On Feb. 13, Nintendo announced that it will remake its beloved 1993 classic game, “The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening,” for the Nintendo Switch. Many fans of the popular video game couldn’t hide their excitement as they will finally return to the mysterious isle of Koholint Island.
Originally released for the Game Boy system more than 25 years ago, the game is getting a re-imagining for today’s modern player-base and console. The best part of this remake is introducing the younger crowd to one of the greatest ‘90s games.
What is “Link’s Awakening”?
“Link’s Awakening” is the fourth installment of “The Legend of Zelda” series, an action-adventure video game. It’s the first game in the series to be featured on a handheld game console, and was met with great success.
It’s the direct sequel to “The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past,” featuring the same hero, Link, and set shortly after the events of the last game. Unlike other games in the series, “Link’s Awakening” does not take place in the kingdom of Hyrule, nor does it include the Triforce or the Princess Zelda. Villainous Ganon also doesn’t play a role in this game. He was cut from the script, but that’s okay. It’s always nice to shake up the story and see what Nintendo can give their fans.
The game’s original storyline begins with Link, the infamous hero of time, who embarked on an adventure out to sea. Later, his ship crashed on Koholint Island, a tropical paradise. Link is later found on the beach by a young lady named Marin.
After some confusion, a shield and a talk with a giant Owl, Link learns that, in order to get off the strange island, he must awaken the Wind Fish by obtaining the eight Instruments of the Sirens. This marks the beginning of players’ quest, as they must help the people who inhabit the isle while also defeating evil creatures called Nightmares, and taking down each puzzle-filled dungeon.
Complete Makeover
The game won’t look or feel anything like the original. The trailer for the remake started off with a beautifully animated opening, which later revealed and surprised fans into what the gameplay would entail.
If you’ve played “The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds,” then the gameplay will look somewhat similar. The 8-bit GameBoy graphics will be redone into a bright, colorful and absolutely adorable 3-D cartoon-driven style. Although the game will be in 3-D, there will also be 2-D sections, a throwback to some of the side-scrolling dungeons in the original.
While fans can see the Bow Wow chomping on chains and Goombas, will the remake stay true to the original? Will they remaster the original soundtrack as well? Nintendo hasn’t released much information, so fans of the game should keep their fingers crossed.
What’s the Price?
One question floating at the top of the list about the upcoming arrival of the game is the cost: Will it be $60? The answer is yes.
Preorder prices for “The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening” remake is currently listed at $59.99 on various online retailers, causing a commotion with some fans who believe it should be less. With the amount of time Nintendo is putting into the remake, building it from the ground up and possibly adding content, I think the price is reasonable.
Shopkeeper vs. Link
“The Legend of Zelda” games are nothing without their extremely bizarre and insane characters, quests and moments. But none of them are as bizarre as to what happens when you decide to steal from the greedy shopkeeper and his overpriced items. The guy wants you to pay 980 rupees for a bow. That’s technically highway robbery in itself.
It goes like this: You grab any item in the shop, fool the shopkeeper by moving around a bunch in his store and make a mad dash outside when he’s not facing you. Once outside, you get this message, “Guess what? You got it for free. Are you proud of yourself?” Not really, but there is no way you can carry 980 rupees in your pocket, since you’ll always be 19 rupees short of the max you can carry.
However, theft is always punished, especially when the player decides to go back into said shop to purchase something, only to be met with “THIEF!” This is when the insane shopkeeper electrocutes you to death. When players rise from the dead, your new name will be Thief, whether you beat the game or not. It will never be your proudest moment.
Will Nintendo include this in the remake? Let’s hope they do. Not only is it kind of hilarious, but it will teach a new generation that stealing is inherently wrong.
Does this open up the possibility for more “The Legend of Zelda” remakes?
With “Link’s Awakening” being announced, it really depends on how well it sells and if it’s critically received like the successful 1993 classic. Since “The Legend of Zelda” is always such a well-received game series, with titles such as “Breath of the Wild” and “Skyward Sword” it wouldn’t be a surprise if they remade more of them.
It would be pretty cool if they decided to remake and remaster “The Ocarina of Time,” since it was also quite popular back in its hay day. However, it would seem the 8-bit classics on the GameBoy would get more attention than those released in the past 10 or so years. Fans of the series can only hope for more.
“The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening” is set to release later this year.
