Well now, I think this page could use an opinion uninfluenced by nostalgia and retrospective fan hype. The open ended concept and second quest thing is cool. The game set up the basics of the formula used by many of the later games. But that's about it for positives; The original Zelda is repetitive, primitive and lacks atmosphere and focus. Some puzzles are a matter of tedious trial & error, and the dialogue is below criticism. As with Metroid, I don't think the series really took off quality-wise until the SNES game.