A Link Between Worlds Hero Mode Impressions

[JuicieJ]

So Hero Mode in A Link Between Worlds is actually... really tough. Not along the lines of Zelda II, but definitely a lot harder than what you would expect from a Zelda game. I've only just gotten to Lorule and have died multiple times -- most deaths have been undone by fairies, but still. Nintendo actually managed to make a truly harder difficulty setting this time. It's impressive to say the least.

 

[The Jade Fist]

You could do what I'm doing and play hero mode with 3 hearts. I'll let you know if I ever beat it.

edit: just trying to encourage more people seeking a challenge to try

 

[Salem]

You could do what I'm doing and play hero mode with 3 hearts. I'll let you know if I ever beat it.

Wouldn't some Lorule enemies effectively give you a one-hit kill?

 

[The Jade Fist]

Wouldn't some Lorule enemies effectively give you a one-hit kill?

Yes.

edit:

3 heart hero mode, makes it so you have to take literally every threat and enemy seriously.

 

[tketle]

I really like it so far. It's made the rental system more relevant to me (went through the normal game with zero deaths, so it was pretty inconsequential then), meaning I no longer am able to rent out (and later buy) every single item from the get-go, because I no longer have an abundance of rupees, because I keep dying. Now I usually plan what I'm going to do and only rent what's necessary.

I've been thinking a lot more creatively with combat now, because enemies that deal eight hearts damage are not uncommon in Lorule. For instance, I don't go near anything without hitting it with the hookshot first, and then I'll kill it with the sword, or if I'm feeling more threatened throw some bombs or use the fire rod. Sometimes I'll just slip by as a painting and avoid conflict altogether.

I've also spent a lot of time amassing as many heart pieces as I can so I can survive more than one hit in Lorule.

So yeah, Hero Mode is definitely my preferred way to play this game.

 

[Krazy4Krash]

Hero Mode is mighty fine. I've completed three Lorule dungeons, and despite struggles in surviving navigation, including in the initial three Hyrule dungeons, I'm yet to die at any boss. It's honestly getting easier now, due to having more hearts and surviving more than two hits from a rat.

 

[Ventus]

I'm doing a Hero Mode "almost 100%" run, so I can't really comment on a three heart run...except for the fact that you can still be OHKO'd at ten (10) hearts. I have to say, I love this HM. 4x damage is great. But it isn't 4x damage alone. It's erratic enemy animations that keep you on edge, the fact that enemies deal damage on contact and still have AoE damage, and enemies are almost literally in droves. Shame on me for not realizing this before, but this is where Nintendo can be "lazy" with hero mode and get away with it. I love it. I love it. I loooooove it.

But that being said, I don't have the gall to do a thorough Hero Mode 3HC w/restrictions juuuust yet. I'm still running around with my Nice Fire Rod and Nice Ice Rod. <3

ALL HAIL SAKIMOTO AND MIYAMOTO, BEST DEVELOPERS EVER! ALL HAIL A LINK TO THE PAST AND A LINK BETWEEN WORLDS, BEST 2D AND ARGUABLY BEST GENERAL ZELDAS EVER!

 

[Demiga]

The first three dungeons were really tricky, but I couldn't get past those rolling boulders on Death Mountain for the life of me! As soon as I got to Lorule I went after the Blue Mail, which made it significantly easier, but its still quite the challenge!

 

[snakeoiltanker]

I just beat Normal mode Wednesday, started my Hero Mode run right after completion, I got a good idea of how im gonna go about beating it. My first play through gave me a good idea of what order to beat the dungeons. Outside of combat, Hero Mode is no different, however it does have me playing the game the way i used to play ALttP back in the day. Always have my boomerang now so i can stun enemies, as I learned to not be careless within 5 minutes of play time, when i got OHKOed by a dang Buzzblob!

I do want to point this out guys, as it is embarrassing as hell, I almost 100% Normal Mode without any assistance what so ever! In the end i was missing 6 heart pieces, and NEVER got my Pegasus Boots. I beat the game without ever getting them, and I still dont know where they are! I got the Gold Sword, and Blue Mail, so if there is a Red Mail, i never got that either. But for a first run i must say im proud of it!

 

[JuicieJ]

Just so you all know, I went ahead and got the Blue Mail and Hylian Shield (in that order) right away. I was NOT going to put up with 4 hearts of damage in Lorule. XD

 

[MW7]

Hero Mode is definitely making me be more cautious. I've been very careful about how I approach enemies and have been going through the game in the easiest path I could think of. I did the House of Gales before the Tower of Hera because I felt like the extra heart container would help a little more in the Tower of Hera than vice versa. I did the Swamp Palace first in Lorule to get the blue mail, then finished up to the bosses in the Dark Palace and Skull Woods to upgrade the sword. Next I completed up to the warp point in the Desert Palace just after gettting the Titan's Mitt and got the overworld master ore. Then I beat Thieve's Town all the way through and upgraded to the best sword. I went back to beat the bosses in the Dark Palace and Skull Woods and finish the Desert Palace. I feel like the items in Turtle Rock and the Ice Ruins are the least helpful so I saved those for last. I also highly prioritized getting all the bottles ASAP, and this has helped because I haven't come close to dying since the initial part of the game when I only had three hearts and no bottles.

I'm going to work up to a minimalist run eventually. I can't imagine how hard it will be. It will certainly be the hardest challenge I've ever done in a Zelda game. I'm used to minimalist runs of OoT and MM, and ALBW will make those look like a joke. I think next I will try 3 hearts with all items and upgrades, then try all hearts with only required items and no upgrades, and finally go all out for the true minimalist run. Hero Mode definitely makes the game a lot harder. I love the nonlinearity of the game along with all the dungeon items being optional because it let's you make the game a lot easier or a lot harder by choice.

 

[alexanderraimo]

I beat normal mode the other day... not sure if I'm brave enough for Hero Mode. I think it will annoy me more than challenge me.

 

[Night Owl]

Hero mode is tough. However I kept running to the dungeons because I felt safe there, which is strange.
90% of my deaths have been to overworld enemies, especially electric buzz blobs at the beginning of the game.

Hero mode made me value the mail, sword upgrades, and heart pieces that I took for granted during my normal run.

time to face Yuga and see how many deaths I had on hero mode. I know I had none on my normal run, aside from deaths with fairies.

 

[Ventus]

Just so you all know, I went ahead and got the Blue Mail and Hylian Shield (in that order) right away. I was NOT going to put up with 4 hearts of damage in Lorule. XD

The cyclops can do I think 8 hearts of damage w/green tunic, it's insane. I love this so much. Anyway I just got the Blue Mail, completed Swamp, completed up to the Stamina Scroll in IR, left that and went to get three of the four Master Ores. So I have every dungeon except Dark Palace (I need its master ore) and Ice Ruins completed. I have 81 maiamais collected, the other 19 I'll get to test out that babe Great Spin Attack on a couple enemies in TTower. Uh...yeah that's about it. I've been getting one shot and two shot by almost every Lorule enemy so I just had to get that Blue Mail.

Like MW7, I am also going to work up to a Hero Mode Minimalist run. It's going to be glorious. And my death count will be far over 23.

 

[JuicieJ]

The cyclops can do I think 8 hearts of damage w/green tunic, it's insane. I love this so much.

Excessive, if you ask me. But, then again, this comes with the 4x damage.