the Seikens Board

It's not enough to say that 'A Link Between Worlds' is a great game, it may very well be the best Zelda game I've ever played. If you haven't played it, the game is loosely structured around the SNES game 'A Link To The Past'. The map is very similar as is the general overview of the quest.

The similarities end there.

This is the top-down RPG perfected. Link's movements are the most fluid they've ever been, making navigating the map a joy in and of itself. The gameplay is fast but not so fast that it feels "easy". In fact, some of the enemies in the overworld are genuinely tough and will require the use of some strategy to defeat. The game is an absolute pleasure to look at and it's clear that a great deal of care was taken in rendering each screen.

And then there's the dungeons. 25 years of puzzle building experience has culminated in some of the most brilliant head-scratchers I've ever played. Whereas some of the dungeons in 'Ocarina Of Time' were downright maddening, these will absolutely require you to use your brain- sometimes in ways you might not expect- but you may get through it without the use of a strategy guide or youtube videos.

In short, I could not possibly have enjoyed this game more than I have and I strongly encourage all of my Mana brothers and sisters to get this immediately.

I've played everything up to The Link to the Past and loved the Zelda series.... I have tried again on the Wii with Twilight Princess and never bothered again after that rubbish game.

Perhaps i will look into this one, your review is persueing...

Kefka,

I sincerely hope that you'll give this game a shot. I share your distaste for Twilight Princess; I attempted to play through it and simply found the game to be maddening. I purchased the Game Cube version as I had no interest in using the nunchuk device to move, swing the sword, etc.

Think of 'A Link Between Worlds' as the Zelda design team FINALLY realizing that pretty graphics and questionable gimmicks/abilities (The Minish Cap) are no substitute for a story that engages you and a game that compels you to play it. While I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, this game is good enough- and will likely sell well enough- to make other, more clueless RPG game developers whose name rhymes with Dare-Queenix to re-evaluate the direction their company has moved in.

A top down, action RPG/dungeon crawler that is genuniely fun to play... haven't we been asking for that for nearly two decades?

Yes, I totally agree. This game is brilliant. It's extremely well made and compelling in every way. I was a bit skeptical after seeing some trailers but it turns out that I didn't have anything to worry about. I'm working through my second playthrough using Hero Mode and the added challenge and the ability to navigate the quests in the order that you find most appealing or stumble upon makes this second time through that much better. I'm posting "ADVENTURE LOG" comments on Miiverse and it's loads of fun as well.

Manaman, I'm also playing through Hero mode right now and I have to agree, the second time through is even better than the first. I've actually found a few maimais, heart pieces and even a bottle that I missed when I first played it. Hopefully Nintendo will look at the success and fan response to this game and make a sequel a la Majora's Mask.

Still gotta play through Hero mode. I 100%'d the first part (except for the shadow link stuff, there isn't anyone to streetpass in the MidWest!)

Overall the dungeons were amazingly crafted, but a bit short. I gotta say, having the world the same was a nice feeling, I really enjoyed the whole game.

Bosses seemed a bit easy though, but Blind was awesome to see again!