This review contains spoilers
This remake of Link's Awakening is in my Top 3 Zelda games (with Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess) and my favorite 2D game in the entire franchise.
Every story in a Zelda games has that aspect of growing up and becoming a hero/adult.
This is the only Zelda game where Link is not a hero, he's not fighting to save an entire kingdom from evil or stopping an impending doom from happening, here he's just trying to escape this island and continue his "quest", while knowing full well that it would mean the end for this island and it's inhabitants.
I think the word that would describe this game best is "melancholy", from the graphics, to the music, and the story...
Link's Awakening manages to create this atmosphere of familiarity and nostalgia (the fact that this is a remake is even more fitting), and the ending culminates in this sad but thankful goodbye.
This is not a game with a thought-provoking plot or groundbreaking gameplay, because it doesn't try to be, it's a game that perfects itself thanks to its simplicity.
Link's Awakening also has some unintentional meta elements to it, but still fitting.
For example, the fact that you the player (if you chose to name the character as yourself) are controlling this character thrown in this world made of dreams that compose the most of your gaming experience, can be an echo to games and fiction in general.
Or that the game tells you time and time again that you will make this world disappear when you end your adventure, even though you can decide to not do that if you stop playing.
(I don't know if it's the "first video game" that tries to communicate with the player in that sort of way, but it really reminded me of the likes of Undertale and Oneshot in that regard)
It's not a perfect game by all means, but it's a really nice experience or an amazing one if you let it captures your heart.
Every story in a Zelda games has that aspect of growing up and becoming a hero/adult.
This is the only Zelda game where Link is not a hero, he's not fighting to save an entire kingdom from evil or stopping an impending doom from happening, here he's just trying to escape this island and continue his "quest", while knowing full well that it would mean the end for this island and it's inhabitants.
I think the word that would describe this game best is "melancholy", from the graphics, to the music, and the story...
Link's Awakening manages to create this atmosphere of familiarity and nostalgia (the fact that this is a remake is even more fitting), and the ending culminates in this sad but thankful goodbye.
This is not a game with a thought-provoking plot or groundbreaking gameplay, because it doesn't try to be, it's a game that perfects itself thanks to its simplicity.
Link's Awakening also has some unintentional meta elements to it, but still fitting.
For example, the fact that you the player (if you chose to name the character as yourself) are controlling this character thrown in this world made of dreams that compose the most of your gaming experience, can be an echo to games and fiction in general.
Or that the game tells you time and time again that you will make this world disappear when you end your adventure, even though you can decide to not do that if you stop playing.
(I don't know if it's the "first video game" that tries to communicate with the player in that sort of way, but it really reminded me of the likes of Undertale and Oneshot in that regard)
It's not a perfect game by all means, but it's a really nice experience or an amazing one if you let it captures your heart.