Just because I am VERY kind, I'll post a extensive and complete list:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
01. Version History
02. Introduction
03. Background Information
04. The Changes
05. The Palace of the Four Sword
06. Riddle Quest
07. Copyright Info
08. Credits
09. Contact / Links
===================
01. VERSION HISTORY
===================
Version 1.75 :: Some edits and additions throughout.
Version 1.7 :: I have organized the Changes List.
Version 1.63 :: Deleted an error and added to Background Information.
Version 1.61 :: One change has been updated.
Version 1.6 :: About all the changes I've received have been put up.
Version 1.5 :: A bunch of changes have been put up. And if you sent me a
change, I now moved all the names to the Credits section.
I still have a bunch of changes still in my e-mail and
I'll get to those soon as I can.
Version 1.4 :: Added a couple of changes and removed that false change
about the man in the desert.
Version 1.3 :: More changes.
Version 1.2 :: More changes have been added.
Version 1.1 :: Added Background Information and a few changes.
Version 1.0 :: Made the FAQ.
================
02. INTRODUCTION
================
The Super Nintendo game, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past returns,
now portable and including the multi-player game, The Four Swords. This
is a simple FAQ made to cover the number of major and minor differences
from the revision to its original.
Most changes add no effect to game, but I feel that some changes make the
game even easier than it already is. Never the less, Link to the Past
is still a great Zelda game.
I will be adding more changes, so remember to check for updates. Please
excuse me if there are any changes placed in the wrong section; I can be
rather unorganized.
==========================
03. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
==========================
SUPER NINTENDO/FAMICOM
Japan
-----
TITLE | Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce
(The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods)
RELEASE DATE | November 21, 1991
United States
-------------
TITLE | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
RELEASE DATE | April 02, 1992
Europe
-------------
TITLE | The Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past
RELEASE DATE | September 24, 1992
GAME BOY ADVANCE
Japan
-----
TITLE | Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce / Yottsu no Tsurugi
(The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods / Four Swords)
RELEASE DATE | March 14, 2003
United States
-------------
TITLE | The Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past / Four Swords
RELEASE DATE | December 2, 2002
Europe
------
TITLE | The Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past / Four Swords
RELEASE DATE | March 28, 2003
===============
04. THE CHANGES
===============
[ BASIC GAMEPLAY CHANGES ]
- These are not really considered changes, but here are how the controls
for the Game Boy Advance have been setup:
B = Sword / Opening Chests
A = Secondary Item / Talk
L = Map
R = Pick up / Throw / Pull / Dash / Talk
Start = Save Menu
Select = Item Menu
- Much like other Game Boy Advance games, this version has a Sleep
option. This addition basically puts your Game Boy Advance into a
stand-by mode which helps you reserve your batteries' life when you are
not playing. Press L, R, and Select to get out of it.
- Numerous dialogue and text changes have been made throughout the game.
- When starting up a Link to the Past, you can skip the formation of the
Triforce. In the Super Nintendo version, you had to wait until the
title showed up to get to the File Select screen. Also, during the
Title screen, when the Master Sword drops down, the screen flashes
white once. However, the Super Nintendo version, the screen
flashed many colors for a second.
- When you start a new file, you cannot skip the intro.
- If you remember the Super Nintendo version, in order get a 000 Finish
after beating the game, you had to go through the whole game without
dying and saving. For this version, you are allowed to save as much as
you want and still receive the 000 Finish as long as you do not see a
"Game Over" screen.
- When you enter a dungeon, its name will appear on the screen.
- The size of the screen is a few pixels off. What I mean is, for example,
playing my Super Nintendo version, in Swamp Palace, I could clearly see
the two skull pots north of the Big Treasure Chest. Now, I can no longer
see them.
- The Item Menu has been changed. Originally, the bottle would take up
one spot, and when selected on the Item Menu, it would open up a
sub-menu to show all four of them. Now, the four bottles take up one
whole column and in place of where the bottle once was, is now the
Shovel. Plus, in the original, when you selecting an item from the
menu, it would be around a green circle. Now the Item Menu uses green
parenthesis.
- The position of the icons on top of the screen have changed. The
secondary item is now on the other side of the screen, next to the
Heart Meter. In the Super Nintendo version, the secondary item was to
the right of the Magic Meter.
- A " ? " is found in your Item Menu, to the right of your Pieces of
Heart guide. It is an item recovered from starting the Riddle Quest.
- The scrolling of the Maiden's text when they talk to you has changed.
Like the Essence of the Triforce, it now erases the text when you press
A to resume to the next screen.
- Apparently, if you beat A Link to the Past without saving or dying
once, then select Continue when you start up your file again, you begin
as the pink bunny. An odd glitch of the Game Boy Advance version.
- If you save your game in the Light World, you are no longer able to
start in the Mountain Cave. However, you are allowed to start where
ever your last save point was. Even in the Dark World, you can choose
to start from your last save point or on top of the Pyramid of Power.
- You can now "pick up" items (rupees, etc.) with your sword. Simply,
just slash your sword at the item and you will collect it.
- Sparkling rocks have been added to the game. If you slash them with
your sword, rupees come out. There are sparkling skulls in the Dark
World as well. And if you slash them assiduously enough, lit bombs come
out.
- In the Super Nintendo version, if you did a spin slash on a 3x3 grid of
grass with Link at the center, Link would cut all the grass around him,
but the grass he was standing on would remain uncut. Now, all of the
grass is cut, even the grass Link is standing on.
- The Essence of Triforce's speech can now be sped up. In the original,
no matter how often you pressed the buttons, you still had to wait for
the lines to erase themselves.
- While swimming, you can dive underwater for a second or two.
- The Ending Credits have a few name changes.
- The hole in the east side of the Pyramid of Power leads to the new
dungeon. Look in "The Palace of the Four Sword" section for more
details.
- A third lumberjack, Q. Bumpkin has been added. Look in the "Riddle
Quest" section for more details.
[ SOUNDS/ANIMATION/SPRITE CHANGES ]
- Link now has a "voice". He "speaks" when you swing your sword, fall,
etc. The voice is that of Young Link from Ocarina of Time and Majora's
Mask. And no, you cannot mute the voice.
- When you swing your sword, there's a different sound from the original.
- When you go from Light World to Dark World and vice-versa, the sound
has changed from the original.
- When you slice down a sign, there is a newly added sound and graphic.
- When a block of the Cane of Somaria falls down a pit or a hole, it
makes a noise. In the Super Nintendo version, it just disappeared.
The same goes with bombs.
- The sound Link used to make when walking through Misery Mire has
changed. While in the original it was a heavier, deeper sound, it is
now the same as the sound he makes walking through any water.
- Link is running on the new Select Screen. In the original, he was
inanimate.
- The Super Bomb now has a pulsating animation as you drag it along.
- When you reach your maximum amount of Rupees, Arrows, and Bombs, the
text changes to yellow. In the original, the text remained white.
- The timer for the Super Bomb has new font as well.
- After throwing an item in a major Fairy's pond (for example, in the
Waterfall of Wishing), the item would then appear next to the fairy and
it would be floating up and down. In the Super Nintendo version, it used
to be stationary.
- " - Life - " is no longer on top of your Heart Meter / Life Gauge.
- A small, broken bridge has been added to where you have to use the
Hookshot in order to get to Village of Outcasts. At first, there was
only a patch of grass in the shape of an arrow to point at a opening
where you had to use your Hookshot to get across, but I'm assuming they
added the bridge so you could see the two Skulls that you had to hook
onto.
- The witch's assistant has a new look. At first, the assistant was
wearing a hooded cloak and now the assistant looks like Maple from The
Oracle of Ages/Seasons.
- In the Super Nintendo version, enemies would flash different colors
when they were hit. Now they only flash grey.
[ WEAPON AND ITEM CHANGES ]
- Arrows are able to break pots. At first, you can only break one pot
with one arrow, but with the Silver Arrows, you can go through a whole
row of them.
- The Lantern hurts enemies.
- The Fire Rod can go through a row of bushes, stopping only at enemies.
- The Boomerang can cut through signs. But once upgraded, The Magical
Boomerang can not only cut down signs, but also grass and bushes. It
will stop, however, when it hits enemies, landmines, or items (hearts,
rupees, etc.).
- You can now slice down signs using every sword except the (Level 1)
Fighter's Sword.
- The (Level 4) Golden Sword and Magic Powder can now break pots.
- The Hookshot seems to have a different sound from the original.
- The Magic Hammer can break small, light-colored rocks. The same goes
with light-colored skulls in the Dark World. Not only that, the Magic
Hammer can also destroy bushes.
- When you found the Flute in the Haunted Grove, it would replace the
Shovel. This time around, you get to keep the Shovel even after
obtaining the Flute. Also, you can now Shovel upwards and downwards,
unlike the Super Nintendo version.
- Using the Flute, you can now warp to the screen with the portal that
leads to Turtle Rock. This would be the 9th Warp Point. Of course, you
can only warp up there until you've activated the warp portal and have
gone through it.
- When you get a magic item (Cane of Bryna, Lantern...) your Magic Meter
is refilled.
[ DUNGEON AND ENEMY CHANGES ]
- Remember that "insanely difficult" puzzle in Ice Palace? You know, the
one where you had to do a couple of backtracking just to keep a door
open? And sometimes, some people (like me =P) went to the Misery Mire
Dungeon first, just to pick up the Cane of Somaria so we basically get
through the game faster? Well, two rooms have been redone so you can no
longer do that trick. In fact, the puzzle is pathetically easy now.
(It's a shame though; the SNES puzzle was already easy...)
- Right after defeating a boss, you can no longer use your secondary
item. Not that you have any use for your secondary item at that time
anyway.
- Like-Likes are in the game. They are found near the Dark World Shield
Shop and in the Palace of the Four Sword.
- A couple of enemies have changed color.
- Through a certain exit of Turtle Rock, you were lead outside to a very
thin cliff upon Death Mountain. Using the Magic Mirror, you would be
sent to the Light World where a cave opening awaits behind you. In this
room would be where you get a Piece of Heart. In the original Super
Nintendo version, there were Goriyas (the creatures that mimic your
movements and were killed by arrows) but now they are cyclops soldiers.
- In the Palace of Darkness (Dark World - Level 1), there was a dark room
with a few fire-breathing enemies. You had to go through this room to get
to the chest with the Magic Hammer in it. Before, you could see the
enemies' fire in the darkness of the room. Now, you can only see it with
your lantern light.
- The sand enemies in the Desert of Mystery are now much more numerous and
faster.
[ NAME CHANGES ]
- The Good Bee has a name change. It is now the Golden Bee.
- "Faerie" is now "Fairy".
- The Pegasus Boots are now called the Pegasus Shoes.
[ OTHER CHANGES AND ODDITIES ]
- Whenever a major Fairy appears (for example, in the Waterfall of
Wishing), the four harp chords will only play the first time, unlike
the Super Nintendo version, in which the chords will play every time
the Fairy shows up. Of course, this only works if you have not exited
the room in which the Fairy is in.
- The lighting of dark rooms has been changed. In the original, if you
were in a dark room, a cone of light would be in front of you until
you lit a square torch. Now, in a dark room, even after you light a
torch, the cone of light would remain.
- When you reveal a land mine then dash through it, it won't explode.
Before, you could safely detonate the land mine by dashing over them.
- In the Dark World, there is a certain enemy that look like a spinning
cluster of stars. When you come into contact with it, you are reverted
to your bunny form temporarily. In the Super Nintendo version, as a
bunny, you would have a green mail on regardless if you have the Blue or
Red Mail. Now, the color of mail remains in the remake.
- In the Super Nintendo version, when you bomb down a wall, dust would fall
in the new door. Now, it no longer does so.
- A tree on the north-west side of Kakariko now gives you a red rupee if
you dash into it. Unfortunately, this can only be done once in a game
file. In the original, you could get the ten rupees, save, reset,
return, and then get the rupees again. Same goes with two trees that
both gave off red rupees in the Light World's Haunted Grove.
- A Golden Bee can be bought from a shop in Village of Outcasts. In the
original, there wasn't even a house there.
- In the Super Nintendo version, a Dark World shop located between the
Pyramid of Power and the Village of Outcasts sold: A Red
Shield, a Bee, and 10 Arrows. The shop has now been changed into
basically a Shield Shop which sells the Fighter's Shield, the Red
Shield, and the Mirror Shield. (The Mirror Shield will not appear
until you lose yours.)
- The talking trees in the Dark World will now send a lit bomb at you
after they are done talking to you, but that is only if they are not
friendly. In the Super Nintendo version, if you ran into any talking
tree's snout, a lit bomb would be spit out first, then you could talk
to them.
- If you killed the Zoras, they would drop a bomb in the water. In the
Super Nintendo version, the Bomb icon would seem to "sink", while they
seem to just float completely above the water now.
- The fairies that pop out from bushes and enemies has seemly increased a
lot in appearance rate.
- When you went into Ganon's Tower in the Super Nintendo version, when
you are walking up the steps, there is a point where Link seems to
"jump" a part of the stairs when he's under the over hanging balcony.
Now Link does not do that. He walks under it normally without
"jumping".
- In the graveyard, by where you get the Magic Cape, you now can jump
down across the stones. In the Super Nintendo version, you cannot do
so.
- Having trouble finding the Piece of Heart in the Dark World Digging
minigame? You can "cheat" in this version. After digging for your thirty
seconds, go to the eastern part of the fenced-in area and jump over the
fences. After doing so and without leaving the screen, go back and talk
to the creature. He will let you dig again, but all the holes you dug
the first time around will still be there, allowing you to dig the holes
you missed. In the Super Nintendo version, you had to leave the screen
and in doing so, reset all the holes, and return to play the game again.
- The telepathic tile in the Chris Houlihan's Room has been removed.
Not only that, it is now called the Top Secret Room. Also note that
you cannot seem to enter this room as you would in the Super Nintendo
version. The room is still in the code, but you need to use an emulator
or some type of cheating device in order to get there.
- Not a change, but all three Ghosts of Misery Mire are still
in the remake!
================================
05. THE PALACE OF THE FOUR SWORD
================================
I will not provide a walkthrough but I will, however, tell you some
information about it.
To enter this new dungeon of A Link to the Past, beat the game normally
and you must have completed the Four Swords multiplayer game. Then, enter
the hole on the east side of the Pyramid of Power. Inside, you will
come across puzzles as well as some bosses from the Dark World dungeons.
And waiting for you at the end, is new boss...
Once you have defeated the new boss, a new alternative ending will play,
plus you will see your Quest Log, which shows a lot information about
your current game.
================
06. RIDDLE QUEST
================
Once you earn ten medals in The Four Swords, this quest will be unlocked.
Talk to the newly added third lumberjack and he will ask you a number of
riddles. He riddles will consist of retrieving the answer by use of the
Bug-Catching Net. If you complete this quest, you will receive a new
sword technique as a prize.
