Relive the original Legend of Zelda in 2.5 dimensions

A voxel-style recreation of The Legend of Zelda hit the Internet yesterday, as a tribute to the series’ 30 year run.

This 2.5D, three-dungeon demo looks and plays differently than the version that’s seen appearances on just about every Nintendo console so far. It’s smoother, faster, and plays a bit like Zelda titles such as A Link to the Past.

That said, however, it isn’t without its bugs. Some of the more notable bugs include Triforce pieces not getting added to the menu screen and bombs coming in packs of one rather than the usual four. According to the tribute’s Facebook page:

“We know it’s not a 100% finished overworld but we are working on it. We would love your feedback while we’re developing. Please let us know what you think and what features you might like to see in the finished project.”

Scott Lininger and Mike Magee, the tribute’s creators, are very faithful to the original game. They even poke fun at the game’s original intro (written in broken English) in their own intro to the game, which tells a bit of the story of how this tribute came to be:

“Thirty years ago tiny child “Scott” played the great golden cartridge with love. Later lords of browser made the WebGLs with wisdom. Now allow Voxels able on the webs! Soon “Mike” help to remake golden cartridge in “3D” as fans fiction!”

The Legend of Zelda was first released in Japan on February 21, 1986 for the Famicom Disk System. A cartridge version, which could save the player’s progress, was released the following year, on August 22, 1987, and was the first NES title to sell over 1 million copies.

The game can be played on a computer using a keyboard or on a smart device. Check it out here.

For more updates, follow the tribute’s Facebook and/or Twitter pages.