The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

After reforging the TriForce and banishing Ganon's minions from Hyrule for all eternity, twice, Link thought nothing could tear him and the love-of-his-life Princess Zelda apart ever again. He was right. But an untold tale concerning Link's virgin voyage in the realm of Hyrule is about to take center stage on the Super Famicom: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past takes us back in time, back before Ganon's legendary badness, back before even the NES, to Link and Zelda's ancestors (who coincidentally are also named Link and Zelda!) and a fabulous adventure.

One of Ganon's unholy colleagues, the corrupt priest Agnim, has swiped the Seven Daughters of Hyrule, shattered the TriForce, locked Zelda in a dungeon, and thrown away the key. Spring her from jail and you're only just getting your toenails wet in Nintendo's most complex role-playing maze-a-rama ever. Here's a sneak peek at this Japanese sales sensation, now available overseas for the Super Famicom and on the verge of a U.S. launch for the Super NES.

New Looks, New Levels, New Link

Zelda I ('87) and Zelda II ('89) set standards for excellence in NES swords-and-sorcery games. The Super Famicom redesign, a top-down perspective game, plays closest to the original Zelda, with a similar play interface, revamped enemies, and hot music and graphics. Our green-garbed hero's third, er, first quest spans the four comers of Hyrule and all points in-between, including waterfalls, caverns, villages, dungeons, and mountains. He does battle with all the skeletons, bats, rats, swordsmen, and rock-spitting octopuses Zelda fanatics can stand.

The first and foremost of Z III's play improvements is the incorporation of four -- count 'em four -- button inputs instead of just two. In addition to Sword (B) and Item (Y), you can lift, push, pull, and throw inanimate objects with A, and access a gorgeous, scrolling, slant-view overworld map with X. Link's tools of the fantasy trade include Swords, Shields, Bombs, Clothes, Boots, Gloves, Flippers (for swimming of course), Magic, Keys, Maps, assorted Treasures, and money in the form of Gems.

Every role-playing type title requires maze running and mapping, but rarely, if ever, is it done as well as in Zelda III. As opposed to Zelda I's basic overhead-view one-level movement, several "layers" of tunnels and passageways can crisscross all on one screen! You climb or descend ladders and walls to jump from one layer to another.

Visually the characters look like and are well-drawn upgrades of their cartoony selves. Awe-inspiring effects such as a chilling thunderstorm and the Forest's foggy environs add welcome flavor to Hyrule's many mystical locales. And music? Take a listen and you'll be spirited away to Hyrule in no time. Old and new tunes are as absorbing as 16-bit sounds get.

A Legendary Zelda

To borrow a line from a well-known TV commercial, Zelda III is "a bit more exciting, a bit more challenging, a bit more graphic, a bit more colorful, a bit more..." Heck with it, Zelda III is a LOT more of those traits and then some. No word yet on what will and what won't change between the Japanese and U.S. versions, but all indicators are pointing to a near-direct translation, so check out the following highlight tips and tricks. Look for Link's Super Nintendo debut within a month a two, at which time we'll print a blowout strategy guide. Be there or be an Octorok!

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a top-down action-adventure video game (similar to the original Legend of Zelda) published and developed by Nintendo for the SNES video game console, and is the third installment in The Legend of Zelda series. It was first released in Japan in 1991, and was later released in North America and Europe in 1992. Players assume the role of Link, and their goal is to rescue Princess Zelda and save the land of Hyrule.

Back in time, there was a land surrounded by mountains and forests. This land was known as Hyrule. There was a mysterious type of gold hidden there which had great power and wisdom. One day, people found the entrance to the sacred lands and fought their way through. Unfortunately, these sacred lands were deceptive, and the evil beyond overcame them. The king of Hyrule ordered that seven people would close the gate to the other world and never open it again.

After many years of peace, there appeared someone who tried to open the seal. The evil wizard, known as Agnon, went against the king and took control of the guards. He kidnapped the daughters of the seven protectors and took the beautiful Princess Zelda captive. The time was approaching when Zelda would be sacrificed and the gate to both worlds would forever be opened. This is where you come in.

You are the valiant warrior known as Link. You are looked upon as a mere boy, but you are actually from a race of royal people. More importantly, you are the chosen one to rid Hyrule of the evil Agnon.

The U.S. National Video Game Team has blown through this fantastic game and is ready to share with you the secrets and mysteries of the land of Hyrule. Get ready for maps, strategies, hot tips and techniques that will get you to the end of this excellent cart. You saw it here first!

An evil Wizard known as Agnon has kidnapped the Princess Zelda and taken over the land of Hyrule. He has declared the valient warrior Link an outlaw and has sent his armies throughout the Ian of Hyrule to bring him back dead or alive.

This is the story of the latest cart in the Zelda sereis for the Super NES. This 3rd Zelda adventure features the graphic and audio enhancement of the Super NES and the largest quest to date. The game play follows after the original Zelda with overhead views of the overworld and dungeons with loads of items and weapons to find and use.

The quest is all new and more intricate than ever before. Not only does Link have to deal with the incredibly large land of Hyrule he must travel to the Dark Zone by using trans-dimen-sional warp zones. These other lands are a sort of parallel universe and are just as adventuresome as the real Hyrule. The dungeons are multi-leveled and can have up to 10 different floors! Get ready to take a look at what might be the greatest 16-Bit adventure ever!

THE OVERWORLD

The overworld is fill with all kinds of mysteries. While finding the enemy in the over-world Link will obtain many power-ups. Use the Boomerang or the Hook Shot to grab an item if it is out of reach.

You can save the fairies for later if you capture them with your Bug net and put them in an empth jar. If Link dies the fairy will escape from the jar and bring him back to life.

You can also find items in the overworld by runing into trees and clusters of mushrooms. When you get the power gloves you should be able to find items and hidden entrances under large rocks. Use bombs to blow holes in suspicious looking rocks and walls. Later in the game a special bird will help you warp to 8 different locations on the overworid. You can also use the whirlpools to warp to different locations on the map.

THE D0RK ZONE

Once you've obtained the 3rd pendant go to the Northwest forest and get the Master Sword. From there go to the castle where your quest began and you will be able to open the door on the roof by hitting it with the Master Sword. You'll have to make your way to the top of the castle in order to face Agnon. After you've given him a beating he will send you to the Dark Zone where you'll learn of yet another quest that must be solved before the final battle. The Dark Zone opens the door to a whole new world that is very similar to Hyrule. By traveling through the Dark Zone and using the Magic Mirror you can go to places you couldn't get to before. You must rescue 7 different maidens from 7 different labyrinths in the Dark Zone before you can enter the final castle. The adventure is only beginning, however, and you must master the Magic Mirror in order to unlock the secrets and mysteries of Hyrule and the Dark Zone. Get ready for the greatest Zelda quest and quite possibly the greatest video game adventure ever!

The third in the Zelda series will make its debut on their Super NES this Fall!. This time the plot changes, as you are not looking for the Triforce of Power, but rather, you will travel back in time to the land of Hyrule before it was destroyed by the evil wizard, Ganon. You will be aided by all new allies that you must find and locate as you proceed on your quest. Battle the minions of evil and use new spells, magic and powerful weapons to help protect you in your travels. Expect to see a lot of spectacular Mode 7 effects, as you proceed through an adventure four times the size of the last game!

The Ultimate Adventure Awaits...

The ultimate adventure is about to begin on the Super Famicom. The highly anticipated Zelda 3 is finally here! Once again, you are a brave hero, you must go about the vast land of Hyrule. Destroy evil creatures and collect Ruples to help you buy supplies and weapons. The obvious enhancements are the extremely colorful and detailed graphics. The new level of detail makes the quest seem even more realistic. Link must not only endure hordes of monsters, but he also has to deal with the forces of nature. Thunderstorms, caves, deserts, forests, you name it and Link will have to overcome it. The audio has also been refined, with rich background music for each area of the game. The quest is massive, four times larger than the previous two carts. There are a ton of new items to find as well. A truly remarkable game that will definitely be worth the wait.

The Legend of Zelda has been enthralling gamers since it made its Super NES debut in April 1992. It has recently been re-issued so that newcomers to 16-bit gaming can share the Zelda experience. Zelda was also selected by Nintendo as one of its top-five SNES games of all time. Known for its complexity, Zelda's gameplay is measured in months, not hours. The game's adventures cover two huge areas, the Light World, which is the home of the diminutive hero, Link, and the Dark World, where characters show the sinister side of their personalities.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a Japanese action-adventure video game developed and released by Nintendo in 1991/1992 for its Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The game is the third of the series and though it appeared for the first time in Japan in 1991, it was released for the first time in North America and Europe one year later.

The story focuses on Link, who travels to save Hyrule after defeating Ganon and rescue the seven descendants of the Sages. Compared to the previous games, this version has new mechanics and new equipment for the players. The game was later on released on other platforms, such as Game Boy Advance and Wii’s Virtual Console.

The above-mentioned Link is a young boy living with his uncle around the Hyrule Castle. Princess Zelda is held captive by Agahnim, a wizard.

In the beginning of the game Link is awakened by a telepathic message from Princess Zelda, who asks for help. Link ignores his uncle who told him not to go, and leaves to save Princess Zelda. When he arrives at the Castle, he finds his uncle wounded after he tried to rescue Zelda himself. Now Link receives a sword and a shield from his uncle and continues his quest to save the Princess.

In order to save her, Link has to surpass several levels and to rescue the seven descendants of the Seven Sages from dungeons scattered across the Dark World. Only the seven descendants can help Link to break the barrier around Ganon’s Tower, where the playable character has to face Agahnim for a second time.

The music of the game was composed by Koji Kondo. The theme is featured in Light World Overworld and in End Credits as well. The soundtrack of the game was released in Japan on two discs, with the first one containing 44 minutes long music. On the CD it is easy to find rearranged versions of a selection of themes from the game, but also a bonus drama track. The second disc is 54 minutes long.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was a popular game back when released and was therefore followed by other sequels, but was also ported on other platforms. No less than 6.204 users (at the time of the review) rated the game on GameSpot, giving it a 9.5 average. Ten critics offered the game a total average of 9.3. The recent release for Wii is popular as well. 1.684 users voted the game with a total average of 9.2 out of 10.