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[jkeeling]

Yes!

My favourite adventure game of all time:

- great waking up in the village/finding the sword opening
- the dialogue is fanastic/charming throughout
- best Zelda soundtrack ever
- flawless structure/sense of progression
- great mini-games and sandbox-world feel (huge achievement for a GBA game seriously)
- awesome mythology and sense of wonder in a tiny package
- one of the best endings ever
- introduced a lot of major Zelda concepts that have been re-used (too much?) ever since

Good point someone made about Link being in a foreign world, somehow made it more compelling. I prefer that (ala Majora) somehow to the classic Zelda retreads, too familiar.

 

[John Dunbar]

- great mini-games and sandbox-world feel (huge achievement for a GBA game seriously)

GBA game?

 

[Scrow]

- Press Start, Select, A, and B to be warped to a screen asking if you want to
save and quit or return to the game. Clicking on save and quit will bring you
back to the start menu where you can choose another option.

I was going to say that, but I thought it'd reset your GB like it does for GBA

uh yeah.... i knew about that button combination, but like you i thought it actually reset the gameboy.

i'm playing this on GBASP btw.

 

[Jaagen]

To me, this is the second best Zelda I've ever played(ranking Alttp as number 1) and I actually would like to see it remade for DS at some point, because don't want to drag my old GBA out each time I want to play it(or maybe VC) The replayability is good in this game, not because it offers enything new the second or third time through, but becuse it's a great game and in the end, my most played through Zelda game.

Edit: Oh, and this is also the sad(d)est Zelda game.

Spoiler

The end where the world just vannishes, it's just so good and all the clues that leads up to it(F.ex the clues in the temple, the owl etc.) is well made.

 

[Rydias]

I was always a fan of the idea that Marin seemed like the only true girl any iteration of Link ever loved. Before the storylines became so mucked up I remember thinking how perfectly this game tied them all together.

LTTP took place long before Zelda 1. LA was right after LTTP. Link went sailing,

Spoiler

and with the ending somewhat suggesting Link doesn't come back to Hyrule

it was easy to accept that Link from Zelda 1 was from a different land, Calatia, and why he had reddish-brown hair.

 

[Yixian]

A great game no doubt, but seriously, don't even joke about it being better than LTTP.

 

[DarknessTear]

A great game no doubt, but seriously, don't even joke about it being better than LTTP.

The quality is close enough together for me to not mind people saying that. I like both games a lot.

P.S. Super Gameboy ftw!

 

[nli10]

I preffered this to LttP, as will anyone else that played this first. They always say your favourite Zelda game is the first one you finish.

This was the game that turned me from someone who played the odd game into a hobby gamer. It is because of this game I rate handheld games so highly and maintain that stunning graphics are completely unnesecary if you force the player to use their imagination.

I don't think I've played a tighter adventure game.

 

[jett]

Better than all the 3D Zeldas. Tied with Majora's Mask though, maybe.

 

[Tobor]

DS 2 Virtual Console, Link's Awakening, 500 points.

Believe.

 

[JoeMartin]

I remember you could steal from the store in this game and I thought that was the greatest thing ever. I missed it with each Zelda game that followed.

 

[Scrow]

I remember you could steal from the store in this game and I thought that was the greatest thing ever. I missed it with each Zelda game that followed.

THIEF!

 

[Jefklak]

I remember you could steal from the store in this game and I thought that was the greatest thing ever. I missed it with each Zelda game that followed.

You can steal in twilight princess, in the beginning, from the parrot (the stuff that lights your candle)

 

["God's Beard!"]

My favorite Zelda by far, followed by Wind Waker and Ocarina. I couldn't really get into the others.

Finding the pictures in Dx was fun.

 

[Night_Trekker]

Link's Awakening is an amazing game. I've played through it at least 5-6 times.

 

[mrkgoo]

You'll have to elaborate an argument on that. You can't just come and type those words.

Imagine yourself in 1986, now consider that all the games you played prior to 1986 were 10 minutes long, 90% of them had no story, 90% of them had broken controls. This was, in short, the atari era which caused the videogame crash back then but that is what video games was about at the time. Some of us didn't like it, others convinced themselves they had fun with circus atari and kaboom.

Imagine a game were the world is not only open and HUGE for 1986 but it gives you absolute freedom about where to go, what to look for and in some cases, how to progress in the story. There is a SECRET almost every 2 blocks of the map. There are more items to use than the amount of items 10 atari games can gather together. The dungeons, each one present a different challenge, sometimes fierce enemies, sometimes secrets to be revealed. The world is so full of secrets you can hardly believe there was all that under trees, under or behind rocks, under water ponds.

When that game was released, it was the most creative and massive game in the existence of videogaming, of course you know you have 2 different quests which just added to the game's greatness.

LoZ did to the industry what Oot did with 3D gameplay elements. It was a revolution, as big as it gets.

the game is timeless, regardless of our opinions on the board.

Videogame history owes that game so much, the game is untouchable. Like I said, like a holy bible to a catholic.

EDIT: Damn, I am confusing the dates. It debuted in Japan in 1986 and in 87 in the US.

I played Zelda 1 for the first time last year, adn I liked it, particularly given the time it must've debuted.

However, I believe that this doesn't work as an argument against it not being timeless. By it's very nature that it was amazing at the time makes it NOT timeless. Very time-ful, if you will. By definition, to be timeless, means time does not age it, or time is no factor. But time was certainly a factor for Zelda 1.

I would say games like Zelda 3, or Tetris are far more timeless.

 

[D.Lo]

What's great about LA is that it's the most tightly designed game ever made (only Metroid: Zero Mission comes close in recent times IMO). Every single screen has a point, has something in it. It just all ties together perfectly. Even the swap quest weaves it's way into the story naturally - if you explore each house and character properly you know what item you'll need. Like the guy who says he'll get lost on the mountain later, and the Gator that loved canned food.

Before the storylines became so mucked up I remember thinking how perfectly this game tied them all together.

LTTP took place long before Zelda 1. LA was right after LTTP. Link went sailing,

Spoiler

and with the ending somewhat suggesting Link doesn't come back to Hyrule

it was easy to accept that Link from Zelda 1 was from a different land, Calatia, and why he had reddish-brown hair.

That all still works, you just put OOT, MM (Link 1) and WW, PH(Link 2) before LTTP (Link 3). I'm not sure where TP fits in, anyone?

 

[Christopher]

Doesn't Oracle of Seasons/Ages take place JUST before this game? I remember the story in this game as Link was coming home to Hyrule from an adventure, and at the end of Oracle of Ages/Seasons they had the boat there...I'm suprised I haven't seen that connection made more often.

eh it was a good game, but I liked seasons better. I'd love all three Zelda GB games to be remade in the Link to the Past style (yuck not Minish Caps)

 

[Scrow]

Doesn't Oracle of Seasons/Ages take place JUST before this game? I remember the story in this game as Link was coming home to Hyrule from an adventure, and at the end of Oracle of Ages/Seasons they had the boat there...I'm suprised I haven't seen that connection made more often.

i don't think anyone really cares. besides, doesn't the start of OoS and OoA have the triforce actually whisk Link away to different dimensions/worlds, much like Termina in MM? If that's true you can't sail across alternate dimensions with a boat ;P

 

[cartman414]

A great game no doubt, but seriously, don't even joke about it being better than LTTP.

LttP is a bit overrated. Link's Awakening, and its GBC followups, were superiorly designed in various ways, and more challenging.

I'd also rank Zelda 2 above LttP. Nyah nyah!

 

[WastingPenguins]

Despite its limitations as a Gameboy title, LA took a lot of the concepts from LttP to the next level. I recently blew through LttP again on virtual console, and while it's still great, there aren't many secrets to find in the overworld, and the puzzle design was a little lacking in comparison. Plus, I know its not fair to LttP, but the nostalgia factor is HUGE for me when I'm playing LA, which was my first Zelda ever.

 

[Night_Trekker]

Edit: Oh, and this is also the sad(d)est Zelda game.

Spoiler

The end where the world just vannishes, it's just so good and all the clues that leads up to it(F.ex the clues in the temple, the owl etc.) is well made.

You did get the special ending, right? That takes a tiny bit of the edge off.

 

[icecream]

This was the game that brought me back to Zelda games after the NES days.

 

[sphinx]

I played Zelda 1 for the first time last year, adn I liked it, particularly given the time it must've debuted.

However, I believe that this doesn't work as an argument against it not being timeless. By it's very nature that it was amazing at the time makes it NOT timeless. Very time-ful, if you will. By definition, to be timeless, means time does not age it, or time is no factor. But time was certainly a factor for Zelda 1.

I would say games like Zelda 3, or Tetris are far more timeless.

the NES zelda games are in the selected group of 20 or 25 NES games that are still fun to play, regardless of graphics and date.

if Zelda 1 is still fun to play in 2007, like many people can atest, then the game is timeless.

the zelda franchise in itself is timeless, I'd say.

 

[agent069]

This thread made me want to play DX to make the secret dungeon

But the game aged pretty badly, it's really a pain having to constantly tap the pause button to change your item, especially when there quite a few of them really usefull (the bottle to run, the armlet, the feater, the sword ^^), and the few dungeon I played weren't that great either (4-5 a the said secret dungeon).

That said, I really like the pace of the game, there are quite some stuff to do in the overworld, the dungeon are pretty short, and this make the experience very fluid. And the game is very charming, there's a lot of great characters

 

[Blackbird]

DS 2 Virtual Console, Link's Awakening, 500 points.

Believe.

Heck, why not imagine a downloadable version using the Wii as demo-station for the DS?

You did get the special ending, right? That takes a tiny bit of the edge off.

Spoiler

You mean where the last 3 seconds reveal a winged-person singing?

 

[Ravidrath]

I think this is probably the best Zelda game of them all. Fantastic and weird sidestory, awesome last boss, and the Roc's Feather. I bought a GBA Flash cart just for Goomba and this game, so I could play it on my DS.

I'm not usually one to call for remakes, but I would love for there to be a remake of this game. Doesn't even need to be console or 3D, just 2D at or above the level of The Minish Cap on any platform.

 

[Talladega Knight]

A great game no doubt, but seriously, don't even joke about it being better than LTTP.

I know, because it's not a joke when it's the truth.

 

[Jasoco]

Link's Awakening definitely had a few things above Link to the Past. And I am almost inclined to agree that LA was better in most ways. Sure, LTTP had the whole "dark world ruler wants to take over the light side too" cliché and had a lot more dungeons (Why don't Zelda games have as many as LTTP did these days? 11 main dungeons plus a bunch of smaller ones and a final boss battle!) but LA just seemed cooler. I dunno. I still think we deserve one more remake for the modern generation.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Link's Awakening definitely had a few things above Link to the Past. And I am almost inclined to agree that LA was better in most ways. Sure, LTTP had the whole "dark world ruler wants to take over the light side too" cliché and had a lot more dungeons (Why don't Zelda games have as many as LTTP did these days? 11 main dungeons plus a bunch of smaller ones and a final boss battle!) but LA just seemed cooler. I dunno. I still think we deserve one You did get the special ending, right? That takes a tiny bit of the edge off.more remake for the modern generation.

They already tried to "improve" LA's perfection once in LA DX, and they kind of messed things up with the numerous owl statues that made some puzzles a lot easier and the suits in the bonus damage to make the game easier, to name a few things, so I don't know if I'd really want them to try again... the ways in which LA has aged are pretty much irrelevant, in my opinion. The graphics and music are still the best ever on the original Game Boy, the story is still pretty much the best possible example of how to tell a story really, really well with a minimum of words, the dungeon designs are still fantastic... there's really nothing negative I can say about LA. It's certainly the best original Game Boy game, and I'd almost certainly say that it's the best handheld game ever as well (and the second-best Zelda game ever after OoT). And sure, nostalgia may be part of that... LA was the first Zelda game I owned, and only the second one I'd ever played after the original LoZ, which I hadn't played much. But when I go back and play it again it's still every bit as good as it ever was... LttP is alright, and I'd now say that it's great (my first opinion of LttP when playing it for the first time a couple of years ago was not very good, really, but that improved as I spent more time with it), but as good as LA? No way.

Spoiler

You mean where the last 3 seconds reveal a winged-person singing?

Spoiler

"winged person"? Erm, that's Marin, getting her wish...

You did get the special ending, right? That takes a tiny bit of the edge off.

Spoiler

The special ending does help, but it's still an incredibly depressing ending. It's also the only Zelda game where Link's actions are morally debatable... I mean, the island is a dream, but by waking up the Wind Fish he destroys it, and essentially kills all of them. The Nightmares knew that and had as their only real goal continued existence... in the end Link becomes a mass murderer (of people who don't actually exist), essentially, to get what he, and the Wind Fish, want. Nothing like that in any OTHER Zelda game, that's for sure... not from the "good" side, anyway!

LA's plot is maybe the best in the whole series... of course, most Zelda games don't exactly try very hard to have good plots in the first place, so maybe that's not saying much, but it's true.

 

[Drakken]

Ah, my favorite 2D Zelda. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), also the first Zelda title I played through.

This game was truly magical. I don't remember exactly how old I was when I played through it, but I know I loved every minute of it. I was just totally engrossed in the story and the characters; there was so much charm to it all. The music was fantastic; I still remember most of the tunes.

Haha, I actually called up the Nintendo Hotline after being stuck on Level 7 for awhile. Funny to think about that now.

THIEF!

I was so shocked the first time I stole something then went back into the store. Was pretty bummed that I was always called Thief from that point on, too (iirc). :-/

 

[Night_Trekker]

Spoiler

You mean where the last 3 seconds reveal a winged-person singing?

Yeah. It's not much, but

Spoiler

the implication that Marion survived and... I guess grew wings or something

is sort of nice. I guess.

Okay, so that ending makes no sense.

 

[Jiggy]

I think that if Link's Awakening had let you do the dungeons out of order and had two more of them (I mean in addition to the bonus dungeon from LA DX), it would have surpassed LttP.

Actually, scratch that. If it had just had the eight dungeons plus the LA DX one, but been on the SNES with four buttons, it would have surpassed LttP and been the best Zelda game ever. It really did retain almost everything that made LttP great while scrapping the things that didn't, and Marin is still easily my favorite Zelda character ever. I almost wish she wasn't made a trophy in SSBM just because then it'll always be taunting me that she's not outright playable--but then I think, nah, it was all worth it. Gotta respect this great game somehow.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Yeah. It's not much, but

Spoiler

the implication that Marion survived and... I guess grew wings or something

is sort of nice. I guess.

Okay, so that ending makes no sense.

Spoiler

Seriously, pay attention to the plot! Or play the game through several times... there are some hints toward what's really going on on the island that I noticed in replays that there's no way I saw my first time or two through the game. Marin says at one point that if she had a wish it would be to be a bird so that she could fly. In the special ending, it is shown that Marin got that wish, for she has become a seagull, and can fly... though in the original LA it looks like 'Marin with wings' it's supposed to be her as a bird. The Wind Fish rewarded her, obviously... as Night_Trekker said, it helps a bit with the pain of knowing what happened to (what you did to?) everyone and everything ELSE on that island.

I think that if Link's Awakening had let you do the dungeons out of order and had two more of them (I mean in addition to the bonus dungeon from LA DX), it would have surpassed LttP.

Actually, scratch that. If it had just had the eight dungeons plus the LA DX one, but been on the SNES with four buttons, it would have surpassed LttP and been the best Zelda game ever. It really did retain almost everything that made LttP great while scrapping the things that didn't, and Marin is still easily my favorite Zelda character ever. I almost wish she wasn't made a trophy in SSBM just because then it'll always be taunting me that she's not outright playable--but then I think, nah, it was all worth it. Gotta respect this great game somehow.

Some of the stuff you can do when Marin is following you around is some of the most awesome stuff in any Zelda game ever... what she does when you go into the game building, what she says when you throw a pot in someone's house, etc...

 

[mrkgoo]

Yeah. It's not much, but

Spoiler

the implication that Marion survived and... I guess grew wings or something

is sort of nice. I guess.

Okay, so that ending makes no sense.

Spoiler

I'm not sure if I ever saw this ending or not. MArin's wish was to fly like a seagull, as expressed in one of the games few cutscenes. I always thought it was when link looks up from the log, and sees a seagull fly overhead, but the way you guys are describing it, it's much mroe blatant. What did you have to do to get it again?

 

[Uncooked]

Ha, I remember getting this game and being amazed at how fun it was to play. Easily the most surprising thing to me was that you could jump! Not really that big of a deal, but you were not able to do that in the past Zeldas. Remarkably good for a Gameboy game.

 

[A Black Falcon]

Spoiler

I'm not sure if I ever saw this ending or not. MArin's wish was to fly like a seagull, as expressed in one of the games few cutscenes. I always thought it was when link looks up from the log, and sees a seagull fly overhead, but the way you guys are describing it, it's much mroe blatant. What did you have to do to get it again?

Beat the game with zero recorded deaths. The number next to the save file is the number of times you've died... just reload your last save every time you die and it's quite doable, despite the game's difficulty.

It's the only Zelda game with multiple endings, as far as I know...

 

[quailtamer]

My favorite Zelda game ever, easily. Making it in my top 5 best games of all time.

 

[sphinx]

1 hour ago I finished it again.

ahhh, great game, through and through.

you know, this and ocarina of time are the only games where I feel the game progresses at a very fast pace. It's something amazing. All of a sudden you finished your 1st dungeon and on to a 2nd but not without fun and efficient side-quests. After that, on to the next one, then go fast for a heart piece, buy this, get shells(skultullas in ocarina), trade stuff....

just pure videogame greatness.

Efficient game presentation, excellent proportions, neither "spend 3 hours doing this sidequest " annoyance, nor "here's your 15 dungeons, and STFU" Bullshit.

Windwaker is my all-time favorite zelda but damn, it still literally amazes me how perfectly conceived were LA and Oot.

other Zeldas got terribly derailed between dungeons or had too many of them and nothing else.

gaffers, if you love your memories, if you loved your childhood, if you want to remember why are you still into videogames, go and remove the dust from your GBA and have a LA playthrough. It's short, no more than 6 - 7 hours total.

 

[Lyte Edge]

Still the best Zelda game ever made.

Spoiler

And the last great Zelda game. I just don't like the 3D games.

 

[cartman414]

1 hour ago I finished it again.

ahhh, great game, through and through.

you know, this and ocarina of time are the only games where I feel the game progresses at a very fast pace. It's something amazing. All of a sudden you finished your 1st dungeon and on to a 2nd but not without fun and efficient side-quests. After that, on to the next one, then go fast for a heart piece, buy this, get shells(skultullas in ocarina), trade stuff....

just pure videogame greatness.

Efficient game presentation, excellent proportions, neither "spend 3 hours doing this sidequest " annoyance, nor "here's your 15 dungeons, and STFU" Bullshit.

Windwaker is my all-time favorite zelda but damn, it still literally amazes me how perfectly conceived were LA and Oot.

other Zeldas got terribly derailed between dungeons or had too many of them and nothing else.

gaffers, if you love your memories, if you loved your childhood, if you want to remember why are you still into videogames, go and remove the dust from your GBA and have a LA playthrough. It's short, no more than 6 - 7 hours total.

I personally think OoT got derailed a bit, especially within the Water Temple.

And there have been a couple complaints here and there about the trading sidequest.

 

[AndoCalrissian]

This is still my favorite Zelda. I've played through it so many times I can't even remember how many total.

 

[sphinx]

I personally think OoT got derailed a bit, especially within the Water Temple.

And there have been a couple complaints here and there about the trading sidequest.

you mean, inside the water temple? I didn't mean that. I am refering to what you do between dungeons, not inside dungeons. Once you have completed the water temple 2 or 3 times, it's as easy as any other temple anyway.

Majoras Mask and Wind waker both have too much to do out of the dungeons.

In Majora's Mask, trying to get some of the mask can derail you a lot. the lovers' mask (kafei&anju) ... is one hell of a mini-quest. In Wind waker, Just with windfall Island you have enoug to spend many many hours doing sidequests to get a heart or a chart.
these 2 games have too much stuff that isn't directly relevant to the main quest, whereas LA and Oot almost always demand that you do the side-quests that are presented to you in order to progress in the game.

 

[cartman414]

you mean, inside the water temple? I didn't mean that. I am refering to what you do between dungeons, not inside dungeons. Once you have completed the water temple 2 or 3 times, it's as easy as any other temple anyway.

The overworld of Ocarina of Time was mostly kind of boring IMO, and since it was one of the typically slower 3d games, that made it feel draggy for me by default.

And the Water Temple was as slow as ever to go through, regardless of difficulty.

Majoras Mask and Wind waker both have too much to do out of the dungeons.

In Majora's Mask, trying to get some of the mask can derail you a lot. the lovers' mask (kafei&anju) ... is one hell of a mini-quest. In Wind waker, Just with windfall Island you have enoug to spend many many hours doing sidequests to get a heart or a chart.
these 2 games have too much stuff that isn't directly relevant to the main quest, whereas LA and Oot almost always demand that you do the side-quests that are presented to you in order to progress in the game.

The MM side-stuff I enjoyed, but not so much with WW.

I don't mind overworld stuff, as long as it's well done.

 

[sphinx]

The overworld of Ocarina of Time was mostly kind of boring IMO, and since it was one of the typically slower 3d games, that made it feel draggy for me by default.

but if you remember, In Oot you are always running or horse riding towards an specific goal, either some dungeon, heart piece or something. I agree, it's overworld is empty compared to later Zeldas but that's what makes the game efficient.

In Oot and LA, the philoshpy is: " Finish dungeon -> go do this sidequest and get an specific item you need to proceed further-> progress in the game "

In MM and WW it's: " Finish dungeon -> go visit some island or cabin or something and win masks or charts or rupees -> fool around some more and have fun in the overworld -> proceed to the next dungeon "

In Lttp and TP it's almost like: " finish dungeon -> go to the next dungeon -> on to the next one -> one more dungeon "

 

[A Black Falcon]

but if you remember, In Oot you are always running or horse riding towards an specific goal, either some dungeon, heart piece or something. I agree, it's overworld is empty compared to later Zeldas but that's what makes the game efficient.

In Oot and LA, the philoshpy is: " Finish dungeon -> go do this sidequest and get an specific item you need to proceed further-> progress in the game "

In MM and WW it's: " Finish dungeon -> go visit some island or cabin or something and win masks or charts or rupees -> fool around some more and have fun in the overworld -> proceed to the next dungeon "

In Lttp and TP it's almost like: " finish dungeon -> go to the next dungeon -> on to the next one -> one more dungeon "

There's a lot of truth to that... it's not quite that simple, but that's not that far off, definitely.

I'd just say that in overworld design OoT feels much more like the open design of LttP, not the much more segmented, focused design of LA... whether this is a good thing or not is a matter of opinion, though. OoT makes up for it with sheer quality, and for a 3d game that kind of large-scale, open design makes a lot of sense, but I do think that LA's smaller, more focused style is better overall. LttP and, to a lesser extent OoT, feel like you've just got a central area with a ring of zones around it. LA has a quite different design where you have to travel all over to progress, and there is no simplistic centralized design like LttP used... the simplicity of the overworld and the lack of challenge in travelling from one part of the overworld to another was one of the few things that dissapointed me about OoT. Oh well, it's still the best console game ever... but LA's overworld concept is probably better.

 

[sphinx]

There's a lot of truth to that... it's not quite that simple, but that's not that far off, definitely.

I'd just say that in overworld design OoT feels much more like the open design of LttP, not the much more segmented, focused design of LA... whether this is a good thing or not is a matter of opinion, though. OoT makes up for it with sheer quality, and for a 3d game that kind of large-scale, open design makes a lot of sense, but I do think that LA's smaller, more focused style is better overall. LttP and, to a lesser extent OoT, feel like you've just got a central area with a ring of zones around it. LA has a quite different design where you have to travel all over to progress, and there is no simplistic centralized design like LttP used... the simplicity of the overworld and the lack of challenge in travelling from one part of the overworld to another was one of the few things that dissapointed me about OoT. Oh well, it's still the best console game ever... but LA's overworld concept is probably better.

the bolded is what has me amazed, having replayed the game in the last 3 days. There is not one more or one less map square in LA, fewer map blocks would have made the game to tight, more would have made the game lose its focus. It's perfect.

regarding ocarina of time, the perception you have of its overworld seems more fitting with Majora's Mask, you know with clock town being the very center of everything. I think I know what you mean, though. Having no choice but to cross hyrule field everytime you need to gives a "ring of zones" feeling. I might just add, Hyrule field is in reality so small compared to termina or the big ocean that Ocarina's outworld does manage to avoid the feeling of being too wide open and I like that.

 

[mosaic]

I just want to chime in and say that Link's Awakening is the Zelda game I've played the most frequently and have received the most enjoyment from.

The story, the length, the action, the look -- it's all just "right."

I like all the Zelda games, but I absolutely LOVE this one.

 

[A Black Falcon]

the bolded is what has me amazed, having replayed the game in the last 3 days. There is not one more or one less map square in LA, fewer map blocks would have made the game to tight, more would have made the game lose its focus. It's perfect.

Yup. In fact, when I first played LttP I thought that it had a smaller[//I] overworld than LA, while in fact it has a larger one, until proven wrong with pictures of the overworlds... I then realized that what I was seeing was the difference in design -- LttP's grid of nine squares compared to LA's complex patchwork of zones -- and the dramatic difference in wasted space. LA doesn't waste any, while LttP wastes a lot of it. One symbol of this I noticed is tree size. LttP trees are four times larger, in tiles, than LA trees. Why? Just to make LttP's zones feel larger, pretty much, which is hardly a good reason...

LA also has a better design with the map that lets you look at each individual tile, no scrolling areas so the map actually shows precisely the game world on a grid, etc. It just works better. Even the Oracles games, which expanded the size of dungeon screens to have scrolling, kept the "one screen equals one screen" overworlds... it forced them to actually pay attention to design, like LA, which definitely helped the games.

regarding ocarina of time, the perception you have of its overworld seems more fitting with Majora's Mask, you know with clock town being the very center of everything. I think I know what you mean, though. Having no choice but to cross hyrule field everytime you need to gives a "ring of zones" feeling. I might just add, Hyrule field is in reality so small compared to termina or the big ocean that Ocarina's outworld does manage to avoid the feeling of being too wide open and I like that.

Yeah, MM does have it worse, though you spend so much time in the central town in that game that at times you don't notice. But when you have to keep going back to those same zones to re-collect items or beat bosses or do quests or whatever... yeah, it is noticable and kind of annoying (great game, but flawed...). As for OoT though, it's even easier to cross Hyrule Field than it was the central square in LttP, and the areas themselves are larger and more interconnected, so they definitely reduced the feeling of the "ring of zones" in comparison to LttP. While in that game if often just feels like you go to one square, do the dungeon there, then go to the next, in OoT it just doesn't feel that way at all...

Still though, as I said, I noticed a huge, huge difference in how difficult it was to actually navigate and explore the overworld between LA and OoT. They have very different concepts of overworld design... I really, really love OoT and its amazing dungeons, sidequests, and graphical design, but when I think of the overworld and how you can just run around it, forcing the focus onto questing and dungeons instead of world exploration, it gives me a renewed appreciation for Link's Awakening's style of Zelda game design. Why is it that none of the 3d Zelda games really use that model? The closest thing I can think of is WW and its islands, each of which is a unique, specifically designed area, and even that isn't quite the same... MM maybe tried a bit of that with the four zones, but the timing elements sabotaged much of that by forcing you to repeat things or hurry in order to not run out of time, and as a result not have the time to truly enjoy playing the game. I love 3d Zelda as it is (I'd better, to call OoT my favorite console game ever), but it might be interesting to see one where they do a truly interesting, segmented overworld in the LA style which truly forces you to TRY to explore it and puts world exploration back into the focus it was in in that game. LA's dungeons are amazing too, but you spend a lot of time exploring that world...

One little four square area in Link's Awakening has at least as much or more character and play quality (and, probably, content) as an entire SQUARE of that nine-square grid in LttP. Now that's great design.

 

[MasterTK]

Better than all the 3D Zeldas. Tied with Majora's Mask though, maybe.

That's right!
My first Zelda game ever and it was(and still is) so awesome!