The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was released back in 1991 just a bit over 13 years ago. When it released it was lauded as the greatest Zelda game to ever be produced, and while throughout the year and depending on who you talked to, other games were considered for that honor. But one thing no one could deny about the game was its outstanding quality. A Link Between Worlds is the direct sequel to a Link to the Past, and in Japan where the Super Famicom game was called The Triforce of the Gods, it’s sequel had a 2 in the title. But in the West, its name means more than just a sequel. The name not only signifies its status as a sequel, but also a game that can stand alone on its own merits, and it excels in both regards.
The story of the game is rather simple but it is more of an excuse for the action to come. A man named Yuga has imprisoned the seven sages in portraits and it is Link’s job to undo the deed and stop Yuga’s schemes. Soon afterward, Link runs into a man named Ravio, who rents out items in the game, allowing him to tackle many of the games dungeons or explore the over world at the player’s leisure. Provided the player does not fall in battle, you can keep them indefinitely, although later in the game you can buy them outright, though they become quite expensive. While this does have the side-effect of robbing players of the joy of discovering items in the over world, it offers more in return. Now most hidden treasures still lead to extra heart pieces or bottles, there are many places that contain rupees, which you will need plenty of in this game to get by. There is also the addition of finding squid like creatures that once taken to their mother, can power your items up. The rental system also prevents players from getting too stuck and helps keeps the pace of the game from grinding to a halt. Although if the player does get stuck, you can use an item to reveal hint ghosts to give players tips, provided they have Play Coins to give them.
The gameplay outside of the new rental mechanic remains relatively unchanged from a Link to the Past. It’s still a 2D overhead view, although it’s now in beautiful looking polygonal form. Some might scoff at the art direction, but the game now more closely resembles the concept artwork from the Famicom and Super Famicom games. The characters have a cute ‘Super-Deformed’ style which strengthens this idea. The game also runs at a constant 60 frames per second even in 3D mode, which is quite the feat on the 3DS. There is also a nice use of layers between floor levels which give the game a great deal of depth. Also in the game is the new merge concept where Link can become one with any flat wall surface, and turns into a 2d doodle on the wall. You will have to make extensive use of this ability to find secrets and solve puzzles: A gimmick to be sure, but a fun one at that. A nice thing to know is that the game has none of that gyroscope nonsense that plagues otherwise great games. Instead, the game purely uses the face buttons, d-pad, and circle pad for controls. Touch control is used for quick item selection. You can also mark points of interest on the map. Fast travel is also streamlined.
While the music and gameplay is wonderful, there are some things to nitpick about. While circle pad movement is nice, sometimes I wished I could use the d-pad instead. Also the L and R button functions could have also had the option of being swapped. And the game uses the same save pint system from Skyward Sword, which removes the ability to save at any point in the game. This feels like a bit of misstep because you could be very far into a dungeon, and if you are without a fairy, you could stand to lose a bit of progress. This might be problematic for those playing on the harder Hero Mode difficulty. But these are just minor gripes that won’t ruin a stellar experience. A Link Between World feels like a great homage to the past, while still maintaining modern sensibilities and standing on its own. It also feels very much like finally reuniting with that old friend from ages ago. The game is definitely a must buy for fans of the original, and a solid recommendation for newcomers.
Gameplay
Graphics
Sound
Overall
