A Link Between Worlds and the Zelda Formula

A Link Between Worlds is a game that’s equal parts entertaining and fascinating. Nintendo said they were trying to rewrite the so-called “Zelda Formula” with ALBW, but that begs the question: what exactly IS the Zelda Formula? Moreover, did the development team succeed in breaking it? Reviewers certainly thought so. However, when you take a closer look at both the game and the Zelda Formula, it becomes apparent that it is far more complicated than that.

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I would like to prepare for (or possibly prevent) the full broadside that many, many readers are about to give me with a disclaimer. A Link Between Worlds is a wonderful game; I devoured the game voraciously upon my first play-through and loved every single second spent with my 3DS in hand. I think that A Link Between Worlds is the finest Zelda game since The Wind Waker, but it didn’t moon the Zelda formula as much as people thought it did . . . didn’t go too far into new territory. Again, it is a fantastic game, but I think that thoughtful criticism is required for the game industry to grow, and for proper enjoyment of a game to take place.

I would also like to quickly address “painting Link”, an entirely new gameplay mechanic introduced in ALBW. Yes, it is original to this game, but saying that the painting mechanic alone “redefined the Zelda formula” is like saying the same thing about the wolf sections in Twilight Princess.

For many, the first thing that comes to mind when they think of a Zelda game is dungeons. Lots of ’em. This makes sense because the dungeons have generally been the most challenging and memorable parts of the majority of Zelda games. Think back to your favorite Zelda game. Unless you’re a fan of Majora’s Mask, or are like me and are easily entertained by just screwing around in the overworld of games like A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening, one of your favorite memories of the game will have taken place in a dungeon. In this regard, A Link Between Worlds is no different from any other Zelda game to have come out in the last five years or so; the game is littered with a multitude of dungeons, each with its own unique themes, puzzles, and boss battle.

Really, there are only two differences between the dungeons specifically of ALBW and Skyward Sword: the length and the space. The dungeons in A Link Between Worlds are designed like those of a 2D Zelda Game (such as its inspiration, A Link to the Past) while those of Skyward Sword are designed as 3D spaces. ALBW also has considerably shorter dungeons than Skyward Sword. What could take you half an hour to accomplish in ALBW may take twice that in Skyward Sword. The same, however, could also be said for Skyward Sword and A Link to the Past. The dungeons in ALBW then, are actually staying true to the Zelda Formula far more than Skyward Sword.

Another aspect that many people point to is the lack of items in the dungeons. Those who have not played the game (but who on this website can honestly say that they haven’t?) are most likely expecting to rent every single item in Ravio’s shop and find nothing in the dungeons except for some keys and the odd silver rupee. This is untrue. Though yes, the “use with a button” items must be purchased, any item that upgrades Link himself, such as the Hylian Shield and stamina meter upgrades, can be found in a dungeon. Because of this, every single dungeon has a goody to seek.

On a related note, this isn’t the first time that a Zelda game has had a player acquire an item crucial to progression outside of a dungeon. Ocarina of Time forced the player to purchase or their first shield, and The Wind Waker had the player sail the high seas to find many items integral to the game experience. Items such as the Ice Arrows and the Power Bracelet were found on their own small islands, far removed from any traditional dungeon. The Wind Waker was the largest implementation of such a strategy that we had seen before A Link Between Worlds. Even if we had not seen such item acquisition on the scale that it took in A Link Between Worlds, it has certainly been present in Zelda to a relatively large degree before.

One aspect that many people point out when they say A Link Between Worlds “redefined Zelda” is the non-linearity of the game. Quite a few say that it is somewhat similar to the older Metroid games in that the game gives you options in regards to what you’re going to do. I don’t disagree with any of this- the game is far less linear than any Zelda title in easily fifteen years. However, does this break the Zelda formula? Not really. What many fans, including myself, believe to be the finest Zelda game, A Link to the Past, had the entirety of the latter section of the game be non-linear. Even though A Link Between Worlds extends this courtesy to the first part of the game as well, the quantity of choices in ALTTP are too substantial to be discounted. Given that those who believe in a truly strong Zelda formula generally insist that A Link to the Past created the recipe, this would imply that non-linearity has always been a property of the Zelda formula.

I would hope that by now it would be apparent that A Link Between Worlds isn’t as revolutionary as many people proclaimed it to be upon release. I would be lying if I said that Zelda games weren’t similar to each other, but where the similarities of a series end and the inimitable formula of the same series begins is fuzzy, to say the least. Every single series has more similarities between games than differences, and A Link Between Worlds has far more in common with other Zelda games than it does differently. The aspects said to be so unique to A Link Between Worlds have been done before in other Zelda games. It’s a unique blend of elements from other Zelda games, not a complete overhaul of the series, and I’m fine with that.