The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by Grezzo and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. Released worldwide on September 20, 2019, Link's Awakening is a remake of the 1993 game of the same name for the Game Boy. It retains the original's top-down perspective and gameplay, along with elements from the 1998 re-release Link's Awakening DX.
The game features a unique art style in contrast to the rest of the series. The gameplay is presented as a "retro-modern" art style with toy-like character designs, diorama-like world designs, and tilt-shift visuals that evoke the original game's presentation on the Game Boy. The opening and credits cutscenes are presented akin to anime. It also features customizable dungeons which the player can create and then complete for rewards.
Link's Awakening received generally positive reviews for its improved gameplay, unique art style, and faithfulness to the original game, though its technical issues were criticized. As of December 2022, the game has sold over 6.46 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Switch.
Gameplay
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is an action-adventure game with a top-down perspective. Its story is set on Koholint Island, where Link, the player character, is stranded after his ship is caught up in a storm. After being rescued by a girl named Marin, Link embarks on a quest to collect the eight instruments of the Sirens and awaken Koholint's legendary Wind Fish in order to escape the island. Similar to other Zelda games, the player traverses an open world with dungeons scattered throughout, featuring puzzle-solving sections and boss fights, along with trading sidequests. In contrast to other top-down games in the series however, Link's Awakening allows the player to jump over obstacles and onto platforms, and also features side-scrolling platforming sections.
The "Color Dungeon" from Link's Awakening DX, which features color-based action and puzzle gameplay, is included. In the Link's Awakening remake, Link's sword, shield, and upgrades are permanently equipped, allowing more items to be equipped to action buttons in comparison to the original game. Various minigames also received updates, such as realistic physics in the claw crane minigame. As players progress in the game, rooms from completed dungeons can be collected as pieces that the player can use to reassemble their own dungeons by visiting the non-player character Dampé at his shack. The player can then complete these dungeons in a time attack mode to earn rewards such as a life-replenishing fairy bottle, contributing to an increased replay value over the original game.
Players can also unlock "plus-effects", which can be added to customized dungeons to enhance their gameplay. The Link figurine from the Link's Awakening series of Amiibo offers a unique plus-effect, summoning Shadow Link to chase the player through the dungeon; defeating Shadow Link increases the value of rewards earned upon completing the dungeon. Other figurines from the Zelda series of Amiibo and Zelda-themed figurines from the Super Smash Bros. series of Amiibo will unlock a random one of five special chambers in Link's Awakening, which cannot otherwise be obtained in game.
Development
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a remake of the 1993 game developed for the Game Boy. Link's Awakening had previously been remastered for the Game Boy Color in 1998 as The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX. While the original game was presented in 2D graphics in an almost square ratio on the Game Boy, the remake is presented in 3D graphics and a widescreen ratio on the Nintendo Switch. Some sections of the game's dungeons do not fill the width of the screen though, as certain puzzles and boss fights were designed to work with the tile count of the game's original square ratio.
The game adopts a "retro-modern" art style distinct from other Zelda games, departing from the original game's A Link to the Past-inspired art style while retaining its simplicity. The toy-like plasticine character designs also depart from the Wind Waker-inspired designs typical of many top-down Zelda games since the release of Four Swords Adventures. It features a tilt-shift effect that exaggerates the camera's perspective and depth of field. The effect was inspired by the appearance of the original game's "small [...] but very vast" world on the Game Boy's 66 millimeter screen; series producer Eiji Aonuma chose a diorama-like art style to help achieve this effect.