A Link to the Future
Overview
Feature Quest
Creator:
Ben
Genre: NES-style
Added: 17 Jan 2003
Updated: 16 Apr 2013
ZC Version: 2.50
Downloads: 908
Rating[?]:
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Download Quest (0.69 MB) |
Information
My first quest. Updated April 16th, 2013 -- it is now a 2.5 quest, but with no 2.5 features -- it is feature-limited by its original version 1.92b163. I have not enough time to fully bugtest the quest and it is being updated only so it can be completed, with other minor changes.
This is an eleven year old quest, so please take that into account when playing it. It definitely shows my low level of skill at that age. You may enjoy it regardless.
This is an eleven year old quest, so please take that into account when playing it. It definitely shows my low level of skill at that age. You may enjoy it regardless.
About Reviews Comments Forum Topics
skateboarder11
Posted 31 August 2025 - 04:59 PM
It's best to keep in mind this quest was released in early 2003 -- 1.92 beta 183 wasn't a thing yet, Revenge 2 was still pretty new, and the landscape was generally significantly different than it is now.
So how does it hold up?
It holds up alright, I would say -- it still holds a lot of the "wild west" spirit of the early days of ZC, and it does some weird things with design. (Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.) Screen design ranges from "eh" to "decent", but the whole world comes together well enough to be plenty of fun. It features a more Game Boy-esque take on Newfirst, which is fitting since the quest is set in Holodrum - the land of Oracle of Seasons.
Unfortunately, there's a good handful of oversights -- I found myself able to obtain the whistle twice, for example, and there's plenty of places where the cave exits spit you out in the wrong spot. (and even one completely -broken- one in Subrosia.) It's also easy to become incredibly powerful early on -- after completing Level 4, I was able to obtain the Gold Ring, Master Sword, and Golden Arrow. It's a challenge, but reasonably easy for a seasoned player to accomplish. Nothing truly game-breaking, but a couple of head-scratchers.
I would've loved to see the bugfixed version released in beta 163 like the original quest so it would be easier to experience it in the proper context, but alas.
I'll round this one up to a four star effort -- while it's certainly not a revolutionary masterpiece, and there's a lot of quirks that hold it back from being a true classic, I feel it's one of the more fun old quests you'll find.
Plus, if memory serves me correctly, it's one of the few early quests I've found that has some of its own music written for it. Always love to see it.
So how does it hold up?
It holds up alright, I would say -- it still holds a lot of the "wild west" spirit of the early days of ZC, and it does some weird things with design. (Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.) Screen design ranges from "eh" to "decent", but the whole world comes together well enough to be plenty of fun. It features a more Game Boy-esque take on Newfirst, which is fitting since the quest is set in Holodrum - the land of Oracle of Seasons.
Unfortunately, there's a good handful of oversights -- I found myself able to obtain the whistle twice, for example, and there's plenty of places where the cave exits spit you out in the wrong spot. (and even one completely -broken- one in Subrosia.) It's also easy to become incredibly powerful early on -- after completing Level 4, I was able to obtain the Gold Ring, Master Sword, and Golden Arrow. It's a challenge, but reasonably easy for a seasoned player to accomplish. Nothing truly game-breaking, but a couple of head-scratchers.
I would've loved to see the bugfixed version released in beta 163 like the original quest so it would be easier to experience it in the proper context, but alas.
I'll round this one up to a four star effort -- while it's certainly not a revolutionary masterpiece, and there's a lot of quirks that hold it back from being a true classic, I feel it's one of the more fun old quests you'll find.
Plus, if memory serves me correctly, it's one of the few early quests I've found that has some of its own music written for it. Always love to see it.
Matthew
Edited 03 April 2016 - 05:12 PM
I'm sure that this was a good quest back in the day, but playing it now, it is a dated mess with a lack of modern conveniences. I somehow stumbled into a volcano, wizzrobes, and level 9 within about a minute of playtime. A game this eclectic is certainly not something for me.
2/5.
2/5.
