The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is the 17th title in the Legend of Zelda series, and takes place in the same world six generations after the Super Nintendo game, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. It was the second Zelda 3DS game, with the first being The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.
In the plot of the game, the player plays as Link, a blacksmith’s apprentice. On an errand, Link discovers an evil wizard by the name of Yuga, who is turning the Seven Sages into paintings for the intention of reviving the Demon King Ganon. Link is told by the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda, to receive three pendants (in the House of Gales and the Tower of Hera) in order to obtain the Master Sword to defeat Yuga. The player also chooses to home a mysterious rabbit merchant named Ravio, who gives Link a bracelet that later allows him to merge with walls as a painting, the result of Yuga turning Link into a painting in the first dungeon. Unlike most other Zelda games, Ravio lets the player rent or buy his wares, which are required to solve dungeons, as opposed to finding all these items throughout the overworld. With the ability to merge with walls, Link obtains the Master Sword and pursues the evil wizard through a dimensional crack to Hyrule’s counterpart, Lorule. There, the portraits of the Seven Sages are scattered throughout the land after Ganon is revived, and it’s up to Link with the assist of Lorule’s princess, Hilda, to find all the portraits in dungeons.

The game is played in an overworld style, like most of the other Zelda games, and there are many familiar Hyrulian landmarks, including Kakariko Village and Death Mountain. The dungeons, which are all located in Lorule but sometimes need to be accessed through Hyrule, can be beat in any order, but sometimes, it’s better to go through one first over another (for example, in the Swamp Palace, you obtain the Blue Mail, which cuts damage you take by half, and has the (arguably) easiest boss in the entire game). Each dungeon has a trademark item needed to get through it, which you can rent from Ravio and eventually buy after you beat the second dungeon. You can also upgrade items after you purchase them by helping a octopus like creature known as Mother Maiamai, whose babies you must find all over Hyrule and Lorule. The items you purchase from him, as well as merging with a wall, uses up a purple Energy Gauge, which slowly fills up over time. Better items for your customary sword and shield can also be found – the Hylian Shield, which protects against magic attacks, can be found in one of Lorule’s dungeons (Turtle Rock), and your Master Sword can be leveled up through two pieces of Master Ore. The game is always presenting new ways to make your experience easier, but either way, it’s still a long game with a lot of dungeons no matter which way you flip it, which is a basic staple of The Legend of Zelda series of games.


I’ve never really been the greatest at Zelda, having neither the patience nor the puzzle solving skills, but I think this game was super easy compared to other Zelda games. It was fun, as well, and with a throwback style similar to A Link to the Past, the prequel. Even if you’re not engaged in a dungeon, the quests of finding Heart Pieces, secret passageways to Lorule, and Maiamai children all made the game engaging and enjoyable. Out of the Zelda games I’ve played, this is probably my biggest recommendation – The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will definitely come out as a Zelda classic in the series, with bright graphics, a story to keep you on your seat, and smooth and amusing gameplay.