The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Review

[Zera]

Greetings, folks! Today I am here to review The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I decided to replay this game in order to better assess its quality, and to maximize the nostalgia factor for when I eventually play A Link Between Worlds. Some people think this is the best Zelda game of all time, or even the best 2D game of all time. So, does this SNES classic still hold up after 22 years? Let's find out!

The first thing you'll notice when playing this game is that it looks great, providing the finest sprites that 16-bit technology can offer. There's a great amount of detail and personality in everything, from characters to objects to enemies to the environments themselves. Similar praise can be applied to the music, which is simply fantastic. Everything is unique and memorable, so much so that if I had to make a list of my favorite songs, it would probably include everything in the entire game. If you ever feel nostalgic from the themes of Zelda, Ganon, and Hyrule Castle, it's because they all debuted in this game. The storytelling is massively improved from previous Zelda titles, with much more dialogue, more detailed characters, and a richer backstory for the world.

In terms of gameplay, this game is basically Zelda 1, but improved upon in every conceivable way possible. Animations and movement are smoother, and there are many more items, enemies, and mechanics. Like all Zelda games, ALttP has a massive overworld to explore. Unlike most later games, however, ALttP doesn't lock off massive sections of it until you beat certain dungeons. That being said, you're not going to find all the hidden goodies if you rush in with no items at all. In fact, you won't even be able to lift basic rocks until you get the Power Gloves in the second dungeon.

Speaking of dungeons, this game has a lot of them. A dozen, in fact, if you count the entirety of Hyrule Castle as one. And these dungeons are some of the finest I've seen. Massive labyrinths, filled to the brim with dangerous enemies, deadly traps, and mind boggling puzzles. Chests, keys, locked doors, blocks that you can push around - yes, this is definitely a Zelda game. One thing I noticed, however, is that despite their sizes, most dungeons can be beaten in just one or two hours if you know where you're going. I think the reason for this is that the 2D style of gameplay is quicker paced, and there aren't any animations, cut scenes, or loading screens like in most modern Zelda games. For example, when you run into a locked door with a key, you don't watch a brief animation of the door unlocking; you just slam right through it. Likewise, if the door can only be opened by pushing a statue onto a switch, you won't watch a cut scene where the camera slowly pans toward the door to show it opening. It simply opens and plays a sound effect, without pausing gameplay. In other words, this game doesn't waste your time. And I like that. A lot.

And of course, every dungeon concludes with an epic, challenging boss fight. Except Misery Mire, which concludes with Vitreous.

Vitreous... is eyeballs. In addition to being the most generically Zelda-esque boss to ever appear in a Zelda game, he is hilariously easy despite being in one of the final dungeons. Just slash wildly at the air for about twenty seconds, and he'll go down pretty quickly. Yeeeeeah..... But then again, this makes sense. If the weak point of most Zelda bosses is the eye, that would mean that Vitreous is quite literally made of weak point. No wonder he's so easy to defeat.

This next point is quite interesting. Although most would consider this game 2D, this is not entirely the case. Take a look at this screenshot...

See those ledges? You can actually jump off them, onto the lower floor, and the only way to get back up is to use the stairs. Many dungeons are designed with different floors and layers like this. Sometimes they are even used in puzzles, like jumping through a hole in one floor to reach an inaccessible area in a lower one. In fact, I would say this is actually the first 3D Zelda game, not Ocarina of Time. It is a 3D game, represented with 2D sprites. Now that's talent!

By the way, some dungeons in the second half of the game can be tackled out of order, and sometimes this can provide advantages. For example, if you complete Misery Mire (Level 6), before the Ice Palace (Level 5), you can use the Cane of Somaria to skip one of the toughest puzzles in that dungeon. Or, if you complete Thieves Town (Level 4) before Skull Woods (Level 3), you can use the Titan Gloves for a sidequest to upgrade your sword and double its power, making Skull Woods much easier.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is, quite frankly, one of the finest adventure games I have ever played. It is worth every bit of praise that it gets, and it is definitely the best "2D" Zelda game ever made, especially considering how long ago it was made. This game is available for SNES, GBA, Wii, and Wii U, and I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone!

10/10 Incredible!

Edited December 31, 2015 by Zera

[Naughx]

That was the very first video game I played. (When I was around 6 yrs old)