I finished A Link Between Worlds a few days ago, but forgot to write my impressions down. I'll try to be brief since we'll be talking about it at length on a future podcast.
I really enjoyed it. I don't think there's a better 3DS game available. That's not to say it's a perfect experience; far from it. But if you have any love for the Zelda franchise, go out and buy this game right now and enjoy the warm nostalgia bath.
First of all, the game is just fun. As I was finishing it, I told Aaz that I don't think the game could hold my interest enough for a second playthrough. Two days later, I'm eating these words, now nearly halfway through a second quest. Why? Because in spite of everything I'm going to pick on in this review, it's hard to put down.
One of the biggest things driving this is that the game controls fantastically well. Link moves quickly and can attack nearly at the pace of the player's input. This has an addictive quality complemented by all the things there are to collect and hunt down. Mowing through enemies in this manner makes you feel empowered from the very beginning. This results in a feeling of control that's better than any Zelda game in recent memory, and it's a shame that the level of control you're given is rarely put to the test. You're too capable actually, given the range of challenges. The game is simply far too easy for anyone with experience in the series.
At first, I thought the item renting mechanic would be totally broken, but I ended up enjoying renting all the items up front. This bridges over the standard item tutorialization process that lovingly clogs much of the first few dungeons in recent Zelda games. But this clever idea truly only amounts to convenience, not cleverness. It doesn't throw you quite enough curveballs to live up to its potential. Don't hold your breath for a dungeon requiring all of the items in a clever fashion. Instead the designers opted to streamline them, picking one or two required items per dungeon instead of planning a dungeon around the notion that every player would rent all the items up front. That's really too bad, and a missed opportunity for a grand experience that rewards critical thinking instead of following obvious cues.
While I waxed and waned on the game's heavy reliance on nostalgia, I think in hindsight it's both a strength and weakness. The world greets you like an old friend, then predictably pulls back to reveal another, darker world. While this is well-trodden territory, I can't find the will to complain about this kind of mechanic, as it's among my favorite in video games. The world itself was always a joy to explore, even if I knew more or less what was around almost every corner. While there are problems with the game's reliance on its predecessor, the world design isn't it.
As great as this game is, it's not nearly as great as it should have been. Even when charged by the excellent soundtrack, no single moment in the game felt quite as epic as the highs in Zelda 3—among the best of which are obtaining the Master Sword and setting out on the Dark World quest. Both of those moments are in this game in their own fashion, but fall well short of their relatives. The game fundamentally lacks a grandness that was at the core of the Zelda 3 experience. These comparisons with one of the greatest games of all time would sound unfair in any other instance. But this is a special case. The game proudly plants its feet in the shadow of its predecessor, an unenviable position for any game. As a result, it is trapped within the boundaries it sets for itself, and even though it takes great strides, it's still just a revised trip down memory lane.
To touch on the story briefly, it's really just a turd with little thought invested into it, which is a shame. I genuinely wish one day Nintendo would wake up and grace a Zelda game with a story that can match its other grand qualities. I don't need a novel-length text. Just something that develops beyond the distinct boundaries of beginning, middle and end.
Here's hoping that while the developers made this game, they realized what made Zelda 3 a great game to begin with, and they take these lessons learned into their headspace for the next big Zelda game.
To reply to Griff now:
I really enjoyed it. I don't think there's a better 3DS game available. That's not to say it's a perfect experience; far from it. But if you have any love for the Zelda franchise, go out and buy this game right now and enjoy the warm nostalgia bath.
First of all, the game is just fun. As I was finishing it, I told Aaz that I don't think the game could hold my interest enough for a second playthrough. Two days later, I'm eating these words, now nearly halfway through a second quest. Why? Because in spite of everything I'm going to pick on in this review, it's hard to put down.
One of the biggest things driving this is that the game controls fantastically well. Link moves quickly and can attack nearly at the pace of the player's input. This has an addictive quality complemented by all the things there are to collect and hunt down. Mowing through enemies in this manner makes you feel empowered from the very beginning. This results in a feeling of control that's better than any Zelda game in recent memory, and it's a shame that the level of control you're given is rarely put to the test. You're too capable actually, given the range of challenges. The game is simply far too easy for anyone with experience in the series.
At first, I thought the item renting mechanic would be totally broken, but I ended up enjoying renting all the items up front. This bridges over the standard item tutorialization process that lovingly clogs much of the first few dungeons in recent Zelda games. But this clever idea truly only amounts to convenience, not cleverness. It doesn't throw you quite enough curveballs to live up to its potential. Don't hold your breath for a dungeon requiring all of the items in a clever fashion. Instead the designers opted to streamline them, picking one or two required items per dungeon instead of planning a dungeon around the notion that every player would rent all the items up front. That's really too bad, and a missed opportunity for a grand experience that rewards critical thinking instead of following obvious cues.
While I waxed and waned on the game's heavy reliance on nostalgia, I think in hindsight it's both a strength and weakness. The world greets you like an old friend, then predictably pulls back to reveal another, darker world. While this is well-trodden territory, I can't find the will to complain about this kind of mechanic, as it's among my favorite in video games. The world itself was always a joy to explore, even if I knew more or less what was around almost every corner. While there are problems with the game's reliance on its predecessor, the world design isn't it.
As great as this game is, it's not nearly as great as it should have been. Even when charged by the excellent soundtrack, no single moment in the game felt quite as epic as the highs in Zelda 3—among the best of which are obtaining the Master Sword and setting out on the Dark World quest. Both of those moments are in this game in their own fashion, but fall well short of their relatives. The game fundamentally lacks a grandness that was at the core of the Zelda 3 experience. These comparisons with one of the greatest games of all time would sound unfair in any other instance. But this is a special case. The game proudly plants its feet in the shadow of its predecessor, an unenviable position for any game. As a result, it is trapped within the boundaries it sets for itself, and even though it takes great strides, it's still just a revised trip down memory lane.
To touch on the story briefly, it's really just a turd with little thought invested into it, which is a shame. I genuinely wish one day Nintendo would wake up and grace a Zelda game with a story that can match its other grand qualities. I don't need a novel-length text. Just something that develops beyond the distinct boundaries of beginning, middle and end.
Here's hoping that while the developers made this game, they realized what made Zelda 3 a great game to begin with, and they take these lessons learned into their headspace for the next big Zelda game.
To reply to Griff now:
I go back and forth on it. At first, I had to remind myself that I had the ability, and stupidly missed some obvious puzzle solutions while exploring. Once I got in the mindset of using it, I thought it was awesome. Then it becomes an old hat that's not developed beyond the first two or three times you use it. Too bad...Griffith said:
I started out with the Dark Palace, thenThief's Hideout, and it was all downhill from there for me. Those were easily the best dungeons in the game, for my money. Loved every second of them.
It's been super-useful in Hero Mode to stun enemies that could otherwise one-shot you. It's my weapon of choice right now.
The bunny ears gave it away, for me ("Hey, that's what Dark World Link looked li- Ohhhhhh.")
I'm pretty sure that's exactly what happens. But it's a fault of the game for that not being a more pivotal moment.
Yeah, but since Zelda is royalty, thinking about that too hard starts to get pretty gross...
That's a good way of putting it. And Hero Mode is worth it so far, since it forces you to be more tactical with enemies. Still, a Master Quest rearrange would have been nice as well...
