The King is back and he dyed his hair pink.
You turn the game on, you hear the rupee tinkle sound while the Nintendo logo pops up, and then the three golden pieces of the Triforce come spiraling into frame while a SNES harp beautifully glistens in one of my favorite openings for any piece of media, let alone video game.
After what is seen by many as a slight stumble, The Legend of Zelda series finds its footing again with the blueprint for what most classic Zelda games would be built from. The top-down perspective, dungeons with useful items, and a lush map you traverse in the same way you traverse anything else, it's all back and here to stay. There's also some semblance of a plot, in the form of clear, concise dialogue regarding the world of Hyrule and the happenings therein (these are actually in the game and not solely in the game manual. there is backstory in that manual but we'll get to that).
This is the first of many Zelda games to separate progression into three small dungeons, acquisition of the iconic Master Sword, and then a bigger handful of larger, more serious dungeons, equipped with both that Master Sword and shocking information to motivate your quest (zelda has been kidnapped by aghanim and the dark world is laid bare for you to explore/ seven years have passed and everything went to hell/ hyrule is underwater right under your nose/ Ganondorf's evil is corrupting the world of twilight).
Speaking of Ganondorf, this game's english manual is his first written appearance. "Ganondorf Dragmire", also known by his alias "Mandrag Ganon" is the villain of this story. With Zelda II having the threat be the return of a recently defeated Ganon, this makes A Link to the Past the first in the exhaustive list of "First in the Timeline" Zelda games.
A Link to the Past is also the first Zelda game to have the dual worlds gimmick, with the sunny green Light World and its dusky brown reflection, the Dark World. the two worlds intersect and ask the player to pay attention in a very Zelda way.
As if this game couldn't give us enough to be thankful for, A Link to the Past introduces a respectable arsenal of tools and toys to play with in the two worlds. From the staple Hookshot to the oddball Cane of Somaria, A Link to the Past swings for the bleachers with the amount of things to play with and doesn't miss.
i have played this game more times than i can count. i have played it so many times that i have in some ways eclipsed the notion of an opinion on it. however, unlike putting on my pants or brushing my teeth, playing A Link to the Past is always a fun part of my routine. it's like lunch or something.
One reason why i have played this game so much is that the Randomizer is so accessible. If you like A Link to the Past, you owe it to yourself to play the Randomizer. You will learn so many tricks and new ways to appreciate this already very appreciate-able game. I like this game so much i put myself through the agony of creating a sprite sheet for one of my characters so i can play as her whenever i make a new randomized rom.
Any new Zelder Freak owes it to themselves to play A Link to the Past. It's not the first Zelda, but it's The Blueprint.
You turn the game on, you hear the rupee tinkle sound while the Nintendo logo pops up, and then the three golden pieces of the Triforce come spiraling into frame while a SNES harp beautifully glistens in one of my favorite openings for any piece of media, let alone video game.
After what is seen by many as a slight stumble, The Legend of Zelda series finds its footing again with the blueprint for what most classic Zelda games would be built from. The top-down perspective, dungeons with useful items, and a lush map you traverse in the same way you traverse anything else, it's all back and here to stay. There's also some semblance of a plot, in the form of clear, concise dialogue regarding the world of Hyrule and the happenings therein (these are actually in the game and not solely in the game manual. there is backstory in that manual but we'll get to that).
This is the first of many Zelda games to separate progression into three small dungeons, acquisition of the iconic Master Sword, and then a bigger handful of larger, more serious dungeons, equipped with both that Master Sword and shocking information to motivate your quest (zelda has been kidnapped by aghanim and the dark world is laid bare for you to explore/ seven years have passed and everything went to hell/ hyrule is underwater right under your nose/ Ganondorf's evil is corrupting the world of twilight).
Speaking of Ganondorf, this game's english manual is his first written appearance. "Ganondorf Dragmire", also known by his alias "Mandrag Ganon" is the villain of this story. With Zelda II having the threat be the return of a recently defeated Ganon, this makes A Link to the Past the first in the exhaustive list of "First in the Timeline" Zelda games.
A Link to the Past is also the first Zelda game to have the dual worlds gimmick, with the sunny green Light World and its dusky brown reflection, the Dark World. the two worlds intersect and ask the player to pay attention in a very Zelda way.
As if this game couldn't give us enough to be thankful for, A Link to the Past introduces a respectable arsenal of tools and toys to play with in the two worlds. From the staple Hookshot to the oddball Cane of Somaria, A Link to the Past swings for the bleachers with the amount of things to play with and doesn't miss.
i have played this game more times than i can count. i have played it so many times that i have in some ways eclipsed the notion of an opinion on it. however, unlike putting on my pants or brushing my teeth, playing A Link to the Past is always a fun part of my routine. it's like lunch or something.
One reason why i have played this game so much is that the Randomizer is so accessible. If you like A Link to the Past, you owe it to yourself to play the Randomizer. You will learn so many tricks and new ways to appreciate this already very appreciate-able game. I like this game so much i put myself through the agony of creating a sprite sheet for one of my characters so i can play as her whenever i make a new randomized rom.
Any new Zelder Freak owes it to themselves to play A Link to the Past. It's not the first Zelda, but it's The Blueprint.