The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX

aka: Zelda no Densetsu: Yume wo Miru Shima DX
Moby ID: 4268
Game Boy Color Specs
Buy on Game Boy Color
$62.97 used, $489.83 new on eBay
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/23 11:53 AM )

Description official descriptions

This game is a color-enhanced update to Link's Awakening. The game is also compatible with the original Game Boy.

This is virtually the same game as the original with a few exceptions. There are photo points around the game where Link can get his photo taken and then print it out on the Game Boy Printer.

Also when played on the Game Boy Color, there is a new secret color-themed dungeon.

Spellings

  • ゼルダの伝説 夢をみる島DX - Japanese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Game Boy Color version)

36 People (29 developers, 7 thanks) · View all

Supervisor
Director
Script Writer
Programmers
Character Design
Sound Composition
Artwork
Technical Support
English Script
Special Thanks
Debug Staff
  • Super Mario Club
Executive Producer
Producer
Director
Dungeon Design
Script Writers
Programming
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 93% (based on 24 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 75 ratings with 2 reviews)

Is that an elf in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

The Good
Who would have thought that one off the best Zelda games would be a Gameboy game? Well it is. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, is one of the most solid of Link’s many adventures. Perhaps because for once you do not have to save Zelda. Link needs to find a woman who is less trouble.

In Link’s Gameboy adventure he finds himself washed up on the shore of a mysterious island after a storm at sea wreaks his boat. Link awakens to find the only escape from Koholint Island is to wake the wind fish, thus his quest begins. “In his house at Koholint, the dead Wind fish waits dreaming.”(Just kidding, the wind fish is not dead or evil.) I really think that this is one of the best stories ever produced for a Zelda game, the genius of it is that it has nothing to do with Zelda or Hyrule for that matter.

The gameplay is what we have come to expect from Zelda. You explore the world, find dungeons conquer them, collect new items/weapons, rinse, repeat. However every dungeon in this one is unique unlike the NES Zelda. Although some bosses and puzzles are recycled from previous adventures. In this version there is also a color dungeon, that have color specific puzzles, and is one of the games more challenging dungeons. When you complete the dungeon you are rewarded with a new tunic for Link, either Red or Blue. Red raises Link’s attack, whilst Blue raises his defense. Once you pick your new tunic you will not be able to use the green one any longer.

The Music and sound effects are very impressive, this is a Gameboy game but you wouldn’t know that based on the music. Most impressive.

The Graphics like the sound are very good considering the lacking Gameboy hardware. All the colors look good, much better than playing the original version on the horrid Gameboy player. No nasty pinks and shit here! Everything in the game is the color it is supposed to be, and that is a good thing.

The Bad
On the down side this game is short, probably the shortest in the series, except for maybe Majora’s Mask.

The Bottom Line
Zelda fans have already played this one I’m sure. Other Gameboy gamers should try it as it is not that hard to find, and not that expensive I got it for five bucks at Gamestop, unless you want it new. And you can play it on the GBA and the DS.

Game Boy Color · by MasterMegid (723) · 2006

Princess Zelda's Wonderful World of Color

The Good
It's Zelda. That's a pretty good start right there. It has the basic structure of find a dungeon, get an item, use that item to defeat the dungeon boss, then to reach a new dungeon that we've all come to know and love.

The graphical upgrade from the original release of this game is quite impressive. Objects haven't just been assigned a color, but stand out in multiple bright hues. You would never guess this originated as a black & white game. It actually looks quite a bit better than the NES Zeldas and does an admirable job following the style of A Link to the Past, even though it is on much weaker hardware.

The new secret color dungeon is interesting, though I found it rather easy and actually easier to find than some of the non-secret dungeons. The bonus (either double sword damage or half damage taken) is useful without making the game ridiculously easy.

The items are great as always. You have Zelda classics like the bow, sword, shield and hookshot, but also some very cool items that are effectively items while you have them, such as a bow-wow puppy on a leash or the flying rooster. There is also a feather which allows you to jumps and makes a few areas almost into platformers. It's an approach taken by very few Zelda games, but it works. It also opens things up in a new way by letting use use any two items together, not just pairing them with a sword. This allows many creative combinations, like the feather and pegasus boots for long-jump, or the bomb and arrows for bomb arrows. This is the first appearance of the ocarina, which went on to be a central part of the mythos.

The puzzles are for the most part tough, but fair, with adequate clues given. Just head back to the library if you can't remember how to do something. Some of them, like dungeon seven, with its collapsing structure, are amazing. The boss fights are all pretty easy, but are large and impressive by the standards of the platform and most involve some sort of cool puzzle.

The Bad
There are a couple places you're supposed to bomb that have no visual indicator on the wall, nor do they show the room on the other side on the map. It supposedly makes a different sound when you hit a bombable wall with your sword, but I didn't notice anything different. You have to consult a cheat guide or run around bombing everything.

While you run quite short on money for the first part of the game, once you buy the bow, there's not really anything else to do with it. You'll find plenty of bombs and arrows in the environment. I ran around with 999 rupees for most of the game.

It's a bit shorter than most Zelda games, but, let's face it, most are ridiculously long and you'll still get more of of this than pretty much any other Game Boy game save Pokemon.

The save system is irritating as you must either die, or hit start, select, a & b all at the same time to save. This can take a few tries. When you restore, you're at the beginning of an area. These make it unfriendly for short-burst playing, as people often do with handheld games.

The Bottom Line
This is one of the more surrealistic Zeldas, and that's saying something. There are the odd anachronisms like telephones in a fantasy setting numerous Mario characters and a village of anthropomorphic animals, in addition to the whole trippy story about dreams. This is one of the best, if not the absolute best, game for the Game Boy or Color platform. There is little excuse not to own it.

Game Boy Color · by Ace of Sevens (4479) · 2007

Trivia

Differences to the original

In the original version, during the optional trading quest line, the mermaid lost her bikini top- in this version, it is a pearl necklace. Along with that a few sleazy remarks were removed, e.g. when the player dives before the topless mermaid (at least in the German version, a few other sleazy text passages unrelated to the mermaid were also removed). The references to the painter's model being a nude model were also removed. A detailed list of changes can be found on schnittberichte.com (German).

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Released 1993 on Game Boy
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Released 2019 on Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Zelda
Released 1986 on NES, Game Boy Advance, 2006 on Wii...
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Released 2009 on Nintendo DS, 2015 on Wii U
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Released 1998 on Nintendo 64, 2007 on Wii, 2015 on Wii U
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Released 2011 on Nintendo 3DS
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Released 2007 on Nintendo DS, 2015 on Wii U
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Released 2000 on Nintendo 64, 2009 on Wii, 2016 on Wii U
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Released 2011 on Wii, 2016 on Wii U, 2021 on Nintendo Switch

Related Sites +

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 4268
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Matthew Bailey.

Nintendo 3DS added by ResidentHazard. Nintendo Switch added by glik.

Additional contributors: Jeanne, Freeman, gamewarrior, GAMEBOY COLOR!, Patrick Bregger.

Game added June 11, 2001. Last modified January 2, 2024.