The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Reviews
Changes to traditional structure make this the most interesting Zelda game in years.
More than just fan service, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a modern approach to the world established by the 1991 SNES adventure, A Link to the Past. Traverse the same overworld to uncover a brand new system of delightful dungeons — a familiar formula injected with fresh abilities and mechanics. This homage to a classic is itself an instant classic on the Nintendo 3DS.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a sentimental game that skates off its predecessor's successes, but is so good at doing so one hardly minds. A few neat new tricks and a beautiful visual style help make up for the game's more frustrating hurdles.
A stellar game all the way around. A Link Between Worlds maximizes the concept of depth, from the 3D, to the 2D mechanic, to the characters. This game certainly fits well in the pantheon of amazing Zelda games.
Same old, Same old. Bring back Moosh and implement some new ideas. Zelda is a wearing franchise.
A Link Between Worlds addresses that history head-on, but somehow creates an identity that’s more fulfilling and surprising than any Zelda since Wind Waker. It might have the same map as A Link to the Past, the same overhead perspective, and the same weapons and archetypes that appear in every Zelda. It’s not the same as any Zelda you’ve played before, though, because even this reliably good series is rarely as elegantly designed as A Link Between Worlds.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a daring step forward for the franchise, and the best Zelda game in a decade.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a game that pays homage to the titles of the past with some innovative mechanics. As in a journey between two parallel worlds, we feel constantly tossed left and right between a gameplay that is no longer there, and some exquisitely contemporary mechanics.
Review in Italian | Read full review
It's not even the best Zelda game in the last five years
A Link Between Worlds captures plenty of that old Zelda magic with its excellent dungeon design and gameplay-first formula. Series fans will not be disappointed, although it may not deviate from formula quite enough for some. In my estimation, the developers stuck to the right parts of series formula while innovating in important areas, such as non-linearity and user-friendly interface decisions. This is yet another entry in a string of great 3DS games this year, making that device one of the best gaming investments out there.
Even the most stalwart, traditionalist series fan should be able to appreciate A Link Between Worlds for what it is: the most interesting new Zelda game since Wind Waker.
It is a grand game in its own right and deserves its place alongside the best in its franchise.
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.
For 26 years, I’ve been waiting for a true follow-up to the first Legend of Zelda, a game that captured my imagination and catapulted me into becoming a lifelong fan of action-adventures and role-playing games. A Link Between Worlds recognizes that it’s not tacked-on stealth segments or waggling a controller to roll bombs that makes Zelda tick—it’s the unbounded exploration and freedom found in the NES original, and it’s finally back in full force here. Every Zelda fan needs to play this game.
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.
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.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a very enjoyable game. It’s a treat to play.
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
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
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.