The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Overview

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a 1991 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is the third game in The Legend of Zelda series, following Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987). It was released in Japan in 1991, and in North America and Europe in 1992.

The story is set many years before the events of the first two Zelda games. The player assumes the role of Link as he journeys to save Hyrule, defeat the Demon King Ganon, and rescue the descendants of the Seven Sages. It returns to a top-down perspective similar to the original The Legend of Zelda, dropping the side-scrolling gameplay of The Adventure of Link. It also introduced series staples such as parallel worlds and items including the Master Sword.

A Link to the Past is considered among the greatest video games ever made, with particular praise for its presentation and innovative gameplay. It was ported to the Game Boy Advance as A Link to the Past and Four Swords in 2002, and had sold 6.5 million copies across both platforms by 2004. It was subsequently re-released on the Wii, Wii U, and New Nintendo 3DS via the Virtual Console, the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Classics service, and the Super NES Classic Edition. A sequel, A Link Between Worlds, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013.

Official trailer

Gameplay video. Watch on YouTube

Gameplay

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES) Playthrough, NintendoComplete. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Puzzle, Adventure

Developer

Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development

Publisher

St. GIGA, Nintendo

Series

The Legend of Zelda

Platforms

Super Nintendo, Wii, Wii U

Age rating

ESRB E

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

No

Online multiplayer

No

Co op

No

Age ratings

ACB

PG

CLASS IND

10

ESRB

E

CERO

A

USK

6

PEGI

7

Release dates

Editions

Check out the store

Space and patches

Update patchNo patch

DLC

No DLC. Super Nintendo games had no downloadable content.

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single player only, with no online features. The cartridge runs on any Super Nintendo, and the game is on Nintendo Switch Online.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Reception

Aggregates

Outlet	Platform	Score	Scale
GameRankings	SNES	93	100

Critics

Outlet	Score	Scale
Famitsu	39	40
Electronic Gaming Monthly	35	40
GamePro	5	5
Dragon	5	5
AllGame	5	5
Mega Fun	95	100

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
Director	Takashi Tezuka
Producer	Shigeru Miyamoto
Programmers	Yasunari Soejima, Toshihiko Nakago
Artists	Masanao Arimoto, Tsuyoshi Watanabe
Writer	Kensuke Tanabe
Composer	Koji Kondo

Notes for collectors

• Link moves between the Light World and the Dark World, a ruined mirror of Hyrule with the same layout.
• Joined the Player's Choice line in North America, meaning at least a million copies sold there.
• Held the top spot on Nintendo Power's Super NES chart for more than five years running.
• Ported to Game Boy Advance with Four Swords in 2002; the two had sold 6.5 million copies by 2004.
• Followed in 2013 by A Link Between Worlds on the 3DS.

Credits

Publisher

Nintendo

Developer

Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development

Director

Takashi Tezuka

Released

1992-04-13

Age rating

ESRB E

Region

US

Time to beat

about 14.6 hours