Difference between revisions of "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past"

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[[Image:Legend of Zelda 3 - SNES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
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[[Image:Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
  
'''''The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past''''' is an action-adventure game made by [[Nintendo]] and released in 1991 on the [[SNES]]. It is the third game in the [[The Legend of Zelda (Universe)|Zelda series]].
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'''''The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past''''' is an action adventure game developed and published by [[Nintendo]] on the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] on 1991-11-21. It is the third release in the [[The Legend of Zelda (universe)|''Zelda'' series]].
  
My brother "borrowed" this game from a friend of his, deleted his completed save file, and pretended it was his own game. We played it quite awhile before he was caught and had to give it back, minus his save file. Having fallen in love with the game, I got a used copy at some point later and played the game getting all the way to level 7 before failing to beat the end boss and giving up. Shortly there after, I sold my SNES, and didn't play the game for quite awhile after. I played the game off and on through an emulator, and, after many years, decided to beat the game properly from the start. I played it all the way through, defeated the level 7 boss, and finished the entire game.
+
I first played this game after my brother stole the cart from his friend and deleted his completed save file, and pretended it was his own. We played it quite awhile before he was caught and had to return it, without the original save file. Having fallen in love with the game, I got a used copy at some later date and played the game getting all the way to level 7 before becoming frustrated with end boss and giving up. Shortly there after, I sold my SNES, and didn't play the game for quite awhile. I played the game off and on through an emulator, and, after many years, decided to beat the game properly from the start. I played it all the way through, defeated the level 7 boss, and finished the entire game on 2006-12-27.
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
Line 9: Line 9:
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
* '''Overall:''' 10/10
+
{{Video Game Review|10|10|10|10|10|100%|SNES}}
* '''Best Version:''' SNES
+
 
 +
{{Spoilers}}
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
* The graphics, music, and sound effects are all stunning.
+
* The graphics and animation are all stunning.
* The game engine is solid, and functions like a well-oiled machine.
+
* [[Koji Kondo]]'s music and sound effects are especially good and make great use of the SNES's stereo sound.
* The story, while cliche, is a big jump up from previous game, and the frequent interactions with NPCs early in the game keep it flowing nicely.
+
* The game engine is solid and functions like a well-oiled machine.
 +
* The story is a big jump up from previous games, and the frequent interactions with NPCs early in the game keep it flowing nicely. I'm certainly tired of saving princesses, but there is thankfully a lot more to it.
 +
* The game play is both challenging and exciting throughout the entire game.
 +
* The large amount of items really keep the game interesting, and several are used in novel ways. In addition to the classics like the boomerang, bombs, and bow, we now get the hookshot, pegasus boots, and bug-catching net which are fantastic additions.
 +
* There are tons of hidden things in the game to keep it exciting, and most of them are hidden in a clever way and useful in the game. The pieces of heart scattered all over the map was a great addition. The bottles are also very useful and one is expertly hidden. The good bee is an especially interesting find. The Chris Houlihan room is also interesting.
 +
* The scene where you find out the boy with the ocarina has turned himself into a tree by going into the dark world, and then have to tell his old father that he's gone is really sad.
 
* The game manual is top-notch. Lots of beautiful art and a detailed explanation of the game.
 
* The game manual is top-notch. Lots of beautiful art and a detailed explanation of the game.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
* The game it pretty linear. In the first game, most of the map and underworlds can be explored from the get-go. But in this one, large sections of the game are off-limits until you get specific items. It slowly unfolds, which is cool the first time through, but makes the game predictable every time after.
+
* The game is pretty linear. In the first game, almost all of the over world and several underworlds can be explored from the get-go. But in this one, large sections of the game are off-limits until you get specific items. This is certainly helpful to keeping you on track the first time through, but it also guarantees every subsequent play-through will be identical.
* The bosses are indeed a step up in complexity, but most of them can be killed just by hitting them with the sword over an over again. Unlike in the first game, where most of them required you determining which weapon they were weak to.
+
* The bosses are indeed a step up in complexity, but most of them can be killed just by hitting them with the sword over an over again, unlike in the first game, where most of them required you determining which weapon they were weak to.
* Several of the items are unimportant either being entirely unnecessary to beat the game, too awkward to be useful, or exist for a single use. The magic cape, the cane of Byrna, and the quake spell are particular offenders.
+
* Several of the items are unimportant, either by being entirely unnecessary to beat the game, too awkward to be useful, or they exist only for a single use. The magic cape, the cane of Byrna, and the Bombos spell are the worst offenders.
* The difficulty of the dungeons isn't quite orderly. 1 is harder than 3, 5 is harder than 6, etc. Though, this might be my play style.
+
* The difficulty of the dungeons isn't quite orderly. I find that 1 is harder than 3, 5 is harder than 6, etc. Though, this might be my play style.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
 
* Nothing really, this game is a work of art.
 
* Nothing really, this game is a work of art.
  
==Documentation==
+
==Media==
 +
===Box Art===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Japan.jpg|The original Japanese box uses a painting of the Master Sword in its altar with a cartoon link, poised to fight, in the foreground, and the golden title graphic above them. Each piece is great by itself, but the three different styles clash together.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - USA.jpg|The USA design is more subdued like the first two Zelda games before it. It's a gold field with a highly detailed sword and shield, and a great lettering. This is my favorite box.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Legend of Zelda - Link to the Past - SNES - Manual.pdf|Game manual.
+
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - USA - Manual.pdf|US manual.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Japan - Manual - Digital.pdf|Japanese manual (digital).
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Nintendo Player's Guide.pdf|''[[Nintendo Player's Guide]]''.
 +
Legend of Zelda - Link to the Past - Manga.pdf|The complete ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' manga.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Maps==
+
===Maps===
 +
* [http://ian-albert.com/games/legend_of_zelda_a_link_to_the_past_maps Additional Maps]
 +
 
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Legend of Zelda - Link to the Past - Map - Light World.png|Light world.
+
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - Light World.png|Light World.
Legend of Zelda - Link to the Past - Map - Dark World.png|Dark world.
+
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - Eastern Palace.png|Eastern Palace.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - Desert Palace.png|Desert Palace.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - Mountain Tower.png|Mountain Tower.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - Dark World.png|Dark World.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - 1 - Dark Palace.png|Dark Palace.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - 2 - Swamp Palace.png|Swamp Palace.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - 3 - Skull Wood.png|Skull Woods.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - 4 - Thieves Town.png|Thieves Town.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - 5 - Ice Tower.png|Ice Tower.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - 6 - Misery Mire.png|Misery Mire.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - 7 - Turtle Rock.png|Turtle Rock.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - 8 - Ganon's Tower.png|Ganon's Tower.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Gallery==
+
===Fan Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Zac Gorman - Link's Uncle Leaves.gif|Stormy night comic by Zac Gorman.
 
Zac Gorman - Link's Uncle Leaves.gif|Stormy night comic by Zac Gorman.
 
Zac Gorman - Fight Ganon With Net.gif|Bug-catching net comic by Zac Gorman.
 
Zac Gorman - Fight Ganon With Net.gif|Bug-catching net comic by Zac Gorman.
 
Zac Gorman - Chicken Armor.gif|Chicken armor comic by Zac Gorman.
 
Zac Gorman - Chicken Armor.gif|Chicken armor comic by Zac Gorman.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Fan Art - Billy Saltzman.jpg|Fan art by Billy Saltzman.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Fan Art - Lobo Borges.jpg|Fan art by Lobo Borges.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Videos===
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSDhDY1Xtd8 youtube.com/watch?v=zSDhDY1Xtd8] - Making of.
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Oj2dq8jZeo youtube.com/watch?v=5Oj2dq8jZeo] - Son of a Glitch.
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6hjG6MCcZ8 youtube.com/watch?v=Z6hjG6MCcZ8] - Longplay.
 +
 +
==Titles==
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! Language !! Native !! Transliteration !! Translation
 +
|-
 +
| English || The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past || ||
 +
|-
 +
| Japanese || ゼルダの伝説 神々のトライフォース || Zeruda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Toraifosu || Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods
 +
|}
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
 +
{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/game/legend-of-zelda-a-link-to-the-past}}
 +
{{Link|Wikipedia|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_A_Link_to_the_Past}}
 +
{{Link|VGMPF|http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_A_Link_to_the_Past_(SNES)}}
 +
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_A_Link_to_the_Past}}
 +
 
* [http://www.zeldadungeon.net/Zelda03-a-link-to-the-past.php zeldadungeon.net/Zelda03-a-link-to-the-past.php] - Zelda Dungeon.
 
* [http://www.zeldadungeon.net/Zelda03-a-link-to-the-past.php zeldadungeon.net/Zelda03-a-link-to-the-past.php] - Zelda Dungeon.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_A_Link_to_the_Past en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_A_Link_to_the_Past] - Wikipedia.
 
* [http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_A_Link_to_the_Past_(SNES) vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_A_Link_to_the_Past_(SNES)] - Music.
 
  
  
 
[[Category: Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Video Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Video Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Adventure, Action, Strategy|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 +
[[Category: SNES Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Action|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Action|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Adventure|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Adventure|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Fantasy|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Fantasy|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 +
[[Category: Trope - Damsel In Distress|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Games I've Beaten|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Games I've Beaten|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Favorite|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Favorite|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Favorite Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 
[[Category: Favorite Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
 +
[[Category: The Feels|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]

Revision as of 10:27, 10 September 2019

North American box art.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is an action adventure game developed and published by Nintendo on the SNES on 1991-11-21. It is the third release in the Zelda series.

I first played this game after my brother stole the cart from his friend and deleted his completed save file, and pretended it was his own. We played it quite awhile before he was caught and had to return it, without the original save file. Having fallen in love with the game, I got a used copy at some later date and played the game getting all the way to level 7 before becoming frustrated with end boss and giving up. Shortly there after, I sold my SNES, and didn't play the game for quite awhile. I played the game off and on through an emulator, and, after many years, decided to beat the game properly from the start. I played it all the way through, defeated the level 7 boss, and finished the entire game on 2006-12-27.

Status

I own this game, have beaten it with 100% completion, and am very familiar with it.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
10 10 10 10 10

Best Version: 100%

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The graphics and animation are all stunning.
  • Koji Kondo's music and sound effects are especially good and make great use of the SNES's stereo sound.
  • The game engine is solid and functions like a well-oiled machine.
  • The story is a big jump up from previous games, and the frequent interactions with NPCs early in the game keep it flowing nicely. I'm certainly tired of saving princesses, but there is thankfully a lot more to it.
  • The game play is both challenging and exciting throughout the entire game.
  • The large amount of items really keep the game interesting, and several are used in novel ways. In addition to the classics like the boomerang, bombs, and bow, we now get the hookshot, pegasus boots, and bug-catching net which are fantastic additions.
  • There are tons of hidden things in the game to keep it exciting, and most of them are hidden in a clever way and useful in the game. The pieces of heart scattered all over the map was a great addition. The bottles are also very useful and one is expertly hidden. The good bee is an especially interesting find. The Chris Houlihan room is also interesting.
  • The scene where you find out the boy with the ocarina has turned himself into a tree by going into the dark world, and then have to tell his old father that he's gone is really sad.
  • The game manual is top-notch. Lots of beautiful art and a detailed explanation of the game.

Bad

  • The game is pretty linear. In the first game, almost all of the over world and several underworlds can be explored from the get-go. But in this one, large sections of the game are off-limits until you get specific items. This is certainly helpful to keeping you on track the first time through, but it also guarantees every subsequent play-through will be identical.
  • The bosses are indeed a step up in complexity, but most of them can be killed just by hitting them with the sword over an over again, unlike in the first game, where most of them required you determining which weapon they were weak to.
  • Several of the items are unimportant, either by being entirely unnecessary to beat the game, too awkward to be useful, or they exist only for a single use. The magic cape, the cane of Byrna, and the Bombos spell are the worst offenders.
  • The difficulty of the dungeons isn't quite orderly. I find that 1 is harder than 3, 5 is harder than 6, etc. Though, this might be my play style.

Ugly

  • Nothing really, this game is a work of art.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Fan Art

Videos

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Japanese ゼルダの伝説 神々のトライフォース Zeruda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Toraifosu Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-VGMPF.png  Link-TCRF.png