The Legend of Zelda
Year: 1986
Type: Original Soundtrack
Composer(s): Kōji Kondō
Number of tracks: 10
Heroic history
After all, I only set foot in the series for the first time in 2006 with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and then finally threw myself completely into it with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Yes, Zelda is iconic. And at least as iconic is its soundtrack, the quality of which has endured over the decades and various sequels. Be it Link's expressive screaming, the triumphant melodies when opening chests and finding items or the various musical themes.
Much of what we hear in modern Zeldas was already heard here at the beginning. Composer Kōji Kondō, who had already established the creative future of the Super Mario Bros-series a year earlier and apparently also set out to do the same for The Legend of Zelda , was responsible for this. The ten-track OST may only be eleven minutes long, but what we hear is iconic.
It starts with the slow 'Intro', which hums the familiar Zelda-melody from the Ricoh 2A03 chip of the NES: 'Da daaa, da-datatataaaa ... dadadadataaaa, da data ...'. Compared to modern intonations, the piece is timid and almost deliberate, announcing new beginnings and child-friendly action without becoming too euphoric.
It's a good thing that “Overworld” kicks in immediately afterwards, dragging the theme along with it - let's get started! Despite its undeniable beauty, the melody is already showing the first signs of fatigue. The piece lacks a bit of a loop character. 'Heresy', the fanboys and -girls may scream, but for me as a non-player of the original, the idea of having to listen to the melody in a continuous loop makes me shudder a little.
It's a good thing that the OST breaks up the constant balance a little with short classics like “Item” ('Daaa daaa daaa daaaaaa') or “Secret” ('Die de da do do du do do daaaa') and tracks like “Dungeon” or “Death Mountain” expand the musical repertoire. Unlike Super Mario Bros , I actually find the themes here less catchy, making this part of the soundtrack less of an evergreen.
For the limitations of the time, the OST was of course an absolute masterpiece, but in my opinion it reveals its full quality especially in the form of orchestral remakes. Meanwhile, the score did not live up to my initial expectations. However, as it is measured against the aforementioned modern interpretations, this was hardly to be expected. So it's all the better that the music, like Link, would go through many more iterations - with some that appeal to me more.
| Nr. | Title | Interpret(en) | Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Intro | Kōji Kondō |  |
| 02 | Overworld | Kōji Kondō | |
| 03 | Item | Kōji Kondō |  |
| 04 | Dungeon | Kōji Kondō |  |
| 05 | Secret | Kōji Kondō | |
| 06 | Triforce | Kōji Kondō | |
| 07 | Game Over | Kōji Kondō |  |
| 08 | Whistle | Kōji Kondō | |
| 09 | Death Mountain | Kōji Kondō | |
| 10 | Ending | Kōji Kondō | |
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