The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

[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?

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.

Without the phone it's a lot harder. Though I'm winding up with way more money on my Hero Mode play through without farming, thanks to hidden chests and puzzle rooms. It definitely has the best economy of any Legend of Zelda game, but Rupees are still plentiful (over 5000 before Master Sword).

Also, I beat all 50 Streetpass Challenges on Normal mode. Awesome little story segment at the end.

[Freya]

Lololol lorule it cracks me up more than it should

[Bubba]

This game gave me all kind of tingles as I made my way through it. But even without the nostalgia-tinted glasses, it is just a beautifully designed game.

I agree that the difficulty level could have been higher from the start. I'm just working my way through Hero mode and it is a much worthier challenge. I didn't mind too much though as it makes it more accessible to newer gamers. My girlfriend (definite non-gamer) gave it a try and became addicted! She just finished her playthrough and anything that gets her into gaming is fine by me.

[Skyblade]

This game gave me all kind of tingles as I made my way through it. But even without the nostalgia-tinted glasses, it is just a beautifully designed game.

I agree that the difficulty level could have been higher from the start. I'm just working my way through Hero mode and it is a much worthier challenge. I didn't mind too much though as it makes it more accessible to newer gamers. My girlfriend (definite non-gamer) gave it a try and became addicted! She just finished her playthrough and anything that gets her into gaming is fine by me.

They do need to make Hero Mode available from the start.

Also, after having completed Treacherous Tower Advanced on Hero Mode, I am finding the Tornado Rod a bit more useful. AOE stun is great against some of those hard rooms. It needed more overworld utility, but as a combat tool, it is quite strong.

Also, I beat all the Streetpass Challenges on Hero Mode now. Dark Link is still the toughest opponent in the game. He's just as fast as you, has really good tools, and an unusually stellar AI (though it doesn't handle the Ice battlefield well). Oh, and on Hero Mode, like all enemies, he deals x4 damage.

If you don't have anyone near you and want to battle a Dark Link and do the challenges, leave your game on, with you somewhere safe, like Kakiriko Village. If you set up your Streetpass Dark Link, every five hours or so of game time (pausing and Sleep Mode don't count), you'll be given one of several pre-made Dark Links to fight. Leave it on all day and you should rack up several to fight later.

[Bubba]

Also, after having completed Treacherous Tower Advanced on Hero Mode, I am finding the Tornado Rod a bit more useful. AOE stun is great against some of those hard rooms. It needed more overworld utility, but as a combat tool, it is quite strong.

Funnily enough, my girlfriend put me onto this tactic. Her gaming dexterity isn't the greatest so she used this all the time to avoid being hit by guards. I tended to just use my sword and occasionally would receive a few hits which is quickly remedied by a few heats from the bushes.

On hero mode though, I've found the Tornado Rod extremely useful where a couple of hits can put you at death's door.

[Del Murder]

Just beat this game yesterday. It was great. A great entry in the series, about on par with the recent console games. Definitely the best handheld Zelda since Link's Awakening.

Spoilers below!

It wasn't perfect, though. I found the level designs were a bit simplistic and lacked sufficient puzzle challenge. There was some beauty in that but I would have liked more. The game was actually very easy. I was scared of dying and losing my items with the rental system but I ended up not dying once, even in the Treacherous Tower.

It was quite mesmerizing once the rental shop became available and the whole world opened up to me. I also liked that you get useful items like the Power Glove and Pegasus Boots just by exploring and talking to people. There's a flaw in this system though, particularly with the Lorule dungeouns. By making the whole game an open world you really have to scale down the difficulty of the dungeons so that Link can tackle them in any order. I didn't notice much change in difficulty in any of the 7 Lorule areas other than the Ice Cavern. So once I had close to max hearts, blue mail, and level 3 or 4 sword all the rest of them were a breeze.

My other gripe comes from the final boss. I really don't like that they used the 'hit the ball of energy back at Ganon' tactic again. It's been done too many times. The final battle other than the painting stuff (which was fun) was pretty vanilla and unoriginal. I did really like how the final dungeon had some large puzzle rooms that required you to use your item sillz but I wish there were more of them, like one for every item. Tornado Rod and Sand Rod needed more love in this game.

The painting mechanic was awesome and pefectly incorporated into the game. That and the nostalgia from returning to the LttP word were the best parts of the game.

[Slothy]

Honestly, pretty much every Zelda is easy. Play through again with the increased difficulty for some real challenge though. You'll spend a solid chunk of the game being killed in one hit by most enemies.

[Del Murder]

Being difficult isn't always about how easy it is to avoid taking hits or deal damage. A lot of the challenge is in figuring out the puzzle rooms or how to beat the bosses. It didn't take much time at all for me to solve these things this time around.

I'd like to try Hero Mode at some point but I have too much else to do right now. I wish the Hero Mode in these games was more like the original Zelda's 2nd quest where the dungeons had a different lay out and stuff was in different places. It was like a whole other game!

[Bolivar]

I actually think a few of the bosses were recycled from previous games. I think all the throwback references are what hurt the difficulty - we've used these items and beat these bosses before; our minds are ready to solve the puzzles before they're even presented to us.

[Del Murder]

Good point.

[Slothy]

Actually I'd say the biggest problem is that people our age actually remember the older Zelda games being harder than they really were. Even the newer ones aren't that hard to be honest, and the puzzles are rarely particularly complex. I'd say the only Zelda game I considered genuinely challenging in any way after going back and playing many of them again as an adult is Link's Awakening.

[The Man]

Link's Awakening isn't even all that challenging unless you try to beat it without dying, I don't think. Which gives you a lot more of a bonus than it does in most of the other games. Though admittedly finding all the heart containers in that game is brutal.

Still doesn't strike me as being as hard as Zelda II though. I wasn't able to beat that until the days of emulators, and I still haven't beaten it without save states.

[Bubba]

I actually think a few of the bosses were recycled from previous games. I think all the throwback references are what hurt the difficulty - we've used these items and beat these bosses before; our minds are ready to solve the puzzles before they're even presented to us.

I do think this is partly true. However, I do think that modern Nintendo games have dialled down the difficulty a lot. It is a lot easier to do this with the advancement of technology.

My girlfriend played through ALBW and really enjoyed it. She died a few times but still managed to finish the whole thing on her own. I then gave her ALTTP to play on my GBA. She really struggled with it and said ALBW was a lot easier to play as it was much more user friendly.

[Ayen]

It's one of the games I plan to get whenever I own a 3DS in the next fifty years.

[Skyblade]

I actually think a few of the bosses were recycled from previous games. I think all the throwback references are what hurt the difficulty - we've used these items and beat these bosses before; our minds are ready to solve the puzzles before they're even presented to us.

I do think this is partly true. However, I do think that modern Nintendo games have dialled down the difficulty a lot. It is a lot easier to do this with the advancement of technology.

My girlfriend played through ALBW and really enjoyed it. She died a few times but still managed to finish the whole thing on her own. I then gave her ALTTP to play on my GBA. She really struggled with it and said ALBW was a lot easier to play as it was much more user friendly.

Yes, but you do also have to consider that mechanics and refinement play into this as well. For example, the fact that you now have a button for your shield, and can block more than projectiles, instead of just having to face the right way and catch it on the correct side. The controls are smoother, movement is more fluid, and the gameplay is more refined.

Then too, speaking personally, the Stamina bar makes me a lot more likely to actually use bombs, arrows, and the magic rods.