A bright outlook for Zeldaʼs future

The 3DS has sometimes suff ered from its line-up, but it’s always had great Zelda games. Starting with Ocarina of Time 3D which was a great remastering of the original with a Master Quest. It’s a seriously good game which was enough for meto buy a3DS. Since then there have been a great many good games for the 3DS, but a Link Between Worlds is truly a special game not only for the 3DS but for Zelda games in general A Link Between Worlds is somewhat of a Link to the Past remake, but its more than that. Yes, the world is pretty close to Link to the Past and some elements are the same, but it is really a new game in its own right. The game has its own charming art style and Link controls more fl uidly than ever before. Just walking around this game is fun! Th e world being similar to a Link to the Past just provides many moments of nostalgia, but also causes moments of surprise when things are different. It’s a modern top down Zelda and this is a really great thing. One stand out thing about this game is the music. It’s a beautiful sounding score that draws on the soundtrack to a Link to the Past and will make you feel so entranced by the magic of Zelda. Nintendo has had success with the New Super Mario Bros games and I feel that this Zelda is akin to that. The overall feeling of a Zelda game is there but it is a diff erent experience to play. Players of the Ocarina of Time remake will enjoy this just as much or even more! There are some new features unique to this game that really make it stand out. The 3D provides depth and is a welcome but not necessary feature. This game brings back the feeling of the older games in which you must discover for yourself instead of being led. Dungeons can now be done in pretty much whatever order you want, with the items you need not being obtained throughout the game but rented from a cute, and nowhere near as annoying as Tingle, character named Ravio. Shortly into the game you have access to all weapons and the game allows you to decide which items you want to rent. At fi rst I really liked this feature, and as I had amassed a small fortune in Rupees decided to invest in the whole lot, but then I died. Shortly after my death Ravio’s assistant came and took my weapons back to the shop, meaning I had to travel back to the shop to rent the items again. This can get annoying if you fi nd a particular boss hard meaning you die and need to repeatedly go to the shop to rent the items you want, but on the whole the extra freedom you have enables you to enjoy and explore the game more as you follow no set path. The freedom to do the dungeons in any order is a feature I wish to see in the future in other Zelda games, but maybe refined a little. Th e travelling required is made better by a handy Witch who will take you around on a magic broom to various Weather Vanes you have discovered, and is a bit like the teleportation from other Zelda games. Another new feature is the ability to merge into walls and move around. Once you get used to this (I got stuck for ages because I forgot I could do this) it makes the game so much fun. The dungeon puzzles are the best they have been in ages and this is largely due to the merge ability. If I were to play a Link to the Past again, something this game really makes you want to do, I would feel sad that the merge ability is not there as its already become one of my favourite game mechanics, not just in Zelda.A Link Between worlds isn’t just a great 3DS game, it’s a great game and shouldn’t be missed by any Zelda fan. I strongly believe this game should be up there with other Franchise favourites like Ocarina of Time and Windwaker. The game is a refreshing new Zelda experience after all the remakes Nintendo has done. With the 3DS virtual console having Oracle of Ages and Seasons you can now get the majority of 2D Zelda games on the 3DS system, and I highly recommend you pick up this one!