Is Zelda an arcade game?

Arcades produce a unique sense of nostalgia from the environment that gaming on consoles simply can’t inspire.  When one thinks back to the golden age of video games that was the 1980’s, many will think back to lining up at arcades to play games of the likes of Pac-Man or Space Invaders (or even Galaga). At the last leg of the 80’s however, console gaming started taking over as many gamers purchased gaming systems like the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). Zelda made a name for itself in households as gamers left arcades and picked up on what consoles had to give. 

As gaming on consoles picked up in popularity, some arcade games picked up in popularity. Certain gaming companies actually decided to take certain console only games and place them in the arcade gaming world. Take, for instance, the game that this article is about, Zelda, or The Legend of Zelda as it is more widely known, has been brought to life in arcade form by the popular San Francisco Arcade Game museum, High Scores. 

These Zelda Arcade versions were built from the ground up by the High Scores group, with the initial design being placed together by Sam Bahman, while the build of the actual cabinet was done by Scott Evans, an arcade game focused carpenter. The arcade game cabinets were placed together with a build designed to look like arcade game cabinets from the 1980s. In fact, the actual design of this cabinet was taken from the arcade game cabinet of Donkey Kong. It took around 14 weeks for the entire project to be complete from start to finish. 

The Zelda cabinets have a gold paint on their exterior that was inspired by the 1986 Zelda game’s cartridge. The machines also have the characters Ganon, Link, and Zelda on the outside screen that mimics the effects given by old-school CRTs.

The game that the console is themed after isn’t the only game that can be played on these consoles. They also feature a number of other games such as Double Dragon and Contra. 

The co-owner of High Scores, Shawn Livernoche says, In our Zelda Machines you’re going to find all the unique NES experiences you loved, emulated perfectly, with the highest quality controls and a presentation offered nowhere else. You’re going to rediscover all the games you loved, and be able to explore rarer titles you may have never seen.”

Even though the consoles host a number of games, the owners, Shawn and Megan Livernoche, may be a little biased on the side of Zelda games.