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Title: Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The (#2)
Author:Nintendo
Rom Player: ZSNES
Reviewer: Tawna Evans
Synopsis: A Nintendo Console would not be complete without a Zelda game. Once again, Link must rescue princess Zelda and foil the plans of the evil Gannon in a top-down view adventure game. In the SNES version of Zelda, Link explores a greatly expanded Hyrule in which he can jump off ledges, swim through rivers and lakes, grapple across pits, speak with villagers, and use an assortment of weapons and items. Link can also swing his sword with a few different techniques. He can stab, strike, and swing his sword in a complete circle. To top that off, the land of Hyrule has a dark twin that appears almost identical, except for there being different caverns and palaces to explore and new enemies to fight. Many of the places Link explores consist of multiple layers; in one moment, Link walks on a bridge, and another time, he walks beneath the bridge. This adds to the complexity of the labyrinths that Link explores in his 16-bit adventure.
The various elements in this game are very nice. The play-control is real smooth. With the press of a button, Link does exactly what you want him to do. However, it would be nice to be able to run and change directions while running, but this game doesn't allow that. There are plenty of missions to accomplish and places to explore which keeps the story element interesting. Link must rescue Zelda-- not once, but twice! The graphics look clean and beautiful. However, sometimes the sprites move slower than normal when there are too many of them on the screen at once. Fortunately, that doesn't happen very often.
The music includes a decent variety that keeps things interesting. There are different tunes for palaces, caverns, the town, the Sanctuary, and the over-world. In light Hyrule, you can hear the classic Zelda song from the NES version as Link explores the terrain. One of the coolest songs can be heard at the top of Death Mountain when Link experiences his first encounter with dark Hyrule. The sound effects sound great, too! When it’s raining, you can hear the sound of rain hitting the ground. When Link walks through wet grass, I visualize wet grass that's two inches deep with water. Plus, whenever a bomb explodes... watch out! They go "kaboom!" You can also hear it when a dark knight strikes Link's shield with their swords. Those fights go "klank-klank!"
Now, concerning originality... other than nice visual elements and sound effects, this game does not offer anything new. In spite of that, this Zelda game sure is fun. Whenever I have an entire day to spare, I can beat it without saving it once. The ending credits total up the amount of games played. Can you beat it, with zero saves? Play the game, and find out!
Best Cheats: Nothing Entered
Game Play: 9
Graphics: 9
Music/Sound: 10
Originality: 5
Overall Rating: 8
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