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https://www.vg247.com/2018/10/10/zelda- ... ap-luxury/

The ROM hack titled The Legend of Zelda SP – Living the life of luxury! is a "super-easy" version of the NES classic in which the player starts the game with a wealth of resources including 255 Rupees, 9 keys, 8 bombs, and more. This release is made to make the game more accessible to a wider, and more modern, audience.
What do you guys think? I never got into the Zelda series, and I wouldn't use a hack like this even if I were, but the prospect of official ROM hacks is exciting for me. Being an internet chode, I immediately thought of the plethora of Sega ROM hacks. The idea of an official Sonic or Streets of Rage ROM hack on an official platform fills me with joy. Doubly so if it started out as a community ROM hack. Do you guys feel the same way? If so, what're your dream ROM hacks?

It's cool for kids now to check out the game. And maybe testing waters for other hacks or fan translations? That would be cool.

I tried it, it's a bit overrated. Yes you start with the most localized overworld heart containers added (you start with 6 hearts not 3) and within so many spaces of the starting area all the hidden tree stairs are pre-burned, but outside of the items you start with, the game is the same and no easier. I got curious and took down dungeon 2, then went back and did 1, and parked it at 3 the other day. It's not bad, a little help if you really really suck at the game (suck or are new to it) but it's not a huge game breaking hack of a help.

This almost offends me...
Nah, I can handle it. But Zelda was about exploration and item collection on your own. Sure, I may have had help along the way from friends and such back in the day, but I still did the legwork on my own, and that was part of the journey. Anything less just cheapens it.
I think it's the keys that bother me most though. A big part of all Zelda games is finding the keys in every dungeon. Granted that you can buy keys in the game, if desperate, but still.

GSZX1337 wrote:This release is made to make the game more accessible to a wider, and more modern, audience.

But, does it really?

After all, by taking away the exploration, the cash management and providing all these bonuses from the start you are denying an important part of the game to that "wider, more modern audience". People who play this version aren't playing Miyamoto's groundbreaking design, they are playing a watered down version that sacrifices design quality in order to be more "accessible".

And is it really more accessible? Are there really a lot of people who are unable to play The Legend of Zelda? It's a very simple game, with simple rules and not particularly fast-paced. Little kids had no issue playing it when it was first released,so, is it really inaccessible? Are newer generations less capable than older ones? What exactly is that makes The Legend of Zelda "inaccessible" now when it wasn't back then?

I take issue with this because it pushes foward the idea that these "wider, more modern audiences" can't enjoy the original game. And that's such a paternalistic view. Oh, poor modern players who cannot do what their parents did. They can't understand rules, they can't enjoy hard games. They are so incapable that the games themselves must be changed to accomodate them, even if they are masterpieces of design, because they cannot enjoy them otherwise.

Call me blind, but I think the average gamer, who plays stuff like League of Legends, Uncharted or Minecraft is more than capable of playing The Legend of Zelda. We aren't talking about expert-only shmups here.

And even then, there's nothing wrong with some people not being able to enjoy a game. Not all games can be for everybody. Some people might miss out on The Legend of Zelda, just like I missed out on Once upon a time in the West because I don't know much about Westerns.

Ultimately, we should strive, not just to make games "accessible", but also provide tools for people to grow and become more game-lilterate so they can also become better players. It's how it works for all art, why not apply it to gaming?

They made it simple because they don't have the Nintendo power mags, NP the original $ DLC. Maybe it will happen with Zelda 2 SP and Metroid.

I think a good newbie hack would have updated advice from the old men, a blinking light on the world map for the current next dungeon, and maybe an item that gives a tone when there is a secret in the room (possibly a different tone for each thing that needs to be used to discover it; like a different melody of your flute if flute is needed). Something that helps the beginner ease into the flow of the game, not does it for them.

The cheap hacks seem like just simple game genie codes... codes I only ever used in games if I had beaten it to death already just to mess around, or was sick of never getting anywhere because it was too hard. In either case, I was well familiar with the game before I resorted to it. Using it from my 1st play would be pointless.