as of late following a friend finishing Skyward Sword for me over discord, brainworms have been revitalised regarding the Zelda franchise and i'm finding myself in a fixated race to play entries i can get my hands on. like others i was a kid who didn't have many opportunities to buy new games and would often replay the ones i did own to absolute mind-numbing ultradeath, with my usual suspect being Phantom Hourglass for the DS. along with The Sims 2 for PSP it was one of my first experiences with the Tetris Effect and i harbour a lot of nostalgia for this sequel to a game i had never even heard of, and in 2024 i'm visiting another in A Link Between Worlds.

i was an impatient and petty-minded teen when i was taught emulation by my brother and quickly grew frustrated with A Link to the Past for entirely minor reasons (2d, grid based movement and combat, the dark world confused me, link's hair was purple (seriously?)). i couldn't believe this was the same series as the toon link i knew and loved and promptly discarded it after trying to restart any interest in it over and over, my favourite Zelda song ironically being the Hyrule Castle theme; probably due to my repeated experiences of the game's prologue.

it's this background that has me feeling guilty about how much i adored ALBW. featuring 1:1 cast members of its predecessor, a light/dark world transition, a new creative gimmick in the wall merge, and an incredible supporting character found in Ravio, what i see many refer to as the best 2d Zelda game delighted me over the few days i spent playing through it. coming from my background of PH and now SS, ALBW boasts snappy and engaging puzzle design in comparison within and without the dungeons spotting the kingdom with a sprinkling of platforming, highlighted within Death Mountain. on top of it all, the wall merge remains thrilling all the way to the very last second of gameplay, its use within the final boss encounter cementing ALBW's grasp on Zelda as a whole.

the score, art direction, overall worldfeel, dungeon design, and the narrative of manipulation vs ultimate charity is enchanting. it was just such a sweet experience, shoutout to Skull Woods and the Thieves' Hideout.

Beating every Zelda in timeline order 15/20:

A Link Between Worlds works remarkably well as a direct sequel to A Link to the Past and provides a Zelda experience that's entirely unique. Once you reach Lorule, the game just shrugs and says "yeah, go wherever you want, I'm not a cop." Being free to tackle the dungeons in any order you choose and having the items be unlocked through a shop rather than in dungeons does wonders for the dungeon design. In my opinion, having the items and dungeons work this way allows for the most free-form, puzzley, fun dungeons to explore. In a way, it reminds me of Breath of the Wild's design in that "every direction is the right direction." Even though each dungeon isn't necessarily tied to an item, the dungeons still have strong identities and fantastic theming, even if they're nearly all borrowing from A Link to the Past. Puzzling out these dungeons is absolutely the best part of this game. Not having dungeons to rely on, the items themselves lack a bit of identity, I think. For example, beyond the house of gales, I used the tornado rod maybe once? I didn't feel much incentive to use my entire arsenal like I did in ALttP. While part of me enjoys how much of A Link Between World's identity is owed to A Link to the Past, it also lacks some identity because of it, which is probably why I forget about this game a lot. The music is great, the story is great and the wall merging mechanic is wonderful. It's over pretty quick but it's so much fun to blast through I don't care.

I love A Link Between Worlds and how its non-linear structure lends to engaging dungeon design even if it feels a bit lopsided at points.

Até então, eu nunca tinha jogado A Link Between Worlds, e me arrependo amargamente de não ter feito isso antes. Esse é, definitivamente, o melhor Zelda 2D/isométrico já feito. Claro que A Link to the Past sempre vai ter uma marca especial e inigualável no meu coração, até pelo fator nostalgia que mexe bastante comigo, mas ALBW é a perfeita evolução de tudo que o seu antecessor fez de bom. Algo que o remake do Link's Awakening conseguiu resgatar de certa forma, mas que poderia ter sido melhor traduzido dentro de seu próprio contexto.

Pra mim, o maior diferencial que esse jogo tem é o fato de que, finalmente, a liberdade de exploração e de escolha do que e como você vai fazer retorna para a franquia. E, apesar de inicialmente eu ter estranhado a lojinha de aluguel de itens, depois de um certo tempo pensando sobre ela, cheguei à conclusão que foi uma ideia genial, e perfeitamente alinhada com a história do jogo (vou me conter para evitar spoilers). E por falar em história, essa possivelmente deve ser a melhor e mais fechadinha história de todos os jogos dessa franquia!

A mecânica nova que possibilita o Link de se transformar em uma pintura para se mover pelas paredes foi um acerto absurdo! Essa adição, juntamente com mais perspectivas tridimensionais, trouxe mais opções de level design para a resolução de quebra-cabeças e calabouços e aprimorou ainda mais a experiência de resolvê-las. Além de todos os benefícios que essas possibilidades trouxeram para a exploração do mundo, e é claro que a Nintendo, com toda sua maestria em fazer experiências memoráveis em video-games, iria saber aproveitar bem.

São pouquíssimos os pontos negativos, mas se eu fosse citar alguma coisa, seria que eu ainda prefiro a trilha sonora do ALTTP em comparação a essa, mas essa trilha sonora definitivamente não é ruim. Longe disso, é sensacional! Acho que é muito mais uma questão de como eu me acostumei com a acústica do SNES para as músicas e efeitos sonoros de Zelda. Mas quando falamos de todas as demais evoluções, esse jogo realmente beira a perfeição!

Uh, I actually was not expecting this game to be this good. I kinda have a track record of not liking Zelda games but this one is unironically amazing. This game is shorter than other Zelda games, but the reason for that is that it cuts out all the bullshit that other games have. No unnecessarily long start like twilight princess, or boring boat segments/triforce hunt in wind waker. The blatant obtuseness of the older games has evaporated. It is just back to back great dungeons, with minimal overworld segments that complement the dungeons. I always had the thought that Zelda games would be a lot better if it was just the dungeons, and this is it. Thats not to say there is no story, but it's mostly minimal and serves the purpose of explaining the hero's journey. The wall merge gimmick is also amazing because it is used in every dungeon, and very well. It's also used with items to give them new uses. The dungeons here are also some of the best I have experienced with 2 exceptions. The only reason this doesn't get a 10 is because I did not like the dark palace, and the thieves hideout is a bit below average.

Una secuela espiritual de "A Link To The Past". Creo que fue un gran acierto de Nintendo inspirarse en el estilo, pero crear una idea divertida e innovadora para la jugabilidad con la capacidad de convertir a Link en pintura y que se pueda mover entre los muros. Idea que no he visto a nadie más fuera de Nintendo repetir.

La historia es súper bonita, los personajes carismáticos y el soundtrack aunque repite muchos temas de ALTP, el estilo de instrumentos medievales hace que se sienta épico y hogareño.

Es un juego que no veo error alguno, el primero donde implementaron "tu eliges el orden de la aventura" y que les funcionó de maravilla. Uno de los mejores Zeldas que se han hecho y creo que lo mejor que salió del Nintendo 3DS.

The phrase “10/10, no notes” springs to mind after my playthrough of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. However it is more of a “9/10, some notes” scenario. When I play games I will take notes of my opinions and criticisms however with this game I had very few notes as I had very little to critique about this game.

A Link Between Worlds is technically a sequel to 1991’s The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past however it doesn’t rely on players' knowledge of the previous game. People lucky enough to have played A Link to the Past will enjoy this game a lot more as it’s a faithful upgrade to the retro classic.

The story is relatively simple and unsurprising to seasoned Zelda fans. Link wakes up, Princess Zelda is in trouble, Link must get the triforce to save Hyrule and Zelda. There aren’t any extensive dialogue scenes. All dialogue is kept short and concise so as not to lose the player’s interest as they probably just want to get back out onto the fields and swipe away at enemies and explore the many secrets hidden away. 

Right from the title screen the visuals and music burst out of the device in the players’ hands instantly captivating them. All the classic songs are there including Hyrule theme getting you pumped for setting off on an adventure. Zelda’s lullaby and the fairy fountain theme are also featured in the game and all sound absolutely incredible. Often I would just sit the device down and enjoy the music before picking it back up and carrying on. The game’s graphics are gorgeous, friendly and very welcoming. With a similar art style used for the remake of Link’s Awakening. I would like to hope one day Nintendo remake this game using the Link’s Awakening remake engine.

Zelda games typically show off the console’s gimmicks or performance capabilities. Being released on Nintendo’s 3DS, A Link Between Worlds utilises the handheld’s 3D screen by having layered floors above and below Link. The same technique was used for A Link to the Past to show off the SNES’ new graphical capabilities. Gamers may enjoy the 3D used in this game but what is typically the case is that it gets switched off within 10 minutes. As long playtimes with 3D enabled can put a strain on the player’s eyes. 

Every Zelda game also has its unique trait or mechanic, this time around Link can turn into a painting and merge with walls allowing him to traverse areas like never before. To get their heads around it, players need to think out of the box, or inside of the wall if you will, when it comes to solving the many puzzles scattered around Hyrule and beyond. 

A Link Between Worlds is a very accessible Zelda and one I would highly recommend to newcomers to the series. It serves as a ‘best of’ of the 2D Zelda games. It has all the best mechanics featured in the various games combined into one. The game itself is shorter than other games in the series and a bit easier to beat. Some fans complained online about how short the dungeons are and how easy the bosses were. I understand where they are coming from as often bosses would go down with minimal tactics and rapid sword swipes. I wouldn’t change this game in that respect though as it keeps the game easy for newcomers and the veterans can use Hero mode (hard mode) to keep them happy. Players accuse the game of being too easy, but like other Zelda games, the final dungeons and bosses will leave them shouting and screaming at their devices, using enough profanity to fill a swear jar.

The dungeon puzzles are not too hard but are still satisfying to solve. If you do need to refer to an online guide on how to solve a puzzle you’ll only blame yourself for not figuring it out and not the game. Series veterans will recognise, and newcomers will hopefully quickly realise, that the item required to complete a dungeon is also crucial for defeating the dungeon boss.

The game uses a stamina system rather than consumables like arrows. While this prevents players from being caught out in the middle of a dungeon short on resources, the item rental system could be considered a significant downside of this game. Typically in Zelda games you obtain items as you traverse the many dungeons. In A Link Between Worlds all items are available from the get-go. You can either rent them cheaply or buy them for a significant sum of money. If you chose to rent and Link dies, you need to trek back to Ravio’s shop and rent them again. This encourages players to grind for rupees, which, are much more frequent in this game to help buy the items. 

A Link Between Worlds has the usual heart pieces but this time another collectable, Maiamais. The shell, octopus-like creatures spread around the field; if Link finds enough of them, he can upgrade his items. Heart pieces and Maiamai are typically encountered during Link's travels, rarely requiring the player to go out of their way to find or obtain them. For me I really liked how all collectables are within arm reach. Certain heart pieces are accessible only through completing the game's minigames. Minigames like Cucco Rush can be difficult to beat on hard mode. This means players might not find getting all heart pieces easy. 

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is definitely up there in my top 5 Zelda games. It’s easy to get a hang of, the graphics look delightful and the game doesn’t make things too hard for the player. This has probably beat Wind Waker as my most anticipated Zelda remaster/remake that I hope that Nintendo releases. It was such a wonderful experience in many ways but I’m also glad the game wasn’t too long. Averaged around 23 hours according to howlongtobeat.com the game focuses on quality over quantity which I always appreciate. If you have never played this game before and you own a 2DS/3DS then give this a go.