The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Once again Link returns and is living his peaceful life in the outskirts of the local village with his uncle, but as usual, trouble is afoot and this time in the form of dastardly wizard, Aganahim. The deluded power mad servant to the throne has imprisoned maidens, in order for him to divulge lightworld, wreaking havoc into darkness. The final maiden is princess Zelda, who's been guarded within her own castle and is, by means of telekinesis, contacting link and he ventures out, after his uncle, to the world of Hyrule once more. A Hero saving the princess, yep, that's right...but he's not really your stereotypical knight in shining armour either.

For its day, 1991, this is a breakthrough in graphical innovation. Powerful textured tilesets and subdued within a perfect world for adventure, exploration, imitate battles and encounters with ghastly beasts and strangers you'd want to destroy. The animation is fluid and funny in some occasions, locations; fantastic - a realistic vision of the developing mind. The conversion of light to dark worlds is fantastic, you can most definitely tell which is which due to the emotional quality of your surroundings. Every pane of grass can be cut; each hit of your enemy produces the same sense of achievement of some games today, and others that lack this quality.

 

Although it's not a major thing, the graphics really do provide that extra sense of realism

 

The sound represented in the only 16-bit title was of the best quality, in terms of music and effects, found in Zelda title. The already popular overworld tune, which we all know, was remixed and had some excellent instrumental renditions, literally pushing the console's hardware specifications to their limits, with epic changes in scenery, the music always represented the mood of the area you were in. From the drab dungeons in both light and dark world, to the peaceful homestead of a small village cottage, sound was prominently used to heighten the dramatic effect employed to create a greater feel for the environment you were in. When it came down to the sound effects used in the game, although basic, they had some excellent renderings

 

The dungeons or main levels are excellent, a true challenge to any gamer, something that other titles in the same genre lack, and it's the expansive puzzles and the constant back tracking, but not overused, that emphasises the adventurous/exportation nature perhaps found in games of this amount of precision. In terms of battles/fights, the game excels in that department, although it seems that it's primarily a timing affair