woensdag 11 december 2013

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds': Hands-On With The New 3DS Game

Along with Super Mario, Zelda is one of those titles that has been burned in our brains over decades of fantastic games. The latest, "The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds" takes players on a brand new epic journey, and we've got all the highlights:



Back In The Day
"A Link Between Worlds" might not be a direct sequel, but the influences of previous games cannot be denied. The look and feel of the land as well as the enemies, bosses, and items are all reflections from the Super Nintendo days. Yep, the map of Hyrule you knew from "A Link to the Past" returns with a few minor tweaks to the layout. Nearly every winding path or hidden secret or dungeon entrance can trace its roots to days of yore

Drawn To Life
The biggest new game mechanics is a power to transform into a living work of art. Well, art might be a little thick here but a living drawing nonetheless. During a fateful event early in the game, Link gets struck by a magical bolt intended to destroy him. Instead, it gives him the ability to affix and traverse nearly any flat surface. The main use of this power is to solve a myriad of puzzles and also to travel through paper thin rifts to the mirror world of parallel world Lorule. Like, Hyrule, Lorule has a similar layout but with a darker, sinister twist. Turns out the fates of both kingdoms are entwined and you, as Link, must find a way to beat back the forces of evil.

Rent To Own
The biggest departure from the classic formula is the introduction of a rental shop. For all your princess and Triforce-rescuing needs, a new entrepreneurial ally, Ravio, has you covered... For a price. Typically, you'd have to dive headlong into a scary dungeon to find magical and mighty equipment. Not anymore! Ravio will lend you everything you need for modest sum; however, if you fall in battle all your items will be returned and have to be rented again. Of course, you can always purchase the item for the full price.

Shh, It's A Secret To Everybody
Hyrule and Lorule are riddled with secret caves, hidden treasures, and a bunch of side quests. The main quest tasks Link with recovering seven sages, rescuing Princess Zelda, and bringing peace to the realm. But along the way, you'll explore a world full of loot and people that need help.

A Fresh Look
Despite the callbacks and retreads, "Between Worlds" is rendered in brilliant and vivid colors with a fresh coat of paint that maxes out the power of the 3DS. Speaking of, the 3D looks great on the small screen and adds a little extra neat visual layer. It's not mandatory, but the effect makes the game's graphics really pop.

Our Recommendation:
BUY IT! "The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds" is a fantastic game for the 3DS. Veteran players will love the nostalgia, and newcomers will get a welcome taste of an older, but still amazing game.
"The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds" is now available in stores from Nintendo.

woensdag 27 november 2013

'The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds' reminds you why you loved Zelda

Over the years The Legend of Zelda series has become bloated. While the original Zelda was a streamlined affair focused entirely on adventure and discovery, recent entries in the franchise have become bogged down with things you don't care about: drawn-out dialog, boring quests, and extended tutorials that mean it can take hours before you get to the actual fun part of the game. A Link Between Worlds for the Nintendo 3DS manages to bring the franchise back to its roots, giving you the freedom to explore the world however you like, as well as the tools to make that adventure thrilling. It'll remind you why you loved these games in the first place.

A Link Between Worlds is set a few generations after the Super Nintendo classic A Link to the Past, and it's billed as something of a sequel: it takes place in the same world, and features the same top-down perspective. The sequel also features a similar art style, though the transition to 3D isn't pretty — A Link Between Worlds will make you appreciate just how beautiful Wind Waker is. It stands alone as its own experience, though, so you if you never played the SNES game you won't be missing anything.
A sequel to 'A Link to the Past'
What's most striking about the game initially is just how quickly it gets going; it doesn't take long before you have a sword in your hand as you step into a puzzle-filled dungeon. A Link Between Worlds has a story — an evil magician has been turning people into paintings and plans to revive Link's eternal nemesis Ganon — but it doesn't get in the way of the game. There are short cutscenes here and there, but really the narrative is just an excuse to venture back into Hyrule and go exploring.

That setup also provides A Link Between Worlds with its most inventive, new gameplay twist. At any point you can turn Link into a 2D painting so that he can walk along walls, letting you see the world from an entirely new perspective in a way that's somewhat similar to games like Super Paper Mario and Fez. You can sneak past enemies or around obstacles, and many of the game's puzzles require you to stick to the walls. Chances are if you're stuck, turning into a painting will let you see what you've been missing. The feature also lets you slip between cracks found throughout the world: just as A Link to the Past had light and dark worlds, A Link Between Worlds lets you explore both Hyrule and Lorule, a twisted version of the familiar land.

dinsdag 26 november 2013

Fight other players' Links in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

In The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, players will be able to battle other players' versions of Link via StreetPass, according to the latest trailer for the game.



Players will be able to swap Shadow Links, ghost versions of the character, via the Nintendo 3DS' StreetPass functionality. Players will create their Shadow Link, set up the items and number of hearts he has and send him out. The more powerful a Shadow Link is, the higher the bounty players can earn by beating them. Defeating Shadow Links will earn Rupees, the series' famous in-game currency.
There doesn't seem to be a penalty for losing to these Links, as Nintendo's Bill Trinen noted, "You have nothing to lose and Rupees to win."

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will be available next Friday, Nov. 22 for 3DS.