Every time a new Legend of Zelda game comes out, it once again raises the bar for what fans have come to expect. It’s a series that has very rarely delivered anything below a fantastic experience. But for all series, a time comes when it must change. A link between worlds has done just that. The latest entry has similarities to a link to the past, but it’s full of innovation and surprise.
The one thing that disappoints here is the story, which is bland, boring and very functional. After Skyward Sword’s fantastic plot and characters, I can’t understand why the story here is as thin as toilet paper.
Fortunately, everything else is near-perfect. The graphic style is immaculate, making ALBW the best-looking 3DS game of 2013. All areas of Hyrule and Lorule are gorgeously presented. I strongly advise to play with 3D on as the visuals are not so much enhanced as completely different with it on. Yes, this is a 2D Zelda, but 3D really does make a huge difference. The music is of equal quality, with a mixture of remixes of previous tunes and new ones. All the music and sound effects here are to a very high standard.
But ALBW’s greatest triumph is how it ditches the usual Zelda structure. There are still dungeons full of puzzles and combat, but instead of going to the dungeon, getting its item, using the item then defeating the dungeon boss, now all the items are available from the start in a shop. This means that you can get any item you want, if you have the rupees, right from the get-go. It also means that in the second half of the game you can tackle dungeons in any order you want. This is a brilliant idea for a number of reasons, for example it gives more reason to collecting rupees so you will never be disappointed if you find them in a chest: over my playthrough; I used over 10,000 altogether. However there is one flaw- the dungeons you choose to do later are as a result considerably easier and though all are well-designed, with challenging puzzles and enemies, you will find the later ones easier. A hard mode unlockable after completeing the game normally does add challenge as enemies do 4 times (!) the damage.
Dungeons do have one inconsistency, and that’s the boss battles. Zelda is known for its outstanding bosses, but ALBW’s bosses are mostly easy and unmemorable, save a few.
But largely, ALBW throws away what had gworn stale in the franchise, but it brings back something that was missing in the last few titles: the exploration. Hyrule is full of secrets, and the more you explore, the more you uncover. Finding pieces of heart and other items requires clever thinking and as well as that a lot of exploration of Hyrule and its dark opposite, Lorule. The more you explore, the more you find and as a result, the exploration of the kingdom is unpredictable and it always feels as if you are finding something new, something unprecedented. There are not so many side quests at all, which is very different, but there don’t need to be: the kingdom of Hyrule has it all.
One addition to the game which deserves a mention is the ability to become a painting and then move left and right in the wall. It doesn’t sound like it adds much, but for me this was what really settled ALBW as an excellent game. It adds a new dimension to the puzzles and it makes exploring Hyrule even more fun.
A Link between Worlds is a Zelda that does so much to the series. It completely reinvents the franchise and it never stops giving. At round about 20 hours from start to finish, it certainly isn’t the longest Zelda, but the amount of countryside there is to explore adds on so much more to that length of time. Finding every single secret will take much longer.