| The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds | |
|---|---|
 North American box art featuring the main character Link (right) merged to a wall and his main weapon the Master Sword (center). | |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo EAD |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Hiromasa Shikata |
| Producer(s) | Eiji Aonuma |
| Designer(s) | Koji Takahashi |
| Programmer(s) | Shiro Mouri |
| Artist(s) | Yusuke Nakano |
| Writer(s) | Tatsuya Hishida Mari Shirakawa |
| Composer(s) | Ryo Nagamatsu |
| Series | The Legend of Zelda |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 3DS |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds[a] is a 2013 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is the 17th in The Legend of Zelda series and is a sequel to the 1991 title The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Announced in April 2013, A Link Between Worlds was released in Australia, Europe, and North America in November, and in Japan a month later.
The story is set many years after the events of A Link to the Past. Players assume the role of Link, who sets out to restore peace to the kingdom of Hyrule after the evil sorcerer Yuga captures Princess Zelda and escapes through a rift into the parallel world of Lorule. Yuga desires to kidnap the Seven Sages and use their power to resurrect the demon king Ganon. Shortly into his adventure, Link obtains a magic bracelet that grants him the ability to merge into walls as a 2D painting, which allows him to reach new areas and travel between the worlds of Hyrule and Lorule.
Concept development began with a small team in 2009, shortly following the completion of Spirit Tracks. During this phase, the game mechanic of Link merging onto walls was prototyped. However, development suffered several setbacks and ceased entirely in late 2010 as core team members were reassigned to different projects. Development restarted in 2011 and the game entered full production in 2012. At the request of series creator Shigeru Miyamoto, the game's world and setting were based on A Link to the Past, though with many of the areas significantly reworked. The game's designers sought to rethink the established conventions of the series, leading to two key changes in the game's structure: allowing players to clear the majority of dungeons in any order they choose, and the introduction of the item rental system.
A Link Between Worlds received critical acclaim, with praise towards its soundtrack, engaging gameplay and new features, and nostalgic feeling, though the art style received mixed reviews. The game also received multiple awards and nominations. It sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide in its first five months, and over 4.26 million copies worldwide by 2022. It received a sequel, Tri Force Heroes, in October 2015.
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