First, a few words from the manufacturer: Link has washed ashore on a mysterious island with strange and colorful inhabitants. To escape the island, Link must collect magical instruments across the land and awaken the Wind Fish. Explore a re-imagined Koholint Island that’s been faithfully rebuilt in a brand-new art style that will entice fans and newcomers alike. Battle enemies as you conquer numerous dungeons and uncover the hidden secrets of the island.
Pros:
- The art style is incredibly cute and engaging. The entire game has a “play set” vibe that drew me in from the start and hasn’t let me go. This is what prompted me to purchase the game, actually.
- The game’s music is great
- There are a number of cameos from other Nintendo properties (like chain chomps), which is neat.
- The moment-to-moment game play is engaging. I’ve put a lot of time into this game (approximately 15 hours).
- I never played the original Link’s Awakening (for the Game Boy or Game Boy Color), but from what I’ve seen a number of quality-of-life improvements have been made which I very much appreciate. This includes better button mapping (by grace of the additional buttons of the Switch), a more cohesively implemented warp system, and auto-saves.
Cons:
- I don’t find this to be a con, but the game is not hard on “normal,” mode. I only had one game over my entire play-though, and it was facing the final form of the final boss.
- For those who want a more challenging experience, there is a “hero” mode where enemies do double damage and don’t drop hearts (healing items).
- There are occasional frame-rate issues in both docked and handheld mode. I noticed it, but it never really bothered me or drastically interfered with game play. Still, those especially sensitive to losing a few frames will be disappointed.
- There are still minor annoyances in the moment-to-moment game play that later iterations of Zelda fixed (in my opinion). In particular, the fact that link’s dash does not continue screen to screen (not to mention the long “wind-up” animation), and the use of “magic dust,” as a catch all (i.e. I had no idea that it could be used as a torch substitute). Those familiar with the original games are probably not going to be bothered by these things, but I still found them annoying.
- On a similar note, the “platforming,” sections of various dungeons often felt floaty to me. The platforming never required me to be so precise that it was a problem / caused lots of frustration for me, but it is a stark difference from games like Super Mario Maker 2.
- There was also a boss (minor spoiler ahead: it’s the “Armos Knight”) that has a wonky hit box that makes him annoying (though not difficult) to defeat.
- Some of the puzzle design is obtuse. While I can appreciate that the game doesn’t “hold my hand,” and I’ve solved most every dungeon without assistance, there have been a few instances where I couldn’t figure out what to do next and had to consult a guide.
- The post-credits content is pretty weak. Collecting sea-shells is a glorified fetch quest, Dampe’s dungeon gives mediocre rewards (spoiler: it’s rupies / in-game currency, which is not particularly useful by the end-game), and I was able to find all but 3 pieces of heart over the course of a normal play-through.
Final Thoughts:
Though the game shows its age in some ways, and is imperfect in others, it is still a great time. I’ve been having a lot of fun! There’s lots of reasons to pick this one up: Legend of Zelda nostalgia, the art style, the music, and of course, the game play. Though I can level a few minor complaints at the game, it was more than engaging enough to beat (to near 100% completion, I might add). If you own a Switch, this game is worth a pick-up.
Check it out here.
You might also enjoy…
- “Cadence of Hyrule,” by Brace Yourself Games
- “Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove,” by Yacht Club Games
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