This game received raving reviews. Many high-end critics gave it a 10/10, and called it the best Zelda game to come out for 13 years. I myself am a HUGE Zelda-geek and decided to get this game and try it out for myself. As a critic myself, I am likely to point out flaws in this game, and give it a score that I deem acceptable for such a game.
Is this game worthy of a 10/10? That's a pretty big standard to match up against. Especially when it's legacy, A Link to the Past, is almost always number 2 in most "Top Zelda games."
The Good:
This game does have many things that I do enjoy. The maps are very similar to the original A Link to the Past, but the levels are different, and feel new. Each one gives it's own array of challenges to the table, and although it is pretty simple, many of the levels are waaay too easy, and waay too short, but fun to navigate through. In fact, many of the puzzles are highly challenging, and were fun enough to figure out. The graphics, despite being childish for the character design, do an excellent work for the levels and towns in this game. Especially the dungeons, which have great effects and look about them. Also, the characters do have a lot of personality, which I like. Instead of most characters just doing drab replications, each one does have something unique that sets them apart from the other AI's.
You start off with the typical notion of link having a bad dream about the boss of the game. This is obviously a shout out to Ocarina of time. Actually, there are shout-outs of numerous previous Zelda titles in this one. Also, I love how many of the items in this game are used to new and interesting ways. Many puzzles cannot be completed unless you know to use your items outside of the typical format. Many things, like the Diving feature, actually do have a purpose in this game as opposed to simply a way to dodge attacks in ALTTP. You can dive down to obtain rupee's that you would otherwise not be able to obtain. And for what it's worth, the sword beam cuts a whole line of grass, like the magic boomerang did in the GBA version of ALTTP.
The music from the game is a wide selection of music that comes from both previous Zelda titles, as well as new music from this game. But most music that appears in this game is from a Link to the Past. Also, what I really love about this game, is that you can beat the dungeons in any order you see fit. There is no linear format. Beat them however you choose.
The Bad:
For a game constantly rated 10/10 by critics, it certainly has a LOT of issues.
The graphics are kinda childish, as if the game itself is trying to market itself to 6 year olds. But only in regards to the character models. I think they could have gone better with the characters, especially when they spent so much time on the beautiful level designs.
The save feature is annoying. It has to be one of the only Zelda games, apart from Majoras Mask, where you cannot just save wherever you please. Which although is annoying, and differs from the usual Zelda format, is not that much of an issue. But Ravio's shop can be. You have to rent items to get into and complete temples, instead of either buying some items, like you do in Links Awakening, or find them in the dungeon, like you do in every other game in the world. Although you do find some items inside levels, they
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| This is probably the last time you'll ever use that bow... |
are mainly powerup items, like the Titan's Mitt. You do get to buy them later on, but it's kinda useless, as you never need the item after you've used it for a specific temple, useless you are using it for a specific cave randomly on the map. Also, the energy bar is kinda a cop out. Instead of running out of arrows, or bombs, etc, and have to find more, all you have to do is wait a few seconds for your energy bar to refill, which gets rid of a lot of the competitive aspects of this game.
My main issue so far is with the main villain, Yuga.
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Red hair, green skin, dark clothing, dark magic.
and an affinity for princesses |
Yuga is a person who looks like Ganondorf, but is extremely effeminate. In fact, I thought Yuga was a girl until I heard otherwise. But this isn't the issue, the issue I have is with her ability. She turns people into paintings... that's stupid. Oddly and cliche' enough, she turns Link into a painting, and the bracelet that you got earlier in the game just happens to be the bracelet that allows you to control that ability. Using this newfound ability, you can travel between the light and... oh wait.. Hyrule and "lo-rule" (smart one there, Nintendo) using conveniently placed cracks in the wall, which you can only get to if you have the power you're not supposed to have. It's a nice concept but... Lorule? Really?
I have to admit though, the concept is widely overused already in Zelda. You have:
1. Skyloft and The Surface from
Skward Sword
2. The Minish World and The Human World from
Minish Cap
3. The Dark World and The Light World from
A Link to the Past
4. The Twilight Realm and the Light World from
Twilight Princess
5. The Past and the Present from
Oracle of Ages
6. The Future and the Present from
Ocarina of Time
And apart from the first two, the last 4 on this list has two worlds that are identical to each other, just one is in a land of darkness, and one is in a land of light. And that is not including Oracle of Season's 4 different altering world maps. So although ALBW seems to pull it off well, the concept is already pretty overused. Especially without the topic of
paintings coming into play.
Ugh, that's one thing I hated about the storyline of Okami as well, "Drawing shapes with a Wii-mote? Now needed for
EVERY aspect of the game!" The same thing with the painting ability, it is used in too many aspects of the game. In Twilight Princess, you traveled around as the wolf, and got through many aspects of the game with it, but you didn't use that in EVERY level, and wasn't needed to get most of the secrets. The same thing with Skyward Sword, the bird was useful, but not dominant in the game.
Conclusion:
It, like all Zelda's before it, is a very fun and fascinating game. It retains, if not simply builds upon, the hack and slash adventure genre that makes up the Zelda franchise.
Despite being easy, it is very fun, and gives a lot to the player. Although it does not give too much to the player, because conflicts are resolved rather quickly, and the game only took me about 10 hours to beat, and I even got some extra's, including heart pieces, and a fully tempered sword. So it's not a very long game.
I personally would not give this game a 10/10. But since it was a good play, is in the Zelda franchise, and was pretty challenging, I'd give it an 8/10. It had lots of drawbacks, but all in all was a very good game.
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