The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Review

[Zera]

Greetings, folks. Today I am here to review The Legend of Zelda: a Link Between Worlds for the Nintendo 3DS.

This game is a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and it recycles a ton of stuff from that game. Mechanics, items, objects, obstacles, enemies, characters, music, sound effects, dungeon themes, the overworld, and even the dark overworld. This game is designed to be a massive nostalgia bomb, but I didn't experience any since I replayed ALttP immediately before playing this.

In terms of presentation and mechanics, this game is top notch. Movement and actions are unbelievably smooth, and the game runs at 60fps. The textures, lighting effects, and animations are all very well done. A few times I used the new "merging" ability just to get a closer look at dungeon walls. Never before have brick walls looked so glossy and nice. Most of the music is taken from ALttP and recreated with real instruments, and it sounds great.

Like in previous Zelda games, you will explore a big overworld in search of rupees (money), items, and dungeons to conquer, but there are a couple new things as well. Early on you'll gain the ability to merge into walls as a painting. In this form you can move horizontally along the wall, provided there are no cracks or rocks jutting out of it. It's a neat ability that lets you explore the world of ALttP in a new way, but it doesn't improve the core gameplay at all so I don't expect to see it in future Zelda games.

Unlike in most Zelda games, the dungeons in ALBW do not run in a linear order. Rather, you can complete them in almost any order you want. Instead of each dungeon housing an important item, most items are rented or bought at Ravio's shop. Instead of each dungeon making use of some or all of your acquired items up to that point, each dungeon only requires one specific item. While I appreciate the effort to increase player freedom, it makes no difference in the long run since all players are merely playing the same game in a slightly different order.

Most items cost a whopping 800 rupees. Not that it matters, because I swear every fourth chest I opened had a silver rupee (100) in it. I remember when silver and gold rupees were these immensely rare, almost mythical things. This is the only Zelda game where I can open a chest, get a red rupee (20), and feel disappointed. Enemies give the same money they usually do, so maybe Nintendo is trying to encourage players to find all the chests throughout Hyrule. Or maybe they're just trying to simulate inflation in the Hyrulean economy.

The game is very fun to play, but there are a couple of issues I have with this game:

It's unusually short, especially for a Zelda game. It took me 20 hours to complete this game. Not finish it, complete it, as in I collected everything and now there's nothing left to do. On my second playthrough in Hero Mode, it only took me 15 hours. For a $40 game, and a Zelda game no less, that is somewhat disappointing when compared to the 50+ hour Twilight Princess. You'd think a game with 12 dungeons would last longer, but every dungeon can be beaten in less than an hour. If they were any smaller, I'd have to start calling them mini dungeons.

This is also the easiest Zelda game to date. I knew something wasn't quite right when I walked into the final dungeon with a red potion - the same one I bought for the first dungeon. Although the enemies behave as they did in ALttP, they feel easier to fight for some reason. Maybe it's the increased smoothness of movement, or the items are stronger, or maybe there's a longer period of invincibility after getting hit. The final boss is a complete let down in terms of challenge, as most of his attacks deal less than a single heart of damage if you have the Red Mail equipped. In other words, the final boss is less than half as powerful as Ganon was in ALttP.

The puzzles are easy too, because each dungeon requires only one item. If your sword, merging ability, and the item can't solve the puzzle, then your game is officially broken. Likewise, there are no multi-item puzzles. That feeling of strategy as I decide which item is right for the job in a dungeon is greatly diminished because that decision no longer exists. That feeling of heroic-ness when I defeat a boss isn't as strong either, not only because the bosses are easier, but also because the victory fanfare is shorter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2G_uYSEdSY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYK2rMrBgmY

The difficulty issue is mitigated by the inclusion of Hero Mode, unlocked by beating the game. In this mode you take quadruple damage. With death finally being both a threat and possibility, I found Hero Mode far more exciting than Normal Mode, which is why it's a shame I was forced to beat Normal Mode to unlock it. Even so, Hero Mode did not make the enemies harder to fight, nor did it make the puzzles more complex. I think Nintendo could learn a thing about difficulty from Treasure. In Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, increasing the difficulty not only makes you take more damage, but there are actually more enemies, and some of them have new or improved or faster attacks. Bosses are similarly upgraded. Nintendo, on the other hand, is content to throw an arbitrary multiplier onto the damage and call it a day.

Considering that this game is made up almost entirely of recreated components from ALttP, I'm actually surprised no one ever thought of including a remake of that game as an unlockable reward for beating this one. Man, that would have been awesome. Oh well.

Oh, and there's this thing where you can fight other players' characters if you Streetpass them, but your opponents are controlled by AI. I honestly have no idea why they couldn't have just made it a full multiplayer mode. Fire Emblem: Awakening had the same issue. Streetpass is not multiplayer. It could have been just like Shadow Battle from Four Swords Adventures. Oh well.

Despite the lack of ambition and surprising brevity (not unlike Super Mario 3D Land), I had a lot of fun playing this game, at least while it lasted. I might call it a must-play, but definitely not a must-buy. If you have a friend who owns this, you're probably better off borrowing it from them.

7.9999/10 The Verge of Greatness

Edited July 16, 2015 by Zera

[Zera]

Someone beat A Link Between Worlds in less than two hours! I know it's a short game, but wow!

[Ike-Mike]

To me there are only four Zelda games.

Legend of Zelda, Adventure of Link, Dark Souls and A Link Between Worlds.