The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

A Link Between Worlds manages to combine the grand feeling of exploration from the older Zelda titles with some welcome innovations that allow the game to feel fresh and exciting throughout. After beating this game, finding all the Maimais, getting all the weapon upgrades, and almost all the heart pieces I can easily say that ALBW is my favorite handheld Zelda and one of my favorite titles in the series.Music:The music in this Zelda entry is very impressive. The tracks are beautiful and diverse they really help to give the different locations and dungeons a distinct feel. The new versions of old Zelda tracks and the new tracks are all great and they really add atmosphere to the game.Graphics:The graphics really look great on the 3DS and I like the art style Nintendo choose for the game. It is pretty awesome to see A Link to the Past's Hyrule redone with modern graphics. That said I'm used to playing older video games so any graphics that have a good artistic style and are not bland look good to me.Controls:The controls in this game are very smooth and precise. They allow for precision that has been absent in many of the more recent Zelda titles.(The DS Zeldas, Skyward Sword)Story:Nintendo took a more minimalist approach to the story of A Link Between World, akin to the stories of the older Zeldas. There is not a long prologue nor long cutscenes throughout the game and the overall story is fairly straight forward. Many of the characters in the game are not even named, and there is little character development in general. That said the more central characters to the story have intriguing motivations and conflicts that really drew me into the story. One thing that I liked about the story is that it lacked the cheesiness that some recent Zeldas stories have had. I still prefer the stories of Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask and Wind Waker but I thought the story fit the game well while motivating the player to reach the end. I also really liked the ending and how they tied everything together. To sum myself up I thought the game was not story heavy, but the story that was told was very good.Gameplay:DungeonsThe dungeons in A Link Between Worlds have some really inventive puzzles and are a lot of fun. The various dungeons are all unique and well-designed. The variety in puzzles and structure keep the dungeons interesting and never repetitive. While I did not really get stuck playing this game the puzzles posed enough of a challenge to be rewarding to solve. The only downside to the dungeons is that they are all fairly short. To be fair, this shorter length is probably better for a portable game and it also helped to keep the game feeling more fast-paced and concise.BossesThe bosses are fun and the strategies needed to defeat them vary immensely. While most of the bosses are basically new, there are a couple bosses from A Link to the Past, but the strategies needed to defeat them have changed slightly. The bosses in this game are substantially easier then bosses in earlier Zelda titles like A Link to The Past and LInk's Awakening and they really do not pose much of a challenge. When I played older titles like A Link to The Past and LInk's Awakening, I had to fight some bosses multiple times before I could defeat them. In contrast, I beat almost all the bosses in this game in one try.(Even though I did have to use fairies at some points) Overall the bosses were fairly easy but still a lot of fun.ExplorationI think one of this game's greatest aspects is the sense of exploration and adventure. The game really encourages you to scour the entire game world in search of the dungeons and collectables. The ability to rent and buy the game's items allows the player to tackle Lorule's dungeons in whatever order they please. This makes exploration a central part of the game and as you transverse Hyrule and Lorule you are constantly finding new things such as dungeon entrances, collectables, mini-dungeons, etc. This variety of things to find and do makes this over world far more entertaining and vibrant then many of the over worlds of the 3-D Zeldas. I felt like I was discovering news things over the entire course of the adventure. As I played through this game I felt as though I stumbling upon dungeons while exploring the world, rather then simply seeking them out.Overall:I really liked A Link Between Worlds and I thought it did a good job of capturing the spirit of the classic Zeldas while incorporating some new innovative concepts such as Ravio's shop and the item meter. I would also like to add that the Merge ability is pretty cool and helped to bring a new dimension to the game, without becoming a gimmick. This game was really fun the entire play through and I do not think I ever came across a dull moment. The Legend of Zelda is my favorite video game series and I think A Link Between Worlds deserves a spot among the best games of the series.Pros:-Grand Sense of Exploration-Great Music-Great Dungeon and Boss Design-Vibrant and Interesting Over worlds-Good Story-Interesting Characters-Cool Merge ability-Cool Upgrades-Lots of Collectables and Mini-gamesCons:-Fairly easy (In Zelda terms, I need to play hero mode next to see the differences)

A Link Between Worlds is a solid entry in the Zelda franchise, and a welcome return to the top-down roots of the series. Nintendo has done an excellent job translating the world of Link to the Past into 3D, and this new title offers plenty of welcome changes to the aging Zelda formula for a fresh new experience.I originally wasn't excited about the star feature - the ability to merge into walls - but Nintendo nailed it, and puzzles that make excellent use of this new mechanic are found throughout the game. While progression in Zelda games has traditionally been a bit rigid, Nintendo has really opened things up in A Link Between Worlds. After completing the first few dungeons, players can play the remaining dungeons in any order.Most of the classic items - bow, hookshot, fire rod, boomerang, etc - are not unlocked by beating dungeons, but rented or purchased (with rupees, no IAP!) from an eccentric shop-owner (who looks more than a little like a purple Rabbid...). The shop opens up very early in the game, also giving players a lot more freedom than they've had in previous Zelda games. I welcome this new mechanic - hasn't Link found the hookshot in a dungeon enough times by now? This also eliminates the rather silly aspect of previous games that bosses were inevitably hiding in the same dungeon as the one item necessary to defeat them. However, the new approach does make the bosses themselves a bit less memorable - several of them can be defeated with just the sword.The overworld is packed with tons of content to keep players engaged outside of the central story. Puzzles and treasure are densely scattered everywhere. Link can collect little sea urchins to upgrade his weapons, and with 100 of them hidden around the world, you'll be challenged to find them all! There are also a large number of rupee-winning minigames, each of which awards the player with a piece of heart when he or she scores well enough.A Link Between Worlds places a much greater emphasis on rupees than previous titles in the series. You can carry (at least) 9,999 rupees from the start, and you'll certainly be needing them. In addition to the usual, you've got weapons to rent or buy, potions to purchase, fortune tellers to pay, and of course the entry fees on the many games. Rupees are plentiful and you'll never run low, but you'll also need plenty of time to earn enough to purchase *everything*! Finally, a Zelda game where money doesn't become meaningless after the first act.It doesn't quite have as much heart as Link's Awakening, and a few of the bosses and dungeons are less than memorable, but overall A Link Between Worlds is a fantastic and much-needed title in this long-running series. A must-have for any fan of classic Zelda.Now, let's hope they make a 3D remake of Link's Awakening... HINT HINT