The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1992/SNES)

Yes that's right, lets talk about 'A link to the Past.' This is the only Zelda game made for Super NES but it was one of the best out of the series.

This game was released in 1991 in Japan , and 1992 in Europe and North-America. This game set the bar for later games like Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, which were both based on this game. There was a unique mix of Adventure, Action and Puzzles. Shigeru Miyamoto made, once again, a perfect game.

The story goes like this: The land of Hyrule was created many centuries ago by 3 goddesses. Each of them left their part of the Golden Power in the form of a Triforce. What is the triforce, you may ask? It's an ancient relic that will grant the wishes of the first person to find it. Many years later the thief Ganon wants the Trifoce but the army of Hyrule fought him with all their power. The seven Sages managed to seal Ganon away. The Master Sword was also forged. Many years Hyrule was , again, at peace. But an evil Wizard creates a 'Dark World' where Ganon regains it's power. Link hears a voice of a woman, telling him that she is trapped in the castle. One Link finds a secret passage into the castle and rescues Zelda. He leaves Zelda at the prest from the church, he now begins his own quest. He finds the village elder, to obtain the Master Sword, but he will have to proof himself first by getting 3 pendants : The pendant of Courage, Power and Wisdom. Then he can retrieve the Master Sword.

The pendant of Courage, you won it!

 

Now that we've gone through the story lets talk abou the Gameplay.


You start the game without weapons or anything, just your clothes. You walk into the Castle and you get the family sword and shield from your dying uncle. But there are alot of items to gather. You can either buy items, or find items, and there are alot of items to find! Lots of items have special abilities which you will need at some point. That's not all though, there are two worlds, like i said the evil Wizard created to of 'em a Light World and a Dark World. They are both abou the same, but the Dark World has other enemies, and is more challenging. There are about 12 dungeons and 13 bosses, which i'll talk about later. Next to saving Zelda and getting the Master Sword you can also do a couple of little side quests. Which are very helpful as they give you upgrades, heart containers or new items. There's alot of items, swords, bows, boomerangs, bombs or magic spells like invincbility and reflection.

Like other the 2 games before Zelda, the area to discover (Hyrule) is huge, there are swamps, woods, mountains, deserts or Towns. And just as an extra, there are 2 of these huge maps. The Dark one and the Light one! Changes in the Light World can affect the Dark World and the other way around, you will need to change worlds because some things are not accessible in the world you are currently in. To go from the Light World into the Dark World you will need to go through a portal. To get back into the Light World you have to look into a magical mirror.

As always puzzles never get old in any Zelda game. The dungeons are kind of puzzles but there are chets with compasses and maps making it a bit easier to see where to go, and where you currently are. The sometimes hard part about dungeons is there is not just 1 way to get to the end of a dungeon, there's always  a second route that leads to nothing or a special item. Back in the days there was no internet, so no walkthroughs. Today you do, so the right choises are made very fast. Keys are there to open the door and there's a useful item in every dungeon. Dungeons get harder the closer you get to Ganon. But in average, you are probably able to beat every dungeon, some would take a bit more time though.

Master Sword

The graphics were pretty good for the time. Most games used 16 collors but A Linkt to the Past actually only used 8 collors, which isn't that much, but I didn't know that untill i read about it. You probably didn't even see it, neither did I. Since this game is still a 2D game there was not that much that could be improved. Ofcourse the weirdly small overhead view of Zelda 2 is improved. but that wasn't a real overhead Zelda anyways. The rain in the beginning looks really nice. The graphics has been nicely updated to the 16-Bit SNES. But in the end graphics are not the main thing that make or break a game. Graphics < Gameplay

Ugly graphics for 2011, still a succesful game.

Like Minecraft which is just a game made out of cubes but is very addictive and fun to play. As of this moment. (5th of April, 2011. 16:00 GMT +1) the game has been sold 1.802.508 times.
1.802.508 x €15 = € 27.037.620, at first it didn't cost €15 but €10. But believe me Notch (creator) has made some millions.
 
But back to Zelda. The sound in this game is once again pretty amazing.

The music is the best I've ever heard out of any Zelda game, even out of the SNES. The music truly brings out the feelings you have of the game. During a boss battle, for example, the music is frantic, fast-paced, and a bit louder. The ending credits are not a catchy tune at all, but more of an accomplishment. Considering sound effects, I see no problem. They work perfectly with the actions you are doing and the places you are in. Many of the themes in this game have since been used in modern Zelda games, such as the Hyrule Castle theme. The Zelda overworld theme we all love so much is present as well, in good quality, too.

The controls in this game are perfect. You control Link's movement with the D-Pad, instead of the just up, down, left and right, you can move diagonally. This is really helpful when fighting enemies. B controls your Sword. tap it and you slash, Holding it will charge your sword and you are able to do a spin attack once it's fully loaded. That you can still move while holding B is very helpful.

The Y button uses your special items, like boomerangs or bombs. A button opens treasure chests, selects items in the menu or by holding it you can do a dash attack (if you have the Pegasus Boots). The X button opens the map.

Basicly the controls are amazing and i've never struggled with them.

The Replay Value of this game is good and bad at the same time. There is no replay option or something like in the first Zelda. But you can replay this until you have found all items , or have all heart containers, etc. And if you haven't played this game for 10 years, you don't know all the secrets believe me. You forget about 90% of them. So can you replay it? YES just not 2 times in a month. But there's lots of other Zelda games to play.


There are alot of bosses in this game it is amazing. There are 13(!) bosses (12 different ones). And every boss has it's own way of destroying you. The first time you fight a boss, you will probably die. You need a life to see what it does, then you can try again and know what to do.
The bosses:

Armos Knight

Get out your Bow, it's the only thing you'll need for this fight. The Armos Knights are found at the end of the Eastern Palace. There are a total of six Armos Knights. Each one takes a few hits with your Bow. They will jump around the room in many different formations. Aim carefully since you can only hold up to 30 Arrows at the point in the game you're in. When there is only one left, the last one will turn red and attempt to kill you. It will jump madly around the room trying to land on you, making it harder to hit it. Try to run to the side after it jumps, then shoot in its direction right before it lands. When you finally hit it a couple of times, take the Heart Container it leaves behind and the Pendant of Courage.

Lanmola

- Three Lanmolas are found in the depths of the Desert Palace. They fly in and out of the ground constantly. Spots on the ground will turn brown and rocky for a couple seconds before they come out of that spot. They shoot out rocks after they fly out. Your sword is the weapon of choice in this battle. Simply slash at their heads when they fly out. Repeat this until two of them are defeated. The third and final one will shoot many more rocks at a time. When you manage to kill all three of them, grab the Heart Container, and the Pendant of Power.

  Moldorm

- Moldorm is a snake-like creature that resides high up in the Tower of Hera. A few good slashes from your sword should take care of him easily. He simply moves around the room, with his tail being his weak point. However, it is possible to fall off the edge of the course and having to restart the whole battle. If you touch his head, slash his head, etc. you'll bounce back. Avoid touching his head at all costs since it makes you bounce back. He will move faster and more aggressively as the fight goes on, making it harder for you to hit him. When you kill him, grab the Heart Container he left behind, as well as the final Pendant of Virtue, the Pendant of Wisdom.

Agahnim

- After getting the Master Sword, Link will go to the top of Hyrule Castle and face Agahnim. The most common thing he shoots is a regular ball, and you must slash at this ball with the Master Sword (or the Bug Catching Net) to hurt him. He also shoots a ball that looks like an X, and you must avoid this. The last thing he shoots is lighting. If he goes to the top-center of the room and doesn't look at you when you run to the sides, stay on the sides. After a good few of his magic balls get deflected back and hit him, he will admit defeat. However, he will draw Link into the Dark World, but he does not know that Link is prepared for it.

Helmasaur

- This masked beast resides in the Palace of Darkness. Use your Magic Hammer to slowly break his mask. A Fairy, Potion, etc. is highly recommended for this boss since his tail move is very hard to avoid and it does a lot of damage. After you break his mask with the Magic Hammer, his face will be exposed. Hit the green orb on his face to hurt him. However, now that his face is exposed, he will start to spit fireballs from his mouth that split into smaller ones and fly around the room. Just keep attacking his face over and over again quickly to finish him off. Grab the Heart Container and get the first Crystal. Getting a Crystal frees a maiden, and they all give Link a little bit of the legend each time he finds one of them.

  Arrghus

- At the beginning of the battle, Arrghus will be surrounded by a bunch of Arrgi. Use your newly acquired Hook Shot that you got in this Swamp Palace to pull them off and kill them one by one. Every now and then in the battle Arrghus will make all of the Arrgi come off and spin around the room. Simply run as far away as you can to avoid them. After all of them have been pulled off, he will begin to jump around the room, as well as moving fast around the room. Just slash at him as he comes by and don't let him land on you until he is defeated. Grab the Heart Container and second Crystal.

Mothula

- The Master Sword and the Fire Rod will be used here, but the Fire Rod is recommended. Mothula is found in the deepest part of Skull Woods. If you use the Fire Rod and have a Green Potion, you shouldn't have much trouble in this fight. The floor will move and spikes will move across. Mothula will also shoot some rays at you. It's a lot of things to dodge at once, but you get used to it quickly. The sword will be your only option if you run out of magic, and it's much harder to use. Grab the Heart Container and Crystal after you manage to defeat him.

  Blind

- Blind will move around the room shooting fireballs. He appears in the boss room after Link exposes him to sunlight, revealing his true form. After a few hits in the head with your sword, his head will come off and start flying around the room shooting fireballs. His head will re-grow on his body as well. Hit his head a few more times and that one will come off and start flying around the room shooting fireballs as well. His head will re-grow again, and you must hit him a few more times to kill him. This can be difficult since there is so much going on in the room at this point. When you defeat him and his heads, grab the Heart Container and another Crystal.

Kholdstare

- The first phase of the battle consists of Kholdstare just being in a block of ice while making ice fall from the ceiling. Use the Fire Rod around eight times on him and he'll split into three eyes moving around the room. The sword is easier, but the Fire Rod is more affective. Magic shouldn't be an issue in this fight if you brought a Green Potion with you. Fairies and such might help as well, but magic is more important in this fight. After killing all three of the eyes, take the Heart Container the third eye leaves behind, and take the fifth Crystal.

Vitreous

- Below the Swamp of Evil in Misery Mire, you'll find this eye candy boss. Take out your Bow and prepare your sword for this one. Vitreous has smaller eyes surrounding him. Use the Bow to shoot the eyes to kill them. Vitreous' eye will light up sometimes, and this indicates that he is about to shoot lighting. After all of the eyes are gone, he will start to move around the room aggressively. Use the sword to attack him over and over until he dies. Take the Heart Container and Crystal after he does so.

Trinexx

- Trinexx resembles a giant Turtle with three heads. He is found in the depths of Turtle Rock. A Blue Potion is highly recommended for this battle. Use the power of the fire and ice rods to attack his heads. Destroy the ice one first with the Fire Rod since it turns the floor icy for the whole battle wherever it touches. Use the Ice Rod on the fire head. After both heads are destroyed, it looks like he's dying, but he's not. Turns out his true form without his shell is a snake. Attack the large part of his body to hurt him. Hopefully you destroyed the ice head quickly before, the icy floors will make this phase harder. Get the Heart Container, and the last Crystal containing Princess Zelda.

Agahnim

- This battle with Agahnim is just like the last one, but he has two decoys this time that do the exact same things that he does. Link will have a rematch with the wizard at the top of Ganon's Tower. The brighter form is the real him, while the two darker ones are the fakes. Just like last time, hurt him by deflecting his magic balls back at him. Avoiding his attacks are harder this time since him and his decoys gang up on you. After defeating him, this time he actually dies, and Ganon comes out of him as a bat and retreats to the Pyramid of Power. Link calls the bird with his Flute, and follows Ganon to the Pyramid for the final showdown!

Ganon

- It's time for the final showdown against Ganon himself. Ganon fled from Agahnim's body and broke into the Pyramid of Power. He will teleport around the room and throw his trident. He will also summon fire keese to go after you. For a while, you'll just slash him over and over, but then he'll start to make the tiles at the edge of the room fall down. Don't go in them since they will make you start the battle over again. He will make the torches go out, darkening the room. He is invisible when it's dark, so get out the Fire Rod and light them up. Quickly run and slash at him and he'll turn blue. Shoot a Silver Arrow at him to inflict damage on him. Do this four times and Ganon will die. A door to the room with the Triforce will open up. source

 

Conclusion: This game is just amazing and definitly my favorite Zelda game. The sound, the gameplay the bosses... the memories. When i was young i loved this game, I still love it!. The packaging is also amazing you get this awesome map, what game does that these days?

This was MrBunni, see you again next time!

MrBunni out.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1989/NES)

Now that it's finally weekend i'll be reviewing the next Zelda game.

Title Screen!!

Yeah that's right, Zelda II: The adventure of Link. The second and last Zelda game for the NES. This game has something that other Zelda games these days don't have.

This game starts off with an intro that scrolls by Star Wars style. Once you've seen this the actual game starts. You start off in Hyrule Castle with Zelda, who is sleeping because of Ganondorf. You leave the castle with your sword and shield and enter Hyrule City. Hyrule city looks quite nice with trees, deserts, caves and mountains. You have the trusted overhead view but you're terribly small. Strangely there are 2 types of views overhead and from the side.

The first Zelda had this awesome overhead view and suddenly they decide to change it all and make the battle sequence a side-scroller. Well technicly there wasn't a standard yet. There's one with overhead and now one that includes sidescrolling gameplay. The good thing about this is that you basicly never get lost. Keep walking to the right until you reach the end of the level. The villages are alot smaller, and no backdoors. In every village lives a wise man that gives you magical powers. With magical powers i mean you can use special attacks, or higher jumps or better protection. Everytime you use magic power, it lowers your 'Magic' in the top left corner. You can easily fill it up in a village and it's free! In total you can have 8 heart containers and 8 magic ones.

You're just as big as a whole town :O!

So when you are just chilling in the overhead world, it may happen that 3 things come walking up to you. This means you're gonna enter the battle sequence. You enter a side-scrolling mode fighting your way through your enemies to the end. There's 2 type of battle sequences, weak and strong. If you walk into a weak one , you get weak and easy to kill enemies. Strong the opposite. You see the side of link fighting enemies in deserts, swamps or graveyards. When you encounter an enemie you can attack him with your sword, there's more than just an attack you can also use your magic power, like i've talked about before.

No overhead view, just left and right.

Zelda 2 is the only Zelda game that uses a level system. Every mob you kill gives you some experience. Once you have enough you level up. When you level up you can choose between 3 things to power up. Attack, Magic or Life. These are all on 1 with a total of 8. The higher your attack the greater your strength. When you upgrade your Magic you can do more magic for less costs. Upgrading your Life means ou can take more hits. This game is hard, but that's known for Zelda games. But this game is almost unfair, first of all you lose all your gained experience points when you die, and when playing this game you will die alot. There's no checkpoints in battle sequences.


The controls of this game are not what you are used to. The control just don't feel like playing a Zelda game. You won't be able to play this game immediately, you should definitely read a manual or jump around for some time.

Nice name bro.

The graphics are not bad but the overhead view is just too small. You seem to be just as big as a whole town which is kinda strange. The sidescrolling graphics are pretty good and everything is easy to tell from another.

The storyline of the game is fairly easy. Zelda is under a sleeping spell and you have to wake her up. You have to get 6 crystals from each palace in Hyrule, once you do, you save Zelda.

If you want a challange you should definitly play this game (if you don´t have a NES you can use an emulator) but beware, this game is extremely hard. There is just one way to beat this game, keep playing it until you have!

Conclusion, This game is very hard and a good challenge for you Zelda fans out there, for the average gamer, you will have a hard time beating this game. The overhead view is a bit weird and the side scrolling is a little different from what you would aspect from a Zelda game.

This was MrBunni, see you next time.
MrBunni out!