The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Despite its many references and callbacks to the 1991 classic, A Link Between Worlds feels fresh. Not only does it feature some of the best dungeons and bosses in the series’ long history, but its stunning use of the system’s 3D effect should make anyone thinking about saving a few bucks by getting a Nintendo 2DS pause and reconsider.

Far from dumbing down the game, this makes the puzzles more complex from the moment you enter instead of needing to wait for you to get your bearings. Quite honestly, I didn't realize Nintendo still knew how to make a Zelda game at this level of sheer quality. Though A Link Between Worlds may not become an enduring classic through the decades like A Link to the Past, it stands as a worthwhile successor and a modern masterpiece in its own right.

The presentation is stellar, with gorgeous, vivid visuals, and one of the best soundtracks in gaming. I want to let the experience roll around in my brain for a while before I decide where it ranks among the best entries in the franchise, but I can say with confidence that it should be spoken in the same breath as A Link to the Past. In every way, A Link Between Worlds is exactly what you want out of a Zelda game.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a perfect handheld Zelda experience, offering the classic gameplay you cherish at a snappier pace. Link's new 2D ability, combined with the nonlinear progression, provide a flexibility that makes exploring the land – both Hy and Lo – exciting all over again.

As I played A Link Between Worlds, I kept wondering if I’d give it a perfect 10 for the review. It is a very good game that scores high on the nostalgia scale with its gorgeous visuals and smart and seamless gameplay. But surely the game couldn’t be absolutely perfect, could it?

Despite lacking the challenge of other titles in the series, fans will appreciate the nostalgic music and graphics, and enjoy playing through the new dungeons and boss battles that can be easily tackled on the go. This is a fantastic game, nearly perfect, taking it’s place as one of the greatest in the franchise, and it is no doubt one of the best handheld games ever made.

Link Between Worlds' main problem at the end of the day is a complete lack of anything that's memorable. There's no defining moment, no newly minted classic villains or characters, and no truly "new" items that make their mark on the series. It's certainly playable in every sense of the word, but I didn't feel the same spark I had felt so many times before.

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.

It's a beautifully presented one, and it's a damn good time, but it's also got its fair share of irritations and erects meaningless roadblocks for no other reason than to seemingly pad itself out. Still, I cannot claim that referencing previous triumphs for cheap applause doesn't work - it works very well, and A Link Between Worlds is damn good at it.

There are plenty of secrets to be found in the game as well, and you'll have fun seeking them out thanks to a superb map system you can access at any time. Although not quite as detailed as, say, Ocarina of Time, the graphics are outstanding nevertheless, and the huge game world contains some neat lighting effects. When it comes to the sound and music, have no doubt that A Link Between Worlds is vintage Zelda.

A Link Between Worlds takes some much-needed strides to shake things up. But it does so within a pair of worlds most fans know maybe a little too well, and you know what they say about familiarity. This is a good first step in Nintendo's journey to revitalize Zelda, but the next leg of the trip needs to be considerably bolder.

Though it can be bizarre to think that something so occasionally familiar can still be so fresh and engaging, A Link Between Worlds is itself a unique experience. There's a lingering sense that by this point Nintendo is just running victory laps around a set of mechanics they perfected decades ago but, at the end of the day, none of that matters: this is simply an absolute treat to play.

Simply put, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is one of the best experiences one can have on the 3DS, or on any platform, for that matter. This is the kind of title that can sell systems and only comes along every once in a while, so make sure you secure your copy now, because you've got two whole worlds to explore!

A Link Between Worlds is at once accessible and incredibly deep. It displays a stunning fearlessness. Tweaking and completely redefining the basic concepts of the series might have been risk enough. But Nintendo has been shockingly cavalier with one of the most beloved games ever. The result is the sequel I never knew I wanted - and one of my favorite games of 2013.

Without a doubt, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is currently the greatest game you can experience on the 3DS. Much like the legendary Master Sword that features throughout the series, this game is beautifully crafted and offers a superbly streamlined and timeless gameplay experience. ...Long-time fans will certainly get a kick out of its nostalgic presentation, while all players will appreciate its impeccable design and superb usage of the 3DS's touch screen.

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.

This deserves its place among the great Zelda games of yesteryear. Wonderful.

A Link Between Worlds is a rare accomplishment that recaptures the spirit of classic Zelda. It takes the series into new territory much like its SNES counterpart did two decades ago, and it might be the most significant revision to Zelda’s structure since the landmark release of Ocarina of Time. For any doubters out there, it’s time to put your reservations to rest. This is the best Zelda in a long time, and hopefully, a sign of things to come.

Sure, you’re going to recognize some of the dungeons and puzzles, but considering Link’s newest ability is to paint himself onto a wall and traverse dungeons in completely different ways, you can expect to be stumped on more than a few occasions as the game goes on. Having said that, most of the dungeons, even if they seem familiar, are almost completely new in content. If you enjoyed A Link to the Past and you’ve been looking for the next great Zelda title, make no mistake: this is it.

A Link Between Worlds is perhaps the greatest handheld adventure that the series has offered. It really shows what the system can do, and it’s as if the 3DS was building up to this moment, only now realising its true potential with 3D playing a big part in the level design, and 2D wall-walking playing a huge part in the gameplay.

Zelda: A Link Between Worlds brings the outstanding gameplay of the SNES prequel to the 3DS in a well-crafted adventure that will give you a rush of nostalgia. With interesting new characters, atypical series gameplay elements, and fantastic 3D visuals, Link's next adventure is a must play.

Between Worlds recaptures the spirit of adventure that gave the early games Zelda their potency, and lays out a vision for Zelda games still to come. It invites them - and us, the long-term fans - to let go of conventions that may have been comforting, but were ultimately holding us back. It’s at once intensely nostalgic and powerfully novel, unpatronising and cerebral. As a Zelda fan, I couldn’t wish for much more.

The Zelda fanbase is notoriously bad at coming to a consensus regarding the quality of individual games, but this release has the most potential for unified support since…well, A Link to the Past. It's too overshadowed by its predecessor to ever be anyone's favourite version of the franchise, but as a fast, engaging little ball of nostalgia here to remind everyone why they fell in love with the series in the first place, it's a definite success.

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.

A Link Between worlds is old fashioned Zelda fun with some clever new gimmicks, but it's too easy, straightforward, and familiar for a full recommendation

Luckily this issue is heavily outweighed by what else is on offer. Yes, A Link Between Worlds is an experience dipped heavily in nostalgia. It offers less surprises to the franchise formula than the likes of Super Mario 3D World does for the Mario series. But it's the strongest entry in the top-down branch of the series since, well, A Link to the Past.

It's often been said that A Link to the Past is a game set inside a puzzle. That means A Link Between Worlds is buried at least two layers deep, as it's a game set within A Link to the Past. But that's both the pleasure and the pain of Zelda, isn't it? A tale endlessly retold, wrongs endlessly righted, a map endlessly tweaked and embellished and folded back on itself.

Classic Zelda fare riddled with veins of audio-visual mastery and an inspired gameplay twist. The greatest Legend Of Zelda title of recent years.

Great character design. The 2D-3D dynamic works well and is put to excellent use. Excellent use of the 3DS' 3D capabilities. Armour rental system opens the game up. A Link Between Worlds boasts excellent characterisation and spacial design. Even a too-shallow difficulty curve can't hold this long awaited entry back.

With Nintendo having made vague allusions to shaking up the formula in their eventual Wii U title, it’s great to have a game that proves how well Zelda can work when it shifts from the series’ status quo. Rarely does a game feel so utterly dedicated to being enjoyable all the way through. 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.

A Link Between Worlds logra lo que otros Zelda no han sido capaces de conseguir en todo este tiempo: modificar el núcleo jugable de la serie al tiempo que mantiene sus exquisitos valores de producción. Todo mientras da entrada a nuevos jugadores y ofrece una aventura que hace guiños a sus más fervientes seguidores. Jugabilidad noventera adaptada a la actualidad en un videojuego legendario y absolutamente imprescindible para todos los poseedores de Nintendo 3DS… y sin excepción.

No podemos dejar de mencionar las mazmorras totalmente reinventadas, con menos salas pero complejas, frescas y con un buen uso de la verticalidad para ofrecer más retos en menos espacio; o los Jefes finales a la altura de lo que una gran aventura precisa. Si a todo esto le añadimos extras en forma de exploración y minijuegos por todos lados, un modo héroe solo para auténticos jugones, gran dirección artística y una banda sonora inolvidable, el resultado final habla por sí solo: la mayor aventura de Nintendo 3DS.

A Link Between Worlds no escapa de este paradigma. La historia y los personajes son los mismos. Sin embargo, aunque repita hasta el vértigo el conflicto sagrado que todos conocemos de memoria, experimenta con ideas novedosas y brillantes de diseño de juego. Es, a fin de cuentas, una amalgama de las casi 3 décadas de historia de la franquicia

Pero como decía antes, lo mejor de este nuevo Zelda es la armonía con la que encajan todas sus piezas. No es el Zelda que traerá la revolución que la saga pide a gritos -ese debería salir en Wii U- pero sí es un acto de reivindicación contundente que nos recuerda lo grande que puede llegar a ser este medio.

Auch wenn man hinsichtlich der ewigen Wiederkehr des Helden erzählerisch nicht überrascht wird und musikalisch Wünsche offen bleiben, ist das Spieldesign fast perfekt. Dieses Abenteuer macht einfach nur Spaß und dürfte schon bald bei der Diskussion um den besten Teil der Reihe mitmischen.

Nehmt es als altmodisches und in vielen Bereichen vertrautes Märchen, das sich inhaltlich weniger weiterentwickelt, als es sich manch einer wünschen würde. Im nächsten Moment ist es ein Nach-Hause-Kommen für jeden, der Bombenzischen und sich spannende Bogensehnen zu seinen Freunden zählt. Das neue Zelda ist zu leicht und kann auch mit seiner freieren Spielstruktur nicht über einige seiner eingefahrenen Traditionen hinwegtäuschen. Aber das muss es auch nicht, wenn das Abenteuer dahinter tagelang an die Couch fesselt. Viel mehr kann man nicht verlangen.

En fait, le gros bémol avec The Legend of Zelda : A Link Between Worlds est cette casualisation constante qui bousille quelque peu le challenge : les énigmes sont enfantines, on peut accéder à quasiment tous les objets dès le départ, et les Fatustus grouillent de partout. Heureusement, le jeu offre un contenu d'une richesse imparable qui séduira aussi bien les néophytes que les anciens. Et cette sensation de liberté retrouvée est tellement grisante qu'on refuse de faire la fine bouche.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds é a sequência perfeita do clássico da Super Nintendo. O aspecto visual excepcional e as novas mecânicas implementadas de forma impecável foram concebidas de forma exemplar, conservando o ambiente nostálgico do título em que foi inspirado e ao mesmo tempo presenteando o jogador com uma aventura completamente renovada.

Do ponto de vista da progressão horizontal, viajando por Hyrule e Lorule, A Link Between Worlds promove essencialmente uma boa sensação de profundidade a partir dos efeitos tridimensionais.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds è senza ombra di dubbio uno dei migliori Zelda di sempre, una killer-app che da sola basta per giustificare l'acquisto della console.

Il piacere si sposta più sulla comprensione del come e quando usare la chiave giusta, tanto nei dungeon quanto all’esterno: maggiori poteri, maggiori responsabilità. Quando poi si schiudono le porte della dimensione parallela, le possibilità di movimento si espandono drasticamente e viene fugata ogni paura di avere troppe chiavi per poche porte.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds cammina su un filo sottilissimo, tentando di rinnovare la formula classica della serie senza però snaturarne le caratteristiche che l'hanno resa una delle più popolari e amate tra i videogiocatori nel corso di quasi trent'anni di vita. Il risultato finale è però, fortunatamente, eccezionale: benché assolutamente riconoscibile e familiare fin dal primo istante, A Link Between Worlds riesce con coraggio a rimescolare alcune delle carte più importanti all'interno dell'economia del gameplay di Zelda offrendo una soluzione intrigante, coinvolgente, divertente e capace di restituire al giocatore un certo grado di libertà senza però lasciarlo mai smarrito o spaesato.

Je voelt je meteen thuis in A Link Between Worlds. Alles lijkt bekend als je A Link to the Past hebt gespeeld, maar toch is er een hoop anders. Het spel kent genoeg toevoegingen om niet een simpel gekopiëerd vervolg te zijn, waar items huren en veranderen in een tekening twee goede voorbeelden van zijn. Het enige waar A Link Between Worlds volledig de plank misslaat, is de moeilijkheidsgraad. Deze lijkt standaard ingesteld op het laagst mogelijke niveau waardoor je zonder enige moeite het grootste deel van de game doorloopt.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is zowel een gewaagd als een traditioneel avontuur. Nintendo zit duidelijk op de juiste weg om de Zelda-formule op te schudden, en doet dit op een voorzichtige manier om de trouwe fans niet tegen de borst te stoten.