I remember this place. I remember it well. It is just like A Link to the Past. Oh yeah… It totally does. OH LOOK! Paintings! Who wants to become the next Picasso? Let’s jump back to the world of A Link to the Past and let’s become a painting in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.
Yes, the world map and some of the game’s bosses are from A Link to the Past (a game I haven’t finished yet). So it is a big blast of nostalgia for the older fans of the series.
With that said, A Link Between Worlds is not a sequel, per se, to A Link to the Past. The game is mentioned as an old story of long ago. But the story here in A Link Between Worlds is that a new enemy named Yuga has come to Hyrule to kidnap Princess Zelda and the descendants of the Seven Sages. Wait… That sounds familiar… So now it is up to Link, the blacksmith’s apprentice, to save them and Hyrule.
The main gimmick in this game is to merge into the walls as a painting and travel over ledges and to this game’s dark world, Lorule. Let’s just say that I really enjoyed this gimmick. It is certainly a neat idea and really fantastic. Just remember to watch out for your magic bar. Yeah, the magic bar returns in this game. Becoming a painting takes up magic. At times it becomes really hard to travel in the walls waiting for a moving platform when your magic bar is draining, fast. Oh and using bombs take up magic. What?
A thing I’ve noticed that is different in A Link Between Worlds is getting items. If you remember in past Zelda games, you get your main items in dungeons. In A Link Between Worlds you get your items from a shop, Ravio’s shop. Meet Ravio. You befriend him and allow him to stay at your home and he turns it into his shop. Thanks Ravio… You’re a pal… With Ravio you can either rent or buy items. Renting is cheaper since buying the item ranging from 800-1200 rupees. But here is the thing with renting. If you die, you lose your items. The items go back to Ravio and you will have to rent them again. This is the one thing I truly disliked about the game. It felt so out of place to have to buy the main items opposed to finding them in dungeons.
Another thing that felt out of place for me was the save points. I thought it was weird for a Zelda game to have save points. I’ve always been so used to saving from the pause menu and starting back at the last door of the place that I entered. Here in A Link Between Worlds, you save at a weather vane. It was odd but I got used to fast. It wasn’t a big deal but it just felt out of place.
In Zelda games you often find yourself doing side quests. In this game you have to find 100 Maiamai children for Mama Maiamai. Yup, one hundred. All one hundred children are scattered across both Hyrule and Lorule. You’ll find them on top of trees, under water, under rocks and grass, and stuck on walls. Each time you have found 10 children and return them back to Mama, she will make one of your items stronger. But here is the thing, the item cannot be rented. You have to have an item that you have bought from Ravio before you let Mama power it up.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed A Link Between Worlds. I never once found myself comparing it to A Link to the Past. I treated it as its own game. The game is your typical Zelda title and you will have fun playing it. Just remember to bring your charger.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
4.5/5
Oh hey, there is an ice dungeon… THEY ARE SO MUCH FUN!!!!! ;____________;
