The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 30th anniversary

*Original TMNT Cartoon Fan* · 11-22-2021, 05:00 PM

Last Sunday, 21 November 2021, marked 30th anniversary of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. That video game was originally released in Japan on 21 November 1991, marking the 1st anniversary of the Super NES. It was later released in North America in May 1992 and in Europe in September that year.

~~Leo656~~ · 11-22-2021, 06:10 PM

Ahhh, the game that made me a "real" Zelda fan.

I'd played and beaten "Adventure of Link", and I'd messed with the original game a couple of times when I was little, having no clue what I was doing. But that's about it. Then right before "Ocarina of Time" came out for N64, I was hanging out at a friend's house and she had "A Link to the Past" hooked up, so I messed with that for a bit before going home and I was hooked. When I got home I told my Dad I wanted that game and Ocarina for Christmas, and he delivered.

Great times with that one. Overdue for another run through it.

*CyberCubed* · 11-22-2021, 07:40 PM

I missed the game on SNES as a kid so the first time I played it was the GBA port. To this day I replayed the GBA version more times than the SNES version since when you die you start back at a dungeon entrance instead of having to travel back there from your house or the top of the pyramid.

*Andrew NDB* · 11-22-2021, 07:53 PM

I wonder if Link's Awakening on Switch didn't sell much. I feel like we should be hearing about A Link to the Past Switch version by now (presumably with the same engine).

*CyberCubed* · 11-22-2021, 07:54 PM

It's already up for streaming on Nintendo's online SNES service, so they have no reason to remake it.

*neatoman* · 11-22-2021, 07:57 PM

Much in the same way I'd say Super Metroid is the first in the series to actually stand the test of time, I would also say this is the first Zelda to stand the test of time. The first two games are just kind of cryptic and awkward to me, this one doesn't have as many issues. The only real problem I can think of is that the inventory still sucked, four face buttons and a pair of shoulder buttons, yet the game still forces you to only be able to equip one item? Thank god Ocarina allowed you to equip three, scrolling through the inventory was just a pain.

*Andrew NDB* · 11-22-2021, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It's already up for streaming on Nintendo's online SNES service, so they have no reason to remake it.

They have every reason to remake it. SNES games don't appeal to kids nowadays, it could find a new generation, and after Link's Awakening they have a ready made 3D engine perfectly suited for it. Throw in a few extra dungeons and secrets and now it's a must-play.

*Original TMNT Cartoon Fan* · 11-24-2021, 06:46 AM

I think it took more than two months for us beating it. This was the most difficult (how to make the boss appear).

*frank_one* · 11-24-2021, 09:04 AM

A link to the past deserves a full blown 3d remake, I wouldn't be satisfied with a 2.5d remake like Link's awakening. Not that it really needs a remake, it is still enjoyable as it is.
The only Zelda games that could benefit from a remake are the first two as they are too difficult for modern standards (even if Leo656 beat Zelda2 as a kid

).

*IMJ* · 11-24-2021, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

I think it took more than two months for us beating it. This was the most difficult (how to make the boss appear).

Wow, watching that brought back memories.... I can't believe that guy played that level without taking a hit either. I remember always wiping out the enemies in ever room before moving on as if it was part of the game's "mission" instead of ignoring most of them.

I also remember running around that level like a madman and basically stumbling upon the boss reveal simply out of attrition from having no other places to explore in that dungeon.

That was such a great game - I always felt like it was the true sequel to the NES game because the second one was such a departure.

*Original TMNT Cartoon Fan* · 11-24-2021, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IMJ

Wow, watching that brought back memories.... I can't believe that guy played that level without taking a hit either. I remember always wiping out the enemies in ever room before moving on as if it was part of the game's "mission" instead of ignoring most of them.

I also remember running around that level like a madman and basically stumbling upon the boss reveal simply out of attrition from having no other places to explore in that dungeon.

That was such a great game - I always felt like it was the true sequel to the NES game because the second one was such a departure.

I think we called the Swedish Nintendo Hotline, since we didn't have a guidebook at the time.

*Andrew NDB* · 11-24-2021, 11:23 AM

I remember as a kid after beating this, I enjoyed it so much I tried to have my friend's sister hypnotize me into forgetting the game so I could enjoy it freshly anew. It didn't work, of course, but time sort of did that on its own so I've played it through a couple of times since.

*IMJ* · 11-24-2021, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I remember as a kid after beating this, I enjoyed it so much I tried to have my friend's sister hypnotize me into forgetting the game so I could enjoy it freshly anew. It didn't work, of course, but time sort of did that on its own so I've played it through a couple of times since.

WTF, man?

*Andrew NDB* · 11-24-2021, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IMJ

WTF, man?

True story. My friend's sister was fancying herself a hypnotist at the time so I had to try it out and think of something that I'd want to forget. Link to the Past was pretty fresh in mind!

*IMJ* · 11-24-2021, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

True story. My friend's sister was fancying herself a hypnotist at the time so I had to try it out and think of something that I'd want to forget. Link to the Past was pretty fresh in mind!

That is awesome....

*frank_one* · 11-24-2021, 02:08 PM

Using hypnosis so that you can forget and enjoy a game a second time is one of the weirdest stuff I've ever heard. Does it work with virginity as well?

*IMJ* · 11-24-2021, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frank_one

Using hypnosis so that you can forget and enjoy a game a second time is one of the weirdest stuff I've ever heard. Does it work with virginity as well?

No, no. That one needs time travel...

*Prowler* · 01-18-2026, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I missed the game on SNES as a kid so the first time I played it was the GBA port. To this day I replayed the GBA version more times than the SNES version since when you die you start back at a dungeon entrance instead of having to travel back there from your house or the top of the pyramid.

I, too, missed out on it as a kid, strangely. Well, sort of. I was a kid in the 90s and was playing on my brother's NES and SNES and also his Saturn and N64 later. Somehow, he did not have A Link to the Past despite having the OG Zelda on the NES and later, Ocarina of Time on the N64. I did not get to play ALTTP until 2001 or so, when I was 11. So, basically, my Zelda journey as a kid was: NES Zelda - Ocarina - Majora - ALTTP.

Replayed it again as an adult around 2012 iirc. And then also played it again on the NSO SNES app during the pandemic but I dunno if I bothered to beat it. I think I kinda shrugged once I got to Turtle Rock?

Anyway, great game. A 16 bit era masterpiece. The best 2D Zelda game to date still. The best overall Zelda? I dunno... 2D and 3D Zeldas cannot be directly compared. They're quite different. The logic of puzzle solving, attacking, weapon aiming and world/dungeon design is not the same between a top down 2D Zelda game and a 360 degree camera 3D Zelda game.

Anyway, Ocarina needs no introduction and I loved that game to oblivion as a kid, but it would not have existed if not for ALTTP, clearly. ALTTP was truly the game that set down the formula for the series. Said formula has been changed by BOTW nearly a decade ago, however.

*Powder* · 01-18-2026, 08:07 PM

This remains my favorite TLOZ game, or at least my favorite top-down iteration. It was actually the first video game I ever played, as my Mom had gotten an SNES for her birthday when I was a toddler. Started off just by watching her play, but then getting to try it out myself. Certainly made a lasting impression, & I got a tattoo of the Hyrule crest to immortalize those times together. I'd love to see a BOTW-style re-imagining of the top-down games, would be so cool having those old-school designs realized in 3D.

11-22-2021, 05:00 PM	#1
Original TMNT Cartoon Fan Overlord Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sweden Posts: 10,481	The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 30th anniversary Last Sunday, 21 November 2021, marked 30th anniversary of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. That video game was originally released in Japan on 21 November 1991, marking the 1st anniversary of the Super NES. It was later released in North America in May 1992 and in Europe in September that year. Last edited by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan; 07-28-2024 at 01:52 PM.

11-22-2021, 07:53 PM	#4
Andrew NDB Weed Whacker Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 34,578	I wonder if Link's Awakening on Switch didn't sell much. I feel like we should be hearing about A Link to the Past Switch version by now (presumably with the same engine). __________________ [ ODYSSEY \| ORIGIN \| THE IMAGE/VOL. 3 CONCLUSION \| THE SHELLSHOCKED PODCAST \| ON FACEBOOK ]

11-24-2021, 06:46 AM	#8
Original TMNT Cartoon Fan Overlord Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sweden Posts: 10,481	I think it took more than two months for us beating it. This was the most difficult (how to make the boss appear). Last edited by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan; 11-24-2021 at 06:52 AM.

11-24-2021, 11:23 AM	#12
Andrew NDB Weed Whacker Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 34,578	I remember as a kid after beating this, I enjoyed it so much I tried to have my friend's sister hypnotize me into forgetting the game so I could enjoy it freshly anew. It didn't work, of course, but time sort of did that on its own so I've played it through a couple of times since. __________________ [ ODYSSEY \| ORIGIN \| THE IMAGE/VOL. 3 CONCLUSION \| THE SHELLSHOCKED PODCAST \| ON FACEBOOK ]

11-22-2021, 06:10 PM	#2
~~Leo656~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nWo Country Posts: 27,703	Ahhh, the game that made me a "real" Zelda fan. I'd played and beaten "Adventure of Link", and I'd messed with the original game a couple of times when I was little, having no clue what I was doing. But that's about it. Then right before "Ocarina of Time" came out for N64, I was hanging out at a friend's house and she had "A Link to the Past" hooked up, so I messed with that for a bit before going home and I was hooked. When I got home I told my Dad I wanted that game and Ocarina for Christmas, and he delivered. Great times with that one. Overdue for another run through it.

11-22-2021, 07:40 PM	#3
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 43,891	I missed the game on SNES as a kid so the first time I played it was the GBA port. To this day I replayed the GBA version more times than the SNES version since when you die you start back at a dungeon entrance instead of having to travel back there from your house or the top of the pyramid.

11-22-2021, 07:54 PM	#5
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 43,891	It's already up for streaming on Nintendo's online SNES service, so they have no reason to remake it.

11-24-2021, 09:04 AM	#9
frank_one Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Southern Europe Posts: 2,254	A link to the past deserves a full blown 3d remake, I wouldn't be satisfied with a 2.5d remake like Link's awakening. Not that it really needs a remake, it is still enjoyable as it is. The only Zelda games that could benefit from a remake are the first two as they are too difficult for modern standards (even if Leo656 beat Zelda2 as a kid ).

11-24-2021, 02:08 PM	#16
frank_one Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Southern Europe Posts: 2,254	Using hypnosis so that you can forget and enjoy a game a second time is one of the weirdest stuff I've ever heard. Does it work with virginity as well?

01-18-2026, 08:07 PM	#19
Powder 40 Years of TMNT Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shell-Ri-La Posts: 26,956	This remains my favorite TLOZ game, or at least my favorite top-down iteration. It was actually the first video game I ever played, as my Mom had gotten an SNES for her birthday when I was a toddler. Started off just by watching her play, but then getting to try it out myself. Certainly made a lasting impression, & I got a tattoo of the Hyrule crest to immortalize those times together. I'd love to see a BOTW-style re-imagining of the top-down games, would be so cool having those old-school designs realized in 3D.