A Journey Through 'The Legend of Zelda' Series (Part 3)

Part 1
Part 2

Continuing on with my journey through the Zelda games, I have come to what may be my favorite title in the series, 'The Legend of Zelda:  A Link to the Past.'  I have played through this game many times in the past, although it has been maybe five years or so since my last playthrough.  Having spent countless hours with this game already, it was no surprise that I blew through it so quickly - I beat it in a day.

Continue reading for my thoughts about this game.

On a scale of 1 to 5:

Graphics:  4
Music:  5
Puzzle Difficulty:  3
Combat Difficulty:  3
Items:  3
Story:  3

(The above scores do not represent how good or bad the game is.  I will be using them to compare these areas to the other games in the series as I replay them.)

Overview:  Released for North America in 1992, this game returns to the style of the original Legend of Zelda.  The whole game is played from a top-down perspective and features a large overworld and a focus on items and dungeons.  This game also introduces many elements that are still featured in the latest games.

This game has you traveling back and forth between the 'light' and 'dark' worlds to conquer dungeons, collect items, and find secrets.  You have to find fixed portals in the light world to enter the dark world, but once you get the mirror item, you can warp out of the dark world at will.  This will also give you a temporary portal back to the dark world.

Graphics:  The 16 bit graphics for this game are beautiful.  Compared to the previous games, which were on the NES, the details, colors, and character sprites have all been improved drastically.  The art style still holds up to many 16 bit style indie games today.  The game does use the same palate swaps as the previous games to differentiate enemies strengths, but there are more varieties of enemies and NPC's here.  Another feature added in this game is layers in dungeons.  In several dungeons, there are top and bottom layers in the same room.  This adds more depth to each level and is done really well.

Music:  The music in this game is fantastic!  I remember back when I played it as a kid, I recorded many of the songs on a cassette tape so I could listen to it when I wasn't playing.  From the epic opening to the ending credits, the music quality does not dip at all.  The familiar overworld theme from LoZ is back and sounds better than ever!  Also, the Kakariko Village Theme is introduced here, which can be heard in towns in other Zelda games as well.

Puzzle Difficulty:  The puzzle difficulty for this game feels 'just right.'  They aren't too difficult, but there are some that will make really make you think to figure them out.  The familiar ways to progress though a dungeon can be found here (bomb a wall, hit a switch, find a key, light a brazier, push a block) while some new elements are introduced (running, swimming, new spells).  The overworld is full of secrets to find as well.  It seems that almost every area has at least one secret to find.

This game also introduces the Heart Pieces rather than full heart containers.  While defeating a boss will still grant you a full heart container, to increase your life further, you will need to find heart pieces.  These are hidden EVERYWHERE throughout the game and even though you may see one out in the open, they aren't always easy to get.  Collecting four of them will increase your life meter by one heart.

Combat Difficulty:  This is another area that feels like it is just the right balance.  It is nowhere near as tough as Zelda 2, but it isn't a walk in the park either.  Most enemies are reminiscent of the original LoZ, and the combat stays relatively the same.  The boss fights are very fun and each usually require a specific item to hit it's weakness in order to defeat it.  The increase in difficulty when you first enter the dark world really makes for a challenge, as well, but as you advance and find new gear you will soon be slaying those tough enemies as easily as those found at the beginning.

Items:  This game has a lot of items and while many are very useful, there were a few that were rarely used outside of where they are required.  The three magic spells you get, Quake, Bombos, and Ether are each used once or twice to reveal a hidden entrance, and while they can be used in combat, I really never felt the need for them..

The now famous 'hookshot' makes it's first appearance here and is very useful in both puzzle solving and combat.  Other items include:  Bow, Boomerang, Bomb, Fire Rod, Ice Rod, Lamp, Hammer, Shovel, Flute, Bottles, Magic Canes, Magic Mirror, and more.

Overall, the item selection was nice and a vast majority of them felt useful in various situations.

Story:  This game also marks the beginning of an actual in-game narrative for Zelda games.  You will find out about the creation of Hyrule and the origin of the Triforce in a cinematic at the beginning of the game and as you progress you will read various stories from the sages you rescue and the people you meet.

In a nutshell, this story begins with Link asleep in his bed as he hears the voice of Princess Zelda telepathically pleading for him to come rescue her from the dungeon at the castle.  Link sets out on his mission and is able to free her from the wizard Agahnim.  He takes her the the Sanctuary where he finds out that he will need the legendary 'Master Sword' to defeat the evil they are facing.  He sets out to Kakariko Village to find the elder Sahasrahla for help, but finds that the elder has already left since the wizard Agahnim has began abducting people.  You then set out for the Eastern Palace to find him.

As the story progresses, you will fight your way through many dungeons (11 or 12, I think), rescue six maidens, and undertake many sidequests.  There are also several mini games that you can play that will grant you a heart piece or other item if you complete them.

Summary:  This game is one of my all time favorite games and has withstood the test of time.  Nearly 23 years later, it is still a blast to play.  It marks the beginning of many of the Zelda tropes that we still love today including the Master Sword, Cuccos, and Sages.  If you have never played this game, you should really look into it, especially if you are a Zelda fan!

With three games down, I will now begin ranking them according to how much I liked them.  Currently this ranking is:

A Link to the Past > Legend of Zelda > Zelda II:  The Adventure of Link

I am about halfway through Ocarina of Time as I write this so look back soon for my thoughts about that game.