'The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening' remake is so charming

The remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is so charming, it made me love a game that I previously had almost nothing but frustrating memories of.

I remember playing Link’s Awakening on a green Game Boy Color as a 5-year-old kid and being confused. I couldn’t wrap my young brain around it, especially without a guide to help me figure out where to go and what to do next.

Although I played it a bunch of times (it was one of a few games I had for the Game Boy), I never got very far. I don’t think I ever made it to the second dungeon.

Years later, I played it again in college through the Nintendo 3DS’s Virtual Console. I made it to the final dungeon and after hours of trying to figure it out, I finished it to get the final instrument (after two attempts on the boss). And then I accidentally hit the touch screen and exited the game without saving, losing hours of progress. I was too angry to do it again.

I guess I enjoyed Link’s Awakening, but when I think back on it, what I remember most is the grating music and bad graphics, which far outweighed the fun I was having with the game’s puzzles and combat.

Say what you will about the Game Boy, but wow the sound on that thing was bad.

Right from the start, the remake of Link’s Awakening on the Nintendo Switch is so much better than the original.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The most noticeable update is the graphics.Nintendo has revamped Koholint Island into an adorable and colorful place for an adventure, giving the game so much more personality than it ever could have achieved on the Game Boy.

Not only that, the music is actually enjoyable to listen to now, as its been completely redone and renovated to take advantage of the infinitely more complex sound capabilities of the Switch.

The only problem with the Link’s Awakening remake is the framerate. While about 99% of the game runs smoothly, entering some specific areas will cause a very noticeable dip in framerate. Although it only lasts a couple seconds, it’s annoying.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The one big addition to the remake is the dungeon creator, found in Dampe’s shack, which allows players to build their own dungeons using rooms they’ve already encountered in other dungeons (as well as some bonus rooms you can get form using various Zelda amiibo). It’s a good way to get rupees if you need them, but it’s not a particularly interesting feature. It’s no Mario Maker, that’s for sure.

Aside from that, not too much has changed. The layout of the island is the same, as are its dungeons, caves, and tiny abodes. I personally like that nothing about the core of the game has changed because the new look was enough of a difference to entice me to play it again. It just looks so friendly and welcoming, it’s hard not to be charmed.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Having this remake allowed me to go back and play a classic game that I probably never would have completed otherwise. And I enjoyed every minute of it.

Well, almost every minute of it. There were a couple moments where I wasn’t sure where to go and I used a guide or two online to give myself a hint at what to do next. Most of it is straight-forward enough that I didn’t need help, but there were a couple moments that there were no in-game clues to help me, at least none that were clear enough.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

But even not knowing exactly what to do wasn’t so bad because the world is filled with little puzzles and secrets to explore that grow in number as Link collects new items, effectively unlocking new areas with the ability to leap over gaps, run and leap over larger gaps, and hookshot across even larger gaps. Really it comes down to gaps in Link’s Awakening.

Finding items, pieces of hearts, and seashells (you’ll want a lot of them) is always a nice way to break up the adventuring, but racing from one dungeon to the next is still fun.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

A couple of the dungeons are pretty obtuse and can take a couple of hours to figure out, but none of them are painful. And as far as combat goes, it’s not a particularly tough game. I only died three times in my playthrough.

I had a lot of fun with The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening for the Switch -- a lot more fun than I had with it on Game Boy. Is it the best 2D Zelda game? Not in my opinion. But it’s a great one.

I wouldn’t mind seeing a few more classic Nintendo games getting a beautiful remake like this.