The remake/remaster for the classic Game Boy game The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening is one of the most inventive ones we've ever seen. Nintendo has done more than just emulate the older game at a smooth framerate, they've rebuilt it from the ground up! Though, that should be expected from the company by now, considering they've done the same for both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.
Fans can debate about which dimension the series works best in, but we can all agree that Link's Awakening is beautiful. But, there isn't a whole ton in terms of "brand-new" content. Still, there are new collectibles, references, and items Link can grab in this fever dream frenzy. So, without further ado, let's talk about them!
Updated on March 18, 2022, by Kirkland Fortner: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening has gained even more popularity among players and fans of the series. The Nintendo Switch release of Link's adventures on Koholint Island has introduced even more Zelda lovers to this wonderful "dream" of a game. Of course, as time progresses, more and more great things are discovered in the game. With that, we have a few more entries to add to this list. So, let's take a look at a few more things that players didn't know they could do in the Link's Awakening remake for Switch.
13 Get Something For Beating The Game Without Dying
The credits have a small extra cutscene added at the end of them if the death count (shown on the save file) is at 0. We won't spoil what it is but here are a couple of suggestions to help players reach this goal. Getting through the game without ever dying is much easier to do if the player has gotten the Blue Mail from the Color Dungeon.
The Blue Mail cuts all damage in half, which makes staying alive much easier through the difficult battles. Also, dying and then having Crazy Tracy's reviving medicine activate also does not count as a death, so it can be used liberally. The game only counts getting a "game over" like a death.
12 Get Branded As A Thief
It is possible to steal items from Mabe Village's Town Tool Shop by picking up an item, moving around the shopkeeper to make him look away from the entrance, and then leaving the shop. This was admittedly much easier to do in the original version of the game, as the timing is much tighter in the remake, but it's still possible.
If this is done, the item will have been obtained for free, however, Link will be referred to as "THIEF!" for the rest of the game (the actual save file name does not change.) If the store is entered again after doing this, the player will be met with quite an unpleasant "surprise". Again, we won't actually say what it is, but please note that this should be avoided if a player is looking to get the special cutscene mentioned above.
11 Make Dungeons
One of the new features added in the remake is the ability to create custom dungeons called "Chamber Dungeons" in Dampe's Shack near Goponga Swamp. Rooms that are used to create them unlock every time a regular dungeon is completed. Each dungeon created must have a starting room, at least one chest for the Nightmare Key, and a boss.
Sometimes while creating these dungeons, certain requirements need to be fulfilled to finish making it such as "fill every tile with a room" or to beat it when actually playing (the sword cannot be used, 3 hearts only, an added timer, etc.) Also, some notable rewards can be gotten for doing this enough as well, such as Heart Pieces and Bottles.
10 Find Even More Heart Containers
Firstly, there are tons more collectibles. Seriously, there are more than twice the amount of Heart Pieces that the old game had. Now, instead of 12, there are 32 to be found over the re-invigorated Koholint Island. And, because they can't take the place of necessary items or weapons, the developers had to figure out new places to put them.
So, players who know the old game inside and out have some new content in store for them. While this might not be the most exciting addition since it's just more of the same, it further adds value to the remaster while also passively making the game easier for players who collect them, since they'll receive more heart containers than what was previously allowed.
9 Earn More Rewards From The New Seashell Mansion
Speaking of collectibles, the illusive Secret Seashells have now multiplied and there is also an additional Mansion where players can turn them in. More Shells means more rewards, though the only real new reward of value is the Heart Piece.
That said, the fanfare added to turning these shells in has been kicked up a notch for sure, and the Seashell Scanner Link gets after turning in 20 makes the rest of the hunt a lot easier. It's a nice addition that makes a collectible hunt less annoying and more fun to work on passively while playing the rest of the game.
8 Find The Bottles Now Added Into The Game
It's odd, but bottles are a staple of the Zelda Franchise. That's right, the concept of a glass bottle is commonly associated with a singular series of games. But, finding one in the wild players can use to store potions, water, wildlife like fish and bugs, or even fairies makes a huge difference in just about every LoZ title, so we get it.
Still, the original Link's Awakening didn't have them, thankfully, that is no longer the case. Now, three collectible bottles have been added to the game as rewards for mini-games or puzzles that make it just a bit more approachable for a modern crowd.
7 Use The Sword, Boots, Bracelet, As Well As Two Other Items All At Once!
The original version of Link's Awakening came out on the Game Boy in 1993. Back then, the portable console literally only had two buttons, a directional pad, and a start/select button. So, developers had to figure out how to make the gameplay as deep as possible, while limiting the player's actions to things that could be performed with limited inputs.
Nowadays, that isn't as much of an issue, considering the Switch has dual sticks with click-in's on each stick, 4 buttons, 4 triggers, and the same start/select options. So, players can finally use the Sword, Boots, Power Bracelet, and even two other weapons all at the same time! The boots are now mapped to a trigger, the Power Bracelet is always on by default, and the sword now has its very own button.
6 Pin Important Things Onto The Map With Stickers
There's a harsh divide between gamers whether a heavily clogged UI or a much-too-simplistic one is worse. Do we want a game like Assassins Creed, where the entire screen/map is filled with waypoints, and we're just following our minimap most of the time? Or, do we want something like Breath of The Wild, where players have to sort everything out themselves, minus the waypoints?
Well, Link's Awakening is a nice in-between, not letting players set waypoints, but allowing them to put stickers/pins on their map to mark unreachable or important areas for later. The game itself is so uniquely pretty to look at that even the map is a delight on the eyes. The diversity of the stickers is also nice, so players have ones that indicate anything they need.
5 Parry Attacks To Break The Enemy's Guard
Now we say Parry, but this isn't like Metroid: Samus Returns where the developers completely changed the gameplay to adapt for a complex parry mechanic. No, Link can just throw Moblins and other enemies off their guard if he shields their attack at the right time.
It's simple, yet it wasn't in the original, so fans who are replaying the game exactly as they did in the old days wouldn't even think to try it. But, it's incredibly helpful in the first couple hours when players are adventuring through the Mysterious Forest for the first time.
4 Keep The Boomerang & Shovel
Everyone remembers the game-spanning trading side-quest from the original Link's Awakening DX. This was a quest that started with the Yoshi Doll in the crane game and ended with getting the Boomerang from Goriya in exchange for holding on to one of the player's items (most likely the Shovel).
As another little way to make the game a bit more modernly approachable, players can also just buy their item back from Goriya for 300 rupees. This allows for both items to be owned completely and makes the quest truly feel "finished" without having to constantly go back and get the Shovel from Goriya every time players need to dig something up.
3 Collect All The Mario Plushies
Speaking of the Yoshi Doll, Nintendo, of course, added in more of their beloved icons to replace it after players win it for the trading quest. They just love crossing over these two titanically popular IP's. The Crane Game is much more fleshed out now and relies on a physics engine (or at least a faux physics engine) to win. Now, players can win more than just rupees, they can also get Secret Shells and Heart Pieces.
But, even more, they can win other Mario Plushes! But, they don't have to just sit in the player's inventory, Link can actually place them in houses all around the village and spice up the place with a bit of Nintendo fanboy-ism.
2 Recall Past Important Conversations With The Memories System
It can be annoying in games when a character mentions an important quest once or says something crucial the second and players are not paying full attention. Then, they become lost because they missed the important clue and they have to either figure it out randomly or look up the correct answer.
Well, Nintendo thought ahead for Link's Awakening and added a great feature that we feel most games should include. The Memories system allows Link to re-listen/read past conversations and really see if there's anything he missed. Of course, this isn't the most difficult game, so players will probably only use it once or twice, but still.
1 Play On Hero Mode For A Challenge
Finally, just like plenty of other LoZ games, Link's Awakening has a Hero Mode. It's become a staple to include these in the franchise as Nintendo knows a good portion of their fanbase older crowd who love some extra challenge.
While it's not nearly as content-deep as an NG+ mode, Hero Mode does make the game a fair bit harder. Players can no longer pick up heart refills in the wild, Mini-bosses no longer drop fairies, and enemies do double damage! But, the best part is, it can be selected from the beginning. There is no "playthrough once in order to unlock the real gamer mode." Just create a new save, select it, and hop right into this extra-spicy version of the game.
The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening is available now on Nintendo Switch.