The Looking Back series returns with one of the greatest games of all time.
Looking Back is a series where we take a glance at a particular game of yesteryear, whether it be influential, under appreciated, or just simply worth remembering.
A familiar face, lost at sea. A bolt of lightning, his ship obliterated, a hero clings to a piece of driftwood and eventually washes up on a beach, unconscious. It already sounds like an epic tale. But for Link, the adventure is just beginning.
After the massive success of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, fans were clamoring for more. The game was massive, including not one, but two overworlds to explore, numerous dungeons, and hidden secrets around every corner. But it still wasn’t enough. Nintendo knew that the fickle fans were growing restless, and would settle for nothing less than a full-blown sequel. So when The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening was announced, it was hardly a surprise. What was shocking, however, was that it was announced not for the SNES as most expected, but for the Game Boy.
Fans were delirious. It couldn’t be done! they cried. How could you cram a massive Zelda adventure into a tiny, little Game Boy cartridge? How could it possibly compare to the now-sacred, SNES prequel? Met with skepticism from all sides, Link’s Awakening was released on August 3rd, 1993, and immediately took its place among the greatest games ever made.
In my opinion, Link’s Awakening is not only a masterpiece. It is also the best 2D Zelda game. Now, don’t take that as a slight against the admittedly-fantastic Link to the Past (LttP). But while LttP merely updated and perfected the formula from the original Legend of Zelda, Link’s Awakening single-handedly changed portable gaming forever. Never again would we be forced to play quick, pick-up-and-play games like Tetris and Super Mario Land while on a long car ride. Now we could explore in-depth the enormous, mysterious world of Koholint. Now we could slay threatening bosses, find hidden caves, or even go fishing. Yes, Link’s Awakening was able to capture all of the magic, all of the mystery, and all of the fun of its ancestors, but on a screen a fraction of the size.
Link’s Awakening (abbreviated to LA from here on out) has one of the best stories of any Zelda game. It starts with the aforementioned shipwreck, which leaves Link stranded on the mysterious island of Koholint. He’s rescued by a girl named Marin, a girl who seems oddly familiar, yet different at the same time. In fact, all of Koholint seems strangely similar to Hyrule, but how could that be? In order to get home, Link must consult the omnipotent being called the Wind Fish, but in order to see him he’ll have to wake him up by collecting the magical, musical instruments strewn across the island. His journey will be lengthy and at times, difficult. But it culminates in one of the most moving, and tragic, moments in the entire Zelda series.
Although the game’s eight dungeons and large overworld will keep you busy, Nintendo also managed to include side quests, minigames, and secrets around every corner. The gameplay mostly borrows from LttP, but at times actually takes the form of an Adventure of Link-style platformer. Although the game never got TOO difficult, some of the puzzles were devilishly tricky, and the bosses were certainly able to hold their own. A well-known glitch wherein Link was able to warp to the other side of the screen could help the lazy gamer, but you had to be careful as it could break your save file.
Even the music is memorable. LA carries on the long-standing tradition of incorporating music into the plot of Zelda games, but at the same time took it to a whole new level. Pretty gutsy, considering the Game Boy’s tinny speakers weren’t capable of much, but they went for it; even going so far as to feature a moment in the game where Marin sings to you. But it paid off in spades. To this day, Marin’s Song remains one of the most beloved Zelda tunes.
The game is never predictable, full of tongue-in-cheek humor, and to this day still one of the most recognized crowning achievements in all of handheld gaming. Without it, we might have still been relegated to playing puzzle games instead of Golden Sun, Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, or even God of War on the PSP.
Although the game was later rereleased in color (with a new dungeon to boot), the original Link’s Awakening will always hold a special place in my heart – and my traveling bag. It isn’t too difficult to find used online, but it seems that it will also be a launch title on the upcoming 3DS’s Virtual Console. If you haven’t played it, you owe it to yourself to do so. Unlike many other Game Boy titles, LA still holds up remarkably well even by today’s standards. It is a touchstone of portable gaming, and it deserves a place in your library.
