The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Review (Switch)

Released on the Game Boy two years after the Super Nintendo masterpiece that was ‘A Link to the past’, ‘Link's Awakening’ was the first time our intrepid hero had dared to cross onto the handheld games scene. With the Game Boy not being able to able to handle anything the size of ‘A Link to Past’ Nintendo set Link in a whole new world, far away from Hyrule.

The story goes that while Link is sailing back to Hyrule from a far off land his ship encounters a huge storm. During the storm Link is thrown overboard, awakening on the beach of Koholint island. He soon learns he must find the eight instruments of the ‘Sirens’ in order to wake up the legendary ‘Wind Fish’ in order to return to his homeland. Well, it was obvious wasn’t it!

Surprisingly enough these eight instruments are located around the island in eight dungeons, all of which must be searched and explored to succeed in your task. Then once the eight instruments have been collected they must be played in front of a big spotted egg on a hill where the ‘Wind Fish’ resides in order to wake it. The dungeon featured in the Gameboy Colour version of the game is also included for completeness and there is also a dungeon designer included for added longevity. The designer allows any rooms visited from the various dungeons to be collected and used to create custom maps. It’s a nice idea and a welcome addition.

Graphically the game has changed a lot from its routes. Now everything is bright and cartoony and the characters have an almost toy-like appearance. It’s something that we never really got used to when playing as it seems a bit out of place when looking back at the original design. A lot of the little touches and details seem to be glossed over with the new approach and as such it does lose some of the character that made the original such an impressive achievement. When you consider how good the Wind Waker remake was a keeping the original games style it’s a little surprising to see something so different in the transition from Gameboy to Switch.

Like all Zelda games though the gameplay is where the game really shines. As always the dungeons are excellently laid out needing clever thinking and good swordsmanship to complete. Also two things have been added since ‘A Link to the Past’, the ‘Roc’s feather’ and a new way of using the shield in order to block attacks. This shows that while the game couldn’t hope to match the scale of its Super Nintendo counterpart there is still some progression and development in terms of gameplay.

If there was one problem apparent with the original it’s the difficulty of the game. This has been toned down dramatically in the remake. Save points are more generous and the fact many items are now assigned to specific buttons makes enemies at lot more straight forward to deal with. Some puzzles remain truly bizarre but at least there are helpful hints on hand in terms of phone rooms spread around the map. As a result the game becomes a much faster paced and breezy affair.

However, there are a few issues we can’t ignore. The game often drops its frame rate when the screen gets busy which is simply bizarre. We’re all for mimicking older systems but slowdown is really something we can do without and hopefully it’ll be patched out in the future. The focus effect on Link is also odd. Link moves as if under a magnifying class with the areas on the periphery of the screen blurry. This seems to us like a way to mimic the idea of having to move between screens (like with the original game), but it can be really annoying when you are trying to see what’s ahead of you. Also, not having an on screen map that’s easily accessible is an oversight.

When all is said and done though it’s clear to see ‘Link's Awakening’ can still stand up as an quest worth undertaking. There are some obscure puzzles but on the whole it’s an excellent and consistent adventure that makes clever use of a limited number of ‘screens’. It’s also a little bit of a shame that the Gameboy and Colour version of the game weren’t included to give a ‘complete’ feel to the package. That said, the dungeon design is strong throughout and it serves as a great introduction to new players, a nostalgia trip for long term fans and an example of how remakes can be done in creative ways to fit new systems.

Overall 8/10

The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening Review (Game Boy)

Released on the Game Boy two years after the Super Nintendo masterpiece that was ‘A Link to the past’, ‘Links Awakening’ was the first time our intrepid hero had dared to cross onto the handheld games scene. With the Game Boy not being able to able to handle anything the size of ‘A Link to Past’ Nintendo set Link in a whole new world, far away from Hyrule.

The story goes that while Link is sailing back to Hyrule from a far off land his ship encounters a huge storm. During the storm Link is thrown overboard, awakening on the beach of Koholint island. He soon learns he must find the eight instruments of the ‘Sirens’ in order to wake up the legendary ‘Wind Fish’ in order to return to his homeland. Well, it was obvious wasn’t it!

Surprisingly enough these eight instruments are located around the island in eight dungeons, all of which must be searched and explored to succeed in your task. Then once the eight instruments have been collected they must be played in front of a big spotted egg on a hill where the ‘Wind Fish’ resides in order to wake it.

Graphically the game is excellent, especially considering the limitations of the Game Boy with great detail to found, such as small cracks in the floor and well-animated characters throughout. Though the game is not in colour everything is crystal clear and large on the screen meaning you never get hit by a monster you could not see, or fall down a hole you did not know was their until the last minute. Different areas of the game also succeed in looking different enough from other areas with mountains, woods, swamps and graveyards all meaning you never get bored with your surroundings

Like all Zelda games though the gameplay is where the game really shines. As always the dungeons are excellently laid out needing clever thinking and good swordsmanship to complete. Also two things have been added since ‘A Link to the Past’, the ‘Roc’s feather’ and a new way of using the shield in order to block attacks. Showing while the game cannot hope for the scale of its Super Nintendo counterpart there is some progression and development in terms of gameplay.

If there is one problem apparent it is with the difficulty of the game. While Zelda fans will no doubt not struggle very often with the enemies and puzzles they come across, any newcomer to the series may well find it well beyond their gaming skills. Some puzzles truly are bizarre and require lateral thinking to a ridiculous extreme. And while early dungeons are fairly balanced, by the time you reach the later ones even getting through the first few rooms requires heroic effort.

This however is only a minor gripe, as the game has clearly been thought about and developed by people who care about what they are doing. This coupled with the odd reference to other Nintendo games such as the Yoshi doll and the pet chomp on a chain all help to add just a little more magic each time you encounter something.

When all is said and done its clear to see ‘Links Awakening’ has quality coming out of all areas. It dose not live up to ‘A Link to the Past’ but a gold bar with a fly on it is still a gold bar at the end of the day. An excellent adventure for Link and one every Game Boy owner should be hunting around trying to find, just don’t expect it to be easy to finish.

Overall 9/10

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link Review (NES)

Once upon a time an evil sorcerer cast a magic spell on a beautiful princess called Zelda, and thus she drifted into an endless sleep. The only way to revive her is for the hero Link to collect six shards of a magic crystal from the depths of Hyrule. When these have been gathered together they can be used to remove the magic that protects the gate of the ‘Great Palace’ where the evil sorcerer has fled. Link can then save the day and get the girl once again. 

The Adventure of Link is presented in a completely different format to the previous Link release. Instead of the top down approach taken before, this Zelda title utilised a  side on view - much in the same way as Mario or Metroid. The game is split into two different styles. On the map screen Link walks around in a vastly scaled top down view and when a monster attacks or you enter an area of interest it changes to the side on view thus marking a huge departure for the series.

A number of additional touches have also been included, as now Link gains experience and can grow stronger by levelling up in much the same way as the Final Fantasy releases. Magic is also brought into play much more. 

Graphically, the game is both good and bad, while the map screen is void of detail and incredibly small (when in the two dimensional perspective) everything is well defined and animated with a decent range of colours being used to show the land of Hyrule. Different locations are varied enough to keep you interested despite the caves being almost identical and much the same can be said about the towns. 

In terms of  how Zelda II: The Adventure of Link plays, it both impresses and disappoints with equal measure as well. It is clear that the game has developed and moved forward since the previous incumbent, with the more stat based approach and emphasis placed on a more platform arena rather than the map wandering of the prequel. However, you have to wonder why the game engine was altered. The first Zelda game was a magical affair, if a little basic at times. Moving the series into the realms of a platform game only serves to strip it of the character displayed in the original. Arguably, right from the start the magic is sadly lacking. If you want platform game then there is Mario or countless others, but the Zelda series really did not need to go down the same road. 

What we are left with is a game that looks a lot better than the original but lacks in how it plays. Having the dungeons set in a two dimension perspective means you never get a sense of where you are or what needs to be done. The puzzle potential is also greatly reduced meaning most obstacles are simply a case of finding keys and taking them to locked doors. The Adventure of Link is not a bad release nevertheless and it does possess some nice touches, but there was no need to change the style - something the developers soon realised as the perspective was set back to the traditional Zelda approach for the Super Nintendo version.

Overall 6/10 

 

The Legend of Zelda Review (NES)

Welcome to Hyrule, A land in crisis. A nasty evil pig called Ganon who hopes to get his hands on the ‘Triforce of Wisdom’ has kidnapped Princess Zelda. Luckily for us though Zelda managed to smash the Triforce into eight pieces. In steps Link, to find the pieces and restore order to the kingdom. So begins the legendary tale of a young warrior that lead to some of the greatest moments in gaming history for many years to come. Can the age-old NES version stand up to the test of time? Of course it can.

Perspective wise the game is set out from a top down point of view and takes the approach of presenting us with singular screens of action that slide into another when Link moves through an exit. An approach that proved so successful that Nintendo employs it in all the Zelda games pre N64. 

Graphically, the game is fairly plain, but this is the NES we're talking about. What is important is that Link, along with all the monsters are coloured and defined clearly with simple animations thrown in for good measure. Not exactly ground-breaking, even for the NES. But it does the job. 

Where the game excels is in the gameplay department, filled with fairly simple puzzles and the odd spark of outstanding genius. Zelda is both brilliantly executed and stunningly addictive. A remarkable achievement considering the game came out in 1986. Emphasis is set very much on exploration, where finding the eight dungeons can be as tricky as completing them. 

The game follows a fairly straightforward course, You find the dungeon, complete it and find an object hidden somewhere within it. Then find the place where this object can be used, which in turn leads you to the next dungeon. This collect and explore approach works excellently. It also means that players are never dumped into an impossibly hard situation without the right equipment to deal with it and this shows excellent foresight on the developer’s part. 

What makes the game even more excellent is the replay value within the shiny gold cartridge. Once the game is completed the first time round the game takes you on another adventure. Basically, what happens is that all the entrances to the dungeons, and all the magical objects in Hyrule are moved around meaning you have to start your search all over again. A nice addition to an already excellent piece of gaming history. 

Obviously, The Legend of Zelda can't stand up against the more recent games in the series in terms of looks but there is still a solid game here. It's now one of the weaker adventures but all things are realtive. However, it is still a classic example of what a great game should be. Everyone should try to experience it as it shows all the hallmarks of what the series developed into. Definitely worth searching around Ebay for, Zelda is a little gem that holds many fond memories, even if it is surpassed by later instalments. 

Overall 7/10

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Review (SNES)

The only Zelda game to appear on the Super Nintendo outside of Japan, A Link to the Past improved and developed upon the ideas set down in the first two games, taking the best from each and forging them into a whole new masterpiece. As the story goes, Gannon has escaped from the world of darkness aided by an altogether nasty wizard named Agahnim. Agahnim kidnaps Zelda and dethrones the king, and its up to Link to restore order to the land. 

Taking the top down perspective of the first in preference over the more side on platform action presented in The Adventure of Link the game has you exploring the land of Hyrule locating dungeons and finding the necessary artifacts to banish evil from the land. What takes this adventure onto a different level though is the sheer depth of the quest. Throughout the land you will encounter countless little side quests and sub plots that will have you playing continually until you discover every single thing it has to offer. 

Graphically the game is excellent, with a rich colour palette being used to create your surroundings. Everything is bright and bold, working extremely well to create the right feeling and atmosphere. All the characters, locations and monsters you encounter all fit seamlessly into the landscape, one section leading into another never leaving you confused how you managed to appear in a certain area. 

Dungeon design is also of the highest standard, with the learning curve being set just right. Each Dungeon becomes a little trickier than the last, needing you to use all the items in your possession to progress to the next area. Puzzles are also excellent thought out, with most requiring logical solutions, meaning that you are never stuck in one point for too long working out why a door won't open. 

Overall though, the dungeons form only a small part of the quest you are undertaking. With areas on top of the ground being used to display just as many inspirational touches as those below it. For example, early on in the game you will come across a magic portal. Walk through it and you find yourself transported to the ‘Dark World’. This gives greater scope to the game as a whole needing you to swap from one world to another in order to progress in your quest, with the added incentive of being transformed into a white rabbit.

A Link to the Past is an absolutely exceptional title and one that every Super Nintendo owner should have. Everything about it is just perfect and it's a true gaming masterpiece . Inspired dungeons, brilliant magic items, huge boss monsters and the odd touch of Zelda humour all add up to what is arguably the most magical of all the Zelda titles. Absolutely essential.

Overall 10/10

The Legend of Zelda - Oracle of Seasons (Gameboy Colour)

 

One day our hero Link is drawn to the Triforce of Wisdom held within Hyrule castle. Suddenly it emits a blinding flash of light, Link  awakens in a forest in a far off land. The next thing he knows Onox, the General of Darkness, has swept away a young girl named Din, who just so happens to be the Oracle of Seasons. So yet again Link must save the day, how you ask? By searching dungeons of course!

Being linked with Oracle Ages Nintendo have licensed out the Zelda franchise to the masters of making almost identical games, Capcom. With much hesitation I approached the game fearing the magic of previous instalments would be lost. What I found however, was one of the most charming Zelda games of them all.

The idea of the game is to solve puzzles by changing the seasons. Need to get across a lake? Then change the season to winter and watch it freeze over. Or maybe the lake won’t freeze? Then change the season to summer and watch the water evaporate. A great idea that works brilliantly.

All the familiar Zelda elements are present; bombs, shield and boomerang to name just a few. Being a game about the seasons, unsurprisingly, nature is very important. Tying in with this theme it is possible to collect different types of magic seeds from trees, some cause fire while others act like the old Pegasus boots and give you a sudden burst of speed.

Dungeons wise the levels do not really offer anything dramatically different from what has gone before. However, that does not stop them from being as excellently designed as ever, with fiendish puzzles needing to be solved throughout. Unfortunately, it does share some of the faults of its predecessor Links Awakening. For instance the difficulty level is still set way too high from the start and a better learning curve for the sake of newcomers would have been nice. Also, some puzzles are as bizarre as ever which can lead to a lot of frustration. Saying this though they are only minor faults that only detract a little from the magic of the game.

Size wise, Oracle of Seasons is absolutely huge. As well as dungeons and overland areas the game is filled with little underground tunnels and even an entire subterranean civilisation that trades with their very own currency. A great achievement for the Gameboy Colour, something made all the more impressive when you consider the quality of graphics. Much improved from Links Awakening, everything is truly lovely. More importantly each of the four seasons is easily distinguishable from each other.

Overall, Oracle of Seasons is an absolute joy to play. So much magic has been put into the cartridge you feel it right from the start. This coupled with the fact that it includes a link up feature with Oracle of Ages where characters and items can be transferred across makes the game almost reach the dizzy heights of A Link to the Past. Unfortunately, the lack of a learning curve and a few obscure puzzles mean the game just falls short. A shame, but none the less Oracle of seasons is an exceptional game and one of the better Zelda adventures.

Overall 9/10

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures Review (Game Cube)

A new Zelda title accompanies each new generation of Nintendo hardware as surely as the controller and connection cables in the packaging. Along with this event comes some form of gaming innovation to get both fans and critics bouncing around like the proverbial thing on a spring. Despite these high expectations the latest addition, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, offers  something very special. Gather three friends, have them bring along their Game Boy Advances and up to four players can work together to bring the light back to the land of Hyrule. More impressively, the charm and high levels of ingenuity still shine through as strong as ever when played solo. Ladies and gentleman this is how games were meant to be - original, charming and filled with small people wearing different coloured hats.

Unlike most Zelda titles the plot is truly lacklustre. All that we can recall about it is that Princess Zelda has been kidnapped and for some reason there are lots of evil shadow Links running around because of a nasty mirror. Apparently plot writing day happened to fall on the same date as the company picnic for the Nintendo team. Fear not intrepid gamers because where the story is normally a pivotal point in a Zelda title the same is not true in this case. Four Swords is all about bite sized chunks of action. In that respect it delivers.

Layout of the title poses another departure for the Zelda series. Instead of the usual idea of one huge landscape to explore, everything is split into a number of levels. Eight areas, each consisting of three parts, can be revisited at any point. After the initial unfamiliarity wears off this different approach brings a welcome sense of freedom for the player. No longer do thoughts that you may have left some important object on the other side of the world intrude on your enjoyment. In fact, once you reach the end of a level all objects are removed from your hero. Furthermore, the Links can only carry one object at a time so the hording and painstaking item searching of old is long gone.

The new level format works masterfully and allows for solo play that seamlessly becomes multiplayer. When friends wish to join they can immediately enter at any level meaning you never sit around waiting for people to get off their back sides and get playing. Cruise through a few levels then let them join in at the new point you just reached; or simply select a level you have previously played through. So simple, yet so effective.

Graphically this  is simple yet sublime. What we have is and updated take on the SNES classic A link to the Past mixed with subtle and beautiful fire and explosion effects plucked from The Wind Waker. Zelda Four Swords is all about the little things being done right to come together in creating one excellent greater thing. The reasoning behind the use of 2D graphics becomes clear when your character enters a house or cave, and action switches to your Game Boy Advance screen. If the Cube version of the title had more complex 3D graphics (a la Wind Waker) then all continuity in the style would have been lost upon the move to the GBA.

For those concerned you need both a GBA and a Cube to play the game, don't worry too much. If you plan to go through the game in singleplayer, then any action that would move onto the GBA screen is brought up in an overlay window on the TV screen. However, multiplayer requires each player to have a GBA for independent movement in order to try and find treasure before anyone else gets their hands on it.

Whether in singleplayer or multiplayer Link (or the Links as it were) are never difficult to control. The friendly control system lets you organize the four Links into different formations at the touch of a button. Furthermore you can take control of individual Links as needed meaning there is nothing you cannot do in singleplayer that you can in multiplayer. When controlling a single Link the others fade slightly and become invulnerable. This classy touch removes any worries when you have to go far off to find a switch leaving the other Links behind.

Four Swords Adventure is the sort of game Cube and GBA owners have been waiting for ever since the Link cable existed. It's a joy in singleplayer and borderline heavenly in multiplayer; the challenge is set just right; the puzzles are set just right; everything from the box art, the feel and most importantly the playing is just right. This is what Crystal Chronicles should have been and finally shows how truly great connectivity can be. If there is a sour note it is that the Japanese Tetra Tracker mini game has been removed due to technical limitations; but it is questionable if you will miss it anyway. All we can say is go and buy it. Find friends or enjoy it alone, just get hold of it and see how much fun games can be.

8/10

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Review (Wii)

After a long-winded journey where Twilight Princess was first set for the Nintendo Gamecube only then to be fostered onto the Wii, it came as a relief to see both versions on the shelves. While the Wii was guaranteed to be a sell out come launch, the need existed for a AAA standard bearer from day one, and a grand finale for its older sibling. Cross platform titles always carry the fear of simply being half-baked ports and failing to take advantage of their new surroundings. Normally we would be nervous about what the outcome might be, but with one of Nintendos main franchises on the line what could go possibly wrong?

This time we find ourselves in a small outback village. Link is a sort of elf cowboy looking after the livestock and doing local chores. The various tasks the villagers ask you to complete (although a little drawn out) act as a highly effective tutorial, which considering the new Wii remote control scheme is very welcome. The control dynamic is impeccably implemented and becomes second nature after about five minutes.

Zelda games always have a gimmick and this time it comes in the form of the theme of light and darkness with the land of Hyrule is under attack from the land of shadow. To begin with when Link enters areas cursed with darkness he is transformed in a majestic white wolf. As a wolf Link is granted new abilities as well as a  dark elf helper named Midna who rides around on you. As a wolf Link can dig and follow a scent trail, skills which are vital to finding new areas and missing people.

Unfortunately the first few wolf sections are rather drab. Later in the game things do improve, but much like the rest of the title it takes about four or five hours to really get going. Once you hit the third dungeon things start happening that will really make you sit up and notice. Indeed, for the first time in years we found ourselves thinking, "that is really clever" as each new puzzle and solution unfolded. The further you get into the game the more inspired the level design becomes and ends up being on par with, if not better than any other game in the series.

You really do need to get past the first five or so hours as anyone who is familiar with Zelda games may well feel they have seen it all before. But press on and you will be rewarded with a wonderfully inventive and fun Zelda game.

Although the main gimmick is the working of the light and dark scenario, there is something else that this title delivers and that is scale. To begin with dungeons are compact, but later on grow to huge proportions. Zelda dungeons have never appeared on such a grand scale, some of them are truly breathtaking as they seemingly scale up into the clouds and down in the depths, and that's before we get onto the bosses.

It's not only the dungeons but also the landscape that carries an epic (some would say Lord of the Rings) style about it. Bridges cover huge valleys and mountain ranges frame the countryside. Not something especially impressive you may think until you realise that now if you fall off a bridge you just keep going down until you hit the river below, or just like Oblivion that the glint on the horizon can actually be reached. Never before has a Zelda game had a landscape so rich for exploration.

The Twilight Princess experience is by no means perfect especially near the start of the game. Here there is far more outside influence than many would wish for, and it certainly takes a while for the Zelda theme to come through. Influences are drawn from Okami, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Princess Mononoke and other studio Ghibli films, as well as Lord of the Rings and are not so much subtly implemented as hammered into the Zelda framework. However, once the game gets all of these influences under control it all seems worthwhile. Lasting for more than forty hours, by the time you are swinging your sword through the later reaches of the game the uneven start seems like a distant memory.

Overall, Zelda The Twilight Princess is a triumph. Every dungeon reveals something new whether it is weapons, environments, brilliantly designed puzzles or bosses. Those just starting the title reading this review may well be thinking that Wind Waker is the better game and most of it has been seen before. Keep pushing on and you will find wonders you have never seen and a game that may well be looked upon in the future as one of the best adventure titles of all time. The final question can only be is this better than Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? Well it's certainly a closer call than anyone could have envisioned, just try and forgive those first few hours.

9/10