They put a jump button in this one and it's game-breakingly good.
If not my first video game ever, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is my first Zelda game. I vividly remember playing this game on my dad's big clunky Game Boy with my mom over my shoulder watching what i did and giving me suggestions of what to do. If this game was terrible, it would still hold a special place in my heart as the game my mother and i went on an adventure through.
But this game is particularly good, despite being on the Game Boy. I think that's something to temper your expectations with before going into it. It's a Game Boy game, and those always pale in comparison to their console counterparts. But Link's Awakening is one of the best Game Boy games ever. It's a simplified Zelda game, but it holds its own. If you need proof of this, it's been remade twice (once in color on the Game Boy Color, and then a full on 3D HD Remake on the Nintendo Switch).
There's a lot that makes this game so remake-able, and to that extent, enjoyable to play, and the most noteworthy is the intriguing story. But that story would be slightly less interesting if there wasn't a colorful (considering this review is on the black and white Game Boy version of the game, i'm using colorful with a bit of poetry here) cast of characters to interact with and adore. Marin in particular is a very lovable character, and she's lovable enough to play through the game without getting a single game over. Do it for her. She deserves it.
Link's Awakening falters for me in an interesting way, but I have to explain the good part about it first. It chooses to let you use the two face buttons on the Game Boy for any item however you want. For example, you can equip the sword to either the A or B button, or neither of them because you have the bow and shield out because you're low on hearts and don't want to get in close. This trait actually lets you use the first instance of Bomb Arrows in a Zelda game, beating Twilight Princess to it by over a decade. (Just press the bomb button slightly before the arrow button).
The way the game falters is that because it's on the Game Boy, and you only have two buttons to work with, you're constantly pressing the pause button and waiting a split second for it to show up so you can swap items and then wait another split second for it to go away so you can go back to the game. It's a little thing, but considering how many times i pause to swap the Roc's Feather out for something else and then pause again to swap back to the Roc's Feather adds up.
This brings us to the Roc's Feather. I like the Roc's Feather in the same way a crackhead likes Crack. The Roc's Feather lets Link jump, and jumping diagonally increases Link's speed. It feels incredible to play. But at the same time, playing without it for whatever reason makes the game feel less fun. It feels stiffer, it feels stunted. It shouldn't feel that way, it's a fine game on its own. But that feather changes everything. It's Crack. Thankfully, the 2019 Switch remake doubles the face buttons you can use and then adds a few more for good measure, so your Roc's Feather can always be on hand.
Despite this, the original is still worth playing. Any shortcomings you might find are balanced with cuteness and silly charm.
I have played this game so many times I know it by heart. I've played every version of it multiple times. I've glitched the DX version to do a full Damaged Sprite Tunic playthrough just because i liked how it looks. I adore the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. My biggest gripe with it is that it's not long enough, i want more.
If not my first video game ever, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is my first Zelda game. I vividly remember playing this game on my dad's big clunky Game Boy with my mom over my shoulder watching what i did and giving me suggestions of what to do. If this game was terrible, it would still hold a special place in my heart as the game my mother and i went on an adventure through.
But this game is particularly good, despite being on the Game Boy. I think that's something to temper your expectations with before going into it. It's a Game Boy game, and those always pale in comparison to their console counterparts. But Link's Awakening is one of the best Game Boy games ever. It's a simplified Zelda game, but it holds its own. If you need proof of this, it's been remade twice (once in color on the Game Boy Color, and then a full on 3D HD Remake on the Nintendo Switch).
There's a lot that makes this game so remake-able, and to that extent, enjoyable to play, and the most noteworthy is the intriguing story. But that story would be slightly less interesting if there wasn't a colorful (considering this review is on the black and white Game Boy version of the game, i'm using colorful with a bit of poetry here) cast of characters to interact with and adore. Marin in particular is a very lovable character, and she's lovable enough to play through the game without getting a single game over. Do it for her. She deserves it.
Link's Awakening falters for me in an interesting way, but I have to explain the good part about it first. It chooses to let you use the two face buttons on the Game Boy for any item however you want. For example, you can equip the sword to either the A or B button, or neither of them because you have the bow and shield out because you're low on hearts and don't want to get in close. This trait actually lets you use the first instance of Bomb Arrows in a Zelda game, beating Twilight Princess to it by over a decade. (Just press the bomb button slightly before the arrow button).
The way the game falters is that because it's on the Game Boy, and you only have two buttons to work with, you're constantly pressing the pause button and waiting a split second for it to show up so you can swap items and then wait another split second for it to go away so you can go back to the game. It's a little thing, but considering how many times i pause to swap the Roc's Feather out for something else and then pause again to swap back to the Roc's Feather adds up.
This brings us to the Roc's Feather. I like the Roc's Feather in the same way a crackhead likes Crack. The Roc's Feather lets Link jump, and jumping diagonally increases Link's speed. It feels incredible to play. But at the same time, playing without it for whatever reason makes the game feel less fun. It feels stiffer, it feels stunted. It shouldn't feel that way, it's a fine game on its own. But that feather changes everything. It's Crack. Thankfully, the 2019 Switch remake doubles the face buttons you can use and then adds a few more for good measure, so your Roc's Feather can always be on hand.
Despite this, the original is still worth playing. Any shortcomings you might find are balanced with cuteness and silly charm.
I have played this game so many times I know it by heart. I've played every version of it multiple times. I've glitched the DX version to do a full Damaged Sprite Tunic playthrough just because i liked how it looks. I adore the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. My biggest gripe with it is that it's not long enough, i want more.