Two-world exploration basics
A starter guide to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: look for connections between worlds, use dungeon maps deliberately, prepare bottles and supplies, mark incomplete heart upgrades.
Original SNES release; Game Boy Advance additions are outside this guide.
Look for connections between worlds
The Light World and Dark World have related geography but different obstacles. Once you can travel between them, consider whether a blocked destination can be approached from its counterpart.
Use dungeon maps deliberately
Check unopened routes before spending a long time testing the same puzzle. A newly found item often changes which rooms you can reach.
Prepare bottles and supplies
Bottles provide useful recovery options. Before a difficult dungeon, restock and check your ammunition so a long trip does not end because you ran out of essentials.
Mark incomplete heart upgrades
Four Pieces of Heart make an additional Heart Container. Record the location of a piece you cannot yet reach and the obstacle that prevented you from collecting it.
Think about the arrival point when using the Mirror
The Light and Dark Worlds have related geography, but a usable place in one may correspond to an obstacle in the other. Before travelling, identify where you will arrive and how you will leave. The Moon Pearl matters to normal Dark World exploration, while later equipment changes which barriers can be crossed. Make the counterpart location part of your map note when a route seems blocked by more than one obstacle.
Bottles provide planned recovery
Carry a useful bottle resource before a long dungeon and understand whether it restores health, magic or provides another recovery effect. Hearts and magic drops in ordinary rooms should not be the only fallback when exploring an unfamiliar route. Check ammunition as well, because an access puzzle can need a tool after several fights. Overworld upgrades and prepared supplies can improve survivability without changing the dungeon’s intended solution.