Nephy Reviews A Link Between Worlds
To those that follow me, it's no surprise that I've not really enjoyed many new Zelda games lately. Phantom Hourglass, while decent, bored me to tears with its easy dungeons and extreme repetition. Spirit Tracks put me off with its outrageous and extremely wacky premise. Skyward Sword offended me with its continuity breaking lore and goofy slapstick comedy. Going into A Link Between Worlds, you can understand that my pessimism is somewhere between the stratosphere and the moon. With painfully obvious puns such as a world called Lorule and an antagonist that wields a rainbow paintbrush, my pessimism easily shot past the moon right into the inferno of the sun. I hope that clearly paints a picture (pun intended) as to where I stood before I played this game.
So before I go in depth, what's my overall opinion of A Link Between Worlds? It's the best Zelda game I've played since Twilight Princess, and while it's nowhere near what I personally want out of a Zelda game, I can say without a doubt this is the first time I've had fun playing these games since 2007. So let's start out positive and list all the things that are good in this game.
The Good
1. The Graphics
While I'm still holding my breath for an incarnation of Hyrule that looks so beautiful and realistically stunning that it brings me to my knees, it's obvious that this game is trying to pay homage to its prequel, A Link to the Past. In that regard, the visuals succeed. It pretty much looks just like that game, sans Link's comically pink hair. I personally don't like the style much, but while everything still feels a little silly it's a big step up from the wackitastic look of the "Toon" art style and the bizarre low-res impressionist experiment that was the graphics of Skyward Sword. I would have preferred something different, but I can't complain when a game brings me the most adorable incarnation of Princess Zelda I've ever seen:
That face could bring an empire to its knees.
2. Gameplay
This is a no brainer really. Even in Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword, nothing has been wrong with the gameplay in this series since Zelda II. This game plays like a carbon copy of ALTTP, that statement alone probably caused a handful of Zelda fans to scream and cry in joy.
Pictured: 25 years of things always working when you press buttons.
While the rental system seems rather unbalanced at times as being able to use any item up front pretty much reduces the difficulty to none at all, everything else seems fine and dandy as it always has.
3. Freedom
Taking a cue from Skyrim and the Elder Scrolls in general, you can now tackle any dungeon in any order. Although it seems Zelda fans completely and utterly forget the very first Zelda game in the series allowed for this, so it's not exactly a new feature for the series as everyone is touting. It's still very welcome though, especially after enduring the freedom crippling rails of Spirit Tracks.
I'm on a pre-guided line, I must be having fun.
I hope this continues in future Zelda games, it makes the world feel a little more alive and less guided by an unseen force. Not that there's anything wrong with a linear game per-se, Zelda just seems made for this open world type of exploration considering the very first game in the series was just that.
4. Reduction of Painful and Stupid Slapstick Comedy.
It's still here, though it's not happening all the time. Spirit Tracks took the wacky slapstick to a new and annoying level, while it culminated in a fountain of stupidity in Skyward Sword. Entire characters like Groose were devoted to the entire concept of painfully awkward and stupid humor. Even titanic bosses like Tentalus seemed designed purely to make the players giggle like little kids. While newcomers like Ravio keep the trend rolling, it feels a lot more isolated and less forced in this entry. It's appreciated.
I pushed you over and physically invaded your personal space, isn't that just super hilarious? I am so good at comedy! Laugh! Laugh you little child! I'm being funny!!!
There's always been a weird slapstick character in almost every Zelda game. Tingle has been around since Majora's Mask. Ralph was roaming the land being an idiot in Oracle of Ages. A Link Between Worlds feels closer to having that singular wacky character than entire populations of inhuman fools dedicated to acting like little alien children that have been showing up recently in these games. As someone dying for a very serious take at a Zelda game, this reduction means a lot to me and is a breath of fresh air.
The Not So Good
1. A Very Meh Bad Guy.
I kind of like Yuga, in a pitiful way. He's an improvement over our previous few antagonists. His super wacky appearance actually reflects his personality and goal, and is a parody of himself so points for that. His motive, although unrealistically inhuman andinsane, is more interesting than the classic "I must resurrect my master, because no reason," that we usually get. He actually accomplishes things, unlike the all talk no show that was Ghirahim. I prefer the guy over Ghirahim, Malladus, and Cole, but at the end of the day he's just not that memorable or threatening. That squid Bellum with no lines of dialog at all in Phantom Hourglass was more of a scare than this paintbrush wielding weirdo. Without spoiling too much, another better candidate for a villain almost takes the crown of villainy later in the game, only be usurped by Yuga and than Ganon for the five bajillionth time. I would have rose and praised the game if this character ended up being the mastermind of everything, but that was promptly wrecked with a simple apology, quick redemption, and then Ganon entering the equation again. Oh well, at least I got to help the most adorable Princess ever.
Seriously, my knee caps are gone after looking into those eyes.
2. Is it so much to ask for an Orchestra?
Nintendo has a lot of money. Even better, they have full orchestras that would probably do their music for free. Symphony of the Goddesses have performed some amazing renditions of Zelda music. So tell why this day in age Nintendo does not use their financial juggernaut or army of loyal music performers and instead uses horrible artificial soundfonts for their music? A lot of the melodies in this game are nice don't get me wrong, though they were nice twenty years ago. The quality of the instruments in this music is just sad, especially considering how easy it would be for Nintendo to get some real ones and bring us all to tears with emotionally stirring music. Yuga finally gets a boss theme with an actual choir.... and it sounds like a pair of employees quickly sung it after hours in an alley. Nintendo, have you heard the knee breaking choir in Symphony of the Goddesses? Pay them for your next Zelda game. Seriously. You won't regret it.
3. I could play this with my eyes blindfolded, hands tied behind my back while running naked through a field full of angry bees.
This game is just easy. I'm not sure if it's the fault of the game, or the fact that I've played this sort of game for so long that I'm just that good at them. Regardless though, I blazed through the game with startling speed to the point where entire dungeons seemed like a fuzzy blur and my hands were on autopilot. Again, I'm not sure if this is the game's fault or mine, but I felt like mentioning it.
4. Scriptwriter? What's that?
I'll not address the plot much, needless to say I personally don't think it's anything special. We once again establish that Hyrule exists in the most anything goes multiverse ever and another parallel world is thrown into the cacophony of alternate universes that already exist. The plot and additions to lore feel extremely sloppy to say the least, but I've heard countless Zelda fans claim that they "Play for the gameplay and not the story." Considering that A Link to the Past has one of the most bare-bone plots ever, I'll give this one a pass. It's not a great plot and it's full of twists that are obvious miles in advance (Gee, I wonder what Ravio's Pink Bunny Suit could mean), but I don't think a great and deep story is what Nintendo was going for in the first place. It's hard to fault a lack of something that was intended.
A Link Between Worlds is not the Zelda game I want. I want depth, I want emotion, I want to feel and become attached to these characters like I did so long ago. I want to be able to take these games seriously again. I want the lore and mythos to be consistent, well thought out, and immensely deep. I may be in the minority there, but it doesn't change how I feel and what I would personally do if I were in charge. Regardless of what I want, Nintendo made a homage to A Link to the Past and succeeded without stumbling. The game looks and feels like a continuation of the classic A Link to the Past, and for many Zelda fans that's more than they could ask and hope for. It was enough to give me a nostalgia buzz and for me to have fun, but that emotional core for the series inside me remains untapped. Maybe next time Nintendo, but in the meantime this little snack is rather nice.
At least it's not as stupid as this.
The final verdict: I give it a solid B. It's up there just under the best of the best in the series.
Zelda fans will easily gobble this up, and I don't mean in the bad mindless worshiper kind of way. It's a fun romp, it feels like an old classic Zelda game, and most importantly it's fun. It doesn't quite have the emotional weight of Windwaker or Majora's Mask, or the epic scale of Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess, nor does it contain the goofy stupidity of Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword. It's solid and for what it is; a big fat homage to A Link to the Past, it succeeds and never really stumbles. Good job Nintendo, you deserve a point.
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Originally Posted by Cameron Shutters
