The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Impressions

Being a writer for Zelda Informer, it would be absurd to attend E3 and not get my hands on the playable demo of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Serving as a sequel to the Super Nintendo’s A Link to the Past, the game takes players back into the same overworld that was once traversed by the pink-haired incarnation of our Hylian hero for an all-new adventure. The demo for A Link Between Worlds gave players the option of starting inside a dungeon or exploring the overworld and making their way to the dungeon later. I chose the latter.

Much like A Link to the Past, I began my journey right outside of Link’s house in the overworld of Hyrule Field. The demo starts players off with a sword and shield, a bow and arrow, the giant hammer, and of course Link’s new magical ability to become a drawing and traverse the side of cliffs and walls.

The first thing to notice is the presence of some sort of stamina or magic meter in the bottom-left corner of the top screen. Unlike previous games in the series, this meter not only depletes when using traditional “magic” items and abilities, but also when performing other feats, such as using the bow and arrow. This meter depletes slowly and fills very quickly, so its presence as a stamina meter is generally negligible as far as the demo is concerned.

As a magic meter, however, things get a little trickier. The only chance to use magic abilities in the demo of A Link Between Worlds is when Link transforms from man to masterpiece, but as you do, the magic meter quickly whittles away. Because of this, players must limit their time as a drawing by making quick decisions and taking direct routes. It’s a shame the stamina bar doesn’t do more to actually shape gameplay as magic meters did in earlier titles, but on the bright side, at least you no longer have to worry about running out of arrows.

The second immediately apparent change was the speed at which Link walks. Because the demo is limited to ten minutes, Nintendo may have made Link a fleetfooted little blur so that testers could accomplish more in the given time, but I sincerely hope Link’s newfound speed makes its way over to the final product.

After spending a minute or two in the overworld, zipping around and finding very poorly hidden treasures, I set foot in the demo’s dungeon, the vertical tower used to emphasize the game’s 3D prowess which was shown off just a few weeks ago.

One of the most surprising things about playing A Link Between Worlds was noticing just how similar the game is to the original A Link to the Past. Beyond the new art ability and Link’s speed, A Link Between Worlds feels just as any top-down Zelda experience should, and the familiar mechanics make the title easy to understand for any Zelda veteran.

The one thing that disappointed me about A Link Between Worlds was that the puzzles were far too easy. Every bump in the road took mere seconds to solve, which did mean that it was a ton of fun to blast through, but it definitely needs a difficulty boost in order to stay engaging. Thankfully, it would seem that this tower is the first dungeon in the game, so fingers crossed that the game grows more challenging as players progress.

A Link Between Worlds arrived on Nintendo 3DS this November. Stay tuned to Zelda Informer for more information as it comes, and be sure to check out our A Link Between Worlds Walkthrough when you get the chance.