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9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 The Best Zelda Portable Game To Date Jan 10, 2009
By Eryk Jalowy
For most fans of the Legend of Zelda series, there are two commonly disputed "best Zelda game ever" titles: A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. While I won't necessarily disagree with this, you almost have to look at the portable Zelda games in a different category. Many of them are, while officially licensed and every bit bonafide canon, not made purely by Nintendo's in-house development teams (for those who find this as news, most of the portable games have been developed by Capcom). This is, hands-down, the best portable Zelda game ever, and my own personal second favorite, with A Link to the Past coming first, and Ocarina of Time coming third.
Link's Awakening is the first in a long, ever-growing line of portable Zelda games, and I have to say it really doesn't get better than this! There is just that perfect balance of action, exploration, puzzle solving, and a dash of side quest that makes a Zelda game feel "right." Where later portable Zelda games fall short by forcing players into poorly executed minigames, lengthy and confusing trade quests, and generally disappointing level and boss designs, Link's Awakening serves up imaginative original bosses, and some rehashes of bosses from previous games, as well as dungeon levels ranging from short and simple to surprisingly complex (yet still fun and manageable!). And like any good Zelda game, the difficulty level is right in the ball park of being just challenging enough that you may die a few times, but not so confusing as to make you throw the game aside while you frustratedly search a walkthrough for help.
As is to be expected of a portable Zelda game, there's no actual Zelda character involved and the Triforce are nowhere to be seen, but for some of us, that's somewhat refreshing. Your ultimate goal in the game is to collect several magical instruments (a theme now found in many Zelda games) and solve the mystery of how Link ended up on the mysterious Koholint Island.
I like to consider Link's Awakening the last true Legend of Zelda game, since every Zelda game after it has been either in full 3D or has been some Capcom mess that just doesn't quite hit the nail on the head. If your favorite Zelda games are the Oracle pair, Minish Cap, Majora's Mask or the Windwaker/Phantom Hourglass games, this may not be for you, but for recent fans or long-time Zelda fans looking for a return to the roots of the Zelda series without being tied down to a console, this is undoubtedly the best choice.
8 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 THIS GAME IS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apr 08, 2001
This is a really fun game to play.The only downside of this game is that it can get insanely difficult because you sometimes have to do obscure things to progress in dungeons.Just be prepared for a challange if you buy this game!This game keeps you hooked for hours.Even though the color version might be better,you will still have a good time.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Very few things are cooler than exploding arrows. Jul 07, 2008
By Perry Piekarski
Portable gaming has come a long way in the last 20-odd years. Modern systems like the PSP double as pocket media centers, and the Nintendo DS is comparable to a portable Nintendo 64 (with two screens!). Still, if you're anything like me, you'll always, always remember your roots.
I'm talking the original, green-screened, battery-sucking behemoth we all know, love, and have even dropped on at least one occasion--the GameBoy. GameBoy has had its fair share of classics, from Super Mario Land to Pokemon, but there's one game that stands out in the minds of gamers everywhere as truly epic. I'm talking about The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
True to the name of the franchise, Link's Awakening is legendary. A near perfect port of the series to the small screen, very little bad can be said about this one. ***SPOILER ALERT*** Even the "OMGZ it was all a dream!?!?" twist of an ending wasn't as bad as it could have been, as it's hinted from the very beginning of the game (even the dungeon bosses are called "Nightmares") ***ALERT OVER***.
The story takes place shortly after the events of A Link to the Past (arguably the best game on the SNES, and of the Zelda franchise). Link's out to sea seeking new adventures in new lands when a storm hits and wrecks his vessel. He awakens on Koholint Island, a desolate land where talking animals and mermaids are commonplace. He's soon told (by an owl, nonetheless) that the only way to ever make it off the island is to awaken the Wind Fish. If he doesn't, he'll be trapped forever. So of course, in typical Zelda fashion, you're off, slaying beasts, collecting trinkets, and exploring intricate mazes and landscapes.
For an early GameBoy title, this game is vast. The world map isn't overly big, but the sheer depth of it is astonishing. Connecting caves are strewn all about Koholint Island, leaving a lot to explore. This game also introduced the staple trade-system to the series, forcing link to swap item after item with a plethora of interesting (read: strange) characters such as a bear chef, a romance-obsessed goat, and a chomp with a fashion sense.
Of course, what would a Zelda game be without items? Link's trademark sword and shield are present, along with the Pegasus boots, Roc's feather (it allows the player to jump in the air, over holes and gaps), the hookshot, and of course, bombs and arrows among other items. An interesting aspect to the gameplay is the player's ability to assign any tool to the A and B buttons, allowing slight customization to the gameplay, and forcing the player to think of the best combination to get past an obstacle. The sheer badassery that comes from this feature can be summed up in two words: exploding arrows.
The gameplay is what one would expect from any Zelda game. It's entertaining, solid, and addictive. The controls are dead on, and though it's a tad on the easy side, it's far to fun to notice. Of course, the music is as catchy as always, with variations of the Zelda theme on the world-map as well as a slightly different tune for each dungeon (there are about eight dungeons total). The Nightmares are unique, bizarre, and creative, and all in all, this game will leave any adventure fan craving another run after completion.
One of the most interesting aspects of this game would is inclusion of numerous in-game references to Nintendo-culture. Tarin looks oddly like a very familiar, very popular mushroom-popping plumber. Yoshi dolls are all the rage with the young'uns. Madame MeowMeow has three chomps for pets, including the ravenous beast, BowWow. Another more subtle reference would be Prince Richard and his house of frogs, which is a reference to the Japan-only Kaeru No Tame Ni Kane Wa Naru (translated as For the Frog the Bell Tolls), from which Link's Awakening actually derives it's gameplay engine.
Of course, if you want to pick up a copy of this game, definitely seek out the DX version re-release for GameBoy Color. Not only are the graphics improved (that one has color--duh), there are also a lot of nifty extras, including a gimmick dungeon which is actually pretty awesome (gotta love those gimmick dungeons). Of course, the DX version will run about 10 to 15 dollars more, so if you have to settle for the original, that works too. Of course, this was done by a quick check on Amazon.com, so I could be wrong, and you could get lucky. Just play this game, and if you already have, play it again. Zelda is like Shakespeare in the sense that it's timeless. I'm just surprised that all my save files still work.
8 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Best Gameboy game ever? Nov 15, 2001
By fuzzydice82
"fuzzydice82"
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is arguably the best game offered on the original black and white Gameboy (no offense to Metroid II). Not many people realize that this game came out AFTER the Super Nintendo Zelda game (A Link to the Past), and there are times when you can see the modifications the developers made on the SNES version to make it better in the Gameboy version. The main example of this, and one of the coolest features on Zelda games at the time is the ability to jump in this game to get over obstacles and enemies. Also, the graphics to this game are wonderful compared to other Gameboy games around. In this adventure, Link awakens on a beach in a world he's never been before. The story doesn't quite go along with the previous three Zelda games. You aren't in Hyrule, Gannon is not the enemy, and Zelda is not even in the game. But the game play is classic Zelda, and there's almost no better thing to do in a video game than play as Link fighting enemies to save the day. P.S. The side-scrolling "Super Mario" tunnels are the funniest things Nintendo decided to put in this game.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
A BIG HIT Dec 10, 1999
My 11-year old and 8-year old kids love this game; but I definitely recommend you also get the strategy guide to get the most out of it.
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