To get this out of the way right now, Link's Awakening is the first game in the Zelda series I actually completed (beaten and 100%) which gives it a sort of bias in my mind. That being said, I have so much love for the Zelda series as a whole that I believe I can make an honest judgement between each game. What I loved about Link's Awakening is that it is a complete side story that doesn't involve Zelda, had Nintendo cameos way before Ocarina of Time, and it was just plain fun. That moment you get your sword for the first time and the music changes still blows me away, and the journey from then on is as epic as it's console siblings. What Link to the Past has going for it is a lot more color and a more defined (and canon) storyline to drive it through, not to mention two worlds to play through. Many people may dismiss Link's Awakening because it's not a main title, it's non-color palette (later fixed with the DX edition), and that it's on the Gameboy and has only two buttons. Personally, I think with all its limitations, Link's Awakening stands tall next to Link to the Past. The side quests are good, the dungeons are varied, and items you get from them all unique (Link gets to jump!) and the end game is fantastic.
I posted this on reddit and had quite a good discussion going.
--------------
"I played Link's Awakening but not enough to finish it (I was maybe half-way through it) and I played the hell out of LttP so I can't give a completely unbiased opinion on the quality of the games. I think it's a bit hard to directly compare the two though; I think it's obvious that Link's Awakening was designed to be playable in short bursts being on a handheld while LttP was really designed for you to sit down on the couch and play a couple hours at a time. This might be why I always felt like LttP was a little more polished than Link's Awakening, but both are fun and both are overall great." -AvariceX
I'm a bit reluctant to say Link's Awakening was made to be played in short bursts. Remember that Link to the Past was ported to the GBA and it translated very well for gaming on the go (and marks the time I actually beat it). I believe both games required you to play longer the deeper you got in, with the beginning of each game a very short introduction and first dungeon. I will agree that Link's Awakening is shorter than it's SNES brother, the amount of time it took to play each level was not cut too short. At least not that I noticed. That being said, the end game in Link to the Past grossly outweighs the end game in Link's Awakening, but I don't think that should be fault to give the Gameboy game, given it is a less powerful system.
--------------------------
"I think that when you compare the two games side by side, Link's Awakening definitely stands up on its own. The dungeons were fun and challenging, it had great music (Tal Tal Heights comes to mind) and you can tell that the creators had a lot of fun with the various Nintendo references. This is a solid game and I really enjoyed it.
That being said, if I had to say which is the better, more influential game, I would have to say LttP. As the third game in the series LttP represented a return to form after the radical departure in Zelda II. But more then that, LttP expanded upon what the first two games offered by offering a much fuller and more engaging story then the first games ever did. Looking back it is because of Lttp, that the series became the run away success that it is today. Combined with great graphics, solid gameplay and a memorable soundtrack, LttP is a timeless pinnacle of gaming that represents some of the best that the SNES had to offer." -babombmonkey61
Link to the Past did for the Zelda series as FFVII did for the Final Fantasy series. Sadly Link's Awakening has not been given a lot of recognition because of it. Link to the Past is a great achievement in gaming though, and I won't deny the epic story it had. However, and I see you agree, Link's Awakening is a very solid and complete experience in it's own right and should definitely be put on the pedestal as one of the best games in the series.
--------------------
"Link's Awakening is an amazing game, and OoS/OoA built on that engine and made even better games. The trading sequences were great, and the items really stand out in that game. Twilight Princess even had bomb arrows as sort of an homage.
I don't think it's quite as good as Link to the Past objectively, though. LttP just has more going on, more items, more interesting dungeons.
That being said, there is nothing like Roc's Feather :D" -Zworrisdeh
ROC'S FEATHER!!! Glad someone else shares my love for said item!
Now that you mention the trading system, I believe that's what inspired future games in the series, starting with Ocarina of Time. How awesome is that? Trying to think of other things this game inspired. (Looking now...)
This game started the fishing mini game as well. This game also had some other mini games (the crane game!) an as mentioned before, various Nintendo cameos.
I will agree that Link to the Past is bigger with more items and dungeons, which is no surprise as it's on a much more powerful console. I don't think you are disagreeing with my following statement but I must maintain that Link's Awakening does stand tall next to it's console siblings. Also, Roc's Feather!
---------------
"Link's Awakening was also the first Zelda game I managed to defeat. LTTP was always a bit too hard for me as a kid, but LA was quite a bit easier and more at the pace of my 6 year old self.
That being said, it's more than just graphics that separate the Zelda experience of these 2 games. LTTP has higher production values. A bright and vibrant color palette, a ton of memorable music tracks, many more unique characters and enemies to see and fight, and an overall more serious tone. Since the SNES has virtually no limitations for that kind of game, the dungeons are usually sprawling and very challenging, while LA had small and somewhat gimmicky dungeons.
However, I feel like LA excelled in overall tone. LA actually felt like a quest with a whole lot of exploration to do and fun secrets to find. I felt like LTTP took itself too seriously to let you do much of that. I'd end up with a feeling of guilt if I shrugged off my quest for too long in LTTP, while I felt LA encouraged the high levels of exploration and rewarded them. It's also very quirky and did some things no other Zelda game has. One day turning on my Gameboy to see a ghost following me was so strange, but in a great way. The picture system in the DX version was hilarious and cute. And what other Zelda has you finding seashells, escorting a chain chomp or going into tree phonebooths to talk to an old man for hints? Not to mention the beautifully weird trading system.
At the end of the day, I feel like the weird tones and quirks weigh in more for me than just the more perfectly designed game. I can objectively say that LTTP is finer crafted, but I honestly enjoy LA more. The games that LA spawned, the Oracle series, are also my absolute favorite 2D Zelda games ever. So it's no wonder that I prefer the quirky Konohilt Island." -ZacUAX
I have to say that this reply is why I wanted to make a round 2 to my vs. series. The well though out not to mention in depth look at the two games in question. So for that I thank you. Now to dive in.
I never thought about Link to the Past being so serious about itself, but looking at your comparisons between how open Link's Awakeing is, I can't help but remember fondly over the handheld game. I mean Link to the past had its secrets (the fat faerie for one) but to me it doesn't compare to all the secrets Link's Awakening had. I just remember being so obsessed with finding all the shells, winning all items in the crane game, catching the biggest fish, trading everything, and most jarringly, steal from the shop keeper. Plus all the cameos like chomp chomp, fighting Kirby, and so on. Again to this day Link's Awakening is the only Zelda game I have 100%'ed (though Ocarina of Time came close to being the second) and that's because of how welcoming the whole world was.
Link to the Past was a pretty straight forward game as far as what you needed to do and the path that got you there. Exploring really only gave you some hearts and more bottles. That doesn't make it a bad game (which it clearly isn't) but it does take away from the huge world it gives you to play in. And to be honest I remember more about Link's Awakening for it's choices in style and game play.
To me, Link's Awakening was more memorable thank Link to the Past.
-----
I'd love to hear everyone else's thoughts though! This should be a lot better than comparing Sonic in 3D vs Sonic in 2D. :-D
Come check out who took the major prizes at this year’s BIG Festival, hosted by gamescom latam 2025.
Days Gone Remastered doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it gives this once-overlooked open-world adventure the upgrade it’s always deserved.
Darren writes: "Out of Moves is a bright little puzzle game inspired by some classics of the genre; you could do a lot worse."
A Link to the Past was the inspiration for Between Worlds. It's kind of unfair to say one is better than the other when the second acknowledges how great the first is. Few games can live up to a legacy. I have played Between World but not Link to the Past, so I cannot judge fairly. Now try to compare A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time... now that's another debate entirely. :P
I think graphics can represent progression of gaming as a whole. while not tied to the quality of a game by any means, overall technological achievements can be best showcased with improved graphics. While many games are classics to this day, and graphical quality is never questioned when playing them, some games cannot age well. this makes it harder to enjoy some games 10-15 years later.