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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{{Video Game
 +
| Title            = The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
 +
| SortTitle        = Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A
 +
| Image           = Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - USA.jpg
 +
| ImageDescription = SNES - USA - 1st edition.
 +
| Developer        = {{VideoGameDeveloper|Nintendo}}
 +
| Publisher        = {{VideoGamePublisher|Nintendo}}
 +
| PublishedYear    = 1991
 +
| PublishedMonth  = 11
 +
| PublishedDay    = 21
 +
| Platforms        = {{Platform|SNES}}
 +
| Genres          = {{VideoGameGenre|Action video game|Action}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Adventure video game|Adventure}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Exploration video game|Exploration}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Metroidvania|Metroidvania}}
 +
| Themes          = {{MediaTheme|Adventure}}, {{MediaTheme|Fantasy}}
 +
| Series          = ''[[The Legend of Zelda (universe)|The Legend of Zelda]]''
 +
| Distributions    = {{VideoGameDistribution|Commercial}}
 +
}}
  
'''''The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past''''' is an action-adventure game made by [[Nintendo]] and released in 1991 as the third game in the [[The Legend of Zelda (Universe)|Zelda series]]. It is my favorite Zelda game.
+
'''''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]]. It uses the same top-down perspective from the first game and greatly increases the player's abilities and collectible items.
  
==Status==
+
In the game, you play an elfin boy named Link who is called forth to stop the evil wizard Agahnim from kidnapping the Princess Zelda, but rescuing her is only the beginning as you're swept off into a world of darkness which mirrors the normal world. You must explore two worlds and conquer several dungeons to finally save the land of Hyrule from evil.
I own this game, have beaten it, and am very familiar with it.
+
 
 +
==Personal==
 +
{{VideoGameStatus
 +
| Own      = Yes. I own two loose cartridges.
 +
| CantOwn  =
 +
| Won      = Yes. Several time with 100% completion.
 +
| CantWin  =
 +
| Finished = 2006-12-27.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
I first played this game after my brother stole it from his friend in 1992 and deleted his nearly complete save game. Both of us loved the original NES game and found this new one to be superior in every way, so we played the game heavily. We hooked up my SNES to my bother's stereo system and played the game with extra bass which let you feel the sword swing! Eventually, my brother's friend found out we had his stolen cart and demanded it back before we got too far into the game. Having completely fallen in love with the game, I played the copies of friends who had already finished the game, played with their full inventories, and beat Ganon. Later, I bought a used copy for my own and continued to love the game's wonderful graphics and music, and I had fun finding all the items I had seen with previous copies. I made it to dungeon 7, but became so frustrated with the boss, I gave up. Shortly there after, I sold my SNES and all my games, and didn't play the game for some time. I played the game off-and-on through emulators, but only halfheartedly. Many years later in 2006, I decided to finally beat the game properly from beginning to end. This is one of my favorite video games of all time, and I view it as a near-perfect masterpiece.
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
Overall: 10/10
+
{{Video Game Review|10|10|10|10|10|SNES}}
 +
 
 +
{{Spoilers}}
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
* The graphics, music, and sound effects are all stunning.
+
* The game's art style is fantastic. The sprites look wonderful, the well-animated, and the backgrounds are beautiful. Everything is 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 capabilities.
* 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 to 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. Even as you acquire new weapons, armor, and items, you still have to work for victory.
 +
* 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 whimsical 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===
 
===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. Part of the fun of the original was being able to play the levels out of order.
* The bosses are indeed a step up, but some of them are pretty uninspired. Most of them can be killed just by hitting them with the sword over an over again.
+
* Several of the items are unimportant, either by being entirely unnecessary to beat the game, being too awkward to be useful, or they exist only for a single lock-and-key use. The magic cape, the cane of Byrna, and the Bombos spell are the worst offenders.
* Several of the items are unimportant. The cape, the cane of Byrna, and the quake spell, have little use.
+
* 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.
* The difficulty of the dungeons isn't quite orderly. 1 is harder than 3, 5 is harder than 6. Though this might be my play style.
 
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
* Nothing really, this game is a work of art.
+
* Nothing. This game is a work of art.
 +
 
 +
==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>
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - USA - Manual.pdf|Manual - USA.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - USA - Manual - Rev 3.pdf|Manual - USA - Rev 3.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Japan - Manual - Digital.pdf|Manual - Japan - Digital.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Nintendo Player's Guide.pdf|''[[Nintendo Player's Guide]]''.
 +
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - Paperback - USA.jpg|''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (manga)|''Nintendo Power'' manga]].
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
===Maps===
 +
* [http://ian-albert.com/games/legend_of_zelda_a_link_to_the_past_maps Additional Maps]
  
==Gallery==
 
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Zac Gorman - Fight Ganon With Net.gif|Bug-catching Net comic by Zac Gorman.
+
Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - Map - Light World.png|Light World.
Zac Gorman - Chicken Armor.gif|Comic by Zac Gorman.
+
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>
 +
 +
===Graphics===
 +
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/historyofhyrule/albums/72157629221314979 flickr.com/photos/historyofhyrule/albums/72157629221314979] - Official published art.
 +
 +
===Fan Art===
 +
<gallery>
 +
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 - 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.
 +
Inky Rickshaw - 52 - The Legend.jpg|Fan comic by Inky Rickshaw.
 +
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Videos===
 +
{{YouTube|mo7wZmbIY80|NESComplex.}}
 +
{{YouTube|zSDhDY1Xtd8|Making of.}}
 +
{{YouTube|5Oj2dq8jZeo|Son of a Glitch.}}
 +
{{YouTube|EbynwL4H62Y|Zelda is your...}}
 +
{{YouTube|GvD06pf4sMk|Boss origins.}}
 +
{{YouTube|Z6hjG6MCcZ8|Longplay.}}
 +
 +
==Representation==
 +
{{Representation
 +
| Media                      = Video games
 +
| StrongFemaleCharacterStatus = Fail
 +
| StrongFemaleCharacterNotes  = There are a couple females, but none are important, and many are damsels in distress.
 +
| BechdelTestStatus          = Fail
 +
| BechdelTestNotes            = No women ever talk to each other.
 +
| StrongPOCCharacterStatus    = Fail
 +
| StrongPOCCharacterNotes    = Although the Hylians aren't human, they all appear to be whitish.
 +
| QueerCharacterStatus        = Fail
 +
| QueerCharacterNotes        = There are no queer characters.
 +
}}
 +
 +
==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|StrategyWiki|https://strategywiki.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_A_Link_to_the_Past}}
 +
{{Link|GameFAQs|https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/snes/588436-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}}
 +
{{Link|TVTropes|https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast}}
 +
 
* [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: Video Game Prime Order - Adventure, Action, Strategy]]
[[Category: Video Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
+
[[Category: Game Mechanic - Block Pushing]]
[[Category: Action|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
+
[[Category: Game Mechanic - Boss Rush]]
[[Category: Adventure|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
+
[[Category: Trope - Damsel In Distress]]
[[Category: Games I've Beaten|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
+
[[Category: Favorite]]
[[Category: Favorite|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
+
[[Category: Favorite Games]]
[[Category: Favorite Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link to the Past, A]]
+
[[Category: The Feels]]

Latest revision as of 16:26, 7 March 2024

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Legend of Zelda, The - Link to the Past, A - SNES - USA.jpg

SNES - USA - 1st edition.

Developer Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
Published 1991-11-21
Platforms SNES
Genres Action, Adventure, Exploration, Metroidvania
Themes Adventure, Fantasy
Series The Legend of Zelda
Distribution Commercial

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. It uses the same top-down perspective from the first game and greatly increases the player's abilities and collectible items.

In the game, you play an elfin boy named Link who is called forth to stop the evil wizard Agahnim from kidnapping the Princess Zelda, but rescuing her is only the beginning as you're swept off into a world of darkness which mirrors the normal world. You must explore two worlds and conquer several dungeons to finally save the land of Hyrule from evil.

Personal

Own?Yes. I own two loose cartridges.
Won?Yes. Several time with 100% completion.
Finished2006-12-27.

I first played this game after my brother stole it from his friend in 1992 and deleted his nearly complete save game. Both of us loved the original NES game and found this new one to be superior in every way, so we played the game heavily. We hooked up my SNES to my bother's stereo system and played the game with extra bass which let you feel the sword swing! Eventually, my brother's friend found out we had his stolen cart and demanded it back before we got too far into the game. Having completely fallen in love with the game, I played the copies of friends who had already finished the game, played with their full inventories, and beat Ganon. Later, I bought a used copy for my own and continued to love the game's wonderful graphics and music, and I had fun finding all the items I had seen with previous copies. I made it to dungeon 7, but became so frustrated with the boss, I gave up. Shortly there after, I sold my SNES and all my games, and didn't play the game for some time. I played the game off-and-on through emulators, but only halfheartedly. Many years later in 2006, I decided to finally beat the game properly from beginning to end. This is one of my favorite video games of all time, and I view it as a near-perfect masterpiece.

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: SNES

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The game's art style is fantastic. The sprites look wonderful, the well-animated, and the backgrounds are beautiful. Everything is stunning.
  • Koji Kondo's music and sound effects are especially good and make great use of the SNES's stereo capabilities.
  • 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 to 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. Even as you acquire new weapons, armor, and items, you still have to work for victory.
  • 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 whimsical 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. Part of the fun of the original was being able to play the levels out of order.
  • Several of the items are unimportant, either by being entirely unnecessary to beat the game, being too awkward to be useful, or they exist only for a single lock-and-key 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. This game is a work of art.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Graphics

Fan Art

Videos

NESComplex.
Making of.
Son of a Glitch.
Zelda is your...
Boss origins.
Longplay.

Representation

Strong female character?FailThere are a couple females, but none are important, and many are damsels in distress.
Bechdel test?FailNo women ever talk to each other.
Strong person of color character?FailAlthough the Hylians aren't human, they all appear to be whitish.
Queer character?FailThere are no queer characters.

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-StrategyWiki.png  Link-GameFAQs.png  Link-VGMPF.png  Link-TCRF.png  Link-TVTropes.png