The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Description official descriptions
Recently, famine and drought have plagued Hyrule. When all seemed lost, a mysterious wizard, Agahnim, appeared and stopped these strange happenings from occurring. But there is talk that Agahnim now rules the country with his magic, behind the scenes. And then, one night, the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda, calls out for help - and the one who hears her pleas is a young lad named Link.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a top-down action game with puzzle-solving elements (similar to the original Legend of Zelda). Players assume the role of Link, and their goal is to rescue Princess Zelda and save the land of Hyrule. All combat in the game is action-oriented - the player can make the protagonist swing the sword at enemies with a press of a button, or spin the sword around for a more powerful attack by holding down the button until it is charged.
Progression through the game is done by conquering a series of dungeons - each dungeon has its own special item associated with it, such as the hookshot (which latches onto a far-off object and pulls Link across) or the hammer (which can be used to flatten objects in your way). Most of these dungeons are rendered impassable until the dungeon's particular item is acquired; from there, the rest of the dungeon becomes accessible due to Link's latest new ability. The bosses of each dungeon are also themed to that level's particular item.
Link starts out with only three units of health; however, these can be increased by defeating dungeon bosses, which give one additional heart container, or by finding four 'pieces of heart'; which can be given for anything from passing a small trial to winning a mini-game. Some of Link's items also use magic - this can be refilled with collectible green magic pots. After defeating the initial three dungeons, Link gains access to the Dark World - many puzzles and difficulties come from alternating between the Light World (Hyrule) and the Dark World to make his way past previously impassable obstacles.
Spellings
- ゼルダの伝説・神々のトライフォース - Japanese spelling
- 젤다의 전설: 과거로 간 링크 - Korean spelling
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Credits (SNES version)
39 People (33 developers, 6 thanks) · View all
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 94% (based on 51 ratings)
Players
Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 349 ratings with 7 reviews)
my favourite video game of all time!
The Good
Everything. The intriguing and exciting storyline, the great puzzles, the whole vastness of the game, with the Light and Dark World, the way it was realised on the SNES, making it look great in 16-bit. Not forgetting the great background music,which really adds to the whole atmosphere of the game. Its my favourite game of all time, it just seems to have everything right which combines to make it simply unmissable
The Bad
Nothing really. Occasionally you could get a bit lost in some of the Dungeons when things got slighty obscure, but thats about it. Its hard for me to find fault in what I consider my favourite video game of all time
The Bottom Line
The best videogame ever made, has all the right ingredients of a truly classic masterpiece, you'd be mad to miss it
SNES · by Big C (56) · 2003
The Good
I remember the days... when I was a kid, my brother had strategy, he always knew where to go in the dungeons and what to do to win, but he sucked at fighting, so I fought, he told me what to do. Ah, Zelda. What a great game. Talk about Challenging. My neighbor beat the entire game when his kid got it and he doesn't even play video games! I have beaten this game like twenty times! What better game? Great music, sound effects, all the weapons and heart pieces to collect, upgrading your sword, shield, armor... going through all the dungeons, fighting all the cool bad guys and the bosses... traveling between the Dark World and the light world... all the things to do, mini games, talking to everyone, and when you discovered something new, it was like Heaven. I remember I used to come home from school and start playing and wouldn't want to stop and do my homework, and then my mom made a new rule: No videogames till your homework is done. Ah, well. And the forest when your in the Dark Side, so challenging, like a maze, and the end... the music at the end... oh man. What a great game. A true masterpiece. And the story... oh man, your never gonna get such a good story in a video game... it almost makes you wanna cry at the end. What a great game.
The Bad
Nothing to add here.
The Bottom Line
If you don't got it, get it. If you got it, play it.
SNES · by darthsith19 (62) · 2006
The Good
It had great graphics, challenging bosses and dungeons, and useful items. It also had the best story of all the "Legend of Zelda" games.
The Bad
There wasn't anything I didn't like.
The Bottom Line
A great "Zelda" game.
SNES · by gamewarrior (5040) · 2007
Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Genre | GTramp (81965) | May 17, 2011 |
| tempering the sword | cathy roland | Apr 1, 2010 |
| Anyone Heard of a Gold Cartridge Version? | mobiusclimber (235) | Dec 29, 2007 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
The SNES version of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Competition
There is a very well-hidden secret room with the name Chris Houlihan written on a wall tile. He is the winner of a Nintendo Power contest to have his name featured in a game.
Development
The original SNES version of this game took approximately 58,240 hours to program. (Source: Nintendo, World Features Syndicate)
Reception
To add to the evidence of the game's popularity and longevity: When Nintendo Power retired their Top Games list for the SNES, A Link To The Past had remained number 1 on the chart for more than five consecutive years.
References
In various homes across Hyrule, there are pictures of our favorite plumber, Mario on the North wall of each home.
Release date
The Japanese version of the game was released on November 21, 1991. Exactly seven years to the day later, the N64 game Ocarina of Time, was released in the U.S.
Title translation
The English translation of the Japanese title is "The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods".
Awards
- Electronic Gaming Monthly
- March 1992 (Issue 32) - Game of the Month
- 1993 Buyer's Guide - Best Sequel
- November 1997 (Issue 100) - ranked #3 (Best 100 Games of All Time)
- FLUX
- Issue #4 - #2 on the "Top 100 Video Games of All-Time" list
- Game Informer
- August 2001 (Issue #100) - #23 in the "Top 100 Games of All Time" poll
- GameSpy
- 2001 – #28 Top Game of All Time
- Retro Gamer
- October 2004 (Issue #9) – #16 Best Game Of All Time (Readers' Vote)
Information also contributed by Big John WV, CaptainCanuck, Echidna Boy, gamewarrior, Robbb and Tiago Jaques
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Related Sites +
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OC ReMix Game Profile
Fan remixes of music from A Link to the Past. -
Top 10 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Bosses
Alex counts down his favourite boss fights from the game -
Zeldapower.com Forums
Message Board for all of the Zelda games
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Satoshi Kunsai.
Wii added by Corn Popper. Wii U, New Nintendo 3DS added by Michael Cassidy. Nintendo Switch added by Kam1Kaz3NL77.
Additional contributors: Jeanne, Alaka, gamewarrior, Игги Друге, BobaMa, Perfil Falso, Patrick Bregger, Thomas Thompson, Rik Hideto, FatherJack, A.J. Maciejewski.
Game added June 7, 2002. Last modified March 5, 2024.