Just finished Link's Awakening

I just finished Link's Awakening DX.  I played on my Gamecube so the color pallet and control mechanics were fantastic.  This is the best Gameboy game I've ever played.  Plenty of gameplay, well animated sprites, difficult puzzles and challenging bosses.  I would venture to say I may have even liked it more than a Link to the Past...



If anyone was on the fence about this one, go pick it up soon.  I got a loose cart on ebay for $15, make sure the battery save works (first one I bought did not)



Anyone else love this game (or hate it)? 



Anyone have other great Gameboy game suggestions for play on the Gamecube?



-Christian
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Comments

  • I enjoyed it. First Zelda game I ever played all the way through.
  • I played Minish Cap recently on the GBA player and it was great.
  • Man I gotta get that. I was looking at one behind glass at a shop and some guy came in behind me and instantly asked for it. So I missed it. Asshole. As for other GB games to try, I like nemesis. It's like gradius Jr
  • As you can tell from my avatar and sig, I love the game. It's my favorite Zelda game, actually.
  • One of the best zelda games IMO. Super fun. The idea of Koholint and the wind fish were totally random but worked well.



    Have you played oracle of ages and seasons? I enjoyed these as much as Links awakening.
  • Ah, another person has seen the light. This game is absolutely brilliant. Better than LttP? Yes!

     
    Originally posted by: BertBerryCrunch



     As for other GB games to try, I like nemesis. It's like gradius Jr

    Even better than Nemesis (IMO) is Interstellar Assault. Should definitely give that a try too.
  • I honestly think Link's Awakening is the best Zelda game ever made right behind LTTP! Glad you enjoyed it; it's taking every bit of restraint I have from picking up a Super Gameboy just to play Link's Awakening.



    I would do it in a heart beat but then I'll be collecting Gameboy too! If you are into SHMUPs I've heard Sagaia is absolutely phenomenal!
  • As an original Gameboy release, Links Awakening was able to do amazing things. Certainly a game deserving heaps of praise. I remember getting it when it came out. First and only time I called Nintendos gameplay counselors. Got stuck on the arrow signs riddle. Great memories. I remember feeling kinda melancholy after I beat it. The world vanishing bummed me out
  • Awesome game (LOZ, links awakening then lttp for me). The owl was great. Did the owl ever make a comeback?
  • It's my favorite Zelda. Also the first one I ever owned.



    The DX version's colorization, extra dungeon, and refined no-deaths alternate ending are great, but I still prefer the original non-DX version for a few reasons.



    The DX version doesn't let you cancel/skip certain text things that appear numerous times throughout the game. Also, the stone tablet was turned into an owl statue so they could give multiple hints in each dungeon, which reduced the challenge a lot. There are like 3 or 4 variations of the first picture taken with the mouse and getting the last picture requires you to steal from the shop (and be labeled "thief" for the rest of the game (including the ending). I feel like there's no way to have a "perfect" save file.



    I found a copy of the original version about 4 months ago for $2.
  • I think it's THE best Zelda game ever made. It should be #1 or at least #2 on top 10 lists but nope it's always the same. Ocarina, Ocarina, Ocarina, Link to the Past, Ocarina, OCARINA!, Link to the Past.................................................................................................................................................Zelda II.
  • I just beat the original version about three weeks ago. Maybe my second favorite in the series after Zelda II. Like all Zelda games (except Zelda II) it took me a while to beat. I always get a little bored about halfway through and stop playing for a little while. My break for this game was much less than for A Link to the Past though. Great fun but the end is a little sad.
  • One of my favourites. I still remember discovering bomb arrows and accidentally blowing open the wall of a dungeon I'd been stuck in at the same time
  • Zelda - LA is still one of my favorites in the series. I remember how incredible it was to see graphics which lookes like ALTTP on the Game Boy. And all those weird characters and cameos, the different story... truly one of the best Game Boy titles.



    After reading about the Select-Glitch in an issue of the Nintendo Club Magazine I've explored the whole game again. I discovered places, which never normally never appear in the game or kept BowWow for the whole game. It offered new possibilities to complete the game.
  • Possibly my favorite game of all time, though it alternates with Zelda I depending on mood. First played it at the Target Game Bot kiosk. Got stuck on the puzzle in level two for months. Beat the slime boss while sitting in a Pizza Hut. Good memories, and now I harvest it for design and game play ideas; a game that keeps on giving. Tempted to start replaying it again now...
  • Incredible, timeless game! Few of the newer handheld Zelda titles hold up as well (Ages and Seasons are close). A Link to The Past is still my personal all-time fave (the original is not far behind), but this one is top notch for sure!
  • Second favorite game of all time, best Zelda title. I could play it over and over without issue.



    My Grandpa bought us both a copy when I was 7 or 8 and I've kept my original copy. He is in his 70s now and still remembers the whole game.



    It's pretty much flawless.
  • I played Awakening (non-DX) for the first time ever late last year. It was a game I always wanted back in the mid-90s but never got around to.



    It was absolutely fantastic! Were it not for a few minor annoyances with the control scheme (which were sadly necessary due to the restrictions of the Game Boy) it might almost overtake LttP as my #1 Zelda game. Even considering its limitations, I definitely found it on-par with LttP and easily my favorite game on the Game Boy.



    On top of that, though I've admittedly not played every single Zelda game to completion, I think the final battle/ending in Awakening is the very best in series, bar none.
  • love it along with basically every Zelda. prefer non-DX though

  • Originally posted by: Webhead123



    I played Awakening (non-DX) for the first time ever late last year. It was a game I always wanted back in the mid-90s but never got around to.



    It was absolutely fantastic! Were it not for a few minor annoyances with the control scheme (which were sadly necessary due to the restrictions of the Game Boy) it might almost overtake LttP as my #1 Zelda game. Even considering its limitations, I definitely found it on-par with LttP and easily my favorite game on the Game Boy.



    On top of that, though I've admittedly not played every single Zelda game to completion, I think the final battle/ending in Awakening is the very best in series, bar none.



    What was it about the controle scheme that you didn't like, or would have liked to be different?




  • Great game. I don't think I like it quite as much as some of the others, but it's definitely a top tier Zelda game. Use to kill this game on car rides with my Gameboy Pocket. I ended up returning a broken walkman in exchange for it, I'd say it was a good return.

  • Originally posted by: SoleGooseProductions



    What was it about the controle scheme that you didn't like, or would have liked to be different?

     

    My main issue was with item swapping. Particularly since the game incorporated a tiny bit of "platforming" and you needed to equip the feather to jump, forcing you to occasionally swap in the feather, make a jump, then immediately swap it back out again. It just slowed the game down a tad and also caused me use the wrong item on occasion (forgetting to swap in the heat of the moment). Also making the shield take up an equipment slot was slightly annoying.



    There was also just a tad bit of imprecision sometimes with sword play and maneuvering.



    But these are all very minor complaints. I think it deserves to sit amongst Nintendo's all-time classics, really.
  • I played the DX version of this game on the GBC quite a while ago. I really enjoyed it, although I will admit using an FAQ when I got stuck. It was surprisingly more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Well-thought layouts and dungeons. Plus, the music during the main town (can't remember the name of it off my head right now) really brought me back to my childhood youth. It sounded so innocent.



    The only thins I really didn't like about it was having to equip a certain item (again, can't remember what it was) having to lift objects. It was a real pain having to keep switching back and forth when using other items in the various areas and dungeons. If anyone knows of any hacks to remove that requirement, I'm all ears!
  • The original B&W version of Link's Awakening is the first game I ever owned(along with Donkey Kong '94). It's also the only game I have left from my childhood(thanks to my parents having to constantly pawn my games, and friends who "lost" my other GB games.) It was a sad day when I realized that the save battery had crapped out. Ah well, it gave me 20 good years and will always hold a cherished place among my collection.



    As for the game itself, it's one of the best the Zelda series has to offer. Top 3, at least.
  • Link's Awakening was the first Zelda game I ever played, and is my 2nd favorite in the entire series, right behind Wind Waker. I love the idea of Koholint, the music, the characters, the dungeons, and even the easter eggs they threw in there like chain chomp, and a yoshi doll. To my knowledge it's the only Zelda game with a nod to other Nintendo series. I would kill for a Link Between Worlds type sequel to Link's Awakening. Koholint is amazing.
  • I've owned this game since 1995, and while I have beat it once, it was never done legitimately, I beat the game using the pause warp trick (which isn't in the DX version) to get through Level 7 & 8 and reach certain parts of the game earlier than you should when I was about 9 years old.  I've always thought it was a real shame that I never truly beat the game in a full playthrough without using that cheat.



    Recently I got the official Nintendo Power guide and it really got me back into this game. I didn't want to replay it without a guide because there was truly so much I forgot. I'm trying not to play through too fast because I want to enjoy both the game and the guide. I love the maps and the artwork breaths new life into certain parts of the game for me. It blows me away how much stuff I missed in my old playthroughs. I don't think I ever found any of the magic bats originally. Was always missing the heart piece you dive into the moat to find. The guide is still fairly vague on a few things though! I still feel like I'm re-figuring a bunch of stuff on my own, the maps are great but I'm still left figuring quite a bit of stuff on my own. And so far I've noticed one error, the sub boss in Level 5 does not require the arrows, but the guide says you need it (the Hookshot can be used) Currently I have beat Level 6 and have woke the rooster up.



    For 20 years I've never collected the Level 2 sword until today. I never got more than 17 seashells in my playthroughs. Again, the guide is slightly vague about exactly where to go for a few seashells, like by the Face Shrine for instance.

    For over 20 years I never figured out how the hell you were supposed to get to that staircase past the 5 holes outside Kanalet Castle. It just blew my mind today to realize the rooster can carry you over. I just got my 20th seashell without even collecting the ones you are supposed to get in the seashell mansion if you only go through with 5 or 10 seashells. For the first time today I am seeing the Level 2 sword with the ability to shoot swords at full health like past Zelda games. It's really weird to see after never seeing it before! I'm really glad I'm getting back into this game. Now I am finally coming to the part I used to cheat my way through. Only unfortunate thing is I've died a few times so I won't get the good ending.



    Growing up I used to avoid guides like the plague most of the time. Once in a while we'd go to the store and I'd peak at one real quick if I was stuck in a spot, but I generally prided mysefl on beating games on my own. I never owned a guide until Earthbound, which obviously came with the game, and then from there I started accepting them with my yearly Nintendo Power renewals.

    These days I realize how much I missed out by avoiding the guides. It's not just about the maps and walkthroughs.

    The work put into these things are just lovely. I'm a real sucker for the Nintendo Power ones now that I'm an adult.



    I mean just look at a small sample of what's in this guide.

    The art and story they put into just the first few pages of this book. This is gorgeous stuff.

    I marvel at the amount of work they put into patching together the screenshots to make the maps...

    Link's Awakening has a fantastic manual as it is, but this thing just compounds on that by a million.

    Little drawings like the item shop and Richard's Villa bring a new level of visualization of the game to me...

    I'm finally realizing that these guides don't take enjoyment out of the game at all, they actually add so much more!























  • Originally posted by: Trj22487



    I've owned this game since 1995, and while I have beat it once, it was never done legitimately, I beat the game using the pause warp trick (which isn't in the DX version) to get through Level 7 & 8 and reach certain parts of the game earlier than you should when I was about 9 years old.  I've always thought it was a real shame that I never truly beat the game in a full playthrough without using that cheat.



    Recently I got the official Nintendo Power guide and it really got me back into this game. I didn't want to replay it without a guide because there was truly so much I forgot. I'm trying not to play through too fast because I want to enjoy both the game and the guide. I love the maps and the artwork breaths new life into certain parts of the game for me. It blows me away how much stuff I missed in my old playthroughs. I don't think I ever found any of the magic bats originally. Was always missing the heart piece you dive into the moat to find. The guide is still fairly vague on a few things though! I still feel like I'm re-figuring a bunch of stuff on my own, the maps are great but I'm still left figuring quite a bit of stuff on my own. And so far I've noticed one error, the sub boss in Level 5 does not require the arrows, but the guide says you need it (the Hookshot can be used) Currently I have beat Level 6 and have woke the rooster up.



    For 20 years I've never collected the Level 2 sword until today. I never got more than 17 seashells in my playthroughs. Again, the guide is slightly vague about exactly where to go for a few seashells, like by the Face Shrine for instance.

    For over 20 years I never figured out how the hell you were supposed to get to that staircase past the 5 holes outside Kanalet Castle. It just blew my mind today to realize the rooster can carry you over. I just got my 20th seashell without even collecting the ones you are supposed to get in the seashell mansion if you only go through with 5 or 10 seashells. For the first time today I am seeing the Level 2 sword with the ability to shoot swords at full health like past Zelda games. It's really weird to see after never seeing it before! I'm really glad I'm getting back into this game. Now I am finally coming to the part I used to cheat my way through. Only unfortunate thing is I've died a few times so I won't get the good ending.

    This game (like most Zelda titles) is a blast with a guide. I typically complete them once, then go back with a guide and combing through for all items etc. Your post makes me want to play this now. LA/OoA/OoS are total summer games for me.

     
  • Originally posted by: NostalgicMachine

     
    Originally posted by: Trj22487



    I've owned this game since 1995, and while I have beat it once, it was never done legitimately, I beat the game using the pause warp trick (which isn't in the DX version) to get through Level 7 & 8 and reach certain parts of the game earlier than you should when I was about 9 years old.  I've always thought it was a real shame that I never truly beat the game in a full playthrough without using that cheat.



    Recently I got the official Nintendo Power guide and it really got me back into this game. I didn't want to replay it without a guide because there was truly so much I forgot. I'm trying not to play through too fast because I want to enjoy both the game and the guide. I love the maps and the artwork breaths new life into certain parts of the game for me. It blows me away how much stuff I missed in my old playthroughs. I don't think I ever found any of the magic bats originally. Was always missing the heart piece you dive into the moat to find. The guide is still fairly vague on a few things though! I still feel like I'm re-figuring a bunch of stuff on my own, the maps are great but I'm still left figuring quite a bit of stuff on my own. And so far I've noticed one error, the sub boss in Level 5 does not require the arrows, but the guide says you need it (the Hookshot can be used) Currently I have beat Level 6 and have woke the rooster up.



    For 20 years I've never collected the Level 2 sword until today. I never got more than 17 seashells in my playthroughs. Again, the guide is slightly vague about exactly where to go for a few seashells, like by the Face Shrine for instance.

    For over 20 years I never figured out how the hell you were supposed to get to that staircase past the 5 holes outside Kanalet Castle. It just blew my mind today to realize the rooster can carry you over. I just got my 20th seashell without even collecting the ones you are supposed to get in the seashell mansion if you only go through with 5 or 10 seashells. For the first time today I am seeing the Level 2 sword with the ability to shoot swords at full health like past Zelda games. It's really weird to see after never seeing it before! I'm really glad I'm getting back into this game. Now I am finally coming to the part I used to cheat my way through. Only unfortunate thing is I've died a few times so I won't get the good ending.

    This game (like most Zelda titles) is a blast with a guide. I typically complete them once, then go back with a guide and combing through for all items etc. Your post makes me want to play this now. LA/OoA/OoS are total summer games for me.

     



    Gah! I grew up with this game, and I love it so much (hence the avatar, screen name, and sig)!

    It's true, the guide is incredible. The effort that Nintendo put into it is astounding. I love it.

     
  • When I first got my first Game Boy of any sort back in college (around 2001ish?), which was a purple Game Boy Advance, of course the first game I had to have for it was Link's Awakening DX...I mean what other game is better qualified for your first time?  
  • DX was incredible. Had so much fun with it. Never played it until early this year.
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