Okay, so here's a game I haven't played even though apparently I should have, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Why haven't I played it? I really think it was just because I didn't know it existed. Like, I had heard of it, but I've never seen it or had the chance to play it really. Until I saw MatPat on the Game Theorist talk about it, saying that it was better than Ocarina of Time! What?! Well this simply cannot be, A Link to the Past is a 2D top-down game, while Ocarina of Time is a 3D third person game. How can the 2D game be better?!
You can actually see how here!Well, actually, that's a stupid question, a lot of games are better in 2D than 3D, but those things are beside the point. The point of this is, A Link to the Past starts on a...weird note.
Don't leave the house!If we jump back to the original Legend of Zelda for the NES, our hero link starts out with no equipment except his shield. If you walk into the first cave you'll get Link's sword, an (apparently) nonessential item that REALLY REALLY helps with the rest of the game. Like, I don't really see how people could beat the game without a sword, but apparently they do, so whatever. Anyway, so yeah, the first item you have in this game is your shield, and the first one you obtain is your sword.
Take this!That...makes sense right? Well obviously in any action/adventure game, the most important thing is your main weapon, so you have to start with it, or get it first, right? Let's take a look at a few others...Zelda II, Link starts with his sword and shield. Ocarina of Time, Link starts with nothing, but the first thing he obtains is his sword (or his shield if you decide you want to pick up and throw enough bushes to get those forty rupees.
Remeber this?Yeah, the good ol' Kokiri Sword, speaking of which, guess what items you start out with in the next game in the series? That's right, the Kokiri Sword, and the Hylian Shield too! Thank the Great Fairy...that Deku Shield sucks. Where do we go from there? Well, I really haven't played much after that in the Zeldaverse (I know, I know, blasphemy) except Wind Waker, and I don't remember it all that well. But...we can look at some other Action Adventure games...Metroid? We start out with the arm cannon, and we keep it the rest of the game!
Here's a link to that website too.There are hundreds of action adventure games, and most of them start you out with a weapon that will be iconic for the rest of your journey, or at least will be improved upon later. MOST of them...but not A Link to the Past.
You got the lamp!Yep...ol' Link to the Past gives you...the lamp. Now at first, I thought "This is the stupidest thing ever." And I mean, really, you're about to set out on your grand adventure and you get a lamp, how lame is that? Well, for starters, that lamp is really useful, you're going out at night, during a storm, so obviously Link may need the lamp. Then you get to the dungeon and you get your uncle's sword and shield (spoiler alert!) and then you need the lamp in the basement because there are no lights. There's even puzzle elements like lighting torches...or...or...to...open a door...
Wait...it's the first item you get...it sounds useless...and then it turns out to be useful early on...
#IlluminatiConfirmedOkay, so technically this is not the first item you receive, but you do receive the lantern early on in Fable, and as far as I recall it serves literally no purpose except to open the first demon door you encounter.
Looking at it now, in broad daylight, not in the middle of the night tiredly pecking away at my DS buttons trying to progress through the game, I can see whereas the Lamp might be a cool item, heck it would kill some difficulty in the 3D Zelda games, at least before the fire arrows, and even then if you don't have arrows it would still work. Or...you could just break a pot or bush and find some arrows. Either way.
I love lamp.Hey! Thanks for reading this through to the end! I hope you enjoyed, and I'll catch you next time, in My Arcade.
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