Let's Talk About Link's Awakening

[Uwu_Oocoo2]

Honestly I just wanted to stop and discuss what a genuinely good game this is. You can call this an appreciation thread with you want. I think that a lot of the coolness factor has been lost by people looking at it as an older game. For it's time, it was actually a pretty amazing title. Since it started out as an after-hours project the team kind of just went all out on the weirdness scale which resulted in it getting this super unique personality. That kind of not-being-afraid-to-try-something-interesting approach really wasn't used again before or after Majora's Mask, which is widely considered one of the best Zelda games. And both those title ended up having some of the absolute COOLEST stories in all of Zelda. Like? Can we talk about the story in Link's Awakening? The setup? The SYMBOLISM? Link's Awakening was a gameboy title without a main villain and still managed to have the most compelling story of any game I've played to date. Some of information you get from the owl statues-

The Wind Fish in name only, for it is neither.

Sea bears foam, sleep bears dreams. Both end in the same way crasssh!

Honestly they both sound like gibberish and they don't contribute much to the gameplay seeing as you don't really understand what they mean until you finish the game, but I love the detail. They put so much detail into putting these easter eggs (ha ha) in there that as you're playing it starts to give you questions. And once you actually find out the truth, it all hits you at once. Finding this mural,

was the biggest turning point of the game and left such an impact. Then you have the boss Facade who only confirms what you've learned. I really don't want to just rant about this forever but seriously. Everything leading to the ending of this game, along with the ending itself, was so powerful and massively impressive. I knew about the story twist before I started the game which probably took away a little bit of the surprise, but it didn't impact the experience. We need to love this game more.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

Yeah I really enjoy Link's Awakening. Not just for it's narrative and symbolism, but just in general I feel like it had solid gameplay. I liked the dungeons, the items in the game, there is a decent amount of side content too. The red boomerang in LA DX is one of my fave rewards at the end of a sidequest, and the payoff of getting it is worth it just because it's so powerful. Definitely a top 10 Zelda!

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

The original was the first handheld zelda I played and I loved it, game boy related drawbacks aside. I've said before on here somewhere that I like it over LTTP, and it being on much less powerful hardware makes it all the more impressive.

 

[thePlinko]

The original game (and DX, for that matter) is an excellent little title albeit one that’s incredibly difficult to go back to. As impressive as it was, it was severely limited by the Gameboy’s 2 buttons. I’ll still come back to it every once in a while just to appreciate its simplicity and scale.

The remake, on the other hand, is my favorite 2D Zelda by far, and my 4th favorite Zelda in general. Every single problem I had with the original is fixed and then some. It not only won me over, but it actively gives me hope for potential Oracles remakes. My only real issue with it is the dungeon maker and how it replaced a much better sidequest from DX, but even that is tiny compared to how perfect the rest of the game is.

 

[twilitfalchion]

Link's Awakening is a lovely game, with one of the most unique stories in the series, right next to Majora's Mask. I think what's most notable along with the symbolism and atmosphere (which is fascinating in itself) is how well-balanced of a game it is. Nothing in the gameplay overstays its welcome or feels underutilized, which is a sweet spot most of the games in the series have trouble finding.

And as others have said, the fact that it was originally a Game Boy game just makes it all the more impressive. Easily a top 5 Zelda game for me.

 

[Farore's Chosen]

It's a fun, loveable little game. I have the DX version. My only major gripe with it, is that the majority of the dungeons aren't that good. Top 5 Zelda for me.

 

[ZeldaFanatic64]

I got Link's Awakening for the Switch a couple years ago for Christmas. I was amazed at how easily I was able to go through the dungeons despite being my first (and current) playthrough, but obviously it doesn't deter from it. It's honestly really fun to play and it's my favorite 2D Zelda game!

 

[Vanessa28]

It's a very beautiful but also sad game. You know the world you're so used to and love will end once you defeat the boss. But on the other hand, you're also setting Marin free and fullfill her wish. And what's not to love about her?? Easily one of my fav characters. So there's still something good coming out of this.
Thevmusic is cool, the dungeons are cool, the people are cool. I can easily understand why many people love this game