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As usual, spoilers shall follow. Consider yourselves warned.
Gameplay: The best way to describe most of the gameplay in A Link Between Worlds is simple by saying "Zelda gameplay." As is typical for any game featuring our green-clad Hero of Time, A Link Between Worlds puts you in control of a silent protagonist (read: Link) who wields a sword in one hand, a shield in the other, and a ton of other items... somewhere (seriously, where does he keep all that stuff?) Link's equipment in this game includes series' staples like the Boomerang, Hookshot, Bow, and Bombs, a few hold-overs from A Link to the Past like the Bug Net and the Fire and Ice Rods, and a few new additions such as the Sand and Tornado Rods. The standard items will be familiar to anyone who's played Zelda in the past, and the newer ones are simple enough to figure out quickly. As usual, these items help you to conquer dungeon puzzles and defeat challenging enemies, particularly those who are far tougher to defeat with your blade alone. However, Zelda veterans will expect to find these items in treasure chests halfway through a dungeon so that the other half can be beaten by using the new tool. A Link Between Worlds flips this Zelda standard on its head and presents the player with every item early on.
While it sounds like this would make the game a joke, immediate access to all Link's items makes for interesting gameplay. Although the items can be obtained at any time throughout the game, they also must be rented from your bunny-suit-wearing house sitter, Rovio. Renting items means that they are taken from you upon death and they must be rented again when you revive. Items can be permanently bought, but only at an exorbitant price. In theory, this accomplishes three things. Firstly, it forces the player to prioritize which items will be most useful in a particular dungeon and rent those specifically. Most dungeons can be beaten with various item combinations; if one is required, the game will make sure you know. Secondly, it makes Rupees more essential than they have ever been. For the first time there is there a compelling reason to collect every gem that you see in Hyrule. You can also upgrade the items you own in a side quest, providing another incentive to save Rupees and purchase your favorite tools. Finally, the immediate item availability means that dungeons in this Zelda can be beaten in any order. In reality, only two of these three goals are accomplished. Because A Link Between Worlds is fairly easy, one can just rent all the items at the beginning of the game and simply never die. I only died against the final boss and by then I already purchased all the items I needed. The other large change to items in this game is an Energy Gauge that replaces item ammunition. On one hand, you no longer have to collect bombs or arrows, but on the other, all items have an Energy cost, meaning that you are unable to spam items more than a few times in a row. These gameplay differences change up the standard Zelda formula enough to give the series some much-needed novelty.
The other massive change to the gameplay is the mechanism by which Link travels between the titular Worlds: the ability to transform into a drawing. Link receives the ability to transform into a painting on any wall in the game after an early plot development. When painted on a wall, Link can only travel left to right and is inhibited by certain obstacles, but the possibilities opened up by this power are incredible. The 2D Zelda is entirely different when you can to leap onto a wall to travel. Boulders and ledges and precipices are no longer impossible to cross and puzzles take on a completely new dimension when seen from Link's 2D (well, more so than usual) view. For me, this was one of the biggest differentiators between A Link Between Worlds and the rest of the series. Being able to look at a Zelda dungeon and not immediately understand the path of progression was awesome and brought a spirit of adventure back to Zelda. Of course, the open-world-esque non-linearity of A Link Between Worlds further adds to this spirit and makes the game extraordinarily fun.
Presentation: The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a beautiful game. It's beauty is not about realism or HD images, but about a picture-perfect 2D Zelda world, the kind of world that made Nintendo famous. It's tough to explain what's so wonderful about this Zelda world. The best way for me to explain it is to say that A Link Between Worlds perfects the charm and fantasy of Zelda's world. It's the rounder and more childish Link. It's the beautiful sprites of so many classic enemies. It's the massive variety of landscapes, items, and non-player characters. It's the way that the paintings that depict Link (and others) look like ancient Hylian art (owners of the Hyrule Historia know what's up). It's appearance of the text when a character is surprised or angry or incredulous. It's the sheer ridiculousness of characters like Rovio or the Bee Man. It's the twisted mirror images of Hyrule and Lorule and of all of their various locales. It's simple amazing. You have to see it to understand it and you have to see it in action, Looking at screenshots really doesn't do it justice.
![[image loading]](http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/screenshots/TheLegendofZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds/3DS_Zelda_scrn04_E3resized.jpg)
The music of A Link Between Worlds is also perfect for its old-school Zelda world. The well-known main theme of the series is lovely to listen to as you travel the Hyrule overworld. Every time I heard it I felt as empowered and excited as I had in any prior Zelda game. A Link Between Worlds provides a great soundscape for its players with its frantic boss tracks, its mysterious dungeon songs, and even its quirky and strange noises in the towns and special events. Furthermore, the sword slashes, arrow strikes, bomb explosions, and enemy grunts are wonderful sonic feedback, even if the "low health" alarm is as annoying as ever. On the plus side, Link's wordless expressiveness continues in A Link Between Worlds, which is absolutely adorable in the cartoony, old-school art style.
![[image loading]](http://static1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131003150443/zelda/images/9/91/Hilda_(A_Link_Between_Worlds).jpg)
Single Player: A Link Between Worlds provides the most solid Zelda experience in many years. Of course, the story is the same as in every other Zelda tale: Princess Zelda is captured and the realm of Hyrule is thrown into danger, so Link, the Hero of Time, rises from his humble origins to become the courageous warrior that will save the world from a monstrous menace (probably Ganon). The only way to prevent Hyrule's downfall is to collect a series of mythical items, find the Master Sword, and then rescue the Seven Sages who will give you the Triforce of Courage and, with it, the power to defeat the evil once and for [until the next game]. That's all well and good; the Zelda franchise is not one you play for its narrative experience. However there were a few story twists that I enjoyed. I always love it when Ganondorf isn't the final boss, and the beauty-obsessed witch Yuga was an ideal substitute (even though he also became a Hulked-out pig monster at the end). Furthermore, I thought the manipulation and betrayal by Lorule's Princess Hilda was a unique (if predictable) twist on the concept of a "Zelda princess." While she only gets one moment to actually do anything in the story, it was a good moment, especially considering that no princess before her (except maybe Midna) has had nearly as much agency. Not great for the modern gaming world, but in the context of Zelda, at least it's a start.
Yet the real single player "experience" of A Link Between Worlds is not the story but act of playing the Hero of Time and traveling across the whole of Hyrule (and Lorule) to climb into dungeons, discover ancient artifacts, and fight the many evil beasties that infest the land. The story is ignorable but the world and what you do within it is not. The 3DS's technology makes the dungeons in A Link Between Worlds complex and diverse, each with mechanics and tricks that challenge and enchant the player. The creatures across the world, from Zora to giant turtles to fairies, are all fun to speak with or question. Finding hidden Heart Containers, lost Maiamai, or treasures just out of reach is always rewarding and enjoyable in that special way only Zelda can provide.
Fun Factor: Perhaps you've already noticed, but I thought A Link Between Worlds was an absolute blast. The 3D dungeons and graphics in the 2D Zelda world were compelling and enjoyable at every turn, making me want to solve every puzzle as soon as possible and discover hidden items whenever I could. I even had fun slicing through grass and bushes, searching for Rupees I actually wanted to collect (for once) or the hearts I needed to keep from losing my rental items. I loved using different strategies and combinations of items to destroy my enemies. Most of all, I enjoyed exploring the twin worlds of Hyrule and Lorule. The world map in A Link Between Worlds is large enough to contain tons of secrets and small enough to reasonably cross its entirety without it getting too onerous (I'm looking at you The Wind Waker). It was also wonderful to be given so little direction in a Zelda game, most of which lead you by the nose from plot point to plot point. I was allowed to find everything I needed to save the world on my own and I could do so with whatever items I wanted (bombs and bow ftw). Even as a big Zelda fan, I couldn't imagine continuing to play games in the series unless they made some changes to the wearisome template. A Link Between Worlds is exactly what I wanted.
Final Verdict: If you have a 3DS and any interest in action-adventure fantasy, A Link Between Worlds is the game for you. Any fans of old-school Zelda games, especially A Link to the Past, will love the nostalgia and spirit of A Link Between Worlds, which is one of the best reboots ever to grace a gaming screen, much less the 3DS's. Anyone who has played and loved the 3D Zeldas should pick up A Link Between Worlds to experience the joys of the Zeldas that made the series so famous in the first place. Lastly, for any newcomers to Nintendo and Zelda, A Link Between Worlds is a perfect game with which to begin. It's the kind of game that births Nintendo fanboys and I can't even hold that against it. Hell, even if you don't have a 3DS or 2DS yet, you should to pick up one now: A Link Between Worlds is just that good.
Images courtesy of gameinformer.com and zelda.wikia.com
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