Written by Zachary Jacquest, Staff Writer
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening for Nintendo Switch is the most recent entry in the Legend of Zelda series. It is actually a remake of a game under the same name for the original Gameboy.
Taking a game that is 26 years old and modernizing it to make it enjoyable to a more modern audience while keeping the games original charm would be a hard task for most, but Nintendo took that challenge and went above and beyond with it.
Join Link on his latest journey through Koholint Island. After defeating Ganondorf and saving Zelda in his last journey, Link goes on a trip through the sea, in which a powerful lighting storm causes him to crash land on the island.
Surrounded by unfamiliar land and unfamiliar faces, the only clue Link has to getting off the island is to awaken the resting wind sh. Armed with his trusty sword and shield, Link sets off in this newly remade classic.
The first thing you’ll notice when playing this re-imagined classic is the game’s fantastic new artstyle and design.
Everything in the game is rocking a new toy-like style and it works wonderfully as it keeps the small scale feel of the original Gameboy title while also completely recreating it to be one of the most vivid and beautiful art designs of any game on Switch.
The game’s soundtrack is nothing short of outstanding. It also has a good balance between songs that still resemble the Gameboy versions, remixes of old songs, and completely orchestrated songs. There is even a song in the game that is com- pletely comprised of animal sounds, and it’s easily one of the better songs in the vast ocean of amazing tracks.
The gameplay has been mostly untouched, but some new tricks and updates have been added to make playing it more convenient for new players. Many of the secrets of the original have been brought back so having knowledge of the Gameboy version is actually really benecial to have on your adventure. Overall, everything you do in the game has been really expanded upon in order to provide a lot more bang for your buck.
The game isn’t much different in terms of dif culty either. Some changes were made to make the game easier, such as the ability to hold and use more items, and some changes were made to make the game more dif cult, such as tougher bosses and the addition of the new hero mode dif culty.
The amount of stuff to do has been greatly increased for this remake. There is a lot more to do both during the main adventure as well as after the final boss. All of the mini-games from the original have been brought back and are now both more in-depth and more rewarding. Tired of the dungeons the game has made for you? Go try and piece together your own with the new dungeon creator which has even more rewards for you in the main quest.
This game is nothing less than an amazing revisualization of a 26-year-old classic adventure. It takes everything that everyone loved about the original and also creates a completely new experience that everyone can enjoy. To just say it’s worth playing would be an understatement. This game is very much worth your time and money as it completely delivers an amazing fantasy adventure game that just shows the love the developers have for the series and for the community. Easy five-out-of-five stars and a great new addition to your collection.