Looking Back On A Link Between Worlds Ten Years Later

November 22nd, 2013 — that day marks one of the biggest days in Zelda history. It wasn’t the release of the hotly anticipated Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom, nor was it the release of a remake for a series classic like Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess. Rather, it was the day the spiritual sequel to the third-ever Zelda game came out. And that game, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, would come to revolutionize the way we think about Zelda.

Before it was A Link Between Worlds, however, the game was conceived as a remake of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The producer, Eiji Aonuma, was tasked by Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto to develop said remake. Yet, between Aonuma’s not wanting to strictly remake the Super Nintendo classic and the idea of Link merging into walls, A Link Between Worlds as a completely new title was born.

In some ways, A Link Between Worlds can be considered a re-imagining of the series classic. From characters, to story structure, to the worlds themselves, the two games are very much alike. One might even call it a love letter to its spiritual predecessor. For its time, A Link to the Past had a compelling video game narrative, though it was no doubt limited by the lore and technology available at the time of its release. A Link Between Worlds had much more to work with, coming in 22 years after A Link to the Past, and work with it it did.

However, at the same time, this game came into production at a time when the Zelda team was rethinking the conventions of the series, giving rise to the game’s freedom of progression. A Link Between Worlds therefore, while honoring Zelda‘s past, represented a step forward into Zelda‘s future.

 

The Road to A Link Between Worlds

I’ll never forget when A Link Between Worlds was revealed. I had just gotten home from a trip to visit family in Wisconsin — in other words, I had just wrapped up a two-day drive cramped in the back of a car with my cousins. Animal Crossing: New Leaf had just come out, and it was all the rage. Yet, little did I know that our return was around the time of Nintendo’s 2013 E3 presentation. I opened the eShop on my 3DS as I did every day, and what did my eyes behold but a trailer for a new Zelda game.

At this point, I had been a Zelda fan for only around half a year. After experimenting with the free Four Swords Anniversary Edition that is, sadly, no longer available for download, I decided to start where it all began by playing the original. From there, I picked up Link’s Awakening, Ocarina of Time 3D, and Twilight Princess. These games were all at various stages of completion when Worlds was announced, and Ocarina of Time 3D may have been the only Zelda I’d played through to the finish.

Despite that, A Link Between Worlds became the center of all my hype. Any time Nintendo released a video on it — which was frequent — I was there. I remember coming home from school and watching the videos as I worked through myriad chores. I’m sure I found a fair bit of them right here on Zelda Dungeon, well before I started writing.

Anticipating the game’s impending release, I knew I had to play A Link to the Past, so I had my dad take me to GameStop, where I proceeded to buy a Wii GameCube controller and a Wii Points card worth 2,000 points. Many great memories were made playing that game, but that’s a story for another time. Let’s just say that it set the stage for me to appreciate A Link Between Worlds a lot more than if I’d never played it. Oh, and there was the fact that I beat the game the night before I got A Link Between Worlds as an early Christmas present — that was nice too.

I was beyond ecstatic when I opened my present to find not just the game, but specifically the golden cover version of the game. (For those who don’t know, the game was released with two different covers: the normal cover art and a special gold variant.) Ironically, I soon after received the game as a gift from another family member, this time with the regular cover. What I’m not sure of is whether or not that second copy had a reversible cover that some packagings of the game had.

 

The Adventure

Alas, it’s time we talk about the actual game itself. I was in love from start to finish, from the moment I excitedly popped the cartridge into my 3DS that same night, to the day I slew the beast Yuga Ganon and restored Lorule’s Triforce. (Seriously, actually getting to press the button and use the Triforce myself was amazing.) I have countless memories of my first time with the game that I’ll never forget.

Maybe I sound a little biased toward the game, but objectively speaking, I really do think it’s one of the series’ best. It excels in balancing linear progression and “open world” progression. Some dungeons you must complete in certain orders, but most you are free to tackle however you want. It’s something I wish Tears of the Kingdom would have done; while the game experimented with the concept through the Hyrule Castle Main Quest and the Spirit Temple, those each fell short of feeling like proper dungeons, and the game really missed out on having one at the end of the Great Sky Island. Alas, I digress. With any luck, we’ll see future installments return to and possibly refine A Link Between Worlds‘ approach to story progression — the game truly is the gold standard for the Zelda franchise when it comes to that.

On the matter of A Link Between Worlds‘ dungeons, each expresses the peak of top-down Zelda design, putting to excellent use the game’s many items, painting gimmick, and three-dimensional design. While not the first 3D top-down, or 2.5D, Zelda experience, it was the first to play like the classic Zelda games of old. One could go so far as to call it a reimagining of A Link to the Past, and no one would argue. 

Worlds takes the design and mechanics of traditional top-down Zelda and builds upon them with the technological advancements in game design available in the early 2010s. It was clear from the trailers that the developers really wanted to emphasize the game being on a 3DS, with mechanics like the jump pads in the Tower of Hera or the puzzle and boss designs in the House of Gales. The Dark Palace also comes to mind as a stand-out dungeon, demonstrating how the use of color had evolved since the 16-bit days of Zelda.

One cannot forget the painting mechanic, another great example of how the game stretches the possibilities of top-down Zelda. It brings a new level of experience to combat, exploration, and puzzle solving. Most Zelda games have their own unique gimmicks, and this one is certainly one of the best in my opinion. It goes to show that, in the right hands, even the most outlandish idea can be turned into something game changing.

I also really appreciate the complexity of the item system, and how it forces you to reassess your approach to combat. You can’t just run into every fight carelessly. Where money was a resource for potions and item stocks in previous games, this game treats it as a barrier between you and the items necessary to progress. Lose an item? I hope you’re ready to go back to Ravio’s shop and make your way back to wherever you were. Out of Rupees? Congratulations, you get to farm them!

Of course, that’s not an issue forever. As you progress, Ravio gives you the option to purchase the weapons, which you are then able to upgrade through collecting Maiamais hidden throughout the worlds. This is the real cherry on top. Not only are these upgrades great for traversing the late game, but the designs really pop. My favorites are probably the Fire Rod, the bow, and the hammer. It was quite the revolutionary idea at the time, and it’s something we have yet to see since.

In terms of gameplay, movement in A Link Between Worlds is very fluid, as opposed to its spiritual predecessor A Link to the Past. It feels very freeing to be able to move around with a full range of motion, not restricted to the simple directions of a D-pad. The freer movement greatly benefits combat and traversal, as you’re not going to lose health due to a hit from an enemy or by falling off a ledge because the game wouldn’t let you move when the smallest fraction of your sprite was against a wall or block. Perhaps I sound a little harsh, but I replayed A Link to the Past to prepare myself for replaying this game, and I discovered an irritation with its movement I hadn’t before had with that game.

 

The Music

Of course, one cannot talk about a Zelda game without talking about its music. And boy, does A Link Between Worlds not miss a beat. Pulling many tracks and leitmotifs from A Link to the Past, the game faithfully recreates them to match the tone and aesthetics of its unique adventure. Seeing — or hearing — each dungeon get its own unique theme was quite the treat, characterizing each in ways that enhanced the experience the way a modern Zelda soundtrack should. Vibes are everything, and composer Ryo Nagamatsu understood that to a T. One of my favorite moments is when the “Lorule Field” track changes, reflecting Link’s progression and the shift in the story’s tone as our hero draws ever closer to his destination. Oh, and I have to give a shoutout to “The Chamber of Sages” for invoking that full-on Ocarina of Time nostalgia by reorchestrating “Legend of Hyrule.” The way that theme is used in this game, in the chamber where Link accesses the Triforce of Courage, is just genius.

I could go on, but I’d rather save that for a full, in-depth musical analysis of A Link Between Worlds. That said, I must give a shout-out to Yuga, Ravio, and Hilda’s themes, all of which are great and perfectly represent their characters.

There’s one track that always comes to mind when thinking about A Link Between Worlds, and you already know what it is: “Lorule Castle.” An epic medley consisting of multiple parts, the song gets better and more bombastic as Link climbs the dark tower, marching ever closer to the final fight. By the end, when Ganon’s main theme works its way in, you know things are about to get real. It’s an essential part of many Zelda games for the big bad’s theme to slowly rise as the player works through the final dungeon/area, and this track doesn’t hold back. Oh, and who could forget that the theme is the inverse of the epic — and dare I say best, aside from A Link to the Past — Hyrule Castle theme. “Lorule Castle” truly is the pinnacle of dungeon music in the Zelda franchise.

 

The Side Stuff

A retrospective on a Zelda title wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the vast side content, and boy, this game has a lot. Who could forget the countless classic minigames, the exciting Octoball Derby, or the infuriating Cucco Dash, behind which my final Piece of Heart will forever be trapped? Meanwhile, Hero Mode, which is unlocked after beating the game for the first time, ups the difficulty and packs the heat with an experience that’s as entertaining as it is challenging. When it comes to ingenuity, this game goes all out. 

In what I would consider a much better version of Korok Seeds, A Link Between Worlds features 100 hidden Maiamais, small octopus-like creatures for Link to find and return to their mother in exchange for item upgrades. I had a lot of fun looking for these, and doing so was always rewarding. Solving puzzles to rescue them and seeing their mother’s joy at their safe return was quite the treat.

The Milk Bar musicians are a very welcome addition to Zelda. These musical NPCs play acoustic remixes of themes from throughout the Zelda series, going all the way up to A Link between Worlds itself. I’m glad this feature returned in some form in Tri Force Heroes, and I hope to see it again in future installments. As I think about it, it would have been really nice had Kass done this in Breath of the Wild, or in Tears of the Kingdom were he in the game.

Moving on to the big one, we have Streetpass battles. For those who don’t know, Streetpass was a function of the 3DS and 2DS family systems where players’ Miis could visit each other if their devices, with Streetpass turned on, were within a certain distance of each other. In A Link Between Worlds, this feature unlocked battles against other players, represented by Shadow Link, which the player could take on, with the reward of bountiful rupees should the player succeed. Depending on how far the other player had progressed in their game, the battles could get quite intense, though none likely as intense as the fight with Gramps, whom many, myself included, believe to be none other than the Hero of Legend from A Link to the Past himself.

 

The Story

Here we have another area where the game excels. Where A Link to the Past was a simple “save the Princess, save the world” story, A Link Between Worlds is so much more. Right off the bat, the game introduces Yuga, a cunning villain who’ll show up again and again throughout the journey to antagonize Link, always one step ahead of the fated hero. Link meets many other great characters along the way; there’s no shortage of quirky personalities lending their hand to save the day. This game sets itself right at home with titles like Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess with helpful hands. Ravio is without a doubt the golden boy, but one can’t forget the sages, each with their own subplots and motivations, a stark contrast to the cookie-cutter Maidens from A Link to the Past.

And it doesn’t end there — far from it. There’s not one, not two, but three major plot twists, each riveting and among the greatest in franchise history. First there’s Ganon, who isn’t the threat we expect, but is instead used as a tool by Yuga, giving us the menacing Yuga Ganon, whose design is among the best of the franchise’s big bads. By this point, fans of the series were used to the initial villain being naught but a puppet for Ganon/dorf. Seeing Ganon turned into the puppet for once was quite the subversion of expectations, and the moment remains one of the greatest plot twists in the series — right along with the following two.

What a shocker it was when it turned out Yuga, the man who used the very bane of Hyrule to achieve his own designs, was himself a puppet to none other than Princess Zelda‘s Lorulean counterpart, Princess Hilda. The moment Hilda pulls back the veil and shows us her true intentions is so well executed, with nothing short of amazing visuals, and the reveal ups the ante in a way no one could have foreseen. These two twists must have been equally unexpected. They close out an epic series of events that starts with getting the legendary Master Sword and storming Hyrule Castle.

Then there’s perhaps the game’s biggest plot twist: Ravio is Lorule’s Link. Sadly, I’ll never know the full experience of seeing Ravio draw back the hood, as I’d had the reveal spoiled to me while looking up a guide on the game. Of all the things to be spoiled for, right? Or, was it obvious that Ravio would be the Link to Hilda’s Zelda? All I can say is that, before spoiling myself, I didn’t suspect a thing. Whatever the case, there is a clear love in the community for Ravio and his being Link’s counterpart. This twist also opened the door to a lot of fan speculation, such as the whereabouts of Lorule’s Master Sword and the properties of Lorule’s Triforce.

Most of all, though, Ravio undergoes one of the best arcs in the series. Who we once thought was just a kooky, money-loving guy in a rabbit suit turns out to be a “cowardly” hero who turned to non-traditional means to save his homeland, earning his very own badge of courage among the great heroes of Zelda history. Watching Ravio grow through his arc is ever so satisfying; I cheer for him every time. Coming from a game of many favorites, he has certainly solidified his place among my favorite Zelda characters. He is fun to control in Hyrule Warriors, but I’m still waiting for my game with Ravio as the main character, Nintendo! Be like Ravio and take my rupees already!

Coming to the end, this game might just be the best story about the Triforce in all of the franchise. “As above, so below,” as they say — just as Hyrule has warred endlessly over its Triforce, so, too, has Lorule. That is, until Hilda’s ancestors wished it out of existence. Quite literally, they used the Triforce to destroy the Triforce. Yet, what they thought would relieve Lorule of its troubles only sunk it deeper. Where once the Loruleans fought over the power of the gods, they soon began to fight over resources as the land fell into utter disarray, deteriorating from the loss of that which held everything together. Thus does our story begin, when Hilda uses Yuga in a ploy to steal Hyrule’s Triforce, unaware that Yuga is secretly working toward his own dark ambitions.

This all brings us to one of the greatest, hypest moments in the series: entering the Sacred Realm and actually using the Triforce. If that’s not enough, it’s followed up by one of the series’ most heartwarming moments, as Ravio and Hilda rejoice at the restoration of Lorule’s Triforce. It will never cease to amaze me that such a striking narrative could come from such a tiny cartridge.

 

Final Thoughts

Maybe I’ve got on rose-colored glasses, but I find it hard to find flaws with this game. Or maybe I just don’t want to. For years, the game has sat in my top five Zelda games, usually in third place behind Twilight Princess and Majora’s Mask. This year, however, it may have moved down a peg, but only because I love Tears of the Kingdom so much. Although, if I’m to be honest, as I’ve been writing this article and reflecting, I’m beginning to think that this may just be the best Zelda game after all.

On top of an amazing story, an outstanding soundtrack, great dungeons, and fantastic gameplay, A Link Between Worlds truly stands as the pinnacle of story progression in the franchise, masterfully combining linearity with freedom. It encompasses the two different modes of Zelda, and acts as a bridge between the linear gameplay of the 2000s and the freedom of the late 2010s onward, while also connecting to the series’ roots of exploration in doing so. What’s more, I’ll never cease to appreciate the way this game takes a familiar map from 22 years prior and makes it feel brand new, much the way Tears of the Kingdom does with Breath of the Wild‘s world.

If I had to change one thing about this game, I suppose it’d be that it’s not on Switch yet. With Worlds having now been out for ten years and trapped on a family of consoles Nintendo is ready to forget — if it hasn’t already — I think the stage is set for a triumphant return. There’s sure to be a long period before the next big Zelda title hits store shelves, so maybe, just maybe, we might see a remaster in the semi-near future. If not, well, that’s okay, because I’ll always have my trusty 2011 3DS to replay the game on just like I did all those years ago, which is quite possibly what I’ll be doing when this article goes live.

A Link Between Worlds was the first new Zelda game to release after I began my journey with the franchise, and it’s a game I hold very near and dear to my heart. As I’m finishing this article and listening to its soundtrack, I find myself getting emotional reflecting on my love and experiences for this title. I’ve already begun my tenth Anniversary replay, and I can’t wait to experience it all over again and see what I pick up as an adult that I didn’t as a wee teenager. If you’ve yet to play this wonderful game, I hope that changes for you really soon — and when it does, I hope you’ll come back here and share your thoughts.

Happy birthday, A Link Between Worlds. Thank you for all of the great memories that are, and that are to come.

 

Your Turn

I’ve talked a lot about this game, and I know I could do more, but I think that’s enough for one article. Let’s hear what you have to say!

What are your thoughts on The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds? When did you first play it? Were you there in 2013 when it first came out? What was the build-up like for you? Let us know in the comments below!