The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Written by Tim McGrew  on January 10, 2003

Review: Link gets a remake and just like everything else Link related, it's worth the price of admission and then some.

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The review continues below The story revolves around seven sages who locked up evil forever with some type of powerful spell. Unfortunately, these same sages are beginning to disappear thanks to an evil wizard moving through the land and his next target is the illustrious Princess Zelda, who happens to be the 7th sage. As a young Elvan boy named Link, it is your job to save her from certain doom and defeat evil forever across two worlds and twelve dungeons. The story for the game is actually rather light and doesn't really compel the player to advance in the game, but the elements of the game play and all of the secrets and puzzles are what entices players to continue. Just a sliver of information is all you get in regards to advancing to the next area and after that it's up to you to explore and use the land and their abilities to their advantage to further advance in the world. The game does a good job of limiting where you can go based on your abilities and what you can acquire. Certain items may be just out of reach, but with a little bit of exploration and perhaps even a new item, that particular artifact can be easily liberated.

Basically, the game is a direct port of the original game of the same name released on the SNES years ago. It is complete with all of the master sword attacks, creative yet frustrating puzzles and long and complicated dungeons. Players gain access to new areas of the world upon the completion of each dungeon and progressing through the game is just as fun as collecting crazy and inventive items such as a butterfly net, jars for storing ferries, and even the unique hookshot which hurls Link across a number of different obstacles.

Generally speaking, the port of the game is spot on with the old SNES game and has survived the test of time quite well. The graphics are very colorful and animates very smoothly, albeit the game looks quite simple in nature. Regardless, there are a number of enemies on screen at any given time flying or digging into the sand or rushing at you through fields as you race from area to area trying to acquire the different items necessary to complete your task. With the game spanning 20-30 hours in length, players looking for a lengthy adventure title complete with an excellent sense of exploration and a massive world need look no further.

The sound has also made a nice leap onto the GBA and the cartridge actually makes great use of headphones in terms of its simulated stereo sound. The big booming music from the SNES game is fully present here and is faithfully recreated for your listening pleasure. In addition to that, a few new sounds have been added in including all the yells and screams that Link had in the N64 game, The Ocarina of Time. Whether that's a good thing or bad thing varies from person to person, but it's rarely a nuisance to the overall sound package and actually meshes quite well with the finished game.

One of the highlights of this package, and first to any Zelda game ever released, is a multiplayer addition that is sure to please each and every Zelda fan out there known as The Four Swords. Legend has it that an enchanted mystical sword, known as The Four Sword, would grant its holder the power to split into four individuals wielding the swords power. The story element is fairly basic, but that is hardly the draw of The Four Swords.

The great thing about his is that up to four players can participate in a multiplayer dungeon adventure spanning four separate dungeons while competing and cooperating with each other from dungeon to dungeon. The elements of cooperation are the most interesting since they offer the most challenge to the players. Certain enemies can only be destroyed when you all help each other by concentrating on the task at hand. For example, one particular enemy can't be destroyed by swords, but if you both surround the enemy and grab it by the ears, you can pull it apart and attack its innards, which is a really cool section of one of the earlier dungeons. Plus, players can spark torches by clashing their swords together or pick one another up and hurl them across large gaps that would otherwise be impossible to traverse.

The designers of the dungeons limited the players to what they can use by allowing only one special item to be carried at a time. For example, a player can carry a magnet, but never a magnet with a shield. This game play element really makes players consider which item would be best for each situation and creative players would benefit greatly from having two different items in each others inventory that can be easily utilized. Still, the game offers lots of item switch off points so there will never be a point where your team is stuck.

Another great addition to this mode is the fact that each dungeon is randomly generated. Although each one shares the same traits, a fire dungeon for a volcano and an ice dungeon for a glacier world for example, each randomly generated area makes great use of the land's features and each dungeon has plenty of puzzles that are altered depending on how many players are participating. For example, a large boulder can't be moved by two people if three are playing; you all have to work together in order to even make it budge and this sense of team work is absolutely excellent in each instance.

Even with so much emphasis on cooperation in the game, there is still plenty of competition as well since each player is trying to gather the most rupees. At the end of each dungeon, medals are distributed before the game automatically saves the progress permanently on their save file and it keeps track of how many medals that have been acquired by each. It's not necessarily vital to collect the most number of rupees, but it is a fun way to make an otherwise fully cooperative game competitive enough to warrant aggressive play.

The graphics and sound of The Four Swords is on par with a Link to the Past and the four Links feature different colored tunics to differentiate one another, but all four Links look to be derived from the upcoming Gamecube game, The Wind Waker, which will be released late March of this year. Speaking of the Gamecube game, A Link to the Past connects to it with a feature or two that has yet to be fully explored so picking this game up may just be all that much more necessary to those who will be investing in the Gamecube title.
--> If you're reading this, chances are you've heard of Link and Zelda and all of their interesting adventures through Hyrule, Termania, and a number of different locales unique to their vast and foreboding world. Now, arguably the greatest Zelda game in the series is gracing our favorite 32-bit handheld and is aptly titled The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

The review continues below

The story revolves around seven sages who locked up evil forever with some type of powerful spell. Unfortunately, these same sages are beginning to disappear thanks to an evil wizard moving through the land and his next target is the illustrious Princess Zelda, who happens to be the 7th sage. As a young Elvan boy named Link, it is your job to save her from certain doom and defeat evil forever across two worlds and twelve dungeons. The story for the game is actually rather light and doesn't really compel the player to advance in the game, but the elements of the game play and all of the secrets and puzzles are what entices players to continue. Just a sliver of information is all you get in regards to advancing to the next area and after that it's up to you to explore and use the land and their abilities to their advantage to further advance in the world. The game does a good job of limiting where you can go based on your abilities and what you can acquire. Certain items may be just out of reach, but with a little bit of exploration and perhaps even a new item, that particular artifact can be easily liberated.

Basically, the game is a direct port of the original game of the same name released on the SNES years ago. It is complete with all of the master sword attacks, creative yet frustrating puzzles and long and complicated dungeons. Players gain access to new areas of the world upon the completion of each dungeon and progressing through the game is just as fun as collecting crazy and inventive items such as a butterfly net, jars for storing ferries, and even the unique hookshot which hurls Link across a number of different obstacles.

Generally speaking, the port of the game is spot on with the old SNES game and has survived the test of time quite well. The graphics are very colorful and animates very smoothly, albeit the game looks quite simple in nature. Regardless, there are a number of enemies on screen at any given time flying or digging into the sand or rushing at you through fields as you race from area to area trying to acquire the different items necessary to complete your task. With the game spanning 20-30 hours in length, players looking for a lengthy adventure title complete with an excellent sense of exploration and a massive world need look no further.

The sound has also made a nice leap onto the GBA and the cartridge actually makes great use of headphones in terms of its simulated stereo sound. The big booming music from the SNES game is fully present here and is faithfully recreated for your listening pleasure. In addition to that, a few new sounds have been added in including all the yells and screams that Link had in the N64 game, The Ocarina of Time. Whether that's a good thing or bad thing varies from person to person, but it's rarely a nuisance to the overall sound package and actually meshes quite well with the finished game.

One of the highlights of this package, and first to any Zelda game ever released, is a multiplayer addition that is sure to please each and every Zelda fan out there known as The Four Swords. Legend has it that an enchanted mystical sword, known as The Four Sword, would grant its holder the power to split into four individuals wielding the swords power. The story element is fairly basic, but that is hardly the draw of The Four Swords.

The great thing about his is that up to four players can participate in a multiplayer dungeon adventure spanning four separate dungeons while competing and cooperating with each other from dungeon to dungeon. The elements of cooperation are the most interesting since they offer the most challenge to the players. Certain enemies can only be destroyed when you all help each other by concentrating on the task at hand. For example, one particular enemy can't be destroyed by swords, but if you both surround the enemy and grab it by the ears, you can pull it apart and attack its innards, which is a really cool section of one of the earlier dungeons. Plus, players can spark torches by clashing their swords together or pick one another up and hurl them across large gaps that would otherwise be impossible to traverse.

The designers of the dungeons limited the players to what they can use by allowing only one special item to be carried at a time. For example, a player can carry a magnet, but never a magnet with a shield. This game play element really makes players consider which item would be best for each situation and creative players would benefit greatly from having two different items in each others inventory that can be easily utilized. Still, the game offers lots of item switch off points so there will never be a point where your team is stuck.

Another great addition to this mode is the fact that each dungeon is randomly generated. Although each one shares the same traits, a fire dungeon for a volcano and an ice dungeon for a glacier world for example, each randomly generated area makes great use of the land's features and each dungeon has plenty of puzzles that are altered depending on how many players are participating. For example, a large boulder can't be moved by two people if three are playing; you all have to work together in order to even make it budge and this sense of team work is absolutely excellent in each instance.

Even with so much emphasis on cooperation in the game, there is still plenty of competition as well since each player is trying to gather the most rupees. At the end of each dungeon, medals are distributed before the game automatically saves the progress permanently on their save file and it keeps track of how many medals that have been acquired by each. It's not necessarily vital to collect the most number of rupees, but it is a fun way to make an otherwise fully cooperative game competitive enough to warrant aggressive play.

The graphics and sound of The Four Swords is on par with a Link to the Past and the four Links feature different colored tunics to differentiate one another, but all four Links look to be derived from the upcoming Gamecube game, The Wind Waker, which will be released late March of this year. Speaking of the Gamecube game, A Link to the Past connects to it with a feature or two that has yet to be fully explored so picking this game up may just be all that much more necessary to those who will be investing in the Gamecube title.