The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019 video game)
A faithful remake of the 1993 classic with a toy-like art style.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by Grezzo and published by Nintendo. It is a remake of the 1993 Game Boy game of the same name and the second game in The Legend of Zelda series for the Nintendo Switch after Breath of the Wild. The game retains the original's top-down perspective and gameplay while introducing a new art style with toy-like character designs, diorama-like world designs, and tilt-shift visuals.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Grezzo
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Director
- Mikiharu Oiwa
- Producer
- Eiji Aonuma
- Composer
- Ryō Nagamatsu
- Artist
- Masaki Yasuda
- Series
- The Legend of Zelda
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is set on Koholint Island, where Link is stranded after his ship is caught in a storm. Rescued by a girl named Marin, Link must collect the eight instruments of the Sirens and awaken the Wind Fish to escape. The game features top-down exploration, dungeons with puzzles and boss fights, trading sidequests, and the ability to jump over obstacles. It includes the Color Dungeon from Link's Awakening DX and introduces customizable Chamber Dungeons created by visiting Dampé's shack. Players can rearrange rooms from completed dungeons and complete them in time attack mode for rewards. The game also features plus-effects and Amiibo support, including a Link figurine that summons Shadow Link.
Reader's Guide
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is significant as a remake that modernizes a classic while preserving its core identity. Its retro-modern art style, inspired by the original Game Boy's small screen, uses tilt-shift effects to evoke a diorama feel. The game received generally positive reviews for its improved gameplay and faithfulness to the original, though technical issues were noted. It sold over 6.46 million copies by December 2022, making it one of the best-selling Switch games. The Chamber Dungeon feature, born from Shigeru Miyamoto's inquiry about Super Mario Maker-like gameplay, allows players to rearrange existing dungeons as puzzles. The game launched at number one on UK, Japanese, and EMEAA physical charts, becoming Grezzo's biggest debut and the fastest-selling Switch game of 2019.
Did You Know?
- The game features hand-drawn animated cutscenes directed by Junichi Yamamoto, replacing the original's sprite-based graphics.
- The Chamber Dungeon feature replaced the Camera Shop from Link's Awakening DX.
- The game sold 141,375 physical copies in Japan during its first three days on sale.
- A Link's Awakening-series Amiibo figurine of Link was released simultaneously with the game.
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