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Zelda: A Link to the Past turns 32 years old today. What are your first memories of the game?
- Thread starter ReyVGM
- Start date
Where to begin? It was one of the first games I ever played on the SNES. The sense of wonder and adventure it gave me as a child will ever be imprinted in my brain. Back than I thought for a while, that this must be the pinnacle of gaming, and then Ocarina of Time was announced.
I have an original packaged copy of A Link to the Past to this day as a memento.
I have an original packaged copy of A Link to the Past to this day as a memento.
Actually I didn't like it that much, at the time.
I played it quite late, and had already played FF VI and Chrono Trigger before, so I was a bit underwhelmed, especially since it was a highly praised game. I didn't play the zelda NES games either (I had the master system) so I wasn't hyped about the Zelda name.
I guess Zelda was also very popular in france because very few Rpg or action Rpg were actually released here. I had to import the pricey US games to play CT and FF VI, buy the adapter etc… which was not easy for most kids. When LTTP was released, I couldn't buy it probably - I could only afford to buy a few games a year, so I had to pick wisely.
The first Zelda game I fell in love with was actually Link's Awakening on GB. Now that was a revelation ! The humour, characters and story really captivated me. And the dungeons were very clever.
I learned to appreciate LTTP later though, but it isn't the holy grail for me, like it is for some other people.
I played it quite late, and had already played FF VI and Chrono Trigger before, so I was a bit underwhelmed, especially since it was a highly praised game. I didn't play the zelda NES games either (I had the master system) so I wasn't hyped about the Zelda name.
I guess Zelda was also very popular in france because very few Rpg or action Rpg were actually released here. I had to import the pricey US games to play CT and FF VI, buy the adapter etc… which was not easy for most kids. When LTTP was released, I couldn't buy it probably - I could only afford to buy a few games a year, so I had to pick wisely.
The first Zelda game I fell in love with was actually Link's Awakening on GB. Now that was a revelation ! The humour, characters and story really captivated me. And the dungeons were very clever.
I learned to appreciate LTTP later though, but it isn't the holy grail for me, like it is for some other people.
SNES consoles weren't really a thing here (n64 was really the first), but I definitely found a way to play it. Mostly this was the game that made it clear that we were missing some shit.
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It probably is the best one. It's ageless and its quality and design are pretty much unassailable.
Right, kind of like finishing The Wire.
First memory was finding out about it and being so excited that they were making a new Zelda game in the style of the original game and not Zelda 2.
Second memory was buying it as my very first SNES game (after Super Mario World which was the pack-in) and being blown away by the rain at the beginning of the game.
Second memory was buying it as my very first SNES game (after Super Mario World which was the pack-in) and being blown away by the rain at the beginning of the game.
I wasn't mega into it as I played it after having played LA and both Oracle games first.
Funnily enough LTTP felt weird while in hindsight LA and the Oracle games were the weird ones.
I remember being especially disappointed that the dungeons in LTTP didn't have their own unique OST haha.
Funnily enough LTTP felt weird while in hindsight LA and the Oracle games were the weird ones.
I remember being especially disappointed that the dungeons in LTTP didn't have their own unique OST haha.
This was a defining event in my childhood. I always enjoyed playing games before this, like the SMB games, but AlttP is the first game that immersed me like no other. It felt more like a window into another world, than a game.
Funny thing is I never owned it back then. There was a kid in the neighborhood that owned it, and I had to borrow it tons of times to complete it. I was way more into it than he ever was. I remember getting a N64 with Mario Kart, and letting him borrow it all just so I could play more AlttP on my dusty SNES.
I was stuck so many places - I forgot the Moon Pearl and ran around as a rabbit, I struggled with finding access to the darkworld areas with dungeon 3-8, and most of all, I spent months figuring how to make Blind appear in Dungeon 4.
This game absorbed me and inhabited my thoughts for years on end. I absolutely loved it. It's my 1# goat (tied with OoT).
Shoutout to the manga aswell:
I only got to read the first chapter, but it sparked my imagination for how the world of Alttp existed in my head.
10/10. Best game ever.
Funny thing is I never owned it back then. There was a kid in the neighborhood that owned it, and I had to borrow it tons of times to complete it. I was way more into it than he ever was. I remember getting a N64 with Mario Kart, and letting him borrow it all just so I could play more AlttP on my dusty SNES.
I was stuck so many places - I forgot the Moon Pearl and ran around as a rabbit, I struggled with finding access to the darkworld areas with dungeon 3-8, and most of all, I spent months figuring how to make Blind appear in Dungeon 4.
This game absorbed me and inhabited my thoughts for years on end. I absolutely loved it. It's my 1# goat (tied with OoT).
Shoutout to the manga aswell:
I only got to read the first chapter, but it sparked my imagination for how the world of Alttp existed in my head.
10/10. Best game ever.
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This right here. Coming from the NES, this was legit a next gen experience. Incredible way to start a game with this graphical and audio showcase
I got it on 3DS because I picked up a cheap copy of ALBW and figured I should play this first. I got to where you turn into a rabbit and then started playing something else 🤷♂️
prop the best? yeah def the best randomized romhack ever made and its so smooth and seamless its like Nintendo did it themself
Absolutely blew my mind as a 7 year old. I honestly thought I had finished the game when I beat the light world, just to see the game ocntinue in the dark world with 8 more dungeons.
Think it's still in beta, but there's another one that mixes Super Metroid, LTTP, Zelda 1, and Metroid all together lol
holy :O
Did not know about that one wow that sounds insane and incredible can't wait for a GDQ of that one with 4 players.
It still blows my mind that this even works.
Like I get the Link to the Past Randomizer working, but being able to merge two separate games and randomize those and not break is super impressive.
I first played this on the GBA, it was my second Zelda game (after OoT). And like OoT I struggled a lot lol. I was not good at Zelda as a kid, and frequently got stuck in ALttP and had to look up guides or ask friends for help. It left me feeling bittersweet towards the whole thing. Many years later, after I was more familiar with Zelda, I went back to replay it and was shocked at how much I loved it. Despite being one of the first Zeldas, the dungeon design, overworld, atmospheric moments, plethora of fun items to get, and secrets to find made for an incredible experience, and now it's probably my favorite 2D Zelda. It's incredible how much this game did for its time, truly a legendary achievement.
I had ordered it from the Sears catalog because they had it pictured there long before it was actually out. I kept waiting and waiting. We went on a camping vacation and I remember coming home and there was nothing in the mailbox so I was disappointed. Then when I opened the screen door the manilla mailer package just fell out and the game was inside. I played the crap out of it for the next few days. I still have that copy CIB in my collection.
Played this on launch when I was 6 thanks to my older brother, and its been one of my favorite games since. I can still do a 100% run from memory in a day or two these days.
I still think OOT and MM are as good as this, but this was a magical time in gaming.
I still think OOT and MM are as good as this, but this was a magical time in gaming.
Got my SNES as a Christmas Gift from my parents with both Donkey Kong Country and ALLTP in the box...
My first memories of this game are of me stuck for hours/days after beating the first dungeon because I didn't speak english back then and didn't know I had to speak to Sahasrahla again... So I spent a lot of time looking for the Pegasus Boots. After I got them I cruised through the game and loved it!
My first memories of this game are of me stuck for hours/days after beating the first dungeon because I didn't speak english back then and didn't know I had to speak to Sahasrahla again... So I spent a lot of time looking for the Pegasus Boots. After I got them I cruised through the game and loved it!
I wasn't familiar with Zelda at the time. I knew what it was since I was a subscriber to Nintendo Power, but I hadn't played the NES games. One of my friends had ALttP, and I borrowed it from him one time. I'm pretty certain that the opening scene with the rain really grabbed me. There was an atmosphere that I hadn't experienced on the SNES before, or much at all (the original Resident Evil would have been the one other game that I played previously that had an atmosphere).
I didn't beat the game (would only do so on the GBA years later), but I really enjoyed my time with it, and it made me a Zelda fan. I would go on to have my parents buy me Ocarina of Time around the time it came out, and that game would go on to have a profound effect on me.
I didn't beat the game (would only do so on the GBA years later), but I really enjoyed my time with it, and it made me a Zelda fan. I would go on to have my parents buy me Ocarina of Time around the time it came out, and that game would go on to have a profound effect on me.
I remember my brother and I getting my Dad to drive us around to every mom-n-pop electronics store in town trying to find a copy on release day. One shop we went into, some 40 year-old neckbeard was behind the counter playing the game on a small CRT and he had a stack of about 6 copies of the game beside him. When I asked about buying a copy, he spun around in his chair and smugly told me "they're all mine."
We eventually found a copy, but that image of an overweight, middle-aged dude with the biggest shit-eating grin you've ever seen has really stuck with me.
We eventually found a copy, but that image of an overweight, middle-aged dude with the biggest shit-eating grin you've ever seen has really stuck with me.
Was confused of a moment before remembering the US release was months later. Bit weird to be just that much older than LTTP for how prominent it was to me as a kid as my older brother had it/was playing it a lot around me growing up. That would be my first memories, just a small kid watching it played before I figured it out myself.
This seems... amazing, and I'm going to tackle it as soon as I come home from work
I'm old, so I got the game when I was ~10 years old, and I loved it. It was definetly my favorite game until OoT came out.
Fun fact, I didn't have a guide as a kid, and I couldn't figure out how to get into the Temple #2 in the Dark World. I ended up beating temples 3, 4 and 5, before beating #2. I found it super cool that you didn't have to do them in order (you can do #4 before #3 as well).
Fun fact, I didn't have a guide as a kid, and I couldn't figure out how to get into the Temple #2 in the Dark World. I ended up beating temples 3, 4 and 5, before beating #2. I found it super cool that you didn't have to do them in order (you can do #4 before #3 as well).
How did you beat #5 without the hookshot? O_o
(there's a glitch you can do in randomizers with the Cane of Somaria from #6, but not in the normal game cause you won't have it)
Looking at a quick walkthrough, it indeed seems like the hookshot is 100% required. Huh. I must be remembering wrong. Definetly did 3 and 4 before the swamp temple though, I remember not being able to figure out the light world / dark world trick of draining its entrance.
My best guess is that I got the hookshot, but then couldn't figure out the rest of the temple, so I went ahead and beat the ice level. Then 30 years passed, and my brain blended doing #3-4 first with #5.
Fair enough lol. I guess technically you can do a bomb jump to short circuit the need for the hookshot, but most people don't generally know that weird little trick.
We rented it in the summer of '92 and I was 7. I remember saving Zelda and getting her to the sanctuary and being so happy with the game only to realize it was only the beginning.
Then one of my favorite memories of my dad was my brother and I swimming (we lived on a lake) and him walking down to the dock and asking us if we wanted to return the game late and he would eat the late costs.
It was probably because he was feeling lazy and didn't want to drive it back. But at the time it was the ultimate summer moment. One more day with Zelda.
We got it for Christmas that year and I still have the full boxed copy.
Then one of my favorite memories of my dad was my brother and I swimming (we lived on a lake) and him walking down to the dock and asking us if we wanted to return the game late and he would eat the late costs.
It was probably because he was feeling lazy and didn't want to drive it back. But at the time it was the ultimate summer moment. One more day with Zelda.
We got it for Christmas that year and I still have the full boxed copy.
I can't imagine that I was figuring out advanced speedrun tricks in 1994. I beat the game a dozen times before I figured how to get across that gap to the bonus room in Ganon's Tower.
my second favorite zelda game of all time after AoL, and a masterpiece. i got this very shortly after it came out and it blew me and my dad away.
just an incredible experience from start to finish.
just an incredible experience from start to finish.
I flipped through Nintendo Power magazine for months, fervently excited about the game. It was releasing after my birthday and way before Christmas.
I got home from school and my Mom asked me to grab something out of the microwave for her. Inside was the game. I didn't even know she knew the release date. To say I was excited would be an understatement.
Not exactly what you meant by this topic, but I had to share. Still one of my favorite Zelda games.
I got home from school and my Mom asked me to grab something out of the microwave for her. Inside was the game. I didn't even know she knew the release date. To say I was excited would be an understatement.
Not exactly what you meant by this topic, but I had to share. Still one of my favorite Zelda games.
Oh yeah same haha. I was like 7 when it came out so I wasn't doing those either