The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Experimentation is a common ethos in The Legend of Zelda series. Whether it is by introducing the third dimension in Ocarina of Time, changing exploration in The Wind Waker, or shaping the gameplay according to the peculiarities of the console with Phantom Hourglass and Skyward Sword, Nintendo developers are always demonstrating a clear desire to evolve the franchise by testing ways to modify its elements without changing what defines it. With A Link Between Worlds, a sequel to the classic A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo, the aim of the changes is to decrease the linearity of the adventure, allowing greater control over what to explore.

The protagonist is again Link, now a blacksmith’s apprentice. One day, after sleeping too much, his master gives him the task of taking a sword to the captain of the Hyrule guard. But before Link can reach him, the captain is imprisoned by a terrible sorcerer, the mysterious Yuga. Without the sword, the captain succumbs to the magic of his opponent and is turned into a painting. Link also tries to fight the sorcerer but is defeated quickly. He is rescued by a strange fellow named Ravio, who advises the protagonist to report to Princess Zelda, and takes the opportunity to ask Link for shelter.

The structure of A Link Between Worlds is very similar to A Link to the Past, with the hero traveling between two worlds, Hyrule and Lorule, to get three magic pendants and save seven priests who are trapped inside temples: mazes full of riddles, traps and monsters. To explore them, Link has the power to turn himself into a painting and walk across walls.

It’s through Ravio that the developers make it possible for the player to explore Hyrule at their own pace. The character quickly abuses Link’s hospitality and, letting his capitalist spirit emerge, decides to turn the protagonist’s house into a shop. There, Link can rent and buy several pieces of equipment to aid him in his journey: the bow and arrow, the hammer, the hookshot, among several other classics.

Since these items, which in previous games were only acquired in temples, are now available early in the adventure, most of Hyrule is also available for the player to explore from the get-go. If in those titles there was a predetermined sequence in beating the temples (first the temple of the forest, then the fire temple, and so on) here the player is free to explore them in whatever order they want.

This system of equipment rental not only provides freedom, but also generates consequences in case of defeat, and has a positive impact on the process of collecting rupees. When Link is defeated in battle, Ravio’s bird takes back all rented items and the player has to spend rupees – the currency in Hyrule – to get them back. To avoid this, there is the option to buy each piece of equipment for an exorbitant price (the boomerang costs eight hundred rupees, for instance). In this way, the rental system rewards collecting rupees and makes the prospect of dying more worrisome. And the temples are not rendered useless by this, since they still guard an optional tool that helps explore the environment or defeat enemies – like a glove that lifts large rocks or a robe that reduces the damage received by half.

The design of the temples is very consistent, always exploring the notion of height, an effect further enhanced by the handheld’s stereoscopic 3D. Swamp Palace, for example, is built on top of mechanisms that regulate the water level, while the Ice Palace has a vertiginous configuration, based on the act of falling between floors. To suit the handheld, the temples are also compact, containing many puzzles and secrets in one place: it is not uncommon, for example, to find three treasure chests hidden in just one room. The theme of each temple, however, is not new and they borrow both the name and location of their A Link to the Past’s counterparts. Therefore, if there is a flaw concerning them it’s only the lack of thematic originality, since any veteran player will already know the concept behind many environments and the puzzles found in them.

This is where the particular mechanics of A Link Between Worlds come in. After the first battle against Yuga, Link becomes able to transform himself into a painting – with a rustic, Egyptian style – that can walk across walls. This mechanic opens many possibilities of puzzles, being the main responsible for preventing the temples from falling into redundancy when compared to those of A Link to the Past. At the beginning of the adventure, the painting ability already expands the player’s sense of freedom by making them able to cross abysses safely, bypassing them on the side of a mountain, for instance. The skill is impressively versatile, being used to invade cells, crossing them through bars; to walk through a room, glued to a mobile platform; to avoid being crushed by rolling stones, getting stuck to a wall. There is a specific temple that is preceded by a long stealth sequence based on this power, which proves to be useful even in combat, avoiding damage and explosions: it is particularly amusing the moment in which a certain monster shows surprise when the hero disappears in front of him, because Link turned into a painting on the huge shield he carries around.

The painting is also the tool used to travel between worlds, since scattered throughout the Hyrule and Lorule are small cracks – too thin for a human to pass through – that connect them. The two worlds share the same map, as they function as each other’s counterpart: Hyrule is the prosperous kingdom, while Lorule suffers in ruins.

Like in several games that use this same idea, it’s important to notice the differences in the design of each world, as they can influence exploration. In a certain area of Lorule, for example, there may be a cave that holds only a few rupees, whose purpose, in fact, is to serve as an indication that there is a hidden counterpart in Hyrule – and the player just need to use a bomb to reveal the entrance and get a more important item.

The overworld map is very well designed, offering various activities and sidequests for the player despite small in size. It’s possible, for example, to go from one end of the map to the other in less than five minutes, as a secondary mission seems to make a point of showing. The game also offers various side activities, ranging from a baseball minigame to a mission in which – in an excellent inside joke – Link must run away from killer chickens for a long time..

Link’s equipment is also no longer forgotten when leaving the temples that contain their specific puzzles – such as the mandatory use of the Tornado Rod to lift tiles from the floor in House of Gales – thus eliminating one of the most recurring problems in the franchise. This is due to the increase of their effectiveness in battle: the Tornado Rod, for example, can also paralyze all enemies within its reach, which comes in handy there’s a lot of them. Another beneficial change regarding equipment is the removal of the need to collect ammunition: they now spend the same magic bar when used, which is simpler and much less laborious.

The story told in A Link Between Worlds shares similar characteristics, being economical in its design. Characters are presented in short scenes, being developed by just a few actions and lines of dialogue. Yuga’s first appearance, for example, already has the villain exposing his obsession with beauty and perfection, while he imprisons one of the priestesses (revealing his plan), defeats the protagonist without any effort (revealing his power), and lets slip some details of his plan (revealing his hubris): all this in a couple of minutes.

The dichotomy between the two worlds is well explored, too, being the central point of the story. The player discovers how Lorule’s inhospitality affects its inhabitants and what exactly the villains are fighting for. Kakariko Village, a cheerful and innocent village in Hyrule, for example, is in ruins in Lorule: most houses are completely destroyed and the few that remain are inhabited by melancholic and pessimistic citizens who, in their sorrow and despair, believe that acting like the very monsters that torment and devour them is the only solution to their plight – which mirrors the arc of some of the antagonists.

Kakariko Village’s counterpart in Lorule has its people wearing terrible masks to hide their identities, while they steal and hide:  it’s no accident that this area contains a temple called Thieve’s Hideout. Moreover, on a genius move from the composer, the area does not have its own theme like Kakariko Village, sharing instead the music of the overworld map: the village has lost its identity and no longer functions as a refuge for its people, becoming an extension of the devastation of that world.

It is important to note, however, that the developers resist the temptation to make all the inhabitants of Lorule horrible and those of Hyrule virtuous, avoiding a binary narrative. There is evil and goodness in every kingdom: the greatest difference between them actually resides in the bitterness inherent to Lorule. It becomes interesting, then,  to observe how Lorule’s Master Blacksmith decided not to have children, but ended up becoming more competent in his craft than his Hyrulean counterpart; how the thief who causes the most damage with his actions is the one who lives in the tranquility of Kakariko Village in Hyrule; and how a girl, despite living surrounded by monsters in a bar in Lorule, is completely selfless, caring more about saving some eggs than about her own life.

The art direction is also effective in contrasting the worlds. Purple, since it is usually associated with death, is the base color of Lorule, representing the cruel fate that befell its people. It decorates the halls, the roof of the houses and paints the clothing of Lorule’s inhabitants, its constant presence reinforcing the tragedy of their stories. The furniture of the houses also shows the contrast between both worlds: while in the house of the Master Blacksmith in Hyrule, there is the picture of a white pigeon, the home of his counterpart in Lorule is decorated by a picture of a bird of prey.

The soundtrack, in turn, expands the classic melodies of A Link to the Past, offering several remixes, besides some new compositions. The soundtrack is also dynamic, growing in intensity to follow the player’s progress. Nintendo’s zeal for music is also evident in the two musicians at the Kakariko Village bar who play, for only ten rupees, famous melodies using only flute and guitar.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds represents a huge step forward for the series. The changes made to the gameplay greatly enhance the experience, by giving the player more freedom to go on their adventure. In addition, the developers also succeed in crafting the game’s story, art direction, and music, ultimately delivering one of the series’ best titles.

December 20, 2019.

Review originally published in Portuguese on October 05, 2015.