The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

Discuss Review + Want + Have Contribute

Description

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.

Screenshots

Promo Images

Trailer

Alternate Titles

• "ゼルダの伝説・神々のトライフォース" -- Japanese spelling
• "Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce" -- Japanese title
• "Zelda 3" -- Informal title
• "TLoZ: ALttP" -- Informal abbreviation
• "A Lenda de Zelda: Um Elo Com O Passado" -- Brazilian title
• "젤다의 전설: 과거로 간 링크" -- Korean spelling

Part of the Following Groups

• Console Generation Exclusive: SNES
• Game Center CX challenge games
• Games made into comics
• Legend of Zelda series
• Nintendo Player's Choice releases
• Physical Bonus Content: World Map
• Protagonist: Elf

User Reviews

Definitely in the top 5 SNES games of all time.	OlSkool_Gamer (102)
my favourite video game of all time!	Big C (58)	unrated
It's not so bad	Asinine (1006)
Best SNES game ever!	darthsith19 (70)
Agahnim and Ganon rock....	Lake Hylia (3)
Zelda games don't get any better than this...	Dason Rise (20)
One of the best SNES games	gamewarrior (5048)

Critic Reviews

The Game Hoard	Jan 27, 2018	7 out of 7	100
Just Games Retro	May 08, 2008		100
Total! (Germany)	Nov, 1998	1 out of 6	100
GameTrip.net	Jun 27, 2009	10 out of 10	100
RetroGame Man	Nov 29, 2017	10 out of 10	100
Interface	1992	98 out of 100	98
ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)	Jul, 1992	11 out of 12	92
AllRPG	Jun 14, 2003	9.1 out of 10	91
Computer and Video Games (CVG)	Feb, 1992	89 out of 100	89
HonestGamers (Staff reviews only)	Mar 17, 2006	8 out of 10	80

Forums

Topic	# Posts	Last Post
Genre	10	leilei (338) May 17, 2011
tempering the sword	2	formercontrib (158420) Apr 01, 2010
Anyone Heard of a Gold Cartridge Version?	3	mobiusclimber (245) 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
• 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

Related Web Sites

• 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)