As I approach my
30th year on this planet, the time I set aside for gaming
has rapidly declined. Long gone are the days where I would spend
hours fully completing games and uncovering every possible secret
within the highly imaginative game worlds I grew to love over the
years. Growing up, the Legend of Zelda titles were among some of my
favorite, particularly the portable ones. The first and only system
that I could call my own at the time was a kiwi Game Boy Color. I
knew what the Zelda game series was, but I had never completed any of
the games, mostly because I didn’t own any of them, but that all
changed when I got Oracle of Seasons one fateful summer.
Seasons took Link
and I to the land of Holodrum, which we explored every day that
summer. We met a dancer in a red outfit by the name of Din and were
told by the Maku Tree to find the 8 Essences of Nature. Link and I
had many different experiences as we journeyed further into Holodrum,
including riding in the pouch of a Kangaroo, finding new rings to
equip that strengthened us and gave us new abilities, and even
changing our environments at will with the Rod of Seasons. I loved
this ability as it changed the landscapes significantly and opened
new paths on the World Map.
Shortly after
completing Seasons, I linked my save file with my brother’s copy of
Oracle of Ages (password system and all) and completed the game
fully. It was then that I moved onto playing Link’s Awakening DX
(also my brother’s game), and completing it, loving every minute of
the game.
As I was finishing
up High School and heading into college I didn’t have a Game Boy
Advance so I didn’t experience another portable Zelda game for
awhile. Fast forward to a few years ago and I received A Link Between
Worlds as a Christmas gift for my brother. It wasn’t until recently
that I had begun playing it again seriously. Am I glad I did!
A Link Between
Worlds reminds me of why I loved Legend of Zelda games on the go. The
top-down view of Link as he explores is classic Zelda action at its
best and as I go further through the game each dungeon I encounter is
more intuitive than the last. The wall merging gameplay as a
hieroglyphic version of Link is great and opens up so many new
possibilities for puzzle-solving, some that I have to do a little
more thinking than usual to complete. The graphics of A Link Between
Worlds are also superb and some of the best I’ve ever seen on a
portable Zelda title (not including the remakes of Ocarina and
Majora!). The music and sound effects also do a great job of
engrossing me into the game and into the lands of Hyrule and Lorule.
As I continue to play A Link Between Worlds, I can honestly say that
I haven’t been this excited to get through a game in a looong time.
I can’t wait to get to the end and see all of what the game has to
offer.
I only talk about a
few of the portable Legend of Zelda titles in this post, but what is
YOUR favorite portable Zelda game?? The main ones in the series I
missed out on were The Minish Cap, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit
Tracks. Which one should I play next and why?
Or do you like the
Console Zelda titles better? If so which one of those is your
favorite?
No comments:
Post a Comment