I want to assign the sword to the Y Button, like you know, where every other Zelda game would put it, but that’s not allowed. Use of Link’s sword must be assigned to the B Button-which isn’t even the right button!-and this cannot be changed. For example, the remake allows you to use the shield to block with the R Button, but this is the only time it uses the shoulder buttons at all. While the remake’s visuals are fine and the music is awesome, the game is much more limiting in control options than I think it should be. While I would have cried heresy for changing the classic tunes, the orchestral soundtrack is actually the remake’s strongest selling point. In fact, some tracks-like the frantic tune which kicks in when you pick up a Piece of Power or a Guardian Acorn-are greatly improved by the more subdued musical style. Played on real (or at least realistic-sounding) renaissance instruments, these classic 8-bit melodies lose none of their charm in the new format. The orchestral arrangement of the Game Boy game’s chiptune music is genuinely exceptional. Luckily you stop noticing it after a while. Unfortunately though, it’s a bit annoying and frankly unnecessary. This is one of those visual flourishes Grezzo has done to make the game really pop, I suspect. Now when exploring the overworld, there is an omnipresent camera blur around the edges of the screen, kinda like someone greased the lens. And it translates the original pixel art quite faithfully, almost literally even. The 3D toy box-esque art style used in the Switch remake is actually quite adorable not a bad choice for re-envisioning an 8-bit classic. Sure, the frame rate still takes an occasional dip in the overworld, but it’s no longer an irritant of the “cannot unsee” severity.Īnd that’s good, because Link’s Awakening is a damn fine Zelda in any of its many forms. I suspect the game may have received a patch, or perhaps a Switch system update quietly implemented improvements, because none of the issues which had previously been horribly jarring jump out at me anymore. Having recently returned to play the Switch rendition again, however, I am happy to report the performance issues are not nearly as bad as I remember. (Especially when those games cost a fraction of the price.) Surely the flair of modern audio/visuals will make all the difference.Īnd then somehow, they inexplicably forgot to optimize the game’s performance for Switch? WTF?! That would be inexcusable on its own, but it’s doubly embarrassing when the original game, or its first remake, offers a better experience. So how does Nintendo-well Grezzo, really-distinguish their title from the original work, and justify its $60 price tag? (Wait.this remake of a 26-year-old original Game Boy game-which again, was already remade once before-is priced as high as possible, with the same cost as Breath of the Wild? That’s a bold decision.) Well, they give it shiny new 3D graphics of course! And an orchestral score too. There’s brilliance in the old game’s simplicity, like the distillation of childhood joy. And the chiptune soundtrack is beloved for a reason, it remains a universal crowd-pleaser. The original game’s pixel art, ancient and antiquated as it may be, is still rather appealing today. Suddenly, the sure bet of remaking an old Game Boy game for the Nintendo Switch appeared to have backfired spectacularly. And the Goponga Swamp area in particular, with its fog and water effects, would cause the frame rate to tank horribly. Slowdown was prevalent anytime something fairly complicated was rendered on screen. The game seemed to glitch slightly whenever it loaded a new area of the overworld. However, when I first sat down to play the Link's Awakening remake, I ended up being very distracted by some glaring performance issues. One could certainly assume that the latest Zelda remake was in very capable hands. They also made Tri Force Heroes, but hey, nobody’s perfect. (Though I might argue that the Zelda game most deserving of a modern makeover is actually Zelda II: Adventure Boogaloo, but I digress….) And then there was the fact that the game was being developed by Grezzo, the studio who had previously made the excellent Ocarina of Time 3D and Majora’s Mask 3D remakes on the 3DS. If you wanted to take an older Zelda title and update it for the new generation, choosing Link’s Awakening made a lot of sense. It had even been remade already once before (as The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX for the Game Boy Color), and had served as the basic template for two more GBC Zelda games: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons. Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy was a beloved classic, with a soundtrack so nostalgic, it haunted most 90’s kids' dreams. At the time this game was announced, with its genuinely cool anime opening video serving as the game's reveal trailer, I was excited.
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