I fear change.
Not when it comes to society, or the advancement of technology. I welcome the inevitable singularity with open arms. But when it comes to precious Nintendo franchises like Mario and Zelda, I can’t help but flinch anytime we’re given something different.
I may be the only die hard Nintendo fan who didn’t like Super Mario Sunshine. I honestly felt cheated. I didn’t want to spend a game cleaning things with a water gun, no matter how cool I was forced to think it was. Naturally, when I was told about how Link Between Worlds was changing up the usual Zelda formula I approached the title with some trepidation.
I’m happy to say that almost immediately my fears faded away into nothing after beating the second dungeon. After getting the Master Sword I was arguing with myself whether it would dethrone Wind Waker as my favorite Zelda ever.
Zelda is mostly the first modern non-linear Zelda, letting you nab typically late in the game weapons like the Ice and Fire Rods within a few hours of play. You’re also able to play through the dungeons in any order you like. I didn’t realize how much I’ve wanted this freedom until it was finally granted.
Despite the changes, the stuff that makes Zelda consistently fun are still there. Link Between Worlds has the best music from even it’s 3D console counterparts. I also don’t recall falling in love with a game mechanic/gimmick as much as Link being able to transform into a painting.
While I would have liked to do other stuff on a 2D plane (like in the last boss battle) other than traverse obstacles easier, it was a welcome and innovative way to freshen up the series: and an ability nobody saw coming.
The boss battles are the best of any 2D Zelda, even though many of the bosses are echoes of Link to the Past.
While I normally don’t care too much about a good story in a video game, Zelda is one of those series where I expect one. I’m still mulling it over in my head, but the story is on par with Wind Waker as having the best story of any Zelda game. It turned typical convention of what makes a Zelda story on it’s head, and gave us an awesome and even sympathetic villain.
All in all, Link Between Worlds plays out like Link to the Past 2.0. It’s easy to handle for Zelda newcomers, but is packed with plenty of fan service for Zelda veterans. After playing through the game twice, I think it’s hard to come away from the experience with anything but immensely positive feelings for the series. It is henceforth the gold standard of 2D Zeldas, despite it being a 3DS classic. 5/5
Buy: Link Between Worlds, Zelda Guide Box Set