Twenty-Two years ago, the third major entry in Nintendo's long-running franchise "The Legend of Zelda" was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System- "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past." It was a success by all stretches of the imagination, not only selling extremely well, but also garnering much critical and fan acclaim. For many gamers, it is not only the defining entry in the 2D "Legend of Zelda" franchise... It may also still be the best entry in the entire series as a whole.
It perfected the classic, old-school adventure gameplay, told an astonishing story, and by any stretch was a masterpiece of its era.
Now, years later, we are finally privileged to receive an indirect sequel, taking place in the same world of "A Link to the Past", and featuring the return of not only common graphics, but common sound and gameplay mechanics in the 3DS release "The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds."
And I am very pleased to say that while "Link Between Worlds" is never quite able to live up to the perfection of its namesake predecessor, it comes very close, and it is a joy to revisit such a highly-renowned gaming world. (Though I will note, I have not completed the game yet, I have conquered enough of the game to give a fair and balanced review)
The game follows the traditional hero of Link, now the apprentice of a blacksmith, as he is pulled into a treacherous fight against Yuga, a dastardly villain who is seeking to use his magic to turn the descendants of mystical sages into paintings. Once his goal is complete, and the descendants are trapped, he will be able to resurrect the evil king of thieves, Ganon. Link must travel back and forth between the worlds of Hyrule and it's darker mirror-world Lorule, in order to collect items, save the sage's descendants, and stop Yuga's plan.
The graphics are an absolute blast, though I could nit-pick them at times. The game is styled to look as similar to its Super Nintendo predecessor as much as possible. Although there are accommodations for the newer tech, and the graphics are appropriately upgraded. The game also makes use of the 3DS' glasses-free stereoscopic 3D effect quite nicely. As much of the game is played from a top-down perspective, the 3D adds a very nice, subtle illusion of depth that does pull you into the world. And there are just enough delightful, quirky moments where items, characters or effects "pop out" at you to keep it interesting. I don't think the 3D effect is as good as the prior "Zelda" release (a 3D re-mastering of "Ocarina of Time"), but it's definitely well worth turning the effect on during gameplay.
The music and sound are also fun, and made my heart melt with nostalgia. Much of the score is built upon new orchestrations of music from "A Link to the Past", and it sounds fantastic. New themes are also expertly crafted to compliment the old music. And the sound effects are quirky and fun.
The controls are where the game almost loses a point. They feel a bit too... loose, for lack of a better word, and I found it's quite easy to accidentally press the wrong buttons during battles or exploration. And moving Link on-screen feels a little awkward. I can't explain it, but he's just a bit "rubbery" in how he is controlled using the 3DS "Joystick-Button." But they are still a nice set of controls, and outside of some minor complaints, they work great.
The game makes great use of a new mechanic as well. One that I adore, in which Link is able to "fuse himself" to walls by turning into a flat painting, allowing him to shimmy along flat surfaces, slip between window bars, etc. It's a fascinating and simple mechanic. It's actually almost gimmicky. But it works well because its simplicity masks how complexly integrated it is into the game. This one extra mechanic truly does allow for so much potential, and it's flawlessly integrated into the world. I love it.
Before I wrap this up, I do have to address two big issues I have with the game, which are why it looses a point. The first is that I find the storyline in the game to move a bit too quickly. It has a very break- neck pace, as opposed to the slightly slower and more deliberate pace of other entries. And I do find that it effects the game in a very slightly negative way. I know "Zelda" is all about gameplay, but the games also tell wonderful, developed stories as well, so I wish it took its time more.
And the other big issue is that for much of the game, your inventory is from a rental store... Yeah, I'm not kidding. A rental store. You have to pay to rent items like bombs, the hookshot, the hammer, etc. And it feels annoying. Especially as your items are "reposessed" when you die, forcing you to go through a small amount of busy-work to re- rent them. It feels counter-intuitive, and adds a feeling of dread, since you constantly hope your items won't get taken away. It does hurt the game quite a bit, and I wish they had stuck with the tradition of having Link keep items.
But those two big issues cannot diminish this otherwise great entry in the series. It's fun, it's fast and quirky, and the new mechanics add a lot to the already high excitement you'll have from re-visiting this nostalgic world from the past.
I give "The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds" a great 9 out of 10. Fans of the series simply MUST pick this one up. And fans of adventure in general should give it a shot, whether or not they've played other entries in the series.
