EPTHeres a link to my last blog if you missed it: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=316454
Hey guy's this will be a continuation of my play through Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, for the SNES. Currently my favorite game in the series (haven't beaten them all yet
). There are a few things I wanted to analyse about this game that make it great, and show some major advancements compared to its NES counter parts. This game really took the best parts of LoZ and AoL to make a great step forward in the series. Mechanics:
Everything just feels better here, why you may ask? Well there is a few things that you may notice but never thought were important. Well they are.
Swordswing: Fucking amazing. Instead of the stab in the NES games, you get an actual sword swipe. Not only is it more realistic, it also feels better fighting in combat. Especially when enemies are coming at you in multiple directions. On top of this you get a new move, the sword spin. This since has become a trademark in the LoZ series, and guess where it started? Thats right, Lttp. Its an awesome move that is not only cool but useful in many situations. One last thing about the sword mechanics, the full life power beam things. They just look way cooler than flying swords.
Moving:
First Zelda that allows for diagonal walking. No big deal? Fuck yeah it is, it makes explores that much more easier, and accessible. It makes dodging moldorm possible, it makes dodging the flying floor tile sections possible. Also the pegasus boots, allowing link to run, allows for cool new secrets, as well as letting you get around way faster. Takes out filler walking, and keeps the action fun and fast paced.
Magic:
What was a good idea in AoL, was fixed in this game. Special items used magic rather than spells that used magic.
Items:
All items were useful throughout the game! Additionally, there were secret items that weren't necessary but were good to have, and just cool, and allowed for 100%ing the game/ getting heart pieces. Also, item design was fantastic. Items were made to be both function and fun to use. First appearance of the hookshot, a personal favourite of mine. Pegagsus boots as mentioned above. Fire/Ice rods, medalions. Mirror. Bottles. Bottles, what a great addition. Easy to get one, but to get all 4 was secretive and as the most helpful items in the game it was important, allowed for more than one potion of either health, magic, or both.
![[image loading]](http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/zelda3/zelda3-2.gif)
This item screen is pure awesome.
Alright onto my actual play we will hit off where we left off.
So last time I beat the water temple I believe. So onto skull woods. I am still bummed about it showing exact locations on the map. But okay lets do it. First I want to praise the game again for the uniqueness of its temples. This one is no exception, the woods is creepy and cool. The doors into the temple are skull heads and multiple entrances make this temple so interesting. Secret pit locations are an important part of beating this palace and are fun to use. The palace's interaction with the outside of it is a great puzzling aspect.
So I grab the fucking awesome item here, the fire rod. And make my way to the boss. The way you get to him is actually awesome. You have to go outside and fire rod a giant scary looking skull face. Then once you make your way through there rather than going through the traditional boss door. You fall into a unescapable death trap to fight the boss. Seriously, this is some shit you would see in a Saw movie.
Beat this shit without diagonal walking.
This boss is hard shit, everything is flying everywhere at you. If your prepared with potions though every boss is easily beatable in this game. Ya gotta find the bottles first though. Its encouraged to use the fire rod, but you will run out of magic pretty quick.
An important point I noted above is bosses are easy with potions. And as I noted before rupees are easy to come by. Then why doesn't everyone buy potions???! As a kid I never used maps or potions in Zelda, I did use fairies though. These are key parts to the game and made it way harder! Maybe I was scared of something else coming up to buy that I never wanted to buy potions, and maybe the map just looked overwhelming to a 7 year old boy. But man, these things help!
Onto the next temple, the thieves temple. First of all the location is fucking badass. Right in the middle of town. An underground society of badass villain thieves. This is another unique dungeon that breaks the mold. Rather than having a multiple floor/key system it makes you run around with weird maze type upper ground lower ground locations for the most part.
![[image loading]](http://www.zeldadungeon.net/Zelda03/Walkthrough/214.png)
Hard to explain, but this is what it looks like.
Also its awesome because your first key I think is the Big Key. Usually you feel like hey I almost beat the dungeon!! When you get the big key. But not here. Your probably half-way through and haven't even found the chest yet buddy. The item here is the power glove upgrade, and allows you access to many more secret areas.
Now here is the gem of the temple. The mind fuck of your childhood. You go and blow up part of the roof by a window, just cause you see the floor is cracked cause you can. You go to the boss room as shown by your compass..... no boss. Then you read a hint that says you just gotta save the maiden and get her out. You find her, walk around with her, bring her in the light and then HOLY FUCK SHES NO MAIDEN. She turns into the fucking boss. How cool is that??! This guy is also fucking hard. He grows more heads that spin and shoot fireballs like a dick.
![[image loading]](http://www.zeldadungeon.net/Zelda03/Walkthrough/228.png)
Three headed maiden bitch witchcraft
Now onto the ice temple. This temple is the water temple of orcarina of time. This is the hardest in the game puzzlewise. The ice is slippery and adds an extra dynamic to the game. Its fucking annoying/cool. Its a pretty confusing layout.You get one of the most helpful items here, the blue tunic takes off damage by half. I got to a part where you have to push blocks through a hole, but there was fucking other red switch in the way. I got stuck here for 30 minutes. And I've done this before!
The boss is a fucking let down. Hes cool, but really easy. You use your fire rod than he splits into three and you just kill him.
![[image loading]](http://www.zeldadungeon.net/Zelda03/Walkthrough/255.png)
I can't even move, can you use the fire rod to melt me out and help me move and make me hardeR??
Onto the next temple. In the swamp. The location looks really really nice. But the temple itself is the biggest letdown in the darkworld imo. Its item is the block maker red cane, which I am not a fan off. And it seems a bit too similar to the thieves dungeon to start. It makes its own way eventually but overall wasn't impressive. The boss was also the easiest in the game and was really cool looking but had terrible stupid design. Sit there and keep pressing swing sword and you win.
Or I guess you coooooould do it this way TT
Turtle rock, just as the name sounds. Death mountain I complained about before not being scary is now fucked. Lightning storms and dark and evil music and hard monsters make it what it should be. Not a fun place to makeout with your girlfriend like in the light world. Turtle rock consists of annoying laser beams and using your square maker to travel around. The mirror shield makes you look like a badass too.A really unique puzzle filled dungeon that is fun. The boss looks super cool and allows you to use ice and fire. Hes very memorable dragon with 3 heads.
![[image loading]](http://www.zeldadungeon.net/Zelda03/Bosses/Trinexx.png)
Skyrim the original QQ LOL.
Now onto the forgotten temple. The last one. I actually thought I would just go kill ganon now. But you use your crystals and go through a very tall straight forward temple. This is the first temple in the game that is combat heavy over puzzle heavy. Which is a good change/ challenge for the last temple in the game. Random spinning shit everywhere will leave you fucked. The boss is the same as in the light world X3. Very unoriginal design and stupid easy. Ganon pops out of her and lands through the pyramid in a very cool sequence.
From here you grab the super bomb to get the silver arrows and the gold sword. Both very badass cool nessecary weapons. Then you go fight ganon. As a kid I would grab fairies. As an adult I grabbed 3 red potions and a blue potion. Since the money was pretty easy to come by. I remember this boss being super difficult in my childhood. But with 1 potion I found it pretty easy. That BY NO MEANS makes it dissapointing. This boss looks cool, has a cool design and is FUN. He has three different forms, and requires much multitasking to beat him. Also if you fall in the floor you start all over. FUUUUUUU. You have to dodge him and light the room and then follow his transportation. Ah fuck it heres a video. Actually go beat him yourself hes the most satisfying last boss in the series.
Overall Opinion/Review:
Explained a bit in my blog so I will just mention the key points.
Pros:
-Lightworld dark world works very well
-mechanics
-11 unique dungeons
-tons of items secrets heart peices etc.
-great looking graphics
-difficult is great
-Music is amazing
Cons:
- ..
By todays standards, put on a handheld system, I would give this game a 10/10. Game barely ages and is long enough to keep a new person playing 10-20 hours to beat the game without cheating, and an extra 5-10 for 100%.
For the standards of 1991 I would give this game 11/10. Raised the bar for not only LoZ series but every game on the SNES. The SNES was filled with amazing games and this was in the top 3 for me personally, along chrono trigger and Super mario RPG.
Overall Progress:
Legend of Zelda (Completed) - 10 Hours
Zelda 2: Adventure of Link (Completed) - 16.5 Hours
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - 8.75 Hours (Completed)
Coming up next:
Links Awakening yayayaya.
![[image loading]](http://d24w6bsrhbeh9d.cloudfront.net/photo/516096_700b.jpg)
