5/5 ★ – RawMetal's review of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

System: Super Nintendo Started: April 13, 2025 Ended: April 27, 2025 Redemption Playthrough First Attempt: 2004 (GBA Version) I’ve been meaning to go back to this gem and finish it during my backlog playthroughs. It would be a perfect time to play this during Easter Week since Link was a rabbit in The Dark World. What happened was that I used to have A Link to the Past, and it was the Game Boy Advance version. Unfortunately, I lost the game cartridge during a home move, and I was at the point where I had actually reached Ganon’s Tower, the final dungeon. It took a while because I played it without any guide and kept paying the gypsy for hints on what to do next during my quest. Eventually, many years later, I managed to snag a Super Nintendo version, and now I have finally beaten it after all these years. A Link to the Past was a Zelda entry that went back to the basics of the original game, while Zelda II was completely different with its side-scrolling gameplay. A Link to the Past was an improvement over the original, addressing what went wrong with the first game. It is considered to be a definitive classic in video game history by both fans and critics alike. In fact, there has always been debate about which two Zelda games are better: A Link to the Past or Ocarina of Time. Personally, A Link to the Past is by far my favorite in the franchise, mostly for nostalgic reasons, as it ranks really high on my list of favorite video games. This Zelda game is the third entry, and since it first spawned on the Super Nintendo, the story is more in-depth. We get an introductory cutscene before starting the game, learning about the Golden Land and the seven mages sealing the gate since Ganon obtained the Triforce from that land, producing the Dark World. We even get more of the story after beating the dungeon and rescuing the descendants of the mages. A Link to the Past has a great dungeon and open-world design. Immediately when you start the game, you are thrown into a dungeon quickly. Normally, in most Zelda games after this entry, you have to build up the story and spend a good 30 minutes to an hour to finally get to the actual game. This is also the first Zelda game to give you a pinpoint location of where to go next, so you don’t have to spend hours trying to find areas that let you progress in-game. You can still traverse the land of Hyrule by testing out your weapons, shopping, playing mini-games, and locating secrets, as well as finding pieces of heart that are scattered everywhere. There are some hidden secrets in this game, like the Chris Houlihan Room and even ways to get an upgraded Golden Sword and Silver Arrows. Additionally, the music in this game is iconic and catchy. The peaceful music of the Sanctuary theme, the Overworld theme as Link travels through Hyrule, and the Dark World theme give a sense of epicness while traversing through evil plains, where monsters and thieves lurk at every corner. I cannot say that it’s a short Zelda game, but it kind of is. Four Swords was the shortest Zelda game I have ever played. However, after replaying this game again, I was surprised that I managed to finish it in two weeks. Back when I played it as a kid, it took me weeks, and possibly months, to reach the last stretch of the game without any guide since let's plays weren't big in the early to mid-2000s. Another criticism I can mention is that some items in this game are just okay. It is impressive that you can upgrade them if you find a Fairy Spring. Even at one Fairy Spring I found, you can donate 100 rupees to upgrade your arrow and bomb capacity. However, some items, like the Cane of Byrna, are optional. On the bright side, they are useful in dungeons in case you are going to be bombarded with traps and enemies in one room. These flaws I mentioned are a slight nitpick, but they do not really affect the game severely. This 2D game blew me away during my childhood years, and it's one of my favorite games of all time. Granted, Ocarina of Time was my first Zelda game, but after playing this, I personally prefer A Link to the Past over Ocarina. Most Zelda fans seem to prefer the other way around, or fans even prefer Twilight Princess over both. I know many in my gaming group are huge on Twilight Princess and I can’t blame them. This is an absolute must-play for new Zelda fans and even newcomers to video games.