1. The game is an action RPG, in which an
evil wizard is trying to release an evil
power that has been imprisoned in a
mountain range, you play as link and your
role is to stop the evil power from being
released. The game was made in 1991
and released for the Super Nintendo, and
it has 16 bit graphics. Although an action
RPG at the time, I don’t think it has
enough features to be called a RPG in
modern day gaming, more of an
adventure game. The game is 2D, but
uses a top down view, so it makes it feel
like there is a lot to explore, the game also
has different levels to the maps by introducing stairs and ladders, by doing this it makes the
2D game feel bigger than it actually is and makes you feel like there is a larger world to
explore.
Image (link here) above shows the map of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The game was made for the Super Nintendo, because of this and the limitations at the time it
was made the controls and player movement aren't very smooth, but despite this I still think
the game is fun to play, the more you play the game the easier the controls become.
The combat in the game is very one dimensional, and can get repetitive after a while,
although you can use magic and different weapons I feel that the combat would get boring
when you progress more in the game as all combat styles feel basically the same. This could
be a problem when people play it who are used to modern games with lots of weapons and
combat styles, the game is supposed to be an action RPG, a modern day equivalent would
be Skyrim in that game you can use bows, swords and shields, two handed swords and
magic this keeps the game feeling new and fresh because you can change to a new combat
style when you get tired of another, something that you can’t do on the Zelda game.
2. The game has lots of different area’s at the start of the game you begin in Link’s house in his
bedroom, you can then go outside of his house and explore the village he lives in, and into
different houses in and around the area to explore your surroundings, apart from the village
there is a castle at the top which has multiple levels, which need to be explored to find the
Princess and progress in the game.
Because the game was made in 16-Bit graphics, the detail in the game is very limited but I
do like the look of the game and think that the music compliments well with the feel of the
levels. Taking into regard the limitations of the time and 16-Bit graphics I think that the game
is visually well made and would have been at the limit of what could have been done at the
time of release.
This image shows a player who has progressed in the game, this is shown by the amount of
health he has, has been greatly extended by completing tasks in the game.
(Image link)
The story starts with Link being awoken by a telepathic message from Princess Zelda, she
has been imprisoned in a dungeon below a castle Link goes to the castle to say the
princess, Link meets up with his uncle who gives him a sword and shield to help him in
rescuing the princess, he then sets off into the depths of the castle past the guards to rescue
the Princess from the jail.
Once he has saved the Princess they escape to a place called sanctuary, in the sanctuary
Link meets a man who tells him that Agahnim, an evil wizard who has usurped the throne, is
planning to break a seal made hundreds of years ago to keep the evil wizard Ganon locked
away, the seal was made by the Seven Sages.
3. Links mission is to save the decedents of the Seven Sages from the evil wizard as they are
the key to unlocking the seal to the dark world and unleashing the evil power of Ganon,
along his journey he meets lots of different characters who give him new quests that offer
rewards to aid him in his overall adventure such as new weapons, abilities and armour.
I found the music and graphics to be fun and thought they complimented each other well,
after playing the game for just 30 minutes I wanted to play it more; it was entertaining all the
way through the half an hour that I played, and left me wanting to see how the story
progressed and keep trying to get past the different stages of the level.
The controls weren’t great but I found them to be enough for what the gameplay mechanics
were, the soldiers had a pattern and were easy to avoid after watching them walk their path
once or twice. Although easy to avoid the combat in the game was at time quite difficult as
you need to move around a lot with just the up, down, left and right controls instead of the 8
directional movements of modern games.
Overall I’d say the game was fun and
entertaining, I enjoyed the story from what I
played and felt that it would get more interesting
and develop well if I carried on playing. Because
the game is an RPG it makes you want to
progress further and unlock different rewards
from quests. The story starts off drawing you in
by introducing new characters straight away;
this drew me into the story and made me want
to carry on playing.
I think that the average gamer who is used to playing RPGs like Skyrim and Fallout would
find the game boring very quickly, as I said before the combat is one dimensional and
probably wouldn’t appeal to a wide audience as much as it appeals to gamers who want to
play retro games and find out what they were like at the time.
I enjoyed the simple graphics and music in the game and thought that they complimented
each other well, the graphics weren’t great but I felt that they were the best that they could
be for the time and the hardware available.
Image (link here) above sows the title screen for Link to the Past
