Early Development of Link’s Awakening

Our friend GlitterBerri has composed a collection of some of the numerous differences between the developmental version of Link’s Awakening and the final release. The changes range from simple graphical alterations to some that are a bit more gameplay changing. It’s interesting to be able to get a look at what the game looked like in the beta stages and even more exciting to try to figure out Nintendo’s thought process throughout development, hopefully to improve the overall experience, and analyze some of the changes is exactly what GlitterBerri has done. Hit the jump for more!

If you’ve played Link’s Awakening, you might have been confused as to where in the game the title image came from. Well don’t worry, the final release saw a very different screen where the tombstones appeared. This was one of the more drastic changes between the beta and the final version; many differences are a lot more subtle. For example, take a look at the screenshots below. The developmental version is on the left and the final version is on the right.

From this we can spot a few difference. First, in the final version the torches are removed, the bottom pathway was made larger, and the four block barrier was removed in favor of a larger two block barrier. Additionally, the floor pattern is different. One last thing you may have noticed was the graphic for your hearts was changed in the final release.

Though the changes are slight, some of these changes probably were important decisions during development. I’m not exactly sure how, but the final release version of this room looks more aesthetically pleasing, and that can make all the difference in a gamer’s opinion on the game, especially if the entire game is looked over with the same care.

Of course, this is just a taste of the modifications Nintendo made to the classic GameBoy title. If you’re curious to see a more comprehensive look at the tweaks, head on over to the post on GlitterBerri’s site. It’s full of screenshots to help you get a better understanding at what Nintendo changed.

Source: GlitterBerri