Review Aleosha 3/5 · Apr 23, 2025
Nintendo has a whole Mario spinoff series based on the idea of 2D characters in 3D worlds — and A Link Between Worlds plays with a similar concept. In this game, Link can flatten himself into a chalk-like mural and cling to walls. It's kind of like a stealth move, Solid Snake-style. Solid Link, anyone?
Surprisingly, the game even borrows …
Nintendo has a whole Mario spinoff series based on the idea of 2D characters in 3D worlds — and A Link Between Worlds plays with a similar concept. In this game, Link can flatten himself into a chalk-like mural and cling to walls. It's kind of like a stealth move, Solid Snake-style. Solid Link, anyone?
Surprisingly, the game even borrows a bit from Dark Souls. There’s a feature where you can invade other players' worlds — not that I ever got to try it, given how old the game is now. And when you die, you lose some of your items and have to buy them back. Harsh, but effective.
One of the biggest changes from traditional Zelda structure is how you get items. Instead of earning a new item from each dungeon in a set order, you can rent (and later buy) most items early on. It shakes up the pacing a lot and makes the world feel more open right from the start.
Only two dungeons in, you already get the Master Sword, face off against Yuga — the game’s villain — and end up in Lorule (a not-so-subtle play on “Hyrule”). Lorule is a twisted, darker version of the overworld, ruled by Princess Hilda. It’s filled with tougher enemies and packs a serious punch in difficulty — which is ironic, considering how cheerful Hyrule usually is.
Once you get to Lorule, the game opens up. The next seven dungeons can mostly be tackled in whatever order you prefer. It’s a welcome break from linearity.
That said, the reward system is a bit odd. Each dungeon is tied to rescuing one of the seven sages, but they don’t really give you anything — just a “thank you!” The cool rewards, like the Hylian Shield in the Turtle Rock dungeon, come from side quests. In that case, you have to defeat all the ghosts in the temple to earn it — but you can totally skip that and still beat the boss. So yeah, some good gear is easy to miss.
There are also collectible hermit crabs scattered around the world. Find ten and you can upgrade one of your weapons. Surprisingly useful. And if you dash into certain obstacles — a mechanic I always forget — you can knock down hidden items, like upgrade snails chilling on top of trees. I think that trick only shows up here and in Minish Cap. Thankfully, it's not essential for finishing the story.
Near the end, Lorule Castle reuses four previous bosses, but it’s not a gauntlet — you can save between fights. Then comes the final showdown with Yuga. Phase one: hit him in the face. Phase two: reflect projectiles like you're playing pinball. Phase three: mural Yuga, and you get a bow that shoots into walls. It's actually a cool fight. I stocked up on healing potions and just brute-forced it, but hey — it worked.
Oh, and Rovio — the rabbit-hooded guy who was renting you gear all game? Turns out he’s the Lorule version of Link. He talks Princess Hilda out of stealing the Triforce, and in the end, Zelda and Link use their wish to give Lorule its own Triforce. Surprisingly touching, as Zelda plots go.
Finally, Link returns the Master Sword to its pedestal — setting the stage for the next hero to pull it out again. The cycle continues. One last note: I never did find that last piece of ore to max out the Master Sword. Couldn’t remember which dungeon to revisit. Oh well.
