One of those rare Gameboy spinoffs that makes the SNES original look bad in comparison. I love ALttP but Links Awakening's combat and gameplay are so much more enjoyable, its story is more compelling, its characters and locations are more memorable, and it truly feels like a follow-up to that game rather than a cheap handheld spinoff. Everything about the gameplay just feels better. Link controls so much more naturally, you never fall off ledges or get knocked down holes or slip on ice, all the most annoying ALttP enemies like bats are made far easier, etc. The only big issue is that the game can range pretty wildly between too cryptic and too simple. It's not a big deal in the face of all of Links Awakening's strengths, but you'll often find it much harder to actually find a dungeon or where to go next than to solve its puzzles or beat the boss. The visuals are obviously a bit worse than the SNES but they hold up to a surprising degree. I like how the switch versions' diorama look works for the game thematically but there's definitely some charm to the pixel art that isn't captured there. I played the shit out of the Gameboy original Links Awakening as a kid but I never got past like the first dungeon, I think it took me multiple hours to even find the sword, so it's really nice to finally complete this. I wish they did more stuff like this in the series, the surreal Twin Peaks-inspired tone that permeates the game's writing, characters, and humor just works so well. Like Twin Peaks, the quirky humor doesn't detract from the story but rather makes it all the more effective when you get hit with a real emotional moment, like sitting with Marin on the beach or the ending scene. Everyone already knows about all this game's eccentricities like the Mario characters or stealing items from the shop so it probably doesn't bear repeating but man, it's just so good. I guess Majora's Mask is similar, even down to recalling elements of the prior game in a new way, and I do prefer that game in general, but that's a little bit less Twin Peaks the TV show and a little bit more Fire Walk With Me. Obviously, it's this game's uniqueness that makes it so special and effective, but I can't help but wish a little more of its charm was present in the later games, as much as I do enjoy them.