From a gameplay perspective, this is just the superior version of this game. The sword and shield being mapped to different buttons, that stupid text box not popping up whenever you bump into jars early on, and just the overall smoother feel of everything inherent to the 3D graphics is sublime. Just for all that, this is my preferred version of Link's Awakening.

The art style is fine. I initially really disliked the "diorama" thing it had going on, but actually playing the game, I realized this level of abstraction allowed them to keep the original environments intact in a way that still felt organic. I still think the visuals could've been better though. I dislike the excessive blur around the edges of the screen, and I'm fine with the characters' proportions matching the original sprites but I wish they hadn't gone with those eyes. I guess the original sprites' eyes did look like that, but I would've preferred the characters resembled the chibi art style in LADX's photo mode. This would've looked a little more expressive and a bit less like you're playing with toys, which still does hurt my immersion a bit. The clearer 3D graphics still do their job in making the world much easier to navigate than the original game though, so I would still say they're fine.

The music is also a mixed bag. Some songs are great, but in general I think the stripped-down style was a mistake that robbed some of the original songs of their power. The "power-up" theme is the most blatant example, lacking any of the empowering energy of the OG game. Animal Village is also really obnoxious. But, Tal Tal Mountain was probably the song they needed to nail the most, and they did. Most of the dungeon themes are pretty good. I always thought it'd be kinda cool if a remake of this game had a dynamic overworld theme that added more instruments as you got further along, and they may have missed an opportunity to make the overworld feel a little more exciting by not doing that. The sound effects are at least very good.

The elements of the original Link's Awakening that were great are not only still a blast, but the quality of life enhancements and general smoother control I mentioned earlier really enhances them. It's easier than the original game, but in a way that just feels more fair and fun rather than feeling like I'm playing some baby version. One element of this game I never did like, though, is that the level design tends to work in such a way that, if you happen to go the wrong way, it can be a bit of a chore to work your way back around. The overly constrictive nature of the world is certainly a result of this game's handheld origins, but the remake alleviates this greatly with the far-improved map screens. These make navigating go a lot smoother, but still not brainless. It also feels like there are slightly more shortcuts and fast travel points in the overworld than the original game, but I could just be misremembering there.

Something about the presentation gives the remake just a little less charm and emotional weight than the original. Maybe it's the fact that I'm not using my imagination to fill in some of the details anymore. You could say the presentation of this remake is a bit lacking, but the gameplay is an outstanding update. As such, this is a great way to experience Link's fourth adventure. It's just not a perfect replacement for the original.

Also they nerfed the boomerang, so I rate this more than 1/5 solely out of charity.