History VideoGame / ALinkToThePastRandomizer

* "Pseudo-swords" could be described as "Swordless-lite": Link can pick up a sword, but it only does 1 damage. (Note that the Fighter's Sword actually does ''2'' damage.) Ganon will be fought with the Hammer, as in Swordless, and there will always be two Bow upgrades in the item pool. Also available at the same site as bomb-only mode.

The randomizer is used as the basis for {{speedrun}}ning tournaments wherein players are given the same seed and face off against each other in races. These races are technically "fair" as far as [[UsefulNotes/RandomNumberGenerator RNG]] is concerned, but since neither player knows in advance where all the progressions are (or even ''which'' items are required to win), it boils down to working out the quickest route based on items encountered on the way. Winning requires both intimate knowledge of the game and a degree of {{luck|BasedMission}}. Although it's possible to "read" a seed to predict the most likely outcome, the seed may flip the script and place items in a place which is both unlikely ''and'' time-consuming to reach. (The worst outcomes are affectionately known as [[FakeLongevity "troll seeds."]]) For instance, a non-entrance randomizer seed might hide the [[WarpWhistle Mirror]] on [[FogOfDoom Kholdstare]], the IcePalace boss. Let's say the Mirror is required to enter the [[BubblegloopSwamp Swamp Palace]] and claim the item needed to climb Ganon's Tower; fighting Kholdstare as soon as possible is more likely to yield a progression and win the race, but it's a huge gamble which hinges on the quality of execution i.e. minimizing deaths.

** The randomizer lets Link [[WalletOfHolding carry up to 9,999 rupees instead of the paltry 999]]. This is handy for completionists, because purchasing all of the bomb and arrow upgrades alone will set Link back 1,400 rupees. (A fatter wallet allows Link to collect them all in one visit.) [[HelpfulMook Zora]] charges 500 rupees for a progression item; it costs 110 rupees to get into the Palace of Darkness (or whatever the entrance randomizer replaces it with); the (former) bottle merchant charges 100 rupees; and so on. This all adds up quickly. Players are liable to spend way more than 999 rupees (albeit way fewer than 9,999) to complete the game, and it's nice not to have to worry about Link opening a 300-rupee chest and then throwing the money away because [[{{Cap}} he can't carry any more.]]

** The "insanity" setting of the Entrance Randomizer often results in physically impossible layouts, since with the exception of non-dungeon single-entrance locations, the interior and exterior entrances to a cave or building are usually completely decoupled. (There is a chance that they can still lead to the same location, but due to the number of locations in the game, this usually only happens about 1-3 times per seed.) This means that if Link enters through a door and then immediately turns around and exits through that same door, he may find himself in an entirely different area of the world than the one he entered from. Each entrance and exit will always lead to the same location when Link emerges from a given direction, though; it's just that each doorway is treated as two separate entrances when entered from opposite sides, rather than necessarily being connected to one another.

** Since [[QuestGiver Sahasrahla's]] name is difficult to pronounce or spell correctly, and since the original game doesn't even spell his name correctly in the end credits, the randomizer's end credits choose [[AccidentalMisnaming one of several misspelled names]] for him. (The original game usually spells his name Sahasrahla, but the ending sequence spells it Sahasralah.)

** In several game modes, players will be unable to complete some of the easier dungeons in the game such as the Eastern Palace or Palace of Darkness until they acquire the Bow, which may not occur into relatively late in the game; this is virtually guaranteed in such cases. (The Enemizer may alter which dungeons, if any, will require the Bow to complete.) Also, Inverted mode is created with the explicit intention of this: the player starts in the much harder Dark World and will not gain access to the Light World until much later, meaning that the player will need to explore the harder areas of the game first.

* '''Swordless''': [[ChallengeRun one of the toughest seeds]]. Players must practice fighting bosses whilst under-equipped. Most of the time (emphasis on "most"), players can find ways to bypass the difficulty. For instance, the [[DropTheHammer Hammer]] hits as hard as the [[InfinityMinusOneSword Tempered Sword]] Link normally gets.

''A Link to the Past: Randomizer'' is a popular [[GameMod ROM hack]] of the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] classic ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast''. It can be found [[https://alttpr.com/en/randomizer here]].

* {{Retraux}}: Retro Mode uses rupees as arrows, just like in the original [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] ''Zelda'' the mode is based on.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Can be invoked with the custom player sprites option, where even a villain such as [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Kefka]] can be a hero.

* '''Retro Mode''': Basically turns the game into the original NES ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda Legend of Zelda]]'': Shooting arrows from your bow costs rupees, you can't shoot them until you buy a Quiver (equivalent to buying the wooden arrows), small keys are decoupled from dungeons and can be bought in shops, and there are additional "Take Any Caves" where you can get a heart container or a potion refill (and one cave where you get a sword upgrade).