The Bold New Direction of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

a link between worlds

Listen, I like The Legend of Zelda as a series, I really do, but Skyward Sword was…well it wasn’t the worst thing ever, but let’s just say it was fairly average. If anything it really displayed that the Zelda franchise needed a bit of a shakeup.

For A Link Between Worlds, the newest entry in the series on the 3DS, Nintendo is changing things up a bit. For instance, the introduction for Between Worlds in incredibly short as opposed to the lengthy tutorial of Skyward Sword, and the game no longer relies on the typical Zelda progression of slowly unlocking a large number of items that are more or less exclusive to the dungeon they come from (something that was fairly rampant in Twilight Princess). You can now rent any item in the game at any point from the merchant who moves into your house, but you lose them if you die (you can also buy them permanently later on, although this is expensive). The dungeons can also be tackled in any order as well. Couple that with the fast travel and this is the Zelda game with the most sense of exploration and freedom since, well, A Link to the Past, which this game is a direct sequel to.

The isometric presentation works great too, and this game runs at a speedy 60 frames per second even in 3D so the action is nice and crisp. The music is also fantastic, and features an updated remix of the classic Dark World theme from A Link to the Past. While Zelda games on the Nintendo handhelds have by and large been pretty good, they usually haven’t matched the caliber of a full-fledged console Zelda. A Link Between Worlds blows this notion out of the water and gives us a pretty good look at how Nintendo is planning on making Zelda a different beast for future games.

Has anyone else played A Link Between Worlds? What do you think of it?

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mitch@gamersushi.com Twitter: @mi7ch Gamertag: Lubeius PSN ID: Lubeius SteamID: Mister_L Origin/EA:Lube182 Currently Playing: PUBG, Rainbow 6: Siege, Assassin's Creed: Origins, Total War: Warhammer 2

3 thoughts on “The Bold New Direction of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds”

  1. I’ve been putting in a few hours at a time each day, and I gotta say, this is a very refreshing experience for the series. The intro was well constructed and the new mechanics add such great depth and challenge to how you approach a dungeon. I like the rental system for the items as it allows you to take what you need, as long as you can keep those heart containers full. The soundtrack work is fantastic. I shed a nostalgia tear at the redone version of Zelda’s Lullaby in the Milk Bar. I can safely say that Nintendo has recaptured my love of handheld gaming with this game. I couldn’t recommend this enough to other Sushians and folks who have a 3DS as it’s a welcome addition to veterans of the series but it’s in no way intimidating to newcomers.

  2. I have not been playing much of it due to finals and other things but for the amount I played I did enjoy it. I’m still waiting for a Majora’s mask remake though. I would give them all my money.

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