Shall We Do It? (wrapping up A Link Between Worlds, returning to EarthBound and beginning Sweet Fuse: At Your Side)

So, I finally "beat" The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds last weekend. This is one of the few 3DS games I've finished, I think. I mean, there's Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure and Mario Kart 7 and ... this? I can't remember any others at the moment. Regardless, I haven't conquered many 3DS games to date, so I'm pretty stoked that I was able to beat this one.

The last quarter of A Link Between Worlds was really marvelous, I have to say. I was especially blown away by the last few dungeons--which in my case means Skull Woods, Dark Palace, Ice Ruins and, of course, Lorule Castle--and the bosses who guard them.

I think the Ice Ruins was my favorite of those four experiences, although I got such a kick out of all of them that it's tough to say which one was the best. Oh, and the final battle? Amazing. Exhilarating, even. Although I have to admit I died during my first attempt because I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to do at one point.

So, my first playthrough of A Link Between Worlds is over--for now. Initially, I considered continuing on for a bit, so I could gather the rest of the game's heart pieces and return all of those poor, lost Maiamai's to their mother, but then it dawned on me that putting Link and company on the back burner for the time being would allow me to start--or, in the case of the next title I'm going to talk about, get back to--one or two other games I've been chomping at the bit to play.

Before I get to the titles in question, though, I want to share the time I spent on my maiden A Link Between Worlds adventure: just under 21 hours. I know the game can be completed more quickly than that, but a couple of locales did such a good job of capturing my attention that I found myself dawdling just so I could take in the sights a while longer.

As for the games that I turned to after A Link Between Worlds: would you believe EarthBound is one of them? Actually, I guess most of you would--especially if you read this post's header. Seriously, though, I'm back to playing EarthBound. Finally. Don't worry, I didn't start a new game--I just picked up where my last attempted (and failed) playthrough left off.

It took me a few minutes to get my bearings, of course, but after that I was happily on my way again. In fact, I quickly plowed through a whole slew of EarthBound's eccentric landscapes, including Scaraba (my starting point this time around), Deep Darkness, Tenda Village and Stonehenge Base.

I know I've said as much before (or at least I think I've said it before), but I really think I'm going to finish this sucker this time around. The only potential stumbling block is that Bravely Default comes out in a matter of days, and there's no doubt that's going to grab some of, if not not all of, my attention for a good chunk of time.

Thankfully, it probably won't arrive on my doorstep until a week after its release date (so, sometime around Valentine's Day), so it's possible I'll finally see EarthBound's end credits before I get sucked into Bravely Default's deadly tractor beam.

One last thing about EarthBound before I move on to the third game mentioned in the header above: I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing "oh, boy!" pop up whenever one of my party members gains a level. Nor will I ever tire of the ditty that plays whenever I waltz into one of the game's many shops.

Last, but not least, I started playing Aksys' Sweet Fuse: At Your Side late last week--in part because I wanted to participate in my friend Anne's #DatingSiMonth extravaganza, and in part because I've been curious about this portable dating sim since I first heard about it (which was right around the time its North American release was announced, I have to admit).

So far, I've only experienced about an hour of this otome game--which may sound like an acceptable chunk of time, but in reality isn't. After all, all I did during those 60 or so minutes was get introduced to Sweet Fuse's villain, meet the gaggle of studs who'll eventually vie for my affection and read a lot of text.

I saved and quit just as I was about to encounter the game's first puzzle (of sorts), though, so hopefully I'll have more to say about that aspect in my next "Shall We Do It?" post. In the meantime, my only comments are that I'm pretty keen on the overall art style on display in Sweet Fuse and I'm similarly loving the wacky theme-park setting.

See also: previous 'Shall We Do It?' posts