The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is the perfect remake

Link immediately raises up from a strange bed that he had never seen before, he looks to his left and see two completely unfamiliar people, one of them is a gorgeous red haired girl with a pretty pink flower, she introduces herself as Marin. The other person in the room is a nice looking man named Tarin, he had a strange resemblance to Mario. Marin tells Link she found him washed up on shore, here on Koholint Island. But Link won’t be able to leave the island again until he finds seven instruments which when played will “wake the wind fish.”

This is the classic game The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, originally released back in 1993 for the Game Boy, but recently remade for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo has done a great job of staying true to the original, allowing fans trying to relive their childhood and while also updating the graphics and music to make it work well on the Switch, allowing new fans trying to experience the classic game for the first time.

This game lets you explore in a 2D world, fighting through dungeons, collecting items that allow Link to manipulate the world and gain access to new areas while battling monsters as he progresses through the story. 

Nintendo has done a great job at making this game feel like the original but still be appealing to the new generation. The soundtrack is amazing. It brings that Zelda feel by being played on woodwinds and strings which is the best thing about the game, even better than the new graphics which are spectacular and are similar to the cartoon Yoshi Wooly World graphics. 

Nintendo didn’t just update the graphics and soundtrack, they also added a feature called Chamber Dungeous. This is Zelda’s twist on Super Mario Maker and you unlock it very early in the game. It’s a great addition to the game and the best place to still enjoy playing after you complete the story. 

Link’s Awakening is filled with references to Mario games. For example, one character in the town keeps Chomps as pets, which if you played Super Mario before you will know they are definitely not something you would want to mess with. The Mario references are a lot of fun, but do not overwhelm or alter Link’s universe from what we expect in a Zelda game.

Some people may think $80 Cdn is too much for a remake but this is a lovingly crafted remake of a charming game that is right at home on the Switch. It will also satisfy your Zelda craving while you hunker down for the long wait for the sequel to Breath of the Wild. This is a great time to share this experience with your children to pass down this tradition of playing on a cold fall night and definitely for a great bonding experience. For those newcomers it’s a solid Zelda game to give you a taste of that classic 2D Zelda. 

Image Credit: Nintendo