The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past


 * For the multiplayer adventure included in the Game Boy Advance version see The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Zeruda no Densetsu Kamigami no Triforce in Japan, lit. "The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods") and also known as Zelda 3 or Zelda III, is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo, and the third installment in The Legend of Zelda series. It was released in Japan on November 21, 1991, in North America on April 13, 1992 and in Europe on November 24, 1992. The project was led by Shigeru Miyamoto and his team.

A Link to the Past used a top-down perspective similar to the original The Legend of Zelda, instead of the sidescrolling format of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. A Link to the Past expanded on the original's mechanics, introducing gameplay features that have become hallmarks of the Zelda series, such as multi-level dungeons, the Master Sword, the Hookshot, and parallel worlds. It was well-received and is often considered one of the best installments of the series. It sold over four million copies and many critics and fans consider it one of the greatest video games ever made.

A Link to the Past was re-released in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance. The re-release itself had little new, but the cartridge also includes a multiplayer mode titled Four Swords, the first multiplayer mode in The Legend of Zelda history. The Game Boy Advance version also featured 'sleep mode', allowing the game console to consume minimal power when not being used. A Link to the Past was released on the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on December 2, 2006, in North America on January 22, 2007, and in Australia on March 23, 2007.