Legend of Zelda Prototype is a Link to the Past
It’s always neat to see prototypes or early versions of video games and looking at how they differ from the final release. Shadow of the Colossus had a bunch of colossi cut from the game before release, for example. But it’s not just recent games; Lost Levels got their hands on a prototype for the original NES Legend of Zelda, and they discovered that the game was actually made more difficult for its retail release. In the prototype, it was easier to acquire rupees, dungeons had less enemies clustered together, and the enemies come in less-threatening combinations. I guess it isn’t just confirmation bias that makes me think that NES games are just flat-out harder than other games. They did it on purpose!
Michael Sacco is a freelance editor and writer, currently working as senior editor at WoW Insider.