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A pixel perfect port of one of the greatest games of all time coupled with a superb multiplayer package.
Introduction:
Link's GBA debut is yet another SNES port from Nintendo. However, much like the rest of Nintendo's GBA updates (except maybe Super Mario Bros. 2), this is a piece of gaming history that definitely deserves this much-needed revival on the Game Boy Advance. A Link to the Past is, in my opinion, the most magical piece of software that Nintendo has ever created. The atmosphere and depth of Miyamoto's masterpiece is unmatched even today. With a whole generation of new gamers owning the GBA, they are now given the chance to sample one of the most exquisite video games ever made. To make the package even better, Nintendo enlisted the help of Capcom who have developed a highly original multiplayer game for two to four players, making this combined package a must own for fans of the original SNES release, and those coming to the game for the first time.
Story:
The story behind A Link to the Past is involving and revolves around many different characters. The game starts off with a brief intro sequence which basically outlines the story behind Hyrule and 'The Golden Land', the resting place of the mystical Triforce and also a place of great evil. When a mysterious sorcerer known as Agahnim shows up, all sorts of strange goings on take place in Hyrule. It is then that Link, our hero, receives a telepathic message from Zelda, the princess of Hyrule. This message informs Link that Zelda has is being held captive in the dungeons of Hyrule Castle. After braving a storm and reaching the castle, you meet up with Link's uncle who hands you a sword and a shield, and so your quest begins. As you progress through the game the story takes you through a number of dramatic story twists giving you a variety of objectives, from a quest to find the master sword to a quest to release 7 maidens held captive by the evil Agahnim. Soon you'll learn of Agahnim's intensions to fill Hyrule with evil, and you'll have to guide Link back and fourth through both present day and the dark world. It's up to you to single handedly save the world, defeat Agahnim, and ultimately defeat an even higher being of evil (now who could that be?).
Gameplay:
There really is no other game series like Zelda in existence. What the series offers is a unique mix of adventure, action and puzzle solving with an almost RPG-like game structure (hence the common misconception that The Legend of Zelda is in fact an RPG). The play area on offer in A Link to the Past is frankly overwhelming; a large overworld map which hosts a total of eleven different dungeons provides you with a huge area to explore. And exploration is the key with Zelda. You will not be able to waltz right in to any dungeon of your choosing, instead you'll need to locate new items found in subsequent dungeons (and sometimes in hidden areas of the overworld) that will grant you new powers enabling access to new dungeons. Due to the structure of the game, your initial accessibility to areas within the game is quite restrictive, but as you progress you'll see just how expansive the game world really is. There are many areas that you'll pass and wonder how on earth you'll be able to get to them, but upon receiving new items and powers you'll be able to go back and access previously unseen areas. There are all sorts of hidden caves scattered around Hyrule, many of which you aren't required to visit in order to complete the game. It's always worth searching for these though, as there are plenty of hidden items and money-filled chests for you to find which will only aid you in your quest.
Most of the action and puzzle solving elements of A Link to the Past take place inside the dungeons. Whilst each of the dungeons featured in the game has a significantly different structure they are all played in a similar manner. When you enter each dungeon you're faced with a number of puzzles involving moving blocks, finding small keys and falling through floors with the aim to locate that dungeon's big key. The big key grants you access to the boss of that dungeon, but before you enter the boss room you'll want to use the key to open the chest containing the treasure item for that dungeon. These items vary the bow and the boomerang to the hookshot and the hammer, all of which can be used as weapons or to aid your solving of various puzzles. These items not only give you a way to access the boss room in the dungeon you are currently exploring, but they also give you a means to effectively defeat the boss. As I said, each dungeon featured in the game is significantly different, such as the Ice Palace, which (rather obviously) is laden with slippery ice and the Watergate Dungeon which has you activating floodgate switches that alter the level of the water enabling your progression. The types of puzzle and enemies featured in each dungeon vary significantly too, and they all depend on what item's you currently have in your inventory.
As you'll notice from the screenshots, all of the action in the game is viewed from a top-down perspective, thus giving you complete freedom to explore the world around you. The control set up has been designed perfectly to work with the games perspective in mind. The controls remain largely unchanged from the SNES version, despite the GBA having a few less buttons. The d-pad is used to walk and push in the desired direction, whilst the B button is used to swing your sword and also charge it up for a whirling blade attack. The primary use of the A button is to use one of the items in your inventory, but it can be also used to speak to people and open chests. The R trigger is the other button you'll be using frequently, as this allows you to perform a number of actions such as pulling, opening chests, running (once you have the Pegasus boots) and swimming (once you have Zora's flippers). Finally, the L trigger gives you access to the map screen, and the start and select buttons are used to access the save and inventory screens respectively.
Another of this games greatest assets is the enemy and boss character design. There are so many different enemies featured in the game, many of which require slightly different strategies for you to fell them. Sure, there are plenty of enemies that require a simple hack and slash approach for you to defeat them, but there are others that need to be flipped for you to inflict damage, and also those that can only be attacked from a certain direction or with a certain item. Enemies attack in a variety of ways too, some even have harmful side effects if you hit then at the wrong time, such as the electrocuting red and blue 'Floaters'. Which such diversity in enemy attack patterns it's often beneficial to think before you run in and attack the enemies with your sword, as you might get a shock result, quite literally. Boss characters are similarly well-designed, each having its own unique attack and movement pattern that will require a different strategy on your side. Once you've worked out how to beat the boss, it's a fairly simple task of repeated procedure, but it's the working out of the correct strategy that is the challenging part of the boss battles.
Despite being frustrating when you can't work out what you're meant to do next, how to defeat a certain boss or where to find that all important key, the gameplay largely stays fresh and will keep you playing until you find the solution. The rewards, in the form of new items giving you access to new areas, and extra heart containers for defeating bosses are very welcome, and you'll want to continue playing to find out just what is around the corner in the ever twisting plot. The game world is a magical place, with very few physical restrictions once you have the items that you need in order to progress. You rarely feel the linear constraints of the game, thanks to the many sub-missions that will present themselves to you along the way. Some of the dungeons can even be completed out of sequence, taking you further away from the linearity of some of the other games in the series.
Multiplayer:
Thanks to Nintendo once again teaming up with software giants Capcom, A Link to the Past now comes coupled with its own dedicated multiplayer game 'The Four Swords'. Unfortunately, due to the fact that I know of very few people who own a GBA, and also that the game hasn't even been released in Europe, I've yet to sample the delights of multiplayer Zelda. Fear not though, I'll do my best to explain the concept behind the game.
The Four Swords takes the basic mechanics of your standard Zelda game, and then adds in a healthy dosage of both cooperative and competitive gameplay enabling between two and four players (each requiring their own GBA and a copy of the game) to play simultaneously. Although your ultimate goal is to collect the most treasure, there are many puzzles and enemies that will require the players to unite their power in order to progress. The game features its own unique array of items that are, in turn, used to solve very different puzzles from those featured in A Link to the Past. These include the Roc's cape, allowing you to jump and the Gnat Hat which amusingly shrinks the player down to the size of an insect, allowing you to travel through very narrow pipes and tunnels. The Four Swords features a greatly different style of gameplay to that of A Link to the Past, and it's also presented in its own unique style with entirely new music and dungeon settings. You're basically getting two great games for the price of one. To make the multiplayer game even more alluring, on reaching certain criteria you will unlock a number of extra's in A Link to the Past, of these is a brand new dungeon. The only way you'll be able to access these extras is by playing The Four Swords, so there's definitely a reason to track down a couple of your friends and continue the adventure with them.
Lifespan:
A Link to the Past is a huge game, packed with so much that even when you've completed it you will be going back to check for any hidden areas that you may have missed. There has to be at least a good 20 hours on offer here for those that haven't played the original SNES title. With the inclusion of one of the most involving and complex multiplayer games on the GBA, if you have people to play this game with the lifespan could easily exceed 50 hours, possibly even more due to the endless possibilities of The Four Swords.
Graphics & Sound:
It may be nearly a decade old now, but A Link to the Past still looks every bit as brilliant on the GBA as it did back then, the game has been ported perfectly to the GBA. The background graphics, character animation and sprites all perfectly scaled to fit the small screen. The Four Swords has a different graphical style to the single player game. This gives the game a refreshing look, and it shows that a lot of care has been spent on the multiplayer side of things, rather than the developers simply re-using the textures and sprites from A Link to the Past.
As you may well know, the original release of A Link to the Past featured one of the best musical scores to ever grace a videogame. Thankfully, the GBA version manages a near perfect rendition of all of the classic Zelda compositions. The music really is superb, and does a great job of adding atmosphere to the game. This is definitely a game where the use of headphones comes highly recommended thanks to the full usage of the stereo capabilities of the system. Pick up a rock and throw it to the left and you'll hear the sound on the left, run across the screen horizontally and you'll hear the sound pan across. It's only a small touch, but it works really well. The only real flaw in the sound department is the fact that eight of the main dungeons all feature the same music. This is probably more noticeable due to the fact that all of the recent Zelda games have had unique music for each dungeon, even the Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles did. However, this is a flaw with the original SNES title, so we can't really complain as this is a port, and it wouldn't have been the same had the developers added some new compositions to the game. That said, the dungeon music is superb, it just would have been nice if there was a little more variety.
The sound effects are all crisp and remain true to the original, although one slight addition has been made. When you attack with your sword, Link has been given a couple of voice samples which sound like they have been lifted from the N64 Zelda titles. Some my find this annoying, but it didn't really cause me any problems, and it does give Link a little more character.
Closing Comments:
If that hasn't convinced you that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/The Four Swords is definitely worth a place in your collection, then I don't know what will. If you haven't played through the original SNES release before then this is certainly an essential purchase. The adventure is long, involving, challenging and presented to perfection with beautiful graphics and a stunning soundtrack. For those who'e already played the game long ago, but have a number of friends who own a GBA, you've got the excellent and rather unique The Four Swords multiplayer game. Both games offer puzzles that'll keep you scratching your head, challenging bosses, and, above all one of the most magical adventures in the history of gaming. You have no excuse not to own this game, go and buy it now if you haven't done so already!
