The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch)

Feels like 1993 (or more accurate 1999 when the DX version was released and the first time I played the game)

As mentioned in this post I was waiting for the remake of Link's Awakening to drop on the switch and I got it after work on release date and finished it the following Sunday morning. A really beautiful remake and the depth perspective is really popping out in this environment. Take for example the dream shrine where you get the ocarina, I always assumed the bed was reachable by going down, but now I can actually see the intent was a plateau.  

I mean, can you blame me? (Now I can't even unsee it so I begin to wonder what I was thinking)

Overall, it's a pretty faithful. Differences is that the warp system have been improved with more warp points as well as the Mambo hooks you up to the network instead of taking you to one point making traveling around the island faster. You have bottles to store fairies making the game even easier actually. You have more buttons now so things like the sword, shield, pegasus boots and bracelets get their own dedicated buttons which diminishes the need for constantly pause and unpause the game to equip the right gear. I usually put the feather on X as a dedicated jump-button. New collectibles in figurines that you can place out in the houses of Mabe village and you win them in the crane game. Both the crane game and fishing pond is improved so that you actually have something to gain from using them (figurines and seashells).

The biggest changes is the inclusion of Dampé the gravedigger from Ocarina of Time that now allows Link to arrange dungeons on his own and then play them. Dubbed Zelda Maker after the Mario Maker games. For people who like those games this might be something to spend time on, but I only played enough to get the heart piece and sea shell. I'm usually to uninspired to create things by myself so I probably won't bother (just like I haven't gotten any Mario Maker game and Dragon Quest Builders just last till the end of the story mode). Also combat have been improved with Link have to outmanoeuvre certain enemies like shielded ones, or that the bomb-eating monsters now have a cool down and wont even eat the bombs first couple of seconds after a bomb prior (lucky they implemented that picking up the bombs pause the timer).

Is there some problems? I couldn't find any options to adjust sound and music. At some places the music was very silent and I miss the DX version when (although sharp sound) the game blasted Tal Tal Heights as I began traversing the mountain. To subdued here and no way other than to bring all sounds up. Another thing is the removal of the photograph mouse and hut (Dampé have taken his place). Gameplay wise it doesn't matter, and it was mostly something to sell the Game Boy Camera I gathered, but the scenes were funny and I would have loved to see the expressions up close that the photographs captured as well as keeping memories of the journey. 

I mean, look at them!

That is actually the only thing I miss in the game. Well, besides the heart container I gotta missed from a boss, cause I was one short and I had to go through all the dungeons again to be sure and I couldn't find it so I think that implies that if you don't get it it's gone for that playthrough. Which is weird (I suspect the angler fish to be the culprit). I would wish they remade the Oracle games as well in this engine since it looks amazing and the improvements to gameplay is fantastic and the reason I would probably prefer this version over DX.