Zelda: Link's Awakening - 10 Problems Nobody Wants To Admit
7. Nerfing The Boomerang
Trading quests in Zelda titles are often a point of contention for the players: some love the concept and others see them as irksome tag ons to just get over and done with. On the whole, however, the trading sequences normally gift the player a gamebreaking, overpowered item that truly rewards their efforts: Biggoron's Sword, the Fierce Deity's Mask, Magic Armour and the Boomerang.
In the original game (and DX), Link acquires the Magnifying Glass for completing the 14 stage trading sequence and this grants him the power to see a hidden Goriya in a cave on Toronbo Shores. Another trade for any one of Link's inventory (usually the Shovel) and the Boomerang is yours to hurl around in sheer overpowered bliss.
This thing was so powerful, it could even take down the game's final boss in a single blow but... you can't have a nice thing like that in the 21st Century! Don't be silly!
In the remake, the trading sequence remains largely the same but your Boomerang reward is so heavily nerfed that it's barely worth using at all. This means there's almost no reason to do the trading sequence at all either... so what was the point exactly?