For my brother and me in the mid 90’s, it was toiling though those first three dungeons only to discover we hadn’t even finished half the game yet. Our minds were blown when we were thrown into the Dark World.
i had this exact same experience (without the brother part lol). i woke up early before school one morning cause my mom made me go to bed before i could get the Master Sword. i pulled the sword, beat the wizard Angahim (spelling?) only to discover that i had just finished the TUTORIAL. talk about mind blown.
I played this game on the SNES back in 1993, I was 10. You have to figure how much time we spent looking for the 20 hearts and every item besides every puzzle to finish the game. I really enjoy seeing people (re)discover it today. I'm glad you finally enjoyed playing it.
I felt so smart beating it at age 7, before looking up cheats and strategies was a thing. The game is just so beautiful. It paints it’s scene well. The OST is iconic.. still whistling Dark World theme over 20 years.
I used to watch my dad play it. I was 7/8. The nostalgia is fucking insane isn’t it. The way I remember so much detail, all the sound effects, everything. I must have been next level engrossed in the game and I just used to watch. What a game. This and Yoshi’s island. Epic.
First game were I went off the path as you will and started beating dungeons in my order. I beat the game serval times. Granted it's until dark world and you still have the beat the first dark world dungeon first, but after that. You can go off the rails.
For those that were there when it released: remember when you first heard the sound of the muffled rain on the roof of Link’s house and that piece of music that played over that part of the game. Because of the difference in the sound chip of the Super NES to any home console it was like hearing sound for the first time.
Dude yes! I played it during autumn after dinner when it was already dark and that opening with the rain sucked me in. Had never heard anything like it ever before, super atmospheric.
Yep! It was spatial sound that gave you the feeling that the world went on beyond where you were. The animations for ascending and descending stairs were also a great flourish that provided a sense of depth, making a 2D game feel like a fully rendered world.
One of the more interesting facts about this game is that after the Dark Palace and the Swamp Palace in the Dark World, you can tackle the other dungeons in any order. I recommend hitting the remaining palaces in this order : Thieves' Hideout, Skull Woods, Misery Mire, Ice Palace and then Turtle Rock. Here is why: Beating the Thieves' Hideout gets you access to the third sword upgrade sooner, making the boss of Skull Woods easier to deal with. You then go to Misery Mire so you cam get the Cane that places blocks to make getting to the bottom of the Ice Palace easier.
Uhh.. as a kid I personally tackled the palace of darkness (lvl1), thieves town (lvl4) and the ice palace (lvl5) since all the other dungeons kept kicking my ass lol
I did the same BUT the RED Cane trick for the Ice Palace is SNES version the GBA version actually redesigned the Ice Palace so that you can't actually use the Red Cane trick at all.
Link to the Past was the most well rounded Zelda game. It introduced gameplay mechanics that no other game had at the time and had a wonderful variety in its soundtrack.
That specific incarnation Link had some of the best games in the series. What ALttP innovated, the Link's Awakening expanded upon, and the Oracles games perfected. Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons remain my favorite Zelda games to date. Mad underrated. I really wish they'd bring back some elements from back then.
@@trajectoryunown i want to disagree with you, but i only played zelda 1-5. so far 3 is BY FAR the best of the first 5. i need to get up to date with the rest....
@@sabin97 I personally separate Zelda games into two categories when comparing them to one another. 2D and 3D are just too different to draw an honest comparison. I wholeheartedly recommend the Oracles games. When I say they perfected what ALttP innovated, I mean there are more challenging puzzles, slightly better world design, more character depth, and a plethora of new items and equipment that can change your approach. Don't get the wrong idea here, I love ALttP. It's truly one of the greatest games of all time. Bar none. I've played it so much that I've got nearly the entire game committed to memory except for the dialogue and some parts of dungeons. I could provide a detailed walkthrough to someone over the phone without ever referencing a manual and even modify the instructions to suit various play styles. I am in no way putting down ALttP. The Oracles games are honestly just that good.
@@sabin97 Zelda 6 is a lot like Zelda 5, but improves the graphics, storytelling, and direction. It was the first Zelda game with Eiji Aonuma as the primary director.
The younger generation will never know what it was like to finish an adventure rpg (or any game) without the Internet. Going to school and talking to friends and hearing how they did this and you telling them how you found that etc. Truly experiencing a game like this organically can never be re-created. These are the main reasons why i think this game and others like it stick with us so much. Not trying to be cheesy but it was more than a game, it was an experience. An experience for me that took a little more than a year to complete. Hope this makes sense.
The 90s was the golden age for gaming, unlike now where everything is hyper-sensationalized, over hyped, half-assed, soulless, mass produced garbage tainted by corporate greed and pandering. The 90s was gaming in it's purest form, just you, the player, friends and a television screen with nothing else to get in the way. Great times.
@@DarthBEWDI didn’t have either. I just explored a lot and deviated on several tangents. I once focused a playthrough on a NO DISTRACTION run and then realized I needed to side quest to get the necessary items to do some temples.
For me it isn’t just nostalgia, as my first Zelda game was *the* first Zelda game. I grew up at the same time that the series did, and A Link to the Past was the first epic, story-driven Zelda, and it’s so amazing what they were able to achieve with the SNES hardware. The SNES itself was also an incredible platform in terms of how it redefined console gaming and just how much more ambitious the games for it were compared to previous console generations. It was a big turning point for gaming. That said, the original black-and-white Link’s Awakening is my absolute favorite Zelda, but LttP is right up there. The ice dungeon’s controls were awful even back then though.
I was a little too young to figure out how to beat the first Legend of Zelda or it's sequal, The Adventure of Link on the NES. When A Link to the Past came out I was ten years old and could actually progress in the game on my own. I think I spent days trying to figure out some of the dungeons but when I eventually finished the game it was among my proudest gaming moments. Incredible game, absolutely amazing for it's time, 10/10.
It took me around a year to beat the game. I was also 10 and didn't speak English at the time, so no hint or dialogue was of any help, had to find everything by trial and error.
I bought my SNES with paper route money the same year. FFII and Zelda were immediately purchased as they became available Beating Zelda is proof positive our education system sucks. If ten year olds everywhere have the energy, intelligence, and discipline to beat this game…man, we just suck at teaching kids.
i'm just slightly younger by like 2 years maybe and the game like this for me was FF Mystic Quest on NES. I even got to call the Nintendo hotline for help 😂
i remember everyone owning the gold zelda nintendo game, and when ever i played it i couldn't get far at all, i liked mario games more, but the first time i played link to the past, and the harp playing and the triforce crashing together i was hooked
In the case of Tears Of The Kingdom, I did ALL of the side quests (yes, even getting all 1000 Korok Seeds) before starting a second Temple. So that was 285 hours before really getting into the actual story (other than the intro stuff and Wind Temple). You could finish A Link To The Past about two dozen times in the same amount of time.
Because your weapons don't break. Because there is no copy and paste. Because there is no cooking animation. No stupid blood moon animation. There are items, exploration is rewarded with heart pieces. Because there is a story!
@@i-am-the-slimeI know this video is about Zelda, but your comment also perfectly describes why I couldn't enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2: just about every action had a 5 - 10 second animation that destroys the pace of gameplay in my opinion. I find it ironic that the focus on making the game so cinematic actually lowered my immersion in the game.
A couple things that were mind bending for me the first time I played it: 1) Almost all the items have two uses. Usually a combat use and a utility/puzzle-solving use. - Boomerang stuns, picks up far items, activates switches - Bombs boom baddies and destroy secret walls - Mirror returns you to the entrance of a dungeon and warps you between worlds. - Hammer flips armored enemies and is required to unlock new areas of the map. and so on... 2) So may thing can be upgraded (secret waterfall fairy, island fairy, blacksmith)... Those two things alone just gave the game so much depth. It was amazing to repeatedly try older items you've had for a while in new ways... like sprinkling magic powder on one of those stupid bomb throwing cyclopes and having him turn into a chicken or whatever. 3) The whole Dark World mirrors the Light World and warping between the two is often how you solve certain puzzles thing. 4) Not really a feature of the game, but there were so many optional items/upgrades that it was the first game I ever remember wanting to 100% by finding every upgrade, every bottle, every heart container and so on. Yeah, definitely my favorite. If you like Link to the Past, I recommend trying Link Between Worlds. I was hesitant to play at first, but there are some great design choices in that game that make it as unique as it is a tribute to LttP and well worth your time to play.
I had two friends going to school each morning, telling each other secrets that they had found in the game, while I was left in the dark b/c I didn't even have a SNES. I was so desperate to get the SNES and this Zelda game. I didn't get it until 1993, way after my friends both beat the game. But I played it myself without their insight. It was a great experience.
Great games have tiny moments of wonder and awe that makes them what they are. Finding the master sword in the middle of that foggy forest is one of such moments, and it moved inside me what the creator of Zelda originally intended: the feeling of adventure. Amazing game!
It's the best in the whole franchise. Consider: First game: Amazing. Second game: ...*Innovative*. This game: The results speak for themselves. All the functions and features not previously implemented in prior Zelda titles made for a titular game that was an experience in and of itself. Nothing as ambitious of It's kind had been done before it; This ain't the post-Phantom Hourglass era. It's the dawn of the Super Nintendo, the rise of the 16-bit age. Someday these games would come to be considered *old*, but will always remain the masterpieces that captivated our hearts throughout our childhoods and history itself.
6:26 - This scenario exemplifies something that I, personally, really love about Zelda Dungeons. I've had my fair share of moments like that. Where I've made an assumption about how to move forward based on my preconceived heuristics for investigating for a solution, but the game will simply not let me move forward (because my heuristics are flawed and incomplete). Scenarios like the one at 6:26 are the moments where our pre-existing heuristics get stress tested, like muscles during exercise, causing them to grow and improve. They are opportunities to level up the rigorousness of our investigation skills. That's why I will never understand why people dislike getting "stuck/lost" in a dungeon. Perhaps some people don't like having their pre-existing heuristics challenged, but I've really come to love it. Getting stuck/lost is an opportunity to improve your perception, logic, and navigational skills. It's like adding a little extra weight to the mental dumbbells your mind is trying to lift. If you're just willing to be patient, persevere, and experiment you will grow. Even if I do end up caving and looking an answer up, It's not something that makes me feel cheated or stupid because my failure to find the solution on my own is valuable information about my own flaws. Such failures are fantastic opportunities to combine that information about my flaws with the information shared by others to improve my own investigation skills.
I agree with this 100%, and is one of the reasons I don’t enjoy BOtW and TOTK as much. It feels like everything is too easy, everything is too accessible. You never get stuck, or tricked by any of the puzzles or shrines. I worked for DAYS to try and figure out how to get into the desert in the dark world the first time. And it was so satisfying to finally figure it out. That’s the whole reason it’s blocked off! To frustrate you and make you explore and try things.
Right. If you're this far in the game and aren't still being challenged, then the developers didn't do their job. I remember the Ice Palace being hard and challenging but it's a huge payoff because of the Blue Mail. I do get Turtle Rock being kind of annoying at times, but I think those kinds of stress tests are part of the challenge. Especially when you're on the verge of rescuing Zelda and initiating endgame.
A reason I would like to say as why "Everyone loves ALTTP" is more or less the replay value. Many people such as I, enjoy 100% the game over and over. Its oddly satisfying!
Yes... that's why it's my favourite. You can just play it again and again. I think there's other Zelda games that were better on the first playthrough, but they didn't have the same staying power.
I don't think any other game has ever captured the same feeling you get for pulling the Master Sword either. The sheer power fantasy is so well conveyed with the little particle effects, music, tone, the change in forest fog literally blown away. The immediate call for help and the dash for the moment to save the princess through loads of scary strong enemies made complete chumps from the Master Sword and reaching the peak you are given the taste of victory, but the taste goes sour all at the same time, you win the battle, but now get forced into fighting a war. It's not just an epic story, the gameplay setup and journey itself is Epic itself. Such an amazing game.
For me, its because its the quintessential Zelda game. When I think of what a true Zelda game is, its this. lots of dungeons, secrets, extras, items, it can be played out of order I mean so many things. its everything the first game was cranked up to 11 with a good story to boot.
@@peterc504 Honestly if they made the open world not empty and incorporated a fire story and actually used a lot of the space for super massive, deep, treacherous, puzzle-laden dungeons, I'd be head over heels for the new Zeldas.
I just remember this game restoring the sense of wonder and adventure that The Adventure of Link lost when changing up the design. It felt like a “true” sequel to the original.
i was there, too. i remember you. you were weaselly. you were wormy. i was taller. you went to college. i went to prison. now i'm out. i want to get to know the real you.
The game was great because for the time it was revolutionary. U don’t understand, story telling and ambience was unheard of in video games around that time. The world was immersive. From the moment u started the game u heard the dread and urgency in the stormy night link wakes up and emerges eventually in the santurary to a whole world to explore. It was mind blowing and for us who were there to experience it first hand, left a lasting impact for the rest of our lives. U won’t ever feel what we felt when we first played it. Was truly magical but that’s ok, now days we have epic journeys like botw and Totk which I can only imagine what kids feel when they first play those games! Hell I’m 41 and will never forgot those games! Btw, for us who didn’t have the internet, it took us weeks and months to beat it! 10 hrs to beat is crazy but at the time we didn’t have these luxuries. While I admit the new Zelda’s are probably objectively better, lttp is my favorite because of nostalgia! I would kill for them to make a 2D Zelda on the scale of botw
It's my fave zelda game of all time (BotW got pretty close though) Renting LttP when I was a kid, taking it home and playing it that first time, with the opening being in the rain with that music pretty much sealed the deal for me. The graphics are almost perfect and time less. The way LttP improved so much from the original game, like having an actual story, you had a fully fleshed out town with chilled out music. Most of you might not know this, but there is/was a game called Graal that was basically a LttP clone that you could play online. You could actually use the map editor to make your own house and submit it. So at one time I had my own house in an online video game. I eventually ended up on the LAT team (Level Administration Team I think it was). Good times. I say that to say that my earning for a true online 2D zelda game hasn't wavered. I wish they would still do something like that in the style of LttP.
Taking me way back lol. I definitely played Graal back in the day. I really got into Zelda Classic.. which was a clone of Zelda but it also had a free, somewhat user friendly map editing software and I used to mess around creating maps in the editor and making a story but quickly lost interest because I was blown away by the creativity and dedication of the modding community. I thought it was the coolest thing that there were forums of people that all came together and shared/rated the different user submissions where anyone could submit, there were thousands of different games within the Zelda world to play and never did get to play so many of them although I ran through many of the highest rated fan made ALTTP style games and some of them deserved to have been packaged up and sold they were THAT good.
I remember playing this with my cousin back in the 90s. He's no longer among the living so it's nice to go back to that old Zelda game and remember the good times once in awhile.
It’s my favorite video game of all time. The game is linear enough that you know where to go, but there’s also enough “side quests” (tempered/butter sword, the heart pieces, mini games, etc) to keep you busy between dungeons. It’s simple by design compared to today’s games, but was just complex enough to inspire future Zelda games. Ultimately, it’s the nostalgia factor that does it for me. I remember playing this game after school as a child, while my mother would watch me conquer all the dungeons. She would get upset if I played without her watching 🤣 she couldn’t figure out the controls, so she just lived vicariously through me playing. It reminds me of simpler days of my childhood, and whenever I hear the OST I’m overwhelmed with emotion.
LttP and Chrono Trigger were the first games I ever finished entirely on my own which is prolly why they still sit at the top spot in my head. You made a great video keep up the hard work!
As someone who didn't own a snes. We had a genesis growing up. My first zelda was ocarina then Link's Wakening, then Majoras mask. Around 2002-03 I finally got a snes and a copy of a link to the past and it was fantastic. I mean back then we didn't have the luxury of seeing I credible visuals in games now and making games 50-100 hours wasn't a thing back then either. However I went back and played chrono trigger this year and it is STILL amazing. Sometimes less is more, we don't NEED to have the most cutting edge graphics to enjoy a game. People who read books can attest to this. Glad you stuck through and kept playing!
I played the original Legend of Zelda before playing Link to the Past. When LttP came out, it was bigger and more immersive than anything that came before it. Having multiple levels on a screen was completely new, and the world was so much larger than it had previously been. I think one of the things that hurts the game for people going back to play it for the first time now (other than it being over 30 years old), is that a lot of things that were new and novel when the game came out became stereotypes for Zelda games and seem less important. But, seeing the gameplay and hearing the music bring back a lot of fond memories from playing this.
The fact that every single zelda game is the favorite game of someone in the Zelda fanbase shows how good the franchise is as a whole. I played Zelda 1 first with my dad on an emulator in 2006/2007 (I'm from 99), then ALTTP, Phantom Hourglass, Twilight Princess, Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword, OOT 3D, ALBW, MM 3D, Wind Waker HD, BOTW, Link's Awakening Remaster, and TOTK. My favorite (and personal best game ever) is BOTW, but I can easily see why someone prefers one or the other. They all bring something different, being in atmosphere, gameplay, exploration, story and narration, visual style, dungeon design, etc... The only games of the main series I have not played or completed are Zelda 2 (not completed), Minish Cap (not completed) and the Oracle games (not played).
I’m nearly 40. This is my favorite Zelda even though I haven’t beaten it because of memories. My dad used to play it and would give the littlest kids the second controller so we could “play” too. Then I got it on gba and I was on the last fight and my nephew played it and lied to that fairy and lost a bunch of weapons and I still remind him to this day lol.
i just miss the complexity of the early zelda dungeons and the challenge, takashi tezuka was the man when it comes to zelda dungeons, naturally you had difficulty by the end, it was meant to be harder
just to compare from a geometric perspective, twilight's hryule castle is very similar to the alttp design but does not have the lock up section and instead makes the courtyard and tower (which is shorter but has more unique platforming despite only 2 challenging obstacles) part of it and this was the end game. there are other puzzles but they are pretty generic. alttp's HC is very simplistic because it is the intro and yet and does not have the fewest dungeon rooms in the game believe it or not. the 3d entries in general have their share of complex dungeons but many of them come off as empty or easy follow the path layouts especially when the central room exists. alttp dungeons, despite their low puzzle variety compared to later entries, deliver on each dungeon having a different structural design. not all are linear or non linear. they all feel diverse from one another and do not always follow the same formula. the only similarity is that several have a final linear branch that leads to the boss but some avert this like thieve's town.
@@scorpionsapprentice3248 can you imagine ganons tower in 3d? thats what i was expecting from tears of the kingdom, but thats ok, we are still in the first generation of open world zelda, lets see how its gonna be on a more powerfull system
@@rafaelmoura2103 a ganon's tower sized dungeon in 3d zelda would be a dream come true. botw did deliver with the size of hyrule castle but you can easily cheese it. tbh for the future of open world zelda i want to see the content scaled down where it focuses on quality over quantity and more classic dungeons that could still work in that structure. there needs to be more risks taken however if the series is going to evolve.
@@scorpionsapprentice3248agreed both botw and tok were boring for me..I miss the old formula Zelda games like alttp. I kind of hope Nintendo brings us a brand new top down Zelda like alttp on the new switch..I feel like the old style Zelda games are still amazing and I enjoy them more than these new open boring world Zeldas.. Nintendo could do like they did with metroid and have 1st person and side stroller. But in Zelda case an open world like tok and one like alttp
that being said though i want more top down entries. i don't like 3d as much because they are generally clunkier and too mechanically complex in terms of physics and performance. 3d can accomplish more but it has more complications as well.
Why it's still the best Zelda: 1. Best overall dungeon layouts: several dungeons, not too long or short with balanced boss fights. 2. Most balanced Zelda game overall. 3. Best soundtrack for a Zelda game to this day. 4. Best pacing of a Zelda game to this day with just enough side content/things to do. 5. Best map design. It's not too big and it's very understandable, memorable on where to go in replays. No wasted space. No excess space. Everything feels just right in distance.
I grew up with this game. My brother and I played it to death, and I have so many memories of figuring this game out together before you could look up the solutions online. Exploration and experimentation was the only way forward. I do think it's a near perfect game. Its scope is a heck of a lot smaller than say, Breath of the Wild, but for what it set out to do, in the time that it came out, there was nothing like it. It felt like it was years ahead of its time, and it has aged incredibly well. I remember having my socks blown off by Ocarina of Time and Majora's mask too, but somehow, Link to the Past is the one I come back to.
This was my first Zelda game. During my first gameplay when I rescued Princess Zelda and escorted her to the Sanctuary I was hooked. The rest is history.
What makes this game so great is how back then, it was unknowingly paving the way to the essence of what a Zelda game should be. Everything was laid down to perfection. Every theme song captured the essence of whatever place you were. Many items became a series iconic. The intro story was captivating just as the first few minutes of the game where you (as a player) and Link quickly went on a quest to save the princess with no idea of what to expect as you explore Hyrule Castle. I am glad I got to experience this game at its own time. This will be always my #1 pick for best Zelda games.
For me, having grew up playing Zelda 1 and 2 on NES, this game slapped so hard simply by the music. Back in the day, video game music was not taken seriously. There was the Zelda TV show that had a decent rendition of the music, to be fair. But, it was a show, you weren't in control of the action. The stroke of genius is how long the game makes you wait for that ever familiar overworld theme, almost making you think you're not going to get it. You have the night storm, dungeons, and all the dramatic heroic music as you make your way to the castle. Then the secret tunnel to the sanctuary. Then... as you leave the sanctuary, double doors bursting open, you are met with (especially at the time) a vibrant environment, strongly contrasting with all that came before in the game... and there it is... there's that music. It comes in hard and hypes you up for the journey ahead. The other reason it remains a favourite for a lot of people - simplicity. It built on the older games but it kept things simple. It also set a lot of future standards for subsequent titles in the franchise. I love Ocarina of Time, but it just feels so much of a chore at times to play with the 3D aspect of the game. Exploring LTTP's Hyrule back in the early 90s without the internet and no Nintendo Power subscription was an epic journey as a kid. So, I admit the nostalgia is strong. However, I have played nearly every Zelda game and the two I always come back to, to finish, are LTTP and OOT. The rest of the games are great... but are one off play throughs for me. Later games are far more exquisite and fleshed out, but they require so much dedication to get through.
I remember back in 1993, Nintendo Power hyping A Link to the Past as a game that was the greatest ever. I believed them but I didn't have a SNES yet so I instead got Links Awakening for Game Boy and that was also so awesome! I never got to play A Link to the Past even when I eventually got a SNES in 1994, so I prefer Links Awakening only because that's what I played instead.
I played this one on the GBA back in 2003 and i didnt know it was an "old" game until a couple of years later and i thought it was awersome even though my firsts were on the n64
I absolutely loved this game as a kid, I had a Sega megadrive, mastersystem, atari 2600 and C64 in my house growing up, but it wasn't until I played this game at a friends house that I really got in to gaming, begged my dad for a SNES after that day and finally got one. I spent hours on my first playthrough, like searching everywhere, and it took me months to actually complete it. It captured my imagination like no other game has since. It's crazy though, i recently replayed it and finished it 100% in two days, couldn't believe it after how long it took me as a kid lol
Yes, this game is a favorite of mine and it was my first Zelda Game, but so far my number 1 Zelda game is and will forever will be Twilight Princess. When I was younger I struggled in The Link to the Past. I just couldn't get past the first dungeon. I eventually gave up and years later (Last Month) I finally decided to end this. I had the Super Nintendo Mini that had the game, and so I played it and beat it. It was truly a masterpiece. I felt so accomplished when I beaten it. My favorite part about the game is the various items and upgrades I can get my hands on.
I remember sitting in school waiting till time to go home so i could start playing again, i would draw maps between assignments and on the bus ride. Great memories of this game and i still playthrough from time to time and get that old feeling back
It feels mysterious and exciting. The game has great storyline and lore without being overthought - and still leaves some points to the imagination. It doesn’t over-explain anything.
The thing about ALTTP... you can be an absolute gremlin. That's it. You want to be a hyper-competent swords master? Go ahead. Want to unleash the magic bee horde against unsuspecting, innocent bosses? Go for it. The journey has but one direction; I cannot be blamed if I break through some walls along the way.
@@folksurvival Trust me, it made sense. You just didn't get it. That's okay though.. but you probably shouldn't chime in just to say you don't think it makes sense.
It was the epitome of an incredible game. It had puzzles, storyline, action, depth, end-game content and so much more. I wish they would branch out and create content around individual games, starting with Oracle of Ages and Seasons!
When I was younger, I never got to play A Link to the Past. I did somehow get my hands on a strategy guide for it, and I'd spend hours admiring the art and imagining myself in all the locations, especially the forest. That's one of my favorite memories. 😊
I wish i could get into this game but i couldn't either, one day i hope to go through it, My story is similar to yours OoT was my first and MM being my favorite
LTTP was my first Zelda I actually played through properly, instead of just having a go at a friends house. It'll always be my favourite as it's not just my first Zelda but my first open world game and first RPG. The nostalgia is Strong!!
0:44 in to the video, and I just have to say, knowing it eventually clicked for you, the past was different, you didn't have to many games to pick from, and Zelda a Link to the Past was the latest "AAA" game if you were around when it was released. You couldn't drop it and go to another game, nor was todays technology invented yet, so you played it because it was the best that was available, and you were board, if you dropped it, there was nothing else, maybe the original pilot wings, and mario, that was basically it. not even all of the Nintendo games were made yet, and you certainly didn't own all of them. I would play this because I'd be at home after elementary school, and probably board out of my mind from having to run errands with my mom after school and desperately needed something! So when I finally got home, Zelda a Link to the past! Life was at a MUCH slower pace back then, with MUCH less to do. Video games were altogether a new concept. One other alternative was to pretend with your friends outside, and make up your own fun, or play tag. And while there was a BUNCH of that, Zelda and the handful of cartoons and movies were it. This lasted through I'd say Starfox Adventures, then around the gamecube / wii-u era's the singularity happened and entertainment because produced at to fast a rate to consume, Not that 99.99% of it is any good... Life went from to slow to to fast, and i'm just trying to find a balance.
ok watched the video, excellent video! I wanted to also add, it's crazy how you beat it in 10 hours, because I literally spend like a year playing it before I beat it, I think I was certainly younger and way less experienced at playing games overall, but the idea of the game wasn't necessary to beat it, it was like just play it, there were entire area's like that house on the north side of Kakariko village where, you have to go through there several times, and the dungeon below on the mirror world, and certain dungeons that I would simply avoid doing because they didn't feel right, and finally I would work up the courage to do them! Playing games wasn't like it is today, human thoughts, at least mine at the time weren't setup to think of it as a game, as far as I was concerned, going to that house in the village was like going to someone's house in real life, emotionally speaking, that I didn't want to. The Vibe wasn't right, like going to an old aunt's house, where the rules were different, and their children were grounded so they couldn't play with you even though you weren't grounded and it felt like you were being punished because you couldn't play now either because they were! These kind of thoughts would be how it would feel to go do a particular part of the game, and you're mind and emotions were setup to avoid that section of the game until you verified, that everything else you could do had been done and it was the only option left! Crazy! Time's were very different.
Also I was 6 in 1991 and in kindergarden / 1st grade! it might have even been between the years 1991-1995 6-10 that I actually played it, and not right at the release date. Crazy!
There was also this time, when my older cousin came to play, and we were trying to find the hammer, and didn't understand "questing" to get stuff, and he had this idea, that we had to sword-tap on every tree we had access to in the entire game, in order to find a cave that would conceal the hammer, which we needed to get past an area, and it didn't occur you needed to chat with the worker dudes and do a quest and it would be the reward! We were very young, but also we didn't have this whole, "I know how games even work" type thinking setup yet, it was like, we had a theory to solve this thing, and we would go through an test it. It was more like how you would solve problems in real life, rather than within the restrictions of game programming, which we didn't know was restricted and ordered into logical ways of thinking yet... We thought, Why would it not be hidden in a cave? Lots of other things were... Had no idea even what to do to progress in the game, its like handing a Nintendo over to cave men for the first time! You just experimented until something worked!
"It never really had a fair shot of becoming my favorite after having played it as late as I have" As someone born in '92 I think that's fair and appreciate you playing it until the end in the first place. I won't type a paragraph, but games have changed in a lot of ways over the decades and it has become harder imo to play older games for enjoyment after becoming accustomed to the quick-hits of dopamine we get from more contemporary games.
For us old timers, the original NES Zelda was out favorite. When it became 16 bit on the SNES, it was like our lives changed forever. The number of hours friends and I spent exploring every inch of Hyrule brings back memories.
The intro and the lore is so rich before you even start. Details are revealed as you play, but you are diving into a world already in turmoil. It's probably my favourite Zelda game ever #2 BOTW #3 OOT
This one definitely is my favorite Zelda game! I'm an 80s kid, and I remember Zelda when it wasn't a series yet. Ira been my favorite game series since the start, and I have wonderful memories of the first two, this, Oracles, Ocarina and Majora, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and more! There are a few I don't like; Skyward Sword is, hands down, one of my least favorite games of all time, and many of the weird side games, like Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, Four Swords, Tri-Force Heroes, and others did nothing for me, but LttP has Ling been my favorite one, and it's only gotten more so over the years. When I play others I miss Ganon, and I mean as the boss. I grew up with Saturday morning cartoons, and while I can certainly appreciate a good, deep, relatable villain, I grew tired of humanized Gdorf. I wanted the monster; the pitchfork-wielding pig sorcerer whose likeness inspired the Moblins, and as more than just some dumb phase in a boss fight against the man, the king, the Lord of Evil. Maybe it was also just the timing? I was the right age, with the right friends, to fall for this! LTTP and Super Metroid are still rtwo of my favorite games, and that with something like 30 years, multiple subsequent installments, and the improvements of even just the Nintendo consoles, to try and topple them, but it still holds. I also very much like LBW, as it is much the same, but different enough to feel like its own game. Link to the Past and Twilight Princess will probably always be my favorites!😊
man, good times, I played that as a kid and those two worlds was crazy for me, everytime I played it, I got it to this Zelda world, I loved it! nice video bro
My big problem with a lot of the later Zelda's (At least up until the WiiU haven't played beyond that, though I heard BotW doesn't have this issue due to a completely different approach) is they are very constrictive, they want you to finish certain tutorial tasks and go certain places in a certain order. My first Zelda was TLoZ, the first, where it just drops you off and doesn't elaborate and gives you free reign. Sure there are some barriers, liking needing the bow from level 1 to kill Gohma in level 6, or the raft in level 3 to reach level 4, but that only happens a few times and doesn't feel forced (You can do level 8 as your first dungeon if you are inclined). While AlttP is not nearly as open ended as the original, it still has a fair degree of it, and also adds on a lot of things that were good. For example after finishing Hyrule Castle, the game doesn't force you to go anywhere, you can run straight to the Eastern Palace, or go treasure hunting, or go to the village. Eventually yes, you need to beat the Eastern Palace to progress, but there isn't this big "GO HERE AND DO X, AND IF YOU DON'T YOU CAN'T PROGRESS!" vibe like later games. The game recommends you visit the village, but you don't have to. The Dark World's middle 5 dungeons (You still kind of have to do the 1st and 7th in their order) also function similar to the original game, where their order isn't set in stone (Even if you have to say, do 3 before 5 because of the fire rod, not unlike 1 before 6 because of the bow in the original game), you could do 4 > 6 > 3 > 2 > 5 if you desired. I guess it's just a personal preference as I have found a whole new appreciation for ones like WW and OOT after trying the randomizers which are a lot more open ended than their main game.
One of my favorite memories from my childhood comes from the first time I played this game. What really made it special is it was a rainy gloomy day where I lived so I felt so immersed at the beginning. I was 11 years old.
I still recall the first time i acquired this game, through my aunt's boyfriend's friend who lived in a trailer out in outskirts of the city. It was sunset and looked very much like the scene where you're thrown into the Dark World for the first time, atop of that pyramid palace. His friend just asked if i played video games and gave me his cartridge. I kept it ever since 1992, and that game had a profound affect on me as a 6 year old kid just expanding my imagination.
I remember coming home from elementary school on a rainy day, and finding the box to this game laid on my bed as a gift from my mom. I was so excited! Just seeing the art on the box after having been mythologized about Hyrule from the NES games, the cartoon, the cereal(!). It was incredibly exciting. And then turning on the game and it's RAINING IN THE GAME TOO?! and it looked so fantastic! I loved so many things about the game, but the excitement and initial thrill will be the standout memories of that game for me. Part of what made this game so special for people back then was just how free you felt to do whatever you wanted to, in a world that was pretty huge for the time. You could just fire it up and do whatever, make a little progress, and then turn it off. Keep in mind that the best we had for help was talking to your friends or maybe reading some tips in a video game magazine, so having side quests and exploration as another goal was super important for times when you just couldn't progress on the main quest. Sure, SNES eventually had other games that rivalled it in scope and gameplay, but this was one of the first and greatest, right out the gate after an era of comparatively primitive 8 bit console games. To put it in perspective, most of the other great SNES RPG's that LttP is often compared to came out 1, 2, or even 3 years later, a huge amount of time for that era of gaming.
The things toward the end that frustrated you were supposed to do that it was just the games way of being more challenging as it went on. Games back then were supposed to frustrate you they were more of a challenge than most games today. Today a lot of games make it really easy for you actually they guide you everywhere, you can look up any secret. Thats why dark souls became popular because it was honestly a throwback. Many games in the 90s it was impressive if you could ever beat them. They didn't want you to "beat" the game because then you probably would be done playing it. A link to the past was a game that you might play for days and never be able to get the first 3 pendants without giving up. When you got something like the might gloves then it was like you unlocked a whole new game almost.
When I played this on release day I couldn’t believe my eyes. The graphics was unbelievable. What amazed me the most was the intro with the thunder storm in the middle of the night. It really was an effective intro to pull me in. I played it religiously every day. And let me tell you, school had never felt as boring and slow as it did at that time. I just wanted to get home and play lol
The feeling of exploration. The world felt like my own growing up. We had a forest, old churches, a river, a graveyard, caves. I had my bug-catching net and the tunes in my head and I seriously lived that game for about a year.
Another great thing about this game is there is an online randomizer for it that shuffles all the items around so every time you play it, it’s fresh, you have to take some pretty crazy routes through the game, sometimes your first dungeon you beat will be in the dark world
I had a similar history. What really helped me appreciate it was playing the games chronologically. The changes from Zelda 1 / 2 to LttP are astounding.
Yeah you're right man.. this is a good game. It doesn't have to be your favorite. My personal favorite and I'm 41 years old. Is Twilight princess. But I remember playing the original legend of Zelda game. And I thought it was so cool. So when they switch to 3D with ocarina of time. I was definitely going to buy that and at first I was disappointed and then I was like this is amazing! But my favorite 3D one was Twilight princess. But you know it's all speculative and all on what you believe and what you like. I see some people hating and I'm like no. You're cool about this man. I mean I also enjoyed a link between world which is a spiritual successor. But to me Twilight princess even though there was a 3 hours intro. I really loved it!
This was my first Zelda game, but I actually played it on Nintendo Switch through NSO. I'm not great with retro titles and had to use many guides and save states, but even then I was able to see how wonderful this game really is. A world that feels alive, fun items, cool secrets, incredible music, and the Dark World mechanic which I absolutely love. This game is without a doubt an absolute classic.
For what we had under the hood at the time and what those systems were good at, this game was perfection. Color, art, sound, controls, level design, story... etc etc.
Great video! One of my faves of all time. You did a great job giving it a fair modern look! Thank you for bringing us all through memory lane and appreciating this beloved game together
Grew up with this one on SNES and ran multiple runs on SNES online while I was waiting for ToTK to drop. All time favourite of mine as that was my first Zelda game . One unique thing I discovered years later is in the dark world you can enter all the dungeons first to get all the gear. That way you can uncover the heart containers and treasures on both over worlds. Finally you can return to all the dark world dungeons at the equivalent of max level on an RPG and run all the bosses up to Ganon and the endgame. It was quite a surprised as I remembered all the agony I went through years back with tough dungeons and bosses but it is brilliant game design. I guess the linear progress of the light world and UI elements on the map led me to initially approach the dark world in a linear manner.
For me, it was first just an awesome game at the time. Second, I used to rent games since they were very expensive where I live. You'd be able to get them on friday afternoon and have to return them on monday morning. That meant a whole weekend of nonstop gaming trying to finish. But I got stuck very early on because I didn't know english well enough. I didn't know you had to push the throne to progress. I spent at least 20 hours wandering about the limited areas I could... still wouldn't quit, the game is that good. And then on Sunday my much older brother shows up and says "Hey, you gotta push the throne". At that point something clicked in me and then I was on sponge child autopilot towards learning english. And I'm glad, it's a language I came to love, I even think in english instead of my native tongue. A Link to the Past changed me forever. I still play randomizers of it every once in a while.
Short game lol, took me months to beat it at 10 years old. It kicked my ass over and over, but I kept coming back cause it was the first finely crafted open world. It was so mind blowing to unlock new areas and explore all the charm, nothing like that existed before. Similar story with OoT. They were definitely early foundation blocks to open world games.
The easiest way to beat that worm is a holding attack and charging your sword. You'll rebound much less when getting hit and you can attack in 360°. It doesn't guarantee victory but it drops the difficulty from a 7 down to about a 3.
Yep. This was my main game for years when i was growing up for sure. Got it when i was 8 and i remember having to ask my Dad for help at first because this was a game for people more grown up then me. Then i grew into it, in the times before i had my own money to buy games. Learned all the secrets and tricks of this masterpiece and used to play it from start to finish every weekend for stretches of time. I still play it every few years, and it is just as fun as when i was 8.
For the longest time, this was my number 1 favorite Zelda game. I was 11 or 12 when the game was released, and I have played it so many times through that it's really become a big part of me. Of course, Majora's Mask came along several years later and claimed that top spot, but ALTTP still holds a very special place in my heart. The music is stellar, the visuals were spectacular for the time, and the lore really kicked off what would become a deep and intriguing story that would become the standard for the entire franchise. In those days, there was no official timeline, so many of us subscribed to the idea that the Legend of Zelda was just that... one story that was retold through the ages with different details. I played each Zelda game in order of its release, so it's difficult for me to imagine what it would be like playing this game after playing all the subsequent titles, but I look back on it with nothing but great memories.
One thing I will say about the late game, it's definitely a pain in the ass on a first playthrough. However the game does give you a ton of tools to deal with it, like the magic cape to avoid the fire while you're on the moving platforms, and the medallions to deal with enemy hordes. I underutilized those items at first but on subsequent playthroughs I started learning when the best times to use them are, and it makes the late game a ton more enjoyable because I really feel like I'm utilizing all of Links arsenal. That being said, you'll definitely need to be prepared with the upgraded magic meter and a few bottles of green potion lol. Great video though I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on the game!
One of the games of my childhood. Still love it to this day. The reason it caught on so much was multi reason. Starting with the indepthness of this game. It is a long (for that time, very long) game with tons to do. Some obvious, some not so much, some hidden with secrets to discover. It was also one of the best looking game, graphic wise of its time along with a great feel and handling of it. So much to learn, so much to do. Could keep you busy for months. Since there was no mass internet , social media, online guides and such... you were mostly left to figure it out yourself or from a friend. So you had to work for it. - It also had a open world concept. Not something we saw often, or at all, in gaming back then. Most ppl were used to something like Mario for Nes. One board/level after another. Straight through to the end. No question of where to go or what to do. Zelda was wide open. You do a lot of what ever you wanted. Yes, there were built in machinics to guide you through the game, and prevent you form go TO far ahead... but you had a lot of freedom to explore and do as you wish. And the world was huge to explore. Then add in all the caves and tunnels, and dungeons.. it was massive for its time. It also had areas designed physically, and with music, to give certain areas/times a much more tense, foreboding sense; sense of dread. - Then the dungeons wernt straight forward. You had to work at it and plan ahead and think it through. And it got tougher with each dungeon. The game rly had it all for its time. As such, it got a lot of love from the gamers of its time.
Also, it had a little addition at the end of the game, after the credits rolled when you beat it, where it gave you a number. That number was the total amount of times you died. In this case, that includes your actual dieing AND the 'save and quit' option combined. - It took true knowledge, and patience, to be able to get that number to be ZERO.
This is exactly the way I feel about OoT and Majora's Mask! My first entries into Zelda were 2D, Link's Awakening and LTTP to be exact, only to be followed my Oracle of Ages, Seasons, and Minish Cap! I didn't grow up with an N64, but rather, all the handheld devices. It wasn't until BOTW that I fell in love with 3D Zelda, I was so familiar with Hyrule and it's lore that I went on to put thousands of hours into the game!
I remember when this game came out I was 11 years old. What an awesome summer… this and street fighter two on snes was the perfect summer games. Me and the neighborhood kids used to have mini tournaments
It’s a tightly constructed, open word game where everything has a purpose. In a way, it’s a human fantasy. You can do whatever you want, but all activities contribute to final victory by design. I could make a more soulless version of the game where you wander around a big box, and when you find the right item it opens the door to the next big box. It’d be the same game with the illusion of freedom deconstructed and it would suck.
Boomer here. I grew up in the 80’s with Atari and NES. SNES was so advanced by comparison when it came out, Zelda 3 was our Breath of the Wild moment. And while we didnt have HD or OLED screens, if you got a great quality 14” tv (shrinking the picture), it was as good as gold.
I never played Majora's Mask until age 38 and it is without question among my Top 5 Zelda games. So there's definitely room for non-nostalgic games in the franchise to become favorites, just based on the sheer excellence that abounds throughout the series. The first Zelda game I beat was Legend of Zelda, and it was also the first one I owned. I'll never forget unwrapping that golden box for the first time. Wish I still had that letter from Miyamotosan that came with it. Next one I got was Link to the Past, which probably is my most played Zelda game, with many replays through vanilla and many more through Z3 and SMZ3 randomizers. Taking a page from RetroBird's book, I say "Get ON my lawn" and welcome to the community of people who can still find joy in the 8 and 16 bit greats.
i beat this game when i was 8 years old, not knowing a single word of english and with no internet to help me out. I have no ideá how i did it beacuse when i replayed it in my 20s, i had to look things up. like how you get that flute, and that glass bottle you have to throw into the water. I will be one of the biggest mysteries of my life. But this game will forever be the best game a played in my childhood. The music alone of this game brings up so many childhood memories :)
At the start of this I was like "well, I have fond memories and so nostalgia definitely plays a roll. But I still find myself going back to this game and enjoying it, even among todays games." Then @0:16 "I'd end up putting it down by the second dungeon." Then it was "SECOND DUNGEON??!?! F*k off"
the color palette alone in this game is just so nice.
Has any Zelda game aged better? I don't know, I don't think so.
@@richardspidel3100Wind Waker has also aged well
Yeah I wonder if Minecraft was inspired by it, very similar in my opinion.
Yeah, whoever did the 16bit art for this game is legendary. The whole experience of the music, visuals, and gameplay is amazing.
Skyward Sword
For my brother and me in the mid 90’s, it was toiling though those first three dungeons only to discover we hadn’t even finished half the game yet. Our minds were blown when we were thrown into the Dark World.
Bro same. The very idea that there was like another 9 dungeons after the first 3--4 if you count Hyrule Castle--was incredible to me as a kid.
i had this exact same experience (without the brother part lol). i woke up early before school one morning cause my mom made me go to bed before i could get the Master Sword. i pulled the sword, beat the wizard Angahim (spelling?) only to discover that i had just finished the TUTORIAL. talk about mind blown.
When you first get to the Dark World, hear that theme for the first time with that sunset in the background... That's when you know shit just got real
this... we were stoked when we beat the wizard only to realize the game had only just begun.
Same! And as a kid it took me MANY hours to beat those first three dungeons!
I played this game on the SNES back in 1993, I was 10. You have to figure how much time we spent looking for the 20 hearts and every item besides every puzzle to finish the game. I really enjoy seeing people (re)discover it today. I'm glad you finally enjoyed playing it.
same, legit the most excited I ever was waiting for a game
I felt so smart beating it at age 7, before looking up cheats and strategies was a thing. The game is just so beautiful. It paints it’s scene well. The OST is iconic.. still whistling Dark World theme over 20 years.
figuring out the medallion was fun
I used to watch my dad play it. I was 7/8. The nostalgia is fucking insane isn’t it. The way I remember so much detail, all the sound effects, everything. I must have been next level engrossed in the game and I just used to watch. What a game. This and Yoshi’s island. Epic.
First game were I went off the path as you will and started beating dungeons in my order. I beat the game serval times. Granted it's until dark world and you still have the beat the first dark world dungeon first, but after that. You can go off the rails.
For those that were there when it released: remember when you first heard the sound of the muffled rain on the roof of Link’s house and that piece of music that played over that part of the game. Because of the difference in the sound chip of the Super NES to any home console it was like hearing sound for the first time.
Dude yes! I played it during autumn after dinner when it was already dark and that opening with the rain sucked me in. Had never heard anything like it ever before, super atmospheric.
This moment in the game has been forever part of me since I was 3-4 when it came out. Lol I've had reoccurring dreams based on that scene
Yep! It was spatial sound that gave you the feeling that the world went on beyond where you were.
The animations for ascending and descending stairs were also a great flourish that provided a sense of depth, making a 2D game feel like a fully rendered world.
Absolutely! Such a wonderful setting and immediately engaging!
Everything was just an amazing step up. The whole map was huge! I couldn’t believe it. The pinnacle of 16-bit gaming.
One of the more interesting facts about this game is that after the Dark Palace and the Swamp Palace in the Dark World, you can tackle the other dungeons in any order. I recommend hitting the remaining palaces in this order : Thieves' Hideout, Skull Woods, Misery Mire, Ice Palace and then Turtle Rock.
Here is why: Beating the Thieves' Hideout gets you access to the third sword upgrade sooner, making the boss of Skull Woods easier to deal with. You then go to Misery Mire so you cam get the Cane that places blocks to make getting to the bottom of the Ice Palace easier.
Uhh.. as a kid I personally tackled the palace of darkness (lvl1), thieves town (lvl4) and the ice palace (lvl5) since all the other dungeons kept kicking my ass lol
You can do level 4 before level 2. That's what I like to do.
I did the same BUT the RED Cane trick for the Ice Palace is SNES version the GBA version actually redesigned the Ice Palace so that you can't actually use the Red Cane trick at all.
The boss of skull woods isn't that hard if you unload your fire rod on it...
Yeah as the other comment said, with the Hammer you can get into the Dark World near Kakiriko and get the Titan's Mitt then the Level 3 sword.
Link to the Past was the most well rounded Zelda game. It introduced gameplay mechanics that no other game had at the time and had a wonderful variety in its soundtrack.
That specific incarnation Link had some of the best games in the series.
What ALttP innovated, the Link's Awakening expanded upon, and the Oracles games perfected.
Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons remain my favorite Zelda games to date. Mad underrated.
I really wish they'd bring back some elements from back then.
@@trajectoryunown
i want to disagree with you, but i only played zelda 1-5.
so far 3 is BY FAR the best of the first 5.
i need to get up to date with the rest....
@@sabin97 I personally separate Zelda games into two categories when comparing them to one another. 2D and 3D are just too different to draw an honest comparison.
I wholeheartedly recommend the Oracles games. When I say they perfected what ALttP innovated, I mean there are more challenging puzzles, slightly better world design, more character depth, and a plethora of new items and equipment that can change your approach.
Don't get the wrong idea here, I love ALttP. It's truly one of the greatest games of all time. Bar none. I've played it so much that I've got nearly the entire game committed to memory except for the dialogue and some parts of dungeons. I could provide a detailed walkthrough to someone over the phone without ever referencing a manual and even modify the instructions to suit various play styles.
I am in no way putting down ALttP. The Oracles games are honestly just that good.
@@trajectoryunown
zelda 5 was a huge disappointment, and i expect the same from 6
@@sabin97 Zelda 6 is a lot like Zelda 5, but improves the graphics, storytelling, and direction. It was the first Zelda game with Eiji Aonuma as the primary director.
The younger generation will never know what it was like to finish an adventure rpg (or any game) without the Internet. Going to school and talking to friends and hearing how they did this and you telling them how you found that etc. Truly experiencing a game like this organically can never be re-created. These are the main reasons why i think this game and others like it stick with us so much. Not trying to be cheesy but it was more than a game, it was an experience. An experience for me that took a little more than a year to complete. Hope this makes sense.
The 90s was the golden age for gaming, unlike now where everything is hyper-sensationalized, over hyped, half-assed, soulless, mass produced garbage tainted by corporate greed and pandering.
The 90s was gaming in it's purest form, just you, the player, friends and a television screen with nothing else to get in the way.
Great times.
Friends and the aid of a paper product called Nintendo Power!
Yeah "so I finished it in 2 sittings", took me aback. That game took me weeks. Had to call Nintendo Hotline once or twice
@@DarthBEWDI didn’t have either. I just explored a lot and deviated on several tangents. I once focused a playthrough on a NO DISTRACTION run and then realized I needed to side quest to get the necessary items to do some temples.
@@chrisyoung6190 omfg. I'm 41. I haven't heard the phrase "Nintendo Hotline" in what feels like a century lmao...I forgot that was totally a thing
For me it isn’t just nostalgia, as my first Zelda game was *the* first Zelda game. I grew up at the same time that the series did, and A Link to the Past was the first epic, story-driven Zelda, and it’s so amazing what they were able to achieve with the SNES hardware. The SNES itself was also an incredible platform in terms of how it redefined console gaming and just how much more ambitious the games for it were compared to previous console generations. It was a big turning point for gaming.
That said, the original black-and-white Link’s Awakening is my absolute favorite Zelda, but LttP is right up there.
The ice dungeon’s controls were awful even back then though.
I was a little too young to figure out how to beat the first Legend of Zelda or it's sequal, The Adventure of Link on the NES. When A Link to the Past came out I was ten years old and could actually progress in the game on my own. I think I spent days trying to figure out some of the dungeons but when I eventually finished the game it was among my proudest gaming moments.
Incredible game, absolutely amazing for it's time, 10/10.
It took me around a year to beat the game. I was also 10 and didn't speak English at the time, so no hint or dialogue was of any help, had to find everything by trial and error.
I bought my SNES with paper route money the same year. FFII and Zelda were immediately purchased as they became available
Beating Zelda is proof positive our education system sucks. If ten year olds everywhere have the energy, intelligence, and discipline to beat this game…man, we just suck at teaching kids.
i'm just slightly younger by like 2 years maybe and the game like this for me was FF Mystic Quest on NES. I even got to call the Nintendo hotline for help 😂
i remember everyone owning the gold zelda nintendo game, and when ever i played it i couldn't get far at all, i liked mario games more, but the first time i played link to the past, and the harp playing and the triforce crashing together i was hooked
I remember I was also ten when I got it on my GBA advanced good times it was a little scary back then lol
Somehow I read the title as "Why Dogs Love Everyone...A Link To The Past"
I guess dogs have good gaming taste...
Dogs were pretty indifferent to everyone before A Link To The Past.
The lesson: If you want a guard dog, do not get him into ALttP
I did not like a link to the past because I couldn’t afford to buy it and it was always rented out.
"Directed by David Lynch"
Because you don’t need to play it for 3 hours before you can start playing it.
you can just admit that you're horny for Link
In the case of Tears Of The Kingdom, I did ALL of the side quests (yes, even getting all 1000 Korok Seeds) before starting a second Temple. So that was 285 hours before really getting into the actual story (other than the intro stuff and Wind Temple). You could finish A Link To The Past about two dozen times in the same amount of time.
Because your weapons don't break. Because there is no copy and paste. Because there is no cooking animation. No stupid blood moon animation. There are items, exploration is rewarded with heart pieces. Because there is a story!
looking at you Twilight Princess
@@i-am-the-slimeI know this video is about Zelda, but your comment also perfectly describes why I couldn't enjoy Red Dead Redemption 2: just about every action had a 5 - 10 second animation that destroys the pace of gameplay in my opinion. I find it ironic that the focus on making the game so cinematic actually lowered my immersion in the game.
A couple things that were mind bending for me the first time I played it:
1) Almost all the items have two uses. Usually a combat use and a utility/puzzle-solving use.
- Boomerang stuns, picks up far items, activates switches
- Bombs boom baddies and destroy secret walls
- Mirror returns you to the entrance of a dungeon and warps you between worlds.
- Hammer flips armored enemies and is required to unlock new areas of the map.
and so on...
2) So may thing can be upgraded (secret waterfall fairy, island fairy, blacksmith)...
Those two things alone just gave the game so much depth. It was amazing to repeatedly try older items you've had for a while in new ways... like sprinkling magic powder on one of those stupid bomb throwing cyclopes and having him turn into a chicken or whatever.
3) The whole Dark World mirrors the Light World and warping between the two is often how you solve certain puzzles thing.
4) Not really a feature of the game, but there were so many optional items/upgrades that it was the first game I ever remember wanting to 100% by finding every upgrade, every bottle, every heart container and so on.
Yeah, definitely my favorite. If you like Link to the Past, I recommend trying Link Between Worlds. I was hesitant to play at first, but there are some great design choices in that game that make it as unique as it is a tribute to LttP and well worth your time to play.
I had two friends going to school each morning, telling each other secrets that they had found in the game, while I was left in the dark b/c I didn't even have a SNES. I was so desperate to get the SNES and this Zelda game. I didn't get it until 1993, way after my friends both beat the game. But I played it myself without their insight. It was a great experience.
Great games have tiny moments of wonder and awe that makes them what they are. Finding the master sword in the middle of that foggy forest is one of such moments, and it moved inside me what the creator of Zelda originally intended: the feeling of adventure.
Amazing game!
It's the best in the whole franchise. Consider:
First game: Amazing.
Second game: ...*Innovative*.
This game: The results speak for themselves.
All the functions and features not previously implemented in prior Zelda titles made for a titular game that was an experience in and of itself.
Nothing as ambitious of It's kind had been done before it; This ain't the post-Phantom Hourglass era. It's the dawn of the Super Nintendo, the rise of the 16-bit age. Someday these games would come to be considered *old*, but will always remain the masterpieces that captivated our hearts throughout our childhoods and history itself.
Link to the Past was my favorite until Tears of the Kingdom came along.
I was a kid when this game out and I saved my allowance to buy the game when it came out. Loved it every since then.
6:26 - This scenario exemplifies something that I, personally, really love about Zelda Dungeons.
I've had my fair share of moments like that. Where I've made an assumption about how to move forward based on my preconceived heuristics for investigating for a solution, but the game will simply not let me move forward (because my heuristics are flawed and incomplete).
Scenarios like the one at 6:26 are the moments where our pre-existing heuristics get stress tested, like muscles during exercise, causing them to grow and improve. They are opportunities to level up the rigorousness of our investigation skills.
That's why I will never understand why people dislike getting "stuck/lost" in a dungeon. Perhaps some people don't like having their pre-existing heuristics challenged, but I've really come to love it. Getting stuck/lost is an opportunity to improve your perception, logic, and navigational skills. It's like adding a little extra weight to the mental dumbbells your mind is trying to lift. If you're just willing to be patient, persevere, and experiment you will grow.
Even if I do end up caving and looking an answer up, It's not something that makes me feel cheated or stupid because my failure to find the solution on my own is valuable information about my own flaws. Such failures are fantastic opportunities to combine that information about my flaws with the information shared by others to improve my own investigation skills.
Nicely put
I agree with this 100%, and is one of the reasons I don’t enjoy BOtW and TOTK as much. It feels like everything is too easy, everything is too accessible. You never get stuck, or tricked by any of the puzzles or shrines. I worked for DAYS to try and figure out how to get into the desert in the dark world the first time. And it was so satisfying to finally figure it out. That’s the whole reason it’s blocked off! To frustrate you and make you explore and try things.
Right. If you're this far in the game and aren't still being challenged, then the developers didn't do their job. I remember the Ice Palace being hard and challenging but it's a huge payoff because of the Blue Mail.
I do get Turtle Rock being kind of annoying at times, but I think those kinds of stress tests are part of the challenge. Especially when you're on the verge of rescuing Zelda and initiating endgame.
A reason I would like to say as why "Everyone loves ALTTP" is more or less the replay value. Many people such as I, enjoy 100% the game over and over. Its oddly satisfying!
Yes... that's why it's my favourite. You can just play it again and again. I think there's other Zelda games that were better on the first playthrough, but they didn't have the same staying power.
I don't think any other game has ever captured the same feeling you get for pulling the Master Sword either. The sheer power fantasy is so well conveyed with the little particle effects, music, tone, the change in forest fog literally blown away. The immediate call for help and the dash for the moment to save the princess through loads of scary strong enemies made complete chumps from the Master Sword and reaching the peak you are given the taste of victory, but the taste goes sour all at the same time, you win the battle, but now get forced into fighting a war. It's not just an epic story, the gameplay setup and journey itself is Epic itself. Such an amazing game.
@@scikoolaid YES! I have never heard anyone describe that feeling with all the details about the perfection of that moment and how it made us feel.
@@seantv1510
Exactly, I've beat it when I was idk 10 years old and from time to time I still sit and beat it again 100%. It's timeless, you never get bored of it.
For me, its because its the quintessential Zelda game. When I think of what a true Zelda game is, its this. lots of dungeons, secrets, extras, items, it can be played out of order I mean so many things. its everything the first game was cranked up to 11 with a good story to boot.
Yeah it's sad we don't have this kind of Zelda anymore but we get this open world empty trash Zelda games...
@@peterc504 Honestly if they made the open world not empty and incorporated a fire story and actually used a lot of the space for super massive, deep, treacherous, puzzle-laden dungeons, I'd be head over heels for the new Zeldas.
@@thefalselemon579 true I agree but I doubt we will see that anytime soon.. that is why I would like a brand new Zelda a link to the past style
@@peterc504 It would be pretty dope to have an ALttP-type game set in a BotW-type world.
I just remember this game restoring the sense of wonder and adventure that The Adventure of Link lost when changing up the design. It felt like a “true” sequel to the original.
You got the dates wrong…it came out in late 1991 in Japan and in early 1992 here. I remember, I was there.
i was there, too. i remember you. you were weaselly. you were wormy. i was taller. you went to college. i went to prison. now i'm out. i want to get to know the real you.
Remember my mom and her friend on the phone in the mid 90s playing this and sharing how to progress through the dungeons with each other
The game was great because for the time it was revolutionary. U don’t understand, story telling and ambience was unheard of in video games around that time. The world was immersive. From the moment u started the game u heard the dread and urgency in the stormy night link wakes up and emerges eventually in the santurary to a whole world to explore. It was mind blowing and for us who were there to experience it first hand, left a lasting impact for the rest of our lives. U won’t ever feel what we felt when we first played it. Was truly magical but that’s ok, now days we have epic journeys like botw and Totk which I can only imagine what kids feel when they first play those games! Hell I’m 41 and will never forgot those games! Btw, for us who didn’t have the internet, it took us weeks and months to beat it! 10 hrs to beat is crazy but at the time we didn’t have these luxuries. While I admit the new Zelda’s are probably objectively better, lttp is my favorite because of nostalgia! I would kill for them to make a 2D Zelda on the scale of botw
Because it's peak 2D zelda
links awakening
i woldntlimit it to just "2d".
it's peak zelda.
@@sabin97 No. Ocarina.
@@Giggles_iJest
nah. zelda 5 was the biggest disappointment in the zelda franchise so far.
maybe 6 will be more disappointing?
@@sabin97tf you saying?
The opening sequence with the 3D Triforce really sticks with me. The game was huge and open feeling for its time too.
Main reason (IMO): Music
Music is one of the things that truly sticks with you long after finishing a game
It's my fave zelda game of all time (BotW got pretty close though)
Renting LttP when I was a kid, taking it home and playing it that first time, with the opening being in the rain with that music pretty much sealed the deal for me.
The graphics are almost perfect and time less.
The way LttP improved so much from the original game, like having an actual story, you had a fully fleshed out town with chilled out music.
Most of you might not know this, but there is/was a game called Graal that was basically a LttP clone that you could play online. You could actually use the map editor to make your own house and submit it.
So at one time I had my own house in an online video game.
I eventually ended up on the LAT team (Level Administration Team I think it was).
Good times.
I say that to say that my earning for a true online 2D zelda game hasn't wavered.
I wish they would still do something like that in the style of LttP.
Taking me way back lol. I definitely played Graal back in the day. I really got into Zelda Classic.. which was a clone of Zelda but it also had a free, somewhat user friendly map editing software and I used to mess around creating maps in the editor and making a story but quickly lost interest because I was blown away by the creativity and dedication of the modding community. I thought it was the coolest thing that there were forums of people that all came together and shared/rated the different user submissions where anyone could submit, there were thousands of different games within the Zelda world to play and never did get to play so many of them although I ran through many of the highest rated fan made ALTTP style games and some of them deserved to have been packaged up and sold they were THAT good.
I remember playing this with my cousin back in the 90s. He's no longer among the living so it's nice to go back to that old Zelda game and remember the good times once in awhile.
I'm sorry to hear that man. Glad you still have the memories
It’s my favorite video game of all time. The game is linear enough that you know where to go, but there’s also enough “side quests” (tempered/butter sword, the heart pieces, mini games, etc) to keep you busy between dungeons. It’s simple by design compared to today’s games, but was just complex enough to inspire future Zelda games.
Ultimately, it’s the nostalgia factor that does it for me. I remember playing this game after school as a child, while my mother would watch me conquer all the dungeons. She would get upset if I played without her watching 🤣 she couldn’t figure out the controls, so she just lived vicariously through me playing. It reminds me of simpler days of my childhood, and whenever I hear the OST I’m overwhelmed with emotion.
YES! It is the greatest game ever made, I'm sure of it!
LttP and Chrono Trigger were the first games I ever finished entirely on my own which is prolly why they still sit at the top spot in my head. You made a great video keep up the hard work!
As someone who didn't own a snes. We had a genesis growing up. My first zelda was ocarina then Link's Wakening, then Majoras mask. Around 2002-03 I finally got a snes and a copy of a link to the past and it was fantastic. I mean back then we didn't have the luxury of seeing I credible visuals in games now and making games 50-100 hours wasn't a thing back then either. However I went back and played chrono trigger this year and it is STILL amazing. Sometimes less is more, we don't NEED to have the most cutting edge graphics to enjoy a game. People who read books can attest to this. Glad you stuck through and kept playing!
I played the original Legend of Zelda before playing Link to the Past. When LttP came out, it was bigger and more immersive than anything that came before it. Having multiple levels on a screen was completely new, and the world was so much larger than it had previously been. I think one of the things that hurts the game for people going back to play it for the first time now (other than it being over 30 years old), is that a lot of things that were new and novel when the game came out became stereotypes for Zelda games and seem less important. But, seeing the gameplay and hearing the music bring back a lot of fond memories from playing this.
The fact that every single zelda game is the favorite game of someone in the Zelda fanbase shows how good the franchise is as a whole. I played Zelda 1 first with my dad on an emulator in 2006/2007 (I'm from 99), then ALTTP, Phantom Hourglass, Twilight Princess, Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword, OOT 3D, ALBW, MM 3D, Wind Waker HD, BOTW, Link's Awakening Remaster, and TOTK. My favorite (and personal best game ever) is BOTW, but I can easily see why someone prefers one or the other. They all bring something different, being in atmosphere, gameplay, exploration, story and narration, visual style, dungeon design, etc... The only games of the main series I have not played or completed are Zelda 2 (not completed), Minish Cap (not completed) and the Oracle games (not played).
That rainy night opening..... the sound effects.... I've never even finished a Zelda game but i've played the beginning of this 30 times.
Definitely my Fav Zelda game. Games like this were always too hard for me as a kid but I didn't care I kept playing and thought it was amazing.
I’m nearly 40. This is my favorite Zelda even though I haven’t beaten it because of memories. My dad used to play it and would give the littlest kids the second controller so we could “play” too. Then I got it on gba and I was on the last fight and my nephew played it and lied to that fairy and lost a bunch of weapons and I still remind him to this day lol.
30 years ago i still remember thinking I just beat the game, only to find out it was just beginning.
My daughters are 7 and they loved it as much as me as I was in grammar school and watched it at a friends home when it was new.
i just miss the complexity of the early zelda dungeons and the challenge, takashi tezuka was the man when it comes to zelda dungeons, naturally you had difficulty by the end, it was meant to be harder
just to compare from a geometric perspective, twilight's hryule castle is very similar to the alttp design but does not have the lock up section and instead makes the courtyard and tower (which is shorter but has more unique platforming despite only 2 challenging obstacles) part of it and this was the end game. there are other puzzles but they are pretty generic. alttp's HC is very simplistic because it is the intro and yet and does not have the fewest dungeon rooms in the game believe it or not. the 3d entries in general have their share of complex dungeons but many of them come off as empty or easy follow the path layouts especially when the central room exists. alttp dungeons, despite their low puzzle variety compared to later entries, deliver on each dungeon having a different structural design. not all are linear or non linear. they all feel diverse from one another and do not always follow the same formula. the only similarity is that several have a final linear branch that leads to the boss but some avert this like thieve's town.
@@scorpionsapprentice3248 can you imagine ganons tower in 3d? thats what i was expecting from tears of the kingdom, but thats ok, we are still in the first generation of open world zelda, lets see how its gonna be on a more powerfull system
@@rafaelmoura2103 a ganon's tower sized dungeon in 3d zelda would be a dream come true. botw did deliver with the size of hyrule castle but you can easily cheese it. tbh for the future of open world zelda i want to see the content scaled down where it focuses on quality over quantity and more classic dungeons that could still work in that structure. there needs to be more risks taken however if the series is going to evolve.
@@scorpionsapprentice3248agreed both botw and tok were boring for me..I miss the old formula Zelda games like alttp. I kind of hope Nintendo brings us a brand new top down Zelda like alttp on the new switch..I feel like the old style Zelda games are still amazing and I enjoy them more than these new open boring world Zeldas.. Nintendo could do like they did with metroid and have 1st person and side stroller. But in Zelda case an open world like tok and one like alttp
that being said though i want more top down entries. i don't like 3d as much because they are generally clunkier and too mechanically complex in terms of physics and performance. 3d can accomplish more but it has more complications as well.
Everyone new to the Zelda series should start with this one
Why it's still the best Zelda:
1. Best overall dungeon layouts: several dungeons, not too long or short with balanced boss fights.
2. Most balanced Zelda game overall.
3. Best soundtrack for a Zelda game to this day.
4. Best pacing of a Zelda game to this day with just enough side content/things to do.
5. Best map design. It's not too big and it's very understandable, memorable on where to go in replays. No wasted space. No excess space. Everything feels just right in distance.
Blinded by nostalgia
@@TheRealTact Not everybody can handle peak. It’s all good.
I grew up with this game. My brother and I played it to death, and I have so many memories of figuring this game out together before you could look up the solutions online. Exploration and experimentation was the only way forward.
I do think it's a near perfect game. Its scope is a heck of a lot smaller than say, Breath of the Wild, but for what it set out to do, in the time that it came out, there was nothing like it. It felt like it was years ahead of its time, and it has aged incredibly well.
I remember having my socks blown off by Ocarina of Time and Majora's mask too, but somehow, Link to the Past is the one I come back to.
This was my first Zelda game. During my first gameplay when I rescued Princess Zelda and escorted her to the Sanctuary I was hooked. The rest is history.
What makes this game so great is how back then, it was unknowingly paving the way to the essence of what a Zelda game should be. Everything was laid down to perfection. Every theme song captured the essence of whatever place you were. Many items became a series iconic. The intro story was captivating just as the first few minutes of the game where you (as a player) and Link quickly went on a quest to save the princess with no idea of what to expect as you explore Hyrule Castle. I am glad I got to experience this game at its own time. This will be always my #1 pick for best Zelda games.
For me, having grew up playing Zelda 1 and 2 on NES, this game slapped so hard simply by the music. Back in the day, video game music was not taken seriously. There was the Zelda TV show that had a decent rendition of the music, to be fair. But, it was a show, you weren't in control of the action.
The stroke of genius is how long the game makes you wait for that ever familiar overworld theme, almost making you think you're not going to get it. You have the night storm, dungeons, and all the dramatic heroic music as you make your way to the castle. Then the secret tunnel to the sanctuary. Then... as you leave the sanctuary, double doors bursting open, you are met with (especially at the time) a vibrant environment, strongly contrasting with all that came before in the game... and there it is... there's that music. It comes in hard and hypes you up for the journey ahead.
The other reason it remains a favourite for a lot of people - simplicity. It built on the older games but it kept things simple. It also set a lot of future standards for subsequent titles in the franchise. I love Ocarina of Time, but it just feels so much of a chore at times to play with the 3D aspect of the game. Exploring LTTP's Hyrule back in the early 90s without the internet and no Nintendo Power subscription was an epic journey as a kid. So, I admit the nostalgia is strong. However, I have played nearly every Zelda game and the two I always come back to, to finish, are LTTP and OOT. The rest of the games are great... but are one off play throughs for me. Later games are far more exquisite and fleshed out, but they require so much dedication to get through.
I remember back in 1993, Nintendo Power hyping A Link to the Past as a game that was the greatest ever. I believed them but I didn't have a SNES yet so I instead got Links Awakening for Game Boy and that was also so awesome! I never got to play A Link to the Past even when I eventually got a SNES in 1994, so I prefer Links Awakening only because that's what I played instead.
My favorite Zelda game. Just a perfect blend of everything for me.
I played this one on the GBA back in 2003 and i didnt know it was an "old" game until a couple of years later and i thought it was awersome even though my firsts were on the n64
I absolutely loved this game as a kid, I had a Sega megadrive, mastersystem, atari 2600 and C64 in my house growing up, but it wasn't until I played this game at a friends house that I really got in to gaming, begged my dad for a SNES after that day and finally got one. I spent hours on my first playthrough, like searching everywhere, and it took me months to actually complete it. It captured my imagination like no other game has since. It's crazy though, i recently replayed it and finished it 100% in two days, couldn't believe it after how long it took me as a kid lol
First game of the iconic formula, and that was before DragonForce released a song about it.
Yes, this game is a favorite of mine and it was my first Zelda Game, but so far my number 1 Zelda game is and will forever will be Twilight Princess.
When I was younger I struggled in The Link to the Past. I just couldn't get past the first dungeon. I eventually gave up and years later (Last Month) I finally decided to end this. I had the Super Nintendo Mini that had the game, and so I played it and beat it. It was truly a masterpiece. I felt so accomplished when I beaten it.
My favorite part about the game is the various items and upgrades I can get my hands on.
I remember sitting in school waiting till time to go home so i could start playing again, i would draw maps between assignments and on the bus ride. Great memories of this game and i still playthrough from time to time and get that old feeling back
It feels mysterious and exciting. The game has great storyline and lore without being overthought - and still leaves some points to the imagination. It doesn’t over-explain anything.
The thing about ALTTP... you can be an absolute gremlin. That's it. You want to be a hyper-competent swords master? Go ahead. Want to unleash the magic bee horde against unsuspecting, innocent bosses? Go for it. The journey has but one direction; I cannot be blamed if I break through some walls along the way.
Your comment doesn't make sense.
@@folksurvival He means you can play the game in many ways, using items not usually thought of to get to the same destination.
@@folksurvival Trust me, it made sense. You just didn't get it. That's okay though.. but you probably shouldn't chime in just to say you don't think it makes sense.
@@seantv1510 English is probably not his first language.
It was the epitome of an incredible game. It had puzzles, storyline, action, depth, end-game content and so much more. I wish they would branch out and create content around individual games, starting with Oracle of Ages and Seasons!
The Turtle Rock dark room, you actually can avoid the fire bars. Use the hookshot before they hit you, you're invulnerable as long as it's extended.
When the game crashed you said, "it looked like this," an ad happened.
That would be really weird if a real ad occured in game.
When I was younger, I never got to play A Link to the Past. I did somehow get my hands on a strategy guide for it, and I'd spend hours admiring the art and imagining myself in all the locations, especially the forest. That's one of my favorite memories. 😊
I loved it as a kid, it emerged us into its world. I felt ways about things when the villagers thanked me.
I wish i could get into this game but i couldn't either, one day i hope to go through it, My story is similar to yours OoT was my first and MM being my favorite
LTTP was my first Zelda I actually played through properly, instead of just having a go at a friends house. It'll always be my favourite as it's not just my first Zelda but my first open world game and first RPG. The nostalgia is Strong!!
0:44 in to the video, and I just have to say, knowing it eventually clicked for you, the past was different, you didn't have to many games to pick from, and Zelda a Link to the Past was the latest "AAA" game if you were around when it was released. You couldn't drop it and go to another game, nor was todays technology invented yet, so you played it because it was the best that was available, and you were board, if you dropped it, there was nothing else, maybe the original pilot wings, and mario, that was basically it. not even all of the Nintendo games were made yet, and you certainly didn't own all of them. I would play this because I'd be at home after elementary school, and probably board out of my mind from having to run errands with my mom after school and desperately needed something! So when I finally got home, Zelda a Link to the past! Life was at a MUCH slower pace back then, with MUCH less to do. Video games were altogether a new concept. One other alternative was to pretend with your friends outside, and make up your own fun, or play tag. And while there was a BUNCH of that, Zelda and the handful of cartoons and movies were it. This lasted through I'd say Starfox Adventures, then around the gamecube / wii-u era's the singularity happened and entertainment because produced at to fast a rate to consume, Not that 99.99% of it is any good... Life went from to slow to to fast, and i'm just trying to find a balance.
ok watched the video, excellent video! I wanted to also add, it's crazy how you beat it in 10 hours, because I literally spend like a year playing it before I beat it, I think I was certainly younger and way less experienced at playing games overall, but the idea of the game wasn't necessary to beat it, it was like just play it, there were entire area's like that house on the north side of Kakariko village where, you have to go through there several times, and the dungeon below on the mirror world, and certain dungeons that I would simply avoid doing because they didn't feel right, and finally I would work up the courage to do them! Playing games wasn't like it is today, human thoughts, at least mine at the time weren't setup to think of it as a game, as far as I was concerned, going to that house in the village was like going to someone's house in real life, emotionally speaking, that I didn't want to. The Vibe wasn't right, like going to an old aunt's house, where the rules were different, and their children were grounded so they couldn't play with you even though you weren't grounded and it felt like you were being punished because you couldn't play now either because they were! These kind of thoughts would be how it would feel to go do a particular part of the game, and you're mind and emotions were setup to avoid that section of the game until you verified, that everything else you could do had been done and it was the only option left! Crazy! Time's were very different.
Also I was 6 in 1991 and in kindergarden / 1st grade! it might have even been between the years 1991-1995 6-10 that I actually played it, and not right at the release date. Crazy!
There was also this time, when my older cousin came to play, and we were trying to find the hammer, and didn't understand "questing" to get stuff, and he had this idea, that we had to sword-tap on every tree we had access to in the entire game, in order to find a cave that would conceal the hammer, which we needed to get past an area, and it didn't occur you needed to chat with the worker dudes and do a quest and it would be the reward! We were very young, but also we didn't have this whole, "I know how games even work" type thinking setup yet, it was like, we had a theory to solve this thing, and we would go through an test it. It was more like how you would solve problems in real life, rather than within the restrictions of game programming, which we didn't know was restricted and ordered into logical ways of thinking yet... We thought, Why would it not be hidden in a cave? Lots of other things were... Had no idea even what to do to progress in the game, its like handing a Nintendo over to cave men for the first time! You just experimented until something worked!
"It never really had a fair shot of becoming my favorite after having played it as late as I have"
As someone born in '92 I think that's fair and appreciate you playing it until the end in the first place. I won't type a paragraph, but games have changed in a lot of ways over the decades and it has become harder imo to play older games for enjoyment after becoming accustomed to the quick-hits of dopamine we get from more contemporary games.
For us old timers, the original NES Zelda was out favorite. When it became 16 bit on the SNES, it was like our lives changed forever. The number of hours friends and I spent exploring every inch of Hyrule brings back memories.
The intro and the lore is so rich before you even start. Details are revealed as you play, but you are diving into a world already in turmoil.
It's probably my favourite Zelda game ever
#2 BOTW
#3 OOT
This one definitely is my favorite Zelda game! I'm an 80s kid, and I remember Zelda when it wasn't a series yet. Ira been my favorite game series since the start, and I have wonderful memories of the first two, this, Oracles, Ocarina and Majora, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and more! There are a few I don't like; Skyward Sword is, hands down, one of my least favorite games of all time, and many of the weird side games, like Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, Four Swords, Tri-Force Heroes, and others did nothing for me, but LttP has Ling been my favorite one, and it's only gotten more so over the years. When I play others I miss Ganon, and I mean as the boss. I grew up with Saturday morning cartoons, and while I can certainly appreciate a good, deep, relatable villain, I grew tired of humanized Gdorf. I wanted the monster; the pitchfork-wielding pig sorcerer whose likeness inspired the Moblins, and as more than just some dumb phase in a boss fight against the man, the king, the Lord of Evil. Maybe it was also just the timing? I was the right age, with the right friends, to fall for this! LTTP and Super Metroid are still rtwo of my favorite games, and that with something like 30 years, multiple subsequent installments, and the improvements of even just the Nintendo consoles, to try and topple them, but it still holds. I also very much like LBW, as it is much the same, but different enough to feel like its own game. Link to the Past and Twilight Princess will probably always be my favorites!😊
*I have a poll in my community tab and was shocked that lots of people voted for alttp and obviously oot*
man, good times, I played that as a kid and those two worlds was crazy for me, everytime I played it, I got it to this Zelda world, I loved it! nice video bro
My big problem with a lot of the later Zelda's (At least up until the WiiU haven't played beyond that, though I heard BotW doesn't have this issue due to a completely different approach) is they are very constrictive, they want you to finish certain tutorial tasks and go certain places in a certain order. My first Zelda was TLoZ, the first, where it just drops you off and doesn't elaborate and gives you free reign. Sure there are some barriers, liking needing the bow from level 1 to kill Gohma in level 6, or the raft in level 3 to reach level 4, but that only happens a few times and doesn't feel forced (You can do level 8 as your first dungeon if you are inclined). While AlttP is not nearly as open ended as the original, it still has a fair degree of it, and also adds on a lot of things that were good. For example after finishing Hyrule Castle, the game doesn't force you to go anywhere, you can run straight to the Eastern Palace, or go treasure hunting, or go to the village. Eventually yes, you need to beat the Eastern Palace to progress, but there isn't this big "GO HERE AND DO X, AND IF YOU DON'T YOU CAN'T PROGRESS!" vibe like later games. The game recommends you visit the village, but you don't have to. The Dark World's middle 5 dungeons (You still kind of have to do the 1st and 7th in their order) also function similar to the original game, where their order isn't set in stone (Even if you have to say, do 3 before 5 because of the fire rod, not unlike 1 before 6 because of the bow in the original game), you could do 4 > 6 > 3 > 2 > 5 if you desired.
I guess it's just a personal preference as I have found a whole new appreciation for ones like WW and OOT after trying the randomizers which are a lot more open ended than their main game.
Well overall it was just such a good and solid title. It took everything from the OG game and improved on it.
One of my favorite memories from my childhood comes from the first time I played this game. What really made it special is it was a rainy gloomy day where I lived so I felt so immersed at the beginning. I was 11 years old.
I still recall the first time i acquired this game, through my aunt's boyfriend's friend who lived in a trailer out in outskirts of the city. It was sunset and looked very much like the scene where you're thrown into the Dark World for the first time, atop of that pyramid palace.
His friend just asked if i played video games and gave me his cartridge. I kept it ever since 1992, and that game had a profound affect on me as a 6 year old kid just expanding my imagination.
I think too many people hold breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom in too high regard
I remember coming home from elementary school on a rainy day, and finding the box to this game laid on my bed as a gift from my mom. I was so excited! Just seeing the art on the box after having been mythologized about Hyrule from the NES games, the cartoon, the cereal(!). It was incredibly exciting. And then turning on the game and it's RAINING IN THE GAME TOO?! and it looked so fantastic! I loved so many things about the game, but the excitement and initial thrill will be the standout memories of that game for me.
Part of what made this game so special for people back then was just how free you felt to do whatever you wanted to, in a world that was pretty huge for the time. You could just fire it up and do whatever, make a little progress, and then turn it off. Keep in mind that the best we had for help was talking to your friends or maybe reading some tips in a video game magazine, so having side quests and exploration as another goal was super important for times when you just couldn't progress on the main quest.
Sure, SNES eventually had other games that rivalled it in scope and gameplay, but this was one of the first and greatest, right out the gate after an era of comparatively primitive 8 bit console games. To put it in perspective, most of the other great SNES RPG's that LttP is often compared to came out 1, 2, or even 3 years later, a huge amount of time for that era of gaming.
The music, the art, the challenge, the puzzles. It’s just fantastic
The things toward the end that frustrated you were supposed to do that it was just the games way of being more challenging as it went on. Games back then were supposed to frustrate you they were more of a challenge than most games today. Today a lot of games make it really easy for you actually they guide you everywhere, you can look up any secret. Thats why dark souls became popular because it was honestly a throwback. Many games in the 90s it was impressive if you could ever beat them. They didn't want you to "beat" the game because then you probably would be done playing it. A link to the past was a game that you might play for days and never be able to get the first 3 pendants without giving up. When you got something like the might gloves then it was like you unlocked a whole new game almost.
When I played this on release day I couldn’t believe my eyes. The graphics was unbelievable. What amazed me the most was the intro with the thunder storm in the middle of the night. It really was an effective intro to pull me in. I played it religiously every day. And let me tell you, school had never felt as boring and slow as it did at that time. I just wanted to get home and play lol
The feeling of exploration. The world felt like my own growing up. We had a forest, old churches, a river, a graveyard, caves. I had my bug-catching net and the tunes in my head and I seriously lived that game for about a year.
Another great thing about this game is there is an online randomizer for it that shuffles all the items around so every time you play it, it’s fresh, you have to take some pretty crazy routes through the game, sometimes your first dungeon you beat will be in the dark world
I had a similar history. What really helped me appreciate it was playing the games chronologically. The changes from Zelda 1 / 2 to LttP are astounding.
Yeah you're right man.. this is a good game. It doesn't have to be your favorite. My personal favorite and I'm 41 years old. Is Twilight princess. But I remember playing the original legend of Zelda game. And I thought it was so cool. So when they switch to 3D with ocarina of time. I was definitely going to buy that and at first I was disappointed and then I was like this is amazing! But my favorite 3D one was Twilight princess. But you know it's all speculative and all on what you believe and what you like. I see some people hating and I'm like no. You're cool about this man. I mean I also enjoyed a link between world which is a spiritual successor. But to me Twilight princess even though there was a 3 hours intro. I really loved it!
This was my first Zelda game, but I actually played it on Nintendo Switch through NSO. I'm not great with retro titles and had to use many guides and save states, but even then I was able to see how wonderful this game really is. A world that feels alive, fun items, cool secrets, incredible music, and the Dark World mechanic which I absolutely love. This game is without a doubt an absolute classic.
For what we had under the hood at the time and what those systems were good at, this game was perfection. Color, art, sound, controls, level design, story... etc etc.
Great video!
One of my faves of all time. You did a great job giving it a fair modern look! Thank you for bringing us all through memory lane and appreciating this beloved game together
Grew up with this one on SNES and ran multiple runs on SNES online while I was waiting for ToTK to drop. All time favourite of mine as that was my first Zelda game . One unique thing I discovered years later is in the dark world you can enter all the dungeons first to get all the gear. That way you can uncover the heart containers and treasures on both over worlds. Finally you can return to all the dark world dungeons at the equivalent of max level on an RPG and run all the bosses up to Ganon and the endgame. It was quite a surprised as I remembered all the agony I went through years back with tough dungeons and bosses but it is brilliant game design. I guess the linear progress of the light world and UI elements on the map led me to initially approach the dark world in a linear manner.
For me, it was first just an awesome game at the time. Second, I used to rent games since they were very expensive where I live. You'd be able to get them on friday afternoon and have to return them on monday morning. That meant a whole weekend of nonstop gaming trying to finish. But I got stuck very early on because I didn't know english well enough. I didn't know you had to push the throne to progress. I spent at least 20 hours wandering about the limited areas I could... still wouldn't quit, the game is that good. And then on Sunday my much older brother shows up and says "Hey, you gotta push the throne". At that point something clicked in me and then I was on sponge child autopilot towards learning english. And I'm glad, it's a language I came to love, I even think in english instead of my native tongue. A Link to the Past changed me forever. I still play randomizers of it every once in a while.
Short game lol, took me months to beat it at 10 years old. It kicked my ass over and over, but I kept coming back cause it was the first finely crafted open world. It was so mind blowing to unlock new areas and explore all the charm, nothing like that existed before. Similar story with OoT. They were definitely early foundation blocks to open world games.
The easiest way to beat that worm is a holding attack and charging your sword. You'll rebound much less when getting hit and you can attack in 360°. It doesn't guarantee victory but it drops the difficulty from a 7 down to about a 3.
Yep. This was my main game for years when i was growing up for sure. Got it when i was 8 and i remember having to ask my Dad for help at first because this was a game for people more grown up then me. Then i grew into it, in the times before i had my own money to buy games. Learned all the secrets and tricks of this masterpiece and used to play it from start to finish every weekend for stretches of time. I still play it every few years, and it is just as fun as when i was 8.
Cause it's the greatest game next to ocarina of time....both or so equally great
For the longest time, this was my number 1 favorite Zelda game. I was 11 or 12 when the game was released, and I have played it so many times through that it's really become a big part of me. Of course, Majora's Mask came along several years later and claimed that top spot, but ALTTP still holds a very special place in my heart. The music is stellar, the visuals were spectacular for the time, and the lore really kicked off what would become a deep and intriguing story that would become the standard for the entire franchise. In those days, there was no official timeline, so many of us subscribed to the idea that the Legend of Zelda was just that... one story that was retold through the ages with different details. I played each Zelda game in order of its release, so it's difficult for me to imagine what it would be like playing this game after playing all the subsequent titles, but I look back on it with nothing but great memories.
One thing I will say about the late game, it's definitely a pain in the ass on a first playthrough. However the game does give you a ton of tools to deal with it, like the magic cape to avoid the fire while you're on the moving platforms, and the medallions to deal with enemy hordes. I underutilized those items at first but on subsequent playthroughs I started learning when the best times to use them are, and it makes the late game a ton more enjoyable because I really feel like I'm utilizing all of Links arsenal. That being said, you'll definitely need to be prepared with the upgraded magic meter and a few bottles of green potion lol. Great video though I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on the game!
One of the games of my childhood. Still love it to this day. The reason it caught on so much was multi reason. Starting with the indepthness of this game. It is a long (for that time, very long) game with tons to do. Some obvious, some not so much, some hidden with secrets to discover. It was also one of the best looking game, graphic wise of its time along with a great feel and handling of it. So much to learn, so much to do. Could keep you busy for months. Since there was no mass internet , social media, online guides and such... you were mostly left to figure it out yourself or from a friend. So you had to work for it. - It also had a open world concept. Not something we saw often, or at all, in gaming back then. Most ppl were used to something like Mario for Nes. One board/level after another. Straight through to the end. No question of where to go or what to do. Zelda was wide open. You do a lot of what ever you wanted. Yes, there were built in machinics to guide you through the game, and prevent you form go TO far ahead... but you had a lot of freedom to explore and do as you wish. And the world was huge to explore. Then add in all the caves and tunnels, and dungeons.. it was massive for its time. It also had areas designed physically, and with music, to give certain areas/times a much more tense, foreboding sense; sense of dread. - Then the dungeons wernt straight forward. You had to work at it and plan ahead and think it through. And it got tougher with each dungeon. The game rly had it all for its time. As such, it got a lot of love from the gamers of its time.
Also, it had a little addition at the end of the game, after the credits rolled when you beat it, where it gave you a number. That number was the total amount of times you died. In this case, that includes your actual dieing AND the 'save and quit' option combined. - It took true knowledge, and patience, to be able to get that number to be ZERO.
The music and the top down view and the way it plunged you right into the action is what got me.
This is exactly the way I feel about OoT and Majora's Mask!
My first entries into Zelda were 2D, Link's Awakening and LTTP to be exact, only to be followed my Oracle of Ages, Seasons, and Minish Cap! I didn't grow up with an N64, but rather, all the handheld devices. It wasn't until BOTW that I fell in love with 3D Zelda, I was so familiar with Hyrule and it's lore that I went on to put thousands of hours into the game!
I remember when this game came out I was 11 years old. What an awesome summer… this and street fighter two on snes was the perfect summer games. Me and the neighborhood kids used to have mini tournaments
It’s a tightly constructed, open word game where everything has a purpose.
In a way, it’s a human fantasy. You can do whatever you want, but all activities contribute to final victory by design.
I could make a more soulless version of the game where you wander around a big box, and when you find the right item it opens the door to the next big box. It’d be the same game with the illusion of freedom deconstructed and it would suck.
Boomer here. I grew up in the 80’s with Atari and NES.
SNES was so advanced by comparison when it came out,
Zelda 3 was our Breath of the Wild moment.
And while we didnt have HD or OLED screens,
if you got a great quality 14” tv (shrinking the picture),
it was as good as gold.
Millennial*
Gen X or Millennial. Boomers are old enough to be your parents as they were born in the 1950s early 60s.
I never played Majora's Mask until age 38 and it is without question among my Top 5 Zelda games. So there's definitely room for non-nostalgic games in the franchise to become favorites, just based on the sheer excellence that abounds throughout the series. The first Zelda game I beat was Legend of Zelda, and it was also the first one I owned. I'll never forget unwrapping that golden box for the first time. Wish I still had that letter from Miyamotosan that came with it. Next one I got was Link to the Past, which probably is my most played Zelda game, with many replays through vanilla and many more through Z3 and SMZ3 randomizers. Taking a page from RetroBird's book, I say "Get ON my lawn" and welcome to the community of people who can still find joy in the 8 and 16 bit greats.
i beat this game when i was 8 years old, not knowing a single word of english and with no internet to help me out. I have no ideá how i did it beacuse when i replayed it in my 20s, i had to look things up. like how you get that flute, and that glass bottle you have to throw into the water. I will be one of the biggest mysteries of my life. But this game will forever be the best game a played in my childhood. The music alone of this game brings up so many childhood memories :)
At the start of this I was like "well, I have fond memories and so nostalgia definitely plays a roll. But I still find myself going back to this game and enjoying it, even among todays games." Then @0:16 "I'd end up putting it down by the second dungeon." Then it was "SECOND DUNGEON??!?! F*k off"