‘Nintendo’s original Zelda game released for the CPC+ range!’

I’m generally not a big fan when it comes to remakes, but when news came my way in 2019 of a project to bring Nintendo’s 1987’s Legend of Zelda to the CPC+, I have to say I was rather intrigued.

Fast forward two years and the game has finally been released, and the results are stunning! Titled La Culotte de Zelda, the remake was created by French programmer ‘Zisquier’ and features gorgeous graphics produced

by BDCIron. A faithful port of the game’s soundtrack has also been produced by composer Arkos Traker which sounds fantastic. Visually the game looks gorgeous thanks to its diverse colour palette, and it plays as smooth as you like. As well as the original Legend of Zelda, the game also features elements from Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening.

Should you wish to enjoy this excellent RPG adventure, however, you’ll need a C4CPC cartridge for your 6128+ or GX4000. Or, for fans of emulation, you can use the Winape emulator.

Version 3.1 of the game is currently available to download for free here: https://amstrad.eu/laculotte-de-zelda/ The game download even includes a mock-up of an inlay cover that, when printed, fits into a standard GX4000 cartridge case.

Quite what Nintendo will make of the game has yet to be seen, and most believe they’ll try to remove it from the web and fine its creator, but ‘Zisquier’ isn’t worried:

‘I will say one thing: no one will stop this project; people shouldn’t be afraid of Nintendo… I’m not.’

Said like a true adventurer Zisquier…

So, what exactly is different about the Director’s Cut? Having played the original, I immediately noticed the higher resolution text, which looks more akin to the Infocom adventures of old, which Stefan sights as one of his major influences when creating his adventures.

The other immediate change is that the traditional compass directions have been given up in favour of nautical directions, which makes more sense since the game is set between two space ships (the traditional directions are still recognised should you prefer to use them).

The parser has also received an upgrade whereby you now have to type in a bit more of a detailed command instead of simple one-word commands. For example, ‘use knife’ now requires a more precise command of ‘cut [object] with vibro knife’. While this may put some off, I quite like it as it adds more realism to the game. Some of the ingame puzzles have been given a facelift too, and while they require a little more thought to solve, there’s nothing overly complex. One new and very welcome addition is the inclusion of a teleportation device that, when found and its use discovered, makes for a clever new puzzle and a great way of moving around the ships.

Computer terminals are another feature that have been given the upgrade treatment. Instead of ‘use computer’, there are, in some cases, numeric passcodes that have to be found and entered to progress. Again, another clever and excellent addition that adds a touch more realism to the game.

Just like the original game, there’s a collector’s edition available to purchase from PolyPlay, which features some fantastic box art produced to look like one of the old Infocom adventure boxes. Also included are a 3” & 3.5” disk, autograph card, stickers, poster, micro-SD card and an exclusive mission patch feelie. If you fancy one of the collector’s copies you can purchase it here: https://www. polyplay.xyz/Hibernated-1Directors-Cut-Amstrad-CPCand-PCW

Overall Hibernated 1 – The Director’s Cut oozes passion and atmosphere, and you really can’t help but admire Stefan and his devotion to his work. Not only has he managed to deliver yet another fine modern text adventure which is nothing short of brilliant, but at the same time, he’s given us the perfect stop-gap to keep us entertained while we wait for the much anticipated Hibernated 2.

The game is superbly written and, in my view, an absolute masterpiece from start to finish which is why it deserves nothing less than our prestigious AMTIXCPC ACCOLADE award. Well done, Stefan!

Atmosphere 92% Interaction 90% Lasting Interest 87% Value for Money 100%

92%

Overall