The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (TLoZ: ALBW) is the long awaited sequel of the iconic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (TLoZ: ALttP. It’s been a long time in coming, and  it’s certainly a sight for all eyes to see.

Setting/Presentation:

TLoZ: ALBW takes place in the same Hyrule that was introduced in TLoZ: ALttP. It is, however, subject to some improvements. The graphics are years more advanced than ALttP could have ever hoped to achieved, so the world looks more vivid and alive. Being on a 3D platform, the game is fully playable in 3D, and can even run at 60 frames a second. This creates a fast paced, graphically appealing game that pulls you in, and doesn’t let you go. This isn’t a bad thing, in fact, it makes the game that much more enjoyable. Enemies have new designs, the 3d aspect is used well, all in all, it’s a very appealing world to jump in to, and it has only merits to present.

Story:

The game begins with you waking up late to go to work at your apprenticeship at a smithy. The smith’s  son, Gulley, had to wake you up in order for you to get yourself out of bed. On your way to the smithy, you get a quick look at the world you will be adventuring through, but you have to get to work, and Gulley will remind you of this if you try to wander off. Once you make your way to the smith, you discover that he has just finished a conversation with the Captain of the Royal Guard. Upon the Captain’s leave, however, the smith’s wife finds that he left his sword. The smith, while angry, decides that “instead of an earful, you’ll get an errand”. Thus, you set off on your errand, which takes you to the sanctuary, a small chapel, where you  meet Seres, the priestess. The captain has already arrived, and he and Seres enter the chapel before you can get a word in edgewise. After talking to the grave keeper, the doors of the chapel swing shut, and a scream is heard. The grave keeper shows you an alternate route, enabling you to potentially stop whatever is causing the trouble. Upon entering the chapel, you encounter Yuga, a strange man who proceeds to trap Seres in a painting. When you try to save Seres, Yuga simply vanishes in to the wall, which you run face – first in to. When you wake up, you go to tell the princess of the Kingdom about the eprisonned priestess. You are told to talk to the sage Sarsahala for further information. The sage tells you to warn another sage he believes to be at risk. You are to go to the eastern palace to warn this sage. At this point, you begin your quest to stop the fiend Yuga and save the land of Hyrule, before it’s too late. While bland in certain spots, the story comes with many twists at the end, certainly plenty to enjoy.

Gameplay:

TLoZ: ALBW is a top-down Zelda title, which, while I have personally never enjoyed, uses the perspective very well. All the conventionnal controls stay the same, you swing your word, use your items, and beat down baddies. But some of the core mechanics have been changed. For instance: you don’t find items in dungeons. This one change has flipped the core game over, but it works in an amazing new way. Instead of being forced to go from dungeon to dungeon in a linear pattern, you can choose your path of completion. This allows for a more open-minded experience, rather than a closed game. You buy/ rent your items from a funny little man named Ravio, a self-proclaimed friend of yours. While buying items cost a lot of money, renting items present… different consequences. If you are defeated, Ravio will take his items from you, and you may have to return t0 his shop to rent it again, or learn to improvise. Buying weapons also allows you to upgrade them, courtesy of a giant Octopus who lives in a cave and wishes for you to return her children. In terms of the use of the 3ds’ Street pass feature, anyone you tag who also has a legend of Zelda game will show up as a shadow link, who will fight you with whatever weapons the person put on him at the time. Upon defeating the dark link, you receive rupees that correspond to the weapons the dark link has equipped; the bigger they are, the harder they fall, or in this case, the more money yoy get. All in all, the new system makes some major changes, but implements them well. It makes for a much more enjoyable game, rather than a novel familiarity.

Final Say:

When you look at the game as a whole, TLoZ: ALBW has a nice story, amazing, nonlinear, gameplay, great graphics, and, all in all, is just a fun game to play. It provides tons of entertainment, over plenty of time. I would recommend it personally.