Super Nintendo
Legend of Zelda, The: A Link to the Past
| Graphics: Sound: Gameplay: Overall: |
8.71 8.75 8.73 8.67 |
| Votes: | 73 |
| Reviews: | 6 |
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| Reviewer: zfan | Date: Jan 5, 2006 |
| TLOZ series reinvents the world of Hyrule with more graphical style, detailed storyline, complex dungeons and gameplay that redefines the adventure genre.
Nintendo revisits it's top-down overworld and puzzle driven dungeons to create a game that's both challenging and captive. Gone is the frustrating point system from "The Adventures of Link" that nearly killed the Zelda franchise for its take on the RPG craze. This game created the foundation for all other Zelda titles and raised the bar for future non-linear gaming. Graphics: 9 This game starts off with you listening to the sound of rain falling on top of your house while you lie in bed receiving a message from Zelda. Your first experience is running out of your house to discover its raining out. I can't remember ever feeling more anxious for what's next. The graphics where cutting edge and the mood was so memorable. Every dungeon is different with a unique style praising the quality and attention to detail the programmers had in mind. Zelda's animation is great and the frame rates are as smooth as ever. You never feel like your experiencing the same thing at every stage. Simply great. Sound: 9 Amazing. Classic Zelda music but much more elaborate than its predecessors. Many dungeons have their own unique brand of adventurous music to add to the mood and escalating level of tension as you progress. I only wish in both the light and dark overworlds their had been some more variety. After you gain the master sword when you visit kakariko village the towns peaceful catchy music is gone. Now the only place you can hear something different is to visit your home. Overall it keeps you interested and goes beyond filler to advancing the feel of the game as you progress. Gameplay: 10 Are you kidding me...perfect. Nintendo couldn't of made a better expected comeback with the title. The items you gain are so perfectly integrated into gameplay and are simply great fun. The dungeons are mysterious with enough puzzle solving to keep you busy for hours. Agaghnim was a great subplot along with making one of the greatest showdowns with Gannon worth every hour of gameplay. Overall: 9 Although sometimes I felt the graphics where to cartoonish, I still think this game hits on all cylinders. You just can't go wrong. It's challenging without being to challenging, and a perfect sequel that any Zelda fan could have wished for. I mean, the adventures of link wasn't that bad but it never captured the features that make this game such a great hit. One of the most influential games of all time. I'd put this in my top ten of greatest SNES games of all time. Heck..top three...ok number one. Since I've played the minish cap I now feel that that is the best 2d Zelda game ever but hey, here's enjoying a piece of something nostalgic. |
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| Reviewer: Adam | Date: Sep 8, 2005 |
| This game is classic. The concept is classic, the graphics are classic, the sounds, in specific the theme; classic. Let's not forget the characters: again classic!
Graphics: 9 They weren't the best graphics ever for SNES, but they're right up there. They proved to be CLEAR and consistent throughout the whole game. There is never a "blurry" spot due to pixelation, so there's no playing difficulty. The clarity is great. Sound: 10 Great music ~ it always was fitting, there was never music that wasn't right. Whether you're walking through a field or fighting an enemy, the music compliments the scene. It isn't some simple melody, there's harmony and real thought put into the composition of the music. Being a musician myself, I can fully appreciate this music [and so can you, 'cause I said so ;) :P) ] Gameplay: 9 There is never a time where the controls inhibit you from being able to play the game properly. The controls are setup to help you play more than anything else. None of this N64 or PS2 controller crap with 50 friggin' buttons on it and you have to press 8 of them at the same time just to get your character to jump. It's simple, straight forward and great. The way it SHOULD be. Also the story makes you think, the levels aren't childishly easy -- Overall: 10 I said it once and I'll say it again - CLASSIC. It's the kind of game you can play more than once and it never loses it's value. I strongly encourage you to play it if you haven't already. In closing, there are quite a few new Zelda games coming out, but the originals still remain the best. They hold their own for story, sound, graphics, gameplay and over all, just everything. What a great game. |
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| Reviewer: chodewick the great | Date: Mar 30, 2003 |
| Well, i found my copy of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in my basement awhile ago and i replayed the game. So, i thought I would rate this wonderful game... Graphics: 8 First of all, at today's standards this games graphics are pretty lame but who cares. Back in the day this had some nice smooth graphics compared to other games. Sound: 10 I really love the zelda music it just touches me because its so classic.. Gameplay: 9 I love this game and it has replay value which is hard to find these days, i would definitly play this game over one of my favorite newer games, GTA: vice city, because it is just awesome... Overall: 10 one of the best games put out within the past 20 years right behind Legend of Zelda on NES |
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| Reviewer: Seneroth | Date: Dec 19, 2002 |
| One of my all-time favorites. The game is so legendary and so outrageously great that it beats (in my opinion) every other Legend of Zelda game that is out there. This is one of the very first games that I could really slap myself for not buying, I've always come back to this game when describing the SNES and what a tremendous era it had, this had to be one of it's cornerstones. Graphics: 9 For the year that this was made, the graphics were in top shape, the cartoony like characters were interesting and they didn't all look the same. The items were also very well designed, but graphics did not make this game great. Sound: 10 The music for this game is just that good. I mean the background music has always been excellent in every one of the LoZ games, I can't really elaborate. Oh and the sound it makes when there is speech is just cool. Gameplay: 10 Jesus, if there was one game on this console that had better gameplay in an adventure/RPG give me the name. Unlike those RPG's that require you to enter a battle sequence and follow a suite. You can take aim with your long bow and pick off enemies, you can get in their faces and gut them like fishes. The story is dramatic and nothing short of spectacular, okay it's a bit cliché, go beat the bosses in each dungeon to gather up stones and such to unlock the last boss and beat him. But it's not that basic! Simplicity is in this game, there's nothing hard or confusing about it, which is great. But the diverse storyline is a thumbs up and if you miss something it could cost you. The fact that this isn't like those RPG's such as Final Fantasy or Crono Trigger, limits the equipment. But instead of having to go shopping for everything, it gets really quite interesting, for one thing you have to go on a major quest just to pull out the Master sword. The enemies are more interactive than that of a monster from Final Fantasy who you would only see a still frame of in a battle. These monsters will chase you up and down the town of Kakorito just because you were seen. In the gameplay departement, I could just keep going on about stuff like this but I really need to move on. Overall: 10 This game has turned heads and has become a figurehead for nintendo, and the series is still being used today. Unfortunetly in my opinion, the last few games made, were a little short in the gameplay departement. But I give props to Orcarina of Time. It was a great game, just it doesn't draw much attention from me as A Link to the Past does. As for Majora's Mask..................... Seneroth RPG Fanatic |
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| Reviewer: Juan Carlos Bolaños | Date: Mar 15, 2002 |
| You are link, the legendary hero of Hyrule. The evil sorcerer Ganon has kidnapped the princess of Hyrule. You are the chosen to seek the legendary sword that will destroy this malicious foe. Graphics: 9 Sound: 9 Gameplay: 10 Overall: 10 This is a game you won't regret playing |
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| Reviewer: RABicle | Date: Nov 5, 2001 |
| The Zelda series is one of the worlds most successful and popular role playing adventure series. The man behind the games, Shigeru Miyamoto, is one of the most respected and influential game designers in the history of video games. Over time the Zelda series has evolved but it continues a similar pattern; two similar games then one huge step forward, another game similar to the revolutionary one and then another step forward. The original Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time were the titles that made the huge step forward in the series and these three games had an impact on the future of gaming. The Impact: A Link to the Past (or LttP) changed the face of gaming. Not only did the title show the gaming community what the SNES was capable in the field of visuals but it showed people how to tell a magnificent tale without turning the game into a linear experience. (Final Fantasy anyone?) The game also reminded us that, yes, we do like to explore to our hearts content by providing a game that had many sprawling miniature quests that didn?t have to be completed. But most of all the game reminded us that it?s the little, special touches that make a good game great. Graphics: 9 Style all the Way The visuals in LttP are top class all the way. From the cute little animations of the characters in the game to the outstanding attention to detail in the sanctuary. Nintendo bring all sorts of charm and life to LttP?s visuals, making good use of the SNES hardware. The visuals just are of a good quality all round and make it very clear what every thing is because of the games surprising detail. Special mention goes to the Lost Woods area which makes excellent use of the SNES?s transparency effects and the mode 7 scaling when viewing the map close up. It may not have the high polygon counts, pre-rendererd screens, particle effects, MIPMAPPING, facial animations etc. of it?s Nintendo 64 counterpart but LttP has clear cut, understandable visuals with a nice style and good use of colour. Everything a SNES game needs. And the frame rate? 60 frames per second, only slowing down when the chickens declare war on you. Sound: 8 Trendsetting Tunes The music perfectly suits the game and sets the mood well. They are not of outstanding quality or catchy like Chrono Trigger but as I said before they set the mood of the game. There's this sort of mysterious and treating music when your inside a dungeon, while the music when your wandering around Kakiroko (spelt wrong) Village is more of a gentle relaxing tune. And of course there is the classic Zelda theme. The music doesn?t dominate the game by being excessively loud it just quietly plays in the background and you may just find yourself humming along. It?s quiet, trendsetting and does it?s job. 101 Uses of a Sound Effect While the music does a great job, the same cannot be said about the sound effects which are of poor sampling rate and it seems as though some of worst sound effects are used too much and seem to be used for all sorts of situations. This lousy sort of twirly mystical sound is used for all sorts of events and it sounds really stupid. There really aren?t that many sound effects either but the twirly mystical sound is easily the worst. Gameplay: 10 Adventuring at it?s Greatest The main concept of the game is that you are Link, a young Hylian who has to save his home land of Hyrule by collecting some sort of artifact that magically brings peace to the whole world once they have been all collected. These collectables are found at the very end of dungeons, scattered around the land and are guarded by big ugly monsters. Once you have all of these you then go off and kill some big pig named Ganon and save Zelda to live happily ever after. Well, at least that was the premises for the first game which was really a simple action game that did nothing except change the face of gaming forever. LttP really shows that the series has grown up a lot since the original. LttP has an epic storyline with a back story that spans many years. As well as the main plot of rescuing maidens and collecting pendants and crystals there are many side stories such as the tale of Blind and his gang of thieves and the sad story of the boy who played the flute. But what really sets Zelda apart from the norm is the fact that you roam around a large play area or world that is total exploration. Your not restricted to a path between areas or one route though the whole game, you literally can go anywhere by many different means of getting there. along the way to your target location you will traverse though many different landscape features and enemies. What also encourages you to explore is as you progress though the game you begin to pick up useful items such as the Power Glove that allows you to lift heavy rocks, unlocking new paths and secrets, each with their own rewards. A player who simply goes straight to each dungeon without bothering to notice anything along the way will find the going hard as there are many items and heart containers that can only be found by the player who seeks them out by listening to the townsfolk, following clues and trying many different ways to interact with the environment. For example a man in the village talks about the Zora being able to turn people into fish! Once you investigate you find that they don't turn people into fish but they have valuable flippers for sale, allowing you to swim. Upon purchasing the flippers you talk to another man who speaks of a great lady at the waterfall of wishing. After exploring an area with many waterfalls you find that you have swam right though one and are standing i a cave on the other side. The cave has a pond in it in which you can though any of your item in. By throwing in an item a great fairy appears who asks you if you threw it in. Regardless of what you say she?ll return the item to you but if you fiddle around you?ll discover that if you throw in your shield she?ll reward your honesty by replacing it with a bigger, red shield. The red shield is usually bought for 500 rupees but you acquire it for FREE! There is also another improved item you gain from the fairy but I?ll let you figure that out for yourself. This is just one example of excessive exploration and investigation in the game. Now at the beginning of this review I said that LttP reminded people that it?s the little touch that make the big difference. What are some of these little things? The way that you become a fugitive and numerous townsfolk will call for soldiers, run inside and lock the door when they see you. Or the way that when you enter the dark world you meet a demon and a pink ball who ask why you have turned into a rabbit (know one else knows why either). Or the way the chickens attack you if you repeatedly harm a chicken. Little touches like these make all the difference, you don't notice it but it shows that the game designers put a lot of thought into the game not just throw together some pictures and controls. The dungeons are one of LttP?s high points, there are a total of 10 dungeons plus Ganon's Tower and 2 mini dungeons; Pyramid of Power and Hyrule Castle, giving the game 13 dungeons in all. Each dungeon is unique and they all gradually increase in difficulty as the game continues. Unlike other role-playing games where the dungeons consist of a fairy linear path with randomly encountered enemies to fight until you work your way up to a boss, Zelda?s dungeons are huge, multi-story interactive mazes with clever puzzles, traps and a range of well designed enemies. Each dungeon in the game basically consists of many rooms with puzzles and challenges that might open up a door or give you a key to a locked door in another room, a master key that opens up the boss room and opens a big treasure chest containing a big important item. Each dungeon is a decent challenge (some more so) and are very interactive. There are crystal switches, weak sections of wall and floor, pots, push able blocks, holes in the floor which when dropped down have you land on the floor below, teleport tiles etc. All of these are interactive which help the puzzles to become much deeper with numerous ways to be overcome. Overall: 9 Altogether, this game this game is fantastic. Totally unrelated to Ocarina of Time, minus a few characters and the name, LttP is another masterpiece from Miyamoto. Oh yeah, I think I may have mentioned it but with (at my count) 13 dungeons in the game, this game will keep you playing for a long time, and prvide far more gametime than every other 8 megabit game |
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