Link's Awakening

[Brian]

I guess I preordered the remake (for switch) a while ago, and it showed up today. So far it's pretty nice; much better controls and the graphics are "cute" but ok. Only thing that bothers me is that they're blurring the edges of the screen (kinda like the "fog of war" I guess?), but after half an hour or so it didn't annoy me so much.

[saberopus]

It's that tilt-shift macro effect. Y'know? From instagram, 10 years ago? ;-)

I was a little taken aback by the style at first. From a thumbnail, I genuinely though I was looking at physical miniatures. It looks great, but I think I appreciate it more as still artwork or animation, it seems to kitsch-ify (?) things a bit much for a world that you're supposedly inhabiting and traversing. Dunno!

[Eversor]

I’m looking forward to Luigi’s Mansion 3

[Gebohq]

I've been playing the remake, and I actually have found the aesthetic to grow on me to the point where I find it difficult to imagine it (working well) in other styles while staying true to the feel of the original. Some of the music hasn't hit me super strong, and there's some random quirks here and there that ding it for me in a minor way (framerate drops, having to use the control stick instead of the d-pad, my sword swings seeming to hit switches multiple times in a row) but overall, I'm really enjoying it.

Also, I've only dived into the "tutorial" part of the Chamber Dungeons so far (I intend to wait until I've done all the dungeons first before continuing) but, framed as a puzzle game, it seems fun enough. The UI requirement for going in and out between 'arranging' and 'adventuring' is pretty annoying though, and of course, I'm wishing there was an actual Zelda Maker. I'm aware there's stuff like Zelda Classic out that allows such things (just as there were SMW makers before Super Mario Maker) but I appreciate Nintendo's approach that makes things more user friendly.

[Eversor]

Never really got into Link to the Past before they released it on Switch. Maybe I should get Link’s Awakening...

[Brian]

I've also noticed framerate issues (especially in overworld). Doesn't really bother me so far. The jump action doesn't seem responsive enough which has caused me to die a few times. I haven't noticed any issues with the sword or hitting things. I haven't tried the chamber thing yet; not really my cup of tea I guess.

The ability to add markers to the overworld map is really nice. I've been using different symbols to map different types of things I want to come back to later -- like heart pieces I can't reach yet or paths I can't proceed onto due to missing certain items or whatever.

[Eversor]

Got Link's Awakening... frame rate issues, issues with jumping... aside from that it's generally pretty fun

[ECHOMAN]

I've played the Game Boy Color DX version so much in the past so I think I'll hold off with this new version until there's a sale.

For those who are playing it now, does the overworld feel too small and confined or just large enough? On Game Boy with its screen scrolling and limited memory, the world felt big enough for such a portable package, but I can imagine the environment seems too small this time around. Maybe that fits with the toy aesthetic.

[Brian]

*shrug* can't really say. I played the original gameboy version through one time and had a really hard time with it. Back when I played it I don't think there was internet gamefaqs or anything so it really felt like a slog. This time I'm moving through it a lot more quickly; it doesn't feel like a big game; feels smaller/shorter than A Link to the Past but I'm not fully through it again (I think I have 2 more dungeons).

The overworld mechanics I think are designed to be constraining. There are tons of places where you just need the "next item" to pass through, so it feels a lot more linear (especially at the beginning); they're forcing you to take the "one" path to make progress. I feel like I've seen the same screens over and over and over but each time I can get to another corner that I couldn't before. I think this is the only zelda that feels like this... well, maybe Minish Cap (and I never played through oracle of whatevers).