Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/09/19/review-of-zelda-links-awak.html
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60 clams for a refresh of a gameboy game is…wild, but I actually loved that game for the gameboy and played it over and over. I was genuinely touched at the end, and I really thought the whole thing nailed the subtle, dream-like feeling of a character lost in a familiar, but surreal-ly different place.
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Too late.
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Yeah, well, I LIKE 1993!
Anyway, this reviewer is just a big fat crybaby whining about the puzzles being too difficult. I beat the game easily on the original Gameboy at the age of 11 without a guide or anything. All my friends did too. It ain’t that hard, he just wants everything spoonfed to him. Figuring out goofy puzzles doesn’t detract from the game, they’re what the game is all about and what makes it fun in the first place.
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For one i never really got to play the entire game as a kid, so asking me to pay full price to play a freshly updated version of the game sounds entirely worth buying. Also have trouble finding super specific things in a Zelda title? For one the internet exists, and secondly literally every single Zelda title does this so why is this particular title getting grief from the reviewer?
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I wonder if pixel hunts just feel that much more unfair in 4K HD?
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What kind of review is this? The meat of this review is simply complaining that the reviewer doesn’t like old Zelda games. It intertwines a condemnation of the original game, in general, with the remaster. I don’t like seafood. Therefore…in my “review” of seafood, I recommend you don’t like it either.
So yeah…another contrarian reviewer trying to make hay by “criticizing” one of the most cherished games of all time.
It’s a valid point to say that the game isn’t offering much new beyond the overhauled aesthetic…but that was already known.
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Sam is just echoing the misguided notion that because it’s based on an old game you shouldn’t pay full price. This argument ignores the time it takes to completely re-do the sound, graphics, and music, not to mention the fact that they changed the way the overworld works (it continuously scrolls instead of flicking screen by screen.) It also ignores the fact that it’s an exceedingly excellent game.
Personally, I bought the special edition and considered importing the European special edition as well (I didn’t get it). But maybe I’m biased:
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Me too. But what I really want is a collection of the HD ports of all the GC/Wii era Zelda games which were released on Wii U. That would easily be worth $60 - I think I’d even pay $100 for it.
I am enjoying replaying A Link to the Past in the recently-released SNES emulator, in the meantime.
Nintendo took a safe chance with Link’s Awakening , but it was a chance nonetheless. And in spite of graphical hitches and an adherence to the design of old, the full experience—however short and predictable it is in 2019—is absolutely worth diving into if you missed it the first time around… or deleted your old GameFAQs bookmark.
“absolutely worth diving into” is not even close to “not worth buying”.
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“I’m getting it anyway.”
Right on. People who are concerned about the length (and it’s a valid concern) should either just rent it or sell it for $50 when they’re finished with it. The good thing about Nintendo games is they hold their value and often increase in value. I bought the previous release of this game in 1998 for $30 and sold it in 2008 for $80.
It’s the kind of game that fans will replay once every year or two like rereading a favorite book, so there’s more value there than simply a single playthrough.
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For most kids who’ve never played the original, will they know/care if it’s basically a new coat of paint? Likely not.
Plus, it’s freakin’ adorable.
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As a wee one, the game felt like a little too much for me and I never really finished it until I got the official Nintendo Power strategy guide – which still had just a few little mistakes buried here and there.
It’s interesting to compare the original release and the Game Boy Color “DX” version and see how they filed off some of the more obtuse parts – and I’m sure some would find that the game is worse off for being deprived of a little mystery.
https://tcrf.net/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_Link’s_Awakening/Version_Differences
I recall wasting a considerable amount of time in the “Dream Shrine” where you find the Ocarina. There are a bunch of these obnoxious enemies (Arm Mimics, to be precise) inside that hit for tremendous damage. It’s completely trivial to get through them if you equip the Dash Boots and the sword – but you have absolutely no way of knowing that! You can also equip the Dash Boots and the feather and try to jump over them with some difficulty. I, of course, wound up trying to slog through it with the feather alone, which is just barely on this side of possible – only to find that at the very end you need the Boots anyway. >_<
Anyway, I am Switch-deprived and can’t justify the purchase with the stacks of games sitting around. But I eagerly await the opportunity to listen to the soundtrack one way or another. And I’m also eager to see if ol’ Wart/Mamu made the cut.
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I do think the price is a fair critique (I’m not suggesting it cost $5, either). I’ve worked on these kinds of projects and a lot of money is spent on figuring out if ideas work. A lot of mostly completed work gets tossed aside because it doesn’t fit the big picture. I’m sure this was done on this remake; you mentioned the continuously scrolling change plus taking something from 2d to 3d creates a lot of logistical and practical challenges. I think it more shows that money spent in development has little relationship to the sticker price. Heck, admission to shoestring indie movies are the same as summer blockbusters.
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Anybody who gets the windfish tattooed on them is a serious old school zelda geek.
I played the hell out of that game boy game and I loved every minute. Old Zelda didn’t have fancy 3D worlds and it was actually way more fun because of the 2 dimensionality of the puzzles.
It didn’t even need color
People who have never played 2D RPGs are missing out.
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I played the original and got it 100% complete several times. It’ll be a blast seeing if I remember everything and am able to finish this one all the way. I actually still have my original gameboy and was thinking I might play them side by side for comparison. It looks like a ton of work went into the remake. Kinda like the remake of Metroid 2 they did on 3DS, which was amazing and I’m currently replaying. This whole experience will be worth $60 easy to me.
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I would recommend moving Breath of the Wild to the top of your queue. It’s only $360 new, and when you’re finished with it you can use the free console to play other games.
As for Link’s Awakening, I dunno. I’m going to buy it, obviously – I never even played the original – but it does seem a little much releasing it as a full-price game. Yes, the price corresponds to the production budget, but that’s a circular argument, cos they could have spent $0 and still sold quite a lot of copies for less.
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I played the original on my original green-screened, full-sized Game Boy.
I played DX version on my Game Boy color.
Later, when it showed up, I bought a second copy of DX for my 3ds.
I bought this one too, and plan to enjoy the heck out of it on my Switch.
It’s one of the best games in the series, mainly because of the quirkiness, but sure, it’s not for everyone.
Is $60 (I paid $48, but still) a lot for a remake? Yes. It should be $10-$20 cheaper, but you know what? It’s going to sell a billion copies.
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It’s been a weird couple of days for BB content in regards to video games. ‘Use a CRT for modern games’ followed by ‘meh, I beat this 26 years ago, don’t bother’.
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I understand the nostalgia factor for this game - I’ve beaten it at least three times. I also enjoy most if not all Zelda games thoroughly, ESPECIALLY the 2D ones (Minish Cap is in my top 3, don’t @ me)
All that said I’d still rather just replay the original?
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