Still one of my favorite Zelda games. A lot of it is a remake of A Link to the Past, but it basically just takes everything from that game and makes it significantly better. Dungeons are great with a lot of unique mechanics that make them far more than just remixes of ALttP's dungeons. Bosses are pretty similar to ALttP's, but still much improved upon. I also love the wall merging mechanic and how it allows for tons of creative puzzles throughout the game.

I can kind of understand the complaints about progression with the item renting system, as you can buy all of them super early into the game which can kind of ruin the mystique of what you'll find in each dungeon. However, it never really bothered me. I feel like the Maiamai hunting to upgrade your arsenal helps make the progression more interesting. Rupees being your main reward doesn't really matter since this is one of the few Zelda games where you don't have those dumb wallet upgrades and where rupees are actually really useful.

I've also always really loved the story of this game. There's not that much, but for what little there is, it's surprisingly interesting. The ending especially is fantastic and super satisfying.

The worst thing about this game is finding out that the guy who directed it is now working on the 1-2-Switch games, which might be the biggest demotion in video game history.

Feliz Halloween + Feliz eleição (vai PT vai Neymar)
Provavelmente o jogo mais dinâmico da série ao lado de BOTW (que acho um jogo medíocre #faleitoleve).

O fato do jogo ser estruturalmente mais aberto por conta da aquisição de itens diferir do padrão Zelda faz com que o pacing seja mais atrelado a forma que o jogador decide tomar ação e jogar do que a estrutura geral.
Por conta disso, os templos se baseiam mais em puzzles focados nas mecânicas das quais o jogador nunca perde o controle do que no "item do momento". De início essa "liberdade estrutural" pode parecer negativa, mas após zera-lo...considero este o Zelda 2D com o maior fator replay puramente por poder ter uma experiência diferente toda vez com o jogo, algo que a série só atingiu duas vezes em mais de trinta anos de história.

Outro ponto positivo de extrema importância é em como ALBW mal possui "environment enemies". Até títulos que eu gosto, como Link´s Awekening e Minish Cap possuem espinhos que se movem na direção do jogador e os jogam pra fora do mapa, inimigos que causam um knock-back injusto, etc...Alguns templos destes jogos se baseiam puramente em ter estes inimigos em cada canto, e acabam por se tornarem os momentos mais fracos dos títulos.

O único ponto negativo que devo citar é que este jogo é MUITO FÁCIL. Morri apenas duas vezes, uma em Ice Ruins (o único templo que pode ser considerado levemente complexo) e outra no chefe final...por estar com muito sono e não ter reflexo minimamente bom para refletir os ataques.

Joguinho bom. Pode jogar sem medo #FazOL

A Link to The Past is easily my favorite 2D Zelda game and I have beaten it so many times that I know that world like the back of my hand. A Link Between Worlds gets it right by honoring its predecessor while making creative changes along the way that made this 15-hour adventure one of my favorites in the franchise.

As a standalone game, there is a lot to love here as the traditional Zelda structure is in full effect. Every Zelda game has a gimmick that defines that adventure and A Link Between Worlds is no different. This time around you will have the ability to turn yourself into a painted version of Link that allows you to traverse walls, a nice additional layer to solving puzzles and start your adventure by renting (and eventually purchasing) every key weapon that would normally be unlocked in dungeons. This gives you an “open world” feel as you can essentially tackle the dungeons in any order you choose which is a nice little shake up to the Zelda formula.

For those like me that feed off of nostalgia, A Link Between Worlds made me goofy ass smile as I traveled through a world I knew very well but was just different enough for me to feel excited in discovering every last secret it had to offer. You revisit many of the same dungeons that are present in a Link to The Past but they are drastically different making for some of the most clever and fun dungeons to date. The music of A Link to The Past is my favorite in the franchise and hearing both faithful and remixed versions of these melodies play was literal music to my ears.

If you do your fair share of exploring as I did, you will easily amass a small fortune of rupees, especially as there is no need for wallet upgrades and no early level caps, that will allow you to rent/purchase most items as well as upgrade them. Having all these tools at your disposal also makes finding heart pieces less time consuming which means you can have an overpowered Link within your first few hours in the game. This would be my only critique is that these mechanics made this by far the easiest Zelda game I have played. I died once and that was to a boss that I went up against at 1 am and fell asleep while playing …. So that’s on me.

I enjoyed the story this time around and especially my time in Lorule, the emo version of Hyrule. Looking at this 2D world in 3D was incredible. The depth of field you get with this feature is amazing and makes the 2D world feel so much larger. One of the highlights for me was jumping down platforms deep within Death Mountain or standing outside of Hyrule Castle and getting the feel of how high up you were.

I know everyone is uncontrollably hyped for BOTW 2 but I realized once again, just how much I love 2D Zelda and I hope we get another entry soon. In the meantime, this is an entry that is 100% worth your time.

TIP: To further your OP build, make the fire rod your first purchase when the option becomes available and your first upgrade. It packs a punch and destroys everything in its path.

Beat: 04/15/2022
Time: 15 Hours

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a very good game. It's been literal years since i've played this game and i wanted to take this time to revisit it again now that i'm an adult who is actually good at video games. A Link Between Worlds is a simple yet very effective game, like everything just clicks. The wall merge mechanic is one of the greatest mechanics ever because it completely changes how you approach exploration and dungeon completion. Walls are no longer obstacles, they are tools. What also changes how you approach exploration is the rental system, allowing you to get most of the items at once and allowing you to complete the dungeons in almost any order. As such, the dungeons are designed with you already having the item in mind, which probably does explain how short they are (idk if this is a 2D Zelda thing or if the dungeons in this game are that short cause like, you can do Turtle Rock in like two seconds) but it's fine because this was neat if simple puzzle solving. And some of the boss battles went kinda hard too (but not in the challenging way) And because the game wants you to rent, and later buy, items, the economy in this game just kinda throws rupees at you. Interestingly enough tho, while you do get a lot of rupees, the purchase price of the items actually is balanced somewhat. I do think you'll have to grind a bit if you wanted to buy all the items, what with them costing 800 a piece unless it's an elemental rod in which case it's 1200.

I don't have too much negative things to say about this game. It's a very good game with great mechanics and a neat spin on the traditional Zelda plot of good vs bad (i feel like there isn't much to say about Zelda plots that aren't Majora's Mask and maybe Breath of the Wild but i'll reserve judgement on that front until i refamiliarize myself with this series).

A Link Between Worlds is an absolute blast.

Even though it uses the same basic map (with a few changes) as A Link to the Past, this is a completely different experience. This is probably the most "smooth" feeling 2D Zelda. The movement and combat just feels so pleasant to control. On top of that, the new mechanic that allows you to "merge" into walls is awesome, and a ton of fun to use for solving puzzles.

One the common complaints I see about this game is that it is too easy. And while yes, the game is pretty easy, it's still so much fun. They jam packed so many collectables into such a small world, and most of those collectables are actually very useful for powering up Link.

A Link Between Worlds has a non-linear dungeon progression, and because of that, instead of finding key items in dungeons, you rent and/or buy them from a character named Ravio. This allows the game to feel more open. The item rental system isn't my absolute favorite, but I appreciate the developers for trying something new and experimenting with the traditional dungeon and item progression. Plus, Ravio is an awesome character.

Speaking of the dungeons, they're a lot of fun. While none of them are super difficult (which is a consequence of non-linearity), they're excellently themed, and are an absolute pleasure to blast through.

In conclusion, A Link Between Worlds is my favorite 2D Zelda game, and I really hope Nintendo comes out with a new original 2D Zelda in the near future. It's been TEN YEARS now.

Taking a game I already loved and remaking it with new content and improved quality of life is a recipe for a perfect game, that being A Link Between Worlds. I love A Link to the Past, but I had a few issues with it that stopped it from being a perfect score, such as how obscure some things can be, such as needing the Fire AND Ice Rods for the Turtle Rock boss. How do they fix this? Well, the items you need for each dungeon are shown in front of the entrance, so you just need to bring that item and you can do the dungeon. Okay, so I just need to figure out which dungeon each required item comes from so I know what order to do them in. Nope! Instead, all the items you need can be rented or bought from Ravio's shop, meaning you can fast travel there, rent or buy the item, and go back to the dungeon. The only instance of a dungeon being required to access another is Thieves' Town before Desert Palace as the latter requires the Sand Rod, which the Sage you save from the former has. Other than that, the dungeon order is completely free in Lorule, which not only adds to replayability, but allows for more freedom than A Link to the Past did. The renting system is also just a great idea in itself, and you get tons of Rupees per dungeon so you'll be able to buy quite a few items and rent the rest as you go. The dungeons themselves are also just really interesting and fun to play, I love small things that they changed like Turtle Rock having the shape of an actual turtle instead of a different layout. I also think the Merge gimmick is one of the best gimmicks I've seen in gaming because of how unique and creative it is and what it allows this game to do. The game makes a great usage of it's camera to hide certain areas but has a map that allows you to find said areas. Even annoying gimmicks like the Dark Palace needing you to switch the Lantern on and off still makes for pretty good content and fun puzzles that keep me invested and I think there was only one or two dungeons that I wouldn't put in A or S tier because of how high the bar is for good dungeons and puzzles in this game. There's also a bit of story which isn't anything super crazy but it's a lot more fleshed out and sort of acts as a bit of a continuation from A Link to the Past which was really neat, but while it's still a pretty basic story, it adds quite a few elements that make it actually pretty engaging rather than just a regular quest. I'm not trying to say A Link to the Past has a bad story because for it's time it was pretty good, but this game gives the story a lot more meat on its bones that make it more interesting and better. The characters are pretty great here too, I love that the Seven Sages are all characters you meet on your journey rather than rescuing seven random girls we've never seen before that are important. Ravio, Hilda, and Yuga especially are the highlights (as they should be) and it's pretty easy to like them. Also, the final boss of this game is really epic and the final shot of the Bow of Light was really cool. Overall, I would say this game is worth checking out for both fans of A Link to the Past (and Zelda itself), and the general public as this game has quite a lot of quality of life changes from its predecessor while giving a great challenge to its players as well.

There's something so delightful about this game after playing Tears of the Kingdom. The new open world Zelda games are completely overstuffed in a world that's incredibly vast. In contrast, A Link Between Worlds takes about 2 minutes to get from one side of one of it's maps to the other. It's a compact, cozy open world that respects your time and isn't littered with repetition. You get the joys of doing things in your own order and striking out on your own path to do whatever objective strikes your fancy, while still having well-crafted linear dungeons as well as an engaging story. See, Nintendo? You can do an open world and still have a game that satisfies someone wanting a traditional Zelda, the blueprint was here all along!

A safe return to form with a real off the wall gimmick.

After the frustrations of 2011’s Skyward Sword on the Wii, you could not hear a discussion on Zelda games without the words “linear” or “hand-holdy” popping up. It would seem that being unable to explore the world of a Zelda game at your own pace is something that can really hurt the experience. The children yearned for adventure.

So two years later, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds dropped and gave the children what they wanted. It also gave the geezers like me what they wanted too. Everyone was happy.

A sequel to 1991’s A Link to the Past, A Link Between Worlds takes you back to the Hyrule of old with a few new changes. The music and visuals are fresh but don't stray too far from the source material. The soundtrack ironically is one of the more interesting choices, rather than using unique instrumentation, A Link Between Worlds feels more rustic European than anything that's come before. The flutes and strings in the minigame theme especially sound like something straight out of Bilbo Baggin's 111th birthday vibes. Link looks phenomenal in this game. His hair isn't pink though lmao, so as much as we can say it's a nostalgia driven game, they weren't brave enough to be that adherent to the past. But enough about the sights and sounds, let's get to the real meat of the game, what sets it apart from its peers.

A Link Between Worlds allows you to take on whichever dungeon you want, by making the items you usually get in those dungeons available from the start, but only through renting them. If you die, you lose it, and if you have enough money, you can permanently own it. The Item Rental System makes dangerous enemies more threatening and collecting rupees more important than ever. It’s pretty cool.

A flaw in the Item Rental System is the threat of dangerous enemies and the value of rupees disappears once you gather enough cash to permanently own the items. The game is quite generous with rupees and ways to get more rupees, so you’ll be owning those items a few hours in. A few more hours in you’ll have upgraded your items and cleared all the mini games so enemies will be a joke, and the rupees they drop won’t matter.

I’ll tell you something though, the enemies are pretty easy even without permanently owning the items. I recently did a Green Tunic Only, Rented Items Only playthrough and only died once the entire time in the late game challenge tower. The main game couldn’t touch me. But I guess that’s what hero mode is for.

Ah but the item rental isn’t the only gimmick in the game, is it? The Wall Merging mechanic is what was advertised the most before A Link Between Worlds was released. It’s a cute little thing that flattens you up against the wall, but what shouldn’t be ignored is how much it changes the way dungeons are approached from both the developer and player points of view. Instead of just being a string of rooms with puzzles, the very structure of the dungeon can be included with the puzzle. Structures you normally wouldn’t see the back side of can now hide secrets if you wall-crawl around them. You have to pay attention to every wall. I only wish they pushed this further, it’s a really neat gimmick.

The wall merging is also the means to go to the dark world, hilariously named Lorule. A Link Between Worlds treats Lorule less like a cursed evil world and more like a parallel Hyrule that fell on hard times. Instead of the unsettling creature-like npcs from A Link to the Past, Lorule’s inhabitants are (most of the time) color-swapped reflections of Hyrule’s npcs. These reflections can inform things about each other, and make both worlds feel a little richer. Yet another reason why the purple haired anti-Zelda, Princess Hilda, is one of my favorite Zelda characters ever.

I’ve beaten The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds three times and 100%-ed it two of those times. Each time was a blast and I’m probably going to play it many more times. It looks and sounds and plays great, it’s a treat all around. I love it. You should play it.

"I knew it was a 2D Zelda, but this is getting ridiculous!"
*audience claps their thighs in unison, roaring laughter*

This is pretty much all a 3DS game should be, great little gimmick making use of the 3D environments, dungeons with a sense of visual depth using the verticality for plenty of puzzles even without the actual 3D filter on (because you have to be a psychopath to actually play literally anything with it on)

Cons:
- similarities to ALTTP borders on plagiarism
- fuck the circle pad
- the renting system may be "neat" but it's also just kind of lazy
- fuck the circle pad
- kinda lacks a special sauce
- FUCK the circle pad

A Link Between Worlds oozes with quality. Extremely solid dungeon design, fun bosses, and a brilliant wall-merging mechanic that re-contextualizes the familiar map of Hyrule. It's no secret that it borrows heavily from A Link to the Past and it's not always successful at that in my opinion. Compared to the SNES classic, the difficulty curve is mostly flat, almost all of the dungeons reuse themes, and the two overworld maps are practically identical. The item rental system was also less punishing than it was probably intended due to the abundance of rupees. It is for these reasons that I consider A Link to the Past the better game, but A Link Between Worlds is still great. It is paced just as well, if not slightly better than its inspiration, and its more nonlinear structure would serve as a great warm-up for fans and Nintendo as the latter prepared to overhaul the series' formula after 25 years.

It's rare for the Zelda series to delve into traditional sequels; sure, there are games that use the same assets or engine as a previous title, such as Majora's Mask, but the games generally feel disconnected from each other from a narrative and atmosphere perspective. This is by design; it's supposed to be a legend, after all, so it makes sense that each story would be told a different way. But by the beginning of the 2010s, the Toon Link era was beginning to change that. These were as close as we've gotten to direct Zelda sequels canonically, but their gameplay and setting were still their own. But with the series's first original title on the 3DS, Nintendo decided to take it a step further; A Link Between Worlds is a successor to not a recent title, but A Link To The Past, the game that set the standard for the 2D Zelda title all the way back in 1992 on the SNES. Set many years later, ALBW features a familiar Hyrule layout and a familiar dark world-esque alternate setting, this time titled Lorule. But while the game certainly takes great inspiration from the Zelda title that defined the series, it's still definitively a great game in its own right.

A Link to the Past is still an all time favorite for many Zelda fans, so a spiritual successor to it was always a good idea. Just as with that game, it's impressive how much detail and polish A Link Between Worlds can fit into its condensed world-or, worlds. For fans of traditional 2D Zelda, it's a treat; the dungeons are varied, puzzles are engaging rather than frustrating, and as for any good Zelda title, there's plenty of fun distractions and diversions throughout. Due to the ease of swapping out items, this is one of the smoothest Zelda experiences there is. The dungeons are all relatively small and compact, which allows for players to progress consistently, rarely feeling bogged down by any sudden obscure sections or difficulty spikes. It must be said this is certainly one of the easier titles in the series, so it does lack a degree of memorability; it's hard to say what dungeon or boss fight is supposed to be the definitive one in ALBW. They're all good, and their relative ease does make for a satisfyingly brisk playthrough, but it does lack those knockout punches-in both difficulty and memorability-that are so consistent throughout the series.

That isn't to say that A Link Between Worlds has nothing unique or memorable to offer. Of course, the wall merging mechanic is a brilliant mechanic, and contributes to so much of this game's identity. So many of the best puzzles, so much of the environmental exploration in this game is based around clever uses of this ability to great effect, and finding an obscure secret or a puzzle solution while using it is perhaps the most satisfying element the game has to offer. It also contributes greatly to your exploration of Hyrule and Lorule, and its implementation keeps both regions relevant for the game's duration. Even more revolutionary-and impactful, it turns out-was the game's non-linear structure. Especially at the time of release, when the previous title in the series was Skyward Sword (a game criticized by some for its over-adherence to the Zelda formula), A Link Between Worlds was a breath of fresh air for the series. Freedom in gaming is not always a good thing, but here, it works a treat, greatly improving the exploration aspect of the title and bringing back some of that feeling from the very first Zelda-and, indeed, surely acting as an inspiration for Breath of the Wild. To supplement this, ALBW also introduced the item-lending system, which allowed players to use all the traditional Zelda equips essentially right from the beginning, which allowed for more continuous exploration and led to less backtracking.

Of course, when you take so much inspiration from a beloved title, it's bound to create some feelings of familiarity, and not always in a good way. Putting the maps side by side shows the overworlds to be near-indistinguishable, and while a sequel like TOTK can supplement that with massive gameplay changes and new areas, A Link Between Worlds doesn't have as many options to fit inside its much smaller map. It has enough new that it doesn't feel like a complete retread, but those who have played ALTTP recently or often enough might miss out on a degree of exploration joy here, which is the predominant thing the game does well.

Even with its similarities, though, if A Link Between Worlds is being called similar to one of the most genre-defining games of a generation, then it's clear that it must have done some things right. And for fans of a traditional 2D Zelda with a twist of varied progression, A Link Between Worlds is an excellent choice. It wears its influence proudly on its sleeve, and while it might borrow a tad too much from it, it's never to the point of becoming derivative or dull. And with the hindsight of BOTW, it's clear to see that ALBW had plenty of influence to offer on its own.