Dangerous Alone is a browser engine for a NES Zelda cartridge you
already own. Drop a legally obtained USA iNES .nes dump
once; maps, graphics, and audio stay on this device. Nothing is
uploaded.
Getting started
- Open Play and drop your ROM on the window (or click to choose a file). Extraction runs in the browser; the file is kept in local storage so you do not drop it every visit.
- Watch the title attract, then press Enter / Start to reach file select.
- Pick a slot with ↑ ↓. Press Enter to continue a save or start a new one. Use R to register a name on an empty slot.
- Walk into the cave on the starting screen for the wooden sword, then head east toward the first labyrinth — or follow the map marks this engine adds for hinted secrets and the next dungeon.
Clearing site data removes the ROM and save slots together.
play.html?resetRom=1 forgets the dump without wiping
saves.
Default controls
These are the factory binds. Open Options in Play to remap any seat’s keyboard or gamepad.
Player 1
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move | Arrows or W A S D |
| Sword (A) | Z or Space |
| B item | X C or B |
| Inventory (Start) | Enter Esc or Shift |
| Cycle B item (Select) | Tab or ` |
Player 2 (same keyboard)
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move | I J K L |
| Sword (A) | F |
| B item | G |
| Start (join / inventory) | H |
| Select | Y |
Player 3 (numpad)
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move | 8 4 5 6 on the numpad |
| Sword (A) | Numpad 0 |
| B item | Numpad . |
| Start | Numpad + |
| Select | Numpad − |
Player 4
Pads are the expected device. These leftover keys exist so a fourth seat can join from the keyboard: P ' ; \ move, N sword, - B item, = Start, 0 Select.
Gamepad
A standard pad maps D-pad and left stick to move, the bottom face button to sword, the right face button to B item, Start to inventory, and Select/Back to cycle items. Alone, every plugged-in pad drives player 1. Once someone else joins, each seat keeps the pad it claimed.
Cheap D-input pads sometimes hide the D-pad from the browser. Options can grant Chrome permission to read it, and every button can be rebound per player.
File select
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| ↑ ↓ | Move between the three save slots |
| Enter | Continue a filled slot, or start a new game |
| R | Register (or overwrite) a name on this slot |
| N | Rename an existing file |
| E | Erase a slot (confirm with Enter, cancel with Esc) |
| O | Open Options |
On the name screen: move with the D-pad, A types a letter, B skips a cell, Select changes row, Start registers.
While playing
- Inventory — Start opens your item screen. Left/right choose a B item; Start again closes.
- Cycle items — Select (Tab) swaps the B slot without opening the menu. In inventory, left/right also walk the B row.
- Join — Up to four seats. Press the next player’s Start (H for player 2) or Start on a spare controller. Empty quadrants show “PRESS START TO JOIN.” Joiners spawn next to the lowest-numbered player already in the world.
- Leave — Start + Select stands that seat up. The last remaining player cannot leave this way.
- Audio — M mutes, , / . lower and raise volume.
- Practice — F5 snapshots the current world (not a file slot). F9 reloads that snapshot.
Progress autosaves to this browser about every 15 seconds, and again when you hide the tab. Three file slots plus the practice snapshot live in the same origin storage as the ROM.
Split-screen co-op
One to four NES-sized cameras share one Hyrule. Seats can be in different modes at once — overworld, dungeon, or cave — each with a full HUD and map. Walking the overworld and visited dungeon rooms does not wipe the screen the way the NES did; unvisited dungeon rooms stay fogged until you enter.
Options
The Options button covers integer display scale, crisp vs smooth filtering, fullscreen, and per-player keyboard/gamepad binds. Click a bind row, then press a key or pad control (Esc cancels). Fullscreen needs a click each session because the browser requires it.
What this engine adds
- Split-screen co-op with join/leave mid-session
- Continuous camera and fogged unvisited dungeon rooms
- Expanded NPC, pickup, and labyrinth text in a paged dialogue box
- Map marks for the next dungeon and hinted secrets
- Arcing sword, integer scale, and rebindable controls
Solo play is meant to stay recognizable. This repository is not a Nintendo product and does not include Nintendo assets. You bring a cartridge dump you own.