The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Reviews

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is ranked in the 99th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
9.8 / 10.0
Aug 4, 2016

Despite being a relatively short game (between 18 and 20 hours) I consider A Link Between Worlds one of the best games of the saga.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 29, 2013

It is a grand game in its own right and deserves its place alongside the best in its franchise.

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Unscored
Mar 2, 2017

It is a fun, endearing game that will bring back the magic of other installments. Also, if you have played A Link to the Past, you will see how A Link Between Worlds drinks from the same map, one more point in its favor. It perfectly takes advantage of the 3D effect of the console.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Nov 15, 2013

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds has the difficult task of respectfully building on an old game while doing a lot of new. The game mixes the Old and New in a great way. You'll feel right at home in A Link Between Worlds.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 30, 2013

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is one of the most fun Zelda titles on the market, and it's easily the best handheld Zelda game since Link's Awakening. It's well crafted, fun to play, charming and interesting, and it mixes up the Zelda formula in some exciting ways while maintaining a healthy dose of nostalgia. It isn't the longest game, but it's fun from beginning to end. The highest praise I can give A Link Between Worlds is that it's a worthy sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Zelda fans should absolutely add this game to their libraries, and newcomers to the franchise should find it to be a fun and accessible title.

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Az Elias
Top Critic
9 / 10
Dec 4, 2013

No touch or motion controls that don't always do what is asked of them; no microphone gimmicks to blow hundreds of times into incredibly infuriating wind instruments; no involuntary hand-holding that removes the need to explore and continuously breaks up the flow of the game—A Link Between Worlds is the very definition of what classic top-down Legend of Zelda games should always be about. It is clear that 2D Zelda thrives and is at its ultimate best when it sticks to its roots, and A Link Between Worlds does exactly that, and more. This is the return to form that long-time fans have been wishing for in the classic 2D format for the Zelda franchise for many years; it is the greatest entry in a very long time.

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9 / 10.0
Dec 4, 2013

Link Between Worlds ran the risk of being nothing more than a nostalgic trip down memory lane, revisiting one of the most beloved games in the series, thankfully Nintendo have manage to couple the LTTP memories with some of the best, more unique design seen in the Zelda series in quite a while. If the more handholding nature of recent Zelda games has dampened your enjoyment then the open world nature of Link Between Worlds will be a blessing. In a holiday season dominated with next-gen talk, Nintendo have come out and shown that resolution and graphical power mean nothing without games. And that’s what this is, a damn great game.

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9 / 10.0
Dec 11, 2013

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a very enjoyable game. It’s a treat to play.

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GameGrin
Top Critic
10 / 10.0
Nov 28, 2013

Zelda fans will continue to be spoilt by a spectacular ride through Link’s first 3D adventure. With a top-notch soundtrack, lovely visuals and addictive gameplay, you can’t ask for much more.

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Jan 29, 2014

Surprisingly, despite all its whimsy, 'A Link Between World's' final evaluation becomes mostly academic. There are ones and zeroes to consider here, and my emotions on the subject should really take a back seat. This is the most personalized game in the franchise to date, and yet the story is among the most sterile. The dungeons are phenomenal, but the overworld is drab, if intelligently designed and easy to, within it, lose yourself in exploration.

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Unscored
Nov 29, 2013

New bells and whistles aside, how many more times do I want to do this? I’m sure I’ll play the next one.

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9.5 / 10.0
Nov 14, 2013

Since it follows the roadmap so closely, it’s not quite as fresh as the SNES classic was in 1992, but that doesn’t make it any less of an amazing experience. A Link Between Worlds is a delightful adventure that hits every high note a 2D Zelda game has ever produced while creating many new hallmarks of its own. In a year filled with quality 3DS games, A Link Between Worlds is another fantastic entry on a system that is quickly becoming home to a number of instant classics.

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A or higher
Dec 3, 2013

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is an amazing accomplishment; it manages to root itself deep in the fertile nostalgia millions of gamers have for A Link to the Past while simultaneously morphing classic Zelda mechanics and introducing brand new ideas that fit in perfectly with the storied franchise.

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9.7 / 10.0
Nov 28, 2013

‎It is, after all, an amalgam of the franchise's nearly 3 decades of history. I long ago remember comparing ‎‎Zelda‎‎ to Mount Fuji, one of the favorite studio objects of the painter Hokusai, who drew hundreds of variations of the mountain without exhausting its complexity. At the end of ‎‎A Link Between Worlds,‎‎I fondly imagined the Nintendo EAD Group No. 3 rehearsing different perspectives on that beloved object we call Zelda. The result is nostalgia and novelty, a charming contradiction, the rewriting of an unmissable myth.‎

Review in Spanish | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Dec 2, 2013

It doesn't have revolutionary power-ups or weapons that you wouldn't have used before. Experimenting with a change of perspective eventually paid off for Nintendo, the transition from 3D to 2D applied to the hero changed the radical view of passing dungeons, benefiting from the feeling of overcoming obstacles. Satisfaction from solving puzzles comes often and driving you into exploring the world on which the game is built.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

GamingBolt
Top Critic
9.5 / 10.0
Dec 2, 2013

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a daring step forward for the franchise, and the best Zelda game in a decade.

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The Digital Fix
Ryan Poxon
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Dec 13, 2013

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is easily the best handheld Zelda title since the days of the Game Boy Color, as well as being the strongest and most focused entry in the legendary series for easily the last ten years. It's entirely feasible that in the future the game will be mentioned alongside the likes of A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time as part of the series' greatest hits. The game feels fresh whilst still remaining true to the series' roots, filled with nostalgic throwbacks and making you genuinely excited for what direction the series will head in next. Going back to the drawing board, Eiji Aonuma and his team have crafted a truly amazing game that reminds you why you were a Zelda fan in the first place.

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Impulsegamer
Top Critic
5 / 5.0
Dec 8, 2013

The Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds takes Link into a fully functional 3D world that not only pays homage to the games of yesterday but modernises the franchise into something thoroughly enjoyable and challenging to the gamer.

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games(TM)
games™ Team
Top Critic
9 / 10
Nov 21, 2013

A Link Between Worlds is a remake and a sequel, then – both a tribute to a classic and a worthy successor in its own right. For all the changes, it’s still recognisably Zelda, and a legend this powerful can comfortably bear another retelling.

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4.5 / 5.0
Dec 1, 2013

A Link Between Worlds is a delightful return to the classic game we loved. There aren’t a lot of improvements, but the additional world and new power are more than enough. While the story might not have a great premise, the ending is satisfying and something fans will really enjoy. Needless to say, this is a Zelda game that fans and newcomers alike can enjoy and makes the perfect title to pick up and play or conquer while on vacation.

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