Nintendo Switch’s First look Into “The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening” Then and Now

Here’s what the Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening looks like compared to the original

One of the biggest surprise announcements from today’s jam-packed Nintendo Direct presentation was the debut of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening for Switch, a remake of the 1993 Game Boy classic. Already, this reborn version of Link’s Awakening is looking fantastic, with that classic top-down view, a cutesy new art style, and a vibrant aesthetic that perfectly fits the tropical setting. It’s also done a fantastic job of remaking plenty of iconic areas and enemies from the original game, even judging by the few short gameplay clips we got in the reveal trailer.

To demonstrate, here are some shots of the original, monochromatic game stacked up against stills from the trailer, which has clearly captured the magic of the original look while sprucing up the visuals for Switch. But just because it looks like an accurate recreation, doesn’t mean this’ll be the exact same game, only prettier. Nintendo’s Yoshiaki Koizumi noted in the presentation that the Game Boy original is being “reborn as a new experience,” and it’s possible that the Switch version could add additional dungeons, just like what happened with the lovely Link’s Awakening DX port for Game Boy Color in 1998.

We can’t wait to find out more and get our hands on this new version of Link’s Awakening (which, fun fact, is the odd Legend of Zelda game where Princess Zelda is nowhere to be found). For now, enjoy this brief look at how the original and the DX version compare to the upcoming remake, which is due later this year.