Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Remake (Switch) - 20/09/2019

I'm playing solely in handheld and haven't noticed a frame rate issue once.

Then you have gooseberry fool eyes.

I think people must just have varying sensitivity to frame rate changes. I’m not sure how you could have not noticed it all though.

If you haven't noticed the framerate issues you must have strawberry floated eyes. strawberry floated EYES.

Obviously it will be more pronounced to those who play PC games, I see it plain as day every time it occurs but it hasn't distracted from enjoying the 15+ hours I've put into the game.

Growing up on N64 and cartoons so hardly ever noticing low frame rates

OrangeRKN wrote:Growing up on N64 and cartoons so hardly ever noticing low frame rates

that would explain it

Completed this earlier and thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. I always liked the Game Boy version as a kid but I was pretty crap at it and never got that far so finally playing it through to the ending was nice.

Presentation and music was excellent, the frame rate drops were noticeable but they didn't really bother me in all honesty. Going back to more traditional Zelda gameplay was great and just made me long for some proper dungeons in the next 3D Zelda! If not then hopefully this won't be the last of the 2D Zelda games to get remade.

Bring on the Oracle games. Yes, this coming from someone who usually doesn't like remakes... Well, more a remaster of a game that was out a few years before when all they do is bump the resolution.

Just polished off the 4th dungeon. I love how tightly packed the game world is. It’s certainly not huge but it’s so crammed with detail and secrets it doesn’t matter.

One thing I would say as a complaint though is they could have done more with the controls. They made improvements but they could have mapped Roc’s feather to a button like they did for the Pegasus Boots and if they’re not using the D Pad for movement why not use it for item select in some way.

Tomous wrote:One thing I would say as a complaint though is they could have done more with the controls. They made improvements but they could have mapped Roc’s feather to a button like they did for the Pegasus Boots and if they’re not using the D Pad for movement why not use it for item select in some way.

Roc's feather ended up almost permanently on x for me, but I wouldn't really want "jump" mapped anywhere other than the face buttons anyway.

D-pad should have been used for movement, baffling that it isn't.

I have it permanently mapped to X too. I would have liked the option to map it to ZR.

I had it on X as well. Probably used it more than the sword as when walking I would be jumping around.

well if everyone else is ill admit to having roc's feather to x as well

What's wrong with you all?

Roc's feather on Y is clearly a much better choice.

Nope, they had it on Y on Saturday in the NSW meet in Cardiff and I hated it.

Finished this last night!

A lovely, charming, absorbing experience. Better than the original I think in nearly every way bar performance. Those who are saying they're oblivious to the frame issue are lucky, I find the few seconds of slowdown and stutter between areas a distraction and an annoyance. Worse, it makes me cherish the moments of sumptuous-looking, unfaltering smoothness as a treat and not the standard

What I Liked:

The graphics! Wasn't sold by the plastic sheen in the trailers, but it works (and then some) in play and I can't imagine another style competing with how much of a sense of solidity it adds to everything. Even pixel art. And whereas Orange Rakoon seems to think LA's original pixel style is peak Old Zelda (perhaps because of his first association?), I like something a little fuller. LA used to look a little too lean and clean, I think. Now it's a visual delectation. Also the character style (dot-eyed Link and Marin like an old comic) is great, and I think even better a fit for a modern 2D-Zelda than the usual Wind Waker-y variations.

The music! Loved the orchestrated arrangements throughout. The Overworld theme, Tal Tal Heights (a videogame GOAT in general), Mabel village's gradual variations (especially the flute one), Marin's singing, the water-pure Ocarina tones - and the rest! Though perhaps not as bright, pristine and punchy as the chiptune originals, I think the new variations benefit from feeling warmer, more textured and an all-round treat.

The characters and its Character! Charming, and the small NPC moments are improved by the new style.

The gameplay! Infinitely better game-feel and weight. Even basic sword-and-shield play is pleasingly chunky compared to the lighter, flightier original. And the item mapping, auto-grabbing and increased button-mapping are no-brainer improvement that works wonders.

What I Liked Less - Warning: Pernickety and Pedantic!:

The frame judders and shudders.

The dungeons are fun and breezy. But they had few revelation moments for me (admittedly I'm fluent in Zelda Grammar and played the game years ago which may have helped, though I'm not sure). And except for the last two (which I think are by far the best) they homogenised a little, in their feel and their aesthetics, with Purple/Elephants being a notable exception. In fairness I think it's also partly to do with Dungeon music then being very much cave-y, sparse, minor-key tunes that stand in relief to the richer overworld themes. But they still lend a similar atmosphere (Compare say with OoT's Forest Temple or whatever. Here they are all mostly Deku Tree/Shadow Temple equivalents). And I did think it might also be to do with the piece-meal separate-screen structure. But the long corridor of the Face Dungeon (I think it was that one anyway?!), or the last two dungeons in general - show the variety of structure that can be evoked even with the old-school style.

Similarly, I don't think many mechanics are really taken to their brain-bending A-HA! fullest (Why am I not throwing a Boomerang and needing to catch it quickly from a different spot to change its arc?! Why am I not using the Hookshot's drag feature more than on a couple of bridges?! Etc). But this is partly because I've recently been spoiled by Celeste's top-tier masterclass in teasing out every alchemic possibility from its systems. But still, there were few paradigmatic item moments.

The Tal Tal Heights theme is the greatest, but is also broken up frequently due to the way the area is structured - lots of cave-connections. This is a problem even in the original. I just wish there was an area of continuous play that let the theme build naturally and immersively - here I would have to arbitrarily stop and listen and enjoy instead of it organically occurring alongside my gameplay. The theme is too good! It needs a setpiece or a big plain or something!

The style is so good that any moments when the view is changed are a pleasure, and help give visual rhythm and cadence to the adventure (The Beach scene, the slight zoom-in and angle change in the Forest, the side-on sections) to make it feel richer and fuller. I wish there were more! For this reason I rather wish the photo-moments were kept.

An easy way they could have done this is to change the camera to side-on (either suddenly or a gradual pan) for the stair climb towards the Windfish. And extended the stairs for like a minute's worth of climbing and fighting. And had the Tal Tal theme playing. And then going silent only at the end (as it does here anyway). It would have been like the MGS3 Ladder climb but more epic and way better and would not have affected the fine balance of the rest of the world at all!

Sometimes the translation (is it identical to the original?) was a little clumsy I thought (I.e. not up to the pitch-perfect standard of more recent entries). But then again some bits were lovely and hilarious (Marin get!) so it's a balance.

The animated opener (or more specifically, ending) was a little low-quality - That windfish 'swoop'?! And I wish there was a little more focus on Marin in the Island fade-out scene, just for da feels.

The environmental bird sounds and so on were so good, but drowned out by the score. I rather wished there were a few more mini-moments of musical-silence, just as aural punctuation and for atmosphere. (I only remember hearing the sounds properly on getting a couple of items, where the item-menu would pause the music?).

But that all that sounds more negative than I feel towards it!

I could barely have enjoyed it more, and a lot of my gripes are just day-dreams that are not possible with such a faithful adaptation. Its focussed flow, gorgeous styling and tactile gameplay made it a more-ish, well-paced, top-tier Zelda experience, I reckon.

Tl;dr: Loved it

Great post!

deathofcows wrote:A lovely, charming, absorbing experience. Better than the original I think in nearly every way bar performance.

As I've said I prefer the game boy games for their music, and I miss the camera shop/photos (unlike a lot of people I like the chamber dungeons and wouldn't want them swapped out, but I think the photos integrated better into the game world). You do touch on both though, and music preference will obviously vary. On the music...

deathofcows wrote:Tal Tal Heights (a videogame GOAT in general) ... Though perhaps not as bright, pristine and punchy as the chiptune originals...

This is most noticeable in the Tal Tal Heights theme for me. The original is incredibly energetic and the new version just isn't the same. The title screen and the credits theme are the other standout tracks for me that I absolutely prefer the original versions of.

deathofcows wrote:The gameplay! Infinitely better game-feel and weight. Even basic sword-and-shield play is pleasingly chunky compared to the lighter, flightier original.

The shield being always equipped makes a big difference to combat against sword wielding enemies I think. One thing I would note is that the knockback when having a piece of power (or the level 2 sword) has been toned down from the original, which feels like a tweak in the opposite direction. It certainly makes the power-up feel like less of a power-up as the distinction is lessened.

deathofcows wrote:Similarly, I don't think many mechanics are really taken to their brain-bending A-HA! fullest (Why am I not throwing a Boomerang and needing to catch it quickly from a different spot to change its arc?! Why am I not using the Hookshot's drag feature more than on a couple of bridges?! Etc). But this is partly because I've recently been spoiled by Celeste's top-tier masterclass in teasing out every alchemic possibility from its systems. But still, there were few paradigmatic item moments.

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but those wouldn't be my choice of examples! For one the boomerang is an optional item so the game is right not to depend on it, and the hookshot is used in a substantial number of secrets and shortcuts about the overworld. Much more underused would be the bow - it's necessary only for a single puzzle in the final dungeon, if I remember correctly - and I rarely touch it. The Magic Rod too is of very limited use, and while the mirror shield fares a little better the flamethrower barrier is the most blatant and ill-fitting progress gate in the game.

deathofcows wrote:Sometimes the translation (is it identical to the original?) was a little clumsy I thought (I.e. not up to the pitch-perfect standard of more recent entries). But then again some bits were lovely and hilarious (Marin get!) so it's a balance.

There are some changes, but the translation is largely faithful to the original and I think only adds to the charm. (I was very pleased that the Bucket Mouse line remains when using the telephone in Grandpa Ulrira's house, for example!)

Imagine posting about the music and not mentioning the animal village theme

OrangeRKN wrote:

deathofcows wrote:Similarly, I don't think many mechanics are really taken to their brain-bending A-HA! fullest (Why am I not throwing a Boomerang and needing to catch it quickly from a different spot to change its arc?! Why am I not using the Hookshot's drag feature more than on a couple of bridges?! Etc). But this is partly because I've recently been spoiled by Celeste's top-tier masterclass in teasing out every alchemic possibility from its systems. But still, there were few paradigmatic item moments.

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but those wouldn't be my choice of examples! For one the boomerang is an optional item so the game is right not to depend on it, and the hookshot is used in a substantial number of secrets and shortcuts about the overworld. Much more underused would be the bow - it's necessary only for a single puzzle in the final dungeon, if I remember correctly - and I rarely touch it. The Magic Rod too is of very limited use, and while the mirror shield fares a little better the flamethrower barrier is the most blatant and ill-fitting progress gate in the game.

Ya, agreed.

Talking of secrets, I'm still struggling to get a Secret Seashell in the southeast corner at the junction of the plains/desert.

That chime keeps a-chiming and I've no idea where/what it's referring to! I feel pleasingly stumped.