There was a big question after Breath of the Wild, would the older games from the Zelda series hold up, and with the release of Link’s Awakening, that question has an answer, but that answer depends on you.

Going into the game, I knew the story, having played the original Game Boy release, many years ago, so I was not expecting anything different and for the most part it is. The story is that of Link as he washes up on the island of Koholint, where the residents inform him, that he can only leave if the Great Wind Fish is awoken from his slumber. In order to achieve that goal, you need to collect 8 mystical instruments from around the island and play the Ballad of the Wind Fish, it is a simple goal and a fun one. Along the way, you will interact with the various resident of the island, from those that live in Mabe Village, to the denizens of Animal Village and even a few special characters that live out on their own, the really sad part is that there has been no real changes to the games story, not major ones of course, but minor ones, it is the same story as before and while it is an ok story, I was hoping for something a little more.

One area where the game shines though is in the gameplay, there are now so many streamlined parts to it, that it really feels like an entirely new experience. On the portable Zelda games before, there was always a button limit, even with Game Boy Advance, so to get around that, you had to constantly go in and out of menu’s to equip an item for the moment. This was fine for back in 1993 when the game first released, but most definitely would not hold up today and the developers understand that. While there are still a two-item limitation on face buttons, things like the sword have now been given a permeance on the B button, while items like the Pegasus Boots or Power Bracelet, being given holds on other buttons and no longer needing to be swapped around in menus. This small change makes the game much smoother to play, as you can enter a room with a Sword, Shield (now mapped to R), Roc’s Feather, some bombs and the boots, and decimate all who stand in your way, without pausing every few seconds.

Outside of combat, the game has remained much the same, except there are now no ‘screens’ to be restricted to, as the world just flows around you. Exploring the island sticks to the same formula that all Zelda games had prior to Breath of the Wild, in that you will discover locations that you are unable to access, until you have obtained a set item. This back to old method, felt like it would be a pain at the start, but after I cleared the second dungeon, I was ok with it again, as the entire world revealed itself to be one massive puzzle and thinking of the game like that, made me enjoy it more. For the most part the game plays out the same, there have been some tweaks though, some little things like the Ghost who follows you around, no longer requires you to venture back to his house at the end. There is also a big change to the mystery shell quest that you do throughout the game, instead of there being only a small number of shells there are now quite a number more and the requirement of getting the upgrade, is a lot more than it used to be and while it is fine, I don’t know if it added anything to the game.

Perhaps the most noticeable change to the game is that, as this is a remake of the DX release, the camera shop is no more and in its place is Dampe’s Dungeon Maker. Those going into this thinking that this will be the Zelda Maker, to that of the Mario Maker, need to stop right there as this is nothing like that at all and in all honestly, it is quite boring and not worth the time. Where as Mario Maker gives you the freedom to do what you want, within the confines of the Mario rules, this does none of that, instead you are given some tiles, that you get when you return after completing a dungeon and you can then lay them down. If the room you placed had a chest in the real dungeon, this has it as well, enemies those are the same also, there is no room for you to make your own thing here, you just laydown the same rooms you have already cleared, in a different order. That is not to say that people might not make some amazing dungeons with the tools, but the fact that you can’t even choose to place down keys or chests is a massive let down, instead the game handles it for you, if you have a door in one room and a single chest in another one, that chest will hold a key, simple. If you have two chests, one will hold the key and the other a rupee, but depending on the order you open them in, the key will always and I mean always, be in the final chest. This could have been a taste of something greater to come, but instead it is a mode that if you never use, won’t leave you feeling left out.

Of course, there is almost no way you could not notice the games new look, given the original game was created on a system that used shades of black for colours and very large pixels, a modern take would sport a more defined look and it does. But it is not only the fact that everything looks better, but almost every aspect of the game, feels like a tabletop RPG, where you are moving figures around to complete the story. The characters have basic shapes for eyes, except for Dampe, but they are still able to express themselves quite a lot, little touches in the way they move or stand help give them a sense of realism. Mabe Village is not the most detailed space in a Zelda game and the developers could have gone over the top with redesigning it, but they didn’t they left the overall look and feel the same and from the first moments of waking up and stepping outside, it feels calm and inviting; Even when things have gone wrong in town, the characters still maintain that adorable vibe. The enemies of the world are much the same, there is a great sense of familiarity to them, but they all manage to have that same tin toy feeling and creatures like the Moblins have great reactions when they spot Link as he is wandering past them.

The audio side is perhaps slightly better than the visuals, simply because some of the tunes are so catchy and the world feels alive. Standing still inside of Mabe Village, the game throws up a nice simple melody, mostly played off a xylophone, but then you mix in the sounds of the chickens nearby, or the insects in the grass and it feels alive. Step into Animal Village and you get another track, that is made up of barks and meows, but still sounds great, again with the sounds of the world blending into it. The dungeons themselves all have a distinctly creepy vibe to them, which is appropriate for what they are, though some of the boss tracks are a little underwhelming.

The Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening is a game that takes the original content but provides more than a fancy coat of paint. The visuals are stunning and while there are some performance issues at times, it is easy to overlook them, plus when paired with new arrangements of classic Zelda music, it is a true treat. The addition of the dungeon designer adds very little, if anything to the game and if you miss it, you won’t feel left out, however those returning to the game for the first time since its original release, will find a really fun and rewarding adventure, even if it is a little too familiar.

Review code provided by Nintendo