Reviews from

in the past


The ultimate randomizer. No game comes close. Not Pokemon, not any other Zelda. A Link to the Past is the perfect Randomizer game.

“I know I don't quite have the figure of a faerie. Ganon's cruel power is to blame! You must defeat Ganon!”
— The Cursed Fairy, also known as the Fat Faerie

A Link to the Past has an unbeatable art style, an outstanding soundtrack, and an unparalleled amount of detail in its environments, side quests, and NPCs. I struggle to think of a flaw large enough to level against the game. Perhaps the only thing holding it back is its story.


While most Zelda games focus at some capacity on restoring peace within the monarchy, there is always a defining narrative thread that is at the core of any given one of the stories. I say most because A Link to the Past is not one of those Zelda games. It’s understandable why this was the blueprint for all future Zelda games to come until the series’ rebirth in 2017, but over it, there always looms this feeling of disappointment when it comes to the story. Skyward Sword, for all its flaws, at least had the surprisingly unexplored trait of being the coming-of-age story of Link and Zelda. While the latter character was not particularly fleshed out, the game provided a decent amount of depth for a story bearing the insurmountable pressure of being the canonical beginning of the entire series. Link’s Awakening remains the most well-thought-out and uniquely told Zelda story, and Majora’s Mask has this unique element in its story, questlines, and decidedly bold time loop mechanic. Ocarina of Time also fell victim to the ALttP paradigm, but it was and still is much grander in its vision of reconnecting a broken world, a broken people. Sure, this is all done under the guise of monarchy (blech), yet its ambitions were more, dare I say, diverse...

In the end, nothing changes. That is the pattern with most Zelda games; the perpetual neverending cycle, the cycle that never lets itself be defeated by petty uprisings and defiance. I’m not advocating a giant pig monster to destroy and enslave a perfectly happy little fantasy world, I’m only concerned with the fact that A Link to the Past was and still is probably the worst-told Zelda story. It is also worth noting that, after the credits roll and the supposed peace is restored, the Dark World is all but completely eradicated. What hints at an interesting story of the disparity between two paralleling worlds gives way to the standard cookie-cutter inoffensive and unperceptive conclusion that many fantasy game stories fall prey to. Out of sight, out of mind.

Some might balk at the idea of bringing…oh god…politics??? In MY Zelda game???? But I feel it is necessary to discuss, especially considering the backlash that came after Skyward Sword and its tiresome formula. After all, it has to start somewhere, right?

For all the (admittedly somewhat loose) criticisms I hold against this game, it still remains one of the most admirable video games I have ever played. This is the one that cemented The Legend of Zelda as a monolith series in gaming, and it's easy to see why. Playing a game over thirty years after its initial release and feeling as though it could have released any time in the last decade is a rare feeling to experience, and I'm glad to say A Link to the Past extrudes this feeling.

This game holds a special place for me. It was the first Zelda game I beat on my own, without help from older siblings. It's a fun adventure that set a lot of standards that would carry on throughout the series.

Playing through it again for stream it was still a blast. The puzzles are fun, but not too hard (as long as we don't talk about Ice Palace). This was the first Zelda game to really be story driven instead of just dropped into a world expected to figure things out.

The art style is super cute, and the soundtrack is still one of my favorites to listen too! I will always recommend this game to anyone who hasn't played it yet.

I give The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past a STROOOONG 9 out of 10!

A Link to the Past is such a highlight for the Zelda franchise. Many agree that it is the greatest 2D game in the series, including myself. The sense of adventure is just so alive, and the visuals hold up to this day. I love A Link to the Past with all my heart.


This is the pivotal classic Zelda game for many reasons: the music is great, the graphics are fun, the gameplay is wonderful, and the story is definitive. This is the best 2D Zelda game and is the model for any future iterations.

Played for RetroAchievements. I used to say when I was a kid that I liked this game better than Ocarina of Time which was a controversial opinion among my friends. 20 something years later I still think this is the best Zelda. A lot of the magic and wonder has gone now that I've done hundreds of randomizer seeds but that itself is a testament to just how fun it is. Enjoyed getting to play through it for RA and a couple of the achievements taught me something new about the game. Still the goat!

when i was 6 i lost to the first boss and broke the gameboy i was playing this game on

An absolute classic, and a very well-balanced experience. The world is big enough to not feel small, but small enough that it's not a bother to traverse. The world is dense with secrets and they all give you something worthwhile. The secrets are hidden enough that they feel satisfying to find, but not so obscure you'll need a walkthrough. The dungeons are short and sweet, with each dungeon item remaining useful throughout the game.

The one shortcoming is that combat can feel a bit awkward because you can move omnidirectionally but only attack cardinally. But I can excuse this because of the game's age (and because with extra hearts and bottles, getting hit is not that big of a deal most of the time).

This is a personal thing, but I like that there's a good selection of magic-based items in this game. It makes Link feel like a proper magic knight better than the couple token spells you get in OoT and WW.