Do You Remember The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past?
Posted by Kevin "K-Tuck" Tucker on September 17th, 2009
Do you remember The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past? I would hope so – its only one of the the most memorable video games to ever land on a home console. A Link to the Past has been named one of the Greatest Games of All Time by popular gaming website Gamespot, and was ranked in the number one position in Nintendo Power’s top games list for over five consecutive years. Quite possibly the best game in the Zelda series, A Link to the Past established many of the series staples that have held even up until the most recent title in the series, Twilight Princess.
Being the third of the official Zelda releases, LttP had many elements from the previous series present in the new game. Unlike Zelda II, though, A Link to the Past returned to the wholly-overhead camera system, dropping the somewhat awkward two-dimensional sidescrolling elements from The Adventure of Link. Link himself was given several crucial upgrades, including the ability to walk diagonally, run, and attack foes without directly facing them.
The most obvious change to the game were its beautiful graphics. Coming from the relatively less-than-stellar NES (at least graphically), Link’s newest SNES adventure was rich, colorful, and extremely well-detailed. Also immediately noticeable was the new audio capabilities of the system, put to the test by world-renowned video game composer Koji Kondo.
Zelda III threw players into the body of young Link, setting out to find his Uncle one rainy night. Having fallen into a dank part of the castle, Link’s uncle gives him a sword and tells him to find young Princess Zelda. Link rescues Zelda, and brings her to a sanctuary via sewers. Once there, Link learns of a plan hatched by the dark wizard Agahnim to release the uber-powerful Ganon into the Light World. Before the title sees conclusion, Link has to find three pendants to acquire the Master Sword, and then free the Seven Sages from various dungeons scattered about the Dark World before facing off with Ganon.
What A Link to the Past mainly brought to the series were magical spells, weapons, items, and themes that have made appearances in basically every game that came afterwards. LttP introduced the hookshot, a grappling hook type weapon used to stun enemies and keep them at bay, bring in distant objects, as well as traverse gaps within the environments. The game also gave a name to Link’s sword – the Master Sword – and that name has stuck throughout the series. Lastly, introduced into A Link to the Past was the concept of different but parallel worlds – the Light and Dark world theme was crucial to the plot of the game. Many puzzles on the overworld environment had to be solved by thinking about and making adjustments to the differences between the Light World and Dark World. This theme comes into play later with The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, where players can control a young link in a fruitful Hyrule, and an older Link in a war-torn Hyrule, and most obviously Twilight Princess, where Link can traverse the realm of the real and the realm of the Twilight.
The many things that were introduced in A Link to the Past and brought into later games in the series would make up a vast list. Most noteworthy, though, are the ability to change and upgrade Link’s weapons and armor, Link’s spinning sword attack, spells that damage by area of effect, hidden areas inside dungeons and caves found underground, and more. It is also worth noting that Link played an ocarina in A Link to the Past to summon a bird that allowed him to quickly travel about the land. Link’s Ocarina came back directly into Ocarina of Time, and musical elements have played a role in most titles since.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is much more popular and successful than many games featured on Spawn Kill’s Do You Remember, but there are reasons why it belongs. Not only is it an often-overlooked title on an older platform, but it significantly changed the outlook for the rest of the games in the series – a series which to this day influences games across all genres and mediums, and remains one of the most hotly anticipated and financially successful series throughout the world.
Do You Remember is an ongoing effort at Spawn Kill to showcase some of the great and often forgotten titles in gaming history. Be sure to check back every Thursday for the newest edition of Do You Remember.
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