Positives:
- Koholint Island and the theme of this game are very memorable and executed well.
- Gameplay based on Link to the Past carried over well.
- An overall solid set of dungeons, with no real low points.
Negatives:
- Game Boy limitations apply, though not as bad as many people make them out to be.
-----------------------------------
''Fans of the Nepiki Gaming Variety™ may know that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is one of, if not my favourite game ever. It is a super satisfying experience that I can play over and over again as many times as I want--especially with the randomizer that makes each new playthrough a fresh new journey. Why am I bringing this up when it's not the topic of today though? Because syke, I baited you into a review for another game. But joking aside, development for The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening started out as a port of my beloved SNES game before it became its own product. While the differences are night- and day now, a few elements still carried over. Most importantly though, the top-down sword-slashing gameplay is virtually the same and given how much I like it in Link to the Past, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I still enjoy it here too. It did come with a few limitations due to the Game Boy having less buttons, meaning that neither the sword- nor the shield are ever permanently equipped and have to be set to a button just like any other item. This is usually the main complaint people have because it results in a lot of time being spent in the menu switching weapons. It's something I can't deny myself either, but I also think it's something that is complained about a bit too much and doesn't make the experience worse. Could it have been handled better, like making some items permanently equipped? Probably. But it's definitely not a game breaker as it is now.
What is very annoying though, is that every time you walk up to a liftable- or bombable rock but you don't have the required item equipped, it will give you a monologue of what you need to do for them. Every. Single. Time. The same also applies to finding items in dungeons like the compass and map, with an explanation for what said item does for all 8 of the dungeons. You could say this is a nitpick, but after having picked up either of those items the first time around, I'm pretty sure I know what they do. I feel this to me more annoying than the other Game Boy limitations, mostly because it is unnecessary, but does it make the game worse? Not really I'd say. In fact... I don't really have that many negative points to make about Link's Awakening from a mechanical standpoint. It does exactly what you expect from a Zelda game from this age, and it results in it (unsurprisingly) being regarded as one of the best Game Boy games ever by fans. Does that mean I can ignore these flaws? Not at all. But I don't think they take away from the overall package.
But that's enough talk about the mechanical side, because this review so far is more feeling like me trying to address complaints rather than me actually talking about the game itself. But fortunately, I can gladly say that the gameplay front lives up to my expectations as well. I already mentioned before that the same sword-slashing gameplay from previous games is here, particularly Link to the Past. The inspiration is also shown in some of the items, like the Hookshot and Pegasus Boots which both work exactly as desired. It also surprisingly has the most overpowered variants of well-known items, such as the Boomerang which kills almost anything and the Magic Rod also being a weapon of death and destruction. The latter probably shouldn't come as a surprise given that there is no magic meter, so it can literally be spammed over- and over for tons of damage. Fortunately, both are closer to the end of the game so that they don't affect the difficulty.
The dungeons- and bosses tend to be more on the good-but-not-outstanding part for me. I can't say there's really a dungeon I dislike (even though Turtle Rock has a very nasty unforgivable switch room that did piss me off), but my only real stand-outs are Catfish Maw and Eagle's Tower--the former because I like the idea of chasing a mini-boss through the dungeon, and the latter mostly because of the spectacle because it is an otherwise very confusing dungeon to navigate. I do really like the idea of every dungeon having a mini-boss though, which wasn't really a thing before this game. The mini-bosses (just like the normal bosses) aren't really too noteworthy as mentioned before, but I appreciate them being there and also functioning as a half-way point in the dungeon that can be teleported to from the entrance.
But when I think about Link's Awakening, I don't just think about how good of a game it is. This adventure is probably one of the most bizarre- and unique adventure Link has ever been on, but absolutely for the better. Koholint Island is a very memorable place with its unique vistas, like a village full of talking animals that's right next to a small desert with a boss veterans of the franchise are familiar with, or a castle ruled by Richard, a character from a completely different game made by the same developers! And Richard is not the only unrelated character appearing in this game, as several Mario characters- and enemies show up too, like a chain chomp that is even required to open the second dungeon. This gives Link's Awakening a more... distinct feeling, without going into spoilers as to the why, but it persists throughout the entire game as a running theme. It's not unusual for the Zelda franchise past this game to go into some more unique territories, but Link's Awakening was the first and arguably still one of, if not the most unique of them all.
And the theme also directly makes Koholint Island more fun to just... be. That might sound a bit vague, and my apologies for that, but it's tough to describe. It just feels like a warm place where everyone knows each other, and occasionally you'll also see these characters appear in other places. The prime example of course is Marin, the girl who found Link washed ashore in the first place. She appears throughout the island and is mentioned everywhere, especially in the animal village where she is beloved for her singing. She isn't just another resident of this island; she is the defining connection between Link and Koholint Island. It feels like a cozy place where you would like to stay and get to know each other, making it all the more tough that staying simply isn't an option as Link needs to get home. I'm pretty sure everyone is familiar with the theme- and spoilers of the game--that I'm still avoiding--but I'm of the opinion that it is just really well executed.''
- Koholint Island and the theme of this game are very memorable and executed well.
- Gameplay based on Link to the Past carried over well.
- An overall solid set of dungeons, with no real low points.
Negatives:
- Game Boy limitations apply, though not as bad as many people make them out to be.
-----------------------------------
''Fans of the Nepiki Gaming Variety™ may know that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is one of, if not my favourite game ever. It is a super satisfying experience that I can play over and over again as many times as I want--especially with the randomizer that makes each new playthrough a fresh new journey. Why am I bringing this up when it's not the topic of today though? Because syke, I baited you into a review for another game. But joking aside, development for The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening started out as a port of my beloved SNES game before it became its own product. While the differences are night- and day now, a few elements still carried over. Most importantly though, the top-down sword-slashing gameplay is virtually the same and given how much I like it in Link to the Past, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I still enjoy it here too. It did come with a few limitations due to the Game Boy having less buttons, meaning that neither the sword- nor the shield are ever permanently equipped and have to be set to a button just like any other item. This is usually the main complaint people have because it results in a lot of time being spent in the menu switching weapons. It's something I can't deny myself either, but I also think it's something that is complained about a bit too much and doesn't make the experience worse. Could it have been handled better, like making some items permanently equipped? Probably. But it's definitely not a game breaker as it is now.
What is very annoying though, is that every time you walk up to a liftable- or bombable rock but you don't have the required item equipped, it will give you a monologue of what you need to do for them. Every. Single. Time. The same also applies to finding items in dungeons like the compass and map, with an explanation for what said item does for all 8 of the dungeons. You could say this is a nitpick, but after having picked up either of those items the first time around, I'm pretty sure I know what they do. I feel this to me more annoying than the other Game Boy limitations, mostly because it is unnecessary, but does it make the game worse? Not really I'd say. In fact... I don't really have that many negative points to make about Link's Awakening from a mechanical standpoint. It does exactly what you expect from a Zelda game from this age, and it results in it (unsurprisingly) being regarded as one of the best Game Boy games ever by fans. Does that mean I can ignore these flaws? Not at all. But I don't think they take away from the overall package.
But that's enough talk about the mechanical side, because this review so far is more feeling like me trying to address complaints rather than me actually talking about the game itself. But fortunately, I can gladly say that the gameplay front lives up to my expectations as well. I already mentioned before that the same sword-slashing gameplay from previous games is here, particularly Link to the Past. The inspiration is also shown in some of the items, like the Hookshot and Pegasus Boots which both work exactly as desired. It also surprisingly has the most overpowered variants of well-known items, such as the Boomerang which kills almost anything and the Magic Rod also being a weapon of death and destruction. The latter probably shouldn't come as a surprise given that there is no magic meter, so it can literally be spammed over- and over for tons of damage. Fortunately, both are closer to the end of the game so that they don't affect the difficulty.
The dungeons- and bosses tend to be more on the good-but-not-outstanding part for me. I can't say there's really a dungeon I dislike (even though Turtle Rock has a very nasty unforgivable switch room that did piss me off), but my only real stand-outs are Catfish Maw and Eagle's Tower--the former because I like the idea of chasing a mini-boss through the dungeon, and the latter mostly because of the spectacle because it is an otherwise very confusing dungeon to navigate. I do really like the idea of every dungeon having a mini-boss though, which wasn't really a thing before this game. The mini-bosses (just like the normal bosses) aren't really too noteworthy as mentioned before, but I appreciate them being there and also functioning as a half-way point in the dungeon that can be teleported to from the entrance.
But when I think about Link's Awakening, I don't just think about how good of a game it is. This adventure is probably one of the most bizarre- and unique adventure Link has ever been on, but absolutely for the better. Koholint Island is a very memorable place with its unique vistas, like a village full of talking animals that's right next to a small desert with a boss veterans of the franchise are familiar with, or a castle ruled by Richard, a character from a completely different game made by the same developers! And Richard is not the only unrelated character appearing in this game, as several Mario characters- and enemies show up too, like a chain chomp that is even required to open the second dungeon. This gives Link's Awakening a more... distinct feeling, without going into spoilers as to the why, but it persists throughout the entire game as a running theme. It's not unusual for the Zelda franchise past this game to go into some more unique territories, but Link's Awakening was the first and arguably still one of, if not the most unique of them all.
And the theme also directly makes Koholint Island more fun to just... be. That might sound a bit vague, and my apologies for that, but it's tough to describe. It just feels like a warm place where everyone knows each other, and occasionally you'll also see these characters appear in other places. The prime example of course is Marin, the girl who found Link washed ashore in the first place. She appears throughout the island and is mentioned everywhere, especially in the animal village where she is beloved for her singing. She isn't just another resident of this island; she is the defining connection between Link and Koholint Island. It feels like a cozy place where you would like to stay and get to know each other, making it all the more tough that staying simply isn't an option as Link needs to get home. I'm pretty sure everyone is familiar with the theme- and spoilers of the game--that I'm still avoiding--but I'm of the opinion that it is just really well executed.''