A Classic Zelda Game Just Got A Surprise HD Remaster

The classic entries in The Legend of Zelda series will live on forever. At least one is 40 years old by now, and as time goes on, nostalgia for this adventurous franchise will grow.

Now, you can play a revision of a classic Zelda game (via DSOGaming) from decades ago, which still holds up.

Zelda Fans Can Play A Classic Entry In A New Way

There Are Multiple Ways To Play It Now

Back in 2023, an unofficial PC version of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX (based on the Game Boy Color edition) was in the works, and even had a listing on Itch.io. Although it was removed from the service, another team picked up where the prior one left off and continued the work, opting to deliver a native PC version.

This edition runs far better than the original and includes higher frame rates and resolution. Android and MacOS support was added as well. Boosted Zelda games are a common project among fans, as the games don’t always perform well. As someone who played the original tons of times, I can recall glitches and slow animations on several occasions. There’s even an infamous “board skipping” glitch in the original game that you can utilize to teleport across land masses.

Link’s Awakening Is An Iconic Zelda Game

It’ll Live Forever

Even with those glitches intact, I replayed Link’s Awakening countless times on the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color. It’s one of those classic adventures that still holds up, mostly because of how intuitive and how bloat-free it is.

It’s very easy to go wander around in that game but not feel completely lost, as the grid-based map was a fantastic way to work with the limitations of older hardware. It’s also a side story of sorts, given that it takes place in a dreamy world, adding more fantastical elements in.

That extends to everything, including the locales and the NPCs, which even offer a bit of crossover with other Nintendo franchises. It’s an incredibly ambitious game that had a lot of love and care going into it, which is why you still see it pop up today in conversations around the best Zelda games. Similar to Mario, there will always be a place for 2D and 3D The Legend of Zelda in GOAT talks.

If you haven’t played The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening yet, it’s available on multiple platforms in an official capacity. There’s an emulated version on the Switch Online service, and in 2019, Nintendo officially remade the game with a brand-new art style. It’s still somewhat polarizing, but the core of the original is intact.