The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Review

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was the first Zelda game I had ever played, and with the common tradition of Zelda games, it soon became my favourite. I thought that the gameplay was perfect and the graphics were incredible for such a large Super Nintendo game. The clever use of remodeling the main Hyrule map and transform it into the vile realm called the Dark World. I felt such excitement every time I opened a large chest and find a new piece of equipment or finding a new secret. I hadn't played the game when it came out, nor should I have due to the fact that I am far too young, but I grew so attached to this game that I dove straight back into it when I finished it.
Imagine my joy, seeing my favourite Zelda game was getting a more or less direct sequel. Going back to the style of the SNES classic, the newest entry into the Zelda franchise takes up the mantle of the 2D style of gameplay. Seeing the reincarnation of the 1992 map almost brought a tear to my eye, and the new Link promised a new adventure.

Graphics: The graphics of this new game resemble the style of the SNES entry, with all of the colors and designs. The biggest differences I saw were that the game makes certain elements stand out more to take advantage of the 3D effect, and has several hi res textures for the dramatic effect. When the game starts playing cut scenes where the camera drops down for a more cinematic view, the character models look far less impressive, having very blocky models that resemble those found on a Nintendo 64. Overall, the graphics are very pretty until you start looking up close. And this game is one of the only games I have played on the 3DS to make an excellent use of the 3D effect, even enhancing the game while using it. 9/10

Story: The story follows the traditional tale. However, there are certain differences that you see almost instantly. Instead of the main villan Ganon, a new threat to Hyrule emerges with the introduction on Yuga, a mad painter whom I thought was a woman at the beginning. He traveled around Hyrule, kidnapping the Seven Sages to resurrect the evil Ganon. So Link has to travel to the mysterious land of Lorule and guided by the hand of Princess Hilda to find the Sages and save the world. 8/10

Gameplay: The gameplay is smooth and responsive. The analog pad makes controlling Link fun and precise. You are not locked to 8 directions in travel, but when you try using weapons like the Fire Rod and the Hookshot, you are immediately locked into the closest of the main 8 directions impeding how accurate you can be in combat. There are many portals that open up between the two main worlds and trying to find every one of them can be very fun, especially when many may be in out of the way places and may lead to hidden treasures on the other side. The dungeons are creative and while some of them resemble those in A Link to the past, the gimmicks are implemented in a way that do not feel shoved upon the player. 10/10

Music: The music in this game is mostly remade from the original, and it sounds incredible. Every note and melody will stick with you from hour one to hour 15. Listening to the Hyrule Field theme again in such high quality made me whistle it while playing. 10/10

I thought this game was amazing and I highly recommend it to everyone, newbies to the series and experts alike. It is close to the best game I have played in a long time, and probably my favourite Zelda game, rivaling A Link to the Past. I got the Zelda 3DS XL just for this game and I do not regret that choice one bit.