In our bi-weekly retro game feature, we flashback to a legendary game series. This week, we link to the past.
Title: The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
Release Date: Spring 1992
Genre: Action-Adventure
Not All Heroes Wear Capes.
Nintendo is a gaming company that can be described as many things. It is a bold innovator that sought to change the landscape of gaming since it’s very inception, and it took the leap of faith into gaming when there seemingly wasn’t much to gain, but everything to lose. One of the many things Nintendo can be described as is a creator, it has given us Super Mario, Donkey Kong, and of course The Legend of Zelda. This game series started with the title The Legend of Zelda (created in 1986), which was helmed by the legendary game creator Shigeru Miyamoto(CNN). Featuring the main character Link (not Zelda) a Hylian tasked with saving Princess Zelda and Hyrule from the evil Ganon. Back then, gamers were incorrectly calling Link the name Zelda after the title screen. This is where we jump 6 years forward, to the Past, where people still make the same mistake.
My Name Is not Zelda!
Being the third installment of The Legend of Zelda franchise, this game is still considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest Zelda game created. After slamming the familiar grey cartridge into the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the main menu screen is shown and the music that fills the air is iconic even from the menu screen. You can hear the Great Fairy theme (image 1) which is implemented in almost every single rendition of Legend of Zelda to this day. Even the newest Zelda title “Breath of the Wild” features a theme that’s very reminiscent of this, even though it is remixed to a degree, you can hear the nostalgic sounds as if you were playing this title.
This Zelda game features lush landscapes(image 2), a large overworld, and graphics that were groundbreaking at the time. In each of these games, the player is tasked with solving puzzles and unlocking new items that make advancing the game possible. Each item unlocked helps the player solve puzzles which gets Link ever closer to defeating the evil Ganon (image 3). Each dungeon featured a new item, and a boss fight which required a think outside the box approach to complete… and it usually was not an easy task. A simple act like swinging the sword brings you right back to the past, as it always feels as though the player is greeting an old friend.
As the game progresses in items… and difficulty (Nintendo was unforgiving) more familiar music fills the air, the puzzles start to intertwine and the player has to rely on memory for what item works in what scenario. This gameplay can be seen in the first installment and all of the following installments of this series as they’re puzzle-based adventure games. These titles almost always feature the same villain, the same princess, and the same land of Hyrule. Keeping similar remixed music, similar gameplay, and the same items or weapons make this game’s reliance on nostalgia steep.
A Link to The Future.
Although the Legend of Zelda series is widely renowned, this title is still popular in modern times. 22 years after its release, Nintendo released a spiritual successor to the game titled The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. This title featured very updated graphics, new but very similar gameplay, carbon copy boss enemies(image 4+5), and almost the exact same musical score. This second adventure through this edition of Hyrule never felt so familiar, as items were kept true to their source material almost to the letter. Seeing as how these titles aren’t complete without Easter-eggs from other titles, the grave keeper Dampe can be found in this title as a nod to many previous titles, which a Link to the Past did not have.
A Link to Today.
The Legend of Zelda video game franchise is a juggernaut in the gaming world and remains as strong as ever. With over 20 titles in the series released after A Link to the Past and more announced on the way, this series has no signs of slowing down. Breath of the Wild was the most recent main installment and it shattered the series’ previous sales record, (Forbes) which shows the staying power of this legendary franchise. Through the usage of music, familiar faces, and similar weapons or items this franchise does more than utilize nostalgia. The Legend of Zelda links the past, the present, and the future with nostalgia. With the Nintendo Switch eShop releasing A Link to the Past for free for all members of their online service, returning to the past or experiencing it for the first time should be something all gaming enthusiasts should take advantage of.