The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The spiritual successor to an iconic Super Nintendo game.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. Released in November/December 2013, it is the direct sequel to A Link to the Past, but chronologically takes place after Link's Awakening, and is the sixteenth/seventeenth game in the Zelda franchise (if the two Oracle games are counted as one or two games).
Why It Rocks
- Fantastic graphics for a 3DS game while utilizing the same top-down view from A Link to the Past and the DS games, which is some nice attention to detail.
- Tight, smooth controls that expand upon those of its predecessor, including the ability to use items with both the Y and X buttons once you obtain Gulley's pouch after beating the Eastern Palace, the ability to guard with your shield using the R button and moving the Pegasus Boots to the L button rather than having it share the A button with actions.
- Amazing story with many twists and turns throughout while making use of both Hyrule and Lorule. The concept of having a parallel world is always an excellent one, which this game and A Link to the Past pull off well.
- Fantastic soundtrack composed by Ryo Nagamatsu that remains faithful to its predecessor with some new tracks mixed in.
- The gameplay is still as good as its predecessor, with some expansions to make th game more interesting:
- You can complete the Lorulean dungeons in any order you wish, which adds more replay value. The only exception is the Desert Palace, which can only be completed once you complete the Thieves' Hideout due to Osfala possessing the Sand Rod.
- The game's main mechanic, merging with walls while looking like a painting after Ravio's bracelet saves Link from Yuga's spell in the Eastern Palace, is a fun way to solve puzzles.
- Balanced difficulty: the game is neither too easy nor too hard.
- Rather than finding items in chests from dungeons, Link must rent them from Ravio and can later purchase them permanently after he obtains the Master Sword.
- A colorful cast of memorable characters from both Hyrule and Lorule, including:
- Ravio, Link's Lorulean counterpart, is a hilarious comic relief character who lets Link rent his items (and later buy them when he obtains the Master Sword) and knew firsthand of Hilda's plot to steal Hyrule's Triforce.
- Hilda is a well-written, tragic secondary antagonist whose intentions are understandable (Lorule's Triforce has disappeared, so she needs the one from Hyrule to better benefit her kingdom) and gives Link sagely advice in her kingdom.
- Yuga is an entertaining and somewhat creepy main antagonist who can transform anyone into a painting, and even manages to hijack Ganon this time rather than the other way around.
- The Sages, with the exception of Osfala, are all helpful to Link and some of them give him new features:
- Gulley, Link's best friend, has a pouch that lets him use two different items at once.
- Rosso gives Link the Power Glove and is all-around nice to him when he visits. He even has an Ore Mine on Death Mountain one can visit.
- Oren gives Link the Zora Flippers after he retrieves the Smooth Gem that Shady Guy steals from her.
- Impa is her usual sagely self who gives Link insight into the events of the past games.
- Irene, granddaughter of Syrup the Potion Shop owner, gives Link a means of fast travel via her broom.
- A major sidequest that can begin once Link obtains Ravio's Bombs is the Maimai hunt, where you must find Mother Maimai's 100 children so she can upgrade the items you purchase from Ravio to make them Nice Items for every 10 Maimais you rescue.
- Once you obtain all the Maimais, your final reward is the Great Spin Attack, which improves your spin attacks range.
- Creative and fun boss battles, some of which are new versions of ones from A Link to the Past. Some of the great bosses include Stalblind, Margomill, Gemasaur King, Arrghus, both Yuga fights and of course, the final battle against Yuga-Ganon.
- Several references to previous Zelda games are present here, including:
- Majora's Mask can be seen on the wall of the fashionable lady's house, and Ravio's journal in Hero Mode has an entry that takes place over three days.
- The layout of Hyrule and Lorule are identical to that of the Light and Dark Worlds from A Link to the Past, with a few changes (such as the central island in Lake Hylia becoming the House of Gales, Turtle Rock and the Ice Ruins swapping places on Lorule's map, etc.)
- You can steal Rupees from a cowardly Hinox in a cave in Lorule, but if you steal too much, he will try to kill you. This is a possible reference to Link's Awakening, where you get killed by the item shop's owner if you're fast enough to steal from him and re-enter the shop.
- A harder Hero Mode becomes unlocked once you complete the main game once, and when you complete it, a new scene involving the Sages shows up in the credits.
Bad Qualities
- While the idea of temporarily renting important items from Ravio rather than finding them in dungeons is a novel one on paper, the execution has a few problems: once you die, Sheerow will reclaim any items you rented, meaning you will have to hike back to Link's house to rent them again.
- This becomes alleviated once you obtain the Master Sword and can purchase these items from Ravio; although it may cost more, buying items becomes worth grinding Rupees for in the long run because you do not lose items you buy.
- The game is rather short and can be beaten in about two hours or so if you focus only on the main story.
- Some unlikable characters such as Osfala, the Lorulean Blacksmith's wife, Shady Guy (although he does apologize for his actions and gives Link the Pegasus Boots to make up for it), etc.
- The Endless level of Cucco Dash is extremely hard to complete, and your only reward is a huge Cucco who restores your hearts.
- Lynels are the most powerful and annoying enemies in the game, since their flames can insta-kill you if you do not collect any Heart Containers or armor.
Reception
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds received universal acclaim according to Metacritic (where it scored a 91/100), and it was 2013's second-highest scoring game, right behind Fire Emblem Awakening. It is also the fourth-highest scoring 3DS game of all time on said site.
Comments
Loading comments...