Finding Fun #9: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Continuing our journey in the Finding Fun series, we arrive at installment #9, focusing on a game that continues to define the adventure genre: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Released for the SNES, ALTTP is an impressive entry in the Zelda series showcasing expertly designed world-building, exploration, and progression.
What specific design choices made exploring Hyrule (and its darker counterpart) so compelling and fun, both immediately and over the long haul? Let's get into it.
Core Gameplay Loop in A Link to the Past
A Link to the Past revolves around exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat within the interconnected Light and Dark Worlds of Hyrule. The core loop involves:
- Exploring the world to find secrets, towns, and dungeon entrances.
- Acquiring new items that grant access to previously unreachable areas or offer new combat options.
- Navigating dungeons filled with puzzles, enemies, traps, and a final boss.
- Collecting key quest items upgrades to progress the story and grow stronger.
What's Fun?
Immediate Fun in A Link to the Past
What a Title Screen!
From the moment you boot up the game, ALTTP sets the stage for adventure. The Triforce gleaming and rotating in, the Master Sword launching in from off-screen and kicking off the score, it doesn't just show you the title, it gets you ready for your journey with a powerful first impression.
From Zero to Hero
You start with just a lamp. Within a few minutes you get a sword and shield which now let you contend with enemies you were just running away from. Through this, the game quickly signals that progression is central to the experience. You know you'll be constantly acquiring new tools and abilities, creating an inherent sense of anticipation for how each new item will change your interaction with the world.
Long-Term Fun in A Link to the Past
The Joy of Item Discovery
Finding the bombs, bow, hookshot, magic hammer, flippers, and more isn't just about getting stronger; it's changing how and where you explore. Cracked walls, distant ledges, deep water... what was a wall is now a door. Nearly every item serves a dual purpose in combat and exploration, constantly expanding your freedom and rewarding your progress with new possibilities. This steady drip-feed of new abilities keeps the exploration feeling fresh for dozens of hours.
Conquering the Dungeons
Each dungeon is a self-contained challenge with the same overarching set of rules. They blend combat encounters with clever spatial puzzles, requiring you to use your full arsenal of items and wits. Finding the map and compass provides structure, while discovering keys and the 'big key' creates mini-goals within the larger objective. Figuring out the intricate layouts, overcoming traps, and deciphering the boss patterns offers a satisfying loop of tension and triumph.
Exploring Hyrule (Twice)
The world itself is a major source of fun. Hyrule is vast, varied, and packed with secrets. Traveling through forests, deserts, mountains, and villages keeps the scenery engaging. The introduction of the Dark World brilliantly doubles the exploration potential, recontextualizing familiar locations and adding layers of puzzle-solving based on the interplay between the two realms.
Unexpected Fun in A Link to the Past
A Living, Breathing World
Hyrule feels alive. Finding a new town, an isolated house, or even a hidden cave is genuinely exciting because almost every location serves a purpose, holds a secret, or houses a character with something to say (or sell). This density rewards thorough exploration, making poking into every nook and cranny feel worthwhile rather than tedious. You learn to trust that the game respects your curiosity.
Your Sword Can Shoot Lasers
The mechanic where the Master Sword shoots beams when Link is at full health is simple brilliance. It's a powerful reward for skillful play, encouraging you to avoid taking damage even against the weakest enemies. Losing the beam after a hit feels like a meaningful setback, adding a layer of tension to every encounter, even when you have nearly 20 hearts.
Delightful Distractions
Beyond the main quest, ALTTP offers several side activities and mini-games. Hunting for hidden Pieces of Heart, participating in the digging game, finding bottle upgrades, or fulfilling small character requests provide enjoyable breaks from dungeon-crawling. These optional objectives add texture to the world and offer alternative ways to gain power or resources.
Not So Fun in A Link to the Past
Inventory Juggling
While the array of items is fantastic, the limitation of equipping only one accessory item at a time is cumbersome. Constantly pausing to switch between the Hookshot, Bow, Bombs, Lamp, Hammer, etc., especially during sequences that require multiple tools in quick succession, interrupts the gameplay flow.
Grinding Potential
The way resources like rupees, bombs, and arrows replenish by cutting bushes or breaking pots, combined with enemies respawning when you re-enter an area, creates an easy pathway for grinding. While not strictly necessary, the game makes it simple to repeatedly clear certain screens to top up resources. This repetitive busywork isn't engaging gameplay, but its obviousness can make it feel like an attractive option if you're running low before a tough section.
Stress > Relief > Growth > Progress in A Link to the Past
How does ALTTP line-up against these fundamental pillars of game design?
Stress:Preserving your hearts while navigating the overworld or dungeons creates both immediate and long-term tension. Puzzles and the open-endedness of the map also can leave you not knowing how to proceed.
Relief:Clearing a difficult room, finding a fairy fountain, discovering a heart container or piece, replenishing ammo/magic, opening a key shortcut, or finally defeating a boss provides bursts of satisfaction.
Growth:Acquiring new items or upgrading existing ones provides both tangible and tactical growth as you expand Link's capabilities. Learning enemy patterns and mastering item usage also represents player skill growth.
Progress:Collecting Pendants of Virtue and Sage Crystals after defeating dungeon bosses serves as clear, major milestones. Increasing your maximum hearts and ultimately confronting and defeating Ganon mark significant narrative and gameplay progress.
Lessons Indie Game Developers can learn from A Link to the Past
Even decades later, ALTTP offers valuable lessons for developers of any size team:
Reward Curiosity and Attention to Detail: ALTTP excels at showing players things they can't quite reach yet. Crucially, it almost always pays off this setup later when the player gets the right item. Design your world so that exploration feels meaningful. If players investigate thoroughly, reward them with secrets, shortcuts, or resources. Build trust by effectively teasing but also delivering on those hints in a healthy balance.
Make a Strong First Impression (and Back It Up): ALTTP's title screen immediately sets the tone and quality bar. Your game's introduction, whether it's the title screen, opening cutscene, or initial gameplay, is critical. Make it compelling and representative of the core experience. Then, ensure the rest of the game lives up to that promise.
Meaningful Item Progression: Design items and abilities that fundamentally change how players interact with the game world and its challenges. Each new tool should open up new possibilities for exploration, puzzle-solving, and/or combat, keeping the core loop fresh.
Credits
A big thank you to World of Longplays on YouTube for their comprehensive playthrough of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which is a fantastic resource for revisiting this classic! Make sure to check out their channel for more longplays.