I'm pretty much a broken record when it comes to saying that I'm not a huge fan of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series, even a majority of those deemed "the best". However, when I heard that one of my favorite entries in the franchise, A Link to the Past, was to receive a spiritual successor on the Nintendo 3DS, my hopes somewhat lifted, although I oddly didn't get around to actually playing it until the Big N's forthcoming closure of their 3DS eShop compelled me to buy and download a truckload of games to my system, among them being said sequel, subtitled Triforce of the Gods 2 in Japan and styled The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds elsewhere.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Hyrule is about on par with Latin America in terms of kidnappings, with a new villain, Yuga, kidnapping the descendants of the Seven Sages that sealed away Ganon and entrapping them within portraits, with typical series protagonist Link tasked with retrieving the Master Sword and rescuing them from the sequel's equivalent of the Dark World from A Link to the Past. The narrative bears striking similarity to those of other Zelda games, although there are some interesting twists, and the translation, while somewhat immature at times like in other translated titles in the franchise, luckily isn't too great a burden.
As one would expect from a spiritual successor to Link to the Past, its sequel's gameplay naturally bears many similarities, albeit with plentiful refinements for a contemporary console such as the Nintendo 3DS. Like other entries, Link wields a sword and a shield, with the former able to slash at enemies in any direction, keep it outstretched to poke at them, or execute a charged spinning attack; with the latter, he can block adversarial projectiles and other attempts at his life, which can actually be somewhat critical throughout the game all the way to the end. He eventually receives the new Master Sword and can use four Master Ores found throughout the land to upgrade it twice.
Early on in the game, the enigmatic Ravio moves into Link's abode, initially allowing him to rent various tools necessary to advance throughout the game for a price, with Link's death resulting in the loss of all borrowed items. However, Link can eventually purchase them for permanent use, with each tool consuming part of a “rental gauge” that replaces the magic meter of many other Zeldas, and gradually recharges when not in use. The heart piece system also returns, with Link, upon completing the various dungeons and defeating their respective bosses, receiving whole hearts extending his life, with said quarter fragments found throughout both worlds and extending his hit points upon the acquisition of four as well.
The mechanics, in the end, work surprisingly well, with the difficulty being significantly more merciful than in other Legend of Zeldas too, and I could beat maybe a few of the dungeon bosses without taking a scratch, and I died only once, in which case a bottled fairy revived me with partial life, bottles also capable of holding recovery potion. I managed as well to complete all boss fights without the use of internet walkthroughs, although I'll admit that the final boss stumped me for a few minutes. There is also minor issue with the effects of maybe a few consumables remaining somewhat unclear, but otherwise, A Link Between Worlds is mechanically the best top-down Zelda.
Another feature fairly significant towards the puzzle and combat mechanics is Link's ability early on acquired to fuse himself with walls and turn himself into an animate painting, able to move left or right to platforms out of reach, which I'll acknowledge I forgot a few times when nothing else seemed to work for advancement throughout the game. Such traversal of walls is also necessary to travel between the light and dark worlds through various portal slivers studded throughout both, and is in many instances critical in accessing a few dungeons or otherwise inaccessible part of the twin realms, and exploration is actually quite fun and, in many cases, rewarding.
Unlike most other Zeldas, A Link Between Worlds doesn't allow players to record their progress anywhere, but instead at overworld weathervanes that further allow conveyance among one another in both worlds. The puzzles are also enjoyable and largely don't necessitate use of a walkthrough, and in case players do find themselves stumped, they can get tips from “hint ghosts” at the cost of one Play Coin, acquired by closing the 3DS and walking a hundred steps, although they're not one hundred-percent foolproof in perhaps one case. Regardless, the sequel is for the most part very user-friendly and a high for the franchise.
Being a direct sequel to Link to the Past, its spiritual successor naturally features many familiar tracks, although pretty much all are remixed versions and luckily not total rehashes, among them being the title screen theme, the save screen / fairy fountain music, and both the light and dark overworld tracks that have variations depending upon how far the player has advanced. Most of the dark world dungeons have unique themes as well that sound great, with solid instrumentation, sound effects, and familiar jingles such as that which plays upon a discovery or opening of a new pathway. There are a few silent moments, and mercifully, the near-death alarm isn't completely annoying and actually helpful, with A Link Between Worlds generally being a great-sounding game.
The visuals are fluid, colorful, and sharp as well, with pretty environments and a noticeable lack of graphical oddities from Link to the Past, with the character and enemy models looking nice too, in spite of the rare reskin, and very much evoking the various friendly and enemy sprites that existed in the game's spiritual predecessor. Its respective system's three-dimensional effects look great as well, and aside from some minor imperfections such as jaggies and poor collision detection, A Link Between Worlds definitely shines in terms of its graphics, and definitely makes good use of the 3DS's visual capabilities.
Finally, overall playtime is indeterminate given the game's absence of an in-game clock, although when saving at weathervanes, there is an alert if the player has spent a while with it, and plentiful lasting appeal exists in the form of finding every secret on both overworlds such as heart pieces and the squid-like Maiamais whose return to their mother can empower Link's tools, although admittedly, one may need a guide to achieve all discoveries. Rounding out replayability is the Hero Mode with harder enemies unlocked upon finishing the game.
In summation, A Link Between Worlds is undoubtedly the best Legend of Zelda game I've had the pleasure of playing, and this is coming from someone who doesn't think the franchise is all that great. It very well refines the top-down mechanics present in two-dimensional iterations of the series, has genuine fun and rewarding exploration with tight control, maybe a few good twists here and there, excellent music, and pretty visuals. That I held out for so long without playing it definitely baffles me, and in my opinion, it's every bit a classic as its spiritual predecessor A Link to the Past, if not more so than, and warrants a playthrough by any self-respecting Nintendo enthusiast.
This review is based on a playthrough of a digital copy purchased and downloaded to the reviewer's New Nintendo 3DS.
The Bottom Line:
One of the strongest, most accessible, series entries of all time.
Score Breakdown:
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Game Mechanics: 9.5/10
Controls: 8.5/10
Story: 8.0/10
Localization: 9.0/10
Music/Sound: 9.5/10
Graphics: 9.0/10
Lasting Appeal: 9.5/10
Difficulty: Easy
Playing Time: No In-Game Clock