The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Reviewed by Pat Boone
I've played 5 Super Nintendo RPGs (Role Playing Games): Chrono Trigger,
Final Fantasy 2, Final Fantasy 3, Super Mario RPG & Legend of Zelda. And
unfortunately, the Legend of Zelda is the one I liked the least
In this game, you play as Link, who has to save Princess Zelda, get 3 medals,
then get 7 crystals, then beat the final boss. You walk around a large map,
fighting enemies and getting powerups, till you get to puzzle filled dungeons
where you have to beat a boss to get an item (a medal, a crystal or Zelda,
depending on what stage of the game you're at).
You fight enemies by swinging at them with your sword, unlike in other
RPGs, where you enter the attack you wish to perform, then watch the
computer execute it.
These are some of the reasons why I disliked this game
1) Compared to the others, this game has very little story development,
especially after you rescue Zelda (which takes place near the beginning
of the game). After that it's just - go to dungeon, beat boss, get item that
will let you enter next dungeon - and so on until you get to the final
dungeon and beat the final boss. This is unlike the other RPGs, where
the story continually develops.
2) Movement within the game world: Suppose you've just completed a
dungeon and beaten its boss. To get to the next dungeon, you have to
WALK all the way across the world map, fighting enemies and overcoming
obstacles, till you get to it. This can be very tedious. And it happens
THROUGHOUT the game! Unlike the other RPGs, which make travel easier
(e.g. via the airship in the Final Fantasy games, the Epoch in Chrono Trigger).
Later on in the game, you get a magic flute which enables you to transport
to certain areas on the map, but you still need to walk a fair distance from
these points to the dungeons.
3) Save points. There are only 3 (or 4, I forget) places you can save your
game in the entire world! You cannot save within dungeons either - you
either defeat all the enemies AND the boss in one go, or else you have to
start again at a save point, walk ALL THE WAY to the dungeon, and try again.
This can be VERY frustrating indeed!
Graphics 4 out of 5
The graphics are pretty good compared to the other RPGs. The backgrounds
are colorful and well detailed.
Music and Sound 3 out of 5
The background music (which plays throughout the game) is fair. Nothing
spectacular, though (in my opinion).
Game Challenge 10 out of 10
Some of the dungeons in this game are VERY challenging, especially
towards the end. Many dungeons have numerous doorways, and it's often
very difficult figuring out which one you have to enter to get to a certain
destination. Also, you have to do certain things in certain rooms to be
able to access other rooms, and this is not always intuitive. If you love
hard puzzles, this is the game for you.
Game Play-Fun 2 out of 10
I did not find this game fun at all, for the reasons I described at the
beginning of this review. I found it very frustrating.
(Replayability 2 out of 10
After finishing the game, you'll probably wait a few weeks until trying
it again. The game is pretty linear, and there's not much you'd want to
try differently the next time'.
Game Value 1 out of 10
My advice? If you want to purchase an RPG, go with one of the Final Fantasy
Games, or Chrono Trigger.
Overall 1 out of 10
This game's frustration factor was so high it took all the fun out of it for
me. The other games I compared this one to: (Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 2
& Final Fantasy 3, Super Mario RPG) all have (in my opinion) better gameplay,
better music and better stories. However, if you love solving tough puzzles,
and don't mind going through long and tedious paths in order to get to
destinations, this game is the game for you.