Well what do you know, we return to find our favorite Hylian back in action, this time on the Game Boy Color.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening was released originally on the Game Boy in 1993 and released on the Color in 1998.
It was eventually put on the Nintendo Virtual Console on the 3DS handheld system, a service allowing customers to buy retro games to play on the modern consoles, in 2011 — the version I played.
With the remaster, a complete update from the ground up of the original, coming out Friday on the Nintendo Switch, it seemed as good a time as ever to look back on the fourth game in the historic franchise.
This game is a direct sequel to A Link to the Past, a game I previously reviewed in this series.
Our titular hero, Link, is sailing across the ocean when a storm hits his
raft, capsizing him and knocking him unconscious after a bolt of lightning strikes.
Link gets washed onshore on a mysterious island by one of the citizens, Marin, who takes Link to her house.
After Link wakes up and is handed his shield, he heads down to the beach to find his sword.
An owl then swoops down and talks to Link telling him of the Wind Fish who sleeps in an egg on top of the island’s mountain, who the owl says must be awakened by you and will be the only way you can leave the island.
The way you must do this is by collecting eight different instruments, each in the eight of the series’ unique dungeons, each one with challenging enemies, mini-bosses, bosses and most importantly, the puzzles.
Although I did not end up completing the game, the story is still solid enough and kept me interested, not making me bored or wonder why I was playing.
The story is also helped by the impressive side characters on the island.
Despite this being an 8-bit game on the Game Boy Color, I was very interested in exploring every nook and cranny of the island, finding new characters, secrets and just seeing what I could find.
It’s almost an open-world experience, except you don’t have total freedom to explore the island, you just unlock new sections when you obtain new gear.
The gameplay is tight and exactly what I have come to expect with the franchise.
Each time you gain a weapon or piece of gear after a dungeon, you just go out and find just how many places you can put it to use.
You can see a bit of the age in certain aspects of the game, which is one of the only negatives. One major example is any time you walk into an object without the power bracelet, you get the message, “Wow! This looks pretty heavy! You won’t be able to lift it with just your bare hands…”
And since you are only allowed two have to pieces of equipment at a time, including your sword and shield, you have to open and shift your items every couple of minutes.
This can be a hassle and the only main complaint I have with the game.
The music is top-notch and if you appreciate retro music, you’ll love this game. The musical team was able to cram a lot of music into the game, but if you’re not into it, it will just sound like noise.
This game is very much a blast from the past. This is present in its appearance, the way the game pauses as each section loads and the overall presentation.
It was still a great time, giving me a challenge with puzzles that will leave you scratching your head a little.
Link’s Awakening gets a 3.5/5, being not as good as A Link to the Past, but still a solid outing from one of Nintendo’s flagship franchises.
And be on the lookout for the remake, hitting store shelves Sept. 20, which is a total rework of the classic game with a new art style as well — already receiving praise as a total improvement from its original release.
Zack Kellogg can be reached [email protected] or on Twitter @kellogg_zack