Zelda - A Link to the Past

Zelda Zelda Zelda


This is another one of my bf's recommended games that is created for SNES. He thinks I will like it because it is really quite a cute game. This is like an adventure role playing game with a save-the-world storyline. Similarly, I didn't know much about the gameplay and narrative. I am super proud of myself for the completion of this game because my bf have not played this before! Hence, he was not able to give me any hints or advice.

I must say that this game was really stress causing and I relied quite a bit on walkthroughs :x. 

STORYLINE

In the kingdom of Hyrule, legend was told that there is a powerful golden power somewhere in a hidden land. They call it the Golden Land and whoever has the power could possibly rule the world. People sought to enter the Golden Land but nobody returned. The king summoned the 7 wise men to seal the entrance when evil power was spreading. Despite years of peace, a mysterious wizard, Agahnim, released the seal and captured the king. The 7 wise men and 7 princesses started disappearing one by one.

[Anyway, my main character's name is actually called Vanny because the game let me name him and I don't remember it having a default name. I only realised later on that his name is Link and that the title of the game actually refers to his name and the linkage to the past 😆. ]

It starts off with Link being awakened by Princess Zelda who was speaking to him telephatically, asking him to save her. Such a cool superpower huh. Link's uncle was actually going to save Zelda and told him to stay home. Link, however, must go to Hyrule castle for the game to progress. He finds his uncle who  gave him his sword to fight his way through. Saving Princess Zelda and fighting all the soldiers along the way, Link reaches a sanctuary where the loyal sage will ensure Zelda's safety. Link is told to find one of the 7 wise men's descendents, who is the village elder in Kakariko Village. Speaking to the village people, Link will head to the Eastern Palace to find the elder hiding.

He was told of the evil powers of Agahnim and the only way to stop him is to get the Master sword. Before he is able to wield the sword, he must first achieve the 3 pendants from each location after fighting the bosses. He got the moon pearl at the Tower of Hera, which can help him to keep his original shape if he ends up in the Dark World. Just as he managed to get the Master sword, Zelda talks to him telephatically as she is captured away. Afterwhich, although Link defeats Agahnim, the evil wizard uses the last of his power to warp Link into the Dark World. The Dark World is actually the Golden Land, but because it is swarmed with evil powers, it was transformed. How shall the hero put things back right?

The magic mirror that Link has received would be able to temporary warp him back to the Light World. He has to return to the same spot to go back or find a portal that links the two worlds. Once you reach this stage, you will know that some thinking is required to travel between the worlds since some paths are blocked. After saving the 6 princesses from each dungeon,  Princess Zelda's dungeon will be the combination of all the battles and it will be the hardest. After the very last battle at the pyramid, the Dark World is destroyed, giving way to the Golden Land. The people are safe now!

GAMEPLAY

The game allows you to explore freely. You can go anywhere unless you need a certain item which you will eventually get if you finish your quests.  This adventure rpg's soldiers and monsters will respawn as you leave the gamescreen and come back again. They will run towards your character as you go near and you can take damage if you didn't defend well. It was so stressful for me because I kept taking damage and with only 3 hearts at the beginning, the game is difficult. There will be a irritating warning sound that will keep playing when your life is too low! One of the kind of puzzle that helped train my control skills is the one where the door will only open when all torches are lighted up. You only have a certain time period before the light goes off. There are also those where the ground keeps moving and you have to fight monsters and avoid sharp edges. Again and again I tried,  and my skills got better!

Enemies

The enemies outside the main map are generally soldiers who are influenced by evil forces, wild crows and creatures. In a dungeon/palace/boss building, there will be all sorts of different monsters, before you get to the boss' location. It is interesting to figure them out. One of such is the Goriya monster in which it will move in a an opposite direction as your character. It will shoot an arrow once it faces Link. There are many cool puzzles to figure out in all the major battles. The last battle with Ganon will combine all the things you have learnt in the game. The big bosses are all special and you need to know how to kill them. For example, in the place where the Link manages to find the hookshot item, it is utilized to take away all the metal pieces from the boss before it can take any damage. The game will probably not be able to continue until you manage to get that certain item to move on.

Life & Items

I was initially wondering how do I get the life. Thankfully, Link's house has permanent hearts which you can get because it will respawn once you leave the game screen and come back again. Don't worry, you can also increase your overall health as you go around finding heart pieces. One of them is quite random, by paying to dig in the soil with a shovel obtained. Another one is by running towards the destination within 15 seconds. This game really trains my patience, speed and reflex. Just keep practising! As you explore, you will get new items that come useful later on. Boomarang and firerod are necessary and used often. You would also need the magic hammer, before you can whack down those round barriers. You will find or buy glass bottles which you can use to store health potion or magic potion. This is important nearing the end when the monster is tough and you would not want to be stuck with no life or magic left! 

Along the way, there are ways to upgrade your items. You have to explore and be attentive to whatever other characters say. One fairygod mother will keep helping you if you keep trying! Keep more money when you find the mysterious pond. At first, you cannot swim, but once you get the Zora's flippers, you can! Skills like running or lifting heavy are also available once you equip clothings you obtained along the way. So while the game has a lot of freedom to roam about, certain places cannot be explored until you have a certain skill or item. 

I was very confused with this game and really had to rely on Youtube! Unlike Chrono Trigger, the names of the places are not displayed on the map itself. So you need to look at the signboards as you explore along to know where you are. Therefore, I usually look at Youtube to figure out how I am supposed to go somewhere. There are also guides online with pictures that can guide you along if you are stuck. This game was a challenge for me but it is really fun. Some puzzles are so cleverly created but some things make me feel stupid after I realised how it is supposed to be. 

Completion of Zelda - A link to the past has definitely up my gaming skill level! 

Pictures: Screenshots from the game

Wonder - The boy named August

Wonder - R. J. Palacio

I got to know about this book because of the Movie trailer which looks like a touching tear jerker. You know, the boy with the astronaut helmet. I did not watch the movie but the book is enjoyable!

The story is about this boy who went to school for the very first time of his life. He was protected by his family and homeschooled since young due to a craniofacial disorder at birth, causing his facial features to be deformed. His life changed as he started to enter school. He found reality, courage and true friendship in the process.

The book is really engaging because it is written from a young adult's/ child's point of view. In fact, it includes the point of view from other characters like his sister and his friends. August is just 10 years old when he first started school. His family and him were very apprehensive from the start. The middle school director, Mr Tushman, gathered 3 "known to be good" students to befriend him and guide him at the start. True enough, other students were shooting mean remarks and were afraid of touching August. Only Jack, one of 3 kids assigned, hung out with him. On the other hand, Julian was making things difficult for him. He met his one true friend, Summer, who truly wanted to befriend him because he was a nice guy to be around with. Of course, when you read her part, you will realised that it all started out of sympathy. There was a hurtful misunderstanding between Jack and August, and it is interesting to read from each of their chapters to understand what really goes on in their mind. When August thought his friend, Jack was befriending him just because he was told by the middle school director, we get to read from Jack's point of view that it was not exactly the case. At the end of school term, one outdoor camp changed everything. Through challenges from external parties, the friends all stood by August.

The language used is simple and easy to read. This is with exception of Justin's chapter in which the paragraphs have no proper capitalization and structure. I do believe this is intentional, but it was rather difficult to read there! The whole book brings you through the story of each different characters and you have to work to piece them up altogether. This is quite stimulating to the brain 😏. What might seem to be in a certain way to someone might not be what the truth really is. It is not what you say that matters, it is how the other person interprets it.

This is really quite a fun and warmth hearted book.💓

If you want a higher level challenge for the mind, try the thriller novel "The girl on the train" by Paula Hawkins. That is captivating and makes you want to find out more, although the plot is a bit sick. It is written in a similar style from the point of view of 3 different characters. Reading Fifty shades of grey from both Christian's and Ana's view is also quite fun.