The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

18 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Year: 1992
Platform(s): Super Nintendo
Designer(s): Takashi Tezuka
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo

"A Link to the Past represents the open-world action-RPG epic distilled to its purest form. In every respect, it epitomizes one of the most important qualities of many games on this list: timelessness. Not only has it stood the test of time visually (as 16-bit graphics often do), but the gameplay itself – a mix of exploration, puzzles and combat – strikes a perfect balance between rich complexity and elegant simplicity, all across the backdrop of two impressively expansive overworlds. Looking at LTTP today, it's almost seems like a modern game that's been given a 16-bit treatment. Its dungeon-puzzle format has influenced countless games since, but even nearly 20 years later, none have reached LTTP's level of perfection. Its dungeons are challenging without being tedious, and every puzzle's difficulty is carefully crafted within clear parameters, rather than deriving false difficulty from unclear mechanics (as Zelda clones are sometimes wont to do). And while the story is basically one giant fetch/rescue quest, it's completely devoid of filler." - GamesRadar

Remakes:
A Link to the Past / Four Swords Adventure (2002) [GBA]

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