The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

[posh_somme]

so this video game came out today and I bought it, of course. I've only played about 40 minutes of it so far but I found the lon lon bar, and you can pay 10 rupees to two guys to play you acoustic versions of some ocarina of time songs (one plays flute, the other guitar). I spent 60 rupees on that alone, it was so worth it. so I recommend you go and do that if you haven't already

 

on a general note I like the presentation and obviously it has that nintendo-level of polish, even though I was skeptical about the LTTP aesthetic at first. already I've seen a lot of callbacks to old zelda games, specifically ocarina (though LTTP primarily, obviously) through characters and music. haven't even begun a dungeon yet but I'm already lapping it up.

[SecretAsianMan]

My opinion on this game has fluctuated wildly in the months leading up to the release.  At first I was excited because LttP is my favorite Zelda game.  Then I was upset because I realized I didn't actually want a sequel.  Then I saw the art style and became further upset because I didn't (and still don't) like it.  Then I heard about the item rental thing which sounded kind of terrible.  Then I tried it at PAX and it was actually quite fun.  Then I saw it reviewed pretty well.  I'm presently in a state of cautious optimism, which means I'll probably download it tonight.

[BigJKO]

The GiantBomb quick look pretty much sold me on it. I liked the art style before, even though it feels like a step back from the beautiful LttP sprites, but it looks so damn smooth and faithful regardless.

 

I realised I still haven't finished the special worlds of Super Mario 3D Land, so I feel a bit obligated to do that before buying this..

[lobotomy42]

Man, it is so weird how the art style has ended up being the most divisive aspect of this game.  It strikes me as pedestrian, playing it safe, but neither horrible nor wonderful.

 

I am buying this game but if it's anything like the rest of the Zelda series, I will play it for six hours and then move on to something else and never quite get around to finishing it.  (Statement reflects me and my attention span, not Zelda)

[Sno]

I love how much the art style is paying homage not just to the sprite art of LTTP, but its concept art. It's a very, very specific look, and i'm digging it.

I'm surprised, honestly, that people aren't into it more. (Though i shouldn't be, i guess. When have people ever not had exaggerated reactionary opinions about the aesthetic design of a new Zelda game?)

I think ALBW is pretty wonderful though. I've put a few hours into it and i'm really into how weirdly specific it is about some of the things it's trying to emulate, while simultaneously putting just enough of a new spin on those things to still feel like a fresh new game. It evokes a kind of nostalgic deja vu, and i'm not sure this game would be as effective for somebody without any fond memories of LTTP.

So generally, my initial impression is that this is the kind of game that is wonderful now, but i think Nintendo only gets to do this once. If they show up next year with a spiritual sequel to Link's Awakening, i don't think it will be so warmly received. (In the context of it being a spiritual successor. There's the other issue of it being less-guided and less-linear, which is certainly a good direction for the series. I'm not deep enough in to really pass any judgement on how true those promises are, though.)

[Moosferatu]

This game is super fun so far.  It's refreshing that they decided to mix-up the traditional formula a bit.

[Squid Division]

i'm not sure this game would be as effective for somebody without any fond memories of LTTP.

I suppose we'll find out, I haven't played LTTP. So far it seems good but I'm not liking the save points over the usual save anywhere and we'll get you kinda close that the past Zelda's have had. Did the DS ones have save points?

[SecretAsianMan]

I love how much the art style is paying homage not just to the sprite art of LTTP, but its concept art. It's a very, very specific look, and i'm digging it.

I'm surprised, honestly, that people aren't into it more. (Though i shouldn't be, i guess. When have people ever not had exaggerated reactionary opinions about the aesthetic design of a new Zelda game?)

I think ALBW is pretty wonderful though. I've put a few hours into it and i'm really into how weirdly specific it is about some of the things it's trying to emulate, while simultaneously putting just enough of a new spin on those things to still feel like a fresh new game. It evokes a kind of nostalgic deja vu, and i'm not sure this game would be as effective for somebody without any fond memories of LTTP.

So generally, my initial impression is that this is the kind of game that is wonderful now, but i think Nintendo only gets to do this once. If they show up next year with a spiritual sequel to Link's Awakening, i don't think it will be so warmly received. (In the context of it being a spiritual successor. There's the other issue of it being less-guided and less-linear, which is certainly a good direction for the series. I'm not deep enough in to really pass any judgement on how true those promises are, though.)

 

I wouldn't say my dislike of the art style is an exaggerated reactionary opinion (but then again who would think that of themselves), I just don't like it very much.  Still I'm willing to overlook it because gameplay is so much more important to me.  I was really afraid that ALBW was going to trample all over my favorite Zelda game and destroy my childhood memories, but from the sound of things it seems like it's managed to be both nostalgic and new at the same time, which isn't an easy thing to pull off.  But I agree that even if it works wonderfully this time, I wouldn't want them to try it again with another Zelda game.

[Sno]

Sorry, i should have been more clear. Your post did spark me writing that comment, but I didn't mean to imply that you, specifically, were having an unnecessarily harsh opinion about the game's visuals. I was speaking more to having seen it be a semi-common sentiment about the game, in addition to, in the past, people having had very polarized opinions every time the series gets a visual overhaul.

[Twig]

I also don't really like how it looks.

[Sno]

So the wall-merging gimmick is actually way more interesting than i was expecting it to be, the game uses it in some pretty layered and uncharacteristically complicated puzzles, and the system even led to something else that i wasn't expecting. In this game's overworld, which is slavishly faithful to LTTP's overworld, the wall-merging mechanic effectively breaks a lot of the gating that, in LTTP, would have prevented you from accessing many areas until much later in the game. Giant boulder in your path? Merge into the wall, scoot on past it, and hop back into 3d space. It's kind of delightfully liberating to explore this familiar overworld in this fashion, which is now gated in much different and less extensive ways. (Additionally, these new mechanics lead to spaces, virtually unchanged from LTTP, featuring new puzzles and secrets embedded into their layouts in some fairly surprising ways.)

 

Barring the NES originals, it really is a pretty unprecedented degree of freedom to see in a Zelda game, having almost complete free reign over the primary game world after only just the first dungeon. Not only does Ravio rent out most of the expected items right up front, a lot of the other passive upgrades are easily obtained and very early on.

It actually gives you so much so early on, i wonder if it can maintain its momentum, though i haven't even seen the dark world yet.

 

Regardless, right now, i think it's pretty phenomenal. I'm really loving it.

I'm going to stick with that earlier comment though, i think you might miss out on a lot of the subtlety if you haven't played LTTP. It's unfortunate that LTTP is not presently available on either the Wii U VC or the 3DS VC, that seems like a missed opportunity on Nintendo's part.

[mikemariano]

It's unfortunate that LTTP is not presently available on either the Wii U VC or the 3DS VC, that seems like a missed opportunity on Nintendo's part.

Wait, what? What is wrong with that company? How is that not just an automatic thing that they do?

I hooked up my old Super Nintendo to play A Link to the Past in anticipation of A Link Between Worlds, so I am freshly prepared to notice all the callbacks. Does Nintendo just expect everyone else to do what I did?

[tegan]

Wait, what? What is wrong with that company? How is that not just an automatic thing that they do?

I hooked up my old Super Nintendo to play A Link to the Past in anticipation of A Link Between Worlds, so I am freshly prepared to notice all the callbacks. Does Nintendo just expect everyone else to do what I did?

 

It's on the Wii VC, so it's at least playable on the Wii U, but I'm not really sure why they didn't take the opportunity to release it on the Wii U eshop. I'd say they didn't want to risk cannibalizing sales, but they also discounted 3 Zelda games on the 3DS eshop sooooo...

[BadHat]

I've gotten kind of weary of the way Nintendo present their games now, where it feels like the way they apply polish to them isn't done purely for presentation, but to reflect their own heavily established image and create a weird nostalgia feedback loop. I guess this has been the case for a while (I think it was a Thumbs cast where someone mentioned how gross it was that the latest Zelda games have blank slots in the inventory in the shape of each undiscovered weapon), but it's gotten to the point where a lot of their new games feel like a stripped down and sanitised theme park ride through past accomplishments as much as they feel like an actual game unto themselves (caveat: I actually really enjoyed 3D Land despite being guilty of this).

[Yasawas]

I'm sure they've promised Link to the Past for Wii U VC before the end of the year. Weird it's not available prior to the release of this but Nintendo.

 

i'm not sure this game would be as effective for somebody without any fond memories of LTTP.
 

 

Oh it is, I'm seven hours in and enjoying this far more than I did LttP. I've done four dungeons now and a whole lot of exploring and I'm having a thoroughly marvellous time of it. In retrospect I think I tried to rush my way through LttP which accounts for a lot of my distaste for it and I will be giving it another go if it comes out on the VC but I'm grateful at least that I know my way around a bit and I get some of the references back to it in here. I wasn't sure the renting aspect would work but now it's opened up and I've died once I think I like it - no more pick up item in dungeon then use said item for numerous puzzles in dungeon and then expose weak spot of boss. Money is never an issue so I needn't have worried about that either. I think it looks great too and the music is superb and I like that they gave us a reversible cover so I could hide that garish golden monstrosity I was confronted with on Friday afternoon. This game is very good.

[Sno]

This is a game i want to see speedruns for, i want to see how those kinds of people break this game down for the purposes of an optimized playthrough.

[SecretAsianMan]

I'm still not really into the art style (at least the character designs, the rest is ok) but I am loving this game otherwise.  The painting mechanic is actually used in some pretty clever ways, and many of the new twists on the old stuff are very clever as well.  There are several little touches that I'm liking a lot, such as the ring that shows you the range of the spin attack and the musicians in the milk bar, especially the way the flute part cuts out of the music if you talk to the kid.

 

 

In retrospect I think I tried to rush my way through LttP which accounts for a lot of my distaste for it

It's weird, in a way I feel like I'm rushing though this game.  A combination of the fast travel between save points and the item rental where I can just have a ton of items right now makes me feel like I'm skipping over a lot of things, even though I know I'm not really.  One of the things I really liked about LttP was the way the world slowly unfolds as you gain the ability to traverse it, but now I feel like I can kind of go anywhere without as much effort.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just different.

[Sno]

If you're just fast-traveling around and prone to missing a lot of things, maybe the one thing most worth spoiling is the cave east and then south of Link's house, which in this game contains the starting point for a lengthy quest that lets you upgrade your owned items.

 

A lot of people seem to be missing the Pegasus boots too, which is another really obvious one, there's no reason to not have those before reaching Lorule.

Additionally, if you have any clear memories of LTTP, it's worth looking for some familiar secrets. The guy under the bridge is still there and still has a bottle, but many other secrets contain new things, like large and elaborate optional dungeons with some of the more challenging and complicated puzzles in the game.

[BigJKO]

I'm really loving this so far. It has a sense of exploration and discovery that I feel has been missing a bit from the latest Zeldas. I don't know, it doesn't feel like it's signposting a lot of the stuff, allowing me to figure my own way through this.

 

I would really love a hint as to what the hell I'm supposed to do to get the Titan's Mitts and Pegasus Boots. I just spent half an hour getting to a guy in the mountains who drank all my Premium Milk and just said 'goodbye' without giving me anything?! WHAT?!

[Twig]

He was thirsty! Geez, cut 'im a break.

[Sno]

I would really love a hint as to what the hell I'm supposed to do to get the Titan's Mitts and Pegasus Boots.

When you see the thief flee from the Zora's Domain, which is an event you need to see to complete the lake dungeon in Hyrule, that thief shows up in the town and flees from you when you approach. Sneak up on him by merging with the hill side behind him and leaping out from it when you approach.

 

So, yeah, you should get the pegasus boots very early on as a matter of expected course around the early dungeons, but somehow a lot of people seem to be missing it. You're supposed to try and deal with the thief before just buying the stone he stole back from the shop keeper, but most people miss that intermediate step and thus miss the pegasus boots.

Titan's Mitts don't show up until the Lorule dungeons. If you want them earlier on, choose wisely.

[BigJKO]

Thanks! God, they make so much good use of that flat Link mechanic. Took me a while to figure out that you could use it to get those little collectable critters off the walls.

 

Now.. about those Mitts? Am I just completely clueless? I haven't found a single hint as to where it could be.

[SecretAsianMan]

If you're just fast-traveling around and prone to missing a lot of things, maybe the one thing most worth spoiling is the cave east and then south of Link's house, which in this game contains the starting point for a lengthy quest that lets you upgrade your owned items.

 

A lot of people seem to be missing the Pegasus boots too, which is another really obvious one, there's no reason to not have those before reaching Lorule.

Additionally, if you have any clear memories of LTTP, it's worth looking for some familiar secrets. The guy under the bridge is still there and still has a bottle, but many other secrets contain new things, like large and elaborate optional dungeons with some of the more challenging and complicated puzzles in the game.

I don't necessarily mean I am rushing, it's just the game's pacing makes me feel like I am.  I think part of it is because I know LttP pretty well (although I haven't played it for a few years) and I keep thinking in terms of that game.  I have to keep reminding myself this is a sequel, not a remake.

 

Also I just got the Master Sword and I really missed shooting lasers from it.

[Salacious Snake]

I dig it so far. One thing I really like is that they weren't overly conservative with the stereoscopic depth. Having a (mostly) fixed perspective means you can get away with more, and it looks really cool. 

 

Like some of you, I have mixed feelings about revisiting a classic in this way... Link to the Past is the best Zelda, and this will have to be really fucking excellent to rise above feeling like a cheap cash-in of nostalgia. Settings thoughts of that nature aside, I'm having fun so far, so I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.

[mikemariano]

I've been going into Wall Mode just to get a closer look at some of the creatures in this game.  I had no idea Deadrocks were supposed to be lizard-like.  I though they were tiny monkeys with wings!