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#5. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991)
Total Points: 82
List Appearances: 32
First Place Votes: 1
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Write-up provided by LightningStrikes
Im sorry to slightly rip off Zens Link Awakening write-up for this one, but its impossible for me to really talk about this game without getting into a personal story about it. When I was very young, I got a SNES for one birthday. I mostly played Mario and after a while went to get a new game, a fantasy themed game Id seen in some in-the-box advertising materials that seemed enticing and unlike anything else Id seen. And that game was Secret of Mana. So my dad and I went to a game store to get it, and I dont think I could find it. Instead I found a mysterious looking box for another fantasy game with a surprisingly ominous sounding description. And THAT game was The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. What that game did was show me what games could be. While this could be an exaggeration I would likely not be on this board if I hadnt gotten this game almost by accident! It showed me the potential of deep worlds to explore, of puzzles and systems, of games as a narrative medium and plot twists. It felt serious and dark without being too much so to be alienating for a child.

I was never very good at it when I was younger, not finishing it until the GBA rerelease (though I did get most of the way through on SNES), but I was absolutely transfixed. And thats what A Link to the Past is, its the absolute joy of video games in a nearly perfect form, every part of it from the dungeons, to the navigation, to the items, to the boss and encounter design, to the music, to the world design, to even (for a SNES action adventure game) the story, achieves exactly the effect it intends. There is little wonder that this game defined both Zelda and the action adventure genre. Whether looking at it personally through my own experience or at a remove, this is a truly special game.