Sequel Announced for Zelda 'A Link to the Past'

It doesn’t come around often, so a sequel being released for one of the greatest game of all time instantly becomes a viral sensation. Luckily for us – last week sparked one such day and since then the Big N has blown our minds by posting various videos and even letting some select sites play the damn thing.

The sequel is based around the SNES masterpieces The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Part – and is one game I have probably played, start to finish, more times than any other game.

Set in the same Hyrule as the original ALTTP, the game adeptly blurs the line between lovingly accurate fan homage as well as innovative sequel, It’s worth noting that it’s surprising how similar the game feels next to the original experience and how the puzzles incorporate the new 3D features while also being unmistakably set in the same world.

Obviously the graphics have been updated from the old 16-bit designs and the brightly coloured areas truly capture the spirit of Hyrule past. It still holds the top-down view of old but with a loving inflation to the sprites. Even the elf-style Link of old makes a return, replacing the pretty boy seen in recent TV console versions of late.

The world takes on the 3^rd dimension in essence with brand new puzzles, transportation methods and tricks. The gameplay shows much of the same attack functions as before but I’m sure you can expect ‘key items’ to utilise the 3D engine.

Nintendo’s journalist demo showed off a dungeon, with Stalfos and flying tiles, as well as new exploration opportunities. One of the new innovations is a mechanic that allows you to paint yourself against a wall to move along un-ledged areas – which also leads to a change in camera angle.

This new adventure also made changes to Link’s magic bar, which now appear to support some Stamina based actions. Replenishing over time but depleting during more activities means that this balance prevents players from overusing their magic without it limiting the players exploration.

All in all, what I’ve seen appears to show a game very much A Link to the Past. It looks to be everything I wanted from a Zelda 3DS debut and is a true successor to what is touted as the greatest SNES game of all time. It is a new experience, and one well worth getting hyped for whether you love Zelda or not.

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On a side note The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, a pair of critically acclaimed Zelda games that appeared on Game Boy Colour, will be available on the 3DS Virtual Console in North America and European territories on 30^th May.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons were released on Game Boy Color in 2001 and are noted for their connectivity. Upon completing either game, players would receive a password that would enable them to play an alternative version of the other.

Both were recently made available on the 3DS Virtual Console in Japan.