The inspirations behind developer Canari Games' Castaway are apparent as soon as its trailer begins. With loving aesthetic and gameplay nods to The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening at the forefront, Castaway is looking to carve a place of its o??wn in the top-down adventure game space when it hits consoles and PC this year.

The addition of consoles and the 2024 release window were both revealed during the AG French Direct Showcase on May 29. After some spirited footage and catchy tunes, Canari Games founder Johan Vinet steps in for a brief developer diary highlighting some of what makes Castaway unique. You may remember Vinet from his first project, cinematic platformer LUNARK, the development of which took?? around four to five years. See more of what Canari Games is working on next ??below. 

Vinet immediately says that Castaway is paying tribute to "the Zelda games released on Game Boy in ??the early '90s," only in miniature form. The story follows Martin, a boy whose orbiting spaceship crashes on a mysterious beach. From there, he sets out on one of the most noble quests known to humankind: finding his dog. It turns out pterodactyls have kidnapped his pup; a plight we know all too well.

Two adventures in one

The first of the two games that make up Castaway is set on the main island, where Martin will be tasked with making it through a trio of dungeons and their respective bosses. With a wide audience in mind, Vinet also hopes Castaway might serve as an introduction for parents who want to get their children into playing these types of games. Thus, there's a pacifist mode ?that lets you focus on solving puzzles, as well as an invincible mode th??at gives you a chance to practice before hitting up the real deal. For those who have played the genre through and through, there's an "unfair mode" and a mode for speedrunners. 

Once the ma??in adventure is complete, the second game ??is unlocked. This one has you trying to reach the top of a 50-story tower while surviving its many challenges. As you ascend, you'll collect cash and increase a gauge that lets you choose between three upgrade cards every time it's full. 

What has me even more interested in Castaway is that it's aimed at folks who might not have a lot of time on their hands, but want to experience a bite-sized adventure. Hey, this is my hole, it was made for me?! 

The post Castaway brings its Link’s Awakening vibes to consoles and PC this year appeared first on Destructoid.

In sad news for anyone who enjoys fan games and remakes of retro titles, Nintendo has shut down a fan-made The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening PC port.

Eurogamer reported on this disappointing turn of events for the Zelda fangame community, and reiterating its features only makes its loss sting. The Link's Awakening PC port included some lovely features, including supporting up to 120 frames per second, widescreen, and zooming options that could let you see virtually the entire world map at once. Tha??t still doesn't change how ardently protect??ive Nintendo is over its properties, so it called for the game be pulled from Itch's pages.

According to the Nintendo representative who sent the notice of infringement, "It has come to our attention that the following game, //linksawakeningdxhd.itch.io/links-awakening-dx-hd, offered on Itch.io infringes and makes unauthorized use of Nintendo’s copyrights in The Lege??nd of Zelda: Link’s Awakening video game."

Any downloads for the Link's Awakening port are no longer available on its Itch.io page. Its takedown is a shame, but not a surpri??se.

Nintendo is infamous for its ironclad control over its IPs, with well-documented fights with other fan projects. There are plenty of cases in the past of projects like this gradually picking up internet infamy, then receiving a cease-and-desist.

While Nintendo's within its legal rights to go after these projects, it's sad to see interesting projects like these go. Link's Awakening is still available on Switch, either through the remake or Switch Online's Game Boy collection.

The post Fan-made Link’s Awakening PC port has been taken down by Nintendo appeared first on Destructoid.

It’s dangerous to go alone

My favorite moment in the Zelda franchise, without question, is when Link picks up Marin like an item in Link’s Awakening. No matter how many time??s I see it, the “do-do-do-doooooo�and flavor text describing Marin always gets a ?laugh out of me.

It’s the type of meta-joke that I could see a cheeky indie developer making in 2010. Except this is an official Nintendo Zelda game from 1993. Honestly, this may be the first joke I ever laughed at in a video game. Like everything in Link’s Awakening, this moment is whimsical, silly, yet strangely poignant. It’s scenes like these that make Link’s Awakening my favorite Zelda game ever made.

Yet what if I told you that this scene was more than a good laugh? That its meaning extends far beyond the bounds of Link’s Awakening and into the Zelda franchise as a whole? As many Zelda fans know, Marin would never return in a mainline Zelda game. However, not only can we feel her presence in every Zelda game since, but?? other Nintendo flagship franchises as well. Join me as we unpack the seed that blossomed into gaming’s most foundational love story.

NOTE: The following contains spoilers for A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, and Ocarina of Time.

[caption id="attachment_378610" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

A parody of a Zelda game

If you know anything about the development of Link’s Awakening, you know it was never going to be a “normal�Zelda game.

Developed after the release of the legendary A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening originally wasn’t even a Zelda game. Rather, the team working on it consisted of prominent developers from the SNES Zelda title who still had leftover ideas that didn’t make the cut. The group banded together and?? began testing the waters of their creativity on the Game Boy, even after they had full days of work at Nintendo developing other projects.

“We began in the free spirit of an afterschool club,�said Link’s Awakening director Takashi Tezuka, in an interview with the late Satoru Iwata. “�the contents are quite unrestrained. If you look at it, you can tell. Characters similar to Mario and Luigi appear, and Yoshi dolls appear, too.�/p>

As development continued, the “afterschool club�realized their work began to look impressive. The team pitched porting A Link to the Past to the Game Boy, but their overflowing passion morphed the game into an entirely original entry. This “unrestrained�environment let Tezuka’s team explore several ideas, even if they didn’t fit Zelda’s image at the time.

“It was like we were making a parody of The Legend of Zelda,�Tezuka told Iwata.

Notably, this unorthodox development meant series creator Shigeru Miyamoto wouldn’t join the project until it was nearly finished. While Miyamoto’s legacy speaks for itself, his views on story in video games have become infamous in recent years. In fact, his influence is often cited as a reason why the Paper Mario series relied less on story following Super Paper Mario. However, this tension over stories in video games existed inside Nintendo well before Paper Mario existed.

One writer was ready to change the status quo.

[caption id="attachment_378629" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

From manuals to narratives

Nintendo scholars will know the name Yoshiaki Koizumi. He’s played a prominent role in some of Nintendo’s most beloved games, including directing Super Mario Galaxy. But when he first joined the company, he merely worked on the manual for A Link to the Past. You might think this is a small job, but Koizumi began to shape the overarching narrative of the Zelda series even then.

“What was funny was that at the time, it didn't seem like they'd really figured out what most of the game elements [in Link to the Past] meant,�Koizumi told Wired News back in 2007. “So it was up to me to come up with story and things while I was working on the manual. So, for example, the design of the goddesses as well as the star sign associated with them.�/p>

In truth, Koizumi was a bit out of place in Nintendo’s culture at the time. With an education in film and animation, he wished to pursue video games to explore ??the dramatic possibilities of the media. Unfortunately, many within the company didn’t share this vision.

“I felt like I came up with this entire scenario and a backstory for Link, but nobody really seemed to care,�Koizumi explained. "They were always saying, ‘let's not try to push the story forward too much.’�/p>

Due to these constraints, the “afterschool club�became Koizum?i’s perfect opportunity to realize his narrative ambitions.

“I came in to write the manual, as I did on the previous game,�Koizumi explained. “But they had nothing in place. So I ended up making an entire story to go along with the game. The dream, the island, that was all mine.�/p>

[caption id="attachment_378617" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Stories, not goals

In the first three Zelda games, Zelda herself appears mostly as a plot device. While Link to the Past did develop Zelda as a character, she still primarily existed to be saved and rescued. Miyamoto was known for this kind of storytelling due to Donkey Kong, but Koizumi’s priorities were quite different.

“When you think about the whole ‘save the princess�storyline of games being one of Miyamoto's inventions, I don't think of that as a story so much as it is a goal,�Koizumi told Wired News. “It's a way of creating a situation. There's not necessarily a buildup and a resolution of a deeper kind, like you'd find in a novel. It's just a situation that motivates the players.�/p>

This deviation from “save the princess�can be felt within the first moments of Link’s Awakening. The first person Link sees when he initially awakes is Marin. While Link to the Past began with a plea for help from Zelda, Marin is the one who saves Link in this case. It’s easy to read this scene as a deliberate subversion, especially given the game was once planned as a Link to the Past port.

Marin, of course, does need to be saved at least once in Link’s Awakening. She’s also needed to advance the story at times. Otherwise, Marin expresses remarkable agency throughout Link's Awakening. There are many lines of dialogue and easter eggs involving Marin, but these don’t grant rupees or items. The only motivation to spend time with her throughout the story is just that - you want to spend time with ??her.

“[Koizumi is] a romantic, and I think that shows in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening,�Tezuka recalled to Iwata.

[caption id="attachment_378618" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Who is Marin?

Many fans of Link’s Awakening point to Marin as the “heart�of the narrative. Yet what exactly is that heart? This receives no official explanation in game, but one theory te?nds to pop up over others: Marin is Link’s dream manifestation of Zelda.

While Link famously keeps his mouth s??hut within the series canon, we do receive occasional implied dialogue from him. In this case, we know that when Link first sees Marin, she looks similar enough to Zelda that the resemblance confuses him.

“What? Zelda? No, my name’s Marin!�She tells Link. “You must still be feeling a little woozy.�/p>

Link’s Awakening is famously set within a dream world. In fact, the Japanese title for Link’s Awakening is “Yume o Miru Shima,�which basically translates into “The Dreaming Island.�Putting this context up front helps players?? view the story as symbolic. In fact, lest we believe Koholint is merely a product of The Wind Fish, the game deliberately proves Link influences the island too.

The most obvious example of this comes from the game’s very first mission. Link finds his sword and shield at the start of the quest, which the game clarifies by noting they have his name on them. At the opposite end of the adventure, we have the final battle against the nightmares. This boss gauntlet includes deliberate callbacks to A Link to the Past, including Agahnim and Ganon. Link was the only one present for?? these b?attles, so the Wind Fish’s influence can’t be all-inclusive on Koholint.

The story of Link’s Awakening works just fine if you do??n’t subscribe to the theory that Marin symbolically represents Zelda. But viewing Marin as a spark stemming from a feeling within Link completely reframes the narrative.

[caption id="attachment_378619" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Let’s finally talk about that date

With 1,000 words of context under our belt (I s??wear it was necessary!), let’s finall??y return to the thesis of this thing; that part where Link hysterically lifts Marin over his head.

As Link’s Awakening progresses, Marin’s interest in Link intensifies. If you regularly talk to Marin in Mabe Village, she’ll explain how she loves singing The Ballad of the Wind Fish. She’ll eventually ask Link what he likes ??to do for fun, and even offers to si??ng with him when she notices his Ocarina. For Marin, it’s imperative that Link remembers this song she loves so much.

This s?ignals early on that Marin has some awareness that her existence is fleeting. That she knows this before even the player does lends further credibility to her metaphorical s??ignificance.

But M?arin’s open affection for Link reaches its peak during their famous beach scene, moments before Link’s incredible lift. Though the restrictions of the G?ame Boy keep this scene short, Marin’s dialogue leaves little room for ambiguity.

“When I discovered you, Link, my heart skipped a beat!�Marin excitedly recalls. “I want to know everything about you�err�uhh, ha ha ha ha!�/p>

In games leading up to Link’s Awakening, Zelda never speaks to Link like this. While her dialogue shows admiration for Link in A Link to the Past, it is always within the context of saving the world. In fact, as Marin wonder??s who Link is??, so too might players want to learn about Link. Does he have hopes and dreams? How does he feel about saving the world time and time again? What does he desire?

Using the language of Zelda games, Link’s Awakening finally gives us a peek inside Link’s mind.

[caption id="attachment_378608" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The lift that changed Link

Aside from the comedy, t?here’s an incredible amount of subtle meaning to unpack here.

Finding new items for Link’s arsenal is arguably the peak of excitement in early Zelda games. They expand the places you can go and the way you can interact with your environment. The “do do do dooo�fanfare exists to convey that significance to the player. By treating Marin in the same way, we get to see Link express excitement for her without breaking his established character. “Getting�Marin is a momentous occasion, and Link’s Awakening wants us to know that.

Additionally, the flavor text playfully asks “is this your big chance?�Now, the flavor text in Link’s Awakening could honestly warrant its own article. Long story short, it does occasionally convey Link’s thoughts in ways not exactly fitting an omniscient narrator. We see this most clearly when Link learns that Koholint Island is an illusion, which triggers the response “�What? Illusion?�This context lets us read Marin’s flavor text more seriously. This is a romantic mom?ent, in no uncertain terms. You, and by extension Link, need to understand that.

The music serves as our final touch. When Link finds his sword at the beginning of Link’s Awakening, the overworld theme features an extended opening to express the significance of the moment. We don’t typically hear this added flourish throughout the game, but recruiting Marin warrants this level of importance. In the original Legend of Zelda, Link takes his sword because “it’s dangerous to go alone.�This callback to Link’s? sword shows tha??t, for perhaps Link’s first time, he isn’t alone anymore.

Put together, this conveys an overwhelming message. Marin’s feelings aren’t one-sided; Link?? is in love with Marin. What he wants, and why he fights, will never be the same again.

[caption id="attachment_378621" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

A new paradigm

Though Link’s Awakening looks like an oddity in the Zelda canon, its current cre??ative leaders aren’t shy about its impact.

“When I was playing Link's Awakening, I was very influenced by what the game offered," said Breath of the Wild Producer Eiji Aonuma in an interview with Game Informer. "It definitely transferred to the other Zelda games I developed. I was recently playing through it and everything felt very nostalgic. I was like, 'Oh right, this is something I took and maybe incorporated into Ocarina of Time!’�/p>

Ocarina of Time has many superficial resemblances to Link’s Awakening. For example, Ocarina of Time introduces a guardian owl like Link’s Awakening does. That said, we also see Zelda also takes a more prominent role in the story starting with this title. While her dialogue focuses on the fate of the world like Link to the Past, she expresses much more intimacy towards Link within this fram??ing.

“I wanted to wait for you, but I couldn’t delay any longer,�Zelda tells Link as she teaches him the Song of Time in a v?ision.

Just as Marin became associated with a song, so too does Ocarina of Time establish the importance of music. Zelda’s Lullaby technically made its debut in A Link to the Past, but Ocarina of Time gives the song story significance. Additionally, by disguising herself as Sheik after Ocarina’s famous time skip, Zelda plays an active role in the story. This sets the foundation that Zelda and Link both must work together to save Hyrule, rather than Zelda existing to, say, give an implied kiss at the end like in Zelda 2.

In fact, while the ending of A Link to the Past barely features Zelda at all, Ocarina of Time specifically ends with Link returning to see Zelda in the Hyrule Castle garden. Ocarina of Time frames Zelda and Link as two people whose paths just can't align, even when they fight for the same cause. Ending the game by reuniting them emphasizes that the core of the story isn't about the Triforce, Ganon, or even Hyrule. The struggle of two people who care deeply for each othe?r is a story worth telling for its own sake.

“That must mean Koizumi-san the romantic, who was in charge of story [for Link’s Awakening], had quite a large influence over the general direction of The Legend of Zelda series,�Satoru Iwata suggested to Aonuma during their Iwata Asks interview?.

“That’s right,�Aonuma responded.

[caption id="attachment_378628" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Setting Marin free

Ask many fans what they remember most about Link’s Awakening, and they’ll likely tell you about the ending. The erasure of Marin and the rest of Kohol??int Island evokes a level of melancholy not commonly seen in the franchise. Yet given the background and themes we’ve discussed to this point, this ending's meaning becomes incredibly optimistic.

Marin does not hide that she wants to leave the island. She hopes to fly to faraway lands and share her song with whoever will listen. She also alludes to making a wish to the Windfish, leaving us to guess what she really desires. This makes one moment in Link’s Awakening especially stand out.

When traversing the Tal Tal Heights, Link finds Marin trapped on a broken bridge. After swiftly coming to her rescue, Marin begins to tell Link something. However, a call from Tarin interrupts her, and she leaves before we can hear what sh??e has to say. Immediately after, our friendly neighborhood Owl arrives and informs us why Marin was there to begin with.

“That girl sang her song in front of the Egg! Her 'Ballad of the Wind Fish' is a song of awakening! Did she actually intend to wake the Wind Fish?!�/p>

Just as Koizumi felt trapped in realizing his narrative ambitions for Zelda, so too d??oes Marin feel trapped in this dream world. If she was born from a feeling stirring inside Link for Zel?da, then this scene speaks volumes. Marin differs from the nightmares who want the world to stay the same. She’s ready for the dream to meet reality.

[caption id="attachment_378626" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

That damned smile

For the longest time, the ending of Link’s Awakening bothered me. ??After the melancholic montage of watching Koholint Island disappear, Link awakens on a raft barely large enough to fit on. With his head down, we hear Marin’s song somberly play. But as the song takes on an added flourish, Link looks up and sees the Wind Fish fly overhead. The Ballad of the Wind Fish takes an energetic tone, and a wide smile forms on Link’s face.

I never understood while Link would smile here. Yet after reevaluating Link’s Awakening with Yoshiaki Koi?zumi’s words in mind, I think I finally understand why. Just as Marin wanted to ensure that Link remembers her after he leaves, the Wind Fish repeats this sentiment before the end.

“Someday, thou may recall this island�that memory makes the dream world real.�/p>

By seeing the Wind Fish, we know that Link remembers his time on Koholint Island. In the end, Marin’s wish reached Link. And with that knowledge, Link knows that Marin isn’t really gone. Everything that she and her song represents is free from Koholint Island now, whether she was a manifestation representing Zelda or just a girl with a dre?am of seeing the world.

Link's newfound desire to kindle that flame inside his heart gives further meaning to the title Link's Awakening. The ambiguous themes of love that surrounded the Zelda? series to this point finally began to take shape.

[caption id="attachment_353866" align="alignnone" width="600"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

A new Nintendo

Link's Awakening would mark a defining turn ??in Yoshiaki Koizumi's c??areer.

In 1991, he was hired to work on the manual for A Link to the Past. Three years after Link's Awakening, he would take credit as Assistant Director for the landmark Super Mario 64. While his early memories at Nintendo evoke a melancholic lack of appreciation, later interv??iews would see him joking and laughing with the likes of Eiji Aonuma and Ta?kashi Tezuka.

Even Shigeru Miyamoto, who famously butted heads with Koizumi over the presence of story elements in Super Mario Galaxy, eventually had his own moment of awakening.

"... talking over fundamental issues like Koizumi-san's views on the importance of story, the function of stories in games... I learned something important," Miyamoto recalled during an interview with Iwata. "Whether or not the game world resonates with you as you're playing the game is what's most important... I came to notice that my way of making games may have been to seek for resonance. I didn't necessarily want to? include story or not include story. Rather, I have been making games that I hope will resonate with players."

Just as Marin awakened a spark within Link, Link's Awakening may have marked a subtle, yet important new direction for Nintendo's creative leaders. The idea that their flagship series' could tell worthwhile stories took hold, and with that came some of the most beloved games of all time. When we watch the side stories within Majora's Mask or the fully voiced cutscenes in Breath of the Wild, it feels like Koizumi's ambitions become realized. We can't say what Nintendo would look like today, were it not for the afterschool club that built Link's Awakening. But when we trace Nintendo's best stories back to their creative origins, they can all li??nk back here.

Link lifting Marin over his head codified a spirit that we can still feel today. It marked that developers at Nintendo could decisively tell personal stories, not just grand tales of adventure. Marin remains with us, in the DNA of countless games bearing the Zelda branding and beyond. She flew to far away places and?? ?sang for many people. And sure enough, we've learned more about Link in every game since.

Thanks to Link's journey with Marin, we learned the Ballad of the Wind Fish. This? song, even today, remains in our hearts.

The post Link’s big date in Link’s Awakening marked a sea?? change in the franchise appeared first on Destructoid.

Am I a dreamer?

Originally, this piece was going to be called "Animal Crossing on the GameCube is blatantly better than Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom". My plan was to take a 4/7th serious stance on the topic, not unlike this old essay on why I prefer Advance Wars to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

It's an apples-to-oranges comparison and inherently farcical, but the sincere truth is that many of the things I grew up loving about Zelda (particularly its first 3 sequels) were best translated to polygons in the original Animal Crossing title. The grid segmented map, the feeling that every screen might have a simple-to-find secret hidden in a tree or behind a rock, the small but versatile set of tools, the inviting villages, the simplicity; they're all  key aspects to what made Adventures of Link, Link to the Past, and Link's Awakening so great.

Perhaps most importantly, the original Animal Crossing kept things cozy. There's no complex crafting system, no massive world that takes hours to traverse, no broken weapons (except the axe, but getting a golden one is easy enough), and never the feeling that you have a big, difficult job to do. In fact, the first thing that happens in the game is you get fired from your job. It's a full escape from the "civilized' world. And maybe you have to be there at the time to feel this way, but when the first Animal Crossing came out, it came off like a direct sequel to the Animal Village section of Link's Awakening. If you've played them both, then you know the similarities between t??hem are about as subtle as a talking bear asking you to arm wrestle.

[caption id="attachment_377600" align="alignnone" width="620"] Animal Crossing on the GameCube and Link's Awakening on ??the Switch[/caption]

No Hyrule Country for Old Farts

Since Link's Awakening and the first Animal Crossing , both the Zelda and Animal Crossing franchises have blown up in a big way, in terms of both popularity and scope. As a result, I bounced off of each of them hard. It ma??de me think that maybe Nintendo just doesn't make games for 46-year-old weirdos like me anymore.

And that was going to be the piece! But what would that have done for you, dear reader? A few of you like-minded outliers out there feel would feel a little less alone, and the rest of you would have just been glad that I am no longer the target demographic for Zelda games. Except, and here's the kicker, maybe I still am! It was only a couple of years ago that Nintendo made a "new" game for people like me. It was a remake of Link's Awakening, and hey—it didn't sell that bad! Last count put it at a little over 6 million sold. That's far from what Breath of the Wild and Animal Crossing: New Horizons did, but?? it's still better than most games ev??er do.

It all gives me hope that maybe after Tears of the Kingdom breaks sales records, wins a GOTY at the Game Awards, and all the dust has finally settled from it's launch, Nintendo may give me what I really want: a new Link's Awakening.

The Zelda Upscale/Downsize Cycle

It may sound like an absurd idea for Nintendo to go backwards like that, given how much more Breath of the Wild sold than every other Zelda game. The core audience for the series clearly wants them to keep getting bigger and freer. But when you look at the history of the series, a pattern emerges that points to the next Zelda to launch after 2023 to be something that goes in a different direction. Starting with Ocarina of Time, every other home console Zelda has taken a step back from making things bigger and more open. Ocarina was, of course, the first Zelda game to feature a fully 3D world, and it made a huge effort to show off how spacious and sprawling it could be. Its direct sequel, Majora's Mask, had you spending a lot of time in sm?all town town and other little areas, learning about the people of the world and using empathy to help them to preven?t the apocalypse.

After that there was Wind Waker, which went big again with a massive ocean to chart. That was followed up by Four Swords Adventures, which was about small-scale multiplayer action puzzle solving. Then came Twilight Princess, which expanded things again, then Skyward Sword, which took after both Majora's and Monster Hunter, plopping you in a variety of bite-sized environments where getting to know the minutiae ?of how everything fits?? together was the only way to win.

[caption id="attachment_377608" align="alignnone" width="640"] Wart, er, "?Mamu" in Link's Awakening Switch[/caption]

Toy Link Returns?

Then came Breath of the Wild, which Nintendo said is 12 times bigger than Twilight Princess. That's too big for me. I quit the game after 20 hours, having really enjoyed the totally linear part where it's raining so you can't just climb your way out jam, and instead have to fight a bunch of lizard people before hanging out in a shark man's house. But the rest of the game was a snooze fest for me, just a lot of work. I had hoped that Tears of the Kingdom would take the same approach that Majora's Mask took with Ocarina, scaling things back a bit and focusing on the little things, but from the looks of it, that won't be the case. Initially, I thought that meant that the pattern of Nintendo making every other Zelda smaller, sillier, and?? stranger th??an the last was over.

But then I remembered that the Link's Awakening remake, which came out after Breath of the Wild, technically counts as a new Zelda game, with it's Dampe's Dungeon "Zelda Maker" mode and other little details that make it more than a 1:1 recreation of the original. Nintendo even created a whole new version of Link for the remake (nicknamed ?Toy Link at the time). Then he got his own amiibo. It would be strange for them to just never use this version of Link again, right? Every other version of Link ??(Adult, Young, Toon, and uh, "Blue Shirt") has gotten at least two games to star in. How could you say no to more of this face?

[caption id="attachment_377610" align="alignnone" width="640"] Little Link and his current Dad[/caption]

A link to gaming's past

The only thing that makes me unsure is knowing how much modern Nintendo follows trends. Endlessly replayable open world games with user-created content like Minecraft and Roblox are the most successful games in the world right now, so it's not surprising that Tears of the Kingdom may take after them even more than its predecessor did, with more custom stuff to build and other bait to inspire user-created content. I still see Breath of the Wild trick videos on Twitter. I haven't seen any sign of the Link's Awakening remake on my timeline in years. It's clear which one was a better return on Nintendo's investment, both in terms o?f sales and in terms of longevity in the public eye.

But I also have to remember that Nintendo is marching out Pikmin 4 in a few months, and that the big selling points for that game so far are: Pikmin made of ice, a dog with no nose, and "something scary happens at night, probably." Nothing about that is likely to go viral on TikTok or YouTube for the next 5 years. From the looks of it, Pikmin 4 isn't going to try to be a "phenomenon." It's going to try to be a fun little videogame, just like the 3 other numbered Pikmin games that came before it. It's not looking to reinvent the wheel, it's just?? loo??king to give it another spin.

[caption id="attachment_377611" align="alignnone" width="640"] The largely noseless faces of Pikmin 4[/caption]

Old dogs, old tricks

And that's true for a lot of Nintendo's popular games lately. Advance Wars 1+2: Re-boot Camp is just the first two GBA games with new graphics and remixed music, and it's been a top seller on the eShop for the past two weeks. New Pokémon Snap was essentially the same as the first game but with amazing graphics and new Pokémon, and people went bananas over it. Metroid Dread didn't have multiplayer, mining or crafting mechanics, or a 3D world to explore, and it became the best-selling game in that franchise's history. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is, by all accounts, just a very good JRPG, doing little to move the subgenre forward, and last report as was close to 2 million units sold. Splatoon 3 is just more Splatoon, and it set records in Japan. The list goes on.

For old-heads like me who think gaming peaked a long time ago, it's heartening to see. And more pertinent to this particular essay, it makes me feel that Toy Link (and hopefully Toy Gannondorf) will tread new ground in 2024. In fact, the longest we usually go between top-down Zeldas is three to five years. Tri Force Heroes was 2015, then both Cadence of Hyrule and Link's Awakening launched in 2019. Before that, the wait between the 2D-style Zelda games was usually about 2 years, with the exception of the massive drought between Link's Awakening in 1993 and, uh, Link's Awakening DX in 1998.

So we're about due, and any potential Nintendo not-E3 showcase this summer might be just around the corner. I'm not saying that I'm sure they'll announce Link's Awakening 2 there as a swan song for the now 6-year-old Switch, but stranger things have happened. Four seasons of them in fact, with a 5th on the way. If that series of small-town shenanigans can keep going after all this time, then why can't Toy Link, Wart, and the Wind Fis?h?

The post After Tears of the Kingdom, give me Link’s Awakening 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Because not every main villain needs an encore

In just a few days, millions of Switch owners will finally get their hands on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. As the direct sequel to the biggest Zelda game of all time, expectations are high. Previews have been positive, and as we count down the hours to when Tears of the Kingdom will finally be playable, I’ve been spending my hours thinking back to all the games that have come before it. I’ve been with the series since the beginning, starting way ??back on the NES. I was killing moblins before I knew how to tie my shoes. This series has been a part of my life for more than 30 years, and it’s unlikely that’ll change in the future.

While much of my reminiscing over the past few weeks has been fawning over those warm memories of finally beating Zelda II or setting sail in The Wind Waker, I’ve also looked back on those villains who were a one-and-done challenge for the sword-swinging elf boy. When most people think of the Zelda series, the??y think of Ganon and Ganondorf as the main antagonists for Link and the Princess.

But they’ve had other villains, some more memorable than the others. Because fighting the same big baddie over and over again can get a lit?tle dull, I want to raise a glass to those ne'er-do-wells who helped break up the monotony with their moment in the limelight. So step aside Ganon, Ganondorf, Vaati, and all their variations (yes, I’m including Demise here) because this article is for the one-hit wonders.

[caption id="attachment_377618" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image Courtesy of Nintendo[/caption]

Shadow Nightmare - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

I never appreciated the Shadow Nightmare until I got around to playing the Link’s Awakening remake on Nintendo Switch. When I first played Link’s Awakening DX 15+ years ago, I thought it was a fairly unimpressive final big boss for an otherwise wonderful adve??nture. In hindsight, I consider it a masterful inclusion, one that fits in so well with the truth behind the game. Koholint Island isn’t a real place. It only exists in the mind of a sle?eping, shipwrecked Link.

The entirety of this game is Link’s subconscious attacking him to prevent their manifested world from disappearing. So it makes absolute sense that this creature, one born directly out of our hero in the Switch remake, would take the form of enemies he’s faced in the past. The final battle with Shadow Nightmare has Link fighting versions of Ganon, Zol, and A Link to the Past’s Agahnim. Even its final form, Dethl, is an amalga??mation of creatures this version of Link fought in his previous exploits. Some might argue that’s a stretch, but I can see how the unconscious mind could get to Dethl from Trinexx and Vitreous.

Either way, Shadow Nightmare fits the theme of Link’s Awakening to a T. So here’s to this thematically accurate? villain.

[caption id="attachment_377623" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image Courtesy of Nintendo[/caption]

Majora's Mask - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Arguably the most-impactful one-and-done villain on the list, Majora’s Mask is an absolute masterclass of a final ?boss battle. Fitting in with the overall weird sensation that permeates the game (remember the aliens?), Link’s battle with this sentient, evil mask takes place inside the moon he worked so damn hard to keep f??rom crashing into the world.

There is something quite ominous about that lone tree in the middle of the grassy field surrounded by those creepy Moon Children. Fighting the mask, as well as its four boss remains�masks, is a twirling test of your auto-lock capabilities, but when Majora’s Mask sprouts arms, legs, and a creepy third eye, the encounter enters its own personal realm of strange. This battle is straight-up bonkers, and the eerie high-pitched squeal it emits when you hit it is deeply unsettling. Its final form, Majora’s Wrath, is the stuff nightmares are made of. Majora’s Mask remains the weirdest Legend of Zelda game to date, and this?? boss battle is a big reason why.

Some people say Strange Nintendo is the Best Nintendo, and it’s hard to argue there’s a stranger main antagonist from the series than Majora. So here’s to the freakiest final boss battle in Zelda history.

[caption id="attachment_377620" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image Courtesy of Nintendo[/caption]

General Onox and Veran - The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages

It’s a shame Flagship ain’t out here making more top-down Zelda games. Its time with the franchise produced a trio of outstanding adventures, including Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, and The Minish Cap. While the latter expanded on the origins of the villain Vaati—who first appeared in Four Swords—the Oracle games opted to introduce two new villains to Link’s rogue's gallery: General Onox and Veran. Onox is the big bad of Seasons, looking like an Iron Knuckle who stomps and swings his way through his encounter with?? Link. Hit him enough times, and he’ll transform into his true form of a massive bone dragon from the Dark Realm.

The demon fairy Veran is the main antagonist of Oracle of Ages. Armed with the power of possession, Link’s bout with her pits him against a fireball-spitting Queen Ambi before facing her metamorphosing true form. Even with its simple 8??-bit graphics, I got legitimately creeped out the first time I fought the Spider-Veran.

While they made great villains for their individual games, anyone who’s linked Seasons and Ages knows the ultimate antagonist of this adventure are Twinrova and Ganon. Still, they proved worthy of helming two games in desperate need of a Grezzo-developed remake. I had hoped one of them would have appeared in Hyrule Warriors, but it wasn’t meant to be. So here’s to the villains who deserve a s?econd chance.

[caption id="attachment_377625" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image Courtesy of Nintendo[/caption]

Bellum and Malladus - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks

Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks can get a lot of flack for Nintendo’s decision to make both games touch-screen controlled affairs, but I’d wager these are two of the better Zelda games Nintendo has produced. Sure, the Temple of the Ocean King in Phantom Hourglass is a real mood-killer, and the game doesn’t introduce any new items, but pla??yers were rewarded for all their hard wo?rk with an outstanding final boss battle against the squid-like Bellum.

Across its three phases, Bellum challenges players to use every skill they’ve learned playing through the game, from touch-screen combat to sailing to two-screen focus. It’s an outstanding cinematic achievement for the Nintendo DS, something that's equally true for the final encounter of its sequel. Like with Bellum, the fight with Malladus at the end of Spirit Tracks tests players' mettle with segments dedicated to conducting the train, controlling Zelda’s spirit form, and ultimately touch-screen combat. Moreso than any other Zelda game, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks are two titles designed to train players for their final conflicts. For th??at alone, they should be remembered and apprec?iated far more than they are.

Unlike other games in the series, I’m not sure if there’s any sort of crusade brewing for either of these games to get remade on modern consoles. I’d love to see it�em>Spirit Tracks in particular—but I’ll be holding onto my DS copies just in case these two titles are destined to be relegated t??o the past?. So here’s to the final boss battles we may never experience again.

[caption id="attachment_377636" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image Courtesy of Nintendo[/caption]

Hilda and Yuga - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Like with many Zelda games, A Link Between Worlds has an underling who's central to the story, putting in the work at the behest of the malevolent force they wish to revive and restore to their former glory. In The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, it's Chancellor Cole. In the linked versions of the Oracle games, it’s Kotake and Koume. In A Link Between Worlds, players are? led to believe that Yuga is at the center of the conflict.

Once you reach the climax of the narrative, you discover it was Princess Hilda, the Lorulean counterpart to Princess Zelda, who was pulling the strings all along. She set this conflict into motion, sending Yuga to kidnap Zelda and the sages. While the events of the game might ??be her doing, Yuga ultimately reveals himself to ?be disobedient to Hilda, casting her into a painting before facing off with Link for one final battle. While Yuga meets a similar fate to the rest of the antagonists on this list, Hilda earns herself a happy ending with a little help from Ravio, the shopkeeper Lorulean counterpart to Link.

Truthfully, I couldn’t pick which of these two should make the list,?? so I decided to include them both.

Whatever your thoughts on A Link Between Worlds, I think we all can agree that Ninte?ndo shouldn’t have been able to get away with the name Lorule. So here’s to the final bosses that are an absolute 6.5 out of 10.

[caption id="attachment_377627" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image Courtesy of Nintendo[/caption]

Lady Maud - The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

If Majora’s Mask is the weirdest Zelda game to date, Tri Force Heroes is the oddest. Here is a multiplayer-focused adventure featuring three versions of Link, who set out in the world of Hytopia to save Princess Styla from a life of drab fashion. Nothing in that sentence makes any sense, and y??et this is a real game made by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. People paid up to and including $40 to have Link settle a fashion crisis. It’s incredibly odd, but with its focus on couture, it’s an incredibly good-natured game�as long as you don’t try to beat it by yourself.

At the end of the Links�quest is Lady Maud, a witch of the Drablands. Everything I know about Lady Maud comes from watching videos of her battle on YouTube because, to be honest, I still haven’t faced her myself. The few times I took Tri Force Heroes online stuck me with griefers that ultimately convinced me to give up trying. I’d love to see this thing through to the end, but I’m not sure how likely that is, ?given the state?? of the Nintendo 3DS.

Honestly, I would love to see the costume element of Tri Force Heroes find its way into another Zelda adventure—as long as it’s a viable single-player outing. So here’s to the final boss I still have yet to battle because I can’t find anyone to play Tri Force Heroes with (and playing it solo is too damn tedious).

I am 100% on board with the return of a yoked Ganondorf in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. And while I don’t know for sure what the future holds for this series, I hope Nintendo will continue to experiment with new main antagonists for Link to fight. Even if they’re consigned to whatever smaller Zelda games get made? between the big, tentpole entries in the series.

The post Here’s to the one-shot big baddies of The Legend of Zelda appeared first on Destructoid.

Options, options, options

If you want to play a great 2D Legend of Zelda game today, the Nintendo Switch has you covered. With a Nintendo Switch Online membership, you can play any of the pre-Ocarina games, plus a handful of excellent Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance titles with more on the horizon. One of the very best 2D Zelda titles, Link's Awakening, is available twice â€?in addition to the GBC version on NSO, there's also an excelle?nt 2019 remake.

[caption id="attachment_359260" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

But if you want a new 2D Zelda experience? You're out of luck.

Where did 2D Zelda go?

Since 1998, there's been a fairly clean division between The Legend of Zelda games. There are 3D games, defined by behind-the-head and over-the-shoulder cameras, and 2D games, defined by their top-down view. This distinction might sound fairly unimportant but it is absolutely vital to the way these games are designed. 2D space allows for more rigid, defined puzzles, which make dungeons dramatically more satisfying. The 3D games are generally more concerned with what's outside the dungeons, in the spr??awling worlds. These games are frequently about the problems occurring aboveground. 3D dungeons can often be clever, but they're inherently broader and more open to experimentation, making them feel less like riddles anchored in space and more like ruins that stand between the player and a goal.

Both of these models are worth something, and they're both distinctly "Zelda," but they have different strengths, and they're perfectly capable of co-existing. The existence of Wind Waker did not erase the demand for The Minish Cap. Both of these games are considered some of the best in the series for entirely different reasons.

But one of these design philosophies simply does not exist anymore. The last major 2D Zelda game, Tri-Force Heroes, came out nearly eight years ago. The last single-player 2D entry will be a full decade old this year.

But... why?

At the moment, 3D Zelda has reached what many would describe as its peak. I don't personally adore Breath of the Wild, but there's no denying that it's perfected the series' broad, freeform energy. Everything in Breath of the Wild is open to experimentation and exploration. Even the du?ngeons generally have a number of different solutions based on how ?creative you're willing to get with the game's much-lauded physics system.

[caption id="attachment_365490" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

But where does that leave the tighter, more specific dungeons? Surely there's still a market for puzzle boxes with carefully planned solutions. Even when the series' 3D side is so rewarding for so many people, I think there's space to explore more conventional Zelda designs. I was, in fact, left severely underwhelmed by Breath of the Wild's dungeons specifically because they felt so three-dimensional, motivated more by occupying a space than filling it with challenging, thoughtful ideas. Solving dungeons the "right" way is often boring specifically because the game clearly wants the player to break it, to gain a more robust understanding of Breath of the Wild's notion of physical space.

Again, there's nothing wrong with this concept. For many players, it's clearly incredibly refreshing. But it doesn't represent the full breadth of what Zelda can be, and I really wish there was a more concise, l?ess open game to accompany it.

Division of labor

Obviously, it might be an especially difficult time for Nintendo to focus resources on a 2D Zelda game. The next 3D Zelda game, Tears of the Kingdom, has had a famously long production cycle, one of many ways the game is following in Breath of the Wild's footsteps. But 2D Zelda is no stranger to outsourcing �Capcom has tackled three different 2D Zelda games while Nintendo handled their 3D counterparts, and Grezzo handled Tri-Force Heroes. Infamously, Nintendo also once trusted Animation Classics with the franchise, leading to the Philips CD-i games (t?his might not be the best move to replicate).

[caption id="attachment_362555" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Nintendo[/caption]

More recently, Nintendo entrusted Brace Yourself Games with the Zelda property for a rhythm game spinoff. But that was a side game. For a better model, we should look to MercurySteam's work on Metroid Dread, which occurred simultaneously with Metroid Prime 4's production. While one studio handled the next entry in the series' 3D lineage, another took care of the franchise's 2D roots. If this model works for Metroid, then why not Zelda?

I suppose what I'm trying to get at is simple: we could have a new 2D Zelda game and we should have a new 2D Zelda game. The Nintendo Switch plays host to some of the greatest games in the fra??nchise's history, and revisiting those games is a great time. But seeing how things used to be really makes me ??wish Nintendo would take a glance back before diving into the future.

The post 2D Zelda deserves its Metroid Dread moment appeared first on Destructoid.

Pre-orders live at Japanese retailers

If there's one (of many) elements that makes Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series so utterly enduring, it's the games' beautiful scores, which embody the spirit of dangerous adventure without ever losing the natural charm of the Zelda universe and its characters.

Link's Awakening is a perfect case in point??, and fans of that particular entry's classic score might want to take a look at this brand new soundtrack set, which is coming to Japan next month.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Soundtrack is a smart four-CD set which ??contains a huge 205 tracks in total, taken from both the 1993 Game Boy release and the 2019 Nintendo Switch remake, with each release receiving two CDs of wonderful, nostalgic music from composers Minako Hamano and Ryo Nagamatsu. The CDs come housed in a sleek collector's box, featuring the Japanese sleeve art for both games.

Although there are currently no plans to release this set in the west, import sites such as Play-Asia are already taking pre-orders for international customers. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Soundtrack costs around $50 USD, (not including shipping or any potential customs charges),? and will launch on M??arch 23.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is available now on Nintendo Switch.

The post The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening soundtrack set coming in March appeared first on Destructoid.

'The Legend of Zelda: Ganon's Awakening'

The Switch is building up quite an insane legacy for itself, even solely as far as first-party Nintendo g??ames are concerned.

It's hosted pretty much every major living series, including multiple Zelda games (some systems only get one) and one of the best-selling Mario games ever. A??nd it's getting more! Depending on its lifecycle, a lot more. It's an exciting time to be into Nintendo franc??hises.

That's likely why this mashup piece impacted me so much. The Switch has not only hosted the superb Link's Awakening remake, but the indomitable Breath of the Wild: which is giving us a sequel at some point. Talented artist Stephen J. Plant decide??d to mix the two together, forming an amalgam they call "The Legend of Zelda: Ganon's ?Awakening."

Stephen J. Plant (who is very active on ArtStation and chronicles their entire artistic process for this project) notes that they used Blender to craft it (with effects in Photoshop and modeled from scratch), and I have to say: I'm kind of hoping we get a Dragon Quest XI optional retro features filter. I mean, it's never going to happen, but a man can dream. I want to see that cartoony toys-to-life?? style again.

Stephen J. Plant [Twitter]

_{[Images used with artist permission]}

The post An extremely talented artist did a mockup of the Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel in the Link’s Awakening remake style appeared first on Destructoid.

Which is more evident in portable mode

Zelda: Link's Awakening i??s a fantastic game, most notably because the Game Boy original (and GBC re-relea??se) is fantastic; but it's also due to the fact that the new charming art style rips.

Sadly there's a caveat to go with that new style that rhymes with "rips": framerate dips. Although Link's Awakening is serviceable when docked, the game chugs when there's a lot of action on-screen in portable mode, which has led to many requests for a patch. Well, update 1.01 is out, and you can cue the drum roll now: "Fixed an error where certain conditions would cause Marin to stop moving in Toronbo Shores, and the game would lock up. Downloading this update will also fix saved games where the error is already in effect." Bam! That's definitely good news for folks who were having game-breaking issues with that bug, but not the type of news a lot of other players ?wanted for the first major patch.

Who knows if the framerate will ever be smoothed over, but it's particularly bad timing for everyone who bought a Switch Lite with the intention of playing Link's Awakening exclusively in portable mode. Then there's the blurry screen effect, which is either an artistic choice or a motion sic?kness magnet, depending on your experience with it.

Ver. 1.0.1 [Nintendo]

The post Zelda: Link’s Awakening’s first major patch doesn’t address the framerate issues appeared first on Destructoid.

'No DOF Blur'

Zelda: Link's Awakening on Switch is a fantastic game marred by? a few jarring performance issues.

Alongside of the framerate drops (which mostly happen in the open world, and in portable mode) there's ?a blur effect on the bottom of the screen. Well, thanks to a mod from MelonSpeedruns and Rodrigo, that annoyance is no more: so long as you're willing to dig into the wide world of Switch modding.

The mod, called "No DOF Blur," is described as a "very simple mod" that eliminates the distant blur out of Link's Awakening. You can find the instructions and the mod itself in the description of the below YouTube video. Some people consider this blur an artistic choice, and I respect that; but it made me uncomfortable more than a few times, especially when ??pla?ying it on the go combined with the framerate issues.

This kind of stuff is incredible, and reminds me of the tireless efforts of Peter "Durante" Thoman, who fixed multiple big-budget games with mods t?hat were painless to install. We have no idea if a r?eal patch is in the cards for Nintendo, but it's nice to know that it's possible.

The post Someone modded out that vaseline-blur effect in Link’s Awakening Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

Last year's entry in football series finally leaves Top 40

Electronic Arts' annual football franchise FIFA has returned to the top of the UK Charts, still pulling in big sales some 25 years since the series' 1993 debut. FIFA 20 succeeded in knocking cute Switch remake The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening ??off of the? top spot to become king of the premier league.

Similar success was not found by some of this week's other new releases, however. Bandai Namco's gothic adventure Code Vein failed to break the Top Ten, landing at number 13, while Focus Home's violent mech-based title The Surge 2 barely made an impact, deb??uting at number 35. As always, bear in mind these charts only reflect the physic??al sales of all titles.

The was a surge in Xbox games. The Xbox One edition of Minecraft leapt from number 22 to number nine, followed up by racer Forza Horizon 3, which jumped from number 20 to number 10. Pirate adventure Sea of Thieves also made a huge comeback, cli??mbing from number 21 al??l the way to number seven.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: September 28, 2019
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. FIFA 20 - Electronic Arts
2. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Nintendo
3. Borderlands 3 - 2K Games
4. Gears 5 - Microsoft
5. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled - Activision
6. Tom Clancy's The Division 2 - Ubisoft
7. Sea of Thieves - Microsoft
8. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
9. Minecraft: Xbox Edition - Microsoft
10. Forza Horizon 3 - Microsoft

U.K. video game charts [Gamesindustry.biz]

The post ??Of no surprise to anyone, FIFA 20 debuts at the top of the UK Charts appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm shocked!

When Nintendo first showed off the "Chamber Dungeon" mode in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, many people said it looked like a potential Zelda Maker game. As it would happen to be, the idea for the mode's inclusion came from just that. In a new interview with IGN, Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma stated that the remake's new mode was inspired by Miyamoto asking Aonuma to include Mario Maker-like features in a new Zelda game.

As Aonuma recalls, "I talk to Mr. Miyamoto regularly about 'the next Zelda game,' and one time, he asked me if I could come up with a game that features Super Mario Maker-like gameplay, but for Zelda. We talked about how a game like this for Zelda would have dungeons, but it's generally quite difficult to devise the logic?????????????????????????? needed to solve them." That last part is important because the mode in-game is ?rather simplistic.

Due to the lack of complexity, it became necessary to strip back the features that Chamber Dungeons had. "We gave some thought into a more approachable style of play where you have to think about how to arrange parts that already have a solution to create a single dungeon, instead of allowing players to create complex arrangements like in Super Mario Maker 2," Aonuma explained.

Link's Awakening was chosen to debut the mode since its dungeons had rooms that mostly fit onto a single screen. The limitations of the Game Boy forced Nintendo to craft smaller scale dungeons, even if their complexity rivaled that of past entries. Chamber Dungeons don't offer nearly the same depth, but the smaller size does mean you can plop rooms around in an efficient manner. "A critical part of ?the Chamber Dungeon gameplay is understanding the original dungeons before arranging your own."

I'm honestly not that surprised at this confirmation. It was pretty evident that Super Mario Maker served some inspiration to this mode. I do wish it had the same options as the former game, but Chamber Dungeons are a fun enough distraction. Maybe in the next Zelda, we can see the feature expanded greatly.

Miyamoto Asked Zelda Producer to Make Mario Maker-Style Zelda Game, Which Led to Link's Awakening's New Mode [IGN]

The post As suspected, Link’s Awakening’s Chamber Dungeons came from a Zelda Maker idea appeared first on Destructoid.

Classic adventure finds new success decades later

It may be over 25 years since it first blessed us with its amazing adventure, but it seems that the video gaming community is still ready and willing to accept The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening into its heart. The Switch remak??e of the 1993 Game Boy classic has debuted sat number one of the UK Charts.

Link's desert island epic topples Gearbox shooter Borderlands 3, which drops into second place. Amazingly, Nintendo's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still going full throttle, rounding out the Top Three and even overtaking Microsoft's Gears 5. In fact the Top Ten is mostly an alternating mix of ultra-cute characters and extreme violence. Such is li??fe.

Elsewhere in the charts, Maximum Games' imaginatively-titled Truck Driver just missed out on a Top Ten spot, debuting at number 11, while Bandai Namco's Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Swit?ch port appears at number 23, with the PS4 remaster of the gorgeous anime ?RPG landing at number 26.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: September 21, 2019
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Nintendo
2. Borderlands 3 - 2K Games
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo
4. Gears 5 - Microsoft
5. EFootball PES 2020 - Konami
6. Tom Clancy's The Division 2 - Ubisoft
7. Grand Theft Auto V - Take 2
8. Spyro the Dragon Reignited Trilogy - Activision
9. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled - Activision
10. NBA 2K20 - 2K Sports

U.K. video game charts [UKie]

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Re-awakened

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening had a profound impact on me growing up.

Although I was already familiar with more traditional JRPGs like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy at that point (and had played the first two Zelda games), Link's Awakening was one of the first moments I truly got lost in an adventure. The portability of the Game Boy helped, as I'd spend nearly every single family car trip beating Mario Land first (quickly), before I started to chip away at yet another Awakening run.

It's gotten to where I've memorized? entire dungeons: a skill that served me well when playing the incredibly faithful, but slightly flawed, Switch remake.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch)
Developer: Nintendo EPD, Grezzo
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: September 20, 2019
MSRP: $59.99

Having played every Zelda game to date, I firmly believe Link's Awakening is one of the most, if not the most accessible entries in the series. Although Zelda is sort of known for its penchant for standalone stories (let's not get into the whole timeline debate here, much love), Link's Awakening is Zelda meets David Lynch: it simultaneously makes no sense and makes perfect s??ense. Just drink your fine coffee and accept it.

You're washed away on a mysterious island and told to wake the Wind Fish, which is actually a mammal. It's a world filled with Mario enemies like Chain Chomps and Goombas — wacky inhabitants that would give any Zelda game a run for their money. This is ostensibly a side story, a gaiden of gargantuan proportions, and you're along for the ride. It was an idea that allowed Nintendo to break free of the typical Zelda conventions at the time (which the company had already low-key done with Zelda II), and because of ??????????????????????????that bravery, the premise holds up decades on relati?vely untouched.

While it's not fair to disparage the limitations of the original Game Boy, the Switch does this angle justice with hardware enhancements. You're no longer tethered to small box-like screens, and level design has a more free-flowing feel to it. There's a certain gumminess to the aesthetic, almost like a Super Mario RPG veneer, ?which is just lovely. Enemies are completely redesigned in some cases, where I would think "oh that's what that is!" when directly comparing them to their pixelated predecessors (which, again, has its own charm, and in a few cases, better c??haracter models where less is more).

To my surprise, the Switch — especially in portable mode — can't fully handle this jam-packed engine. Although the game is mostly fine in my experience while docked, it chugs in many cases when playing on the go and has a blurring effect on a portion of the?? screen. When it really counts (dungeons/boss fights) it's stable, so it's not a dealbreaker, but having slowdown during some open-world item hunt excursions was rough. Similarly, it does such an amazing job of recreating the original source that it replicates some of its flaws.

One of the main issues I've always had with Awakening is the uneven boss fights, many of which are overly-simplistic gimmicks: a few can be taken out in five seconds or less. A few key locations are a little too far off the beaten path, almost to the point of trial and error. Now esoteric and out-there puzzle solutions are par for the course for old-school Zelda games, and the blow is softened here by a reasonably sized map that's full of life (you won't have too much trouble knowing where you are without having to loo?k at the pause screen every few seconds).

Awakening follows that immensely satisfying formula of "get a new item, learn a crucial ability, then quickly recall all of the areas you've seen so far that could utilize it." While the aforementioned cryptic puzzle solutions definitely pop up periodically, it's very hard to get lost as you can always call up "Old Man Ulrira" for advice, who often do?les out specific directions. I've always admired this bit, because even during repeat playthroughs, there's always one part where I'm going "uhhhh what's next?" One phone call to the in-game help center can clear up my confusion quicker than a Google search.

So what's new, content-wise? Not a whole lot. There's collectibles here and there, little nods to Nintendo history, the Color Dungeon from the DX edition, and a new create-a-dungeon feature thanks to gravekeeper Dampé. I was expecting this to be a throwa?way addition — and in some sense it kind of is long-term, as you can only choose pre-arranged rooms based on dungeons you've completed — but I was pleasantly surprised to see there was a little questline included that doubles as a tutorial.

The quality-of-life upgrades are far m??ore meaningful. The map contains extra visual details, and you can place markers on it (I used the heart symbol to denote fairy ponds, and so on). You also have the ability to recall dialogue for hints, which is super useful for when the game's owl guide basically spells out where to go next and you "accidentally" skipped his winded speech. Hero (hard) mode is available at the start, and a few items like the Power Bracelet, the Pegasus Boots, and even the sword/shield have their own dedicated buttons or are baked into your standard kit. (Remember, due to the two-button nature of the Game Boy, you had to equip everything individually.)

Slight gripes with the new engine and the old source aside, this is still Link's Awakening: one of the best Zelda games to date. Although I don't think I'm going to rotate the DX version out of my yearly Zelda replay sessions, I'll definit?ely be working ??the Switch remake in.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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He replaced the Game Boy Camera NPC

One big new feature of the Zelda: Link's Awakening Switch remake is the introduction of Dampé: a classic Zelda character has been transplanted into the game to herald in ?the dungeon crea??tion mechanic.

What you might not kno?w is that Dam??pé also has a tutorial element that doubles as an extra set of dungeons. Here's how to find him.

There's actually no real caveats to Dampé: once you can reach him, you can tackle the dungeon creation tool. You can find him in the location above, directly north of the graveyard zone. To access him you'll need the Power Bracelet (from the second dungeon) to lift the rocks that block the ??paths to the south and west.

Just go inside and introduce yourself, and he'll grant you access to the dungeon tool tutorial as well as the opportunity to make your own dungeons. Money from the ordeal transfers over, and you can save individual dungeons to amiibo figures if you want (the 2019 Link's Awakening amiibo will add a Shadow Link enemy to your creation, a??nd every Link amiibo can save its own dungeon).

That's it! Think of it like an extra addon of sorts beyond the existing Color Dungeon.

The post Zelda: Link’s Awakening Switch guide: How to find Dampe and the dungeon creation tool appeared first on Destructoid.

The Game Boy Color-exclusive level returns

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening has a long and majestic history. Born in 1993 on the original Game Boy the portable w?onder would capture the hearts of many, and save countless family car rides.

Five whole years later the Game Boy Color got a re-release of sorts, Link's Awakening DX, which added a few new mechanics, most notably the "Color Dungeon." That dungeon returns in the Swit??ch remake over two decades on: here's how to access it.

First, to traditionally access ??the dungeon, ??you're going to need the Pegasus [dash] Boots, which are in the Key Cavern, the third dungeon in the game.

Once you have them, head back to Mabe Village (the main town), go to the library in the southwest corner of it, and dash at the wall to knock the book do??wn. You'll find a code for tombstone movement: jot that down or take a screenshot with your Switch (it's different each run, but you can brute force it as long as you have the Power Bracelet from the second dungeon). Then head east out of Mabe Village (past the shop), north? up the ridge with the rock in front of it, then east into the graveyard.

Go to the southeastern part of the graveyard with the five tombstones: this is where you'll be using the information you learned from the library book. Breaking down the code, the number is the order you'll be pressing the gravestones, the arrows denote which direction to push each one, and the placement is the s?ame as the code itself (meaning, the first number is the top left stone, the last number is the bottom right, and so on).

Follow the instructions and you're in! Your reward is a choice of tunic: red (sword attacks do double damage) or blue (half incoming? damage). You can change your mind and swap tunics in the same location later on.

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That chump has a monopoly and I'm busting it

Can you believe how dumb the Link's Awakening shopkeeper is? Still falling for the same t?ricks 26 years later.

Yes, you can still steal the bow in the Link's Awakening remake on Switch. For those of you who may not have been caught up in what could have been your first act of childhood debauchery, you're able to steal the pricey over 900-cost Rupee bow and arrow in Link's Awakening from the shopkeeper in Mabe Village by running behind the cash register, confusing him, then running out?? the door.

Now there are penalties, as you get chastised "are ??you proud of yourself?" message immediately. Also, for the rest of the game you'll be branded as a "THIEF" (overwriting your chosen name), and if you return to the shop, you'll be punished under order of death. Heavy.

You can acquire the bow legitimately of course, as you don't need it until way later in the game, and money is easy to come by if you actually explore the game's caves. Or, hear me out: you could just pocket that cash (even easier in the remake when your wallet automatically goes ??past 999) and spend it on something else, like one of?? Crazy Tracy's revive potions.

There's several schools of thought on this, but I pretty much steal the bow eve??ry time after cleaning the other items out with cash, t?hen never show my face again. You're free to make that same decision again!

The post You better BELIEVE I still stole the bow in the Link’s Awakening Switch remake appeared first on Destructoid.

I MUST HAVE THEM

File this under the "I'm jealous as hell" category. 7/11 Canada has teamed up with Nintendo to host a Switch Lite console giveaway that includes Link's Awakening themed Slurpee cups. Goddammit, why don't I live in Canada? You'll need to be a m??ember of the "7Rewards" loyalty program and scan barcodes on the cups to earn entries for the contest.

If you don't care about winning the console, you can actually purchase one from EB Games and get 10 medium Slurpees for free. I don't think those include the amazing cups, but that's still something for your troubles. Some other prizes are also up for grabs, which include a download code for Link's Awakening and various amounts of eShop credits. The contest will be running until November 3, 2019, with winners being announced every week. You can find out the full details here.

Nintendo Contest Page [7-Eleven Canada]

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Yep, it looks great

The Zelda: Link's Awakening remake (co-handled by Ninte?ndo and Grezzo, who have worked on multiple 3DS remakes and projects) is out next month on? September 20. That's soon!

It feels like we got a lot of info at E3 and are kind? of cr??uising into its launch, but this week at Gamescom Nintendo dished out a massive 30-minute playthrough. Watch at your own risk! You'll mostly be okay though, as the presenters refrain from digging too deeply in favor of a general overview.

This video is useful for multiple reasons. At the start, the presenters do a good job of getting folks who may have missed out on Link's Awakening entirely up to speed. But veterans are also able to dig into the more granu??lar aspects, like overworld nuances and phy??sics changes.

A few highlights: skip to 4:00 if you want to hear Marin's song! Or, go to 5:00 for a rundown of the new detailed map system.

The post Here’s 30 minutes of the upcoming Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake appeared first on Destructoid.

So long, voucher

We've reached the one-month mark until The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening washes ashore on Nintendo Switch. I'm ready. You're ready. But let's get extra ready. The dazzling remake is up for pre-purchase, meaning you can download the files?? and? have the game ready to go for September 20.

It's a 5.8GB download (falling right in line with Super Mario Odyssey, funny enough), and if you have a spare Nintendo Switch Game Voucher, you can redeem it for Link's Awakening. That's what I did.

The only problem is that whenever I play Switch now, Link's cute lil face will be staring? back? at me.

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Reporting live from Koholint Island

It'd be an understatement to say I hold The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening in high regard. It's my favorite game from my childhood. It's weird and quirky in all the right ways, with enough character and je ne sais quoi to truly elevate it above the other also-excellent Zelda games.

That's high praise, but here's higher praise: I think the Link's Awakening remake will bring it even ??closer to perfection than the original.

We played Link's Awakening for 20 minutes at E3, and it felt like reuniting with a childhood friend. We f??ell right in step. Hit the beach to grab the sword. Go north to the Mysterious Forest and find the magic mushroom. Try to steal from the shop. THIEF!

The motions felt familiar but the style is so exquisite. It's more than a new coat of paint for a game that launched in green and black. It's a true reimagining. This look befits Link's Awakening's themes of e?nigma and childlike sense of discovery. This new aesthetic br??ings the world to life in ways that don't seem possible. It feels like it's wringing out every last drop of magic and charisma. It's truly incredible.

Given less than half an hour, we weren't able to see much of Link's Awakening -- just enough to be assured it's quality. That being said, it's tough to know if this remake actually tweaks anything significant, or if there are just a handful of additive enhancements alongside a new visual style. Has the layout of anything changed? D?oes anyone have new dialogue?

There are modern conveniences though, partially to break down Link's Awakening's often-obtuse progression. A section of the menu stores key dialogue th??at's necessary for advancing the story. The map has some sort of waypoint/marker system, although we didn't tinker with it a whole lot.

Nintendo tells us about a handful? of other changes meant specifically to keep you out of the menus. The Power Bracelet and Pegasus Boots are permanently-equipped items now, rather than tools that need to be swapped in and out of the two tool slots. Of course, our section was the beginning of the g??ame so we didn't have access to these items. I would've liked nothing more than to use the Roc's Feather and Pegasus Boots to long jump all over the place. BowWow, all chained up to a post in the yard, would be very impressed with my mobility and athleticism. Envious, even.

Selfishly, I'm so excited that Link's Awakening is getting this remake so that I have a reason to replay one of my ??favorite games in a different light.?? Less selfishly, I'm delighted that a younger generation of players has an opportunity to experience what I consider to be one of the best games ever. But, maybe I'm a little jealous that they're getting the remake for their first time, because it's shaping up to be even better than the original.

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'It was hard to get your hands on the original Game Boy game'

Today during their annual Treehouse live post-Direct E3 stream, Nintendo gave us some more details for Link's Awakening on Switch.

Legendary series producer Eiji Aonuma sat in on a demo of the game and gave a few thoughts on the history of the series and why it's making an appearance after all this time. Speaking on behalf of his team Aonuma noted that he "always wanted to remake" Link's Awakening, in part because of how hard it was to get your hands on the original Game Boy version (it was ported to Game Boy Color in DX form, as well as the eShop, but that's probably not enough for Aonu??ma)??.

Speaking of the DX edition, the "Color Dungeon," a new exclusive location for the Game Boy Color port, will be included in the Switch remake. As you might have seen in the E3 trailer, new content is also a go, as Dampé (a character from Ocarina of Time) is crossing over to handle the "Ch??amber Dungeon" creation mechan?ic.

So why now,  in 2019? Well, Aonuma says that while Breath of the Wild broke the traditional Zelda formula, he wanted people to come back to its roots with Link's Awakening. As a traditional follow-up, the time was right.

Also, get a load of Nintendo's real-life rendition of the Link's Awakening hub, Mabe Village! Fantastic. In case you haven't heard, the game is also getting a special amiibo figure.

The post Eiji Aonuma has ‘always wanted to remake Zelda: Link’s Awakening,’ DX Color Dungeon confirmed appeared first on Destructoid.

Out on September 20

[Update: It's live at Best Buy right now.]

So on September 20 when Zelda: Link's Awakening leaps off of the Game Boy and onto a Nintendo Switch cart (or a bit of data), it will a??rrive with a special edition.  The package sports a "Dreamer Art Book."

There's also an amiibo figure in the mix, which is a take on the adorable new art style for Awakening on Switch. You can find the full rundown below from Nintendo. His figure ability includes adding a "Plus Effect" to the dungeon creation element: Shadow Link, "which chases you through several different rooms." "Any Zelda character amiibo" ?will a?lso work with the game.

This is the 19th announced amiibo for 2019: though more Smash Ultimate figures are on the way (in addition to Dragon Quest and Banjo Kazooie, which were announced today as fighters, but not figures yet). You can check out the full updated list here.

New amiibo figures on the way [Nintendo]

Launching alongside the game will be a new Link amiibo figure that lets players put this adorable new art style in the palm of their hands. A special Dreamer Edition will come with the game and the Dreamer Art Book, which features concept art from the Nintendo Switch version of the game. The game and amiibo are each scheduled to launch Sept?. 20.

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It ain't Zelda Maker, but it's something

During this morning's E3 Nintendo Direct, we got to check out gameplay footage from what must be one of the publisher's most anticipated releases, the remake of Game Boy classic The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

Alongside new footage of a very cute looking Link in action, exploring the famous beaches and forests of the 1993 adventure, we also saw a new dungeon building mode, where our hero can put together his only deadly caverns using "chambers" collected on ??his quest. These can then be arranged to create your own "Chamber Quest". Fun!

Alongside the release of Link's Awakening, fans can also pick up a new Link amiibo an?d a special "Dreamer's Edition" of the game, which includes the game, naturally, the new amiibo and?? a special art book features concept art of the remake's world and characters.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening launches September 20.

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Mario and Smash and Zelda, oh my!

Nintendo's Direct presentations either go one of two ways: they are chock full of surprises no one saw coming or kind of meander along until they reach the finish line. Thankfully, this week's Direct was full of a lot of good info and it led to some great ban??ter between myself and Dan. We figured talking about our highlights and dislikes from the February presentation would make for some great discussion below.

Personally, I'm beyond stoked for that Link's Awakening remake. I know rumors had been passed around for years, but I didn't think Nintendo would be crazy enough to do it. The last few remakes have all been of 3D entries and I would have put money on Skyward Sword getting an HD release ahead of any of the Gameboy installments. With this absolute classic of a game getting the modern treatment, hopefully, this means Minish Cap won't be far behind.

Since this is a longer discussion (almost a full half hour!), I could understand not wanting to sit in front of your computer and listen to me and Dan prattle on about video games. Thankfully, Impulse is available on SoundCloud for your portable listening pleasure! You can even play this in the background while checking out those demos for Yoshi's Crafted World and Daemon X Machina. That sounds like a good? companion to this episode.

The post Today’s Impulse is all about Nintendo’s surprise-filled Direct this week appeared first on Destructoid.