The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is perhaps the most consistent and polished 2D Zelda of them all. Every aspect of this game is a massive improvement over its predecessor, A Link to the Past, and in-terms of the pure dungeon and level design, could be considered one of the best in the entire franchise.
The game's dungeons are practically perfect. Every single one is designed with such great care to where this game may be the only Zelda with 0 sub-par dungeons. I mean, even Ocarina of Time has the Water Temple. The game doesn't handhold you at all, yet its puzzles are designed in such a way solving them is genuinely fun, extremely satisfying, and just the right amount of challenging. Nearly every puzzle I solved, I found myself saying "God, that's so clever!". This is even more impressive when you realize that all 7 of the game's main dungeons can be completed in any order.
The overworld remains largely the same in terms of design from A Link to the Past, however, seeing it in 3d for the first time is wonderful. There are also enough changes made to where it feels familiar, yet new. There are a decent amount of hidden items to find, and the game's fast pace (greatly attributed to the extremely fast walking speed and quick travel) prevents finding them from feeling like a chore.
In terms of design, this game is almost perfect. Almost. The ONLY gripe I had with this game was its newly introduced "Weapon Loaning" system. Renting the items feels completely pointless as you die so rarely in this game. Even when you do die, the items only cost 50 rupees to rent, which considering how many rupees you get in this game, is next to nothing. All death means is a quick trip to the shop, and then back to exploring. Not finding any key items inside the dungeons removes the fun and surprise of acquiring the next major item, and makes the dungeons feel just slightly less satisfying to complete. By mid-way through my playthrough, I had permanently bought all the items and the "loan" system...just kind of vanished.
However, in the grand scheme of things, this nitpick is extremely small. A Link Between Worlds is otherwise a flawless game, and makes me yearn for another 2d Zelda.
Nintendo, just come on. It's been nearly 10 years.
Please.
The game's dungeons are practically perfect. Every single one is designed with such great care to where this game may be the only Zelda with 0 sub-par dungeons. I mean, even Ocarina of Time has the Water Temple. The game doesn't handhold you at all, yet its puzzles are designed in such a way solving them is genuinely fun, extremely satisfying, and just the right amount of challenging. Nearly every puzzle I solved, I found myself saying "God, that's so clever!". This is even more impressive when you realize that all 7 of the game's main dungeons can be completed in any order.
The overworld remains largely the same in terms of design from A Link to the Past, however, seeing it in 3d for the first time is wonderful. There are also enough changes made to where it feels familiar, yet new. There are a decent amount of hidden items to find, and the game's fast pace (greatly attributed to the extremely fast walking speed and quick travel) prevents finding them from feeling like a chore.
In terms of design, this game is almost perfect. Almost. The ONLY gripe I had with this game was its newly introduced "Weapon Loaning" system. Renting the items feels completely pointless as you die so rarely in this game. Even when you do die, the items only cost 50 rupees to rent, which considering how many rupees you get in this game, is next to nothing. All death means is a quick trip to the shop, and then back to exploring. Not finding any key items inside the dungeons removes the fun and surprise of acquiring the next major item, and makes the dungeons feel just slightly less satisfying to complete. By mid-way through my playthrough, I had permanently bought all the items and the "loan" system...just kind of vanished.
However, in the grand scheme of things, this nitpick is extremely small. A Link Between Worlds is otherwise a flawless game, and makes me yearn for another 2d Zelda.
Nintendo, just come on. It's been nearly 10 years.
Please.
Lickiwrath
1 year ago
Also, the Water Temple is the best dungeon in OoT