The Legend of Zelda Series

[Spark Of Spirit]

Game Informer also gave it a 10/10 and gave Skyward Sword a 10/10 though it was a different reviewer.

You're not going to get much out of reviews for Zelda games.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Another thing confirmed is that it takes 5 about minutes to get to the first dungeon.

At least that's one of my main complaints addressed.

[talonmalon333]

You didn't like when it took 2-3 hours to reach the first dungeon in Twilight Princess?

[Spark Of Spirit]

You didn't like when it took 2-3 hours to reach the first dungeon in Twilight Princess?

I wasn't even a fan of the intro in Minish Cap, and I really like that game.

So it stands to reason that the intro to Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword drove me to near madness.

[talonmalon333]

You didn't like when it took 2-3 hours to reach the first dungeon in Twilight Princess?

I wasn't even a fan of the intro in Minish Cap, and I really like that game.

So it stands to reason that the intro to Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword drove me to near madness.

I don't remember the opening of Minish Cap very well.

I honestly have to say that I would choose the opening of SS over TP. Maybe it took too long, but at the very least, it did a pretty good job at making me care about Princess Zelda. That, and it still wasn't as long as the opening of TP.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Minish Cap has you going to the town, to the castle, and then through a long story sequence when you get the cap in question. As far as 2D Zeldas go it's easily the longest opening, but it's still much shorter than the last two 3D games despite it.

The opening to Twilight Princess just kept going. Why that game had so much padding I'll never know. Without the padding it would have been so much better.

[Nel_Annette]

Yeah, I never got that. They had, like, 12 dungeons. That's pretty much a license to get rid of as much of the padding as possible. But no, let's go on a god damn bug hunt.

Three times. 

[talonmalon333]

I don't think TP was terrible when it came to padding. Okay actually, the first half of the game was indeed terribly padded. But once you get to the second half, the game essentially "fixes" itself and comes fairly close to the brisk, smooth pacing of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.

It's not like SS which was just flooded with padding from start to finish. It really feels like 70% of that whole game is just filler.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Two things. One is this:



The other is the new Iwata Asks about the game. It's really a shame I most likely won't play it for a while. It looks like the exact Zelda game I wanted.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Too bad I don't own a 3DS.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Some choice review quotes:

The other reason why you may get stuck at times is because this Legend of Zelda game doesn't go out of its way to help you. If there's one thing that recent games in the series have been guilty of, it was an excessive focus on hand-holding, spoon-feeding and storytelling (we're looking at you, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword). With regards to the latter point, it's fair to say that storytelling has never been the series' strongest asset just by itself, and rather what it truly excels at is progressing the gameplay and creating fun player experiences that work within the confines of the series' renowned settings and themes. This is very much true of A Link Between Worlds, which does away with long-winded cutscenes and tutorials, instead dressing up objectives in light storytelling and simply setting you on your way. This improved pace - which fittingly enough is reminiscent of A Link to the Past and older titles within the series - allows you to get to the action much quicker than ever before, and although there are still plenty of hints along the way, it's not always immediately apparent what you need to do. Moreover, the game offers you a fair trade-off for when you really do get stuck; pay the fortune teller a set amount and he'll tell you in plain English what to do next. With varying, yet optional levels of support available, the general difficulty of the gameplay is superbly scaled to accommodate for players with differing levels of experience.

But not only is it much easier to die in A Link Between Worlds, it also carries pretty disastrous consequences, too. That's because for the majority of the game, it's not actually possible to own any of the items you use during your adventure. Instead, you rent these from a mysterious character called Ravio. The affordable rates and indefinite rental times make this service seem like it's too good to be true. But as is the case with all shifty salespeople, there's a pretty big catch: if you fall in battle, he reclaims everything. This can prove rather expensive and even frustrating if it happens at an inopportune moment, but thankfully there are plenty of rupees to be found throughout both Hyrule and Lorule to help recuperate any losses. The option to purchase objects comes later in the game, but it's worth noting that it isn't cheap; depending on how good you are at the game it may make more sense to try your luck and keep on renting indefinitely.

Furthermore, this open-ended approach to items allows for far more flexibility when it comes to your adventure. Dungeons can be completed in practically any order you wish, and you don't have to traipse back and forth across Hyrule frantically trying to work out where you need to go in order to find the item you need. Although dungeons no longer revolve around specific items, that's not to say that you still don't need to use a particular item at a certain point. Instead, you simply kit yourself out with what you need beforehand, and if you're not sure what you need, there's a rather handy instant travel system, which allows you to quickly move between various save points across the map. This streamlining of the items system works so well because it places the emphasis back on the most exciting element of any Zelda game: exploring the dungeons, solving puzzles and besting the bosses that lurk at the end of each one.

With so many different things to do, you might assume that this Legend of Zelda title will set you back quite a few hours. However, this adventure only clocks in at around the twenty hour mark for a first playthrough, and we imagine it'd be much quicker a second time through. With that said, it's important to bear in mind that the main reason why it seems shorter is partly because of how much Nintendo has streamlined the experience. If you compare it to Skyward Sword - which was notoriously padded out with an unnecessarily drawn-out introduction, tons of back-tracking, collect-a-thon quests and a boss battle which just didn't want to end - A Link Between Worlds is actually a much leaner product that's been trimmed of all the unnecessary fat, and one which allows you to just enjoy all the really good stuff. Moreover, you unlock Hero Mode once you've beaten the game, which provides a very stiff but rewarding challenge, should you choose to replay it at a later date.

Without a doubt, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is currently the greatest game you can experience on the 3DS. Much like the legendary Master Sword that features throughout the series, this game is beautifully crafted and offers a superbly streamlined and timeless gameplay experience. Through Link's new transformation ability Nintendo has instilled a magical amount of innovation into the dungeons, boss battles and even the wider exploration of both Hyrule and Lorule; it's a small feature which makes a world of difference and continuously wows you throughout the entirety of your playthrough. In other areas, Nintendo has made all the right changes to the gameplay formula, resulting in a game that is always incredibly good fun to play. Long-time fans will certainly get a kick out of its nostalgic presentation, while all players will appreciate its impeccable design and superb usage of the 3DS's touch screen.

Eiji Aonuma and his team at Nintendo set themselves the unenviable challenge of creating the perfect Legend of Zelda game; with A Link Between Worlds, they may well have achieved just that.

Well, I'm basically sold.

[Nel_Annette]

You know what I really want to make a return from A Link To The Past.

...The Golden Master Sword.  The power! The POWER!

[talonmalon333]

Well going by continuity, the Master Sword should already be the Golden Sword in this game.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Does he use the Master Sword in this game? I have been avoiding everything about this game outside of general impressions.

[talonmalon333]

I think the Master Sword is featured on the cover art. I could be wrong, though.