Comparing Zelda games can be a bit like trying to rank high-end audio equipment from memory. Sure, it’s fun and makes for great conversation, but odds are that personal bias, nostalgia, or even justification of one’s purchase will get in the way far before useful conclusions are reached. Of course, in audio the solution is A/B testing. Given that it would be rather tedious to compare each Zelda dungeon one by one, or have test subjects witness each game’s story and measure how many milliliters of pure saline water are expelled for each end-sequence, it’s nice to know Nintendo can pump out a Zelda that is lean, compact, and unequivocally exceptional in all important areas. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is that Zelda game.
The main gameplay trope at hand this time around is Link’s ability to merge with walls as a painting, and it turns out that what initially seems like just another gimmick is one of the more game-changing implements in recent Zelda memory. Additionally, Link Between Worlds is the polar opposite of Skyward Sword when it comes to linearity. Not only does the game feature a sizeable (and more importantly, content-rich) overworld, it actually lets you tackle dungeons in any order you so desire after a certain point in the story. This is accomplished via a quirky, chinchilla-like fellow named Ravio, though you can read our review for more details about all of that.
Though Link Between Worlds’ new features garnered the most attention from the gaming press, its true feat is its ability to harness the best things about the franchise, and compile each and every one of them into a single game. Open world? Check. Excellent dungeons? Yup. Non-linear progression, stellar boss fights, and tear-jerking narrative delivery? Yes, yes, and yes again. Though it may not be a technical marvel or a heavy-hitting console blockbuster, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds achieves what has evaded nearly every Zelda — in some capacity — since A Link to the Past itself. Throw in some modern sensibility, and the result is a truly exquisite specimen of action adventure, and an excellent Zelda by every quantifiable gaming meter.