The Nintendo Direct presentation has announced amazing news for Zelda fans: one of the franchise’s most beloved games, Link’s Awakening, is getting a remake for Nintendo Switch this year. The game was first released in 1993 and was the first Zelda game for Nintendo’s Game Boy. It was re-released in full color for the Game Boy Color in 1998 as Link’s Awakening DX.
Nintendo has also released a sneak peek of what fans can expect from the much-awaited remake, showcasing the brand-new art style and full 3D animation.
While the gaming company has released very few details so far, the brief trailer above shows us that the remake has preserved the top-down perspective of its first iteration in the old Game Boy handheld.
First released in 1986 for the Famicom Disk System, Legend of Zelda was created by game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. The series revolves around Link, who is often given the task of saving Princess Zelda and saving the Kingdom of Hyrule from evil warlord Ganon. Link’s Awakening is the first Zelda game set outside of Hyrule, with the story set in Koholint Island. In this game, the player is tasked to search for eight musical instruments that will awaken the Sleeping Wind Fish, thus enabling Link to escape the island. Link’s Awakening is also one of the few games in the franchise that does not feature Princess Zelda.
The Nintendo Switch remake for Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is planned for a 2019 release.
Source: IGN, Nintendo official Youtube channel