Nintendo Switch The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Review

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening stands as one of the most beloved entries in the legendary Nintendo series. Originally released for the Game Boy in 1993, Link's Awakening captured players' hearts with its mysterious story and innovative gameplay. The Nintendo Switch remake brings this classic adventure to a new generation of players while maintaining its distinctive charm.

This reimagined version transforms the original's pixelated graphics into a stunning diorama-like world filled with detail and personality. Players can expect enhanced controls, streamlined gameplay mechanics, and a new dungeon creator mode that adds fresh content to the classic formula. The remake preserves the quirky characters and engaging story that made the original game special while introducing modern improvements that make the journey through Koholint Island more accessible than ever.



Nintendo's reimagining of Link's Awakening transforms the classic Game Boy title into a visually stunning masterpiece while preserving its core essence. The remake demonstrates how thoughtful modernization can enhance a beloved classic without losing its soul.

Stunning toy-like art style

The game's distinctive diorama-style visuals represent a bold artistic choice that perfectly captures the dreamlike nature of Koholint Island. Every scene has been meticulously crafted to appear like a miniature toy world, complete with tilt-shift effects and materials that simulate plastic and clay. This artistic direction isn't merely esthetic – it cleverly reinforces the game's narrative theme of existing within Link's dream state. The attention to detail is remarkable, with fully furnished houses, intricate environmental effects, and character models that maintain the charm of the original while adding unprecedented depth and personality.

Seamless overworld exploration

One of the most significant technical improvements is the removal of traditional screen-by-screen transitions, creating a more cohesive and immersive world. The seamless exploration allows players to see distant areas and better understand Koholint Island's geography, making navigation more intuitive than ever before. While this enhancement occasionally results in frame rate drops from 60 to 30 FPS when loading new areas, the overall experience remains smooth and engaging. The connected world design helps players maintain their sense of direction and creates a more natural flow between different regions of the island.

Quality of life improvements

The remake introduces numerous refinements that streamline the gameplay experience while respecting the original's design. Notable improvements include:

• Enhanced item management with dedicated buttons for sword, shield, and Pegasus boots
• Faster text boxes and elimination of repetitive item-related dialogs
• Additional warp points for more convenient travel across the island
• Auto-saving feature alongside traditional manual saves

The control scheme has been thoughtfully modernized with four dedicated buttons for essential items, significantly reducing the need to constantly access the inventory menu. This improvement is particularly noticeable during complex sequences that require multiple items. The game also introduces more meaningful rewards in mini-games, including new collectibles and enhanced versions of classic activities like the crane game and fishing.

The combat and puzzle-solving mechanics benefit from these refinements, with smoother transitions between items and more responsive controls. Dungeon navigation has been improved by maintaining puzzle solutions between visits, eliminating the need to repeatedly solve the same challenges when backtracking. These enhancements respect the original game's design while making it more accessible to modern players.



At the heart of Link's Awakening lies a captivating narrative that weaves together mystery, whimsy, and unexpected encounters on the enigmatic Koholint Island. The remake masterfully preserves this distinctive storytelling while enhancing the personality of its eccentric cast.

Classic narrative preserved

The story unfolds as Link washes ashore on mysterious Koholint Island, setting in motion a tale that blends reality with dreams. The narrative maintains its original charm while benefiting from enhanced cutscenes that bring pivotal moments to life with stunning animation. The mysterious Wind Fish, whose egg sits atop Mt. Tamaranch, remains the central figure in this surreal adventure, driving players to explore every corner of the island while questioning the nature of their journey.

Quirky inhabitants of Koholint Island

Koholint Island's inhabitants shine brighter than ever in the remake, each character bringing their own peculiar charm to the adventure. Marin, the kindhearted girl who discovers Link on the beach, captivates players with her dream of life beyond the island, while her father Tarin provides comic relief with his mushroom-hunting misadventures. The remake enhances these personalities through improved animations and expressive character models that bring their quirks to life.

The trading sequence, a signature element of the game, introduces players to a diverse cast of characters, each with their own distinct personalities:

• The eccentric Trendy Game shop owner who operates the crane game
• Madam MeowMeow and her peculiar chain chomp pets
• The mysterious Old Man Ulrira who only speaks through phone calls
• Christine and Mr. Write, whose letter-writing subplot adds a touch of romance

Nintendo franchise crossovers

One of Link's Awakening's most distinctive features is its liberal borrowing from other Nintendo franchises, creating a dreamlike atmosphere where anything seems possible. The remake preserves these delightful crossovers while giving them new life through its toy-like visual style. Players will encounter familiar faces from the Mario universe, including:

• Chain Chomps that behave more like loyal pets
• Goombas appearing in side-scrolling sequences
• Piranha Plants emerging from pipes
• Anti-Kirbies that attempt to inhale Link in certain dungeons

These crossover elements are seamlessly integrated into the game's world, making them feel natural rather than out of place. The remake enhances these encounters with improved animations and sound effects that pay homage to their original appearances while fitting perfectly within Link's Awakening's unique esthetic.

The Spirit of the Mansion, who oversees the collection of secret seashells, exemplifies how the remake preserves the original's mysterious characters while adding new depth through improved presentation and dialog. Similarly, the cryptic Owl who guides Link throughout his journey maintains its enigmatic presence, now rendered in beautiful detail that makes its appearances more impactful than ever.



The intricate dungeon design of Link's Awakening showcases masterful puzzle crafting that has stood the test of time, now enhanced through modern improvements that make exploration more rewarding than ever. The remake maintains the challenging nature of the original while introducing quality-of-life features that enhance the overall dungeon-crawling experience.

Eight main dungeons

The journey through Koholint Island features eight distinct main dungeons, each presenting unique challenges and memorable encounters. These carefully crafted labyrinths demonstrate exceptional level design that gradually introduces new mechanics while building upon previously learned skills. Each dungeon possesses distinctive features that set it apart:

• Tail Cave: Introduces core dungeon mechanics with straightforward puzzles
• Bottle Grotto: Emphasizes darkness mechanics and strategic enemy encounters
• Key Cavern: Features complex key management and multi-room puzzles
• Angler's Tunnel: Incorporates underwater segments with unique movement challenges
• Catfish's Maw: Presents master Stalfos battles with colored tile mechanics
• Face Shrine: Tests combat prowess with challenging enemy combinations
• Eagle's Tower: Implements vertical exploration with pillar-destroying mechanics
• Turtle Rock: Culminates all learned skills in a challenging finale

The dungeon maps have been enhanced to provide more detailed information, including colored tiles in specific rooms and bridge locations. This improvement helps players navigate complex areas while maintaining the satisfaction of discovery. The remake also introduces a reset mechanism for certain puzzles, allowing players to retry challenging sequences without leaving and re-entering rooms.

New dungeon creator mode

The Chamber Dungeon creator mode represents a significant addition to the remake, offering players the opportunity to design their own challenges using rooms they've already conquered. This feature transforms familiar dungeon segments into building blocks for custom adventures. The creation process follows a structured approach:

1. Select a dungeon layout template
2. Place entrance and boss rooms
3. Connect chambers using available room tiles
4. Ensure proper key and lock distribution
5. Test the dungeon's completion path

While the creator mode maintains certain restrictions to ensure playability, such as requiring all doors to connect and including specific room types, it provides enough flexibility for creative expression. Each chamber maintains its original purpose and layout, creating a puzzle-like experience in the design process itself.

Improved puzzle clarity

The remake significantly enhances puzzle comprehension through thoughtful visual and interface improvements. The dungeon map system now displays additional details that were previously hidden, such as staircase connections and special room features. This enhanced clarity extends to puzzle mechanics, where visual cues have been refined to better telegraph solutions without diminishing the challenge.

Secret passages and hidden routes benefit from improved visibility, with subtle environmental hints guiding observant players. The Catfish's Maw exemplifies these improvements, where the colored tiles in the Master Stalfos rooms are now clearly visible on the dungeon map, providing crucial navigation assistance without explicitly revealing solutions.

The treasure chest system has been refined to provide better feedback, with clear indicators for completion requirements and rewards. In the Eastern Tal Tal Mountain Range, the five-chest puzzle demonstrates these improvements, allowing players to retry the sequence until success while maintaining the challenge of proper execution.

Quality of life improvements extend to dungeon navigation, with clearer indicators for bombable walls and more intuitive item switching for puzzle solutions. The remake preserves the original's clever puzzle design while eliminating frustration through:

• Persistent puzzle solutions between room visits
• Clearer visual feedback for successful actions
• Improved item management during complex sequences
• Enhanced map details for secret room locations

The waterfall puzzle near Manbo's cave showcases these improvements, with a new hidden tunnel providing alternative navigation options that feel natural within the game's world. These thoughtful enhancements maintain the original's challenge while making the experience more accessible to modern players.

The dungeon design in Link's Awakening's remake demonstrates how classic puzzle mechanics can be preserved while implementing modern improvements that enhance rather than simplify the experience. The attention to detail in puzzle presentation, combined with new creative tools, provides both veterans and newcomers with compelling reasons to explore every corner of these masterfully crafted dungeons.



Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch stands as a masterclass in reimagining beloved classics for modern audiences. Nintendo's careful balance of preservation and innovation shines through every aspect of the remake, from its charming toy-like visuals to its refined gameplay mechanics. The thoughtful modernization respects the original's distinctive charm while making the journey through Koholint Island more accessible and engaging than ever before.

This remake proves that classic game design can resonate strongly with contemporary players when updated with purpose and care. Through its enhanced visuals, streamlined controls, and quality-of-life improvements, Link's Awakening delivers a definitive version of this treasured adventure that will captivate both returning fans and newcomers alike. The game's successful transformation demonstrates how cherished classics can be refreshed for new generations without sacrificing their original magic.