Game of the Month #115 (August 2024) - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Link is trapped on Koholint Island, and to escape he must wake the Wind Fish by finding eight instruments.
Platforms:Game Boy, Game Boy Color
Genres:Action, Adventure
Developer:Nintendo EAD
Publisher:Nintendo
NA:August 1993
EU:December 1993
JP:June 06, 1993
Alias:Zelda no Densetsu: Yume o Miru Shima


After being attacked at sea, Link's ship sinks, and he finds himself stranded on Koholint Island. He awakens to see a beautiful woman looking down at him. He soon learns the island has a giant egg on top of a mountain that the Wind Fish inhabits deep inside. Link is told to "awaken the wind fish and all will be answered," so Link sets out on another quest.
Platform:Game Boy Color
Genres:Action, Adventure
Developer:Nintendo EAD
Publisher:Nintendo
NA:December 01, 1998
EU:January 01, 1999
JP:December 12, 1998


26 years after its original release on Game Boy, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening will be reborn as a new experience on Nintendo Switch. Buffeted by a storm, Link washes ashore on the mysterious Koholint Island. In order to return home, Link must overcome challenging dungeons and battle against fearsome monsters. This new version of the classic adventure includes many unique elements that appeared in the original Game Boy release, such as 2D platformer-style rooms and appearances from characters outside of The Legend of Zelda series.
How long is The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening?
When focusing on the main objectives, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is about 14 Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 20½ Hours to obtain 100% completion.
Platform:Nintendo Switch
Genres:Top-Down, Action, Adventure
Developer:Grezzo
Publisher:Nintendo
NA:September 20, 2019
EU:September 20, 2019
JP:September 20, 2019

I love that there are 3 versions for people to access and play.

This has been on my NSO list to beat for so long, this might help push me to play it.

Its one of the few Zelda games I haven't not played. (And Minish Cap)

I love that there are 3 versions for people to access and play.

This has been on my NSO list to beat for so long, this might help push me to play it.

Its one of the few Zelda games I haven't not played. (And Minish Cap)

It's legit a good game. Enjoy!

I beat the Game Boy version on the Zelda Game & Watch for the first time a few weeks ago and I really liked it! So I'm looking forward to trying the 2019 remake here soon.

I bit the bullet and bought the digital version which still costs full price. Does anyone know why Nintendo first party games never get discounted?

I bit the bullet and bought the digital version which still costs full price. Does anyone know why Nintendo first party games never get discounted?

Factually, they do go on sale on a semi regular basis. I've seen some of them discounted up to 30-40% a few times. You can check on Deku Deals for graphs with price history.

It went on sale at roughly 30-35% off ten or so times in the last 3 years.

It went on sale at roughly 30-35% off ten or so times in the last 3 years.

Ah ok my mistake. I was just surprised that a 5 year old game was still selling at it's original release price, with no permanent price reduction.

Ah ok my mistake. I was just surprised that a 5 year old game was still selling at it's original release price, with no permanent price reduction.

Permanent price reductions... yeah that's a different story. 😉

The switch remake is genuinely incredible and I wish nintendo continued to use the engine to remake the oracle games

The bizarre thing is, I have never played nor do I own this game. I'll have to rectify that.

My first Game of the Month with you all- happy to have gotten to play this, especially with Echoes of Wisdom coming out next month!

This was a replay for me, I got it when it first came out in 2019, and back then I did not connect to it at all and had to follow a walkthrough. Since then, my brain's frontal lobe has actually developed so I was able to logically think through puzzles and mark the map to take notes. There is so much joy in the way this game looks and feels, how it wants you to leave no stone unturned and is happy to reward you for it. Playing it now made me realize that the combat is only difficult or that you're only lost if you're not trying to actually engage with what's in front of you, and experiencing Link's Awakening for the first time like this easily puts it into my top ten for this year.

However, the performance issues, notably when there's too many particle effects and enemies on the screen, are infrequent yet jarring when they occur. I also felt like I was unfairly being pushed off cliffs, as an enemy would hit me and Link would slowly move off the side instead of immediately getting knocked over. It was like the game was still registering that he had gotten hit, but it was too long after making contact for it to have felt fair. Lastly, the long fetch quest at the end where you learn how to get to the end was unintuitive and unnecessarily demanding- there are too many people involved in getting you the magnifying glass, and this was one of two puzzles that I had to look up to figure out. Overall, what was unsavory about this game was infrequent, but when they appeared my patience eroded quickly.

I played the remake back when it released and I really enjoyed it! It’s definitely up in my top 3 2D Zeldas with A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds!

Definitely was on the easier side as I only died like once or twice I think, once in the early game and once against the final boss if I’m remembering correctly. I remember the chibi style was a little divisive when first revealed but I liked it. The music was phenomenal too! I know I was impressed with the scope of the world as even though I didn’t play the Gameboy version I felt it must have been surprisingly large for that!And even though I knew what was going to happen in the story definitely still made me a bit sad in the end.

It’s one I’d definitely recommend to anyone interested! I know I want to replay it with the Gameboy version at some point, although I don’t plan on doing it this month since I have a few other games I’m trying to play and a few next up in the queue. I hope you’re all enjoying it though! :)

Oh yeah, one of my all time favs. I think it's the right time to (re)play my first Game of the Month. It's already 8/11 but I know the game by heart, I can catch up.
Have fun everyone!

So after careful consideration I decided to play the DX version on the switch and then maybe, play the remake if it ever goes on sale again. I found the game to be quite charming, with its pleasant music and adorable characters.

My only gripe is being forced to access the menu every five seconds to equip the required items because of the gameboy's limited button configurations. Honestly, I found it more exhausting than the water temple in OOT.

Nevertheless, great game.

So after careful consideration I decided to play the DX version on the switch and then maybe, play the remake if it ever goes on sale again. I found the game to be quite charming, with its pleasant music and adorable characters.

My only gripe is being forced to access the menu every five seconds to equip the required items because of the gameboy's limited button configurations. Honestly, I found it more exhausting than the water temple in OOT.

Nevertheless, great game.

Having more buttons was probably the biggest and most relieving benefits of the Switch remake

Ah ok my mistake. I was just surprised that a 5 year old game was still selling at it's original release price, with no permanent price reduction.

I don't think Nintendo cares for a "permanent price reduction" 😔 Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey are both 7 years old and sometimes go on sale so maybe we can wait till 2026 for Link's Awakening to be sold for $10 less?

Personally I try to get the digital game vouchers for their first-party games, though that means you can't get a physical cartridge, and have to spend $100 to save $20...

Having more buttons was probably the biggest and most relieving benefits of the Switch remake

I have mixed feelings about this. Don't you think it tends to trivialize a lot of things and makes the game a little too easy? Not that I'm a menuing addict :)

I have mixed feelings about this. Don't you think it tends to trivialize a lot of things and makes the game a little too easy? Not that I'm a menuing addict :)

Nope not all all. I play games for fun and enjoyment, quality of life features go a long way to facilitate that.

Finished the game tonight. Played blind, but a few of the sections I looked up (reviving undead chicken - no idea how you're meant to work that one out from the vague ingame hints) and also 2 frustrating boss fights requiring trial and error to figure out mechanics (got sick of refilling faery jar and heart blessing every attempt so I looked them up as well).

Also got the colour outfits and the Koholit sword which was nice.

Pretty mediocre experience, same with every other Zelda game I've played (LTTP through to Twilight Princess HD).

I don't get why the series garners such high praise, the gameplay is formulaic (dungeon>keys>boss>repeat), the music though catchy gets repetitive, and the plot is juvenile.

The experiences weren't bad, just disappointingly average. Maybe the franchise just isn't for me.

7/10

I have mixed feelings about this. Don't you think it tends to trivialize a lot of things and makes the game a little too easy? Not that I'm a menuing addict :)

Absolutely not. Having played both the OG and the remake, I absolutely hated the inventory management in those GB games. My biggest complaint of those games was having to pause and switch items every single second I ran into a different kind of rock. That's not difficulty, that's just tedium. The remake fixes that and I absolutely love it for just that reason alone.

Also, if we're really comparing difficulty I would go with the remake. Unlike the GB versions, they made the fish boss function like an actual boss. I also struggled way more with the Armos mini boss in the remake for some reason.

Thanks for the answer.

Actually, my point wasn't really about menuing itself, but about playing with only two buttons. But to be honest, I was only a few hours through my replay of the OG when I asked, and now that I'm close to the endgame, I have to admit I'm tired with menuing :)

[EDIT : forgot to press 'quote', sorry]

This game is the first (and so far the only) Zelda game that I played. Not only that, this is the first Game of the Month that I participated in.

As someone who only played a few Nintendo titles I wasn't sure of whether I need to play Zelda games or not. Thanks to folks in HLTB Discord who introduced me to the series, I decided to play Link's Awakening (2019). I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Graphics and the art style are absolutely gorgeous, gameplay feels simple yet compelling honoring the legacy of the original Link's Awakening. Only thing that I didn't like much was the trading sequence, which I thought was optional for the most part of the game. Perhaps, boss fights could've been a bit more complex because I feel like certain mini-bosses were more difficult then some boss fights.

However, there was something magical about the game. I felt like a kid once again while playing it. The more Nintendo Switch games I play, the more I understand the appeal of them. As someone in whose country and region Nintendo isn't officially supported and sold to, I was never interested in playing anything Nintendo.

Thank you, fellow Discord HLTB members who encouraged me to play Link's Awakening! It was truly a unique experience.

This game has a unique story line, due to involvement of Koizumi. He has a focus on the story aspect of games, culminating on the Luma backstory in Super mario galaxy.
LA has a lovely charm that i like very much.