Dataminers beginning digging through Legend of Zelda prototype

In a move that is sure to draw ire from Nintendo, yet another part of their unreleased history has made its way online.

The Video Game History Foundation has shared data from a prototype cartridge of The Legend of Zelda on NES. This cartridge is labeled as being assembled back in February of 1987, which his 6 months before the final localized version of The Legend of Zelda would release in North America.

As for what’s different in this prototype build of the game versus the retail release, the only thing discovered so far is an exit cave bug that causes Link to remain under the ground at his last position for one frame before teleporting to the cave entrance.

This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as exploration of the prototype goes, so there’s sure to be plenty of discoveries shared in the weeks to come. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for any notable findings and share them with you as details become available.