So I asked a few weeks ago if I should try old Zelda games if I like BOTW and TOTK and people gave me loads of advice. The most recommended games were Link to the Past, Link Between Worlds, Ocarina of Time, and Wind Waker. Since I am playing Tears of the Kingdom right now, I decided the 3D games would be too similar, and decided to look into the 2D ones instead. It also turned out they were much shorter which was another point in their favour.
So I decided to play Link to the Past. The context here is, I know nothing about the game except that it's very acclaimed and supposedly very influential, and my only experience with Zelda is BOTW and TOTK. Anyway, so I am playing this game, and I really, really love it! It's so different from BOTW and TOTK but it still keeps that sense of adventure and exploration, but there's a more Metroidvania style progression now that I am really digging. The game is also incredibly cinematic and atmospheric! That opening with the rainfall and storm is amazing, and I like how much there is an immediate threat in the story.
I love how quick the game is too, there is almost no bloat in any of it, and it also seems like almost all the cool modern Zelda plot elements like Hyrule Castle, Kakariko Village, Master Sword, the sages, and Ganon, were all already part of the series by this game. I love the dungeon design so much, it kind of feels like a 2D version of the Souls games (I know I have it backwards because this game obviously came before but I played Souls first so they are my point of reference here), and the item based gameplay is amazing, I can't believe how cool it feels to get an item that not only gives me new combat abilities but also completely changes how I approach dungeons and exploration now.
Like seriously the design and pacing of this game is mind blowing. And then there is the twist! I love the twist so much! I seriously thought I was almost done with the game, I was already loving it, I thought it was short but it makes sense because it's an old game, but the twist! And then the whole mechanic of the way the two worlds influence each other and how they are used for puzzle solving! And it turns out everything until then was just a tutorial, this is the real game! And everything is so much harder, so much more satisfying, so much better designed.
This game is a masterpiece. If they released it as is today, it would still be a masterpiece. I cannot believe how good this is, its almost 30 years old and was made for an 8 bit console, I literally can't believe they managed to do something like this back then.
What a masterpiece. At least I am starting to understand why the Zelda series has held hype for this long.
So I decided to play Link to the Past. The context here is, I know nothing about the game except that it's very acclaimed and supposedly very influential, and my only experience with Zelda is BOTW and TOTK. Anyway, so I am playing this game, and I really, really love it! It's so different from BOTW and TOTK but it still keeps that sense of adventure and exploration, but there's a more Metroidvania style progression now that I am really digging. The game is also incredibly cinematic and atmospheric! That opening with the rainfall and storm is amazing, and I like how much there is an immediate threat in the story.
I love how quick the game is too, there is almost no bloat in any of it, and it also seems like almost all the cool modern Zelda plot elements like Hyrule Castle, Kakariko Village, Master Sword, the sages, and Ganon, were all already part of the series by this game. I love the dungeon design so much, it kind of feels like a 2D version of the Souls games (I know I have it backwards because this game obviously came before but I played Souls first so they are my point of reference here), and the item based gameplay is amazing, I can't believe how cool it feels to get an item that not only gives me new combat abilities but also completely changes how I approach dungeons and exploration now.
Like seriously the design and pacing of this game is mind blowing. And then there is the twist! I love the twist so much! I seriously thought I was almost done with the game, I was already loving it, I thought it was short but it makes sense because it's an old game, but the twist! And then the whole mechanic of the way the two worlds influence each other and how they are used for puzzle solving! And it turns out everything until then was just a tutorial, this is the real game! And everything is so much harder, so much more satisfying, so much better designed.
This game is a masterpiece. If they released it as is today, it would still be a masterpiece. I cannot believe how good this is, its almost 30 years old and was made for an 8 bit console, I literally can't believe they managed to do something like this back then.
What a masterpiece. At least I am starting to understand why the Zelda series has held hype for this long.