The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (NSW) Review

A classic, cuti-fied!

 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening was the unexpected announcement from Nintendo earlier this year. A remake of the 1993 original Game Boy game, this new remake on the Nintendo Switch boasts a new coat of paint and some revamps in an attempt to modernize it for a new generation. Link's back on another adventure, this time in a mysterious new island with a giant egg on top! I remember briefly playing the original Link's Awakening on the 3DS Virtual Console years ago and while it was a pretty solid game on its own, I never really felt compelled to beat it. That's why when news of a complete remake was announced, I was excited that I'd finally get the chance to play the game again. So is The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening the stunning remake it seems to be? Let's find out.


 The story begins when our hero Link is ship-wrecked on Koholint Island, where he has no method of returning home to Hyrule until he wakes the Wind Fish, a creature that will only awaken from its slumber once Link collect eight magical music instruments. Throughout his adventure, Link will meet with some of Koholint island's quirky inhabitants such as the super adorable, Marin and the not so friendly pet, BowWow. The story was short but fun, I enjoyed interacting with the quirky characters and the looming mystery of the island kept me interested in playing. Without spoiling too much, the game packs a memorable ending that's just so bittersweet...

Get ready for an engaging yet

 heartwarming adventure.

 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening has you controlling Link from a top-down view as you explore Koholint island while slashing through a variety of monsters. At first, you barely have any gear to protect yourself against monsters but as you walk around through the island, you'll come across a sword and shield to get things going. Since Koholint is a relatively big island, it's easy to lose your footing on where to go next-- thankfully, you're often being guided by the friendly owl, who will give you hints on where to proceed next. There are over 8 dungeons in the game, each containing an instrument that will wake the Wind Fish. While the first dungeons are pretty straightforward, some of the later ones will often leave you stumped, as you'll explore bigger rooms and multiple floors searching for keys to advance. The dungeons are varied enough to keep you hooked, with some enemy variety, puzzles to solve, and even new items to boot. That being said, I found that the bosses and puzzles were plain easy to beat, often without any thought put to them.

Being originally a Game Boy game, the gameplay

 still holds up well.

 In typical Zelda fashion, the island is filled with many secrets such as caves that hide heart container pieces (which upon earning four will grant you a full heart) and secret seashells, which carry their own bonuses once you've collected a certain number. Initially, you can't nab that heart container or treasure chest since you either don't have a specific item yet, which means that you'll have to come back later. That annoyance aside, it's actually a great way to make items more valuable since they end up being useful even after finishing the dungeon. A new feature in the remake is the "Dungeon Arrange" mode, where you can create your own custom-made dungeons. It's not on the Super Mario Maker levels of depth, as you only get to use existing dungeon templates and just arrange them in any order you want. Still, it's an easy way to earn some rupees and heart containers. Overall, a nice little distraction though one that could have benefited from a bit of fleshing out.

The island's jam-packed with secrets and 

areas to explore.

 The game also introduces some quality of life improvements over the original Game Boy release such as auto-saving, more buttons to use, and if you still have them laying around the house-- Amiibo support. Sure they're slight changes, but that attributed to the base game already being great. Now while the game itself is all-around fantastic, the are still some issues that hold it back. For starters, the game is roughly 15 hours long, which I don't mind at all. I actually love playing short games, it's just there's little in the way of content once the adventure is done. Sure, you can go hunt the remaining heart containers and seashells, as well as make some dungeons, but those can get boring real quick. The worst thing is that the game costs over $60, which is a tad overpriced in my opinion.

There are few hidden surprises throughout the

adventure in store.

 Obviously, the main star of the game has to be the toy-like visuals, which are stunning. The backgrounds are colorful and character models, while simple, are charming to look at. The new brief anime cutscenes are worth noting as they're high-quality and were among my favorite aspect of the remake. That said, the game has an annoying blur effect that's present in the edges of the screen. It's hard to explain but once you play the game, you'll notice that the screen isn't all that clear. I get that it might be an artistic choice, but the option of turning it off would have been appreciated. There is no voicework, but the sound effects pack those classic Zelda jingles like the "ta-da-da-daaa!" to keep you entertained.  Also, Link's sound effects can be outright hilarious at times. The soundtrack is great, as expected from a Zelda game, and packs some enjoyable tracks. Notable standouts include Mabe Village, the Dungeon Arrange theme, and ending theme.

Link's Awakening is one of the most visually cheerful

games on the Switch.

 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening delivers in being the faithful remake it sets out to be while also being a fantastic games on its own. The story is timeless and has to be one of my favorites in the series, the gameplay while simple compared to recent game is still fun, and the high production values speaks for itself. Yes, the game has some drawbacks, including the $60 price, but it's nonetheless a fun time. Fans are most likely enjoying the game and newcomers, assuming they're alright with the game's brief runtime, will definitely find a lot to love in Link's Awakening.