Link's Awakening is a game that I remembered fondly as being my favorite top-down Zelda. However, I've been finding that as I grow older, a lot of my old favorite Zelda titles are losing their luster in my eyes. Years and years ago, I played through the DX version on the 3DS. Then, late last year, I picked up the Zelda anniversary Game & Watch, which has the original version of Link's Awakening built in. And now as I'm typing this, I've just finished my first 100% run, once again on the DX version. The question is, is it as good as I remembered, as less and less Zelda games seem to be as time goes on?
I'm reviewing specifically DX, as that is the version I just finished. Most of this will apply to the original version as well, though not counting the 2019 remake, DX is the definitive version. It takes the original game and adds color, an extra dungeon and a handful of other new features.
Plain and simple, this is my favorite top-down Zelda. With a solid classic Zelda game as a base, the game piles on a level of variety which is fairly atypical for the series. For example, there are several side-scrolling segments in the game, which seem to pay more homage to Super Mario than to the series's own Zelda 2 with the way you use the feather item to jump on enemies and defeat them. There are even Goombas, Pirhana Plants, Bloopers and loads more enemies straight from the Mushroom Kingdom. I'm sure the amount of Mario content in the game surprises everyone their first time playing. The game also has prizes for treasure hunters. If you find enough Secret Seashells in the game world, you'll be treated to some special exclusive gear, namely a sword that does a ton of damage. You'll never want to go back to the dinky thing you start out with! Best of luck, though, as some of those suckers are tucked away where you may never find them.
For me, there are only a few downsides. For one, some of the dungeons require some serious brain power. At least two of them had me wandering around for hours trying to find the way forward when I played on the Game & Watch. This last time wasn't so bad, but maybe that was because it was all still somewhat fresh in my head. In any case, to be fair, the game does include not one, but two handy hint systems, one for general progression (telephone booths), and one inside the dungeons to help with some of the puzzles (owl statues), so if you get as lost as I did, try those, and check your map. Maybe my biggest gripe is that I found some of the text boxes to be annoyingly intrusive. For example, the game has two power-ups that enemies can drop: Guardian Acorns and Pieces of Power. Each time you grab one, the game stops to tell you what they are and do, even if you've read the dialog 50 times before. In the Game & Watch version, you can cancel out of the text boxes after the first one, skipping the next three or four, but this feature was not in the originals. While they are helpful items, I wouldn't even pick them up a lot of times because they just interrupted the gameplay flow too much. The game also feels it necessary to explain how the map and compass work whenever you grab one, even in the last dungeon. Another thing, which I understand couldn't really be helped, is that you have to pause to switch items constantly, but that's of course because the Game Boy only has two buttons aside from Start and Select, which are the menu and map buttons, respectively. The variety of items and puzzles means you'll have all types of item combinations equipped at different times, like the Pegasus Boots and the feather, which together allow you to dash jump over large holes. I believe this is the only Zelda game where you can unequip the sword once you get it...
This game has a solid soundtrack. Some of the music just oozes with personality and emotion. Melodies are reused throughout the game to great effect and can really get stuck in your head. The Ballad of the Wind Fish, sang frequently by Marin, is the most plot-signifigant tune, and it's quite a lovely piece. The intro music may be my favorite track, and I'd sometimes just leave it looping on the TV. The game does, however, have its share of the type of ambient tune I'm not a huge fan of. Like, every level theme should be tailor-made for said level, but I just prefer tunes that both fit the atmosphere AND have nice melodies. I like a song I can whistle along to. I'd say the worst track in the game is the one that plays when you pick up the Guardian Acorns and Pieces of Power I mentioned previously. The tune isn't actually bad per se, it's just a little four second loop, but it replaces the music in almost every area, and it plays nonstop until you get hit enough for the items to wear off. Yet another reason to avoid those items.
The art of this game is very nice. I love the presentation! All of the characters are extra fun. The aforementioned Mario characters blend right in, if that helps you visualize the type of charcter designs present. Speaking of which, Tarin and the man in the henhouse look a little familiar, don't you think? The DX version adds fabulous colors to the game's world and characters, and even takes advantages of the miraculous technology of color displays by adding in the new "Color Dungeon", at the end of which you get to pick one of two sets of new duds; red for offense and blue for defense. The in-game graphics are great, but don't miss how nice the opening and ending graphics are, as well as the photos and other various detailed shots scattered throughout the game. It just looks good, plain and simple!
The game begins with Link's boat being destroyed by a storm. He washes up on a beach and is discovered by an island girl named Marin. Once he wakes up, he begins attempting to unravel the mysteries of this strange island with the help of a talking owl who points Link in the right directions to do so. His ultimate goal is to collect the 8 Siren Instruments to wake the Wind Fish, who is asleep in a giant egg on the island's summit. The question is, what happens when the Wind Fish wakes up? There's only one way to find out. The game is basically a MOTHER game in disguse, as the goal is to collect eight magical instruments, it features silly dialog, strange characters and a photographer who follows you around, snapping photos for your scrapbook. Perhaps all this time, Link was really Ness...? But that's just a theory... A BAD THEORY!! Without saying too much, though the story is somewhat simple, it manages to tug at the heartstrings a bit. There are a lot of nice scenes that just make me smile, and some sad scenes that make me choke up a little. The story isn't mind-blowing, but it still manages to be effective, especially as Zelda games go. The fact that Zelda, Ganon nor the Triforce are nowhere to be seen in this game should be enough to let you know this isn't a typical outing for Link. I also have to add that the dialog is all fantastic. It's funny, strange and puts a cheesy grin on my face. It reeks of that MOTHER personality I just love!
This one comes highly recommended. If you're a fan of Zelda, this is definitely one of my favorite games in the series, and one of the few that I enjoy as much now as I did the first time I played it. It has this unique aura about it that somewhat matches the Game Boy Mario titles, which, much like Link's Awakening, also weren't directed by Nintendo legend and creator of both series, Shigeru Miyamoto. It shows; the games feel very different, but not in a bad way. Since starting this review, I've begun playing Oracle of Ages, which is built on the same engine. However, that alone doesn't make it feel just like Awakening. The game just has a less tangible quality about it, which must be experienced to be understood.It has a little something for everyone.
Published 12/10/22
