This 1993 action-adventure game was the first installment in The Legend of Zelda series for a handheld game console and became so much popular among the gamers.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening was developed as well as published by Nintendo for the Game Boy and was started as a port of the Super NES game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, developed after-hours by Nintendo staff.
The protagonist Link starts the game deserted on Koholint Island, a place which has been guarded by a whale-like deity called the Wind Fish. Assuming the role of Link, the player fights monsters as well as solves puzzles while searching for a total of eight musical instruments that are going to be awakened by the sleeping Wind Fish and let him escape from the island.
It is one of the few Zelda games that was not taken place in the land of Hyrule and does not feature Princess Zelda or else the Triforce relic.
Features
- Link explores a reimagined Koholint Island as well as collects the instruments in order to awaken the Wind Fish to find a way home.
- Earn Chambers (Dungeon Rooms) along with this arrange them to finish the purposes in the all-new Chamber Dungeon.
- In order to get help on your adventure meet and interact with unique locals.
- Explore many dungeons, riddled with tricks, setups, as well as enemies, which also comprises of some from the Super Mario series.
- Pay attention to a reawakened soundtrack that assists in bringing life to Koholint Island.
- Complete dungeons all through the story in order to earn their rooms for the Chamber Dungeon.
- Earn some extra chambers in mini-games and by tapping any amiibo figure that features a Legend of Zelda character.
Gameplay
Like most of the games in The Legend of Zelda series, Link’s Awakening is also an action-adventure game that has been focused on exploration as well as combat. The majority of the game is being taken place from an overhead perspective.
The player crosses the overworld of Koholint Island along with fighting the monsters as well as exploring underground dungeons. Dungeons gradually and progressively turn out to be larger and more challenging, and feature “Nightmare” boss characters that the player must overthrow, taking several other forms in every dungeon, and attaining harder in order to defeat every single time.
With each success, the player earns heart containers, which upturn the amount of damage the player character can endure. At last, when all of the heart containers of the player have been emptied, the game resumes again at the last doorway move in by the character. Conquering a Nightmare also receives the player one of the eight instruments essential to accomplish the game.
Releases
Game Boy
JP: 6th June 1993
NA: August 1993
EU: November 18, or December 1993
Game Boy Color
JP: December 12, 1998
NA: December 15, 1998
EU: January 1, 1999
Response and Reviews
Link’s Awakening was not only critically but also commercially successful along with this it also holds an average score of 90% on aggregate site GameRankings.
Critics praised the depth of the game along with the number of features that have been provided by the game. However, there were also complaints that were focused on its control scheme and monochrome graphics.
Complaints about the game comprise of its monochrome graphics. Some of the critics believed that they made it that much difficult in order to distinguish the screen’s contents, as well as wished that the game was in color. Critic William Burrill also dismissed the game’s visuals as “Dim Boy graphics [that are] nothing to write home about”.
After some time, an updated re-release titled The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX was also got released for the Game Boy Colour in the year 1998 that features colorful graphics, compatibility with the Game Boy Printer, as well as an exclusive color-based dungeon.
Mutually, the two versions of the game have sold more than six million units on an international level. Along with this, they have also appeared on many game publications’ lists of the best video games of all time. There’s been also a remake of the game which was released for the Nintendo Switch this year in September 2019. Overall, the game has been much appreciated and loved by many gamers.
Conclusion
Overall, the game is best for every gamer to explore. It only gets praised by the gamers but also by many critics which makes it more worthy. From its graphics to compatibility, everything is just perfect. One must give it a try and explore this amazing game to be a part of it.
