{"id":163201,"date":"2019-09-19T20:00:17","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/featured\/-1804300\/"},"modified":"2019-09-19T20:00:17","modified_gmt":"2019-09-19T12:00:17","slug":"review-the-legend-of-zelda-links-awakening-is-the-nintendo-switch-game-of-your-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/2019\/09\/19\/review-the-legend-of-zelda-links-awakening-is-the-nintendo-switch-game-of-your-dreams\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: \u2018The Legend of Zelda: Link\u2019s Awakening\u2019 Is the Nintendo Switch Game of Your Dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.geek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/links-awakening-top-650x366.png?resize=640%2C360&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<p><em>The Legend of Zelda: Link\u2019s Awakening<\/em> isn\u2019t the best <em>Zelda<\/em> game on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-nintendo-switch-1685280\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">Nintendo Switch<\/a>. That\u2019s still <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/game-of-the-year-the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-1690750\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild<\/em><\/a>. In my opinion it&#8217;s not even be the most creative <em>Zelda<\/em> game released on Switch this year. That\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/rhythm-game-spin-offs-we-want-after-cadence-of-hyrule-1792452\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Cadence of Hyrule<\/em><\/a>. To be fair, it\u2019s also not the worst <em>Zelda<\/em> game on Switch. That\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/whether-its-hyrule-or-fire-emblem-warriors-games-are-still-bad-on-nintendo-switch-1740034\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Hyrule Warriors<\/em><\/a>. And in its own way, <em>Link\u2019s Awakening<\/em> may be the <em>Zelda<\/em> game that most fulfills the dream of the console\/handheld hybrid.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex-video widescreen embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZROB4TnYH_I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>There\u2019s a reason this game is launching alongside the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/hands-on-nintendo-switch-lite-is-what-it-says-on-the-box-1800826\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">Nintendo Switch Lite<\/a>, the new Switch model solely made for handheld play. The original <em>Link\u2019s Awakening<\/em> took the epic <em>Legend of Zelda<\/em> series and shrunk it down into an intimate handheld experience for the very first time in 1993. Doing so required many compromises and creative decisions that give the game so much weird charm even within its own series. This remake does its best to recreate that charm, and playing it as a handheld game sounds like it would be the best way to honor that legacy.<\/p>\n<p>But the Nintendo Switch isn\u2019t just a handheld. It\u2019s also Nintendo&#8217;s new mainline home console. It\u2019s the system they can finally focus all of their development muscles on. And it\u2019s so cool that a Game Boy remake (hello, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/pokemon-lets-go-pikachu-eevee-is-for-your-heart-not-your-brain-1760534\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Pokemon Let&#8217;s Go<\/em><\/a>) can still exist both in a portable form while also receiving some of the most lavish AAA console production value this side of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/resident-evil-2-is-the-best-remake-of-all-time-1771919\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Resident Evil 2<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Like the Switch itself, it\u2019s the fascinating tension between <em>Link\u2019s Awakening\u2019s<\/em> handheld and console sides that make the game so special. Ever since<em> Zelda<\/em> went full 3D, top-down adventures were just for handhelds. But here we are staring at Link from above on our 4K TV screens. The Game Boy&#8217;s limited real estate meant rooms had to be dense with puzzles and secrets to remain interesting but also clear enough to navigate on the initially monochrome screen. There\u2019s a lot of satisfying <em>Metroid<\/em>-esque backtracking to make the most of the (then) cramped space. This remake retains that brilliant economical design but now allows for a seamless, flowing overworld and dungeons packed with detail. Even the music is this ethereal blend of orchestrated melodies along with chiptune beeps and boops.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex-video widescreen embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Vx2NYSX5cCc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s also beyond ironic that this Game Boy game remake is arguably the best-looking game Nintendo has ever made. Yes, the framerate isn\u2019t totally solid and that\u2019s disappointing. It doesn\u2019t drop frequently but it does drop consistently, like when transitioning between areas, and it&#8217;s annoying and notcieable. But when the framerate holds up, and that is most of the time, I was constantly in awe of the look of this game.<\/p>\n<p>The adorable (but wholly distinct from <em>Wind Waker<\/em>) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/we-must-protect-this-links-awakening-amiibo-with-our-lives-1791485\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">figurine<\/a>\u00a0characters. The diorama-esque compositions. The quality of the materials and textures. The layers of filters that are dizzyingly sharp and hazy at the same time. It all makes it so much easier to buy into this mysterious melancholic side story of waking up the desert island Wind Fish. Even the bizarre sidescrolling\u00a0<em>Mario<\/em> parody references here benefit from the visual fidelity. These might be the greatest Goombas I\u2019ve ever witnessed. I\u2019m so happy this isn\u2019t on 3DS. I love just looking at this game.<\/p>\n<p>I love playing it, too. The original <em>Link\u2019s Awakening<\/em> remains an important <em>Zelda<\/em> but its primitive nature probably makes it tough to go back to, even if to me it\u2019s still the best 2D <em>Zelda<\/em> and the second-best <em>Zelda<\/em> overall behind <em>Breath of the Wild<\/em>. On Switch though even just having more buttons makes the game way more playable since you aren\u2019t constantly hopping between menus to equip different items for jumping and dashing and swimming and slashing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"flex-video widescreen embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_cHmVIoxGe4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Beyond visuals, control tweaks, and extra secrets this is a pretty straight recreation of the original. But its biggest new mode allows players to create their own dungeons. No, this isn\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/review-super-mario-maker-2-is-couples-therapy-1793146\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Super Mario Maker 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0but for <em>Zelda<\/em>. I think the puzzling\u00a0<em>Zelda<\/em> formula is too inherently complicated for that to ever be as intuitive as Nintendo would want. Instead, you use rooms from dungeons you\u2019ve already cleared, which encourages you to finish the game and expand your potential options.<\/p>\n<p>I dug it. One of my issues with the main game is how interchangeable dungeons feel in terms of design and aesthetics. But here, that&#8217;s a plus as chambers can blur into each other without it feeling too jarring. Eventually you can build whatever you want but initially you have to complete certain tasks like making a dungeon in a certain shape or with a certain number of keys. And figuring out the necessary creative architecture was more fun than staring at a totally blank canvas. The end results almost feel like a top-down <em>Zelda<\/em> roguelike but with more human (and therefore better) guidance compared to a truly randomized experience. But this is definitely a side mode rather than something to dive deep into, especially since levels can\u2019t even be shared online.<\/p>\n<p>Part of the reason why I champion the Nintendo Switch so much is because it tears down this wall between handheld and console games. There are just good video games. <em>The Legend of Zelda: Link\u2019s Awakening<\/em> is the strongest example yet of why eliminating this arbitrary divide is a good thing. And if nothing else, it\u2019s nice to have another great, beautiful <em>Zelda<\/em> game to play while waiting for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild-2-and-nintendos-unreal-e3-2019-games-1791414\/\"  rel=\"noopener\"><em>Breath of the Wild 2<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Legend-Zelda-Links-Awakening-Nintendo-Switch\/dp\/B07SG15148\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1705462 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.geek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/SEE_IT_HERE_GEEK-1.jpg?resize=178%2C51&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"178\" height=\"51\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/links-awakening-top-650x366.png\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\"><\/figure>\n<p>The Legend of Zelda: Link&rsquo;s Awakening isn&rsquo;t the best Zelda game on Nintendo Switch. That&rsquo;s still The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In my opinion it&rsquo;s not even be the most [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/games\/review-the-legend-of-zelda-links-awakening-is-the-nintendo-switch-game-of-your-dreams-1804300\/\">Review: &lsquo;The Legend of Zelda: Link&rsquo;s Awakening&rsquo; Is the Nintendo Switch Game of Your Dreams<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/\">Geek.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/2019\/09\/19\/review-the-legend-of-zelda-links-awakening-is-the-nintendo-switch-game-of-your-dreams\/\">\u95b1\u8b80\u5168\u6587 <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"slim_seo":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[2054,2,2047,2205,2206,5651,5721,16,7],"tags":[398,402,397,414,413,410,409,407,478,481,482,480,479,408,406,399,400,394,10,401,396,403,412,411,395,405,404,477],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7prtj-Gsh","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163201"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163201"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163202,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163201\/revisions\/163202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}