One of the best games in the series
I played the original back in 1995, a few years after it came out. Then some years later when I got a Game Boy Color I learned of this DX version. This, friends, is the right way to remake a game. Add enough new content to make it worth paying for, but keep the spirit of the original alive. Why Nintendo forgot this importannt strategy when they destroyed their attempted remake of Crystalis for the NES I'll never understand. Link's Awakening DX follows the same unusual story of its Game Boy counterpart. Link becomes shipwrecked on a mysterious island called Koholint and subsequently learns that in order to leave he must collect eight enchanted instruments and use them to awaken a mysterious entity known as the Wind Fish. But it would not be a Zelda game without a villain out to prevent the completion of this quest. Instead of Ganon (originally spelled Gannon), Link must contend with a series of creatures called Nightmares, each of whom guards one of the eight instruments. This version, however, features a bonus dungeon as well as a picture sidequest that allows the use of the Game Boy Camera accessory. One ting the Zelda franchise has always been known for is its excellent music. Link's Awakening is no exception. You'llhear remixed versionsof some of your favorite tunes (not the least being the clasic Zelda overworld theme and the item acquisition theme and yes even the little secret discovery tune), but there's also a fair variety of new tunes. Unlike the rest of the Zelda games from that time, Link's Awakening features a unique theme for each of the dungeons Link must traverse. The DX version even features a well-done remix of the classic dungeon theme from the original Legend of Zelda, though you won't hear that unless you decide to tackle the optional bonus dungeon. So all in all this is a remake well worth having, even if you own the original Game Boy version.
Reviewed by: Bryan Peterson from Twin Falls on 4/9/2013
5