A team of creative Link's Awakening fans have taken it upon themselves to remake the classic Legend of Zelda game from the ground up, providing several improvements for PC players to enjoy. The 'port' is available for free, and can be downloaded on itch.io.
Nintendo has historically been unkind to fan games based on their intellectual properties, but the game's status as a ground-up remake may slightly delay the inevitable cease and desist. Excited players have already taken to the game's page, sharing messages to "download while you can" as "you can pretty much start counting down the hours until it gets taken down."
It's clear that a lot of love has gone into the project, though the developers responsible are known only as 'linksawakeningdxhd'. In-game settings include a scale slider to have the camera close enough to mimic the original or far enough back to see the whole map, smooth camera toggle, FPS lock, and fullscreen support.
The game's description advertises "enhanced graphics and widescreen support, bringing the charming landscapes and characters to vivid detail on your modern PC display." It continues by sharing the modern sensibilities that were applied to the Game Boy classic. "We've turbocharged the gameplay with high framerate support, ensuring that every sword swing, puzzle solve, and enemy encounter feels smoother and more responsive than ever."
Despite the idea being to "pay homage to the legendary legacy of The Legend of Zelda", it's unlikely that Nintendo will let the game stay up for long. It's tempted fate by using the original Link's Awakening's art and music assets, and with an official remake already available on the Switch, we can only hope that Link's Awakening fans get a chance to play this port before it's gone.
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On YouTube, Good Vibes Gaming shared a 14-minute video that showcases many of the graphical improvements. Praise is aimed at the lack of screen transitions, all-new lighting effects, and the game's general quality.