The Legend of Zelda, A Link Between Worlds
Producer: Nintendo
Release Date: November 22, 2013
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Action-Adventure
Return to Glory
Written by Jesse Seilhan
For many gamers, the glory days of the 1980’s encapsulates the pinnacle of gaming, mostly due to the delightful imagination of Nintendo. They gave us icons, archetypes, and adventures that lived long after that cartridge got dirty or the controller stopped working. Perhaps the most ambitious franchise in Nintendo’s cap is The Legend of Zelda, a revolution of action and adventure that had not been seen by the average gamer, as those genres did not work in the arcade and gave the home consoles a reason for existing. While debates rage over which title in the catalogue is the best, the SNES classic A Link to the Past still remains a timeless game. This year, Nintendo decided to give the top-down classic a true sequel. And A Link Between Worlds is a true sequel, as the map, the enemies, and the heart are exactly the same. While this might seem lazy to some, the new gameplay wrinkles and updated graphics are a fantastic way to breathe new life into a game that never got old.
A Link Between Worlds takes place in the same kingdom as all Zelda games, Hyrule, and Princess Zelda has, of course, been taken hostage by an evil wizard and it’s up to Link to save her. How you will be saving her is the real fun, as the biggest addition to this game is the ability to flatten yourself against the wall. This lets you get between cracks in the wall, scoot past big boulders, and dodge enemy attacks with quick reflexes and good timing. A bunch of secrets, a staple of the Zelda universe, can only be accessed while in this 2D state and some of the more complicated puzzles will test your dimensional intelligence throughout the 15-hour adventure. This ability is also how you get to the Lorule Kingdom, a parallel universe where the princess has been taken and a bunch of baddies have been let loose to do their evil tasks. Things are dark here, as the familiar places of Hyrule have been broken, destroyed, shifted, or just plain removed. All of this has to do with the Triforce and whatnot, but the story isn’t really that different than any other Zelda. It’s pretty straightforward and the game literally asks you if you already know the story, saving you time and patience when all you wanna do is slash some stuff.
One of the biggest differences between this and every other Zelda game (and most games in general) is that almost all the weapons and items are available from the start. You can rent them at anytime, with the only downside being you lose those items when you die. If you are looking for permanence, you can purchase the stuff, and even death won’t keep you apart, however the price is much, much more than a single rental. The standard items are there (boomerang, bomb, hookshot) and can be upgraded by completing a side quest that involves finding 100 lost octopus babies lost in the world. Fire, sand, and ice wands help access new areas and new secrets, and of course the classic dungeons are back in full form. This is where the game really shines, as each dungeon is a multi-level magic trick, forcing you to use a variety of tools and your flattening ability to get yourself around. Each one contains a secret item that makes the game that much better and of course a fun boss awaits you when you finally make it to the end. With about a dozen of these dungeons to conquer, two kingdoms to explore, and so much minutia to get caught up in, this is one of the best handheld titles to come out in ages. You may even find yourself putting down your next-gen controller to see what’s behind the next exploding rock.