As far as i'm concerned, it's hands down the best handheld Zelda game since Oracle of Ages/Seasons. Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks can't even be compared to this. (Though it was mostly the dodgy touch screen controls that ruined those games for me.) It's meant to be a tribute to A Link to the Past, and even though these games share the exact same map design, the game couldn't feel more different and nostalgically familiar at the same time.
It's actually a pretty solid gameplay mechanic. I think what makes the game really good is it brings back classic LoZ gameplay without feeling old or re-used. You could say Minish Cap already did that, but that game had as little as 5 dungeons total whereas ALBW has 11, which if i'm not mistaken is the largest amount of dungeons a zelda game has ever had. Not to mention all the side quests.
I'm currently playing this game and so far it's shaping up to be my favourite 2D Zelda game. The game runs very smoothly, the painting mechanic is quick, fluid and doesn't even waste an item slot. The stamina bar allows you to experiment with arrows and bombs without the fear of running out. Rupees actually have a use in this game. The non-linear dungeon choices makes the overworld feel really open. You actually have a reason to fear death. And most importantly, there's little to no hand-holding (which is very rare for modern games). From the second I saw the first gameplay footage, I knew that it would feel like a classic Zelda game and it has not disappointed. One tiny complaint would be that the dungeon's themselves aren't massive, although that's understandable since you can't save in the middle of dungeons. And even then I haven't completed all the dungeons yet and the Lorule dungeons seem to be a step up from the Hyrule dungeons so far. So far I'd give this a 10/10 and I can't really see this rating dropping for the remainder of the game. If you have a 3DS, this is a must-buy. If you don't have a 3DS, get one with this game and a few other great titles that the 3DS has to offer.
Until you buy all items at least. [video=youtube;TzmpXz5d2z0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzmpXz5d2z0[/video] If you think the Lorule dungeons provide nothing more than a good challenge, you haven't been to the Ice Ruins yet. :derpe: (best upgrade that Master Sword to lv3)
Maybe I just don't pay enough attention to gaming news, but this title seems to have just appeared right out of nowhere. Initially I had no interest in it since I thought Skyward Sword quite sucked (for more than just a couple reasons), and that pretty much quelled my interest in the franchise for a while. But since OP's saying this new one's more or less a love letter to everyone who enjoyed LttP - my childhood favorite - I may yet give this one a buy.
Aww, yee-yuh, boieee! /) Of all the SNES games I played in my youth, that was the one that ate up the most of my time. It became a tradition for me to play it every Easter (for some bizarre reason), but nowadays I play it as part of my annual Zeldathon every winter. X3 Anyway, after seeing what everypony else is saying about LBW here, I think I'm gonna stick it in my Amazon wishlist for Christmas this year.
Finally completed the game (activity log is showing 19:40, which is a pretty good length considering there are hardly any cutscenes). I'd still give it a 10/10 and the dungeons seem to pick up in difficulty once you finish the first few. Also, the abundance of rupees meant that you could enjoy the mini-games without the fear of running out. Admittedly I haven't played many new games this year but I would say that this is game of the year (at least for the 3DS anyway).
If there was a GotY award exclusively for 3DS games, the only competition would probably be Pokémon XY.
