By now, I’ve pretty firmly bought into (my own) dogma that states the following:
- Mario is better in 2D.
- Zelda is better in 3D.
I am not alone in thinking this. It’s not a consensus view or anything, but I feel pretty good about it.
However, that also doesn’t mean that neither property can’t flourish within the either’s domain.
The best possible case to be made in this regard, that each series CAN do well in a different format, is probably “The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past,” a game that builds upon its predecessors’ achievements in logical, beneficial ways and ultimately establishes a true pattern that its successors would take and run with in establishing the franchise in its next logical landing point with an over-the-shoulder perspective.
Can the formula be taken any further than this within the classic, overhead “2D” perspective?
No, not really. This is about as good as it gets.
Some might argue that other games in the Zelda canon have done a slightly better job than this one at providing a fun, engaging, beautiful gaming experience within that 2D limitation. And that’s cool! Tastes differ. But I think few would argue that this game doesn’t do those same things exceedingly well in its own right.
Put another way: We might quibble that other 2D Zeldas are slightly better than this one, but to say this one isn’t great itself is probably folly (and we should all throw rocks at that person).
And – let’s not undersell this – this game was innovative as hell. It created the template for the next two decades, not only for classic 2D Zelda experiences, but for the new 3D ones as well.
Taken in that context, “A Link to the Past” is not only a great game, it also absolutely established (rescued?) Zelda’s future, and for that it should be celebrated among the very best games in the history of the industry.
Continue reading The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past — Retro Gaming Essentials (No. 36)The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past at a glance:
Genre: Action/adventure
Released: 1992
Platform: SNES
Entertainment Weekly’s best game of all-time