Table of Contents | Gameography | Coolest Videos | Embarrassing Moments | Things You Didn't Know | Top 25 Theme Song Covers | Merchandise You Didn't Know Existed | Useless Items | Commercials | Why LTTP is Still Best | Retronauts Podcast
As with any popular, long-running series, fans of The Legend of Zelda are heavily divided on which entry can be considered the best of them all. The N64's Ocarina of Time certainly has its supporters, but so does Link's Awakening; even Majora's Mask has a small but vocal minority in its corner.
And yet, nearly 20 years after its original release, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is still the franchise's gold standard. It did more than any other entry to define the franchise's format, introducing as it did concepts like the Dark World. And it was one of the most ambitious as well, featuring roughly a dozen sprawling dungeons.
One thing that Link to the Past doesn't enough credit for though was how cinematic it could be at times, particularly compared to its NES predecessors. Take the opening scenes: Link rushes to the castle after receiving a desperate plea for help from Zelda, the rain and thunder serving to making the journey all the more atmospheric. Seems cheesy now; but in 1991, even minor touches like the rain and the deep rumble of the thunder made A Link to the Past seem like a significant step up from the series' 8-bit origins.
The coup de grace comes when Link steps into the sunlight for the first time after a lengthy journey through the castle sewers: a booming rendition of the overworld theme that to an eight-year old's ears rivaled anything that could be produced by an orchestra. It's that moment that cements A Link to the Past as an epic; and while it's sheer power has faded with time, it's still enough to create a rush of excitement even now.
The next big moment comes the first time Link is accidentally transported to the Dark World. In Ocarina of Time, Link is throw into the future only after recovering the Master Sword; but in Link to the Past, the Dark World is introduced shortly before entering the game's third dungeon. Stepping onto a teleportation pad causes the world to shimmer away into a terrifying reflection of the "real world," and turns Link into a pink rabbit (it was considerably cooler in the comic, where Link is nearly turned into a beast).
This moment serves a couple important purposes. First, it's hammers home the need to obtain the valuable Moon Peal, as Link clearly can't spend the rest of the game as a bunny. Second, it demonstrates the link between the Light World and the Dark; stepping to the north and using a mirror obtained earlier in the game transports Link to a previously inaccessible part of the Light World. Even better, it drops him right next to a heart piece -- another element that was added in an effort to improve the game's replay value.
Table of Contents | Gameography | Coolest Videos | Embarrassing Moments | Things You Didn't Know | Top 25 Theme Song Covers | Merchandise You Didn't Know Existed | Useless Items | Commercials | Why LTTP is Still Best | Retronauts Podcast
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