Weird Zelda: Link's Awakening DX Bug or Game Boy Hardware Problem?
Hey there guys and gals! I recently decided to try out playing Link's Awakening DX on my newly backlit original Game Boy, but in doing so I encountered something very strange that I think may be a thus far undocumented bug in the game. For reference the specific catridge version I'm playing is DMG-AZLE-USA-1. I'm hoping that you folks might be able to tell me whether this is a bug in the game or a problem with my DMG Game Boy.
Basically what happens is that when the game is played on an original DMG Game Boy, any time there is a sprite on the screen (Link's or an enemy's) and that sprite comes into contact with the top four horizontal rows of pixels on the screen the bottom two of the top four horizontal rows of pixels in the sprite disappear. It doesn't matter what part of the game you're in or what screen you're on, it will happen with every sprite in the game if it nears the top of the screen. The backgrounds remain completely normal, only sprites are affected. Here are some screenshots to illustrate what I'm talking about:
At first I thought it might have been a problem with my Game Boy, but the sprites appear at the top of the screen just fine in my other 80 or so Game Boy games and when I play Link's Awakening DX on my Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance the sprites look just fine at the top of the screen with no missing pixels at all. So, I'm inclined to think that it's likely a bug in the game that only appears when it's played on an original DMG Game Boy and I'm hoping that someone else out there with a copy of the DMG-AZLE-USA-1 version of Link's Awakening DX and a DMG might be able to try it out and confirm whether or not it is indeed a bug in the game. Any help getting to the bottom of this would be greatly appereciated!
Basically what happens is that when the game is played on an original DMG Game Boy, any time there is a sprite on the screen (Link's or an enemy's) and that sprite comes into contact with the top four horizontal rows of pixels on the screen the bottom two of the top four horizontal rows of pixels in the sprite disappear. It doesn't matter what part of the game you're in or what screen you're on, it will happen with every sprite in the game if it nears the top of the screen. The backgrounds remain completely normal, only sprites are affected. Here are some screenshots to illustrate what I'm talking about:
At first I thought it might have been a problem with my Game Boy, but the sprites appear at the top of the screen just fine in my other 80 or so Game Boy games and when I play Link's Awakening DX on my Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance the sprites look just fine at the top of the screen with no missing pixels at all. So, I'm inclined to think that it's likely a bug in the game that only appears when it's played on an original DMG Game Boy and I'm hoping that someone else out there with a copy of the DMG-AZLE-USA-1 version of Link's Awakening DX and a DMG might be able to try it out and confirm whether or not it is indeed a bug in the game. Any help getting to the bottom of this would be greatly appereciated!
Comments
I always thought mine was one of the earliest revisions.
It shouldn't be too hard to try another Game Boy.
Mine was from a toy store at the mall which used to be called Circus World, though I think it was owned by Kay Bee Toys and I think they eventually changed the name.
They used to be separate, then sometimes in the 90s KB bought them. At our mall they were across from each other, and both stores ran side by side years after the buyout. Wiki makes it sound like they were bought in 1990, but I remember Phantasy Star IV being cheaper at circus world than KB, so unless my memory is wrong they still had some separate circus worlds in 1995.
I think I got the game bundled with a Game Boy in early 1993. I don't recall mine having that issue. Mine was from a toy store at the mall which used to be called Circus World, though I think it was owned by Kay Bee Toys and I think they eventually changed the name.
I always thought mine was one of the earliest revisions.
It shouldn't be too hard to try another Game Boy.
That's the original version. OP is playing the DX version, which came out in 1998, on an OG Game Boy.
I'm hoping that someone else out there with a copy of the DMG-AZLE-USA-1 version of Link's Awakening DX and a DMG might be able to try it out and confirm whether or not it is indeed a bug in the game
While I don't have DMG-AZLE-USA-1 (what is that--the Player's Choice version?), I do have the non-1 version and a non-backlit GBW (which makes taking a picture of the screen a nightmare) .
I believe it is a bug in the game or possibly the result of some coding trick the devs are doing to make some other part of the game work. So yes, ultimately it is a bug.
I do have the original Link's Awakening (NON-GBC, NON-PC) but haven't tested that.
Also, this bug is apparent on any screen and not just this one in the Mysterious Woods.