I don’t believe it can be overstated how influential this game was on the series. It essentially perfected 2D Zelda, adopting the best ideas from Zelda II (towns, magic meter, precise combat) and applying them to the framework of Zelda I. The pacing is really solid from beginning to end thanks to a great difficulty curve, fun items, and a near-perfect balance between player freedom and linearity. This template would be adopted by all Zelda games going forward until Breath of the Wild.

Given that mighty praise, why did I not give this game five stars? It all comes down to one thing: I prefer 3D Zelda over 2D Zelda. A Link to the Past is the best 2D Zelda game due to its lack of noticeable flaws, but it’s not one I would immediately pick up if I wanted to play a Zelda game. It’s just not as immersive as the 3D games even though it made excellent use of the SNES hardware. A Link to the Past is still a great game though. Despite being over 30 years old, it has aged like a fine wine.