The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening in the Test
Each video player has title, which are him or her remained particularly in my memory. No fear, it follows neither a “everything was better before” or “in my time”-story. Many of the games I loved previously, would inspire me today, and, accordingly, I urge rare for someone to play the old stuff of my youth. Even if it’s Link’s Awakening is one of the favorite titles from my youth. Fortunately, there are sometimes really good Remakes.
As Link’s Awakening in 1993 for the Game Boy appeared, it was the fourth title in the Zelda universe. It was the first Zelda game for a Handheld, and also played for the first Time outside of Hyrule. Much of what one associates nowadays are inseparable to me, the series found its beginning: it Was the attack of the spring, a jump, the play in addition to the employment of fishing, or the possibility of different songs on an Instrument. For its time, and especially in view of the limitations of the Hardware was Link’s Awakening is quite revolutionary. The announcement of the remake for Nintendo Switch not interested in, and therefore new player – a “new” Zelda was almost always a reason for joy, but also let some of the older Semester, revel in memories and great expectations. Let’s see whether the expectations were met and how the – at least the gameplay is technically hardly Remake altered beats 26 years later.
OK, no spoilers
How do we summarize the Story of a 26-year-old game? Can you spoil the story at all? Reviewers who received advance copies of the game, had to ventilate nevertheless, commit to the BIG MYSTERY of the island Cocolint to. For me, the big reveal was over two decades ago, no, the game is waving almost from the title screen in with fence stakes, can’t be overlooked actually. But so be it: In the (ever-changing and multi-split) Zelda-Timeline plays Link’s Awakening either prior to or directly after the Game Boy Color titles Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. Link is in any case with a sailing boat on the move, as he suffers in a violent storm shipwrecked. On the beach of the island Cocolint washed up, finds him, the young Marin, and cares for him at home healthy. Back again Link from Marins father receives back his shield, his sword he must find, however, even on the beach again. There, he meets a wise owl shows him the way: On the highest point of the island a giant Egg, in which the mysterious wind sleeps, fish will be suspended. Only when this Link – with the help of eight magical musical instruments wakes up, he can leave the island. So on to the adventure…
Radical change in the Item-Management
In addition to the shield and sword, some other objects still belong to the Standard inventory of a real Zelda title. With each maze (Dungeon), and / or vanquished Boss Link gets new abilities or items, the other parts of the game world, explorable or puzzles solvable make. The power bracelet lets us stones out of the way, bombs to blow up weak walls, the grappling hook pulls us over obstacles and so on and so forth.
Older players sometimes forget, for younger players anyway completely unthinkable: The good old Game Boy only had two action buttons. Accordingly, it is often, and boss is also fast to fight, you had to prove to the menu and the buttons new. For example: grab a spring to Jump and shield for the Block selected in the meant hold, unfortunately, that there is no button for attacks with the sword remained. Power bracelet, Pegasus boots, magic powder, bombs, & co., one is constantly had to go into the inventory and re-occupy. Remake-designers, thanks to the more, now. If you have the appropriate items at once sprinted with the shoulder buttons, or blocked. With A items to be lifted, and B is the attack with the sword is. The remaining two action buttons, X and Y can be assigned to the rest of the utensils from the left inventory. For players of the original is not to understand, what a huge relief this Change represents.
New Hardware, new Look
That the game count no longer can have a lot to do with the Original community, should not be a surprise. A resolution of 160 × 144 pixels, four gray all the time is not then but according to. As Windwaker has proved to be, afraid of you in the series, it is also not a random graph experiments. After a little more realistic Breath of the Wild takes Link’s Awakening , but again a sharp curve. The new Look like in comparison to the BotW child or toy in prison appear to be white but to please and “fit” somehow. Those who know the Original will notice that a lot of objects – for example, in the case of the trees and flowers you know it, I think it’s good – very good were modeled. Nevertheless, the game seems to be anything other than frumpy. Small technical compromise only in the Handheld-mode is noticeable: The game scrolls, while seamlessly (unlike in the Original, it no longer moves naturally from Screen to Screen), to the edges of the screen, a fairly strong soft-focus effect, however, is used. Occasionally, there are minor drops in the frame rate, most of the time everything runs smoothly.
The island Cocolint is mainly due to the previously insurmountable memory limitations – certainly one of the smallest Zelda worlds. It is Packed but tight and whether it’s the beach, Steppe, swamp, forest, or desert: environment & Flora, but also opponents of the fauna are extremely detailed and offer a lot of variety. To avoid long trails for running, nevertheless, you will become free in the course of the game well-distributed teleportation points. It was also in the Original version, however, still a few to come. In addition, you can control it freely and must not follow as before a fixed order.
Other Innovations
Overall, it can be stated that it is exercised in the Remake Wisely, and only with a gentle Hand on the Gameplay has to be screwed on. The tactics and attacks of some bosses have been minimally adjusted to make it a little challenging. Anyone looking for a greater challenge can adjust the difficulty level in addition to the above, which means less heart in the game world and stronger opponents. You can find up to three bottles and win to collect fairies for later healing. This Mechanic is no longer a fixed component of the series, the Original from 1993, it was still – I had forgotten, to be honest, and I had to study this for yourself in the first place. Also, can the left life energy to up to 20 hearts (instead of the earlier 14) to be increased.
Somewhat ambivalent I am to the innovations in the case of a major Minigame. The cabin with the crane game, there were already in the Original, here have to and had to, for example, a Yoshi doll (Mario references, there are some) will be earned. In the Remake, not only the third Dimension, but also – occasionally the hair up at the end of – physics-Engine feeder but. Occasionally, a seemingly perfectly packaged item slips easily to the side of the claw out and/or fall so inconveniently in the game area, he is also attacking with still so many to Try. In the latter case, only helps to get out and go back inside, and after the Reset, try again.
Chamber-Mazes
One of the really great innovations in the game is the appearance of an undertaker Boris (in English Dampé), and its first appearance is actually in Ocarina of Time had. Him we can tell of our adventures in the various Dungeons of the island, and he Tinkers with the appropriate chamber stones out of it, we can build in his hut a very personal maze together. Who now is Mario Maker thinks and a Zelda Maker hoped for: Not quite wrong, but the expectations should not be a go. You can only place a certain number of fix a given space. A edit of the chambers themselves is not possible, even the filling of the treasure chests with keys and rewards to the game itself. Entertaining, Crafting your own Dungeons can still be, and can be shared via an amiibo as a means of transport, even with friends. Also of Boris itself, there are some rewards when you build mazes in accordance with its specifications, and then masters.
CONCLUSION
What a useless Knowledge reversing our brain partly unconsciously, made me immediately apparent in several ways. Some of the puzzles was solved at a glance, and the mysterious urge in an otherwise inconspicuous place to dig quickly explained, when suddenly a collective subject appeared. The Remake of Link’s Awakening was for me a journey back in time, but at the same time, a more than pleasant “new” experience. The ravages of time could harm the Gameplay in this case is nothing and the developers got it sent to plug it into a new technical garment which former how new players will appeal.
What is The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is? Complete Remake of a Game Boy & Zelda classic.Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Tested: Version 1.0 on Nintendo Switch
Developer / Publisher: Nintendo
Release: 20. September 2019
Link: Official Website
