What isn't so familiar is the game's biggest contribution to the series: a fundamental change in how people experience a Legend of Zelda game. Minor changes to the Zelda formula exist in previous games, but you always had a linear progress of dungeons and item collection. In an attempt to try something new, A Link Between Worlds deviates from that progression, but does it make for a better game?
Ultimately, I believe the change (for better or worse) can be summed up in one sentence: A Link Between Worlds replaces discovery with accessibility. Discovery existing in the series as maps unexplored, secrets waiting and items earned. Accessibility on the other hand is already having your map filled in for you, traversing a familiar land and offering everything in the beginning. Discovery has the reward of knowledge and progress; accessibility has knowledge and progress offered to you.
Both concepts offer something different, but The Legend of Zelda has always been about just one of them: discovery. Now that accessibility has been substituted into the game, I don't believe the trade off was equal parts give and take. More is taken than given.
Fundamentally, a game based so heavily on the design of A Link to the Past doesn't have a lot of discovery to offer, which is probably why the world map is a carbon copy and already filled in for the player. But not only the world map: enemy designs, the soundtrack, dungeon locations, Hyrule's denizens and items are all borrowed greatly from either A Link to the Past, or previous Zelda games. A Link Between World relies too heavily on the player being nostalgic with something from over twenty years ago, and doesn't offer much for the player now.
At the beginning, you are introduced to Ravio, who is a character responsible for two things: giving you a magical bracelet and selling items. The bracelet allows Link to transform into a portrait of himself and run along walls, as long as there's not an obstacle blocking his path. Seeing a familiar landscape in a different perspective is a wonderful idea, but doesn't overpower the familiarity the rest of the game presents you with.
After being given a Bracelet, Ravio opens up shop in Link's house where the player can either rent or purchase many familiar items right away. Renting comes with a smaller price unless you are defeated, then all your items will be returned to Ravio. Purchasing items is a costlier solution, but a more permanent one. An experienced player can tempt fate by renting gear the entire game, and add tension and excitement to battles.
Removing items from dungeons and placing them into a single shop means buying the items must be made just as thrilling as finding them used to be. There are certain mini-games which are entertaining ways to make money, as well as optional challenges hidden around the world, but no more than what we've seen in previous entries.
Some items are made nearly obsolete, like the boomerang. There are subtle differences between the boomerang and the hookshot, but one is clearly more useful and dominates the other over the course of the game.
Access to all the items at the start also means traveling to each dungeon is no longer predetermined experience. However, the difficulty curve can spike suddenly based on your choice of dungeon order. Since upgrades to armor and weapon power are now dungeon rewards, not getting them at certain points makes the game unintentionally harder for a first-time player. Experienced plays will still tackle dungeons in a certain order, so the option of choice isn't as rewarding.
Surprisingly, dungeons are still designed around one item, which item is often made obvious at the entrance. There are a few moments where you need the intended item just to travel to your destination, but that doesn't remedy another problem. Being that an item will still have the majority of its usage in a single dungeon, what was gained by removing the item in the first place? If more items saw out-of-dungeon utility, that would've made for a stronger game, but that's rarely the case.
Outside of some clever challenges based on the power of the bracelet, each dungeon is short and the eventual boss fights aren't that challenging.
Changes to item usage come with a new stamina meter. Items are now all tied to a single meter, along with your bracelet ability, instead of an inventory number. Throwing a bomb doesn't consume inventory quantity, it drains this auto-replenishing meter. This change is most welcome since it cuts down on farming for inventory and throws in a level of strategy when you're using two or more items in a single fight and your meter is being consumed rapidly.
The plot retreads some ground covered by A Link to the Past: three pendants and seven sages being encapsulated within crystals and not much else is added to it. The main antagonist starts off interesting but then disappears for most of the game. A twist or two is thrown in near the end, but the majority of the game waits until Link is finished collecting what is required for the story to progress. Not that Zelda games haven't done this before, but since the plot is more recycled than normal, it feels shallower in A Link Between Worlds.
Characters don't leave much of an impression because so little time is spent with them. Even reoccurring characters see very little screen time. I would've like it if they incorporated them into the story more, setting them apart from previous incarnations like how Skyward Sword did.
A Link Between Worlds is not without its own merits. The top-down perspective together with the 3D illusion of depth is perfectly executed. Never has the 3D functionality felt more worth having on all the time than in this game. The graphics don't aesthetically look their best, but they are technically impressive.
Moving Link around in two dimensions has never felt better, and the ability to view areas beyond the screen with the D-pad is appreciated. Combat is precise and fast.
Overall, I get the feeling the development team started out making a Link to the Past remake and decided about halfway through to turn it into a sequel.
A Link Between Worlds isn't a bad game. In fact, it can be enjoyable at times. But in the back of my mind, I always feel like I want more from it. The game never establishes itself as something truly unique and ultimately leaves no significant, lasting impression. It relies too much on the accomplishments of another game without offering anything substantial of its own. I don't mind that there was a change to the formula, but it needs to do a better job accommodating that change. For what it is, A Link Between Worlds is brief and forgettable.
