This is the tale of brave hero Link's first quest to rescue fair Princess Zelda from the vile clutches of the wicked beast Ganon, not once but twice. You think you know how it went, don't you?
Actually, you don't. A new chronicle unearthed by the great historian Dark Flame Wolf reveals that what you played until now was only part of the story. Details about the scenery were compressed, the overworld and dungeon layouts were passed down wrong, Link getting certain dungeon items was left out, the difficulty Link had was greatly downplayed, and it turns out Link had to rescue fair Zelda a third time. That means you now get to play a new and improved remake of the original The Legend of Zelda made in Zelda Classic, with a more complex and detailed overworld, more complex, detailed and themed dungeons, additional dungeon items and puzzles, harder difficulty and an incredibly difficult remake of the first two quests in the form of a third quest.
This was actually the last Zelda Classic quest Dark Flame Wolf made, and she's announced her retirement from Zelda Classic, but she made ten quests in total, and this one may just top even her previous main quest, Lost Isle, made in collaboration with Peteo, and serve as a fitting crowner to her long quest-making career. What better way to end your career than Where It All Began? Of course, she didn't make this entirely herself; she had Blaman make one block puzzle to put in each dungeon, but everything else was all Dark Flame Wolf, down to the Master Dome, which in this quest takes the form of the Dome of Trials, a set of rematches against bosses in the style of the Savage Labyrinth from Hidden Duality that gets harder in each successive quest. It's not clear whether this or Lost Isle was a greater quest, but it most definitely tops Isle of the Winds by a longshot, especially given how Dark Flame Wolf needed to integrate the two-quest mechanics, and it was more effort on Dark Flame Wolf's part than Lost Isle. So, this is a fitting way for Dark Flame Wolf to end her quest making career, wasn't it?
- Adaptation Expansion: There are new dungeon items, new dungeon puzzles, and a new Bonus Dungeon.
- Apathetic Citizens: The fisherman is fishing away by the lake side, with monsters crawling around right behind him.
- Bonus Dungeon: The Dome of Trials, a set of rematches against bosses that are harder on later quests.
- Late-Arrival Spoiler: Several things will be familiar to players of the original.
- Mid-Season Twist: Some things you thought were familiar are totally different now.
- Mini-Dungeon: There are several around the land guarding Magic upgrades. They resemble the Rupee dungeons from Isle of the Winds.
- Mini-Game: There are four involving various dungeon items: the bow, the bomb, the wand, and the boomerang.
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Nintendo Hard: Even the first quest wasn't easy to begin with, but Darkflamewolf had to make it harder. The second quest was way harder than the first quest originally too, but Darkflamewolf made it even harder too. - Nothing Is Scarier: There's no music in the graveyard. It's unclear whether that was intentional or Darkflamewolf just couldn't find a good song.
- Video Game Remake: The levels are in the same places as in the original The Legend of Zelda, and are the same shapes, with the bosses in the same places and the same items, but they are laid out differently and some have additional items.
- Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: Interestingly, at the end of 2nd quest. The princess in Ganon's lair is a fake, called "Helda" [sic]. You can rescue her or continue on to the third quest with all your items from 2nd quest.
- Adam Smith Hates Your Guts: Now the dungeon items aren't lying around in dungeons anymore, and you have to buy them. And the prices are quite steep. There are super-hard Superbosses that give you lots of Rupees... which should be not quite enough to buy all the one-of-a-kind items.
- Beef Gate: You can go straight to the third quest right away, but you need to defeat some hard monsters with just the Green Mail, the Wooden Sword and three hearts. It is possible with the Sword Beam, but the skill you need to pull it off with is incredible but still has nothing on what you'll face beyond.
- Chekhov's Cave: Those small caves that didn't contain anything in the first two quests now contain super-hard boss battles that reward you with 200 rupees.
- Easter Egg: In level 9 1st quest, GANNON:"Hello? Is anyone out there? I'm stuck in this evil jar and my life is fading fast. I don't really know why I'm stuck in here. I think it has something to do with misspelling someone's name. I think that's really stupid. Any way, can you get me out of here? Or not?!"
- Final Boss, New Dimension: The tower atop which you fight the last boss is not seen anywhere in the overworld.
- Gainax Ending: Excuse me princess, you said WHAT after we went through hell and high water to truly defeat Ganon and rescue you?Zelda: Oh, Link! You have proven yourself to be a true hero! You have bested the worst of what Ganon has to offer and you survived! You are an elite warrior and I commend you on your accomplishment! Now come over here and save me! Let's get out of this popsicle stand and have some fun!Darkflamewolf: So what's your definition of fun?
- Harder Than Hard: Darkflamewolf somehow made this quest far harder than the previous quests, and harder than any previous quest she's ever done. Even she doesn't dare attempt the Dome of Trials in this quest.
- Odd Job Gods: Throughout the dungeons Darkflamewolf adds those old men who said "Leave your life or money," who she refers to in her walkthrough as "Gods of Poverty." They may not be escapable and the money you have to hand over is 999 rupees.
- Remixed Level: The levels are in entirely new places, and you can access either level from the entrance, but both are much harder "Xtreme Mode" versions.
- Sequel Hook: After his defeat, Ganon says he will continue to come back as long as he has the Triforce of Power. Given that this is the last appearance of Ganon in this timeline, like Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, this may seem to be Fanon. But if you lose Zelda II, Ganon returns to mock you, hinting that he's not quite dead and will have to be truly defeated later in this timeline.
- True Final Boss: A remade Ganon.Darkflamewolf: Now for a special surprise for players who ACTUALLY beat the 3rd quest! My very first custom boss! It took forever to make this boss and he does not play fair. He's very cheap and has a lot of 2/4 heart attacks!
