Masterpiece is probably the best word to describe this superb adventure.
THE GOOD
-Superior combat and gameplay
-Epic boss fights
-Solid controls
-Excellent audio
-Brilliant visuals
-Good story and puzzles
-Plenty of great weapons and accessories
THE BAD
-Recovery hearts are a little too plentiful
OVERVIEW
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is one of the best games to be released on the Super Nintendo. Once again you get to play as everyone's favorite hero, Link. It is a dark and stormy night and our young hero is sent a message telepathically by the one and only Princess Zelda. She tells Link that she is trapped in the dungeon beneath Hyrule Castle. As Link raises out of bed he witnesses his uncle running out the door armed with his sword and shield. As our hero follows he finds a secret passage into Hyrule Castle where he then sees his uncle laying on the ground, wounded. His uncle gives Link his gear and tells him that he has to rescue Zelda. Link then finds Zelda and two escape to the Hyrule sanctuary. Here, Link is informed that Agahnim is trying to break the seal that imprisons the foul wizard named Ganon. When Link exits the sanctuary he leaves his old life behind and his new life as a hero begins. Now Link has to race against time to stop Agahnim from releasing true evil upon the peaceful land of Hyrule.
A Link to the Past is the third installment to the hit series and takes the gameplay back to the original birds-eye view. The story is enjoyable and there are a bunch of likeable characters to meet along the way. With exciting gameplay, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past makes many other games for the Super Nintendo look insignificant in comparison.
GAMEPLAY
A Link to the Past is a superb game that goes back to the old, nostalgic format of the first game in the series; the top-down bird's eye view. This was a good move on the developer's part because there was a lot of controversy over the side-scrolling Zelda II sequel. Hyrule is still a vast place to explore with its dense forests, dry deserts and clear waters which will make your journey a very memorable one.
Whether you're traveling around the world map or crawling through dungeons this game offers a superb combat system. Enemies of all different shapes and sizes like castle knights, evil wizards and dragons are going to make Link's quest quite a challenge. Link not only has his trusty sword and shield but a whole slew of exciting weapons and accessories at his disposal like a boomerang, long bow, magical rods and bombs; this makes dispatching enemies extremely fun. Also, there are certain places in the game where you can upgrade your weapons. At the end of each dungeon Link faces a challenging boss battle. Here, you're fighting skills will be put to the test and may require you to use different strategies and items. Fortunately, once you triumph over these tough foes you'll not only have a good feeling inside by knowing that you've rid Hyrule of one less bad guy but you'll also be rewarded with a full heart piece. Speaking of heart pieces, there is one slight drawback in this game and that involves the abundance of recovery hearts. It almost makes the game a little too easy. But aside from that this game is almost flawless.
Part of the reason why the gameplay far surpasses many other adventure games on the market is due to the tight controls. Just like in Zelda 1, this game lets you swing your sword and pre-set a secondary item to use at your disposal. Navigating your menu and map is quick and easy plus, this game lets you maneuver Link around with a high level of precision. There are some new abilities available in this game like the sword spin and speed dashing.
Puzzle solving has been a defining element in this series since it first started back in 1987. In A Link to the Past you not only have to be skilled swordsmen but you have to also be quick-witted. There are many puzzles to solve throughout this game that have a difficulty range between easy and medium.
Aside from the main quest, you'll have the chance to participate in some mini-games and side quests. One of the chief side quests, in this game, is to find all the heart pieces scattered around Hyrule. Some of them are in easy to reach places whereas others require some thinking and useful items. Collecting four heart pieces will increase your life meter by one so this is very advantageous. Some of the fun mini-games include a race, a digging game and a guessing game.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The crystal clear graphics are very impressive; Hyrule never looked better. The level design for each dungeon creates an intense experience filled with traps, puzzles and other enemies. The vivid color scheme works well and makes Hyrule a beautiful place to explore.
The soundtrack for this game is awesome. Not only is there a newly re-vamped main theme but there are plenty of other exciting songs to listen to while you're enjoying your adventure. Other parts of the audio, like the sound effects, are also incredible and really enhance the game play.
CONCLUSION
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is an adventure game like no other. There are many nostalgic aspects for loyal fans plus a bunch of new features to bring in newcomers. This adventure game has a multitude of exciting features with very few setbacks which is why I would recommend this game to just about anyone. This Legend of Zelda game is one adventure that you won't want to miss.