Difference between revisions of "The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening"

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[[Image:Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening - GB - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
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[[Image:Legend of Zelda, The - Link's Awakening - GB - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
  
'''''The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening''''' is an action adventure game developed and published by [[Nintendo]] for the [[Game Boy]] on 1993-06-06. It's the fourth title in the [[The Legend of Zelda (universe)|Zelda series]]. Later, an upgraded version, called "DX," ("Deluxe" in Japan) was released for the [[Game Boy Color]]. Though similar in game play to the first and third Zelda games, the game doesn't take itself as nearly as seriously and includes jokes, mergers from other Nintendo franchises, and fourth wall breaking.
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'''''The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening''''' is an action adventure game developed and published by [[Nintendo]] for the [[Game Boy]] on 1993-06-06. It's the fourth title in the [[The Legend of Zelda (universe)|''Zelda'' series]]. Later, an upgraded version, called "DX," ("Deluxe" in Japan) was released for the [[Game Boy Color]]. Though similar in game play to the first and third Zelda games, the game doesn't take itself as nearly as seriously and includes jokes, mergers from other Nintendo franchises, and fourth wall breaking.
  
I had first seen this game on my high school friend's Game Boy (around 1996), and he said it was just as good as ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]'', which I found hard to believe. But after playing it for a few minutes, I was surprised at how close it was graphically to the SNES game. I didn't do much with it, but around 2010, I decided to try and play the game through, and made it through the first few underworlds, but then got bored of it. I eventually returned to it and beat it on 2017-09-26.
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==Personal==
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I had first seen this game on my high school friend's Game Boy (around 1996), and he said it was just as good as ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]'', if not better, which I found hard to believe. But after playing it for a few minutes, I was surprised at how close it was graphically to the SNES game. I didn't do much with it because I didn't want the game spoiled with his mostly complete save-file, but around 2010, I decided to try and play the game through, and made it through the first few underworlds, but then got bored of it. I eventually returned to it and beat it on 2017-09-26.
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
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* The pixel art is really good and fitting for the Zelda franchise.
 
* The pixel art is really good and fitting for the Zelda franchise.
 
* The music and sound effects (the work of [[Minako Hamano]], [[Kozue Ishikawa]], and [[Kazumi Totaka]] are quite good.
 
* The music and sound effects (the work of [[Minako Hamano]], [[Kozue Ishikawa]], and [[Kazumi Totaka]] are quite good.
* It's cute to see the inclusion of other Nintendo franchises like Goombas, Piranha Plants, Dr. Wright, Kirby, etc.
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* It's cute to see the inclusion of other Nintendo franchises like [[Mario (universe)|Goombas]], Chain Chomps, Piranha Plants, [[SimCity (SNES)|Dr. Wright]], [[Kirby (universe)|Kirby]], etc.
 
* Jumping was a nice addition and well-executed.
 
* Jumping was a nice addition and well-executed.
 
* I like that you can get regular hints about where you need to go next, because the game is pretty vague at certain times.
 
* I like that you can get regular hints about where you need to go next, because the game is pretty vague at certain times.
* The designers made a fair amount of clever puzzles that didn't fit with the expected game play.
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* The designers made a fair amount of clever puzzles that didn't fit with the typical game play.
 
* The game has a pretty nice ending sequence with nice full-screen animation.
 
* The game has a pretty nice ending sequence with nice full-screen animation.
* The Game Boy Color version is nicely updated, not just with attractive colors, but with a whole new dungeon and the camera puzzles.
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* The Game Boy Color version is well-updated, not just with attractive colors, but with a whole new dungeon and the camera puzzles.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
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* The anachronistic telephones are really out of place. A Zelda game should never have modern technology.
 
* The anachronistic telephones are really out of place. A Zelda game should never have modern technology.
 
* Several of the dungeons contain puzzles that don't fit with the expected game play and left me needing a online hint.
 
* Several of the dungeons contain puzzles that don't fit with the expected game play and left me needing a online hint.
* I didn't like having to bomb random dungeon walls again. This should have stayed dead with ''A Link to the Past''.
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* I didn't like having to bomb random dungeon walls again. This should have stayed dead with the original ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]''.
 
* Several of the secret seashells are hidden obnoxiously well requiring you to have to dig nearly everywhere on the map to find them.
 
* Several of the secret seashells are hidden obnoxiously well requiring you to have to dig nearly everywhere on the map to find them.
 
* The super powerful boomerang, though a fantastic weapon, doesn't fit thematically.
 
* The super powerful boomerang, though a fantastic weapon, doesn't fit thematically.
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* There are a handful of bugs in the game that have been discovered over the years, but you rarely encounter them.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
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<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening - GB - Japan.jpg|The original Japanese box art show a friendly scene with Link, Zelda, and some other characters that conveys the less-serious nature of the game.
 
Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening - GB - Japan.jpg|The original Japanese box art show a friendly scene with Link, Zelda, and some other characters that conveys the less-serious nature of the game.
Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening - GB - USA.jpg|The box art used for all other regions just reuses ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]'' art and replaced the subtitle. Kind of cheap really.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Link's Awakening - GB - USA.jpg|The box art used for all other regions just reuses ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]'' art and replaced the subtitle. Kind of cheap really.
 
Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening DX - GBC - USA.jpg|The Japanese remake is similar to the original Japanese box, and the Western box art is similar to the Western boxes, only with the updated DX logo.
 
Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening DX - GBC - USA.jpg|The Japanese remake is similar to the original Japanese box, and the Western box art is similar to the Western boxes, only with the updated DX logo.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
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===Videos===
 
===Videos===
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCMu6GqD-CI youtube.com/watch?v=aCMu6GqD-CI] - Son of a Glitch, DX version.
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{{#ev:youtube|Zt3N0zzIU98|256|inline|Review, Game Boy Works.|frame}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzEU19PUVuE youtube.com/watch?v=YzEU19PUVuE] - Longplay, DX version.
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{{#ev:youtube|69m7d0iOcYA|256|inline|Did You Know Gaming?|frame}}
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{{#ev:youtube|aCMu6GqD-CI|256|inline|Son of a Glitch (DX version).|frame}}
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{{#ev:youtube|YzEU19PUVuE|256|inline|Longplay, DX version.|frame}}
  
 
==Titles==
 
==Titles==
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[[Category: Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Video Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Video Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
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[[Category: 1993 Video Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
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[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Adventure, Action, Strategy|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Action|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Adventure|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Metroidvania|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
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[[Category: Game Mechanic - Boss Rush|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
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[[Category: Game Mechanic - Unwinnable State|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Game Boy Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Game Boy Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Game Boy Color Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Game Boy Color Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
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[[Category: Media Theme - Adventure|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
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[[Category: Media Theme - Adventure|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Action|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Action|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
[[Category: Adventure|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Fantasy|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
 
[[Category: Games I've Beaten|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Games I've Beaten|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Grayscale Graphics|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
 
[[Category: Grayscale Graphics|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]
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[[Category: Video Games That Fail the Bechdel Test|Legend of Zelda, The: Link's Awakening]]

Revision as of 11:24, 17 June 2020

North American box art.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is an action adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy on 1993-06-06. It's the fourth title in the Zelda series. Later, an upgraded version, called "DX," ("Deluxe" in Japan) was released for the Game Boy Color. Though similar in game play to the first and third Zelda games, the game doesn't take itself as nearly as seriously and includes jokes, mergers from other Nintendo franchises, and fourth wall breaking.

Personal

I had first seen this game on my high school friend's Game Boy (around 1996), and he said it was just as good as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, if not better, which I found hard to believe. But after playing it for a few minutes, I was surprised at how close it was graphically to the SNES game. I didn't do much with it because I didn't want the game spoiled with his mostly complete save-file, but around 2010, I decided to try and play the game through, and made it through the first few underworlds, but then got bored of it. I eventually returned to it and beat it on 2017-09-26.

Status

I do not own this game, but I have beaten it.

Review

  • Overall: 7/10
  • Best Version: Game Boy Color

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The pixel art is really good and fitting for the Zelda franchise.
  • The music and sound effects (the work of Minako Hamano, Kozue Ishikawa, and Kazumi Totaka are quite good.
  • It's cute to see the inclusion of other Nintendo franchises like Goombas, Chain Chomps, Piranha Plants, Dr. Wright, Kirby, etc.
  • Jumping was a nice addition and well-executed.
  • I like that you can get regular hints about where you need to go next, because the game is pretty vague at certain times.
  • The designers made a fair amount of clever puzzles that didn't fit with the typical game play.
  • The game has a pretty nice ending sequence with nice full-screen animation.
  • The Game Boy Color version is well-updated, not just with attractive colors, but with a whole new dungeon and the camera puzzles.

Bad

  • I don't like having to switch items so often. I preferred the previous games where several items like the bracelet, boots, and shield were always on.
  • There are only a few items to buy in the game, so rupees go mostly unused, and aren't a very welcome treasure chest prize.
  • The anachronistic telephones are really out of place. A Zelda game should never have modern technology.
  • Several of the dungeons contain puzzles that don't fit with the expected game play and left me needing a online hint.
  • I didn't like having to bomb random dungeon walls again. This should have stayed dead with the original The Legend of Zelda.
  • Several of the secret seashells are hidden obnoxiously well requiring you to have to dig nearly everywhere on the map to find them.
  • The super powerful boomerang, though a fantastic weapon, doesn't fit thematically.
  • There are a handful of bugs in the game that have been discovered over the years, but you rarely encounter them.

Ugly

  • I get extremely pissed every time I have to read that damn message about not being able to pick something up with my bare hands. The first time was informative, the second was a refresher, the thousandth was Game Boy-throwingly-annoying. You would think it would stop after you get the bracelet, but no! Same with acorns, energy pieces, chests, black boulders, ice blocks, etc. It's really frustrating.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Fan Art

Videos

Review, Game Boy Works.
Did You Know Gaming?
Son of a Glitch (DX version).
Longplay, DX version.

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Japanese ゼルダの伝説 夢をみる島 Zeruda no Densetsu: Yume o Miru Shima Legend of Zelda: The Dream Island

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-GameFAQs.png  Link-TCRF.png