Zelda: Link's Awakening Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs
Truly like a dream.
Rating: ★★★★½
First releasing in 1993 on the Game Boy, and later re-released for the Game Boy Colour in 1998, Link's Awakening has always been a dearly beloved classic entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise. Now arriving on the widely accessible and massively popular Nintendo Switch, it's a great opportunity for first-time Zelda players who picked up Breath of the Wild, to now learn what classic Zelda gameplay feels like.
With a mostly linear path and dungeons gated behind first finding new gear, players will explore Link's Awakening very differently to how they would Breath of the Wild - and that is perfect.
The remake will appeal to those who have been loyal followers of the franchise from the beginning and also those who have hopped aboard since the Nintendo Switch's massive break-out hit. It is the perfect second release for Zelda on the Switch, and is more than enough to tide players over until the Breath of the Wild sequel.
It is an incredible re-imagining of the game, almost identical to its stellar forefather, but with many quality-of-life improvements in several places, as has been the case with all of the Zelda remakes on the 3DS and Wii U so far.
However, it is not without a few small negative issues that could have gone a long way to maximise the potential of this game.