The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Memories

What sold me on wanting to pick up Link’s Awakening wasn’t nostalgia. I never played the first game when it was released in June of 1993. It wasn’t for my love of The Legend of Zelda series and constantly arguing with myself on what the best game in the series is – I switch between Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild – both are flawless examples of how to make a Zelda game.

If I’m being completely honest with you, it was because of the charming graphics and outstanding composition by Ryo Nagamatsu. His other works are featured in Super Smash Bro’s. Ultimate and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

I’m a sucker for catchy soundtracks and Zelda has always had one of the most delightful OSTs in gaming. Hearing the overture music featured in the trailer well before the release made me want to cut down bushes and grass to collect as many rupees as possible to buy the game when it released. Alas, that didn’t happen because of life. 

Adulthood got in the way and then came bills and other necessities to live. That and my backlog of games was and still is quite extensive. So when September 20 came around I watched Link’s Awakening hit shelves and saved my money to purchase it another day. This time spent thinking about the game led to me taking a trip down memory lane. Thoughts led to me remembering watching one of my good friends play Zelda for hours. And I was hooked.

My first interaction with the series was through another set of eyes. I didn’t play my first Zelda game until I got a Nintendo 64 in 1998. For anyone keeping track, Ocarina of Time released that year and everyone always remembers their first Zelda game. Well before then, however, I got my first look at the Hylian and the Master Sword. I didn’t understand what was going on but it was an experience I will always remember. Seeing someone else play through a game can be just as entertaining as playing it yourself.

Having watched my friend wash ashore on Koholint Island and race to collect the musical instruments to free the wind fish left an impression on young me. In an age before the internet and YouTube, I got to watch someone run through the game with speed and accuracy on a personal level. Though I never got to touch the controller myself, I felt as if I had completed something. That I had awoken the great fish and saved the island. Then, like Link, I woke back up from my dream and realized though what I remembered was real it was just a memory. The 2019 me still did not have Link’s Awakening.

Then one month later I got to play it for the first time in 26 years. And the best part is, I didn’t go buy it, it was gifted to me on my birthday. My face lit up when I unwrapped the present from my sister and brother-in-law. I remember releasing something that resembled a squeak but was clearly meant to be a cry of happiness. I later learned that my wife had mentioned to them that I wanted the game and put off buying it for the longest time. She is the Zelda to my Link.

Being able to play Link’s Awakening on the Nintendo Switch is fantastic. It plays like it was built specifically for the system and carries all of the nostalgia with it as well. Yes, it may have enhanced graphics and an improved control scheme and button layout but, to me, it is much more than that. Link’s Awakening reminds me of a simpler time. Back when the troubles of adulthood didn’t weigh us down. Yes, it has its flaws but they were there in the original as well. Knowing where to go or what to do isn’t laid out directly to you. Finding certain items can be difficult. And it’s quite challenging. But these things don’t ruin the experience.

I honestly was going to write a story about how I really disliked Link’s Awakening. Then I realized I only disliked certain aspects of it. It’s clunky yet graceful, maddening yet somber. But as I sat down to write this I realized it’s more than all of those things. It’s about remembering. While many new players may not have played the original, they will remember their first Zelda game. Whether it was the 1993 version, Ocarina, or the 2019 remake.