The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

 Game Boy Advance
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 727 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 651 out of 727
  2. Mixed: 47 out of 727
  3. Negative: 29 out of 727
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  1. TheTactician
    Sep 6, 2023
    10
    I played it like 50 times when i was a kid.It was one of my first games on consol at that time.I played it on Super nintendo.For me its the best Zelda game of all time.
  2. TerraFF
    Jul 18, 2023
    10
    Um dos melhores títulos isométricos da franquia e com certeza um que ainda veremos um remake. Simplesmente excelente.
  3. Kossydr0
    May 31, 2023
    10
    The snes game ist better, but it ist my favorit zelda game of all time. Must play
  4. jimmy_ljc
    May 29, 2023
    10
    An excellent game will be excellent no matter when you play it, and it is the one.
  5. yoda55777
    May 27, 2023
    10
    Um dos melhores jogos de todos os tempos é um dos melhores em 2d trilha sonora e muito boa
  6. celderon
    May 17, 2023
    10
    It is easily the best Zelda game, great dungeons good pacing, great exploration, good story and timeless graphics. No modern Zelda game can reach this Masterpiece
  7. mffrumeu
    May 14, 2023
    10
    This is the best game ever.

    The gameplay is just amazing and amazing. The story is long and very well told. The world is just huge and full of secrets. The feeling of discovering so many caves, secrets and unveiling a world that feels like a huge living world is incredible. The dungeons are long and fun. Weapons, settings, bosses. It's all fun and the difficulty is very well    This is the best game ever.

    The gameplay is just amazing and amazing. The story is long and very well told.

    The world is just huge and full of secrets. The feeling of discovering so many caves, secrets and unveiling a world that feels like a huge living world is incredible.

    The dungeons are long and fun.

    Weapons, settings, bosses. It's all fun and the difficulty is very well balanced.

    Don't buy TOTK. Instead, play The Legend of Zelda: a Link to the Past.    … Expand
  8. Yojimbo2015
    May 6, 2023
    8
    Four Swords is unfortunately a multi-player only game, but the inclusion of SNES classic Link To The Past still makes this a worthy purchase for the single player.
  9. JustinForgueims
    Apr 4, 2023
    6
    A super complete Zelda game with everything you expect: open world, lots of dungeons, lots if items and mechanics, lots of puzzles, lots of NPCs and side quests.
    Difficulty slightly higher than in other Zeldas.
    The main issue, and it's a BIG one, is the randomness of everything. There are almost no clues, no indications. You need to guess all the time. The items are super hidden, even    A super complete Zelda game with everything you expect: open world, lots of dungeons, lots if items and mechanics, lots of puzzles, lots of NPCs and side quests.
    Difficulty slightly higher than in other Zeldas.

    The main issue, and it's a BIG one, is the randomness of everything. There are almost no clues, no indications. You need to guess all the time. The items are super hidden, even the key ones.
    How are you supposed to know that for access a dungeon or beat a boss you need an special item you never seen, that's in the opoosite side of the map, in a hidden cave, under a random rock if nobody is pointing you there.

    This happens all the time and results in making the game harder if you don't find something useful or simply frustrating if you NEED something that you have no way to know where is.

    Same happens with many enemies that you need to test every single weapon/magic you have to guess how to kill it. In case it's not inmortal or you need something you didn't find yet.

    The combat is greatly affected by the non responsive directional controls, terrible hit box and annoying knockback.    … Expand
  10. weskergamer
    Mar 30, 2023
    9
    Great Classic and an Amazing Zelda. This is really the best way to do a 2D Zelda, and i would be very happy if they make a remake of this game
  11. ReviewsAreBS
    Feb 14, 2023
    8
    The game is great. Compared to it’s remake, Link Between Worlds, the dungeons are more challenging (by Zelda standards) but the puzzles are simpler.

    It’s a shame that bonus dungeon is locked behind multiplayer content (Four Swords), which I haven’t played.
  12. arthur123456789
    Jan 25, 2023
    2
    Esperava mais desse jogo pois falam que ele é muito bom mas, comparar ao Ocarina o Time e ao Majora's Mask é brincadeira, não gostei
  13. Wienerdog5
    Dec 1, 2022
    8
    Its the second best snes game besides earthbound. Its It's nowhere near the pinnacle of the series, but its great. The combat is as complex as it needs to be, the music on display is great here, and its fulfilling in length. Its pretty hard too! It may not be perfect, because some of the bosses are annoying, dungeons can be too convoluted. Bit despite its age, its worth coming back to
  14. hector_bcn98
    Oct 31, 2022
    9
    Uno de los videojuegos más importantes de la historia, en portátil. Poco más que añadir, con picos de dificultad algo elevados... y falta de guía sobre el mapa. Hay que buscarse demasiado la vida. Ah, y en inglés.
  15. giannis2001
    Sep 4, 2022
    9
    One of my favorite games of all time. It hasn't aged at all. Play it so you can appreciate all those innovations this game introduced to the series and gaming in general.
  16. CollectorCarter
    Aug 11, 2022
    8
    The best 2D Zelda ever made and the first legend of Zelda game I ever played! There may be some problems but nothing is perfect well except for ocerana of time
  17. Bruddler
    Jul 13, 2022
    10
    Das erste Spiel auf meinem SuperNintendo das ich wirklich geliebt habe. Von anfang bis Ende einfach nur Beste. Auch besser als Ocarina of Time. Auch heute noch gut spielbar.
  18. joadson
    Jun 28, 2022
    10
    The best super nintendo game in my opinion A Link The Past is an amazing zelda that brings an excellent story to its time with dungeons and impressive items
  19. stupidopinion
    Jun 21, 2022
    7
    This game is good, but it is very dated. The game design is solid, with clever puzzles, solid (if not simple) combat, and a pretty pixel-art world to discover. Secrets are abundant and make you feel like a genius every time you prod at something suspicious or engage in a bit of outside-of-the box thinking. However, there are progression points that are incredibly unintuitive, and I feelThis game is good, but it is very dated. The game design is solid, with clever puzzles, solid (if not simple) combat, and a pretty pixel-art world to discover. Secrets are abundant and make you feel like a genius every time you prod at something suspicious or engage in a bit of outside-of-the box thinking. However, there are progression points that are incredibly unintuitive, and I feel demand outside help or previous knowledge of the game. The game has a hint system using fortune tellers, but it is terrible and almost never provides you the information actually necessary to progress. This happened to me on 4 occasions, and I wasted hours of my time trying to figure them out on my own, only to defeatedly look it up and find a solution that I never would have found. An example of this is the part of the game where you buy the flippers. The hint in game says something along the lines of "go to lake area and find a Zora". I do this and scour the entire area multiple times, only finding dead ends and look it up online. Turns out in one of the dead ends you have to stand in front of a waterfall in a specific place for the Zora to appear. Design like this is fine for 2002, today its just annoying. The music in this game is decent, but is sorely lacking for a Zelda game. If the hint system actually worked my score would probably be at an 8-9, but a game that requires you to look things up to beat it is a flawed game.… Expand
  20. TSNintendogamer
    May 22, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This was my very first zelda game and what an impression it made. I was 9 years old at the time the game came out and it blew me away. It was one of those games that took very long to beat first time around. Man me, my brother, and our friend used to play pretend zelda at recess thanks to this game. I love the gameplay, dungeons, and exploration. When I first played the game, I thought that the chain n ball enemy was the only "boss" in the game but then we read a Nintendo power magazine and it showed 3 dungeons. Looking back they weren't that hard. However the dark world dungeons are alittle hard but now I know my way around them. Getting certain items is probably the hardest part. We didn't beat the game because it got stolen and the second time around, the ice dungeon was very hard for us. However we beat the game at 13 years old and it felt so good. Yes we used the guide but we lost that too. As for four swords, we beat it like 4 months after we started playing it. It was the first handheld game we beat and what a moment that was. Four swords is randomized with its dungeons and it's not too hard. We used to play outside with that game too. Lastly the music in that game is very nostalgic. Especially vaati's palace and the title screen.… Expand
  21. Dudeman15
    May 5, 2022
    10
    Masterpiece. It's what gave us everything Zelda is today. I highly recommend you to play this.
  22. ElRagnarLocro
    Mar 30, 2022
    10
    Sin ninguna dudas la mejor aventura de Zelda en 2D. Apartado sonoro excelente, mecánicas innovadoras y muy bien implementadas, diseño de mundo y mazmorras perfecto, y un estilo de arte precioso incluso en épocas modernas.
    Nota Final: 9.8
  23. Archvile-UT
    Mar 20, 2022
    5
    Приключение в компактном открытом мире с достаточно удобной навигацией и отполированным геймплеем. Сложность нарастает постепенно, навыков множество и все потребуется использовать в нужных местах. Есть даже моменты, где можно схитрить и проявить нестандартный подход – вот что значит грамотный геймдизайн.
    Понятно почему игра стала культовой у фанатов Нинтендо, но минималистичная картинка,    Приключение в компактном открытом мире с достаточно удобной навигацией и отполированным геймплеем. Сложность нарастает постепенно, навыков множество и все потребуется использовать в нужных местах. Есть даже моменты, где можно схитрить и проявить нестандартный подход – вот что значит грамотный геймдизайн.
    Понятно почему игра стала культовой у фанатов Нинтендо, но минималистичная картинка, музыка и история не дают поставить высокую оценку - поэтому 5/10    … Expand
  24. kyle20ellis
    Mar 10, 2022
    10
    I really enjoy this classic originally made for the Super Nintendo gaming console. It was completely awesome back in the day and is still a very good Zelda game. Sure, the dungeons in this one can get difficult, but not like the ones in today's Zelda games where some sort of strategy guide is almost a necessity if you want to make it through it in minimal time. This one has the classic topI really enjoy this classic originally made for the Super Nintendo gaming console. It was completely awesome back in the day and is still a very good Zelda game. Sure, the dungeons in this one can get difficult, but not like the ones in today's Zelda games where some sort of strategy guide is almost a necessity if you want to make it through it in minimal time. This one has the classic top down view that was first seen in the very first Zelda game. It also incorporates more role playing game elements that were more prevalent in the second Zelda games because you get to talk to more people and do a few side quests. So it is a bit of a combination of the two games and together they fuse together to form one of the best Zelda adventure games!

    The story starts before you even start the game as you learn of a wizard who is seeking the descendants of some wise men who had to seal away a powerful artifact known as the Triforce. We start the game with Link being told by his uncle to stay put as he has an errand to run and that lasts only mere moments as Link almost immediately follows his uncle and finds himself holding his uncle's sword and trying to find Princess Zelda. He does and manages to free her and hide her in a sanctuary where an old man tells Link that the only way to defeat the wizard who has taken control of the castle is by retrieving the master sword. Soon Link must find another old man who is also a descendant and soon he learns he must find three pendants before he can get the sword that can reflect back the evil spells hurled by the wizard. However, this is only the beginning as Link will be hurled into another realm that mirrors the land he knows, but it is twisted and he will also soon learn of a foe more powerful than the wizard, Ganon!

    The game play is more like the fist Zelda in that the screen is top down perspective. I like this view and wish they would make more games in this more simplistic style. I would love a Zelda or another role playing game that had a more 16-bit era look to it and just make it so it goes on longer than ever thought imagined back in the day. The combat is simple as it is mainly using your sword or bow and arrow to topple foes, Link does not have to many special techniques, but the ones he does possess makes him a formidable enough opponent for the many monsters and soldiers in Hyrule and the dark world. There are a few mini games in the one town that resides in both worlds and there are other people you can find to gain more equipment and abilities to help you in your quest to stop Ganon. Like nearly every Zelda game, you must progress through a number of dungeons and gain their special item and destroy the boss to make it through the game. In this one you get quite a few dungeons, I believe around 12 or so, each with a different theme. Some of them are rather long, but none of them are going to be as difficult as the water temple in Ocarina of Time.

    So, in the end, a very good Zelda game...though, not sure why they even bother to put her in the title in this one as she makes minimal impact. I guess at this point they knew that her name was the more recognizable, but seriously she is not really in this game much at all. The fighting here is simplistic and the graphics would be considered to be prehistoric to most people nowadays, but to me it still has a certain charm to it and still looks good for what it is. Graphics back in the day were more of an art form, while today they are more about make the most realistic looking characters and places as possible. So, if you can track down the game, it is still a fun diversion and quite frankly should not be that hard to track down as one can download it using many different forums, or you could just dust off your Super Nintendo if you still have on and play it old school style.    … Expand
  25. Puptent
    Feb 24, 2022
    9
    Probably the game I played the most on the Game Boy Advance. love playing it play, glad it made it to the switch online.
  26. smahlt
    Jan 26, 2022
    3
    I hadn't played this game in over 15 years so figured I'd give it a go. I recall not liking it as much as other Zelda games, but figured ****

    I now remember why I've never replayed it. It's a mess. The sword's animation and hitbox are rarely on the same page, and are also inconsistently off. The same exact attack timing, distance, and enemy location and animation status will sometimes    I hadn't played this game in over 15 years so figured I'd give it a go. I recall not liking it as much as other Zelda games, but figured ****

    I now remember why I've never replayed it. It's a mess. The sword's animation and hitbox are rarely on the same page, and are also inconsistently off. The same exact attack timing, distance, and enemy location and animation status will sometimes result in a hit but also sometimes not. It makes the game extremely frustrating to play when you're taking hits you shouldn't be taking, especially when hearts are so rare and enemies often do 2-3 hearts of damage. Every other 2D zelda plays much better. Even when playing the NES ones, if you get hit, it'll feel like you deserved it.

    Positives: Graphics, world and dungeon design and themes, and music is pretty good, though only having one dungeon theme hurts it    … Expand
  27. wimbleton_johns
    Jan 8, 2022
    10
    I believe this to be the greatest game ever made. It's pure fun. The exploration is engaging & rewarding, the dungeons are fair but challenging. This is a staple of game design - there is a reason it was the template for Zelda games for the next 20+ years.
  28. trollski
    Dec 29, 2021
    10
    The best game in the Zelda franchise. The atmosphere and game-play combined with brilliant puzzles and dungeons makes this one of my favorite action adventure games ever made.
  29. Zeldaiisgood
    Nov 29, 2021
    10
    This game is definitely my all time favourite game. This game has secrets hidden in every corner of the map and its combat is challenging. Completing it felt like I had just saved the world.
  30. BeeSting1
    Nov 26, 2021
    9
    Good

    - The animations and overall graphics detail is amazing - the world is immense for SNES game. - dungeon design is very impressive. Puzzles are deep and reasonably challenging. - controls are crisp. Upgrades are cool and fun to use. Bad - the sword hitbox doesn't exactly match the animation. - moon pearl, a required item should not be missable, but it is. I was    Good

    - The animations and overall graphics detail is amazing

    - the world is immense for SNES game.

    - dungeon design is very impressive. Puzzles are deep and reasonably challenging.

    - controls are crisp. Upgrades are cool and fun to use.

    Bad

    - the sword hitbox doesn't exactly match the animation.

    - moon pearl, a required item should not be missable, but it is. I was going in circles wondering where to find it. Turned out to be in a chest in a previous dungeon.

    - the game doesn't tell me that there are other ways to enter the dark world after beating the dark palace. This causes me to try and enter through the mountain pad entrance and try and find a way off the mountain, which was not possible

    - swamp palace. How am I supposed to know I'm supposed to randomly walk into a waterfall? 6 waterfalls that look identical. I'm supposed to walk through

    - I wish locked doors would be marked. And chests would be marked.

    - no hints were given that i had to use the fire rod to burn the entrance of the dark temple. The skull shows no indication that it could be burned.

    - Titan's mitts is missable in gargoyle palace, which is required to get into ice palace. Meaning I was completely stuck not knowing what I needed, until I refer to a guide.

    - game forces player to explore every nook and cranny to get potentially required items

    - quake medallion is required to reach final dungeon but it's missable. And I have to somehow know the order to hit the pikes to open the warp to dark world for last dungeon.

    - the game forces you to explore and do random quests to acquire required upgrades like silver Arrow to beat Ganon. I don't like how these important things are missable.

    - no price tag for super bomb. How am I supposed to know how much rupees to collect?    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Game Boy Advance Game of 2002
1
#1 Most Discussed Game Boy Advance Game of 2002
2
#2 Most Shared Game Boy Advance Game of 2002

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
95

Universal acclaim - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Eurogamer
    100
    An indispensable game, combining arguably the finest RPG/adventure the 16-bit era ever produced (even compared to the likes of Secret of Mana and Final Fantasy VI) with an expertly realised multiplayer rendition of Zelda.
    Read full review
  2. GBA Central
    100
    The adventure is long, involving, challenging and presented to perfection with beautiful graphics and a stunning soundtrack.
    Read full review
  3. GMR Magazine
    90
    Not having to dig out the SNES and clean out the cartridge port is nice enough, but to play this classic game on the bus? Pure Nirvana. [Feb 2003, p.74]
See all critic reviews »