn your phone sideways for more room; use Fullscreen when your browser supports it.
Touch support varies by emulator and game. You can still expand the keyboard layout below, or connect a compatible keyboard or gamepad.
Control panel
Console controls
Arrow keys move · Z = controller A · X = controller B · Enter starts · V selects.
A compatible gamepad can be used after launch.
Keyboard layoutOpen / close
MOVE
Up arrowLeft arrowRight arrowDown arrow
Buttons
ZPad AXPad B
Default Player 1 keys are shown. If you changed them or use a gamepad, check the player’s control settings.
System: Move the pointer over the game screen to reveal the player toolbar, or tap its menu button on touch devices. Use the toolbar for save and load states, fullscreen, and control settings.
Save or load game progress
Importing replaces the save stored for this game on this browser. Download your current backup first if you want to keep it.
Launch the game to check save-state support.
Save progress keeps one emulator snapshot for this game on this browser. Saving again replaces that snapshot. Download a backup before clearing site data or changing devices. No account or cloud sync is provided.
Import an OLDGAMES backup on this same game page, then launch and choose Resume saved game. Older .state files use the player’s Load State menu.
Favorites bookmark this page; they do not save progress.
- After launching, reveal the player toolbar by moving the pointer over the game screen or tapping its menu button.
- Choose the save-state download option when available and keep the file.
- To restore it, launch the same game and choose the load-state option. Check the restored progress before replacing an older backup.
In-game saves and emulator states are different. Availability varies by game and player. Browser storage can be cleared; a downloaded backup is not cloud sync.
More about controls and backupsPlayer feedback
Was this classic worth replaying?
Share this game
Share a direct link to this game page.
About The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda’s NES adventure: explore Hyrule, read dungeon maps, start the first quest and learn in-game saving and browser backups.
An overworld full of dungeon entrances
Link explores Hyrule, gathering equipment and finding the dungeons that hold pieces of the Triforce. Progress depends on observation as well as combat: an item can make an earlier location worth revisiting. Dungeon layouts turn keys, locked doors and secret passages into navigation problems.
Record what stopped you
Mark locked dungeon doors and passages you cannot reach yet. Equipment found later can make an old room useful again. A short note about the obstacle is more helpful than simply recording that you have visited the screen.
The original top-down Zelda
This is the original top-down adventure. Zelda II changes to a different structure and should not be used as a control or dungeon reference.
Background and mechanics: Wikipedia game reference.
The Legend of Zelda: first-quest starter guide
For the original top-down NES adventure. These notes use Nintendo manuals and developer interviews; they are not a full walkthrough or a report of browser playtesting.
Content updated · Editorial policy
Start a first-quest file and learn the two screens
- At the title screen, press Start. Use Select to choose REGISTER YOUR NAME, then Start. Finish with REGISTER END and select the new file.
- For a first playthrough, choose a name other than ZELDA. That name skips to the harder Second Quest, whose dungeon layouts differ.
- Try movement and the sword before travelling far. Open the inventory to check which item is equipped; the item button does not select an item for you.
| NES input | What it does |
|---|---|
| D-pad | Move Link; choose an item on the subscreen. |
| A | Swing the sword. |
| B | Use the equipped item. |
| Start | Open or close the inventory subscreen. |
| Select | Pause; choose menu entries. |
The browser panel shows keyboard keys. NES button labels refer to the emulated controller: use the player’s control settings to check the current A/B bindings, especially if you have remapped them.
References: Nintendo: The Legend of Zelda digital manual · Nintendo: Second Quest name shortcut · EmulatorJS: player features
Read the dungeon map before spending another key
| What you find | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Map | Reveals the dungeon layout; compare it with the rooms you have visited. |
| Compass | Marks the Triforce fragment, rather than revealing the route to it. |
| Bombs | Can open holes in walls as well as damage enemies. |
Keep two marks in your notes: “room visited” and “exit unresolved.” For example, a locked door to the east is still unfinished even if you have cleared the room. When revisiting, check that exit rather than repeating the entire floor.
A marked destination is not a complete route. Work backwards from the missing connection on your sketch, then decide which doorway or wall deserves another look.
References: Nintendo: The Legend of Zelda digital manual
Make each return trip answer a question
Nintendo’s original booklet points players toward cave merchants, healing fairies and clues from people in the dungeons. It also recommends changing equipment to suit the enemy and paying attention to the dungeon level number.
Turn that advice into a short route log: record a landmark, what stopped you and what you want to test. “Cave near the lake: compare shop prices” is useful on a return visit; “explored the lake” leaves you with the same search again.
If a fight repeatedly ends your run, make the next trip about one thing: trying another equipped item, finding a healing stop or returning to a lower-numbered dungeon. Avoid changing several things at once, so you can tell what helped.
References: Nintendo: original NES instruction booklet
Save progress, then keep a separate browser backup
- For the game’s save menu, open the subscreen with Start. On Controller 2, press Up and A together, then choose SAVE. RETRY returns to file selection without saving the current progress.
- In the browser player’s control settings, select Player 2 and assign its Up and A inputs to separate unused keys or a second controller. Player 1’s Up+A is not the manual’s command.
- For a separate backup, use the player’s save-state download option and keep the file. Load it through the player’s load-state option for this same game; keep an older backup before replacing it.
The game’s SAVE keeps adventure progress, not an exact paused scene. A downloaded emulator state serves a different purpose: restoring the running emulator. Local browser data can be cleared, and a download is not cloud sync. Before a long session, test that your backup can be loaded.
References: Nintendo: original NES instruction booklet · EmulatorJS: player features
Why this page says 1986, and which guide to follow
Nintendo dates the Japanese Famicom Disk System debut to 1986 and explains that the overseas release used a cartridge. This catalogue uses the game’s first-release year; the year alone does not identify the region or revision of the browser file.
The notes here follow the NES manuals. Check the title screen and language before using a regional walkthrough. This page does not establish a specific ROM region or revision. Game & Watch hardware shortcuts are separate from the NES controller commands.
In Nintendo’s developer interview, Miyamoto describes including maps and hints while encouraging players to discover solutions themselves. Use this guide to understand your tools; open the original booklet when you want more detailed hints.
References: Nintendo: Miyamoto, Tezuka and Kondo interview · Nintendo: Second Quest name shortcut
Common questions
Why does my new file have different dungeons?
Registering the name ZELDA starts the Second Quest. A raised sword beside Link on file selection identifies it. Choose another name in a new file for the first quest.
Why does Up+A fail to open the save menu?
Open the inventory with Start first, then use Controller 2’s Up and A together. Check the Player 2 bindings in the emulator’s control settings; Player 1’s keys are different inputs.
Do favourites or recent games restore my Zelda save?
No. Those lists help you reopen the page. Use the game’s save system or the player’s save-state options for progress, and keep a downloaded backup separately.
Sources and scope
Practice routines and route-planning suggestions are editorial advice. Mechanics and edition facts are tied to the references below. No exact ROM-region identification or browser save-and-restore playtest is claimed.
- Nintendo: The Legend of Zelda digital manual
Sections 1–2 and 5–6: controls, file registration, inventory, map, compass and bombs.
- Nintendo: original NES instruction booklet
Printed pages 5–9 and 13–17: exploration hints, game-over options and the second-controller save command.
- Nintendo: Miyamoto, Tezuka and Kondo interview
Japanese Disk System release, overseas cartridge edition and the role of maps and hints.
- Nintendo: Second Quest name shortcut
Section 2 documents the ZELDA name and raised-sword marker. Its hardware-specific shortcuts are not NES instructions.
- EmulatorJS: player features
Control remapping for multiple players and downloadable save/load states; not a guarantee of this file’s save compatibility.
Secret Codes & Cheats
Documented shortcuts: check the edition and controller requirements in the guide before using them.
Unlock the Second Quest Instantly
Register name as ZELDAThis starts the harder Second Quest. Use a different name for the first quest; check the raised-sword marker on file selection.
Open the In-Game Save Menu
Open subscreen with Start; Controller 2: Up + AUse the second controller’s mapped inputs, then choose SAVE. See the starter guide for Player 2 setup and a separate emulator backup.
Playing this edition
Where are the controls?
The control panel below the game screen shows this edition’s keys. Click inside the game before using your keyboard.
How do I save or change controls?
Open the player menu for the options available in this emulator. Save support varies by game and player; see the playing help for more guidance.
Where can I find more games like this?
Browse Adventure games across systems, or stay with the Famicom catalogue. Related picks below explain how each game connects.
Similar action-adventure games
YEAR1986Famicom
光之神话
Adventure 1 Player
Action-adventure gameplay · Famicom
YEAR1986Famicom
Front Line
Adventure 1 Player
Action-adventure gameplay · Famicom
YEAR1986Famicom
The Goonies
Adventure 1 Player
Action-adventure gameplay · Famicom
YEAR1987Famicom
Hudson's Adventure III
Adventure 1 Player
Action-adventure gameplay · Famicom