Fun fact: if you DON’T collect the lantern in Link’s house, it appears in the treasure chest under the castle after you get the sword and shield. If you miss it THERE, it appears in the chest beside Zelda!
I remember reading this in the official strategy guide I had for the game back in the 90's. I recall thinking, "who the hell walked out of Link's house without opening the obvious treasure chest?" Ha.
I remember getting the Super Nintendo and this game for Christmas 1992. I can't explain how excited I was that morning, the intro with the thunderstorm is also still one of my favorite parts. There's far too much to be said about this game.
We obviously had the same chistmas in 1992. I also had the game, and played it during the whole winter holidays. Still 30 years later I remember very well how amazed I was by this game.
@@Clery75019 That actually warms my heart. Not messing with you. I still remember that morning opening the box. Not to mention the SUPER NINTENDO itself. Overwhelming. The NES was amazing, this was, you know.
I love how gaming can now connect generations. I grew up on the 3D Zeldas given I was born in '98 and when Link's Awakening got remade for Switch, it introduced me to the 2D formula that I found I liked more than the 3D ones due to the focus on logic based puzzles where the whole dungeon generally is a puzzle in and of itself. I played through all the early titles and Link to the Past hit a really magical tone for me that I don't think any game I've played before or after has gotten to. Something about the SNES graphics, music, vibe, everything just hit. I'm so glad we can experience these games via emulation so easily these days.
I was also 38 when you originally made your post, now I'm sadly 39. But I still proudly love Zelda and this game. Replayed it again over the past weekend.
Also you can get some bosschests early after the 1st crystal in the dark world. I got the gold gauntlet without beating the 3rd dng. So much fun this game.
Something to be said: I am 14, I was introduced into Zelda when I was 10. My first game was A Link to the Past. Of every Zelda game I believe there is no better introduction to Zelda than this game.
Did you know by using the magic powder on the anti fairies that are bouncing around the walls you turn it into a fairy? Just a good way to keep your health up in the ice palace, I know it gets tedious with all the looping around
Oh, and while I’m at it, if you use the magic powder at the dwarves smithy on the over world, you can effectively half the magic you use for the remainder of the game. I like to get it right after the first dungeon in the dark world, as you only need the magic hammer to get it. And it *REALLY* helps for the ice dungeon and turtle rock
@@VenusFeuerFalle They're named "bubbles" and they function the same way as the enemies from the NES titles. They seem invincible until you discover their secret.
The ice palace doesn't require excessive use of magic. Only the enemies that spawn from the walls need it. The skating penguins go down with one hit from the hookshot.
baespecially whining about magic use and difficult enemies when he hasn't done the half magic consumption, isn't using Bombos to destroy all the enemies in a room and hasn't even upgraded his sword to level 3. Do those things and the Ice Palace is a hell of a lot easier.
yeah, ice palace doesn’t have that annoying of magic use. Only thing i found annoying in the dungeon was the staircases occasionally being hard to climb into with the ice floors, but even then it didn’t cause that much of an issue.
I never understood why so many people have problems with the Ice Palace, it's honestly one of my absolute favorite dungeons and one of the only ones that feel close to an actual maze. Also, assuming it is your footage you are showing your approach to the ice palace is not very good. The ether and bombos medallions make quick work of most enemies in the rooms, and in some of the early rooms you can one hit kill the enemies with the hookshot easily. That will teach you that the enemies drop magic potions often which also means you can use magic frequently. With that all that's left is traversal which is a matter of planning and timing which most rooms allow you to do.
The big challenge of the Ice Palace is endurance and finesse. The individual challenges aren't big issues, but the whole point is to require a finer level of a play to get through them all. You need to be precise about movement because you can't afford to waste hearts because the floor is slippery. You need to figure out that some enemies drop magic, because you need to use shortcuts (like bombos) to make things easier so, again, you aren't wasting hearts getting through. The reward? Something that makes you waste less hearts EVERYWHERE. The Ice Palace is about taking what you know from the rest of the game, and cranking up the intensity, to see if you can use all of the things you have learned in conjunction in a single dungeon. It's not about new challenges, but instead ramping difficulty.
But most people aren't going to use those. If something costs a lot of magic, you are unlikely to experiment with using it in a dungeon. The game has taught you a rate for magic drops, and you're not going assume it would be different. And I don't agree it teaches more precise movement, as the movement physics are so different. Without more ice, you're not going to apply it. Other games I've played--even other Zelda games--do ice physics better, where you slide around less or quickly learn how to cancel your momentum, and then get back to playing the game with this small new challenge on top.
There's a yes to both you and Justin, and a yes to Zipply. Magic is pretty expensive, and before the Ice Dungeon you probably aren't going to have experimented too much with spending magic. But you also aren't going to experiment too heavily inside the dungeon, again because it's an expensive apparently-limited resource. This leaves most players minimizing their use of the medallions in these contexts, which keeps the enemies that get in your way. A player is likely to be more open to experimentation if they get the "double-magic" upgrade that specifically cuts in half the magic consumption rate of items...but there's no necessary demand to acquire this upgrade, and on the first playthrough, especially back when the game was released, a lot of people aren't going to discover it. Which means they aren't likely to experiment. ----- So, the rooms have a baseline difficulty that requires "endurance and finesse". Precise movements are necessary to traverse just the spike-obstacles, fire-bars, and slippery floor. Even without the enemies, the dungeon is scoffing as it tells the player to "Get good, noob". Add the standard assortment of enemies in because the player is doing the smart thing and not wasting large chunks of their magic on their most-powerful spells to deal with a couple skeletons, and...it becomes one of the most-obnoxious levels in a Zelda game.
One of the greatest games ever Childhood memories My first snes game. I got it with a snes console bundle. My anxiety was so high I almost passed out. Playing through LttP was jaw dropping
I wonder if the barrier that goes up around hyrule castle in twilight princess is a reference to the pyramid in lttp. Botw's system of activating when ganondorf returned would actually make sense here too, since it served the same purpose. While it's just as easily could've been ganondorf keeping you out, the fact that the complete fused shadow broke it seems to heavily suggest the technology and magic was the same, and ganondorf may have been in fact waiting for midna to break it, knowing she had been hunting the fused shadows--one of the few things that could shatter his prison. That's right, the giant pyramid shaped seal was likely keeping ganon trapped in the confines of the castle, not insidiously preventing us from returning - though either reason works - but it keeps the rest of hyrule safe from ganon. And we broke that seal to get in. There may of been another mirror under the castle that midna's no longer knew about.
That blew me away as a kid, especially when I learned there were 7 more dungeons to complete now. It's like the game was telling you "Kid gloves are off, boy. Time to tussle."
a link to the past has been my favorite game ever since I first played it in the early 90s. it aged extremely well and it still looks very well designed, even after almost 30 years. but you know the best part? the communities. if you get into speedrunning it, it's pretty fun: learning new stuff and optimal routes, racing etc. and if speedrunning is not your thing or you got bored of it, there's the randomizer that makes it a completely new game every time. a link to the past is not only really fun, but it also has a great(even if it's pretty niche) community.
A great video. though I feel quite strongly that you are wrong about the light/dark world having been bested by other games in the series. The game allows you to hop back and forth on the spot between the two worlds, you get to see that change between light and dark in the moment. It also plays into the puzzles (like understanding or working out that the difference in landmass allows you to warp back to the light world on Spectacle Rock). In comparison with Ocarina of Time you have to travel back to the Temple of Time each time, and the way the world alters between the two barely plays into the puzzles. A Link Between Worlds doesn't really do it better, if anything it does it exactly the same.
I think he was talking about how other people may prefer how other games handled the light/dark world concept. To each his own. Some people are less bothered by the amount of time it takes to switch in ocarina of time perhaps because the idea of time travel is more interesting to those people than light and dark world switching. I sort of feel that way. Light and dark world switching is used well as a puzzle mechanic but lacks the epicness and meaning of Ocarina of Times approach.
@@koboldparty4708 It did it well but it was nowhere near as complex as how Link to the Past did it. Unless I'm misremembering you can't flip between ages anywhere on the map, only at specific locations. Zelda3 let you jump back to the light world anywhere (at least where you didn't collide with a solid object). Oracle of Ages did it a bit better with narrative I guess but those games were a decade apart but mechanically it wasnt technically more impressive. I'm open to more info on why you think so though.
@@neonswift The harp of ages can play three different tunes: the first lets you open up specific time portals, the second acts like the magic mirror (letting you travel to the present, leaving behind a portal where you used it), and the third allows you to freely travel between the two time periods (something that I sorely missed when I played LttP for the first time a couple weeks ago...they definitely learned a thing or two in that decade). This lends more of a sense of progression to the time travel system, with each new tune opening up the world as much as any dungeon item (and far more than some...iirc, the cane of somimnotlookingupthename was used for about two puzzles and a bossfight). I also feel that the ages are much better integrated that the dark/light worlds, with more puzzles tied into them, but Its been long enough since I've replayed OoA that I'm not certain. It might just be nostalgia-OoA was the only Zelda game I had as a kid, and I played the shit out of it. I have recently decided to play/replay every mainline Zelda game (plus the warriors spinoffs, because Dynasty Warriors is a guilty pleasure of mine). I just finished LttP, and I'm currently on Twilight Princess, but I'll make my way over to OoA eventually. If I find that its not as well done as I remember, I'll come back here and let you know. Assuming I remember, which is never a guarantee with me. As a parting shot, though, I definitely feel like LttP handled the shield better.
This guy needs some more subscribers. I wish long form retrospective videos were more popular because this is my favorite kind of content to have going in the background.
2:22 Koji Kondo actually had access to EXACTLY eight sounds, or channels of sound, for the SNES. That _is_ an upgrade over the NES, which could only play five channels of sound at once, and in a very restrictive manner where certain channels were restricted to certain kinds of sound waves.
I was going to comment the same thing. Many people confuse the term "8-bit music" with the number of channels when it actually only refers to the characteristics of the sounds produced by the sound chips used in the 8-bit consoles.
As a longtime Zelda fan who grew up in the N64 era, I am playing through A Link to the Past for the first time and it has only made me appreciate both it and the games that came after even more. The pacing is tight and the world feels great to explore without the frustrating vagueness of the original Zelda (my cousin had an NES, so I played the first 2 games as a kid). It's a wonderful feeling to fall in love with this classic game.
I've always felt that the whole idea of the Dark World was essentially an evolution of the "2nd Quest" from the 1st game, except rather than being a completely separate mode unlocked once it's completed; it's integrated directly into the main playthrough. While the execution is obviously quite different, the core idea is the same; take the "same" overworld but alter everything about it from the enemies you encounter, to the location of the game's secrets, to the locations of the dungeons. The main difference is how they tie the first and second quests together so that the player is alternating between the two at the same time. It's kind of brilliant in that respect.
My thoughts exactly. This guy doesn't know what he's talking about; Whole video is just an excuse to shit on Zelda 1 and stroke himself over A Link to the Past.
One thing I think you should have mentioned is this game is the foundation to the overall narrative for the Zelda series. The "legend of the fight between the Sages and Ganon" at the beginning are retold in the Ocarina of time. Though their are some issues story wise with the descendants of the sages all being "human or elf." This game would also hint at Zelda and Link having important linage as well, rather some "damsel in distress" rescued by a random hero. We learn later in the series that Link and Zelda are more than just descended from their other incarnations but, reincarnations being hounded by the same one Ganon.
I always just killed ball and chain guy in the castle with two pots Edit: It’s interesting to see how you dealt with certain bosses and areas differently. I used Bombos in the ice place to make all the enemies die immediately and give me magic potions right after. And I used bombs to knock the mask off the scorpion boss.
it's the timing of dropping the bombs under the scorpion mask boss that's tricky, that's how we always did it. Wasn't until a few years ago I watched something on YT showing you could just hit the thing with the hammer. It is easier, but more risky in getting hit by the boss.
When I was young: Pots. Now: Sword. Gut Gud. But then again, I finish OoT with 3 heart containers (which is impossible in LttP). Make the Spirit Temple's knight so much more fun to fight!
Link's awakening and A Link to the past are such legendary games, it's never too late for anyone young or old to play the games and have such an amazing experience.
I just played this game for the first time. I'm 32. I grew up playing Ocarina and Majora's Mask.... but this one is definitely my favorite Zelda game I've played. I'm shocked that such an old game would hold up like this! It's now one of my favorite video gaming experiences to date.
I was 38 when you posted your comment, and I did play this game when I was an early teen growing up. My first Zelda was the original one on NES, then Zelda 2. My favourite in the series still has to be Link's Awakening, then LttP. If you really liked this one, then I highly recommend picking up the Link's Awakening remake on Switch. It doesn't have 2 worlds, but it has a ton of charm, and is where the series really started out with flushing out quirky and memorable characters.
I just finished Link to the Past for the first time in like 20+ years and had so much fun. It's a joy to find reviews like this and see how aware others are of what a standout game it is. Easily one of the best I've ever played, as a kid I was so deeply drawn into the story and the concept of being Link, of rescuing the maidens and Zelda. I remember the deep sense of reverence I felt when I finally managed to beat it, and those three golden triangles floated up in front of me. When the music played over the final credits it flowed so well with the sense of reverence and satisfaction I felt. In some ways I feel it is as close to perfect as any game has ever come.
Even as a kid I loved the concept of the dark world. I didn’t know it then, but I like it now because I like sci fi do it reminds of of a pártele universe. Kinda the same but a little different. The the technical reason of saving cartridge space works in its favor
I don't know why it took me until now to watch this. Another great video, Liam! Your part on the tutorial was what I wish I said for my video on the topic. Alttp really hits a perfect balance there. Love hearing your thoughts and insight.
Thank you for this great in-depth video on LTTP. The focus is really what makes this enjoyable. In a world where video games are full dialogue and grinding, I love that I can pick this up at any point and beat it in a few days. This will always go down as my favorite Zelda game.
And that's what makes some of the more modern Zelda's a bit less "pick up and play". Modern Zeldas(aside from BotW) have uber longer tutorial segments that can take at least an hour to get through, and being forced to read through dialogue I've read so many times. LttP is quick and simple in more ways than one. I can get through the dialogue the maidens say at the end of each dungeon 10x faster than having to listen to Ruto talking about how I ditched her at the alter for the 100th time I've played the game... Yes, Ruto, I dump you at the alter, now get over it and let me continue to the next dungeon already. If there's one thing older Zelda games did better, is actually value the player's time. As I get older, and replay games, I don't really want to re-read text I've basically memorised by this point. It's why it's easier to go back to older Zelda games, as it's easier to skip by stuff you already know, or have been told 100 times already. And don't get me started on how some modern Zelda games really hit hard with the "item catch" dialogue. I just want to use my key or item, not spend 30 seconds reading about what I already know.
I got this game along with the SNES for Christmas in 1992. It took me until super bowl sunday to beat it for the first time and I died like 67 times. I played it over and over and over again. Can't remember just how many times, but it had to be in the hundreds if not thousands. It just never got old. I've played many more games since, but I always came back to it. It is, in my humble opinion, not only the best game in the Zelda franchise, but the greatest video game of all time.
30:12 you don't need to block out the path. Lighting the brazier reveals the hidden path Also, using the lightning medallion would reveal the hidden path for a short time.
I still remember how excited I was when I discovered that I could use the pegasus boots to break those rocks hiding paths, I accidentally stumbled on them and was like "WAIT, THAT'S HOW I DO THAT?!"
Ok, a couple corrections. First, the Ice Rod is in fact required as you need it to beat the Trinexx boss in Level 7 Dark World. And second, the Dark World is not just a copy or overlay in the game ROM. It is a completely new map creation with it's own tile sets and exists on it's own just as the Light World does. It does not share ROM space with the Light World in any way. Just thought I'd mention it.
You are thinking from a critics perspective. Keep in mind as children we never thought of this game being linear at all. It felt like we were unleashed in a huge world! And that moment when you discover getting to travel between light world and dark world instantly doubles that huge feeling of mystery and exploration! It was so much fun and I think you're wrong about it not being timeless. Because I can return to it today as a full-grown adult and still get so much joy out of it. The 16-bit graphics look beautiful, it's a work of art and the game mechanics still makes sense and feel right. If it was made out of nowhere in the year 2020 and released on steam I guarantee it would still be very successful and be considered a wonderful indie game. There's a lot of modern titles releasing that have that 16-bit era style and still do so well. I'll never get tired of Link to the past
Playing it as a kid I thought "step 1, go there, then this, then this, then that. Ok now there are princesses to save from being necklaces, then this. " the exploration itself wasn't on a line. But the objectives are. It's a great game, one of my favorites hands down, but there are a lot of closed doors all over (not a bad thing) to which my approach has always been "ok where is the puzzle piece to this step of the puzzle" "Cant go here yet, cant go there yet, cant do that yet. Oh now I can go here"
@@charless1145 Those obstacles make the progression feels so rewarding though! You keep thinking I wonder what tool I need for this thing. Not to mention all the scattered hearts feeling good to collect. There was always somewhere to go if you couldn't get past a certain spot.
Fuck open worlds being a big deal.. that's like thinking someone with a big house is a big deal. We all know that just cause you got a nice car, a big house, that doesn't mean shit. What makes you "good" is your personality, character, and soul.
Is something truly timeless, however, if it can only be viewed that way by people who've played it growing up? The game definitely feels archaic in certain places, and I don't know if I'd be able to call it a masterpiece like many other critics do. I'm coming from the viewpoint of somebody that enjoys a link to the past, more then ocarina of time even, but sees flaws in it.
TLoZ 1 was the most open world possible with the limitations of the system. Back then, the manual was how we got the story, especially early on. My manual fell apart because I enjoyed looking at it so much, because omg, such story.
@@sunshineyrainbows13 wee bit of sarcasm - without the manual, there was 0 story. With a manual, it was pretty much the same thing as we've been doing - Impa wants you to save the princess. Keep in mind it has been some time since I've even had my manual, so I'm trying to remember back to when I was about 8 years old - a looong time ago.
This is without a doubt the best zelda game to this day. I miss the feeling of going to blockbuster and renting new games. Liam did a nice job on this video.
19:40 “Attentiveness, freedom of exploration, knowledge of your arsenal, memorisation, things that the tutorial has taught you, and things that you are now applying to the overworld as you solve it”
>Praises ALttP for its iterative exploration. >Doesn't think to check the well in front of the smith's hut... the well identical to the one that gets you a heart piece in Kakariko >Goes into late game dungeons without an upgrade you can get after Dark World 1. >Complains about the exact thing that upgrade fixes.
To add on top of everything you just said, there is a fantastic randomizer community for this game that helps you discover more of the game than you ever thought you would know.
I love the Ice Palace lol. I do treat it like the 6th dungeon and do Misery Mire first though. Making your own block with the Cane of Whatever from the Mire makes getting to the boss in the Ice Dungeon SOOOO much easier (hardly any backtracking!)
A Link to the Past has quite possibly my favorite opening in the series. The main thing that I appreciate about this game (outside of it influencing EVERY following Zelda game) is how quickly it gets going. It's a game that I constantly enjoy while playing, even if it doesn't stick out in my mind as much as its follow ups. Also, it's absolutely mind blowing that I was quickly able to get into a game from 1991. The only reason this game has aged is because of it serving as a template for the rest of the series.
Whenever I'm playing this game normal (I play it randomized now) I always sought ways of doing the dungeons out of order in the dark world. I learned that as long as you had the hammer and the titan's mitts, most of the world was open to you. I would go for as long as possible without beating Swamp Palace (to get the hookshot) as a difficulty enhancer. It was also my least favorite dungeon.... I usually saved that one and Ice palace for last. I didn't really like Skull Woods either but it's actually really quick to beat if you don't care about getting the compass and map. The boss is also really fast to beat if you get the tempered sword from the blacksmiths beforehand. I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that this game isn't as linear as previously thought if you think outside the box. I've beat this game lord knows how many times but it's still my favorite to this day. ❤
My parents have a certain group of friends, and naturally when they had kids we all hung out and became good friends too. One of them had ALTTP, and one of our fondest childhood memories together is our little group hanging out and taking turns playing through this game. The save data on her cartridge had a tendency to occasionally erase itself when we were close to the end, but we still had so much fun playing through it again, and eventually finally beating it. Today, the ALTTP randomizer has really breathed new life into this game for me and I love it!
Hmm, I have an odd feeling that the specific save file didn't just erase itself, but your friend wanted you all to continue hanging out together, and felt that if you ended up beating the game, that your group might just stop playing LttP, so instead, she secretly deleted the save file with good intentions so that the group would continue hanging out and playing the game from the beginning over and over. It is a rather charming story really.
@@KevinVeroneau No, that definitely wasn't what happened. The same thing happened to one of our SNES cartridges too, so it must have been a defect or something. And this friend group, our parents are all friends so when they had kids (us), we have all known each other since we were born, basically, and have been hanging out our whole lives lol (we still all get together for dinner nearly every week)
The game is not actually linear. After getting the hammer, you can do most of the dark world dungeons out of order and it's actually more ideal to do so. Go to thieves town and get the gauntlet, then get the lvl 3 sword upgrade. Then do the swamp palace, then either misery mire or the ice palace. The cane of someria makes the ice palace faster while the blue tunic upgrade earlier could be nice. You don't need the fire rod for the ice palace, you have bombos. Then you do skull woods, since the fire rod is not mandatory until turtle rock. From there on out, it's back to linearity. If you do the dungeons in numerical order, you get the sword and armor upgrade much later and the game ends up being harder. Also, if you freeze an enemy and hit it with a hammer, it drops magic containers. An NPC you pay rupees to, tells you this. Good review, but you didn't know the full potential of this game in my opinion.
It does have it's own identity. The issue is that a lot other zelda games took this ones identity and claimed it as their own. OoT, and everyone loves that one.
A Link to the Past has "Seinfeld is unfunny" syndrome. Future installments inheriting aspects of its identity basically diluted its identity. In retrospect, it is now harder to see the game beyond how it created the standard Zelda formula.
@M S tbh i do appreciate this one. it's freaking gold for the time it came out and it's honestly better thought out and much more engaging that maaaaany modern games. kinda wish the "simple" games nowadays were more intricate like they used to be back then.
I do appreciate the simplicity, and respect it setting up the franchise as it came to be known for years to come, but when it comes to the gameplay, I just feel like ALBW is much more polished and fun due to... well, coming out later.
However, you still cannot deny the best aspect of this and other early Zeldas, how nicely short the tutorial is, and how snappy the dialogue is. Like, in LttP, I can hit A really fast if I've already read what's being said 100 times before. In OoT, I still need to listen to how Ruto felt when I left her at the alter 7 years ago.
I LttP there is no long winded conversation once we hit the Dark World but OoT has the conversation with Rauru then warp into the temple of time then when we think we are ready to move we then have to have a conversation with Navi. Pacing in the earlier games was better.
11:15 you forget that there are „secret“ places which don’t have markings but are rather cryptic. But it’s always made in a way you would find it eventually
I love this game so much. It’s honestly one of the greatest games of all time and still holds up today. If you have it a bit more modern graphics it could easily pass as a new Zelda in modern times
I’ve watched all the Retrospectives several times and have seen almost every video. I hope you get to help design a Zelda game someday Liam. You make some of the absolute best content on this flooded platform. Period.
Uhh, slight correction, Liam. Agahnim’s thugs you fight in the Light World aren’t Darknuts, but rather they’re the actual soldiers of the kingdom of Hyrule that Agahnim has muddled the minds of with his dark magic in order to see him as the legitimate king of Hyrule. Thus marks what is possibly the first time in the franchise where Link is forced to fight other Hylians on a regular basis, or at least until you defeat Agahnim in Hyrule Castle whereupon the soldiers no longer are actively hunting Link if I recall correctly.
If they ever remastered it I rather rit stay true to its origins. Links awakening is cool its grown on me but to cartoony. Lttp is more dark and should be treated as such
@@Ridley369 Seeing a remake of Adventure of Link would be amazing. That game was always a beast to beat, and bringing it back to a modern console could breathe new life into it. It could be the Souls game from Nintendo. Wonder if they'll use the assets from one of the CD-i titles.
except for when he's bashing the Ice Palace, whining about magic use and difficult enemies when he hasn't done the half magic consumption, isn't using Bombos to destroy al the enemies in a room and hasn't even upgraded his sword to level 3. Do those things and the Ice Palace is a hell of a lot easier.
Before video: "_re_-defined" Zelda? aLttP straight-up defined Zelda. The first game introduced the very core concepts of overworld exploration, dungeon crawling, and named the three main characters of the series, Zelda 2 also ran, and then Link to the Past introduced the vast majority of both lore and gameplay mechanics to this day, from the Master Sword to the Cucco attack squad. During the video: The tutorial is more clever than you think. There are five chests Link can access before entering the dark tunnel between the throne room and sanctuary, three of which contain the lamp. In the secret entrance room, the chest might contain the lamp if the player missed the one in Link's house, and there are magic jars in the pots nearby. Also nearby, in the way, is a brazier. It's highly likely that a player might try out their new lamp (now that they have their very first magic containers) on that object, and notice that it brightens the slightly dim room. They save the player from himself (if the lamp was only in Link's house, if you leave the house without it and then enter the secret entrance, you'd soft lock the game) and gives the player opportunities to learn. It also teaches you about falling down pits, new for top-down Zelda. That one blue soldier wanders up to the edge of the gratuitous bottomless pit and looks back and forth, begging Link to sneak up behind him and smack him, throwing him off the edge with the humorous staggering animation before he falls. This is a recurring combat and puzzle solving technique throughout the game. The ice rod IS a required item to beat Turtle Rock, and you can get it without the flippers by walking along the bottom of the map from the swamp. Sahasrala tells you to go get it immediately after the Eastern Palace. The telepathy tile in the first room of the Ice Palace tells you that you might want to go and buy some magic potion if you don't have any, and if you use magic powder on the buzzblobs in the overworld, the resulting cukeman will give you hints, including that freezing enemies and then breaking them with a hammer has a very high chance of dropping magic jars. It's not difficult to live off the land in that dungeon. Turtle Rock isn't the "next" dungeon after the Ice Palace, Misery Mire is in between and contains the Cane of Somaria required to even properly enter Turtle Rock. Again, there is a telepathy tile in the entrance to Turtle Rock that tells you to make sure you've got magic refills before entering. You actually don't often use the dungeon item on the boss. The bow is the best choice against the Armos Knights, but the sword will do, the power glove does nothing against Lanmola, there's no way to use the Moon Pearl against Moldorm, the hammer isn't the most efficient way to defeat Helmasaur King, you are required to use the hookshot against Vitreous, the Fire Rod is effective against Mothula but not required, the Titan's Mitt cannot be used against Blind, the Blue Tunic cannot do damage to Kholdstare, the Cane of Somaria is a poor choice of weapon to defeat Vitreous, and while the fire and ice rods are required to defeat Trinexx, the Mirror Shield is not. Out of 12 bosses, only 1 requires the dungeon item. After Video: A Link to the Past is presented as a linear story with a progression, but you are allowed to sequence break after PoD. Where a first-time player might go straight from Dungeon 1 to Dungeon 2 in the dark world, a savvy player might instead warp back to the light world, go to the warp tile he can now reach with the hammer in the right-hand entrance to the woods, warp to the dark world, and complete Dungeon 4, which allows completion of several sidequests for a few heart pieces, an upgraded sword, the magic cape and easier traversal of the overworld early. Nintendo had the balls to let you blunder into a very late dungeon right off the bat in LoZ1, and they let you try it a little bit past the halfway point in aLttP, you can do OoT's water dungeon before the fire dungeon and the spirit temple before the shadow temple, the next decade's worth of games are strictly linear, then LBW and BotW are both non-linear, but they're non-linear in a kind of lazy way. I've not played LBW but BotW is so aggressively non-linear that they're careful not to name the divine beasts, their champions, or the associated regions/towns/peoples in the same order twice so as not to establish a preferred order, and virtually every shrine or divine beast (or even Hyrule Castle) could be the first place the player goes off of the plateau, so most of the shrines are designed to be "baby's first.' They didn't lay out a path and then allow the player the freedom to bumble or charge off the path, they built a nice homogeneous playground.
Honestly I think it's the most rewarding zelda at least for exploration. Even above breath of the wild. Quality over quantity I suppose. Also the puzzles were more perplexing than albw. It's a shame the game fails to stand out today. The very fact it defined zelda has made it one of the most ordinary games in the series.
Wait, do the Cukemen actually say anything more than stuff about Sarahsala? I've never heard of dialogue that the Cukemen say about the Ice Rod and Hammer having that synergy.
I actually beat a link to the past 100% recency for the first time so i have no biased nostalgic goggles i got to say it's was really good it felt good to play and looked really good for a old game doesn't even need a remake
I just beat it two days ago. It was really fun. I went in not knowing anything about it. I played it with a shader to make it look HD ish. It would be great to just have a remastered like in the art style of the new link's awakening.
@@OneHandedClapperI'm the opposite - I'd much rather have a new game with the graphics of A Link to the Past, than I would a remake of A Link to the Past, with new graphics.
It's a lot simpler if you initially skip the palace and go directly to Misery Mire first to get the Cane of Somaria. That's how I always used to beat that temple as a kid. It wasn't until I got the GBA version that I realized that you're supposed to drop a block down for that puzzle.
I’ve palace never bugged me. Ether + hammer. Frozen enemies when smashed typically drop large magic jugs. I figured that out as a youth and it never fails.
Almost all of the items from LttP were decently useful in multiple places in the dungeons outside of the one they were intro'd in. I kinda wish the Ball and chain and Spinner from Twilight princess had that kinda treatment. Then again, in particular with the Spinner, that was pretty much "this is specialized for this one thing and this one thing only"
The bug net is only really good for bottling fairies, and you can buy them in certain shops. The book of mudora can only be used in 4 places to do 3 things, 2 of which are required (reading the master sword pedestal does nothing, Bombos medallion isn't required, Ether medallion and entering desert palace are required). The cape grants access to one heart piece, the cane of byrna is a crutch, the cane of Somaria is basically only useful inside Turtle Rock...I could go on.
@@thegardenofeatin5965 The Cane of Somaria is also used as a substitute for ordinary blocks and can release four opposing projectiles from selecting Y again.
@@thegardenofeatin5965 You can also catch and bottle bees with the bug net. By saying the cane of Byrna is a crutch, do you mean that you never found any uses for it? I always use it when fighting Blind, it makes that battle a complete cakewalk.
The ice dungeon was one of my favorites because of the aesthetic and how scared it made me as a kid lol. The difficultly alone scared me back then haha
A Link to the Past is NOT a linear game. Most of the dark world dungeons can be done VERY out of order, and items from different later dungeons can allow you to solve earlier dungeons differently. Princess Zelda also has different text if you save her before all of the other girls are saved, showing that this non-linearity is intentional. The game does require that you go in a particular order for the first few dungeons... Until you complete your first dark world dungeon and get Dark World Dungeons 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7 added to your map. With the Hammer from Dark World Dungeon 1, you can get to most of the warp points. This means you now have access to, and can complete, Dark World Dungeon 2, 3, or 4 next. Completing Dungeon 4 will grant you access to 5 & 6. Completing 2, 4, & 6 will grant you access to 7. Dungeon 2's Hookshot makes it slightly easier to enter Dungeon 6, but it's not required if you bonk off the nearby block to cross the gap instead. The Hookshot also makes it easier to get to Dungeon 6's big chest, but again, it's possible to outrun the tiles falling without it. Dungeon 6's cane reduces the number of loops you have to make in Dungeon 5 by one (because you don't need to drop the block from above for the switch on the bottom floor). Dungeon 3's Fire Rod makes the boss of Dungeon 7 easier, but Bombos can work instead if you haven't been there yet (though it costs more magic). Dungeon 2's Hookshot makes Dungeon 5 way easier, since it 1-hit kills the green penguins, but again, it's not a necessary item to beat the dungeon. Being able to play through the game so differently on repeat playthroughs is one of the great things about the game. The biggest problem with later games has been locking areas off to force linearity, and ensuring that puzzles only have one particular solution with a specifically chosen item... It makes sense that such fluidity would be more difficult in 3D, but I've been disappointed in the later 2D games for doing this as well. Even A Link Between Worlds, despite embracing the non-linearity of the original and aLttP has a certain rigidity to the puzzle designs. Breath of the Wild found a good way to open this up by having so many ways to play with the physics.
I remember I was able to speedrun this game, glitchless of course, 100% in 3.5 hours. But I'm not a speedrunner, I just like this game so much it's the only one I tried to do it to this day.
A Link to the Past is my favorite Zelda game, and it is the game that made me a Zelda fan. I concur with your assessment that ALTTP was trying to refine the earlier 2 games who had major limitations. I think ALTTP defined 2D Zelda games in a similar manner that Ocarina of Time defined 3D Zelda games. And by doing so, it gave the Zelda series a sense of identity. What I loved the most about ALTTP was its cinematic nature, something that would be enhanced and perfected in future games starting with Ocarina of Time. The game feels like a fantasy novel/movie. There are moments that are unexpected like failing to save Zelda from Agahnim and being drawn into the Dark World. I remember being shocked when that happened, and feeling overwhelmed, without knowing what to do. Yet at the same time, I was excited about exploring this new world that had appeared in front of me. ALTTP may have a very thin storyline compared to later games, but the storyline it does have is sufficient to drive you forward on your quest. So thank you for making this video and paying a homage to one of the greatest video games of all time.
Link to the past was the first game I played in the series and when I beat it I erased my file and started playing again . I just can't explain why I like it so much still to this day I replay each year . Between world's was good but it was like final fantasy 4 after years in a way.
I hated the ice palace at first but it’s one of my favorites now. I think the key to enjoying it is understanding how freezing then hammering enemies helps you manage your magic. Ether and the hammer are the trick. When you know this it becomes a fun maze.
@@jankjason Makes it simpler for more people. How frequently are you generating games that it’s really that inconvenient? I play randomized LttP constantly and I still only generate maybe one game per week.
Excellent video! I was expecting the usual 40 min plot summary with jokes and maybe a few minutes worth of “analysis” you get from most of these videos and this was soooo much more than that!
I know this makes me shallow, but when somebody calls an enemy or character by a very specific but incorrect name (calling the soldiers darknuts), it makes me less receptive to the point of the video. =P but anywho, you still earned my like. solid video!
The ice palace gets a bad rap. First of all, just use the hookshot against the pengators. It one-shots them, and it makes destroying a room of them both a cakewalk and quite fun. I never run low on magic there either. Outside of a fire rod blast required for the freezors, I don't even use magic until Kholdstare. As for ice physics, I don't know what to tell you. They've been used forever as a gimmick to enhance challenge in countless games. Once you adjust to how you handle, they aren't so annoying. This is no different than complaining about swimming levels in games. It's just altered terrain for atmosphere and challenge. The only thing frustrating about the ice palace to me is the block puzzle before the final room. That one has stumped a lot of people, but once you know you have to hit the switch and traverse back around, it's no biggie. And if it still annoys you? Just go to Mire first, and use the Cane of Somaria to skip needing the above block at all. I enjoy this dungeon actually, but I'm also a LttP freak who's played through the game probably a hundred times. No exaggeration. Love this game.
The Hookshot can also be used to quickly bypass many of the slippery areas. And if you beat Misery Mire first you can get the golden sword early as well
@@frozenaorta You may be right, I haven't played through LttP in a while but I think all you need is the 6th crystal to get the big bomb to show up in the shop, rather than 6 total crystals.
@@Alex_Off-Beat So, 7 months later... I am playing through my yearly run. Did Mire before Ice Palace, and confirmed: super bomb is not unlocked. So you do need 6 crystals for that.
My first Zelda game, also once you get the dungeon item in the Dark World you can skip around. My dad and I always did it 1 till the hammer, all of 2, back to 1, 4, 3, 5-7. Every time. Even had a contest to see who could beat it start to finish in the least amount of games
@@billrandy1221 Eileen does what I do when I play. Although after I get the hammer, I generally grab the Ocarina next, then get the more powerful mitt so that I can get my sword upgrade as soon as possible. I really love how out of order you can play the dark world dungeons after obtaining just the hammer.
@@billrandy1221 you can leave a dungeon once you've collected the BIG treasure without defeating the boss. Easiest way is with the magic mirror, returns you to the entrance. She's talking about the 7 crystals in the DW, get the Hammer out of D1, then go do all of D2. Then return to D1, finish the scorpion boss. Then do D4, D3, then D5-D7
There were a couple points about A Link to the Past that REALLY bugged me. Respawn points were very few, not nearly as practical as in later games.. I'd always have to trek through several screens if not halfway across the map before I could get back to where I died or even just the last place I saved. Why couldn't it just respawn me in the entrance to the dungeon I was in? And whenever I saved, no matter how high my health was, it was reduce to half health when I resumed, thus making me have to refill it again. Those were limitations of the time, but they were major thorns in my side when I played through a few years ago.
id you die inside a dungeon, you respawn at the entrance. for health after saving and coming back: if you start at link's house, there's 3 hearts in the pots(not full health but it helps), at sanctuary if you talk to the priest he heals you to full health, at the mountain the old man also heals you. the only place that it actually sucks and I agree with you on that is when you start from the pyramid.
Fairies in bottles are your best friend in LttP, always carry at least 1 fairy on you at all times. A fairy is like an extra life, and when you do die, you will resume exactly where you collapsed.
You speak so beautifully about the Zelda games. A Link to the Past is only one I had the opportunity to play as a kid. I always wanted to play them all and am finally getting to do so this year. I’ve watched your videos for the four I’ve played so far and can’t wait to finish Minish Cap so I can watch that one too. Your videos are very thought provoking and I’ve been forced to consider that perhaps this game that shaped so much of my life isn’t necessarily the greatest. I love all of the ones I have played for different reasons though, so maybe they’re all the greatest in their own ways.
Sigh... All these games have so much in common when you think about it. Great mysterious worlds to explore, tons of kool abilities to get/learn, kick ass music, and just a wonderful adventure of light and dark. Zelda, metroid, souls... You can't go wrong when getting into these franchises. Although in the case of souls... You might want to start with zelda and metroid first. Souls games don't fuck around lol. Sure you can master them and practically beat them without dying like any game you end up no lifing, but at first? Fuck no lol.
Interesting thing about that ice palace- if you had experimented a bit, you would have discovered that freezing an enemy and hitting it with the hammer will drop a large bottle, and using magic powder on that fire fairy that was onscreen will turn it into a regular fairy. Additionally, while exploring these late game dungeons you should have come across a bug that doubles your magic capacity. Thus, all you needed to alleviate the two main problems you described was a little patience, some exploration and experimentation.
Alttp will always be my favorite zelda. Oot a 2nd. I remember coming home from staying the night with a friend and my older bro sitting in the living room (just after dusk) playing alttp. Specifically, he was in the lost woods where the master sword rests and i remember looking at that beautiful forest scene, woodland critters scurrying off, the misty and speckled sun falling onto the ground. Compared to games on nes this was fuking amazing, and breath taking. From then on we were in love. We just got out snes that year. Nearly every weekend we rented Alttp, play it for the 3 days and then try again next weekend. Eventually we beat it. The ending was so glorious. Tears to the eyes. The music. I remember for years every bday and xmas id ask for alttp. Every year disappointed. Eventually i did get it on a bday though, some 2 or 3 years of asking. I understand. 4 kids, amd we allways had huge xmases so it's hard to drop 60$ on one game u prob cant even find in stores at xmas. I do love the lore expansion of later zelda games though. Early zeldas were scant. Alttp had the greatest story and lore compared to both it's predecessors, but still pretty basic and streamlined. I'd love alttp as a 3d zelda. I still try to envision the scenes and structures of the game, draw or paint them. It's hard to describe the impact this game had on me.
Actually this is my favorite 2D Zelda game, with Majora's mask being my favorite 3D Zelda game. I love them both to death for different reasons of course but still. Btw I also love a Link between worlds for obvious reasons plus the going into walls mechanics and story were amazing tbh.
@@matthewkeller9271 I find Majora's Mask can be a bit depressing, with the world coming to an end and all. Since I never beat Majora's Mask, the world of Termina was never saved in my mind and is always destroyed by the moon.
No mention of A Link to the Past having the prettiest Princess Zelda? The game could use a remake, hopefully without being given a cartoonish look like Link's Awakening was.
Hmm, I guess she could be the prettiest Zelda... Why hasn't anybody made a UA-cam video going through all the Zelda to judge which one is the prettiest? Page 8 btw www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/manuals/common/pdf/CLV-P-SAAEE.pdf
@@RichO1701e yeah they changed it completely bro, they brought back to life a character who died, and put something like ghosts in the plot, from the videos i see, haven't played it myself.
I´m 18 and I´ve played this game with 15 for the first time. It blew my mind. The visuals, the sound and the gameplay, just awesome. Long before that I already played Ocarina of Time, Majoras Mask and Windwaker.
I've played about an hour or two of A Link to the Past, but I never really got into it. I've meant to play it more than that, but I just haven't taken the time to do so. I absolutely loved a Link Between Worlds however.
This was the first game I ever played. I was about two years old and my dad had his SNES hooked up to the old Toshiba CRT we had in the basement. I picked it up one day and it’s still one of my earliest and fondest memories. He taught me how to play, and even how to read just from the text boxes. My family has a huge Zelda connection, I used to look forward to Friday and Saturday nights when my mom would come home from school and play Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. Zelda was always a family event. I have that same SNES now, with the same LTTP cartridge. My dad’s profile is still there and it’s what I first played on, almost 24 years ago now. Even though I know it’s not the perfect Zelda game, it’s the first Zelda game I ever played. It’s the first game I played, full stop. The SNES still sits on my shelf next to the TV, and watching this made me want to set it up again. Great video, dude. Huge nostalgic feels.
My favorite part about ALTTP is just how "Zelda" it strictly is. You get in, you Zelda, you get out. It's extremely short and sweet, nothing is padded, nothing is extra, and the game is fully delighted with you whether you explore it casually, rigorously complete it, rush through the story, or outright speedrun it. It's tight and focused on the formula and the gameplay, to an extent no other Zelda is. Everything about it is done better in other Zeldas, but no other Zelda is this elegant.
What ends up killing LttP for me, or at least keeps me from having anything more than an academic respect for it, is its lack of character. With the exception of a few amusing sprites and the petrified bard in the Dark World, almost all of the game's character comes from the inhabitants of Kakariko Village, which are burned through in about 15 minutes. It's hard to distinguish LttP's tone as adventurous or quirky or epic outside of a few select moments, like the intro, going to Kakariko, and when Agahnim kidnaps Zelda (which I feel is the best part of the entire game). All other motivations are purely mechanical, and with the linear progression in which you pick up items and discover dungeons, I didn't find it a particularly powerful motivator. I would call it probably the most 'lifeless' Zelda outside of the NES due to its mechanical dedication, and as an eternal Zelda 1 apologist I find that Hyrule being so barren and full of monsters and adversity plays to the strength of saving the world from becoming the wasteland Gannon is creating. It's easy to see, with so much depth and so strong of routing, why LttP is such a strong speedrunning game - outside of Super Metroid I'd say there are few better poster children where you actually play the game as intended, and even then I'd say LttP is a better 100% speedrun than Metroid - and I find it a masterful base template from which the rest of the series would spawn and flourish from. Link's Awakening being as character and tone-driven as it was I think comes directly from what LttP was lacking, and I love Link's Awakening. But characterization was taking such leaps and bounds - Mario and his World had never been more expressive, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest were pushing what storytelling in gaming could be in a traditional setting, Monkey Island was starting to be really damn funny and subversive - that I just feel that, even in its own time, LttP wasn't quite what it could be thematically. It is a perfect 'video game', as could be defined by its time, but never really more than that "game" experience, if that makes sense and isn't too pretentious to say. Thank you for the video, I'm really glad to reflect on all the individual pieces of LttP I see in so many other titles, and see someone's respect and care for it so well-represented. Now play the Tingle games you coward.
If people say it doesn't offer anything special or unique it's suffering from the same thing that the beatles does. People complain about the beatles being "generic" but the reality is that what they did created such of an influence that it's hard appreciate that they were mostly new at one time. The mass iterations is what makes it seem less unique. If you never started with the game you might get the feeling of retreading but that is simply due to being an elemental building block of the series. Sure others may do aspects of the game better but each of those that do such have an aspect that lttp does better. At this point it offers a solid foundation and while it does no aspect the best the combination of all aspects doing great together makes it special. It's wonderful as a complete package. Few of it's aspects may be the best now but it really does everything so well that it's greater than the sum of it's parts.
LttP was one of my first video game experiences, and it ended up becoming one of my favorite video games of all time. I started playing video games at around 5yo while growing up in the early 2010s with a SNES which my parents had from how long ago, so instead of growing up on Ps3 or Xbox360, I grew up on old nintendo games like SMW, DKC, and especially LttP. LttP was the most intriguing to me, and I started playing it myself after watching someone else play a bit of it. I played it for weeks, even months, and fell in love with it. It tested my problem solving skills, and despite them being heavily underdeveloped I was still able to traverse my way through the brutally difficult worlds and dungeons. Something about fighting and solving my way to victory felt special to me, where other games you just get to the goal in this one you would have to find it and work your way towards actually achieving your goal by figuring out complex puzzles that push your thinking and combatting with tough enemies. Unfortunatley, despite being able to kind of brute force my way through the entire game and even get through Ganons palace and defeat Agnihim, the Ganon fight ultimately proved inaccessible to me as I would endlessly fall into the pit around the arena and be forced into retrying the fight from the start. Pair that with a long fight and I ended up being no match. So close, yet unable to clear the final hurdle. But it wasnt just that. Truth is, I may have had been able to do it eventually, but our SNES had been falling apart with age. Soon, it broke after some component had overheated and it ultimatley got thrown away. The games were donated to a relative who had another SNES, and it would be a long time before we would see them again. Some time later, many, many years have passed at this point. It's now 2018, and while we havent forgotten about the SNES since we did still visit that relative a few times and get to use the SNES, but otherwise it just proved to be a fading memory. Then, we hadnt't heard of it before, but some time after a specific product launched we began thinking of the SNES again and thought that we might want to purchase another to relive those memories. Unfortunately, they werent cheap, and games for it werent easy to come by. Fortunately, that specifc product that had launched earlier was the SNES Classic, and we decided to get that. Never before had I been able to properly play again LttP before this moment, and when I did I was reminded of just how much I loved the game. Thanks to being somewhat older, I was able to apply a bit more critical thinking into how I approached situations, and gained a whole new appreciation for the depth given in the combat. I fell in love with it again, and I replayed through the entire thing in just a few short weeks. I felled Ganon for the first time, and finally properly witnessed the end to the game that i never got to see before then. But even when that should have been the end, it ended up not being so. Later, I decided to replay it because why not, and beat it. Then we got a switch, and since snes online came out around that time, I went to beat it again. And again. I could not, and cannot get enough of it. Ive played through it maybe 7 times (including the first playthru) to this day and it honestly never gets tiring for me. The dungeons especially in the later half of the game have some of my favorite experiences of all time in gaming. This game remains as one of my all time favorites, higher than any other zelda game, and I may be biased to be so but I love this game with all my heart and honestly I think its a perfect gateway into Zelda, considering what it did for me, anyway.
Both dungeons have hint tiles that tell you "you'll need a lot of magic in here, maybe go buy a green potion from the magic shop," and both give you several magic refills throughout.
Ice dungeon is great. Ice drifting is fun & you get used to it pretty fast. Also aesthetically unique and refreshing. Swamp was probably my favorite. I love the damp gloomy atmosphere and layout. Tedious Rock is the dud imho, both in layout and visual appeal.
this guy hasnt upgraded his bombs or arrows either his bombs were no higher than 15 and his arrows were no higher than 30 lol he is playing the game on hard mode
This is like the third or forth thread about halving your magic usage in these comments. Not many people seem to know to sprinkle magic powder into a magic well I guess.
Still can't believe you thought having to use magic to get through dungeons is bad? You're at the end game with access to the resources to make it more than dooable.
Well, you're specifically warned about it in Turtle Rock, so yeah, that's a dumb gripe there. It's a legit gripe for the Ice Dungeon, though. Maybe you brought nothing but Fairies in your Bottles. No reason for the game to be so annoying.
@@RichO1701e Well sure, I never had a problem with it. But a player easily could miss that 1/2-magic thing and not have magic potion--which would leave them pretty high and dry without warning, making it a minor gameplay flaw.
@@jamesb3623 well... im still learning about the snes library. I just got introduced to the snes library about 1 or 2 years ago, and there are many reasons for this. For one, im just 15. I wasn't around at the time of the snes lifespan, so it is difficult to find a snes anywhere. Second, i could've went to a new and used video game shop, but all of them were on the other side of my home city, (until i moved to the same side just recently) so i didn't know about these stores. Third, i could've bought an snes online, but my parents don't seem to really trust online shopping and an snes can be damn expensive due to its age and of course, im broke af. The only alternative to this mess, was an emulator. Which i've recently been able to get after my parents purchasing the phone i am currently using.
Super castlevania, Super ghouls 'n ghosts, Act Raiser, and the entire Donkey Kong Country series(yes even including the third). There are so many more, but these are a few that need to be mentioned.
Fun fact: if you DON’T collect the lantern in Link’s house, it appears in the treasure chest under the castle after you get the sword and shield. If you miss it THERE, it appears in the chest beside Zelda!
And if you miss it THERE, the game just assumes you're an idiot and gives up.
Faygris - I tried it for the first time yesterday! The shelf in the throne room won’t move if you don’t get the lantern!
It's like Behelits from Berserk. They're fated to be found by their owner.
I remember reading this in the official strategy guide I had for the game back in the 90's. I recall thinking, "who the hell walked out of Link's house without opening the obvious treasure chest?" Ha.
@@frozenaorta
True. I can’t imagine getting all the way to this point in the game and not having opened at least one treasure chest.
I remember getting the Super Nintendo and this game for Christmas 1992. I can't explain how excited I was that morning, the intro with the thunderstorm is also still one of my favorite parts. There's far too much to be said about this game.
That’s a great memory. Good for you, man.
We obviously had the same chistmas in 1992. I also had the game, and played it during the whole winter holidays. Still 30 years later I remember very well how amazed I was by this game.
@@Clery75019 I played it for a bit the other morning, even the rain in the beginning the first time was so memorable and still is.
@@Clery75019 That actually warms my heart. Not messing with you. I still remember that morning opening the box. Not to mention the SUPER NINTENDO itself. Overwhelming. The NES was amazing, this was, you know.
I love how gaming can now connect generations. I grew up on the 3D Zeldas given I was born in '98 and when Link's Awakening got remade for Switch, it introduced me to the 2D formula that I found I liked more than the 3D ones due to the focus on logic based puzzles where the whole dungeon generally is a puzzle in and of itself. I played through all the early titles and Link to the Past hit a really magical tone for me that I don't think any game I've played before or after has gotten to. Something about the SNES graphics, music, vibe, everything just hit. I'm so glad we can experience these games via emulation so easily these days.
38 year old man from liverpool and this video has brought a lot of memories flooding back! Good times were had by all!
I was also 38 when you originally made your post, now I'm sadly 39. But I still proudly love Zelda and this game. Replayed it again over the past weekend.
@@KevinVeroneau I'm 39 in 10 days... where the fuck did 30 years go!! I still love this game
So
You're telling me
You play through this without halving your magic consumption?
Probably because the mis(?)translation that implies you're halving the amount you have rather than the cost.
Wait you can do that??
@@bryanl6828 yeah
More surprised people don't know
@@bryanl6828 Go to the Blacksmiths' house, jump into the well and go north. Sprinkle Magic Powder. You're welcome.
Also you can get some bosschests early after the 1st crystal in the dark world. I got the gold gauntlet without beating the 3rd dng. So much fun this game.
Something to be said: I am 14, I was introduced into Zelda when I was 10. My first game was A Link to the Past. Of every Zelda game I believe there is no better introduction to Zelda than this game.
Facts brother
Did you know by using the magic powder on the anti fairies that are bouncing around the walls you turn it into a fairy? Just a good way to keep your health up in the ice palace, I know it gets tedious with all the looping around
Oh, and while I’m at it, if you use the magic powder at the dwarves smithy on the over world, you can effectively half the magic you use for the remainder of the game. I like to get it right after the first dungeon in the dark world, as you only need the magic hammer to get it. And it *REALLY* helps for the ice dungeon and turtle rock
I know it is asking a lot of the player to know these intricacies, but once you do, things get much easier
did not know About the fairies D:
@@VenusFeuerFalle They're named "bubbles" and they function the same way as the enemies from the NES titles. They seem invincible until you discover their secret.
I remember I learned this in a Game Grumps video once... very useful tip 😅
The ice palace doesn't require excessive use of magic. Only the enemies that spawn from the walls need it. The skating penguins go down with one hit from the hookshot.
baespecially whining about magic use and difficult enemies when he hasn't done the half magic consumption, isn't using Bombos to destroy all the enemies in a room and hasn't even upgraded his sword to level 3.
Do those things and the Ice Palace is a hell of a lot easier.
I freeze all non ice enemies in that dungeon and hammer time
yeah, ice palace doesn’t have that annoying of magic use. Only thing i found annoying in the dungeon was the staircases occasionally being hard to climb into with the ice floors, but even then it didn’t cause that much of an issue.
I always beat misery mire dungeon before ice palace so I’d have the magic staff to short cut ice palace maze
@@RichO1701eYeah, but what if you don’t know where they are? The ice palace is hard to anyone who isn’t using a guide.
I never understood why so many people have problems with the Ice Palace, it's honestly one of my absolute favorite dungeons and one of the only ones that feel close to an actual maze.
Also, assuming it is your footage you are showing your approach to the ice palace is not very good. The ether and bombos medallions make quick work of most enemies in the rooms, and in some of the early rooms you can one hit kill the enemies with the hookshot easily. That will teach you that the enemies drop magic potions often which also means you can use magic frequently.
With that all that's left is traversal which is a matter of planning and timing which most rooms allow you to do.
The big challenge of the Ice Palace is endurance and finesse. The individual challenges aren't big issues, but the whole point is to require a finer level of a play to get through them all. You need to be precise about movement because you can't afford to waste hearts because the floor is slippery. You need to figure out that some enemies drop magic, because you need to use shortcuts (like bombos) to make things easier so, again, you aren't wasting hearts getting through. The reward? Something that makes you waste less hearts EVERYWHERE.
The Ice Palace is about taking what you know from the rest of the game, and cranking up the intensity, to see if you can use all of the things you have learned in conjunction in a single dungeon. It's not about new challenges, but instead ramping difficulty.
Well said from both of you.
But most people aren't going to use those. If something costs a lot of magic, you are unlikely to experiment with using it in a dungeon. The game has taught you a rate for magic drops, and you're not going assume it would be different.
And I don't agree it teaches more precise movement, as the movement physics are so different. Without more ice, you're not going to apply it.
Other games I've played--even other Zelda games--do ice physics better, where you slide around less or quickly learn how to cancel your momentum, and then get back to playing the game with this small new challenge on top.
There's a yes to both you and Justin, and a yes to Zipply.
Magic is pretty expensive, and before the Ice Dungeon you probably aren't going to have experimented too much with spending magic. But you also aren't going to experiment too heavily inside the dungeon, again because it's an expensive apparently-limited resource.
This leaves most players minimizing their use of the medallions in these contexts, which keeps the enemies that get in your way.
A player is likely to be more open to experimentation if they get the "double-magic" upgrade that specifically cuts in half the magic consumption rate of items...but there's no necessary demand to acquire this upgrade, and on the first playthrough, especially back when the game was released, a lot of people aren't going to discover it. Which means they aren't likely to experiment.
-----
So, the rooms have a baseline difficulty that requires "endurance and finesse". Precise movements are necessary to traverse just the spike-obstacles, fire-bars, and slippery floor. Even without the enemies, the dungeon is scoffing as it tells the player to "Get good, noob".
Add the standard assortment of enemies in because the player is doing the smart thing and not wasting large chunks of their magic on their most-powerful spells to deal with a couple skeletons, and...it becomes one of the most-obnoxious levels in a Zelda game.
@@onijester56 Yeses for everyone!
One of the greatest games ever
Childhood memories
My first snes game. I got it with a snes console bundle. My anxiety was so high I almost passed out. Playing through LttP was jaw dropping
saaaame :'(
being immersed in alttp's beautiful world was such a breather from the crippling anxiety..
That moment when you "beat the game" and get teleported to the top of a *GIANT PYRAMID*
Ironically that happens TWICE and both times follow kicking the shit out of Agahnim. In the same way, both times.
I wonder if the barrier that goes up around hyrule castle in twilight princess is a reference to the pyramid in lttp. Botw's system of activating when ganondorf returned would actually make sense here too, since it served the same purpose. While it's just as easily could've been ganondorf keeping you out, the fact that the complete fused shadow broke it seems to heavily suggest the technology and magic was the same, and ganondorf may have been in fact waiting for midna to break it, knowing she had been hunting the fused shadows--one of the few things that could shatter his prison. That's right, the giant pyramid shaped seal was likely keeping ganon trapped in the confines of the castle, not insidiously preventing us from returning - though either reason works - but it keeps the rest of hyrule safe from ganon. And we broke that seal to get in. There may of been another mirror under the castle that midna's no longer knew about.
@@ShadowSkyX you may be a genius
That blew me away as a kid, especially when I learned there were 7 more dungeons to complete now. It's like the game was telling you "Kid gloves are off, boy. Time to tussle."
@@KBXband twice twice
Nintendo can troll too.
a link to the past has been my favorite game ever since I first played it in the early 90s. it aged extremely well and it still looks very well designed, even after almost 30 years.
but you know the best part? the communities. if you get into speedrunning it, it's pretty fun: learning new stuff and optimal routes, racing etc. and if speedrunning is not your thing or you got bored of it, there's the randomizer that makes it a completely new game every time.
a link to the past is not only really fun, but it also has a great(even if it's pretty niche) community.
I couldn't have said it better myself. This and Super Metroid are my 2 favorite games of all time.
Wow, you must think pretty lowly of the game to think the communities are better than the actual game. I guess not everyone can appreciate good games.
A great video. though I feel quite strongly that you are wrong about the light/dark world having been bested by other games in the series. The game allows you to hop back and forth on the spot between the two worlds, you get to see that change between light and dark in the moment. It also plays into the puzzles (like understanding or working out that the difference in landmass allows you to warp back to the light world on Spectacle Rock). In comparison with Ocarina of Time you have to travel back to the Temple of Time each time, and the way the world alters between the two barely plays into the puzzles. A Link Between Worlds doesn't really do it better, if anything it does it exactly the same.
I think he was talking about how other people may prefer how other games handled the light/dark world concept. To each his own. Some people are less bothered by the amount of time it takes to switch in ocarina of time perhaps because the idea of time travel is more interesting to those people than light and dark world switching. I sort of feel that way. Light and dark world switching is used well as a puzzle mechanic but lacks the epicness and meaning of Ocarina of Times approach.
Didn't read lol
Oracle of Ages.
@@koboldparty4708 It did it well but it was nowhere near as complex as how Link to the Past did it. Unless I'm misremembering you can't flip between ages anywhere on the map, only at specific locations.
Zelda3 let you jump back to the light world anywhere (at least where you didn't collide with a solid object). Oracle of Ages did it a bit better with narrative I guess but those games were a decade apart but mechanically it wasnt technically more impressive. I'm open to more info on why you think so though.
@@neonswift The harp of ages can play three different tunes: the first lets you open up specific time portals, the second acts like the magic mirror (letting you travel to the present, leaving behind a portal where you used it), and the third allows you to freely travel between the two time periods (something that I sorely missed when I played LttP for the first time a couple weeks ago...they definitely learned a thing or two in that decade).
This lends more of a sense of progression to the time travel system, with each new tune opening up the world as much as any dungeon item (and far more than some...iirc, the cane of somimnotlookingupthename was used for about two puzzles and a bossfight).
I also feel that the ages are much better integrated that the dark/light worlds, with more puzzles tied into them, but Its been long enough since I've replayed OoA that I'm not certain. It might just be nostalgia-OoA was the only Zelda game I had as a kid, and I played the shit out of it.
I have recently decided to play/replay every mainline Zelda game (plus the warriors spinoffs, because Dynasty Warriors is a guilty pleasure of mine). I just finished LttP, and I'm currently on Twilight Princess, but I'll make my way over to OoA eventually. If I find that its not as well done as I remember, I'll come back here and let you know. Assuming I remember, which is never a guarantee with me.
As a parting shot, though, I definitely feel like LttP handled the shield better.
This guy needs some more subscribers. I wish long form retrospective videos were more popular because this is my favorite kind of content to have going in the background.
Agreed!
I sit down and listen lol
2:22 Koji Kondo actually had access to EXACTLY eight sounds, or channels of sound, for the SNES. That _is_ an upgrade over the NES, which could only play five channels of sound at once, and in a very restrictive manner where certain channels were restricted to certain kinds of sound waves.
Yeah but the NES still has tons of musical gems.
@@bezoticallyyours83 That wasn't a statement of the quality of the work people did on the console, only the specifications of the console itself.
I was going to comment the same thing. Many people confuse the term "8-bit music" with the number of channels when it actually only refers to the characteristics of the sounds produced by the sound chips used in the 8-bit consoles.
As a longtime Zelda fan who grew up in the N64 era, I am playing through A Link to the Past for the first time and it has only made me appreciate both it and the games that came after even more. The pacing is tight and the world feels great to explore without the frustrating vagueness of the original Zelda (my cousin had an NES, so I played the first 2 games as a kid). It's a wonderful feeling to fall in love with this classic game.
I've always felt that the whole idea of the Dark World was essentially an evolution of the "2nd Quest" from the 1st game, except rather than being a completely separate mode unlocked once it's completed; it's integrated directly into the main playthrough. While the execution is obviously quite different, the core idea is the same; take the "same" overworld but alter everything about it from the enemies you encounter, to the location of the game's secrets, to the locations of the dungeons. The main difference is how they tie the first and second quests together so that the player is alternating between the two at the same time. It's kind of brilliant in that respect.
9:03 those are not Darknuts. Darknuts aren't in ALTTP. They are just "Soldiers"....specifically "Sword Soldier"
My thoughts exactly. This guy doesn't know what he's talking about; Whole video is just an excuse to shit on Zelda 1 and stroke himself over A Link to the Past.
@@Ridley369 makes a minor mistake but you take as way insult him over valid criticism.
@@Ridley369 I enjoyed the video, you took it to far
Jeje more like Dead Soldier
HYAAA!
@@Ridley369 Yah, how dare he confuse one sword welding enemy with another.
One thing I think you should have mentioned is this game is the foundation to the overall narrative for the Zelda series. The "legend of the fight between the Sages and Ganon" at the beginning are retold in the Ocarina of time. Though their are some issues story wise with the descendants of the sages all being "human or elf." This game would also hint at Zelda and Link having important linage as well, rather some "damsel in distress" rescued by a random hero. We learn later in the series that Link and Zelda are more than just descended from their other incarnations but, reincarnations being hounded by the same one Ganon.
17:00 except for that stupid treasure chest minigame where the treasure swaps locations every 10 frames
looks like your own frames missing
I always just killed ball and chain guy in the castle with two pots
Edit: It’s interesting to see how you dealt with certain bosses and areas differently. I used Bombos in the ice place to make all the enemies die immediately and give me magic potions right after. And I used bombs to knock the mask off the scorpion boss.
Yup, ball and chain guy always gets killed with those pots when I play too. Got no time to deal with that ball, I gotta save that princess.
@@KevinVeroneau same
it's the timing of dropping the bombs under the scorpion mask boss that's tricky, that's how we always did it. Wasn't until a few years ago I watched something on YT showing you could just hit the thing with the hammer. It is easier, but more risky in getting hit by the boss.
When I was young: Pots. Now: Sword. Gut Gud. But then again, I finish OoT with 3 heart containers (which is impossible in LttP). Make the Spirit Temple's knight so much more fun to fight!
Link's awakening and A Link to the past are such legendary games, it's never too late for anyone young or old to play the games and have such an amazing experience.
They are both my favorite Zelda titles. I have such fond memories of both.
I just played this game for the first time. I'm 32. I grew up playing Ocarina and Majora's Mask.... but this one is definitely my favorite Zelda game I've played. I'm shocked that such an old game would hold up like this! It's now one of my favorite video gaming experiences to date.
I was 38 when you posted your comment, and I did play this game when I was an early teen growing up. My first Zelda was the original one on NES, then Zelda 2. My favourite in the series still has to be Link's Awakening, then LttP. If you really liked this one, then I highly recommend picking up the Link's Awakening remake on Switch. It doesn't have 2 worlds, but it has a ton of charm, and is where the series really started out with flushing out quirky and memorable characters.
Welcome to the ALTTP fan club!! 😊
I just finished Link to the Past for the first time in like 20+ years and had so much fun. It's a joy to find reviews like this and see how aware others are of what a standout game it is. Easily one of the best I've ever played, as a kid I was so deeply drawn into the story and the concept of being Link, of rescuing the maidens and Zelda. I remember the deep sense of reverence I felt when I finally managed to beat it, and those three golden triangles floated up in front of me. When the music played over the final credits it flowed so well with the sense of reverence and satisfaction I felt. In some ways I feel it is as close to perfect as any game has ever come.
Even as a kid I loved the concept of the dark world. I didn’t know it then, but I like it now because I like sci fi do it reminds of of a pártele universe. Kinda the same but a little different. The the technical reason of saving cartridge space works in its favor
yeah me too, btw in case you don't mind, what's a pártele universe? I'm intrigued.
Mana That is a typo. I meant to say parallel universe.
I don't know why it took me until now to watch this. Another great video, Liam! Your part on the tutorial was what I wish I said for my video on the topic. Alttp really hits a perfect balance there. Love hearing your thoughts and insight.
Thank you for this great in-depth video on LTTP. The focus is really what makes this enjoyable. In a world where video games are full dialogue and grinding, I love that I can pick this up at any point and beat it in a few days. This will always go down as my favorite Zelda game.
And that's what makes some of the more modern Zelda's a bit less "pick up and play". Modern Zeldas(aside from BotW) have uber longer tutorial segments that can take at least an hour to get through, and being forced to read through dialogue I've read so many times. LttP is quick and simple in more ways than one. I can get through the dialogue the maidens say at the end of each dungeon 10x faster than having to listen to Ruto talking about how I ditched her at the alter for the 100th time I've played the game... Yes, Ruto, I dump you at the alter, now get over it and let me continue to the next dungeon already. If there's one thing older Zelda games did better, is actually value the player's time. As I get older, and replay games, I don't really want to re-read text I've basically memorised by this point. It's why it's easier to go back to older Zelda games, as it's easier to skip by stuff you already know, or have been told 100 times already. And don't get me started on how some modern Zelda games really hit hard with the "item catch" dialogue. I just want to use my key or item, not spend 30 seconds reading about what I already know.
I got this game along with the SNES for Christmas in 1992. It took me until super bowl sunday to beat it for the first time and I died like 67 times. I played it over and over and over again. Can't remember just how many times, but it had to be in the hundreds if not thousands. It just never got old. I've played many more games since, but I always came back to it. It is, in my humble opinion, not only the best game in the Zelda franchise, but the greatest video game of all time.
30:12 you don't need to block out the path. Lighting the brazier reveals the hidden path
Also, using the lightning medallion would reveal the hidden path for a short time.
I still remember how excited I was when I discovered that I could use the pegasus boots to break those rocks hiding paths, I accidentally stumbled on them and was like "WAIT, THAT'S HOW I DO THAT?!"
"Skywars Sword makes you feel like an idiot. 10/10"
- IGN
Well IGN are idiots.
Ok, a couple corrections. First, the Ice Rod is in fact required as you need it to beat the Trinexx boss in Level 7 Dark World. And second, the Dark World is not just a copy or overlay in the game ROM. It is a completely new map creation with it's own tile sets and exists on it's own just as the Light World does. It does not share ROM space with the Light World in any way. Just thought I'd mention it.
You are thinking from a critics perspective. Keep in mind as children we never thought of this game being linear at all. It felt like we were unleashed in a huge world! And that moment when you discover getting to travel between light world and dark world instantly doubles that huge feeling of mystery and exploration! It was so much fun and I think you're wrong about it not being timeless. Because I can return to it today as a full-grown adult and still get so much joy out of it. The 16-bit graphics look beautiful, it's a work of art and the game mechanics still makes sense and feel right. If it was made out of nowhere in the year 2020 and released on steam I guarantee it would still be very successful and be considered a wonderful indie game. There's a lot of modern titles releasing that have that 16-bit era style and still do so well. I'll never get tired of Link to the past
Playing it as a kid I thought "step 1, go there, then this, then this, then that. Ok now there are princesses to save from being necklaces, then this. " the exploration itself wasn't on a line. But the objectives are.
It's a great game, one of my favorites hands down, but there are a lot of closed doors all over (not a bad thing) to which my approach has always been "ok where is the puzzle piece to this step of the puzzle"
"Cant go here yet, cant go there yet, cant do that yet. Oh now I can go here"
@@charless1145 Those obstacles make the progression feels so rewarding though! You keep thinking I wonder what tool I need for this thing. Not to mention all the scattered hearts feeling good to collect. There was always somewhere to go if you couldn't get past a certain spot.
Fuck open worlds being a big deal.. that's like thinking someone with a big house is a big deal. We all know that just cause you got a nice car, a big house, that doesn't mean shit. What makes you "good" is your personality, character, and soul.
@@charless1145 what you said is actually a good thing lol The fact that there is closed areas you can't go to until later.
Is something truly timeless, however, if it can only be viewed that way by people who've played it growing up? The game definitely feels archaic in certain places, and I don't know if I'd be able to call it a masterpiece like many other critics do.
I'm coming from the viewpoint of somebody that enjoys a link to the past, more then ocarina of time even, but sees flaws in it.
I've never been a giant Zelda fan. OOT and Majora's mask are the only 2 I really have played, but I love your breakdowns on he series. Amazing work
Marma don’t forget Twilight Princess!
TLoZ 1 was the most open world possible with the limitations of the system. Back then, the manual was how we got the story, especially early on.
My manual fell apart because I enjoyed looking at it so much, because omg, such story.
What was the original story? Did it change much over time?
@@sunshineyrainbows13 wee bit of sarcasm - without the manual, there was 0 story. With a manual, it was pretty much the same thing as we've been doing - Impa wants you to save the princess.
Keep in mind it has been some time since I've even had my manual, so I'm trying to remember back to when I was about 8 years old - a looong time ago.
@@WintrBorn I didn't even realize Impa was in the series prior to OoT. Life is full of surprises.
This is without a doubt the best zelda game to this day. I miss the feeling of going to blockbuster and renting new games. Liam did a nice job on this video.
Uhhhh ohhh the oot fanboys won’t like this.
agreed, the art on this game never aged a day
19:40 “Attentiveness, freedom of exploration, knowledge of your arsenal, memorisation, things that the tutorial has taught you, and things that you are now applying to the overworld as you solve it”
>Praises ALttP for its iterative exploration.
>Doesn't think to check the well in front of the smith's hut... the well identical to the one that gets you a heart piece in Kakariko
>Goes into late game dungeons without an upgrade you can get after Dark World 1.
>Complains about the exact thing that upgrade fixes.
Some people just don't like to explore I guess.
To add on top of everything you just said, there is a fantastic randomizer community for this game that helps you discover more of the game than you ever thought you would know.
I love the Ice Palace lol. I do treat it like the 6th dungeon and do Misery Mire first though. Making your own block with the Cane of Whatever from the Mire makes getting to the boss in the Ice Dungeon SOOOO much easier (hardly any backtracking!)
yes, done the same trick myself, the looping back round to make sure the orange/blue blocks are the correct way up is the only irritant for me.
A Link to the Past has quite possibly my favorite opening in the series. The main thing that I appreciate about this game (outside of it influencing EVERY following Zelda game) is how quickly it gets going. It's a game that I constantly enjoy while playing, even if it doesn't stick out in my mind as much as its follow ups.
Also, it's absolutely mind blowing that I was quickly able to get into a game from 1991. The only reason this game has aged is because of it serving as a template for the rest of the series.
Whenever I'm playing this game normal (I play it randomized now) I always sought ways of doing the dungeons out of order in the dark world. I learned that as long as you had the hammer and the titan's mitts, most of the world was open to you. I would go for as long as possible without beating Swamp Palace (to get the hookshot) as a difficulty enhancer. It was also my least favorite dungeon.... I usually saved that one and Ice palace for last. I didn't really like Skull Woods either but it's actually really quick to beat if you don't care about getting the compass and map. The boss is also really fast to beat if you get the tempered sword from the blacksmiths beforehand. I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that this game isn't as linear as previously thought if you think outside the box. I've beat this game lord knows how many times but it's still my favorite to this day. ❤
My parents have a certain group of friends, and naturally when they had kids we all hung out and became good friends too. One of them had ALTTP, and one of our fondest childhood memories together is our little group hanging out and taking turns playing through this game. The save data on her cartridge had a tendency to occasionally erase itself when we were close to the end, but we still had so much fun playing through it again, and eventually finally beating it. Today, the ALTTP randomizer has really breathed new life into this game for me and I love it!
Hmm, I have an odd feeling that the specific save file didn't just erase itself, but your friend wanted you all to continue hanging out together, and felt that if you ended up beating the game, that your group might just stop playing LttP, so instead, she secretly deleted the save file with good intentions so that the group would continue hanging out and playing the game from the beginning over and over. It is a rather charming story really.
@@KevinVeroneau No, that definitely wasn't what happened. The same thing happened to one of our SNES cartridges too, so it must have been a defect or something. And this friend group, our parents are all friends so when they had kids (us), we have all known each other since we were born, basically, and have been hanging out our whole lives lol (we still all get together for dinner nearly every week)
The game is not actually linear. After getting the hammer, you can do most of the dark world dungeons out of order and it's actually more ideal to do so. Go to thieves town and get the gauntlet, then get the lvl 3 sword upgrade. Then do the swamp palace, then either misery mire or the ice palace. The cane of someria makes the ice palace faster while the blue tunic upgrade earlier could be nice. You don't need the fire rod for the ice palace, you have bombos. Then you do skull woods, since the fire rod is not mandatory until turtle rock. From there on out, it's back to linearity. If you do the dungeons in numerical order, you get the sword and armor upgrade much later and the game ends up being harder. Also, if you freeze an enemy and hit it with a hammer, it drops magic containers. An NPC you pay rupees to, tells you this. Good review, but you didn't know the full potential of this game in my opinion.
It does have it's own identity. The issue is that a lot other zelda games took this ones identity and claimed it as their own. OoT, and everyone loves that one.
A Link to the Past has "Seinfeld is unfunny" syndrome. Future installments inheriting aspects of its identity basically diluted its identity. In retrospect, it is now harder to see the game beyond how it created the standard Zelda formula.
@M S tbh i do appreciate this one. it's freaking gold for the time it came out and it's honestly better thought out and much more engaging that maaaaany modern games. kinda wish the "simple" games nowadays were more intricate like they used to be back then.
I do appreciate the simplicity, and respect it setting up the franchise as it came to be known for years to come, but when it comes to the gameplay, I just feel like ALBW is much more polished and fun due to... well, coming out later.
However, you still cannot deny the best aspect of this and other early Zeldas, how nicely short the tutorial is, and how snappy the dialogue is. Like, in LttP, I can hit A really fast if I've already read what's being said 100 times before. In OoT, I still need to listen to how Ruto felt when I left her at the alter 7 years ago.
I LttP there is no long winded conversation once we hit the Dark World but OoT has the conversation with Rauru then warp into the temple of time then when we think we are ready to move we then have to have a conversation with Navi. Pacing in the earlier games was better.
11:15 you forget that there are „secret“ places which don’t have markings but are rather cryptic. But it’s always made in a way you would find it eventually
I love this game so much. It’s honestly one of the greatest games of all time and still holds up today. If you have it a bit more modern graphics it could easily pass as a new Zelda in modern times
Here's hoping for a remake like link's awakening
I mean link between worlds was really close to a remake
I’ve watched all the Retrospectives several times and have seen almost every video. I hope you get to help design a Zelda game someday Liam. You make some of the absolute best content on this flooded platform. Period.
Uhh, slight correction, Liam. Agahnim’s thugs you fight in the Light World aren’t Darknuts, but rather they’re the actual soldiers of the kingdom of Hyrule that Agahnim has muddled the minds of with his dark magic in order to see him as the legitimate king of Hyrule. Thus marks what is possibly the first time in the franchise where Link is forced to fight other Hylians on a regular basis, or at least until you defeat Agahnim in Hyrule Castle whereupon the soldiers no longer are actively hunting Link if I recall correctly.
Nah they still so. Hell even Kakariko Village is fully evacuated and soldiers are roaming inside of it.
Nintendo should clean up a Link to the Past (ala Links Awakening) and add a Link Between Worlds as an extended DLC pack and release it on the Switch.
Rather see Adventure of Link redone before this game.
People seem to forget how different ALBW actually is to ALTTP
If they ever remastered it I rather rit stay true to its origins. Links awakening is cool its grown on me but to cartoony. Lttp is more dark and should be treated as such
@@Ridley369 Seeing a remake of Adventure of Link would be amazing. That game was always a beast to beat, and bringing it back to a modern console could breathe new life into it. It could be the Souls game from Nintendo. Wonder if they'll use the assets from one of the CD-i titles.
I haven't found myself nodding along in agreement this much to anything for a long time good job dude
except for when he's bashing the Ice Palace, whining about magic use and difficult enemies when he hasn't done the half magic consumption, isn't using Bombos to destroy al the enemies in a room and hasn't even upgraded his sword to level 3.
Do those things and the Ice Palace is a hell of a lot easier.
Before video: "_re_-defined" Zelda? aLttP straight-up defined Zelda. The first game introduced the very core concepts of overworld exploration, dungeon crawling, and named the three main characters of the series, Zelda 2 also ran, and then Link to the Past introduced the vast majority of both lore and gameplay mechanics to this day, from the Master Sword to the Cucco attack squad.
During the video: The tutorial is more clever than you think. There are five chests Link can access before entering the dark tunnel between the throne room and sanctuary, three of which contain the lamp. In the secret entrance room, the chest might contain the lamp if the player missed the one in Link's house, and there are magic jars in the pots nearby. Also nearby, in the way, is a brazier. It's highly likely that a player might try out their new lamp (now that they have their very first magic containers) on that object, and notice that it brightens the slightly dim room. They save the player from himself (if the lamp was only in Link's house, if you leave the house without it and then enter the secret entrance, you'd soft lock the game) and gives the player opportunities to learn. It also teaches you about falling down pits, new for top-down Zelda. That one blue soldier wanders up to the edge of the gratuitous bottomless pit and looks back and forth, begging Link to sneak up behind him and smack him, throwing him off the edge with the humorous staggering animation before he falls. This is a recurring combat and puzzle solving technique throughout the game.
The ice rod IS a required item to beat Turtle Rock, and you can get it without the flippers by walking along the bottom of the map from the swamp. Sahasrala tells you to go get it immediately after the Eastern Palace.
The telepathy tile in the first room of the Ice Palace tells you that you might want to go and buy some magic potion if you don't have any, and if you use magic powder on the buzzblobs in the overworld, the resulting cukeman will give you hints, including that freezing enemies and then breaking them with a hammer has a very high chance of dropping magic jars. It's not difficult to live off the land in that dungeon. Turtle Rock isn't the "next" dungeon after the Ice Palace, Misery Mire is in between and contains the Cane of Somaria required to even properly enter Turtle Rock. Again, there is a telepathy tile in the entrance to Turtle Rock that tells you to make sure you've got magic refills before entering.
You actually don't often use the dungeon item on the boss. The bow is the best choice against the Armos Knights, but the sword will do, the power glove does nothing against Lanmola, there's no way to use the Moon Pearl against Moldorm, the hammer isn't the most efficient way to defeat Helmasaur King, you are required to use the hookshot against Vitreous, the Fire Rod is effective against Mothula but not required, the Titan's Mitt cannot be used against Blind, the Blue Tunic cannot do damage to Kholdstare, the Cane of Somaria is a poor choice of weapon to defeat Vitreous, and while the fire and ice rods are required to defeat Trinexx, the Mirror Shield is not. Out of 12 bosses, only 1 requires the dungeon item.
After Video: A Link to the Past is presented as a linear story with a progression, but you are allowed to sequence break after PoD. Where a first-time player might go straight from Dungeon 1 to Dungeon 2 in the dark world, a savvy player might instead warp back to the light world, go to the warp tile he can now reach with the hammer in the right-hand entrance to the woods, warp to the dark world, and complete Dungeon 4, which allows completion of several sidequests for a few heart pieces, an upgraded sword, the magic cape and easier traversal of the overworld early. Nintendo had the balls to let you blunder into a very late dungeon right off the bat in LoZ1, and they let you try it a little bit past the halfway point in aLttP, you can do OoT's water dungeon before the fire dungeon and the spirit temple before the shadow temple, the next decade's worth of games are strictly linear, then LBW and BotW are both non-linear, but they're non-linear in a kind of lazy way. I've not played LBW but BotW is so aggressively non-linear that they're careful not to name the divine beasts, their champions, or the associated regions/towns/peoples in the same order twice so as not to establish a preferred order, and virtually every shrine or divine beast (or even Hyrule Castle) could be the first place the player goes off of the plateau, so most of the shrines are designed to be "baby's first.' They didn't lay out a path and then allow the player the freedom to bumble or charge off the path, they built a nice homogeneous playground.
Honestly I think it's the most rewarding zelda at least for exploration. Even above breath of the wild. Quality over quantity I suppose.
Also the puzzles were more perplexing than albw. It's a shame the game fails to stand out today. The very fact it defined zelda has made it one of the most ordinary games in the series.
I LITERALLY only clicked on this video to say the first point you mentioned.
Looks like you beat me to the punch.
Well said
Wait, do the Cukemen actually say anything more than stuff about Sarahsala? I've never heard of dialogue that the Cukemen say about the Ice Rod and Hammer having that synergy.
I actually beat a link to the past 100% recency for the first time so i have no biased nostalgic goggles i got to say it's was really good it felt good to play and looked really good for a old game doesn't even need a remake
I just beat it two days ago. It was really fun. I went in not knowing anything about it. I played it with a shader to make it look HD ish. It would be great to just have a remastered like in the art style of the new link's awakening.
@@OneHandedClapperI'm the opposite - I'd much rather have a new game with the graphics of A Link to the Past, than I would a remake of A Link to the Past, with new graphics.
Never felt like the Ice Palace was unfair. Also you didn't have the 1/2 magic consumption so...
It's a lot simpler if you initially skip the palace and go directly to Misery Mire first to get the Cane of Somaria. That's how I always used to beat that temple as a kid. It wasn't until I got the GBA version that I realized that you're supposed to drop a block down for that puzzle.
I’ve palace never bugged me. Ether + hammer. Frozen enemies when smashed typically drop large magic jugs. I figured that out as a youth and it never fails.
@@prestonjackson2873 There's even a telepathic tile that specifically tells you this.
He probably hates Level 6 in Mario 3 as well..
Ice palace is easy with 2 simple words. . . Bomb Jump.
Considering the Zelda timeline with this game, when you defeat Ganon, you've technically avenged the Hero of Time.
Almost all of the items from LttP were decently useful in multiple places in the dungeons outside of the one they were intro'd in. I kinda wish the Ball and chain and Spinner from Twilight princess had that kinda treatment. Then again, in particular with the Spinner, that was pretty much "this is specialized for this one thing and this one thing only"
The bug net is only really good for bottling fairies, and you can buy them in certain shops. The book of mudora can only be used in 4 places to do 3 things, 2 of which are required (reading the master sword pedestal does nothing, Bombos medallion isn't required, Ether medallion and entering desert palace are required). The cape grants access to one heart piece, the cane of byrna is a crutch, the cane of Somaria is basically only useful inside Turtle Rock...I could go on.
@@thegardenofeatin5965 the bug net can be used to knock Agahnims shit back at him
@@thegardenofeatin5965 The Cane of Somaria is also used as a substitute for ordinary blocks and can release four opposing projectiles from selecting Y again.
The Spinner is used to access places in the overworld and a couple of other things in later dungeons.
@@thegardenofeatin5965 You can also catch and bottle bees with the bug net. By saying the cane of Byrna is a crutch, do you mean that you never found any uses for it? I always use it when fighting Blind, it makes that battle a complete cakewalk.
The ice dungeon was one of my favorites because of the aesthetic and how scared it made me as a kid lol. The difficultly alone scared me back then haha
A Link to the Past is NOT a linear game. Most of the dark world dungeons can be done VERY out of order, and items from different later dungeons can allow you to solve earlier dungeons differently. Princess Zelda also has different text if you save her before all of the other girls are saved, showing that this non-linearity is intentional.
The game does require that you go in a particular order for the first few dungeons... Until you complete your first dark world dungeon and get Dark World Dungeons 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7 added to your map.
With the Hammer from Dark World Dungeon 1, you can get to most of the warp points. This means you now have access to, and can complete, Dark World Dungeon 2, 3, or 4 next. Completing Dungeon 4 will grant you access to 5 & 6. Completing 2, 4, & 6 will grant you access to 7.
Dungeon 2's Hookshot makes it slightly easier to enter Dungeon 6, but it's not required if you bonk off the nearby block to cross the gap instead. The Hookshot also makes it easier to get to Dungeon 6's big chest, but again, it's possible to outrun the tiles falling without it. Dungeon 6's cane reduces the number of loops you have to make in Dungeon 5 by one (because you don't need to drop the block from above for the switch on the bottom floor). Dungeon 3's Fire Rod makes the boss of Dungeon 7 easier, but Bombos can work instead if you haven't been there yet (though it costs more magic). Dungeon 2's Hookshot makes Dungeon 5 way easier, since it 1-hit kills the green penguins, but again, it's not a necessary item to beat the dungeon.
Being able to play through the game so differently on repeat playthroughs is one of the great things about the game. The biggest problem with later games has been locking areas off to force linearity, and ensuring that puzzles only have one particular solution with a specifically chosen item... It makes sense that such fluidity would be more difficult in 3D, but I've been disappointed in the later 2D games for doing this as well. Even A Link Between Worlds, despite embracing the non-linearity of the original and aLttP has a certain rigidity to the puzzle designs. Breath of the Wild found a good way to open this up by having so many ways to play with the physics.
Thajocoth 19:50
I mostly finish 6 before 5 to solve the last riddle with the switch and pushable blocks easier (thanks to the rod of dungeon 6)
Are the blue hyrule knights really "dark knuts"?
@@Gajus13 nope
@@Gajus13 I legit refuse to believe those pathetic first dungeon enemies are considered Darknuts
@@scoutlox158 they're not if you just look up their name: www.zeldadungeon.net/wiki/Sword_Soldier
He misspoke.
@@Gajus13 No, they are just castle knights, either controlled by Aganigm (?) through magic or consciously loyal to him and betraying the royal family.
No. they are "Sword Soldiers"....aka "Guards"
I remember I was able to speedrun this game, glitchless of course, 100% in 3.5 hours. But I'm not a speedrunner, I just like this game so much it's the only one I tried to do it to this day.
A Link to the Past is my favorite Zelda game, and it is the game that made me a Zelda fan.
I concur with your assessment that ALTTP was trying to refine the earlier 2 games who had major limitations. I think ALTTP defined 2D Zelda games in a similar manner that Ocarina of Time defined 3D Zelda games. And by doing so, it gave the Zelda series a sense of identity.
What I loved the most about ALTTP was its cinematic nature, something that would be enhanced and perfected in future games starting with Ocarina of Time. The game feels like a fantasy novel/movie. There are moments that are unexpected like failing to save Zelda from Agahnim and being drawn into the Dark World. I remember being shocked when that happened, and feeling overwhelmed, without knowing what to do. Yet at the same time, I was excited about exploring this new world that had appeared in front of me. ALTTP may have a very thin storyline compared to later games, but the storyline it does have is sufficient to drive you forward on your quest.
So thank you for making this video and paying a homage to one of the greatest video games of all time.
Link to the past was the first game I played in the series and when I beat it I erased my file and started playing again . I just can't explain why I like it so much still to this day I replay each year . Between world's was good but it was like final fantasy 4 after years in a way.
I hated the ice palace at first but it’s one of my favorites now. I think the key to enjoying it is understanding how freezing then hammering enemies helps you manage your magic. Ether and the hammer are the trick. When you know this it becomes a fun maze.
or just use hookshot to 1-shot everything
@@nekrazero8331 Exactly what I was going to say. This is the dungeon to just hookshot everything in sight, and it even stops you from sliding too.
@@nekrazero8331 also getting your magic consumption halved by the purple bat in the cave near the blacksmith's place in the DW
Try playing it randomized :) its great!
I hate how they made it website based, I prefer to use a tool for my own convenience.
@@jankjason Makes it simpler for more people. How frequently are you generating games that it’s really that inconvenient? I play randomized LttP constantly and I still only generate maybe one game per week.
TEN ARROWS!
Honestly, the next traditional Zelda game should have a randomized mode
Randomized?
Excellent video! I was expecting the usual 40 min plot summary with jokes and maybe a few minutes worth of “analysis” you get from most of these videos and this was soooo much more than that!
I know this makes me shallow, but when somebody calls an enemy or character by a very specific but incorrect name (calling the soldiers darknuts), it makes me less receptive to the point of the video. =P but anywho, you still earned my like. solid video!
This is such a well done, concise and particular look at one of my absolute favourite games of the SNES era. Thank you.
The ice palace gets a bad rap. First of all, just use the hookshot against the pengators. It one-shots them, and it makes destroying a room of them both a cakewalk and quite fun.
I never run low on magic there either. Outside of a fire rod blast required for the freezors, I don't even use magic until Kholdstare.
As for ice physics, I don't know what to tell you. They've been used forever as a gimmick to enhance challenge in countless games. Once you adjust to how you handle, they aren't so annoying. This is no different than complaining about swimming levels in games. It's just altered terrain for atmosphere and challenge.
The only thing frustrating about the ice palace to me is the block puzzle before the final room. That one has stumped a lot of people, but once you know you have to hit the switch and traverse back around, it's no biggie. And if it still annoys you? Just go to Mire first, and use the Cane of Somaria to skip needing the above block at all.
I enjoy this dungeon actually, but I'm also a LttP freak who's played through the game probably a hundred times. No exaggeration. Love this game.
The Hookshot can also be used to quickly bypass many of the slippery areas. And if you beat Misery Mire first you can get the golden sword early as well
@@Alex_Off-Beat Really? I thought the super bomb wasn't available until after you had six of the seven crystals. Interesting.
@@frozenaorta You may be right, I haven't played through LttP in a while but I think all you need is the 6th crystal to get the big bomb to show up in the shop, rather than 6 total crystals.
You are so right lol
@@Alex_Off-Beat So, 7 months later... I am playing through my yearly run. Did Mire before Ice Palace, and confirmed: super bomb is not unlocked. So you do need 6 crystals for that.
Oh my goodness... that intro is so beautiful. It has been too long since I have played it.
Oh my goodness, I think you are the 5th Kevin I've seen in the comments so far, it seems that Kevin's far surpass any other name for a Zelda fan.
My first Zelda game, also once you get the dungeon item in the Dark World you can skip around. My dad and I always did it 1 till the hammer, all of 2, back to 1, 4, 3, 5-7. Every time. Even had a contest to see who could beat it start to finish in the least amount of games
What do you mean?
@@billrandy1221 Eileen does what I do when I play. Although after I get the hammer, I generally grab the Ocarina next, then get the more powerful mitt so that I can get my sword upgrade as soon as possible. I really love how out of order you can play the dark world dungeons after obtaining just the hammer.
@@billrandy1221 you can leave a dungeon once you've collected the BIG treasure without defeating the boss. Easiest way is with the magic mirror, returns you to the entrance.
She's talking about the 7 crystals in the DW, get the Hammer out of D1, then go do all of D2. Then return to D1, finish the scorpion boss. Then do D4, D3, then D5-D7
Awesome retrospective. I waited to watch this one until I completed the game for the first time, which I did yesterday on my SNES mini. Thanks.
There were a couple points about A Link to the Past that REALLY bugged me. Respawn points were very few, not nearly as practical as in later games.. I'd always have to trek through several screens if not halfway across the map before I could get back to where I died or even just the last place I saved. Why couldn't it just respawn me in the entrance to the dungeon I was in? And whenever I saved, no matter how high my health was, it was reduce to half health when I resumed, thus making me have to refill it again. Those were limitations of the time, but they were major thorns in my side when I played through a few years ago.
id you die inside a dungeon, you respawn at the entrance.
for health after saving and coming back: if you start at link's house, there's 3 hearts in the pots(not full health but it helps), at sanctuary if you talk to the priest he heals you to full health, at the mountain the old man also heals you. the only place that it actually sucks and I agree with you on that is when you start from the pyramid.
Fairies in bottles are your best friend in LttP, always carry at least 1 fairy on you at all times. A fairy is like an extra life, and when you do die, you will resume exactly where you collapsed.
@@MarcosAndreeh Dash into the tree at the bottom of the pyramid and you will get a fairy.
You speak so beautifully about the Zelda games. A Link to the Past is only one I had the opportunity to play as a kid. I always wanted to play them all and am finally getting to do so this year. I’ve watched your videos for the four I’ve played so far and can’t wait to finish Minish Cap so I can watch that one too.
Your videos are very thought provoking and I’ve been forced to consider that perhaps this game that shaped so much of my life isn’t necessarily the greatest. I love all of the ones I have played for different reasons though, so maybe they’re all the greatest in their own ways.
You can talk to the guards during the thunderstorm and they'll tell you how to use your map or pick up bushes.
The ice Palace is one of favorites. It's basically just a test of your combat skill.
Do you plan on making more videos about Metroid? Or anything about the Souls series at all? This was a great video by the way.
Sigh... All these games have so much in common when you think about it. Great mysterious worlds to explore, tons of kool abilities to get/learn, kick ass music, and just a wonderful adventure of light and dark. Zelda, metroid, souls... You can't go wrong when getting into these franchises. Although in the case of souls... You might want to start with zelda and metroid first. Souls games don't fuck around lol. Sure you can master them and practically beat them without dying like any game you end up no lifing, but at first? Fuck no lol.
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 well done. You hit a lot of great points in this review, your time and effort is appreciated.
Interesting thing about that ice palace- if you had experimented a bit, you would have discovered that freezing an enemy and hitting it with the hammer will drop a large bottle, and using magic powder on that fire fairy that was onscreen will turn it into a regular fairy. Additionally, while exploring these late game dungeons you should have come across a bug that doubles your magic capacity. Thus, all you needed to alleviate the two main problems you described was a little patience, some exploration and experimentation.
Well said
Alttp will always be my favorite zelda. Oot a 2nd. I remember coming home from staying the night with a friend and my older bro sitting in the living room (just after dusk) playing alttp. Specifically, he was in the lost woods where the master sword rests and i remember looking at that beautiful forest scene, woodland critters scurrying off, the misty and speckled sun falling onto the ground. Compared to games on nes this was fuking amazing, and breath taking. From then on we were in love. We just got out snes that year. Nearly every weekend we rented Alttp, play it for the 3 days and then try again next weekend. Eventually we beat it. The ending was so glorious. Tears to the eyes. The music. I remember for years every bday and xmas id ask for alttp. Every year disappointed. Eventually i did get it on a bday though, some 2 or 3 years of asking. I understand. 4 kids, amd we allways had huge xmases so it's hard to drop 60$ on one game u prob cant even find in stores at xmas. I do love the lore expansion of later zelda games though. Early zeldas were scant. Alttp had the greatest story and lore compared to both it's predecessors, but still pretty basic and streamlined. I'd love alttp as a 3d zelda. I still try to envision the scenes and structures of the game, draw or paint them. It's hard to describe the impact this game had on me.
Actually this is my favorite 2D Zelda game, with Majora's mask being my favorite 3D Zelda game. I love them both to death for different reasons of course but still. Btw I also love a Link between worlds for obvious reasons plus the going into walls mechanics and story were amazing tbh.
This is my favorite Zelda game period. I didn't like Majora's mask at all. I can't understand why people like it
@@matthewkeller9271 I find Majora's Mask can be a bit depressing, with the world coming to an end and all. Since I never beat Majora's Mask, the world of Termina was never saved in my mind and is always destroyed by the moon.
I remember getting the book on accident the first time. It was a new game and I was just screwing around. It was such a pretty game for the era.
No mention of A Link to the Past having the prettiest Princess Zelda? The game could use a remake, hopefully without being given a cartoonish look like Link's Awakening was.
Hmm, I guess she could be the prettiest Zelda... Why hasn't anybody made a UA-cam video going through all the Zelda to judge which one is the prettiest? Page 8 btw www.nintendo.co.jp/clvs/manuals/common/pdf/CLV-P-SAAEE.pdf
That was a good edit on Zelda 2. diving into a lava pit and then the next clip showing a list of spells while highlighting jump. That's good, Liam.
Link to the past deserves a FF7 style remake. That would be so awesome.
I don't think FF7's remake does the original justice imo :/ but yeah I'm down for a remake if it's put in the qualified hands
@@spacesomeone didn't they change the plot in the FF7 remake? Or who died?
@@RichO1701e yeah they changed it completely bro, they brought back to life a character who died, and put something like ghosts in the plot, from the videos i see, haven't played it myself.
Small correction. The ice rod are not optional. You need it to beat the boss at turtle rock
Liam out here dropping BOMBS... on cracked WALLS... to get TREASURE
I´m 18 and I´ve played this game with 15 for the first time. It blew my mind. The visuals, the sound and the gameplay, just awesome.
Long before that I already played Ocarina of Time, Majoras Mask and Windwaker.
That's cool. I also played Link to the past when I was about 17 or 18 and it also blew my mind.
I've played about an hour or two of A Link to the Past, but I never really got into it. I've meant to play it more than that, but I just haven't taken the time to do so. I absolutely loved a Link Between Worlds however.
This was the first game I ever played. I was about two years old and my dad had his SNES hooked up to the old Toshiba CRT we had in the basement. I picked it up one day and it’s still one of my earliest and fondest memories. He taught me how to play, and even how to read just from the text boxes. My family has a huge Zelda connection, I used to look forward to Friday and Saturday nights when my mom would come home from school and play Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. Zelda was always a family event. I have that same SNES now, with the same LTTP cartridge. My dad’s profile is still there and it’s what I first played on, almost 24 years ago now. Even though I know it’s not the perfect Zelda game, it’s the first Zelda game I ever played. It’s the first game I played, full stop. The SNES still sits on my shelf next to the TV, and watching this made me want to set it up again. Great video, dude. Huge nostalgic feels.
My favorite part about ALTTP is just how "Zelda" it strictly is. You get in, you Zelda, you get out. It's extremely short and sweet, nothing is padded, nothing is extra, and the game is fully delighted with you whether you explore it casually, rigorously complete it, rush through the story, or outright speedrun it. It's tight and focused on the formula and the gameplay, to an extent no other Zelda is. Everything about it is done better in other Zeldas, but no other Zelda is this elegant.
Really great summary and I 100% agree.
What ends up killing LttP for me, or at least keeps me from having anything more than an academic respect for it, is its lack of character. With the exception of a few amusing sprites and the petrified bard in the Dark World, almost all of the game's character comes from the inhabitants of Kakariko Village, which are burned through in about 15 minutes. It's hard to distinguish LttP's tone as adventurous or quirky or epic outside of a few select moments, like the intro, going to Kakariko, and when Agahnim kidnaps Zelda (which I feel is the best part of the entire game). All other motivations are purely mechanical, and with the linear progression in which you pick up items and discover dungeons, I didn't find it a particularly powerful motivator. I would call it probably the most 'lifeless' Zelda outside of the NES due to its mechanical dedication, and as an eternal Zelda 1 apologist I find that Hyrule being so barren and full of monsters and adversity plays to the strength of saving the world from becoming the wasteland Gannon is creating.
It's easy to see, with so much depth and so strong of routing, why LttP is such a strong speedrunning game - outside of Super Metroid I'd say there are few better poster children where you actually play the game as intended, and even then I'd say LttP is a better 100% speedrun than Metroid - and I find it a masterful base template from which the rest of the series would spawn and flourish from. Link's Awakening being as character and tone-driven as it was I think comes directly from what LttP was lacking, and I love Link's Awakening. But characterization was taking such leaps and bounds - Mario and his World had never been more expressive, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest were pushing what storytelling in gaming could be in a traditional setting, Monkey Island was starting to be really damn funny and subversive - that I just feel that, even in its own time, LttP wasn't quite what it could be thematically. It is a perfect 'video game', as could be defined by its time, but never really more than that "game" experience, if that makes sense and isn't too pretentious to say. Thank you for the video, I'm really glad to reflect on all the individual pieces of LttP I see in so many other titles, and see someone's respect and care for it so well-represented.
Now play the Tingle games you coward.
If people say it doesn't offer anything special or unique it's suffering from the same thing that the beatles does. People complain about the beatles being "generic" but the reality is that what they did created such of an influence that it's hard appreciate that they were mostly new at one time. The mass iterations is what makes it seem less unique. If you never started with the game you might get the feeling of retreading but that is simply due to being an elemental building block of the series. Sure others may do aspects of the game better but each of those that do such have an aspect that lttp does better. At this point it offers a solid foundation and while it does no aspect the best the combination of all aspects doing great together makes it special. It's wonderful as a complete package. Few of it's aspects may be the best now but it really does everything so well that it's greater than the sum of it's parts.
'Any mechanic I don't like is bad game design' - OK Zoomlennial
LttP was one of my first video game experiences, and it ended up becoming one of my favorite video games of all time.
I started playing video games at around 5yo while growing up in the early 2010s with a SNES which my parents had from how long ago, so instead of growing up on Ps3 or Xbox360, I grew up on old nintendo games like SMW, DKC, and especially LttP. LttP was the most intriguing to me, and I started playing it myself after watching someone else play a bit of it.
I played it for weeks, even months, and fell in love with it. It tested my problem solving skills, and despite them being heavily underdeveloped I was still able to traverse my way through the brutally difficult worlds and dungeons. Something about fighting and solving my way to victory felt special to me, where other games you just get to the goal in this one you would have to find it and work your way towards actually achieving your goal by figuring out complex puzzles that push your thinking and combatting with tough enemies.
Unfortunatley, despite being able to kind of brute force my way through the entire game and even get through Ganons palace and defeat Agnihim, the Ganon fight ultimately proved inaccessible to me as I would endlessly fall into the pit around the arena and be forced into retrying the fight from the start. Pair that with a long fight and I ended up being no match. So close, yet unable to clear the final hurdle.
But it wasnt just that. Truth is, I may have had been able to do it eventually, but our SNES had been falling apart with age. Soon, it broke after some component had overheated and it ultimatley got thrown away. The games were donated to a relative who had another SNES, and it would be a long time before we would see them again.
Some time later, many, many years have passed at this point. It's now 2018, and while we havent forgotten about the SNES since we did still visit that relative a few times and get to use the SNES, but otherwise it just proved to be a fading memory. Then, we hadnt't heard of it before, but some time after a specific product launched we began thinking of the SNES again and thought that we might want to purchase another to relive those memories. Unfortunately, they werent cheap, and games for it werent easy to come by. Fortunately, that specifc product that had launched earlier was the SNES Classic, and we decided to get that.
Never before had I been able to properly play again LttP before this moment, and when I did I was reminded of just how much I loved the game. Thanks to being somewhat older, I was able to apply a bit more critical thinking into how I approached situations, and gained a whole new appreciation for the depth given in the combat. I fell in love with it again, and I replayed through the entire thing in just a few short weeks. I felled Ganon for the first time, and finally properly witnessed the end to the game that i never got to see before then.
But even when that should have been the end, it ended up not being so. Later, I decided to replay it because why not, and beat it. Then we got a switch, and since snes online came out around that time, I went to beat it again. And again. I could not, and cannot get enough of it.
Ive played through it maybe 7 times (including the first playthru) to this day and it honestly never gets tiring for me. The dungeons especially in the later half of the game have some of my favorite experiences of all time in gaming. This game remains as one of my all time favorites, higher than any other zelda game, and I may be biased to be so but I love this game with all my heart and honestly I think its a perfect gateway into Zelda, considering what it did for me, anyway.
Not that excuses the design problems with the Ice Palace and Turtle Rock, but there is a way to halve your magic usage.
Both dungeons have hint tiles that tell you "you'll need a lot of magic in here, maybe go buy a green potion from the magic shop," and both give you several magic refills throughout.
I loved the ice dungeon myself
Ice dungeon is great. Ice drifting is fun & you get used to it pretty fast. Also aesthetically unique and refreshing. Swamp was probably my favorite. I love the damp gloomy atmosphere and layout. Tedious Rock is the dud imho, both in layout and visual appeal.
this guy hasnt upgraded his bombs or arrows either his bombs were no higher than 15 and his arrows were no higher than 30 lol he is playing the game on hard mode
This is like the third or forth thread about halving your magic usage in these comments. Not many people seem to know to sprinkle magic powder into a magic well I guess.
Played this game on my snes when I was a kid and still playing it. I just wrapped the ice dungeon in the old world lol
Am I the only one wondering why Link is fighting Clayface?
14:30 That NPC is faster than the Pegasus boots.
28:08 You can destroy the Helmasaur King's mask with bombs and shoot his weakness with arrows too.
Still can't believe you thought having to use magic to get through dungeons is bad? You're at the end game with access to the resources to make it more than dooable.
When he said Bombs
BOMBS, ROPE, LAMP OIL? Its all yours my friend. MMmmmmmmmmmmm
Well, you're specifically warned about it in Turtle Rock, so yeah, that's a dumb gripe there. It's a legit gripe for the Ice Dungeon, though. Maybe you brought nothing but Fairies in your Bottles. No reason for the game to be so annoying.
@@michaelf9664 a lot easier if you do the magic half consumption thing from purple bat thing near the blacksmith's shop
@@RichO1701e Well sure, I never had a problem with it. But a player easily could miss that 1/2-magic thing and not have magic potion--which would leave them pretty high and dry without warning, making it a minor gameplay flaw.
Well done!!’ I enjoyed your video very much!
Man the snes had great games. Super mario world, legend of zelda a link to the past, super metroid, etc.
You just named three you dont even know any other good games to write it down
@@jamesb3623 well... im still learning about the snes library. I just got introduced to the snes library about 1 or 2 years ago, and there are many reasons for this. For one, im just 15. I wasn't around at the time of the snes lifespan, so it is difficult to find a snes anywhere. Second, i could've went to a new and used video game shop, but all of them were on the other side of my home city, (until i moved to the same side just recently) so i didn't know about these stores. Third, i could've bought an snes online, but my parents don't seem to really trust online shopping and an snes can be damn expensive due to its age and of course, im broke af. The only alternative to this mess, was an emulator. Which i've recently been able to get after my parents purchasing the phone i am currently using.
Super castlevania, Super ghouls 'n ghosts, Act Raiser, and the entire Donkey Kong Country series(yes even including the third). There are so many more, but these are a few that need to be mentioned.
Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 4 & 6, Mega Man X1 & X2, Legend of the Mystical Ninja.
@@jamesb3623 He totally forgot the best game on the SNES, the infamous Lagoon!