Beating every Zelda in timeline order 11/20:
I've tried beating A Link to the Past 5 or 6 times now, and never really got into it before, even going as far as saying it hadn't aged well and it wasn't for me. I was super wrong, this game fucking rules. If there's one thing that I have absolutely no patience for in games, it's boss runbacks. It's why I can't get into soulslike games (Elden Ring not included) and why I couldn't get into A Link to the Past. Using save states to bypass the horrible slog of going through the same rooms over and over again finally made this game incredibly fun instead of frustrating. I felt, even though I did this, the game was overall quite challenging, which was great. The overworld is small and simple. I never felt overwhelmed and the whole thing felt intuitive to explore. The process of exploring the overworld and finding useful upgrades in places you don't expect is magic, and this game rewards you for being curious about its world more than any other Zelda I've played. There are TWELVE dungeons in A Link to the Past, and they're ALL good. They all feel so free-form in how you approach them and after playing Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, it's a breath of fresh air. It doesn't do anything too unique in the face of every other Zelda game except accomplishing being arguably the definitive Zelda experience.
I finally understand why this is many people's favorite Zelda game and I'm proud to have finally completed it in a way that was fun for me.
I've tried beating A Link to the Past 5 or 6 times now, and never really got into it before, even going as far as saying it hadn't aged well and it wasn't for me. I was super wrong, this game fucking rules. If there's one thing that I have absolutely no patience for in games, it's boss runbacks. It's why I can't get into soulslike games (Elden Ring not included) and why I couldn't get into A Link to the Past. Using save states to bypass the horrible slog of going through the same rooms over and over again finally made this game incredibly fun instead of frustrating. I felt, even though I did this, the game was overall quite challenging, which was great. The overworld is small and simple. I never felt overwhelmed and the whole thing felt intuitive to explore. The process of exploring the overworld and finding useful upgrades in places you don't expect is magic, and this game rewards you for being curious about its world more than any other Zelda I've played. There are TWELVE dungeons in A Link to the Past, and they're ALL good. They all feel so free-form in how you approach them and after playing Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, it's a breath of fresh air. It doesn't do anything too unique in the face of every other Zelda game except accomplishing being arguably the definitive Zelda experience.
I finally understand why this is many people's favorite Zelda game and I'm proud to have finally completed it in a way that was fun for me.