Many years ago, I played Link's Awakening DX on the 3DS Virtual Console. I was very bad at it. A few years ago, a remake for the Switch came out and it is only now that I finally got around to it. I figured "what better way to reexperience a game than by playing it's remake". And yep, Link's Awakening is still pretty good.
For starters, the chibi clay aesthetic of the remake is absolutely phenomenal. Easily one of the most appealing art styles I've seen in a game. Everything pops and everything feels like it all flows in to each other. It's all like somebody's play set which is rather fitting.
Gameplay-wise, it's a pretty standard Zelda game. It is a bit easier than DX because you have more buttons to go around and you have a bigger field of view. The first four dungeons are all extremely basic, with basically no puzzle solving elements. Instead, it's mostly "beat enemies to progress" style. The latter four dungeons do incorporate more puzzle solving and I think the dungeon design in this half generally pops off. There are some neat ideas here, even if they are still simple by nature. The bosses are an absolute joke however.
While the world is merely a means to an end like in most Zelda games, this was one where the narrative feels like it's more than it's presented as. This game was Majora's Mask before Majora's Mask existed. You are presented with the moral question of: "is it ok to leave the island if it means everyone who lives there ceases to exist?" Of course the game was originally a GameBoy game so there's only one ending to this whole thing but the presentation of it all makes for a damn good effective ending (the music of the Face Shrine in particular is a highlight for me). I was able to do something I wasn't able to in DX, that is, beat the game without any game overs, and was able to get the extended ending, an ending that cements this game as one of the best Zelda games.
Of course, there's still some annoyances. There's a bit of "we won't tell you anything" game design in regards to the mandatory trade quest and stuff like the signpost maze, which is misleadingly designed. The telephone house occasionally gives you hints but there were times where I was like "what that's it" and I was reminded why I was constantly looking up walkthroughs as a kid in the first place. I still did that but way, way less frequently, owing to the fact that I'm much better at games now.
Link's Awakening is fantastic. A good game enhanced by it's ending (this is why endings are important).
For starters, the chibi clay aesthetic of the remake is absolutely phenomenal. Easily one of the most appealing art styles I've seen in a game. Everything pops and everything feels like it all flows in to each other. It's all like somebody's play set which is rather fitting.
Gameplay-wise, it's a pretty standard Zelda game. It is a bit easier than DX because you have more buttons to go around and you have a bigger field of view. The first four dungeons are all extremely basic, with basically no puzzle solving elements. Instead, it's mostly "beat enemies to progress" style. The latter four dungeons do incorporate more puzzle solving and I think the dungeon design in this half generally pops off. There are some neat ideas here, even if they are still simple by nature. The bosses are an absolute joke however.
While the world is merely a means to an end like in most Zelda games, this was one where the narrative feels like it's more than it's presented as. This game was Majora's Mask before Majora's Mask existed. You are presented with the moral question of: "is it ok to leave the island if it means everyone who lives there ceases to exist?" Of course the game was originally a GameBoy game so there's only one ending to this whole thing but the presentation of it all makes for a damn good effective ending (the music of the Face Shrine in particular is a highlight for me). I was able to do something I wasn't able to in DX, that is, beat the game without any game overs, and was able to get the extended ending, an ending that cements this game as one of the best Zelda games.
Of course, there's still some annoyances. There's a bit of "we won't tell you anything" game design in regards to the mandatory trade quest and stuff like the signpost maze, which is misleadingly designed. The telephone house occasionally gives you hints but there were times where I was like "what that's it" and I was reminded why I was constantly looking up walkthroughs as a kid in the first place. I still did that but way, way less frequently, owing to the fact that I'm much better at games now.
Link's Awakening is fantastic. A good game enhanced by it's ending (this is why endings are important).