A little-known Legend of Zelda game that never officially made it outside of Japan has been reconstructed and made available in English thanks to the work of dedicated fans.
The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablet was originally released for Nintendo’s Super Famicom (Japan’s version of the Super Nintendo) in 1997. Interestingly enough, the game was distributed over a peripheral called the Satellaview which, as the name suggests, was a satellite modem that allowed users to play games via a satellite connection (kind of like the Sega Channel in the US during the same time period).
Rather than offer the game to anyone that wanted to play at any time, the game was broadcast over four weeks and only for one hour each day. Progress from each session would be saved locally and the player could pick up the action during the next broadcast.
Various emulations of the game have existed for some time although now, you’re getting a more comprehensive translation that also includes audio that was streamed over the satellite connection. Although more than five years old at this point, the clip above from YouTube user ClanOfTheGrayWolf gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect.
If you want to give it a try, hop over to the Zelda Legends website where you can find all of the necessary files you’ll need before Nintendo sends out its prototypical cease and desist letter to shut things down.
https://www.techspot.com/news/66738-japan-only-legend-zelda-game-mid-90s-now.html
