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.
Reviewed on Jan 21, 2023
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Thank you so much for the response! Haha yeah, I can be harsh sometimes, but I always try to stay true to my standards and how I feel about each game. One question I always try to ask myself when reviewing a game is the following: “What makes it special compared to other games I’ve played?” When I give a game a 2.5/5, for example, that is average to me. I’ll throw the game another half-star if it does something interesting, but is otherwise mediocre since unique ideas should always be acknowledged. Many game critics give okay games a 7, or give a game a 10 just because it did something different. They probably do this to tell the companies that they want more of that type of game, but it also trivializes the idea of reviewing a game holistically. I’ll never say that my reviews are perfect. I have my own biases and I sometimes change my mind on games after playing other ones. My main goal with writing them is to encourage discussion. I won’t write a review on a game that I don’t believe I can say anything new on.
I really admire your words @Dunebot69. It’s difficult to leave a comment on other people’s reviews, but as you’ve demonstrated, it encourages discussion. I’m going to try and leave more comments going forward. Much appreciated sir!
I really admire your words @Dunebot69. It’s difficult to leave a comment on other people’s reviews, but as you’ve demonstrated, it encourages discussion. I’m going to try and leave more comments going forward. Much appreciated sir!
Dunebot72
1 year ago