The battle within oneself is at the heart of The Adventure of Link, and though it’s waged against a vile outside enemy, the ending finds titular hero Link against his shadow; light and dark always locked in eternal struggle. It’s the similar tack of Nakatsuka’s iconic soundtrack. Though it may be for a mere video game on old technology, do not doubt its resonance and impression. The music of 8-bit games has spawned a sub-culture obsessed with the classics as it creates new, detached pieces. But what Nakatsuka captures is the excitement of exploration and the inevitability of growing up all in the vale of the shattered. Link’s world is shattered by the spell cast on Zelda after saving her from Gannon’s clutches. The Adventure of Link is separate from The Legend of Zelda, both in terms of goal, ultimate enemy and game play. The soundtrack captures all of it, romantically presenting safe havens such as villages with airy compositions while making quests into caves and temples dense with worry and peril. Auris Apothecary’s packaging finds Nakatsuta’s classic packaged on a golden cassette with nothing more than simple titles to best explain the music and the settings. There’s nothing to distract from the music except the nagging need to just play the damned game!
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