E3 2019: Return To A Reimagined Land In ‘The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening’
It’s become commonplace for games to get remade or remastered within only a few years after its initial release. Part of the reason why Nintendo’s announcement that The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening was getting a full remake for the Switch was so surprising was that we rarely get updated versions of games that could actually use it. As the second remake of the game following 1998’s Link’s Awakening DX for the Game Boy Color, this version would have to stand out even further. Seeing the carefree, cartoony art style in a trailer was a step in the right direction, but being able to experience it first hand at E3 showed that sometimes, you don’t need to fix what was never broken.
Allowing for 15 minutes of unrestricted game play from the start of the adventure, this remake stays true to its original concept. Link is shipwrecked and washes up on an unknown island. After being rescued by Marin, a young girl who happened across the shoreline when Link washed up, the Hero of Time gets swept up in the mysteries of the island as he searches for a way home. That’s about all the structure the player gets, since the game throws you into the adventure headfirst and expects you to find your way through exploration.
Link has lost all of his equipment in the ocean, so it takes some time to find his sword and shield. Once he does though, it becomes the classic Zelda experience we’ve come to love for decades. Attacking enemies, cutting grass and experimenting with new equipment leads to a sometimes frustrating, but always rewarding process of finding ways to progress towards your next destination. When it’s time for a break from all the combat, the village hosts some mini games that reward Link with valuable items, some of which are necessary to advance the plot. And if you’re like me and suck at the games, leading to dozens of lost rupees as you try and fail to win one of these games, more money is only a few grass patches away.
New to this version of Link’s Awakening is a constantly scrolling camera. Past Zelda games operated on a grid based system, where the camera would move in sections as Link moved from one end of the screen to another. Now, much like Animal Crossing started doing with Wild World, the perspective stays on Link regardless of where he is on the map. While it wasn’t featured in the demo, Nintendo also showed off another new feature in the form of the map creator. This gives adventurers a chance to build their own challenges to take on themselves or to share with friends, creating numerous possibilities for when the main game is completed.
For fans of the original, rest assured that this new take on Link’s Awakening is on the right track. Acting as an updated, yet faithful recreation of the handheld classic with vibrant visuals and new surprises, this game is sure to be close to the top of any retro fan’s list for 2019. Get reacquainted with Koholint Island on September 20.
