Maybe one day, you’ll remember this place…

A Link to the Past starts on a stormy night...

I actually never have beaten any 2D Zelda games until now, for reasons that are a story for another time, but I have played an tried quiet a ton of them, some until the half-way point or even a bit after that, and the one thing they all share in common is how well they sell this larger than life epic, an adventure with its silly moments, but that it still feels consistently ‘’grand’’, and the menace of evil looming over the heads of everyone in Hyrule. This isn’t a complain, not in the slightest, and that isn’t the reasons I didn’t see any of those games to the finale, is just a part of their identity, like the dungeons, vast worlds opened by upgrades, and Octorocks…

Link’s Awakening begins on the quiet coast…

…But Koholint Island felt different. It still has the many dungeons with their bosses —some being not that great to be honest, at best they end too soon and at worst they are slow or overly simple—, it still has the usual items and upgrades, it has a TON of Octorocks ; in many ways, it still has the mark of 2D Zelda…only instead of feeling like an epic , at times it feels closer to a fairy tale.

Mist forest filled with secret passages and tricker raccoons, songs of fishes and frogs that give new life to what has been gone for a really long time, and what’s perhaps one of the funniest side quests in any game that’s essentially just an item-trade hunt, but it goes on and on across the entire island and your final reward is basically getting two items and scammed, it’s amazing!

There’s a joy to be found in the island, be it the in the little chats with the weird folk or the great search for the color dungeon; even when you aren’t at one of the incredible dungeons, which from a design perspective are the most fun I’ve had with 2D Zelda ever, I never felt like I was losing time or getting side-tracked. The little things like walking a Chomp-Chomp around and playing a crane machine feel just as important as getting the fabled legendary instruments, so mundane but at the same time so mysterious, so fun, so dream-like.

The diorama comparison was also completely on purpose, the toy-like feeling the remake offers is nothing short of amazing, everything feels made out of plastic and clay in such a purposeful way I got nothing but praise for it, and playing through this world reminded me of the tales I made while playing with my tales, distant memories flourishing amidst a world full of wonder and shells.

It sucks that it comes to a price; the game’s frames tank… a LOT, sometimes in the dungeons, but mostly out in the open, and it’s pretty noticeable. I understand that running a completely ‘’open’’ island with such wonderful visuals would have its consequences on performance but I would lie if I said it sometimes felt a lit too much, and I’m left wondering if maybe a bit more time in the oven or a patch or two would have helped things, ‘cause as it is it can feel jarring and take you out of the dream.

It's honestly a bit of a weird remake at times; the fact the jump item isn’t immediately binded to a button permanently boggles my mind considering just how essential jumping is for the whole adventure, especially the scroll sections; that plus how cryptic some enemies’ weaknesses can be compared to others which are pretty much clear as day and not being able to use the D-Pad in any way despite Link snapping into the eight set directions , I’m left wondering, more-so than after playing any other remake, how the original holds-up and if maybe it can feel more consistent. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still in love with the visuals, and things like the Telephone Hint Huts and are a godsend for people like me, but I feel like I’ve missed something by not playing the original… or maybe I’m just searching excuses to return to the island.

You have no idea the mental strength I’m putting in to not talk about every single interaction and moment, ‘cause Link’s Awakening feels special, like a dream, yes, but also like a pas memory, memories of spending summers at the beach and waling along hills, memories of thinking of adventure and meeting strange yet lovable folks, scattered memories from a distant past or even a completely different Goomba-infested reality, memories of songs so far away they are beginning to echo…

I feel like I’ve been missing something incredible by not playing this sooner, yet I’m happy to have finally clicked with one of Link’s adventures, and especially this one. It’s fun, it’s carefree, it’s exciting… and beautiful in its own particular, amazing way, to be honest…

…and then, it’ll become real.

What a lovely little game!

While I haven't played the original, I can't help but feel that they've perfectly captured the whimsy and charm from the original in this cute little puzzle adventure game that has it's usual Zelda mechanics along with some more unique (to the series) mechanics, such as 2D platforming.

The animated intro + outro are the icing on the cake for this delightful game.

I recommend this to anyone that looking to put 10-20 hours into a game that will test your mind and skills without it being too stressful or taking itself too seriously

De la même manière que A link's between worlds, ou A link to the past, les Zelda "2D" de ce genre là ne sont pas du tout ma tasse de thé. J'essaie constamment de continuer d'y jouer, étant donné que c'est quand même à la base ma licence préférée, mais rien n'y fait.

Pourtant, ce jeu a un charme particulier, ses ost sont retravaillées dans un style que j'aime étonnemment assez bien, ses graphismes ont un parti pris qui peu diviser, mais étant donné que je n'ai pas grandi avec, je trouve que c'est un choix agréable en tout cas visuellement.

Mais bon, voilà. Bien que j'adore Zelda, ces jeux là sont clairement une partie de la licence où je n'arrive pas du tout à m'y retrouver, pour mon plus grand malheur.

J'essaierai toujours de continuer ce jeu (et même peut-être A link to the past/Between worlds), mais c'est malheureusement destiné à être un jeu qui ne me marquera pas à la même hauteur que les 3D.

While there are some quirks lost in translation, the remake of Link's Awakening is a perfectly fine way to experience the original. The streamlined item management and seamless overworld go a long way to make this a more brisk experience - which could be worse depending on who you ask! Its remade visuals may not be for everyone, but I think they fit the surreal vibe of the game quite nicely, even if I think they could have went weirder with them. By far this game's biggest flaw is the shaky framerate and constantly flickering lighting.

Perhaps for me, who has beaten Link's Awakening DX multiple times, it was an experience that, at times, made me homesick. And I think many people who have played this game first, would feel the same way if they jumped ship to the Gameboy original.

Despite being a remake, the game is quite dated in design. When this game was initially revealed, I was completely click-baited by the anime opening cinematic that transitioned into this clay toy style. Thematically it makes sense but I still would have preferred a more developed Koholint. At the end of the day it's still a really sweet game and the ending is iconic for a reason. I liked seeing some of the weirder parts of the game remade in 3D, just as the various enemies from other Nintendo games and the ugly ass angler fish.

i liked it! i spent the first hour farming rupees so i could gnab every trendy item i could. thats how you know its good.

my greatest fear in turning this game on was the threat of getting lost in yet another expansive & beautiful world with no clue of what to do/where to go next. that feeling of hope as I would try to piece together where im meant to venture to next would transition into an aimless rigamarole without end, ending with me inevitably giving up and moving on to something else. that feeling of excitement & wonder quickly transforming into frustration & confusion is a challenging feeling to come back from, for me.

that being said, links awakening didnt just rectify this concern of mine - it erased it, keeping me continuously engaged in what possibilites exist at any given time. hints houses, chats with the owl, the ability to revisit any conversation you've previously had at any time, and, most importantly, visual feedback regarding what abilities do what in a certain space, ensured for me that i was able to assertain my wareabouts and goals whenever i desired. i constantly stumbled into areas/rooms that were clearly designed for the utilization of some piece of gear. what works about this, for me, was how the game earned my trust in how if i didn't have a certain item at any point, i would soon be able to revisit this space with said gear. that is to say, it felt to me as if the game was saying, "if you can't complete a challenge, the solution is close by".

outside of the general adventure-gameplay loop, links awakening also does a fantastic job at interconnecting its story, writing, and music, all of which work together to spin this beautifully melancholy tale of a hero saving a dream world from nightmares. music is both cheery & somewhat offputting, indicating that despite everything's glossy & textured exterior, something amiss is lurking underneath. the sound design, in my opinion, does this fantastic job of blending that upbeat, triumphant music of zelda with an uncanny, unsettling feeling that works well with the narrative.

the ui is clean & user friendly, the quests are silly & touching, and the combat is responsive & satisfying. there are parts of this game that make it links awakening and parts that make this a zelda game. both support each other wonderfully for a product that had me feeling content as the credits rolled.

For every Zelda fan, we have The One We Started With, The Good One, and The One We Irrationally Hate In Spite Of It Being Perfectly Good. My very first Zelda game was Link's Awakening DX, which is a funny entry point considering it kind of just has fuck all to do with any of the other games and even has Mario characters in it and other wild off-the-wall shit that has given Link's Awakening something of a reputation for being the goofball one.

Well, goofball one or not it was enough to ruin my brain and make me a Zelda freak 4 lyfe. It brought together all of the real magic of Zelda into a nice compact little game for car trips; a whimsical but dark world, a wide cast of fascinating characters, and a story that makes the game paradoxically linked to several others to make dweebs that think the timeline is real constantly fight about it.

The remake was, happily, exactly what a remake should be - a modernized but fully faithful adaptation of the original game. The newer interface makes it easier to work with the items and spend a little less time doing on-the-fly juggling of common-use gear, the music is beautiful as has become a standard for Zelda, and the graphics are a charming compromise between modern 3D and the classic gameboy Zelda graphics. It feels very much like a storybook brought to life, which is an appropriate take on something so integral to my childhood being brought forth into the 20th century, happily not kicking and screaming like so many others of its ilk.

Also the dungeon building minigame was fun. Took like 20 minutes to do all the missions that tie to in-game collectibles and the rest are optional so really don't see any merit to all the whining about that. You don't have to do everything in a game, man.