The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

[Mirage]

It's for 3DS only.

I might look into getting the game if I get a 3DS for christmas.

[NorthernChaosGod]

So I got this for Christmas and have been playing it as much as possible. I'm really liking the look of the game and the story so far, but I do think it could stand to be more difficult. I remember LttP being more difficult, even on a playthrough as an adult.

[Freya]

Yeah I got it for christmas as well just haven't had time to put into it really yet. I'm super excited to though.

[Dr Unne]

So I got this for Christmas and have been playing it as much as possible. I'm really liking the look of the game and the story so far, but I do think it could stand to be more difficult. I remember LttP being more difficult, even on a playthrough as an adult.

Some of the optional content is challenging. Thinking of some of the mini-games in particular, and some of the hidden items in dungeons.

I cleared most of the dungeons on my first try without dying. It's not on par with LttP difficulty, for sure. Turn your brain off and enjoy the ride.

[Del Murder]

Turn your brain off and enjoy the ride.

I think you stumbled on Nintendo's new slogan. :goofy:

[NorthernChaosGod]

So I got this for Christmas and have been playing it as much as possible. I'm really liking the look of the game and the story so far, but I do think it could stand to be more difficult. I remember LttP being more difficult, even on a playthrough as an adult.

Some of the optional content is challenging. Thinking of some of the mini-games in particular, and some of the hidden items in dungeons.

I cleared most of the dungeons on my first try without dying. It's not on par with LttP difficulty, for sure. Turn your brain off and enjoy the ride.

The only thing that has given me trouble so far was the very last level of the cucco dodging, but it only took me four tries to get it because I kept backing myself into corners. I'm not really complaining, I'm still enjoying the game.

[Dr Unne]

The only thing that has given me trouble so far was the very last level of the cucco dodging, but it only took me four tries to get it because I kept backing myself into corners. I'm not really complaining, I'm still enjoying the game.

By last level, do you mean you did it for the full 999 seconds? You get something special for doing that. I didn't come close to 999.

I tried to do the tower where you have to fight a bunch of battles in a row, but without using healing items, as a challenge. And failed.

[Pike]

I got it for my birthday (and got a duplicate for Christmas) and put a few hours into it. It's a fun little romp so far and I think the wall-merging mechanic is quite clever. Looking forward to more of it!

[Slothy]

My mom got it for Christmas and I'm finished the second dungeon now. Looks like Nintendo has finally managed a new game mechanic that's actually interesting. Can't remember the last time that happened.

Not a hard game so far but to be perfectly honest, and as much as I love LttP, it wasn't a hard game either. Actually, I think the only Zelda that's got parts that are legitimately hard is Link's Awakening.

[Skyblade]

Working my way through the final dungeon now.

When this game was listed as the Gamespot Game of the Year, I said it would be hard pressed to beat out Fire Emblem Awakening.

Well, I was right, and Fire Emblem Awakening still holds the title, in my mind.

That said, I am utterly amazed at how good of a competition A Link Between Worlds put up. Very, very rarely do I actually agree with a choice for Game of the Year as even a possible contender. But Link Between Worlds is a definite contender, and I can easily understand how someone could have declared it Game of the Year. It is simply a masterwork of craftsmanship. From the mechanics, to the aesthetics, to the story, this game is crafted with love and detail, and is up on my list as one of the best Legend of Zelda games of all time, if not the best.

It blends elements of many different games of the series, adds in its own new ones, and polishes them until they shine.

The Maiamai quest is a clear derivation of the Gold Skulltula hunt. Similar to the Gold Skulltulas, there are 100 little Maiamai scattered across the two worlds, and they are hidden, but give off an audible cue when they're onscreen. Oh, and you can still track them with the map. Only this time, they give rewards that make the quest worthwhile (and the Great Spin Attack is soooo much better than the Hurricane Spin they have been reusing since Wind Waker).

The new "magic" system is really fun. While it's extremely annoying to have the Hookshot and Boomerang deplete the meter (seriously, why did they make formerly unlimited items have a resource?!), it makes all the other items so much more fun. Bombs and Arrows are no longer tied to consumables, and can be used to puzzle solve to your heart's content. For those who hate using consumables (like me), it also makes them a lot more available for general combat use, and that goes triple for the rods. The Ice and Fire Rods (especially the Nice ones) are a lot more effective combat tools when you no longer worry about depleting your magic meter in a handful of shots (and again, much more available for problem solving). They also gave the Lantern some real utility (and the Bug Catching Net is now really useful for getting money early in the game, thanks to Bees, in addition to its standard "final boss use").

The new items are relatively hit or miss. The Sand Rod is, I think, a very solid addition, and works really well with the new wall movement mechanic. It also has some interesting combat uses (as shields or ways to overturn or block foes). The Tornado Rod, however... Yeah, sorry, that one is just a weaker version of the Roc's Feather. It attempts to add some enemy fighting capability, but at the expense of letting you move and jump, drastically limiting what it can do. The "blow around floor tiles" thing is ok, but only useable in extremely, extremely limited situations (which, coming after the Sand Rod, is saying something). They should have just stuck with the Roc's Feather for this one.

The economy is also a really strong addition. Rupees are as plentiful as ever, but this time, there are things to spend them on. Everything from items to potions to minigames all cost you Rupees, so there is actually a money sink to take those Rupees out of your pocket. Sure, the lackluster difficulty may have meant that I never had to re-rent items, but with the "purchase, then upgrade" mechanic and the high cost, it actually had me budgeting my Rupees and planning which I would get next, as well as how much I would spend on minigames.

The puzzle rooms (how has no one mentioned these yet?) are utterly fantastic. Each one serves as essentially an in depth training ground to one of the new mechanics, with the entire room being designed around getting the absolute most out of a particular item or ability. Honestly, it reminds me of the puzzles in Golden Sun or some of the hidden item rooms in Metroid more than it does a Legend of Zelda puzzle. While Legend of Zelda has some pretty good puzzles, I can't ever recall having ones this in depth or requiring such skilled use of a single mechanic before. They're a great addition, and I firmly approve.

The wall walking is also incredibly strong. It allows so much freedom of exploration and secret hunting. It's essentially the best gameplay elements of Paper Mario. I figured, going into it, that it would be another version of Wolf Link. Used in some mandatory spots, and a couple side puzzles, and then left largely untouched. Boy, was I wrong. They incorporated this new element incredibly strongly into the game. It is useful in so many spots. From avoiding attacks and helping with timing puzzles, to traversing the world and hunting out hidden items, I find myself using it all the time, and loving it every time I find somewhere new to explore. I can only hope that Ravio's Bracelet is one of the treasures we find in the next Legend of Zelda game, as I'm finding it hard to imagine going forward without wall walking (similar to how I'm stumped as to how they could make another Fire Emblem game without child units).

The story is fairly strong, especially for a Legend of Zelda game. The personal connection with the Sages is reminiscent of the relationships between Link and the Sages is Ocarina of Time. Only this time, there's more of them, and you know them all personally before they go missing (I'm looking at you, Rauru). Plus, you get to talk to them while they're in the Sacred Realm each time you free a new one, giving a little bit more of a personal touch. Honestly, I wish they'd gone a bit further with this. Having a longer introduction with some more interaction would have been very welcome in my mind (and I can't believe I just asked for a longer introduction section to a game). I think Minish Cap had a better introduction, but it was about the same length, and only setting up the relationship with Zelda. The game clearly doesn't want the story to get in the way of the gameplay, so it has limited things a bit more than it had to, in my opinion. But then, I love story and character interactions, and most gamers and Zelda fans don't necessarily. It still does a fantastic job with what it has, and really helps pull in the player and help liven up Hyrule.

The villains are also pretty good so far. I won't spoil anything (and I don't know how it's going to play out in the end yet), but I will say that so far, I'm thoroughly happy with them.

And, finally, the world and music are just incredible. There is so much thought and detail put into this recreation of the Hyrule from A Link To The Past. It's enough familiarity to make any old fan giddy, while still adding in tons of new content and hidden things to explore. It really felt like going back to the familiar world and exploring how things changed over the years. This is how a sequel should be. The sheer detail they put into this is astounding, and I'll leave you this image from "Did You Know Gaming" to illustrate.

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So no, A Link Between Worlds it's not my Game of the Year. But only by a very slim margin, and due to personal preference (rather than any particular thing I can point out in favor of either game). This game is an absolute gem.

It is also only one of many. Fire Emblem Awakening. Rune Factory 4. Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon. Project X Zone. Pokémon X and Y. Shin Megami Tensei IV. Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

This year saw the debut of a new console generation. How odd is it then, that by far the best console of the year is a handheld system that has been out for almost three years?






Edit: I just beat it. Endgame. So much for my hopes of Ravio's Bracelet, but maybe we'll get some other way to wall walk. The ending was glorious. It's about time we actually get to see the Triforce put to good use (seriously, King of Red Lions? Any wish you want, and you choose to bury the land forever?). It's also nice that the Triforce apparently doesn't have a rule against the whole "wish for more Triforces" thing. Awesome, awesome ending.

[NorthernChaosGod]

@Skyblade I didn't find myself budgeting at all. I think playing Rupee Rush in Lorule is a pretty easy way to get some quick rupees since I'm timing myself with my phone.

The only thing that has given me trouble so far was the very last level of the cucco dodging, but it only took me four tries to get it because I kept backing myself into corners. I'm not really complaining, I'm still enjoying the game.

By last level, do you mean you did it for the full 999 seconds? You get something special for doing that. I didn't come close to 999.

I tried to do the tower where you have to fight a bunch of battles in a row, but without using healing items, as a challenge. And failed.

Well trout, no I didn't do it for that long. I didn't know that's the final one. O_O

[Skyblade]

@Skyblade I didn't find myself budgeting at all. I think playing Rupee Rush in Lorule is a pretty easy way to get some quick rupees since I'm timing myself with my phone.

Rupee Rush is pretty rewarding if you can nail a x2 or x3 bonus, sure. But even with a timer, it takes precision to both hit the time and collect enough Rupees to make it worthwhile, and it wasn't really my favorite minigame (in fact, it's probably the one I played the least, only doing it when I needed a Maiamai or Heart Piece from it). Overall, excluding playing minigames continuously (which is usually a great way to get cash in most games that include them), I think the monetary income rate was really well executed. Heck, even Potions actually cost enough that, until you reach the unlimited money stage (Treacherous Tower eliminates any and all need for future Rupees), they can be something to calculate or budget for.

The only thing that has given me trouble so far was the very last level of the cucco dodging, but it only took me four tries to get it because I kept backing myself into corners. I'm not really complaining, I'm still enjoying the game.

By last level, do you mean you did it for the full 999 seconds? You get something special for doing that. I didn't come close to 999.

I tried to do the tower where you have to fight a bunch of battles in a row, but without using healing items, as a challenge. And failed.

Well trout, no I didn't do it for that long. I didn't know that's the final one. O_O

Did you complete the Spotpass Challenges?

[Rantz]

@Skyblade I didn't find myself budgeting at all. I think playing Rupee Rush in Lorule is a pretty easy way to get some quick rupees since I'm timing myself with my phone.

Rupee Rush is pretty rewarding if you can nail a x2 or x3 bonus, sure. But even with a timer, it takes precision to both hit the time and collect enough Rupees to make it worthwhile, and it wasn't really my favorite minigame (in fact, it's probably the one I played the least, only doing it when I needed a Maiamai or Heart Piece from it).

The trick to Rupee Rush is to listen to the music, which changes at 10 second intervals. Well, it's actually ten seconds-ish, but if you talk to the guy right when the fourth "part" starts, you'll nail the x3 bonus pretty much every time. Not that you probably need it at this stage, but I figured I'd share anyway. Other than that trick (or using a timer), I agree that the income and expenses are well balanced. I was budgeting for the tools as well.

[NorthernChaosGod]

@Skyblade I didn't find myself budgeting at all. I think playing Rupee Rush in Lorule is a pretty easy way to get some quick rupees since I'm timing myself with my phone.

Rupee Rush is pretty rewarding if you can nail a x2 or x3 bonus, sure. But even with a timer, it takes precision to both hit the time and collect enough Rupees to make it worthwhile, and it wasn't really my favorite minigame (in fact, it's probably the one I played the least, only doing it when I needed a Maiamai or Heart Piece from it). Overall, excluding playing minigames continuously (which is usually a great way to get cash in most games that include them), I think the monetary income rate was really well executed. Heck, even Potions actually cost enough that, until you reach the unlimited money stage (Treacherous Tower eliminates any and all need for future Rupees), they can be something to calculate or budget for.

The only thing that has given me trouble so far was the very last level of the cucco dodging, but it only took me four tries to get it because I kept backing myself into corners. I'm not really complaining, I'm still enjoying the game.

By last level, do you mean you did it for the full 999 seconds? You get something special for doing that. I didn't come close to 999.

I tried to do the tower where you have to fight a bunch of battles in a row, but without using healing items, as a challenge. And failed.

Well trout, no I didn't do it for that long. I didn't know that's the final one. O_O

Did you complete the Spotpass Challenges?

I'm hitting the x3 bonus at least 7/10 times using the timer on my phone, it takes very little practice to get the timing down. And you mean the Shadow Link battles? Not all of them, I haven't found many people to battle yet.

[Pike]

I started this and then got distracted by Pokemon again. I'll pick it up again soon. I enjoyed what I did play.