Bumping for some Zelda III thoughts, following my playthrough.
-
LttP bosses feel like Mega Man bosses, and a bit like Punch-Out fights: lots of emphasis on movement and dodging, looking for animation clues, and all or most of them can be defeated in at least two ways. Replaying the game just made me realize what a sea change Link’s Awakening was, and how much subsequent games have overwhelmingly favored the latter over the former. This isn’t a big revelation or anything, but it’s just weird how LttP’s boss rogue’s gallery hasn’t really been replicated, aside from the now standard tennis boss.
-
I really like the role the sword plays in the game, being both incredibly useful and very rarely essential (I believe it’s only necessary in the Ganon fight, and as a key to access Hyrule Castle II / Misery Mire / Turtle Rock). It’s probably because I played LttP first, but I could never get used to the sword in the first Zelda, its short stabbing motion feeling woefully inadequate against Darknuts. Zelda III’s sword, on the other hand, can be used both offensively and defensively, has considerably more reach, and just feels right. Without the sword, the Magic Hammer becomes the short-range combat weapon of choice, working more or less identically to the Zelda I sword.
-
Something I hadn’t realized before, given how easy it is to not lose one’s shield, is that it’s never actually necessary. I’d remembered the Mirror Shield at least proving necessary for something, but that’s not actually the case.
-
I really like the network of caves that make up Death Mountain and its Dark World counterpart, and wish they were more extensive / secret-filled. One of my wishes, if I were in charge of a remake, would be to add a secret bombable wall leading to a tunnel to the other side of the mountain, and a second overworld.