I'll take back what I said about Zelda 1 aging poorly. It takes some time getting used to, but it's still fun today. I don't know what people mean by the game being so cryptic. It's not cryptic at all. It's just that the secrets aren't as in your face like they are in later entries.

My only gripes are the difficulty spike in the later dungeons (Wizrobes and Dark Nuts) and the final dungeon requiring you to purchase keys (100 rupees each) if you don't know the correct path.

Seriously, if you haven't played Zelda 1, give it a try and try it without a guide/walkthrough. It's not that bad as people said it is. Honestly, the first Metroid and most 8-bit turn-based JRPGs have aged much worse than Zelda 1.