The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

From WE Computers Museum
Zelda SNES.jpg
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Developer Nintendo EAD
Publisher Nintendo
Platforms SNES, GBA, Wii, New Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, SNES Classic Edition
Released Super NES/Super Famicom
JP: November 21, 1991
NA: April 13, 1992
EU: September 24, 1992
Game Boy Advance
NA: December 2, 2002
JP: March 14, 2003
AU/EU: March 28, 2003
Wii Virtual Console
JP: December 2, 2006
NA:January 22, 2007
AU/EU: March 23, 2007
Wii U Virtual Console
AU/EU: December 12, 2013
NA: January 30, 2014
JP:February 12, 2014
New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console
JP: March 4, 2016
AU/EU: March 10, 2016
NA: April 14, 2016
SNES Classic/Super Famicom Mini
NA/EU: September 29, 2017
AU: September 30, 2017
JP: October 5, 2017
Nintendo Switch Online
WW: September 5, 2019
Added to
Museum
Super Famicom Mini: October 31, 2017
SNES Classic Edition: March 16, 2018

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was first released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System by Nintendo in 1991. As part of one of Nintendo's most popular series, The Legend of Zelda series, it was brought to most of Nintendo's subsequent systems, either as ports or through emulation.

Story

A young man, Link, watches his father go off to save the Princess of Hyrule, Zelda. However, his father is mortally wounded, and Zelda contacts Link telepathically.

Link goes to the castle himself, gets his father's sword, and rescues Zelda. However, Zelda is captured again, and before Link can save her he is transported to the Dark World by Ganondorf, the human form of the evil Ganon.

Now Link must travel between the Dark World and the Light World to rescue the seven maidens who are trapped in crystals. Their powers will help Link defeat Ganon and free the Light World from the Dark World's corruption.

Development

The Legend of Zelda was directed by Takashi Tezuka. Shigeru Miyamoto produced the game. Kensuke Tanabe and Yoshiaki Koizumi wrote the story and script.

Versions of the game

As one of Nintendo's most popular titles, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past has been brought to many different systems, both through traditional game ports and through emulation.

It was first released for the Super Famicom in 1991. It then was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was ported to the Game Boy Advance in North America in 2002 and to Australia, Europe, and Japan in 2003.

An emulated version of the SNES version was released for the Virtual Console on Wii in 2006 in Japan and in Australia, Europe, and North America in 2007. It was released on the Wii U Virtual Console in Australia and Europe in 2013 and in Japan and North America in 2014. It was released on the New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in 2016.

The Legend of Zelda was also included as one of the 30 games in the Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition miniature video game console, that emulated SNES games and resembled a miniature SNES, in 2017.

It was included in 2019 as part of the SNES games for the Switch Online service.