I first played Link's Awakening on the GameBoy Colour. That handheld device was responsible for many of my favourite gaming memories. Pokémon Red was the defining game of that era for 10 year old Rick. I enjoyed Link's Awakening very much back then, too. I loved exploring the world, soaking up the weird and mysterious mood, and uncovering new abilities and secrets.
I remember the frustrations just as keenly though. I was convinced that I had a duff cartridge because I was unable to trigger the game to reveal the next dungeon. I told my mum that we would have to return it to the the shop, or call tech support, but she understood that I was being a filthy casual. Eventually, I figured it out.
Playing this game re-imagined in 2019 has definitely been a source of nostalgia for me. I was not such a devotee of the original to have completed it multiple times, or unlocked all of its secrets. I had twinges of recognition at various points, memories of boss fights and characters, but I could not recall the exact order of the (in)famous Trading sequence.
Link's Awakening is set on the mysterious Koholint Island, Link washed ashore after a storm at sea. He is told that he must awaken the Wind Fish in order to leave. This will necessitate retrieving eight mystical instruments, each located at the bottom of a dungeon (obviously). The plot here is pretty minimal and straightforward, but the quest to awaken the Wind Fish does provide some structure and narrative drive for the player.
Everything on Koholint is somewhat off-kilter and melancholy. The talking owl, the strange kindness of Marin, Tarin's ill fated mushroom hunt. The original developers have since said that they were heavily inspired by the David Lynch classic, Twin Peaks. It's probably not an obvious connection at first glance – but the pervasive sense of mystery, the eerie mood of the Island and its inhabitants, do really evoke the cult TV series.
The presentation of this game is phenomenal. The plasticky, toy-like modelling of the characters is very effective. All of the environments are packed with colour, the levels really pop. The interior of houses are all loaded with distinctive miniature decorations, giving even mundane areas of the game a real sense of personality. The game features animated cut scenes, used very sparingly – these are beautifully drawn, and effectively underline some key moments. The in-game animations here too, are absolutely stellar. Every type of injury Link can suffer (stabbing, electrocution, falling down a pit) is accompanied with an adorable animation. Dying has never been so joyful to watch.
The music throughout is also exceptional. The original Link's Awakening score is rightly highly regarded by fans, and it holds up extremely well in its original bleepy-bloopy rendition. The musical team have taken a fantastic source OST, and made it even more special with a captivating orchestral arrangement. It really showcases the quality of the original score that it can be re-arranged in this way and sound both fresh and familiar.
Combat is simple but enjoyable. The level of technical challenge never really gets off the ground (a 'Hero' mode for the masochists is available from the get-go), but there are a couple of trickier boss fights and segments. Quite a few enemies and bosses require some trial and error in figuring out how to effectively damage them, encouraging the player to use their full repertoire of abilities. Puzzling through the eight dungeons, and exploring the Koholint overworld, is for the most part a really fun time. There are some superbly intricate dungeon designs here, and for the most part they are engaging and satisfying to beat.
Unfortunately, the struggles of 10 year old Rick are still relevant at the age of 30. The game opens up Koholint to fully explore quite quickly, which is a good thing, but occasionally the game struggles to provide a sense of direction. This isn't an open world experience – the game requires specific actions in order to progress along the critical path. Ulrira's phone directions definitely help, but there were moments when I was completely stuck. The Trading sequence ties into the progress of the main plot, meaning that if you are not using a walkthrough, then be prepared for lots of running around and talking to random NPCs to move forward. Some of the in-dungeon puzzles too, are obscure. At times it felt that I had gotten the answer by trying all possibilities, or attempting random combinations of block pushing. Some of the later dungeons also require extensive backtracking, which others may resent. I ended up using a guide at several points, and I'm convinced that twenty years ago I must've resorted to GamesFAQs to ultimately awaken the Wind Fish.
On another slightly sour note, the game seems to suffer from inexplicable frame drops when moving around the overworld. They're certainly not severe enough to cause difficulties, but do take the sheen off an otherwise exceptional presentation. The Switch is clearly capable of running more graphically advanced games at consistent frame rates – this feels like an unforced error.
Link's Awakening is a great game, nostalgia or no. The art style, music, dungeons, and mood, all contribute to a wonderful overall experience. Some of the poor signposting and obscure puzzles, for me, did detract from my overall enjoyment. It's a loving and faithful reproduction of a classic, but I wonder if maybe a few tweaks might have helped this be a more enjoyable experience in 2019. Definitely come along for the adventure, but bring a guide. After all, it's dangerous to go alone.
