The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
| The Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nintendo EAD |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| System | Nintendo 3DS |
| Release Date | US/PAL November 22, 2013 JP December 26, 2013 |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Rating | ESRB: E |
The Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds is an adventure game released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013. It is the seventeenth game in the Legend of Zelda series and the first one made for the Nintendo 3DS. This game is also known for being heavily inspired by A Link to the Past, which it acts as a sequel to.
Story
Several generations have passed since the events of A Link to the Past, which have passed into legend. A mysterious sorcerer named Yuga appears and begins turning people into paintings, particularly descendents of the Seven Sages. Link, an apprentice blacksmith, ends up embarking on a quest to find a way to stop Yuga and save the people he's been capturing, a quest which eventually brings him to an alternate world known as Lorule.
Gameplay
This game employs the basic gameplay style of the top-down Zelda adventures. Link can use his sword and shield at all times, and two of his other items can be assigned to the X and Y buttons from the touch screen. Rather then finding items in dungeons, most of the items are available from early in the game as rentals offered by Ravio. Items rented from Ravio are lost when the player continues from a game over and have to be re-rented, but it is possible to buy the items permanently later in the game. This game also features a special mechanic in which Link merges with walls and becomes a painting. This form can be used to reach out-of-reach areas, discover hidden passages and elude enemy attacks. The wall-merging ability and most of Link's items deplete an Energy Gauge. The Energy Gauge refills automatically when not being depleted, but if it is completely depleted, then the player must wait several moments before it starts to refill.
Link Between Worlds is set in a Hyrule based directly on that of A Link to the Past, with locations and some characters mirroring those from the original game. The area of Lorule is also heavily based on the Dark World from A Link the the Past. Weather vanes are also present at several spots in Hyrule and Lorule. Once activated, Link can use them to save the game, and he can also travel instantly between different weather vanes within a land by calling upon Irene for a broomstick ride. This game is also noteable for allowing more freedom for players, as many of the dungeons can be undertaken in any order.
This game is also compatible with the StreetPass feature. Links from other players' games will appear as a Shadow Link somewhere in the game's map to challenge the player to a battle. The player earns a rupee bounty from winning, and there are also numerous achievements that can be fulfilled. Additionally, Play Coins can be given to Hint Ghosts in exchange for tips.
After completing the game for the first time, a more challenging Hero Mode is unlocked.
Legacy
Sequels
The next game to be released would be The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D. In terms of original games, it was followed by The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes in 2015, which featured the same Link with a multiplayer focus.