How Dungeons Work

The way the dungeons work in A Link Between Worlds is a bit different than the precursor Zelda games. Everyone must start out with an initial dungeon, but then you’re free to explore to your heart’s content. If you wish to see some dungeon play, it can be found here. Each of the dungeons has their own musical theme, and there’s about as many dungeons as in A Link to the Past. Some new additions would be mini-dungeons which haven’t really been utilized in older Zelda games.

Items

A character named Ravio is introduced in the beginning of the game, and he owns a shop where you’ll be purchasing items from. The only essential items required to beat the game would be the ones for rent/sale in his shop, but there are upgrades available for weapons that make the game easier. When playing A Link Between Worlds, you don’t have to worry about getting your hands on Rupees because they’re easy to find in the game. 

Controls

If you’ve played A Link to the Past, the controls will feel a bit similar. To swing your sword you press B, and hold it down for a spin attack. This would be the same in most Zelda games. As usual in hand-held devices, A would be your button for talking to people, picking up items, and opening chests. The X and Y buttons are used for things such as bombs and arrows, while the right trigger activates your shield to raise, and left trigger activates the Pegasus Boots. I’m unfamiliar with the Pegasus Boots, but they seem very helpful. As the D-pad controls the camera, there are no gyro controls.

The gameplay of A Link Between Worlds is considered very good. The frame rate stays smooth, while giving the player the classic Zelda experience. A main focus within the game would be turning into a painting, which lets Link avoid certain traps. This painting ability is seen within the original gameplay trailer. Some type of quick travel is available in the game, which will become needed with all the side-quests available. According in GameXplain, to complete the game fully at 100% it will take roughly 18 hours.

If you haven’t played A Link to the Past, don’t worry, it’s not a necessity as much as a benefit. There are some similar puzzles and foes as in A Link to the Past, but A Link Between Worlds is entirely its own game. Within A Link Between Worlds, there is about 50% original content, and 50% references to A Link to the Past. That being said, the gamer has more freedom in A Link Between Worlds than in previous Zelda games. Unfortunately, if you’re a fan of finding out about story-lines, you won’t find out what happened to Link and Zelda after A Link to the Past.

Aside from the Game

Although A Link Between Worlds is becoming a huge hype because of its release in 10 days, there are many other things Nintendo has worked on for this release. There is a special 3DS XL that’s A Link Between Worlds themed. If you’ve been unsure about this, they have videos up of the unboxing. Even with this new console, they’ve even produced and launched a TV commercial that has aired in the United States, making all Zelda fans swoon.

After seeing all these spoilers about the game, I can’t wait to see how it really turns out. So far I haven’t seen any complaints that could tarnish the reputation of Zelda or Nintendo. All in all, I’m still very excited for November 22nd, and the hype that comes with it.