First released in 1993, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is an iconic release for the original Game Boy. At a time when the Zelda formula was still being defined and with developers still finding their feet on portable hardware, Nintendo managed to deliver an ageless classic. The new Switch remake delivers brand new visuals, a stunning soundtrack, quality of life improvements and more refined gameplay – but the fact is that it’s the same game at the core, mostly untouched. 26 years later, the magic of Link’s Awakening is undiminished – it’s an essential purchase.
Essential – but not quite perfect. There are some lingering technical issues that need resolving, but even as is, I was really impressed by the work delivered by developer Grezzo. And let’s be clear here, despite its portable origins, this is very much a fully realised and fleshed out Zelda adventure: you get a large, detailed overworld with richly shaded tiles and sprites taking full advantage of the system, along with eight sizeable dungeons and a brilliant soundtrack.
Yes, the original release is a game of its time, with eight-bit limitations presenting in the form of limited animation, screen by screen scrolling and a lack of slopes but it stood as one of the most ambitious portable games ever made at time of release. Years later, a DX version was released for Game Boy Color with full compatibility for the original system. A new dungeon, the Color Dungeon, was included and accessible only on Game Boy Color hardware. This version stood as the definitive release for decades.
But now, we have something better. Link’s Awakening on Switch makes the jump to fully 3D visuals presented from an overhead perspective, rendered with a wealth of modern visual techniques that lend the world a tilt-shifted, miniaturised appearance. It’s a beautiful realisation of the original aesthetic that feels fresh yet authentic.
At the technical nuts and bolts level, Link’s Awakening uses a dynamic resolution system. It’s a smart choice but, in practice, it has little impact on the overall presentation. For all intents and purposes, there are two real resolution points where the game tends to settle: while docked, a dynamic resolution range between 720p to 1080p is in effect, but typically we’re looking at the lower bounds used in the overworld, with 972p used for interiors. It’s similar in portable mode where the game tends to run at 720p indoors while dropping to 576p in busier conditions. It may go lower than this, but I didn’t find an example during testing.