I have a confession to make: I’ve never played any of the 8-bit Legend of Zelda games. Despite actually growing up playing on the original NES/Famicom, I never played any of these RPG classics. That’s partially because of my ignorance as I didn’t really like RPG-type games when I was younger. I did later get to appreciate Zelda games, starting with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past as well as the current ones that have been released on the Nintendo Switch.

I did finally get my chance to rock out on these retro classics recently, however. That’s because I finally took the plunge and got myself the Game and Watch: The Legend of Zelda handheld. Not only does this package come with the original Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, it also comes with The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening from the original Game Boy as well as a retro inspired Game and Watch original game where Link bashes monsters in the head. But was this actually worth the money to get this pint-sized portable when you can actually just play them on your Nintendo Switch… which would also make them portable? Let’s go check it out.

First off, some of you younger viewers might be asking what the heck is a Game and Watch. Well, basically, before Nintendo made the NES/Famicom, they were making small handheld games under the Game and Watch brand. These were very simply games as the only goal was to get a high score with each of them. This does have a lot of nostalgic factor for, let’s just say, very veteran gamers such as myself as we grew up playing and collecting Game and Watch games.

I will say Nintendo did a good job emulating the the traditional Game and Watch look and feel with The Legend of Zelda package. A little too well, I would say. I guess the good points is, if you have an original Game and Watch collection, The Legend of Zelda version wouldn’t look out of place. It has the same blocky contours of the originals. The D-pad buttons do feel quite different as it does seem you can push them a little bit further than the original Game and Watch D-pad and buttons. During gameplay, they do feel responsive but they do take some getting used to if you’re hands and fingers have adapted to the more smooth feel of today’s controllers.

The same thing can be said for the overall button layout as Nintendo had to kind of smush all of the other buttons, like Select and Start, just above the B and A buttons, which do feel inconveniently located. I kind of wish they were positioned someplace like just underneath the LCD screen. But then again, that would definitely clash with the retro look they were going for.

Even if Nintendo designed the system to look like the old Game and Watch units, they did add a lot of modern conveniences we’ve all gotten used to. For one, the entire thing has a rechargable battery pack so no need to fiddle around with those tiny batteries like the originals. There’s also a tiny power button on the side so you can put the unit to sleep when not in use. Be careful of pushing the power button for too long to shut it off or completely drain the battery, however, as you can lose your save game data that way!

The biggest issue I have with the Game and Watch: The Legend of Zelda package is, well, the size of the screen. Like I said, Nintendo really copied the original design of the Game and Watch, which also meant they copied its diminutive screen size. This does mean that all of the game sprites have also shrunk down as well. So, it might be hard for older gamers, who are ironically the target market for this kind of thing, being able to distinguish the action. This isn’t super great for games where you have to dodge enemies in cramped spaces or aim your shooting sword at enemies. Luckily, the screen’s brightness can be controlled so a lot of the squinting can be alleviated with the right brightness settings.

Of course, one of the biggest reasons why you’re getting this retro inspired Game and Watch package is because it contains classic Legend of Zelda games. But how does it feel to be playing these old 8-bit RPG games these days? Well, as this is my actual first time playing them, specifically the first ever Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. And I will say they are hard. No, I don’t mean they’re difficult because, once you get used to the controls, it does get easy to beat the enemies as they’re not particularly complex. The difficulty comes with trying to figure out what to do or where to go next. I guess that’s kind of a relic of old 8-bit RPGs like the original couple of Legend of Zelda games: you don’t have a clue of what to do first! As someone who grew up with old-school adventure games, I was sort of cool with it. I just had to reacquaint myself with this manner of gaming but a lot of modern gamers might not be able to get over the culture shock of it all.

This is probably why, even though I could adapt to the old-school gameplay of the NES/Famicom Zelda games, I generally had the most fun with Link’s Awakening, the Game Boy entry to the Legend of Zelda series. That’s because it does have most of the mechanics of today’s RPGs, with NPCs who can actually give you decent instructions on what to do next! I will say I find it odd that Nintendo didn’t use the DX, AKA the “colorized”, version for this package. I get they really wanted to go super retro but the option to play the one with the extra dungeon would’ve been sublime. I mean, it’s not like I’m asking them to have included the Switch version, am I right?

Besides including these Zelda adventures on the Game and Watch: The Legend of Zelda system, Nintendo also a Zelda version of the original Game and Watch game, Vermin. Instead of your unnamed Game and Watch guy smashing moles, this version of Vermin has Link smashing octorocks with dual hammers. This is a fun little distraction and, in all honesty, probably the game you’ll be playing the most as it’s just a quick pick-up-and-play type of game.

Of course, as this is a Game and Watch unit, it does display the time and The Legend of Zelda version looks pretty cool when it does. The time is displayed in big blocky numbers on the floor of a dungeon while Link attacks enemies. You can even take control of Link and move him around while the time is still ticking down. No need to play a game to play a Zelda game! Unfortunately, the user interface for the Timer function kind of sucks. This has Link from Zelda II poking enemies with his sword and, while the gameplay here is okay, the enemies can push you off the screen, making it impossible for you to see where you are! It certainly doesn’t help that the numbers displayed while on Timer mode are made of Triforce triangles! It looks obnoxious and not exactly easy on the eyes!

With all of that, is the Game and Watch: The Legend of Zelda worth the price when you can play most of these games on the Nintendo Switch and get them at a much lower price? Well, I guess it depends. If you are an older game who did grow up playing Game and Watch games, this is a neat little package. If you like classic Legend of Zelda games in all their purity, yes, you should also get this. You might want to check if you can actually look at the screen clearly first, though. But, if you’ve mostly gotten used to modern gaming sensibilities, I would say skip it. It’s mostly a kitsch item that’s designed to appeal to those who have a nostalgic attachment to the old Legend of Zelda games and Game and Watch.

Have you tried out Game and Watch: The Legend of Zelda? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments section below!