Game Comparisons  »  The Legend of Zelda  »  Audio

Audio

It's amazing how many people bought this add-on for the system back in the day - I guess it led them to think they could make a big success with disk add-ons for the Super Famicom and N64 afterward too

The Famicom Disk System included extra sound hardware that let game creators make more interesting sound effects and music than they could with the ordinary Famicom and NES. Since we’re comparing the FDS version of Zelda with the NES version here, it’s natural that a number of audio differences exist between the two.

Since I grew up with the NES version, I’m used to the audio it uses. But Japanese fans are mostly in agreement that the FDS version sounds much better and that the cartridge versions are lackluster.

Here are some audio comparisons for your listening pleasure. See which ones you prefer!

It’s hard to keep track of all the sound and music subtleties in the game, so if I’ve missed something, please let me know!

And for more info and details about audio differences, you can see here too!

The Zelda Legends of Localization book also includes:

  • Further details about the audio differences
  • The audio connections this game has with other Zelda/Nintendo games
  • Notes about audio hardware changes
  • Some quick history behind the famous Zelda theme
  • A full page of quotes from Japanese fans’ opinions about the NES music, and English-speaking fans’ opinions of the Famicom music
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Last update: May 21st, 2019
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