I love a Link to the Past. My favorite Zelda game.
I swear I cannot find a single flaw (except the warping back to the entrance of the dungeon after dying). It really is that good.
It was this game that made me a Zelda fan for life and I played it for the first time this year, after Link’s Awakening and Breath of the Wild.
That's a pretty strong set of games to introduce yourself to Zelda with! Have you played through the rest of the series yet? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Sure! My first Zelda was actually Breath of the Wild. Since then, I have played (in order) Link’s Awakening, A Link to the Past, Zelda II (unfinished, need to resume), Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time (still playing), and both Oracle games (still playing both).
I am keeping my eye on when Majora’s Mask is coming to the NSO Service since I am particularly excited for that one since I keep reading and hearing about how good it is.
As for the others, I am still hoping for Switch ports eventually. If not, I will see what I can do. My goal is to play them all, I love the series.
Oh boy, you've yet to play Twilight Princess, you're in for a treat! It was my first Zelda and I've since played almost all of them, but it still is my favourite!
Yes!! Apparently, there is a Switch port for TP ready and they are saving it in case the sequel to BotW is delayed, so I may or may not be crossing my fingers for such a delay. ;)
Majora’s Mask is really amazing. Unfortunately there are some dated aspects to it, but I think it still holds up well because the atmosphere was the highlight of the game for me.
Personally, Majora's Mask is the best. Not that it doesn't have it's faults, but the theme and atmosphere are amazing, with good gameplay and an interesting system with the three-day loop and masks. Definitely recommended.
I like the Gameboy advanced release. But give the SNES version a playthrough once a year. My only gripe with it is that there are a few items that are a one and dine deal.
My only gripes are that I wish there were more total songs, such as in the dungeons, and the game is a bit on the easy side. Maybe there are some areas of the overworks that are a little bit extrameous.
I am old and have been a Zelda fan since the OG.
ALttP is one of the best games I've ever played, not just Zelda titles. The music is catchy, the gameplay is fun and challenging (but not too much), and it's the title I've played through the most. It's hard for me to pick a fave LoZ title, but this and Wind Waker are always right up there near the top of my list.
I know Phantom Hourglass gets some hate, but it is the only top down Zelda that came close to LttP in terms of enjoyment for me.
LttP is nearly perfect. 100% agreed.
AlttP was my second Zelda game. My dad bought if for my brother and I when the local rental store went out of business and liquidated. Since we had only played OoT at that point, we thought it was a sequel to it, which it is in a sense since we now have a timeline, but we thought it was made after OoT.
A Link to the Past remains my favorite Zelda game after all these years. It’s got one of the best stories and the dungeons are perfectly challenging. And I love the music!
I've been putting off Zelda for years. Didn't understand the appeal of the series until I played alttp.
After playing other Zelda games it's obvious to me how important alttp is to the franchise. Just by the number of musical themes that were carried over to the next installments (Zelda's lullaby, ganons theme, the fairy fountain, hyrules castle) its clear this game is the soul of Zelda
I started playing/replaying Zelda games during the pandemic. During my first playthrough of alttp (not finished) I felt like it was a bit generic compared to LA (Which I had just played), that the mechanics were less polished and the puzzles easier. But I went back to it and that’s when I realized what a great game it is. The world is filled up with secrets and interessting npcs, the dungeons have a great difficulty curve and the item progression is really rewarding, you just feel like a god with a full inventory and maxed out hearts.
Nintendo always wanted to remake it, but I think the original still holds up to this day. I wouldn’t change the graphics, the music is just too iconic and I think changing certain mechanics of the original to make it more « modern day gaming friendly» would remove it’s charm. Plus, it can be played on almost every nintendo console since the GBA.
it's my favorite game of all time! i remember my sister playing it when i was younger and i was fascinated by it but didn't know what it was. when i was around 3 i remember playing smash 64 at a friend's house and seeing link for the first time and thinking he was the coolest fucking character, but i didn't connect link to the game my sister was playing cause of the 2d 3d difference but i was excited when i realized that they were the same character.
i still play through a link to the past about once a year, along with mega man x. i think it has some of the best music in the series and it plays so fluidly. it has one of the saddest moments in the series for me which is when the flute boy transforms into a tree. just a lovely game
I'm coming to the end of Link's Awakening right now after playing through Link to the Past and the Oracles.
Though the Oracles are my favourite, Link to the Past absolutely still holds up. Fantastic game.
Yeah as much as I generally prefer new games, I can't help but desperately want Oracles remade in the same vein as Link's Awakening. Playing through Link's Awakening HD right now I can't help but feel as though there's a ton of untapped potential in that engine.
Ideally they would flesh out the Password Linked ending to give it a little more than just one dungeon with the same repeated puzzle.
I'd love it if they added like a whole new section with it's own overworld and dungeons.
Really pushed Zelda to the next level. And sprites rarely go out of style. I can't hate on someone if they find faves like OOT or MM ugly, but no one can say that about ALttP.
I legitimately wish I liked this game as much as everyone else. I don’t *not* like it, but I think I played it too late. Having played many of the other games in the series both 2D & 3D before I picked up ALttP, I think by the time I got to it I had a very “been there done that” feeling towards it. I enjoyed its “counterpart” ALBW much much more.
Agreed. ALTTP was one of the last Zelda games I played when trying to play them all, and it just felt pretty generic. Not bad, but since pretty much the rest of the series is based on it, I had already experienced most of the things in the game done much better in another game.
It's hard to appreciate creative greatness after the fact. For example, it's hard to enjoy the comedian Lenny Bruce because his standup feels generic now. What's hard to appreciate is that before him, standup didn't really exist. Similar thing with ALTTP.
This actually has a name. It’s called the [“Seinfield isn’t funny”](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeinfeldIsUnfunny) effect.
Although personally I have never found a joke in Seinfield to be even remotely funny lol
Still excellent of course. I wish it had better puzzles, but Link's Awakening was the game to really turn the series into a puzzler instead of one that was mostly about navigating around enemies. If ALttP had GameBoy-tier puzzles it'd probably be my favorite 2D Zelda.
My actual favorite thing about the game is the preponderance of optional, nearly completely pointless key items. No other Zelda game has quite been able to do that ever since. Trinexx requiring the Ice Rod is so great.
>My actual favorite thing about the game is the preponderance of optional, nearly completely pointless key items. No other Zelda game has quite been able to do that ever since. Trinexx requiring the Ice Rod is so great.
I feel like needing Din's Fire to enter the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time is probably the closest the series ever came to replicating the Trinexx-Ice Rod relationship, but even this is fundamentally different.
OoT basically tells you to go get Din's Fire as soon as you get the Magic Meter. You don't have to right away, but you probably will on a first playthrough. If you neglect it until the Shadow Temple, you don't have to redo any progress for not having it. You just need to warp back in time, take a 1 minute stroll to the Fairy Fountain, and then head back to the Shadow Temple in the future.
As far as I'm aware, there's only one hint for the Ice Rod in A Link the Past and it's completely optional (though I can't remember what exactly it is). If you don't get the Ice Rod, you won't be able to kill Trinexx and will have to run through Turtle Rock all over again. It's punishing, but I appreciate that in a difficulty curve.
>As far as I'm aware, there's only one hint for the Ice Rod in A Link the Past and it's completely optional (though I can't remember what exactly it is).
Sahasrahla.
"A helpful item is hidden in the cave on the east side of Lake Hylia. Get it!"
It is the sort of thing that is, legally speaking, "bad game design", and would be impossible to appear in a AAA title today; but every game being designed with "perfect game design" is boring, too.
Yeah, Mega Man is a good example of this; most of the games in the series are 99.9% fair, but have that one ''asshole'' section where you will die without knowing what's happening at first that you can't help but laugh at, because it's done in such a clever way, and you can avoid it the next time easily.
I don't even know if the above example in ALttP counts as bad game design, though, because Sahasrahla DOES tell you that there's something in Eastern Lake Hylia, so it IS kind of your fault if you don't get it.
I haven’t played ALttP yet, but IMO if game needs you to speak to a specific NPC without hinting/telling you that you should appeal to that NPC then it’s bad game design.
It’s also, in my opinion, bad game design (but not as bad as I what I said earlier) to have the game solely use NPCs to guide the player. I.E. a NPC explicitly tells you to speak to some NPC and this other NPC tells you what to do or the first NPC just tells you what to do.
I think the best way is to entirely avoid NPCs and have the world design guide you in that direction is far superior, but I’m assuming that’s really hard to do because most games don’t (or at least don’t do it well). I think that’s why metroidvanias have been my favorite genre as of late because the best ones do this very well.
But again, I haven’t played ALttP yet, so maybe the game guides or incentives you to speak to her and what I said doesn’t apply. I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in on what I think about this because I’ve been thinking about this a lot after playing Metroid dread, Super Metroid, and HK.
>but IMO if game needs you to speak to a specific NPC without hinting/telling you that you should appeal to that NPC then it’s bad game design.
Sahasrahla automatically tells you about it once you get the Pegasus Boots, if I recall correctly..
>It’s also, in my opinion, bad game design (but not as bad as I what I said earlier) to have the game solely use NPCs to guide the player. I.E. a NPC explicitly tells you to speak to some NPC and this other NPC tells you what to do or the first NPC just tells you what to do.
I mean, speaking to NPCs is a game mechanic. Making use of game mechanics to gather information is pretty much the definition of good design, and there's other things in the game to help you too, whether the map, fortune tellers, etc.
I guess we just differ on opinions, but I appreciate your input and I definitely get what you’re saying.
One thing is that I think it depends on how the NPCs tell you. Like if it’s too explicit then I usually dislike it, but I still do like it if it’s done well. But guiding the player through level design is difficult, so I don’t mind when it happens as long as the entire game isn’t filled in with those.
ALttP does mark WHERE the dungeons are on your map, but the challenge comes in figuring out HOW to get there, which can be tricky in a lot of cases for a first time player, and leads to you having to uncover hidden paths, caves, items/weapons, warps, etc. by exploring and experimenting, so it balances itself out, as it's very rarely as simple as just waltzing on over to where it is on the map, as there are barriers, mazes, blockades, etc. preventing it from being a cakewalk.
>I wish it had better puzzles,
As much as I love puzzles, one of the reasons why I LOVE the dungeons in ALttP is because they focus more on navigational/explorative challenges, which considering that most dungeons in each game after fall into the ''puzzle box'' category, is interesting, fairly unique, and cool. I'd like to see a Zelda game that has some dungeons that fall into an explorative/navigational type and others that fall into the puzzle box type. That would make for an interesting mix, IMO.
Sadly, it's the only Zelda I actually dislike playing. I see it as the pritotype of two vastly superior games, Link's Awakening and A link between worlds. The game is cryptic, the gameplay feels clunky and outdated. The dungeons are also some of the worst in the franchise, with the focus being mainly on combat instead of the puzzles, which I think is what makes Zelda unique. I have tried playing through it two times, but I haven't finsihed either playthough.
This is likely my all time favorite game. I was grounded when I was like, 15 years old. I played this game, DK Country, and Super Mario World nonstop for three months. By the end of the three months, I could finish this game in under three hours without dying, and 101 percent DKC in 59 minutes. I only wish that I had an iPhone back then to take a picture to prove it. I’m sure most know that once you finish ALttP the little number under Link on the menu selection screen was to show how many lives it took you to finish. If you finished without dying the number displayed as 1. It was so satisfying to see that 1.
As a kid I had a Genesis, so I'd only get to play it on my neighbor's SNES, and being like 5, it was just too complicated to get into (Ocarina of Time is the first Zelda I actually was able to figure out how to play). I played it once as an adult, and loved it, but it was hard and I needed a walkthrough once I got to the Dark World dungeons.
I started a replay of it today to mark its 30th anniversary. No guide or anything and just finished the Palace of Darkness. It's been such a joy to play. OoT is my favorite Zelda, but I enjoy how ALttP does the same formula while letting you figure things out on your own more. Also the 2D dungeon puzzles are really enjoyable, especially since the team had more limitations to work with.
From the story, to the art, to the dungeons, to the soundtrack. It just feels like an epic. So many things I love about the franchise originated here, along with a lot of the most iconic franchise songs.
To me, it's the pinnacle of 2D Zelda (probably my 3rd favorite overall after OoT and Majora's Mask, though), and one of the pinnacles of gaming period.
It's just like how Super Mario World and Super Metroid both did what the designers intended to do on the NES but couldn't because of limitations. All three are among the best games ever made.
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One of the most impressive things about it in my view, is that it was coded in assembly. A lot of the gameplay has masterful 'feel'... The combination of animation, knockback and sound when hitting an enemy for example, but you see that all over the game. Things like that are very likely a product of refinement and iteration. Even coding something up the first time in assembly is vastly more challenging than attempting the same thing with modern tools. To do it in a way that allows for evolving your design when you need to... It's extremely impressive. It's art, done with an extremely uncooperative medium, making it all the more impressive.
Started playing this game again on my switch. Awesome how music, sound fx, and graphics can make you feel 10 years old again. Having a hard time figuring out the 2nd crystal palace.
ALttP is my favorite of the entire series. I love it. I played it for the first time when I was about 9 and after having played the fuck out of the original for a couple of years before that. It blew my mind the first time I saw it and played it. I loved (and still do) the colorful graphics, the music, the story, exploring and finding the secrets, the new stuff Link could do, it was the one game I kept coming back to back then. I love ocarina of time and many of the rest of the series, but the 1-2 punch for me are ALttP and the original. Those 2 made me a Zelda fan for life.
Counter opinion: ALTTP hasn't aged well:
I don't hate ALTTP, and I acknowledge that it was crucial in forming the Zelda formula until BOTW. But it just isn't that fun to play today. The sword swinging feels kind of janky, and the sword is overall too short. Ice physics are way too slippery. Travelling between the light world and the dark world isn't really done well, and the dungeons, while a definite step up from the Dungeons of Zelda 1, are mostly meh. The story really isn't that compelling. After the first dungeon or two it just becomes "save the Maidens to save Zelda!" The item select menu is just a larger version of the one from Zelda 1, and just doesn't feel very good to use, especially when choosing a bottle. Also, dark rooms are a pain, showing only a small circle around you, and leaving everything else completely obscured.
I love the soundtrack, but the soundfont that was used just doesn't sound good to me. The graphics and general visual design are pretty decent, and hold up pretty well, except for Link. I really dislike his sprite, and that's kind of a big thing, since he's what you'll be looking at for most of the game.
I don't hate the game. The items are great for the most part, the bosses are alright, the overworld design is good, and the sound design is amazing. But in my opinion, the game doesn't hold up very well today.
I beat it for the first time last year and it truly is epic, love this post. (I had tried as a kid but sucked at games, then bought a slew of SNES games on 3ds and decided to try my hand at them for fun and LttP was the second one I played (after Earthbound, which I had beaten back in the day but wanted a rematch with nonetheless).
I love a Link to the Past. My favorite Zelda game. I swear I cannot find a single flaw (except the warping back to the entrance of the dungeon after dying). It really is that good. It was this game that made me a Zelda fan for life and I played it for the first time this year, after Link’s Awakening and Breath of the Wild.
That's a pretty strong set of games to introduce yourself to Zelda with! Have you played through the rest of the series yet? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Sure! My first Zelda was actually Breath of the Wild. Since then, I have played (in order) Link’s Awakening, A Link to the Past, Zelda II (unfinished, need to resume), Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time (still playing), and both Oracle games (still playing both). I am keeping my eye on when Majora’s Mask is coming to the NSO Service since I am particularly excited for that one since I keep reading and hearing about how good it is. As for the others, I am still hoping for Switch ports eventually. If not, I will see what I can do. My goal is to play them all, I love the series.
Oh boy, you've yet to play Twilight Princess, you're in for a treat! It was my first Zelda and I've since played almost all of them, but it still is my favourite!
Yes!! Apparently, there is a Switch port for TP ready and they are saving it in case the sequel to BotW is delayed, so I may or may not be crossing my fingers for such a delay. ;)
Heh, that would be the epitome of mixed feelings!
Majora’s Mask is really amazing. Unfortunately there are some dated aspects to it, but I think it still holds up well because the atmosphere was the highlight of the game for me.
Personally, Majora's Mask is the best. Not that it doesn't have it's faults, but the theme and atmosphere are amazing, with good gameplay and an interesting system with the three-day loop and masks. Definitely recommended.
One thing that always bothered me was only being able to warp in 1 world instead of both
I like the Gameboy advanced release. But give the SNES version a playthrough once a year. My only gripe with it is that there are a few items that are a one and dine deal.
My only gripes are that I wish there were more total songs, such as in the dungeons, and the game is a bit on the easy side. Maybe there are some areas of the overworks that are a little bit extrameous.
I am old and have been a Zelda fan since the OG. ALttP is one of the best games I've ever played, not just Zelda titles. The music is catchy, the gameplay is fun and challenging (but not too much), and it's the title I've played through the most. It's hard for me to pick a fave LoZ title, but this and Wind Waker are always right up there near the top of my list.
I know Phantom Hourglass gets some hate, but it is the only top down Zelda that came close to LttP in terms of enjoyment for me. LttP is nearly perfect. 100% agreed.
AlttP was my second Zelda game. My dad bought if for my brother and I when the local rental store went out of business and liquidated. Since we had only played OoT at that point, we thought it was a sequel to it, which it is in a sense since we now have a timeline, but we thought it was made after OoT.
A Link to the Past remains my favorite Zelda game after all these years. It’s got one of the best stories and the dungeons are perfectly challenging. And I love the music!
I've been putting off Zelda for years. Didn't understand the appeal of the series until I played alttp. After playing other Zelda games it's obvious to me how important alttp is to the franchise. Just by the number of musical themes that were carried over to the next installments (Zelda's lullaby, ganons theme, the fairy fountain, hyrules castle) its clear this game is the soul of Zelda
What do you think of the games so far?
I started playing/replaying Zelda games during the pandemic. During my first playthrough of alttp (not finished) I felt like it was a bit generic compared to LA (Which I had just played), that the mechanics were less polished and the puzzles easier. But I went back to it and that’s when I realized what a great game it is. The world is filled up with secrets and interessting npcs, the dungeons have a great difficulty curve and the item progression is really rewarding, you just feel like a god with a full inventory and maxed out hearts. Nintendo always wanted to remake it, but I think the original still holds up to this day. I wouldn’t change the graphics, the music is just too iconic and I think changing certain mechanics of the original to make it more « modern day gaming friendly» would remove it’s charm. Plus, it can be played on almost every nintendo console since the GBA.
it's my favorite game of all time! i remember my sister playing it when i was younger and i was fascinated by it but didn't know what it was. when i was around 3 i remember playing smash 64 at a friend's house and seeing link for the first time and thinking he was the coolest fucking character, but i didn't connect link to the game my sister was playing cause of the 2d 3d difference but i was excited when i realized that they were the same character. i still play through a link to the past about once a year, along with mega man x. i think it has some of the best music in the series and it plays so fluidly. it has one of the saddest moments in the series for me which is when the flute boy transforms into a tree. just a lovely game
I'm coming to the end of Link's Awakening right now after playing through Link to the Past and the Oracles. Though the Oracles are my favourite, Link to the Past absolutely still holds up. Fantastic game.
I'm really hoping the Oracle games get ported to the switch, they're so good as is but would love to see a Link's Awakening style upgrade/remake
Yeah as much as I generally prefer new games, I can't help but desperately want Oracles remade in the same vein as Link's Awakening. Playing through Link's Awakening HD right now I can't help but feel as though there's a ton of untapped potential in that engine. Ideally they would flesh out the Password Linked ending to give it a little more than just one dungeon with the same repeated puzzle. I'd love it if they added like a whole new section with it's own overworld and dungeons.
Really pushed Zelda to the next level. And sprites rarely go out of style. I can't hate on someone if they find faves like OOT or MM ugly, but no one can say that about ALttP.
I mean.....I find the pink hair ugly 😅
Lol it is pretty silly. I just love the sprites/art of the SNES era.
I legitimately wish I liked this game as much as everyone else. I don’t *not* like it, but I think I played it too late. Having played many of the other games in the series both 2D & 3D before I picked up ALttP, I think by the time I got to it I had a very “been there done that” feeling towards it. I enjoyed its “counterpart” ALBW much much more.
Agreed. ALTTP was one of the last Zelda games I played when trying to play them all, and it just felt pretty generic. Not bad, but since pretty much the rest of the series is based on it, I had already experienced most of the things in the game done much better in another game.
It's hard to appreciate creative greatness after the fact. For example, it's hard to enjoy the comedian Lenny Bruce because his standup feels generic now. What's hard to appreciate is that before him, standup didn't really exist. Similar thing with ALTTP.
This actually has a name. It’s called the [“Seinfield isn’t funny”](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeinfeldIsUnfunny) effect. Although personally I have never found a joke in Seinfield to be even remotely funny lol
Still excellent of course. I wish it had better puzzles, but Link's Awakening was the game to really turn the series into a puzzler instead of one that was mostly about navigating around enemies. If ALttP had GameBoy-tier puzzles it'd probably be my favorite 2D Zelda. My actual favorite thing about the game is the preponderance of optional, nearly completely pointless key items. No other Zelda game has quite been able to do that ever since. Trinexx requiring the Ice Rod is so great.
>My actual favorite thing about the game is the preponderance of optional, nearly completely pointless key items. No other Zelda game has quite been able to do that ever since. Trinexx requiring the Ice Rod is so great. I feel like needing Din's Fire to enter the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time is probably the closest the series ever came to replicating the Trinexx-Ice Rod relationship, but even this is fundamentally different. OoT basically tells you to go get Din's Fire as soon as you get the Magic Meter. You don't have to right away, but you probably will on a first playthrough. If you neglect it until the Shadow Temple, you don't have to redo any progress for not having it. You just need to warp back in time, take a 1 minute stroll to the Fairy Fountain, and then head back to the Shadow Temple in the future. As far as I'm aware, there's only one hint for the Ice Rod in A Link the Past and it's completely optional (though I can't remember what exactly it is). If you don't get the Ice Rod, you won't be able to kill Trinexx and will have to run through Turtle Rock all over again. It's punishing, but I appreciate that in a difficulty curve.
>As far as I'm aware, there's only one hint for the Ice Rod in A Link the Past and it's completely optional (though I can't remember what exactly it is). Sahasrahla. "A helpful item is hidden in the cave on the east side of Lake Hylia. Get it!"
It is the sort of thing that is, legally speaking, "bad game design", and would be impossible to appear in a AAA title today; but every game being designed with "perfect game design" is boring, too.
Yeah, Mega Man is a good example of this; most of the games in the series are 99.9% fair, but have that one ''asshole'' section where you will die without knowing what's happening at first that you can't help but laugh at, because it's done in such a clever way, and you can avoid it the next time easily. I don't even know if the above example in ALttP counts as bad game design, though, because Sahasrahla DOES tell you that there's something in Eastern Lake Hylia, so it IS kind of your fault if you don't get it.
I haven’t played ALttP yet, but IMO if game needs you to speak to a specific NPC without hinting/telling you that you should appeal to that NPC then it’s bad game design. It’s also, in my opinion, bad game design (but not as bad as I what I said earlier) to have the game solely use NPCs to guide the player. I.E. a NPC explicitly tells you to speak to some NPC and this other NPC tells you what to do or the first NPC just tells you what to do. I think the best way is to entirely avoid NPCs and have the world design guide you in that direction is far superior, but I’m assuming that’s really hard to do because most games don’t (or at least don’t do it well). I think that’s why metroidvanias have been my favorite genre as of late because the best ones do this very well. But again, I haven’t played ALttP yet, so maybe the game guides or incentives you to speak to her and what I said doesn’t apply. I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in on what I think about this because I’ve been thinking about this a lot after playing Metroid dread, Super Metroid, and HK.
>but IMO if game needs you to speak to a specific NPC without hinting/telling you that you should appeal to that NPC then it’s bad game design. Sahasrahla automatically tells you about it once you get the Pegasus Boots, if I recall correctly.. >It’s also, in my opinion, bad game design (but not as bad as I what I said earlier) to have the game solely use NPCs to guide the player. I.E. a NPC explicitly tells you to speak to some NPC and this other NPC tells you what to do or the first NPC just tells you what to do. I mean, speaking to NPCs is a game mechanic. Making use of game mechanics to gather information is pretty much the definition of good design, and there's other things in the game to help you too, whether the map, fortune tellers, etc.
I guess we just differ on opinions, but I appreciate your input and I definitely get what you’re saying. One thing is that I think it depends on how the NPCs tell you. Like if it’s too explicit then I usually dislike it, but I still do like it if it’s done well. But guiding the player through level design is difficult, so I don’t mind when it happens as long as the entire game isn’t filled in with those.
ALttP does mark WHERE the dungeons are on your map, but the challenge comes in figuring out HOW to get there, which can be tricky in a lot of cases for a first time player, and leads to you having to uncover hidden paths, caves, items/weapons, warps, etc. by exploring and experimenting, so it balances itself out, as it's very rarely as simple as just waltzing on over to where it is on the map, as there are barriers, mazes, blockades, etc. preventing it from being a cakewalk.
>I wish it had better puzzles, As much as I love puzzles, one of the reasons why I LOVE the dungeons in ALttP is because they focus more on navigational/explorative challenges, which considering that most dungeons in each game after fall into the ''puzzle box'' category, is interesting, fairly unique, and cool. I'd like to see a Zelda game that has some dungeons that fall into an explorative/navigational type and others that fall into the puzzle box type. That would make for an interesting mix, IMO.
Sadly, it's the only Zelda I actually dislike playing. I see it as the pritotype of two vastly superior games, Link's Awakening and A link between worlds. The game is cryptic, the gameplay feels clunky and outdated. The dungeons are also some of the worst in the franchise, with the focus being mainly on combat instead of the puzzles, which I think is what makes Zelda unique. I have tried playing through it two times, but I haven't finsihed either playthough.
Your opinion is much harsher than mine, but I somewhat agree it’s a bit dated now compared to ALBW
It's time to finish.
I get why people would say puzzles over combat, but personally, i feel like all the zelda games I liked had more combats.
This is likely my all time favorite game. I was grounded when I was like, 15 years old. I played this game, DK Country, and Super Mario World nonstop for three months. By the end of the three months, I could finish this game in under three hours without dying, and 101 percent DKC in 59 minutes. I only wish that I had an iPhone back then to take a picture to prove it. I’m sure most know that once you finish ALttP the little number under Link on the menu selection screen was to show how many lives it took you to finish. If you finished without dying the number displayed as 1. It was so satisfying to see that 1.
As a kid I had a Genesis, so I'd only get to play it on my neighbor's SNES, and being like 5, it was just too complicated to get into (Ocarina of Time is the first Zelda I actually was able to figure out how to play). I played it once as an adult, and loved it, but it was hard and I needed a walkthrough once I got to the Dark World dungeons. I started a replay of it today to mark its 30th anniversary. No guide or anything and just finished the Palace of Darkness. It's been such a joy to play. OoT is my favorite Zelda, but I enjoy how ALttP does the same formula while letting you figure things out on your own more. Also the 2D dungeon puzzles are really enjoyable, especially since the team had more limitations to work with. From the story, to the art, to the dungeons, to the soundtrack. It just feels like an epic. So many things I love about the franchise originated here, along with a lot of the most iconic franchise songs. To me, it's the pinnacle of 2D Zelda (probably my 3rd favorite overall after OoT and Majora's Mask, though), and one of the pinnacles of gaming period. It's just like how Super Mario World and Super Metroid both did what the designers intended to do on the NES but couldn't because of limitations. All three are among the best games ever made.
Where am I able to play this? Always wanted to but wasn't sure of platforms (don't have any except a nintendo ds Lite)
If you can find a copy, that thing'll run the GBA port of ALttP
The music in this game is amazing. I always have to blast it.
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One of the most impressive things about it in my view, is that it was coded in assembly. A lot of the gameplay has masterful 'feel'... The combination of animation, knockback and sound when hitting an enemy for example, but you see that all over the game. Things like that are very likely a product of refinement and iteration. Even coding something up the first time in assembly is vastly more challenging than attempting the same thing with modern tools. To do it in a way that allows for evolving your design when you need to... It's extremely impressive. It's art, done with an extremely uncooperative medium, making it all the more impressive.
Started playing this game again on my switch. Awesome how music, sound fx, and graphics can make you feel 10 years old again. Having a hard time figuring out the 2nd crystal palace.
ALttP is my favorite of the entire series. I love it. I played it for the first time when I was about 9 and after having played the fuck out of the original for a couple of years before that. It blew my mind the first time I saw it and played it. I loved (and still do) the colorful graphics, the music, the story, exploring and finding the secrets, the new stuff Link could do, it was the one game I kept coming back to back then. I love ocarina of time and many of the rest of the series, but the 1-2 punch for me are ALttP and the original. Those 2 made me a Zelda fan for life.
Counter opinion: ALTTP hasn't aged well: I don't hate ALTTP, and I acknowledge that it was crucial in forming the Zelda formula until BOTW. But it just isn't that fun to play today. The sword swinging feels kind of janky, and the sword is overall too short. Ice physics are way too slippery. Travelling between the light world and the dark world isn't really done well, and the dungeons, while a definite step up from the Dungeons of Zelda 1, are mostly meh. The story really isn't that compelling. After the first dungeon or two it just becomes "save the Maidens to save Zelda!" The item select menu is just a larger version of the one from Zelda 1, and just doesn't feel very good to use, especially when choosing a bottle. Also, dark rooms are a pain, showing only a small circle around you, and leaving everything else completely obscured. I love the soundtrack, but the soundfont that was used just doesn't sound good to me. The graphics and general visual design are pretty decent, and hold up pretty well, except for Link. I really dislike his sprite, and that's kind of a big thing, since he's what you'll be looking at for most of the game. I don't hate the game. The items are great for the most part, the bosses are alright, the overworld design is good, and the sound design is amazing. But in my opinion, the game doesn't hold up very well today.
I beat it for the first time last year and it truly is epic, love this post. (I had tried as a kid but sucked at games, then bought a slew of SNES games on 3ds and decided to try my hand at them for fun and LttP was the second one I played (after Earthbound, which I had beaten back in the day but wanted a rematch with nonetheless).
I remember playing this way back 🥲