100%Game Boy

Link's Awakening was a miracle at the time, and still is, in many ways. Having something both so huge and polished on the ridiculous Game Boy hardware felt impossible back then, and yet Nintendo did it with style (and almost by accident since Link's Awakening was originally supposed to be a short spin off). Using all the technical limitations to its advantage, the team in charge designed a pure backtracker, full of dead ends and soft-locks, sprinkled with lots of details which will subsequently become markers for the series (the most famous being of course the 'exchange quest'... which will degenerate into much more tedious things in later games but is just a fun little side-quest here).

Restricted storage implying that everything must have a mechanical use, the few new features (more detailed map, new compass functionalities) are all made to arouse the player's curiosity and to suggest the presence of the riddle before he/she can see it. Afterall Link's Awakening is all about dreaming. This is basically green-lightning the idea of twisting Zelda's usual formula and allowing the greatest puzzles (or funniest dungeons, like Key Cavern that pushes the lock & key trope to an assumed absurdity: at some point, you just have more keys than doors, then doors only hiding more keys, then... sounds stupid? It is. There's a true parody component in this game, this is pretty obvious in the story but it also works on a larger scope).

I know this can be unusual to review Link's Awakening without talking about its melancholy, strange atmosphere and odd characters. That's not that I don't want to or think they're overrated in any way. It's just that after a bunch of playthroughs, they're can't be the point anymore. I am and will always be weirdly moved by Mabe Village's theme, have fun with the apparently cute chomp dog, etc. But I haven't replayed the original Game Boy game in almost 15 years and what I saw at first was how deep the gameplay was compared to almost every other Game Boy game, how nervous the action (without a single freeze!), not to mention the graphics and more cosmetic aspects. Link's Awakening is the absolute best game on its console but it's also a game standing extremely well even by today standards. You just have to be ok with green and white graphics. And, of course, keep your head in the clouds.

100%Game & Watch

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is my childhood.

This line i feel best describes my emotions and memories towards this game. When i was very young i lived in a family with close to no money so getting a new game was extremely rare and a new console even rarer, however that being said on fateful day my cousin came to visit and he brought with him an original Gameboy with a couple of games, along with it he brought The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX.

Without any reason, i guess to be kind he decided to give the console to me with all the games that came with it, getting brand new games and a console was like a dream come true for someone like me and made sure to show my appreciation for it. I received the system and games at the start of a summer holiday from school and thus had something to fill my time and begun playing through not only my first Gameboy game but my first Zelda game.

I fondly remember the memories of discovering new secrets, tools and rupees in secret chests, trying to figure out how to get to the newest dungeon in an age before the internet was both satisfying and made me feel a sense of pride whenever i discovered what to do, although i loved playing this game wherever i went, living room, friends place, family in their hallway just so i could have the light on to see the screen on that beloved yet awful DMG display.

I however afew months later had a family member also purchase me a GBA SP which is quite the upgrade and over time i stopped playing Zelda not because of the newer games i had to play but the very same reason i felt pride in finding dungeons, it was cryptic and difficult for a child like me to solve the puzzles. as i grew older i've managed to purchase all systems i've ever wanted and playing new games whenever i like. i eventually ended up with a Nintendo Switch and over time, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Remake released.

I instantly knew i had to have, i put it straight on Hero Mode (Hard Mode) and made my way through the game to 100% completion and felt greatly satisfied for beating a game from my childhood filled with memories. but afew years ago Nintendo released a new system called the Game & Watch Zelda which was bought for me on Christmas, I've since played through all the games on there leading to The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening being the final game i had to beat.

I thought to myself it'll be nice to see all the differences and instead of beating an upgrade but to beat the original game on a official Nintendo system. This game did not let me down, a flood of memories every new event i went through and for the content i had only experienced in the remake it brought me back to recent memories of my family and how i'd love for my daughter to play this someday.

The story of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a happy adventure all the way until the end where much like my childhood and the summer i spent it in, would eventually end aswell.

This is without a doubt one of the best games i've ever played purely because of my own memories with it.

80%Game Boy

Very hard to get around… but just accept that you might need a guide from time to time and you have a fun story, music honestly pretty solid gameplay.

70%Game Boy Advance

Great Zelda Game, a bit hard to play the original knowing theres 2 additional versions with extra content, but still a great experience overall

80%Game & Watch

Honestly better than I thought it would be. My favorite 2D Zelda honestly. It's really annoying to bump into any breakable blocks because the game decides to stop and give me a lengthy text box. And of course having to switch items every other minute. But it's still a good time.

90%PC

best old zelda

90%Game Boy Color

Amazing game, still holds up in 2024. Funnily enough the same part I got stuck on as a kid (the end of the 2nd dungeon), I also got stuck on as an adult… How am I supposed to know what the enemy names are??? Some parts need more hints. Final boss mechanics were confusing, did consult a guide out of frustration since I was trying to achieve the secret ending and needed a deathless run. After seeing the *secret ending* it is probably not worth the effort of a deathless run to achieve. Exploration was the most fun. I will definitely play the Switch remake at some point.

90%Game & Watch

Solid game, though some things were difficult to figure out and I needed to look stuff up. Really missed the hints of companions from later games. The story was really good too, slightly bittersweet.

90%Emulated

O jogo é muito legal e divertido de se jogar, é de alto nível como qualquer outro zelda. Gostei bastante da trilha sonora, da sua beleza visual, da jogabilidade, da mecânica de luta e as lutas contra os chefões. Uma coisa que me incomodou um pouco é ter que trocar os equipamentos de cada botão, mas isso é aceitável considerando que o jogo tem muitos itens a serem utilizados e o gameboy tinha apenas dois botões. Não gostei de algumas coisas, como a dificuldade de chegar nos locais necessários, pois me perdi bastante no começo do jogo sem entender qual era o lugar que eu devia ir. Outra coisa é que a história fica um pouco parada. Mas é um jogo incrível, joguei em um Powkiddy Q90 e a experiência é muito boa.

100%Game Boy

Still the best Zelda in my eyes. The dungeon design is perfect (except maybe the Face Dungeon -- that one remains annoying), the overworld is full of secrets and bristling with character, the story is -- well, not great, but enthralling for a 2D action RPG made in 1993 for the Game Boy.

This was my first Game Boy game back when the Pocket was released, and I lugged it around for a full year struggling to complete it on my own. Never could. I've since finished the DX version (emulated in '13) and the Switch remaster, but just as good as the original, but this is my first time seeing the original through to the end via the recent Zelda Game & Watch release.

Everyone talks about a Link to the Past, but, my goodness, it just had nothing (but colour) on this semi-sequel. Every Zelda fan *needs* to play this -- doesn't matter the iteration! Play any of them! Play all of them! They're all masterful. The original Game Boy engine doesn't feel limiting or clunky in any way. :)

TBH, I can't believe it's not hurt by the use of the "It was all a dream~~~~" trope....

80%Game Boy

My story with this title is a sad one. Many years ago this game caught my eye and I desperately wanted to play it. It seemed like the kind of game one might pop in and enjoy on a long car ride (and it really is). As a little boy with no money I begged my pa to buy me a copy that was on amazon. Fast forward and I get the game and finally play it only for the game to have a dry battery and thus make the game impossible to beat due to being unable to save. As a result, the enthusiasm I had for this game fizzled out of existence and even years later when I got a functioning copy I still had no motivation to play it, until recently that is.

I brought this game with me on a road trip I had recently and by the end I had completed 5 of the 8 dungeons and collected the majority of the heart pieces and today I finally finished it all off. I nearly cried when I finished for some reason, maybe it was the island disappearing or the fact that I finally beat this game that little me wanted to beat so bad. But either way, my love of the series has grown even more.

If I were to make a comparison to any other Zelda game I would compare it with Link to the past the most. In short, I feel that links awakening is a nice crisp beer while link the the past is a fine wine that you savor. Both games are exactly what you feel they should be. Link to the past is a longer, more fleshed out and grander adventure on a home console while Awakening is a shorter, more compact but equally fun game to take on the go.

The main strength this game has is that it's honestly just really solid. When compared to the grand scale of other Zelda games it pretty obviously pales in comparison but that's also its greatest strength because it's more simplistic nature means less flaws overall. The only major thing that really rubbed me the wrong way was the dumbass fetch quest that you HAD to do in order to progress the game. Unless you had a guide on hand there's no way of knowing who to give the next item to. Granted this is a staple of all Zelda games where you will always come to a screeching halt unless you've played the game before so I'm willing to overlook it.

Dungeon wise It was a steady progression. The first few dungeons were pretty pitiful but ramped up quite nicely with the final two dungeons being impressively cryptic and they really force you to think it all through. It's a shame that the egg isn't really a dungeon though but the fun final boss makes up for it in my eyes.

Difficulty wise I find it's actually pretty tough but there's three reasons for this. One: Link has a grand total for 14 hearts in this game, 6 less than most other Zelda games giving him quite a lot less health overall. Two: a lot of enemies take off more than one heart off of you as well as being REALLY annoying (those fucking flying mushrooms that drop bombs fuck those things) and three: holes in this game have a gravitational pull as well as being fucking EVERYWHERE in this game which just adds insult to injury as Link gets knocked back when hit so you get double whammied and lose a heart and a half requiring you to be super cautious. In total I died a grand total of 6 times, the absolute most of any Zelda games (though 4 of those were me just being in a rush and being careless)

In conclusion, this is a pretty damn good game for what it's worth. good challenge, nice story and grand world make this game a nice little adventure that you won't regret popping in. 8.5/10

80%Game Boy Color

Grafik: 7
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 8
Story: 8

80%Game Boy

Great game! :)

90%Game Boy

One of the best Zelda games ever made. Memorable characters, dungeons and bosses. All packaged for the original Game Boy. A must play, and holds up well.

90%Emulated

I found the world map to be equally rewarding and exciting to explore as it is tear your hair out frustrating. Numerous times, I would know where to go, but couldn’t figure out or remember how to get to a certain screen to save my life. Using an online map helps immensely. There is a lot of item switching that must be done in the menu due to the Gameboy only having two buttons to work with, but it is forgivable and not too overly annoying.

The graphics of the environment are surprisingly crisp for a 25 year old Gameboy exclusive, and the effects at the ending are impressive for the time and hardware. There is also a surprising amount of crossover from other Nintendo franchises present in the enemy design and gameplay. Link jumps on goombas in this one.

All of the dungeons have their own themes, a huge plus in my book since A Link to the Past has the same 40 seconds of dungeon music play over and over throughout the game. Puzzles are approached in the typical cryptic Zelda manner and are, for the most part, solvable without extraveneous help, with the seventh dungeon in particular being notably vague. The DX version apparently has additional hints in the form of owl statues that are scattered throughout the dungeons. Had I played it, I may not have needed the occasional glance at a walkthrough.

100%Game Boy

In my opinion, this is the best OG GameBoy game I have ever played up until this point in time. I am writing this as a 29 year old and I've played this game every 3-4 years since it came out. I love it. I love how different it is to NES and SNES Zelda games but how similar it is. I love that it is it's own unique look on the formula. I love the music and the puzzles and the entire world of the game. I love how hard it can be sometimes. To me, this is one of the most flawless Zelda games I've played. Could not recommend it enough.

90%PC

Link's Awakening DX

100%Game Boy

Helped define my childhood and had an incredible story for its time

100%Game Boy

one of the best Zelda games ever made.. possibly one of the best games full stop
definitely a highlight for GameBoy
the soundtrack is awesome too

90%Game Boy

The game is great, the characters you meet and the towns you visit are very personalized, especially for the Gameboy. The story was exceptional, and the music some of the best on the system. I'd like to pick up the DX version and give it a playthrough one day.

100%Game Boy

One of the greatest games ever created.

100%Game Boy

A cherished childhood game. Always get the feels.

80%Game Boy

How many works of art have you ever experienced that actually pulled off "IT WAS ALL A DREAM" without seeming totally stupid?

This is the only one I can think of. I love this game, it defines my childhood, and it's still a blast. Easy, but so is every Zelda game since the NES days. It has the most creative items in the series, incredible music, and so much packed in to every screen. Seriously, almost every square on the map has a point, or something hidden in it. THAT is map design. I can't think of any other game I can say that about.

90%Game Boy

This contains the great depth of the Legend of Zelda name with a softer, more majestic tone.

95%No Platform Specified

Nintendo's wasted no time in championing its second Virtual Console service, unleashing one of its greatest Game Boy classics to help launch the all-new 3DS eShop. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX was an incredible remake of an already sensational game back in the '90s, and the new presentation bonuses this 3DS download version has brought to the table make it even more of a wonderful gaming experience -- and it costs less than six bucks to buy!

If you've never played Link's Awakening before you'd be crazy not to do so now, and even if you've explored every inch of Koholint Island multiple times you should still seriously consider doing it again. Nintendo's designers took up the challenge of replicating A Link to the Past's success and succeeded. Link's Awakening was a masterpiece, DX made it better, and now the eShop has improved it even further. Near perfection, friends. Download now.