Here's what the Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening looks like compared to the original

News
By published

It's been a long journey from original Game Boy to Nintendo Switch

One of the biggest surprise announcements from today's jam-packed Nintendo Direct presentation was the debut of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening for Switch, a remake of the 1993 Game Boy classic. Already, this reborn version of Link's Awakening is looking fantastic, with that classic top-down view, a cutesy new art style, and a vibrant aesthetic that perfectly fits the tropical setting. It's also done a fantastic job of remaking plenty of iconic areas and enemies from the original game, even judging by the few short gameplay clips we got in the reveal trailer.

To demonstrate, here are some shots of the original, monochromatic game stacked up against stills from the trailer, which has clearly captured the magic of the original look while sprucing up the visuals for Switch. But just because it looks like an accurate recreation, doesn't mean this'll be the exact same game, only prettier. Nintendo's Yoshiaki Koizumi noted in the presentation that the Game Boy original is being "reborn as a new experience," and it's possible that the Switch version could add additional dungeons, just like what happened with the lovely Link's Awakening DX port for Game Boy Color in 1998.

We can't wait to find out more and get our hands on this new version of Link's Awakening (which, fun fact, is the odd Legend of Zelda game where Princess Zelda is nowhere to be found). For now, enjoy this brief look at how the original and the DX version compare to the upcoming remake, which is due later this year.

Image credit

Image credit

Image credit 

Image credit 

Image credit

Image credit

Image credit

Image credit

Image credit

Image credit

Image credit

Image credit

Here's everything else from the February 13 Nintendo Direct.

Lucas Sullivan
Lucas Sullivan

Lucas Sullivan is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. Lucas spent seven years working for GR, starting as an Associate Editor in 2012 before climbing the ranks. He left us in 2019 to pursue a career path on the other side of the fence, joining 2K Games as a Global Content Manager. Lucas doesn't get to write about games like Borderlands and Mafia anymore, but he does get to help make and market them.