Zelda: A Link to the Past – Soon on Windows and Nintendo Switch?

More than 30 years ago, Nintendo released the third game in its Legend of Zelda series – aptly named A Link to the Past.

This week, Neowin called it “one of the most beloved video games of all time” and reports that it has now been reverse engineered by a GitHub user named Snesrev, “opening up the possibility of playing Link to the Past on other platforms like Sega’s 32X or the Sony Playstation.”

Link to the Past, Legend of Zelda, Nintendo

The new version of Link to the Past is written in C and contains an impressive 80,000 lines of code. It is also complete in terms of content, with all the levels, enemies and puzzles that fans of the original game will recognize.

Currently, Zelda requires the PPU and DSP libraries from LakeSNES, a fast SNES emulator with a number of speed optimizations that make the game run faster and smoother than ever before. Decoupling from the LakeSNES dependency, allowing compatibility with modern operating systems, would allow the code to be written for retro hardware.

Not only does the game play exactly like the original, but it also includes a number of new features that were not present in the original. For example, the game now supports pixel shaders, which allows for even more impressive visual effects. It also supports widescreen aspect ratios, which gives players a wider viewing angle and makes the game even more immersive on modern screens.

Another new feature of this reimplementation is the higher quality world map. The new map is much more detailed and gives players a better understanding of the world they are exploring.

The amount of time, effort and talent that went into creating this masterpiece is simply amazing. We’ll stay tuned and look forward to a bit of a retro feel with a new look on modern systems.