BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets

BS The Legend of Zelda: The Ancient Stone Tablets (BSゼルダの伝説 古代の石盤 BS The Legend of Zelda: Inishie no Sekiban) was a game for the BS-X Broadcasting System add-on for the Super Famicom (Japanese Super Nintendo). Games were downloaded from St. GIGA's satellite radio service. The game was much like a Second Quest or Master Quest of A Link to the Past. Various actions earned the player points, and these points could later be traded in to Nintendo for different prizes.

The game was divided into four "weeks", each of which had to be played within a strict one-hour time period; minus the cutscenes this gave players 50 minutes in which to beat two dungeons, hunt for secrets, and perform all the other standard Zelda actions. The game made use of streaming orchestrated music as well as a technology called Live Voice, which supplied tips to players at key points during the game. Other than a rebroadcast the following year the game was never playable again, even for those who still possessed the game on a flash cartridge, until the advent of emulation.

This was the first Zelda game to use the shovel as a means of finding items, many heart pieces and other items were buried, not to mention when you rented a shovel, they gave you a map of where it was as well.

The game is based on the fact that you are the character in the game. Your character is named and is male or female based off of your broadcasting ID, which is also true for BS Zelda. The male character wears a green tunic, though others are later available, and a backwards baseball cap. The female character has long red hair and is otherwise almost exactly the same as the male.

Much of the story is unknown because of the use of voice actors.

Weeks and Objectives

 * Week 1: Your character awakens in the house in which Sahasrahla was found in A Link to the Past. Sahasrahla is standing next to you, and he tells you that he doesn't know who you are, but he knows that you are important. He tells you to go to the Eastern Palace to find out more. Your character must travel there and defeat the enemies inside to acquire a stone tablet and some equipment. Your character then finds Zelda and rescues her. She tells you that she believes you to be the Hero of Light. You then take her to the castle, where she leaves you. After this, you must acquire the flippers and complete the second dungeon which awaits behind the waterfall where the fairy fountain was found in the original A Link to the Past. After the week is over, you are told to travel to Kakariko Village to find your next objective.
 * Week 2: Your character awakens in Kakariko Village in Sahasrahla's house. You must then find two more stone tablets. You learn more of Ganon and a first hero who saved the land not long ago. There is little plot in this episode, but there is much inventory growth. The week ends with Sahasrahla talking of going to Link's house. He says that the Hero will accompany him.
 * Week 3: Your character wakes up in Link's house. You then acquire the glove which allows you to lift heavy rocks once per screen. Your goal is once again to acquire two more stone tablets.
 * Week 4: Zelda decides she is going to follow you throughout this week. She follows you into the graveyard dungeon and the dungeon that goes up the mountain. On top is a giant stone tablet, and she tries to decipher it. Once she does, the tablet breaks, giving you the Silver Arrows and a path to get into Ganon's Tower. It is a simple level, and there is a drop down into an area like the center of the pyramid. Ganon says that he will steal your power. After after you defeat him, Zelda remarks that she never realized how beautiful Hyrule really is. When time runs out after 50 minutes, your character drops the master sword into place. He or she is transported back in a flash of light from where the hero came.

It is speculated that Ganon's Tower is in the dark world, but no one is sure where it originally was. There are also spots for the Magic Cape and the Book of Mudora, but neither of them normally appear in the game.