A Link Between Worlds successfully returns to what made the series famous.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds marks a new beginning for the Zelda series. Or rather, it marks a return to what made the games great in the first place. Until now, the Zelda games followed the Ocarina of Time formula in that you could only complete dungeons in a specific order. And within those dungeons, you would get a special item that you needed to have in order to complete the dungeon. Oh, and we can't forget about the helper NPC that followed you everywhere, always pointing you in the right direction when you didn't ask for help.
ALBW does away with all of that (mostly). By returning to the basics, Nintendo made a Zelda game worthy of the 8-bit/16-bit games. There's very little hand-holding, and you can visit the dungeons in any order you wish. All items that would have been found in dungeons are now available at the start; you can rent any item you want, but the catch is that if you die, you lose the all rented items. You can purchase the items, but they have a high cost. That's actually a good thing; in past Zelda games, rupees were trivialized as you progressed. But in ALBW, you're always in constant need of rupees since most items are expensive, including potions.
The ability to merge into walls might seem like a mere gimmick, but it turns out to be one of the best features in the game. It forces the player to think of new ways to solve puzzles. Sometimes, I found myself stuck in a dungeon, forgetting that I can merge into walls. The best part is that you can use this ability almost anywhere, and not just in designated spots. There is a meter that dictates how long you can remain in the wall, and that same meter also manages your item usage. Items consume varying amounts of the meter, and the meter regenerates slowly, so you have to be careful.
The only real problem with ALBW, ironically, is in its dungeons. You can tackle the dungeons in any order, but the dungeons themselves can still only be solved one way. Dungeons still require specific items, when it would've been better if dungeons could be completed without needing the “correct” item. That would have made for more interesting dungeon designs, because they would have multiple solutions leading to the boss, and not just one. It would've been great if the dungeon designs were as open-ended as the world surrounding them.
A Link Between Worlds is a taste of what's to come for future Zelda games. I'm hoping the missed opportunity with the dungeon design is addressed in Zelda U so that we get a true redefinition of Zelda conventions.
