| INFO | |
|---|---|
| Other names | The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo EAD, Nintendo R&D2 |
| Genre | Action-adventure |
| Platform(s) |  |
| Release date | 1993-06-06 |
Note: this review also applies to the 1998 remaster for the Game Boy Color, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX.
While I won't pretend my feelings of nostalgia don't cloud my judgement for this game, I can safely say it's one of the best games for the ancient Nintendo portable, and a masterpiece, period. I guess players used to Tetris or Tennis must have had a blast playing this for the first time.
In this action-adventure classic, you play (once again) as Link, a silent hero that is washed ashore on the mysterious Koholint island after a storm wrecks his boat. Finding out he's now stranded there until he manages to wake up a sleeping deity, the Wind Fish, he sets out to find the eight magical instruments that will do the job. The once peaceful island is now full of monsters, edgy because of the mute intruder. The rest you probably know: exploring every corner of this decently sized map, solving several dungeons and defeating their final bosses, gathering lots of strange equipment that will give Link new abilities or upgrade his stats, and learning about the folklore and myths of Koholint. You'll grow fond of the locals and enjoy some easter eggs.
One can tell this ROM was skillfully crafted to make the most of the GB's capabilities (specially the 1998 DX version, with some upgrades including full color). The music is just beautiful. It's not hard to become submerged in this oneiric and idiosyncratic world.
The story is nice, the gameplay is solid and exploring everything will take you dozens of hours, it's a lengthy one. And the best part about that is how finely distributed every goal and reward is: you have this constant feeling of accomplishment that pushes you to play further, with an even pace. Every new quest is more intricate than the last, but you feel prepared for it because you're slowly getting better as you master the game mechanics.
I just can't say anything bad about it. Perhaps the original 1993 version was a bit ugly. The controls may cause your death once or twice. And having to constantly switch items can get annoying, though that's the problem of playing on a system with basically two buttons. But this is just nitpicking, go play it now!
Playing
- The 1998 DX version is better than the original 1993 one. You may find it second hand, otherwise...
a good emulator. - There is a 2019 remake for the Nintendo Switch, with cute 3D graphics. Haven't played it though.