Lost game 'The Legend Of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablet' is available in English, French and German
In 1997, Nintendo released a little known addition to the “Legend Of Zelda” franchise, which was available only in Japan over the course of four weeks. Called “The Legend Of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablet,” the game is now available for players around the world.
The game, which was first only available in Japanese, is now available for download in English, French and German via an emulator. The files are available here. Even the biggest “Legend Of Zelda” fan outside of Japan might not know about “Ancient Stone Tablet,” because it was a relatively odd game to play.
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When it was first released, it was playable on Nintendo’s Super Famicon -- Japan’s version of the more known Super Nintendo -- via Satellaview, which was a satellite modem. Because of technological restrictions, “Ancient Stone Tablet” was only available for one hour each day for four weeks. At the time, progress would be saved at the end of each session, and players could pick up where they left off the following day.
What made it even more odd is that the broadcast would only cover certain parts of the game. In essence, players would have to wait to play a specific portion if they missed one day -- a stark difference to how games are currently played. Even more so, each broadcast was accompanied by a streamed audio, which constrained the voice acting and music for the game. Having all these factors mesh together in sync made it difficult.
Various other emulations of “The Legend Of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablet” have been available for a while now, but the most recent is reportedly the most comprehensive version available. It also includes some of the original audio that was broadcasted in 1997. The game is definitely no match to the graphics currently available, but it is still a fun addition to the franchise.