Okay, so I've completed the game, and I want to share some final thoughts:
- This game is a total and absolute masterpiece. The mastery over level design and mechanics on show in this game put most modern games to shame. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like when this game, with its intermeshing system of locks and keys, Metroidvania progression, two overlaying worlds, and its great world and dungeon design, first came out in 1992, because even in 2019, this game is mind blowing in terms of just how great it is
- My favorite dungeons were the Ice Palace, Turtle Rock, and Ganon's Tower. No dungeon in the game feels bad, but I think the SKull Woods one comes very close
- There are a delightful number of secrets just tucked away in the world for those who want to take a minute off from the main quest, and go poking around in suspicious places
- There is an incredible sense of ownership and place in terms of your adventure in A Link to the Past. If you remember, I praised Breath of the Wild for this same thing, but A Link to the Past achieves it too. It makes you feel like Hyrule truly has fallen into disrepair and ruin, and you are all that stands between its ruin and it
- The music, obviously, is a masterpiece. I already named the Dark World overworld theme before, but I want to take a minute to call out the Death Mountain theme, which might actually be my favorite in the series so far
- Overall, this is an incredible game, and a totally different brand and genre of title than what I expected going in with only BOTW as my experience. While I don't think I enjoyed Link to the Past as much as BOTW, I do think it was super close, and I actually wonder if the older Zelda games were all like this, what the need to switch the formula up even was.
TL;DR: this game is a masterpiece, and I am glad to have played it, and thank you to everyone who asked me that I do. I think my only question is, do I want to play Link's Awakening next, or should I take a bit of a break?
It's lovely to see you enthralled with the game like this. It was indeed a one-of-a-kind experience back then, at least for me. The SNES was an absolute monster in terms of gaming masterpieces.
If you loved its music, I recommend you check out Cadence of Hyrule's soundtrack. It's beyond fantastic, and includes two new versions (calm and combat) of each of many Zelda tracks, including the two you mention as your favorites:
As for what Zelda game to play next, you have quite a few options. If you want more of that ALttP goodness and have a 3DS, A Link Between Worlds is an amazing sequel that manages to capture the spirit of the original while being its own thing. I feel it's a game that really, really wants to be played in 3D, so I would dearly recommend playing it on a 3D-capable unit. Other than that, the best 2D Zelda games are indeed Link's Awakening and the Oracle games.
Aside from those, there's the 3D / third person games, obviously. The issue here, as far as I'm concerned, is that you played the best one by far (BotW), but they are excellent games for the most part, too. Just don't expect them to be mindblowing in the sense both LttP and BotW are.
A more out-there recommendation I would personally make is to check Cadence of Hyrule. It's obviously a very different beast, being rhythm-based (you can turn that off and make it a kind of turn-based game), but it's simply fantastic, especially once you get into daily runs and speedrunning. It also has a free demo on the eShop!
