Over the years, Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series has changed so much, yet kept many of its gameplay fundamentals. Whether you’re battling as a cel-shaded cartoon-style Link in Wind Waker HD or battling with a more mature model in both Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, the general gameplay remains familiar enough for fans to appreciate.
The upcoming The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds follows a similar pattern, keeping Link’s sword swinging and item use intact while introducing some fun new ideas – and bringing players back to the 16-bit style overhead view that worked so well in the SNES classic A Link To the Past.
Link Between Worlds actually follows events from that 16-bit epic, with a nasty character named Yuga attempting to resurrect the mighty Ganondorf by trapping various royalty types and descendants in paintings. After a quick brush with him toward the start of the game, Yuga gives Link the same treatment – though it isn’t permanent, as a magical bracelet allows him to break free.
This introduces one of the game’s newest abilities – the power to transform into a painting and travel along walls and through cracks in a stage. This is a new level of depth – even if it does appear simply two-dimensional – as you can access new areas that physical Link can’t get to. For instance, one stage may require you to walk as a painting along walls because there aren’t any physical platforms in the real world. Another may require you to slip past a door by looking for a tiny crack – which Link clearly can’t access in regular form – and slipping right through to the other side with ease.
Puzzles become more intricate when you go along, especially when it comes to dungeons. Yes, the classic dungeons from the 16-bit era make a return, with rooms filled with enemies, activation switches, rising and lowering platforms and a handful of other dangers. Link will have to work his way through each room, eventually locating a map and finding his way to a destination point – such as locating a new weapon like the Master Sword, or receiving a key that will allow him to get through a large locked door.
What you’ll want to do in these dungeons is find the map as quickly as possible. It’s usually located in one of the upper rooms, and provides you locations of everything that’s pivotal in that dungeon – namely treasure chests that hold keys and other valuables. Getting to them won’t be entirely easy, as sometimes you’ll have to navigate around tricky platforms, or defeat a certain number of enemies in order to access it. You know, the usual Legend of Zelda standard that Nintendo’s been living up to all these years.
When you aren’t messing around in the dungeons, there’s a luxurious overworld to explore, where small communities are connected together around Princess Zelda’s castle. You’ll be able to view a map at any time to see where your objectives are, such as a person you’ll have to visit over the course of a mission or something that’s similarly relevant. You can also zoom the map in and out as you please, in case you need to find an alternate path – sometimes you’ll run into a door or an entryway that’s inaccessible without using a particular item.
Speaking of items, Link Between Worlds provides you an easy way to access and use these. No longer will you find them randomly in certain areas. Instead, you’ll have to make a trip home, where your houseguest, a strange but well-meaning rabbit character named Ravio, has taken refuge. Here, he can provide you with a number of items that will prove useful on your quest, including a bow and arrow set, boomerangs, and more.
There’s an interesting purchase system with these items. They can be rented for about 50 rupees apiece, though Link will lose access to them if he perishes. However, if he purchases them outright for 1,000 rupees, he’ll get to keep them throughout. It’s best to just go right out and purchase, because it’s better to have the items than the rupees.
As for getting rupees, you’ll find them with ease. Along with getting rewarded some for defeating enemies, you can also destroy items in the environment – pots, grass, trees – and pick up stray ones. They’re colored, as with previous games – with red ones giving you the most. Try and keep an eye out for those.
Finally, if you do get stuck on a particular part the stage, don’t worry. You can save via interactive weather vanes and come back to that point at any time, as well as turn to Play Coin-eating Hint Ghosts that provide you some guidance if you’re lost. Usually, though, with a little investigation around the environment, you’ll find something to push you ahead.
Let’s provide an example. In the first dungeon in the game, you’ll see a locked door, as well as another pathway with a nearly inaccessible ramp that doesn’t quite sink to your level. However, hidden away on a higher platform is a switch, which you’ll need to hit with your bow and arrow. To get there, you’ll simply need to work your way up an adjacent platform, take a straight shot, and you’ll see the platform sink down a little lower. This will allow you to go through the doorway, deal with some enemies, and access a chest to get the key needed to open the door. It’s traditional Zelda design, through and through.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will release on November 22nd for Nintendo 3DS. If you’re a fan of the series, you shouldn’t miss it.
