The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX is a 1998 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. The game is a colorized version of the 1993 Game Boy title The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, in which protagonist Link must fight monsters, explore dungeons and solve puzzles to escape from Koholint Island. The DX version of Link's Awakening features gameplay additions including a color-themed dungeon and support for the Game Boy Printer.
Upon release, Link's Awakening DX was critically acclaimed, with reviewers commending the game on the strengths of the original title and welcoming the addition of color graphics and new features, although noting the additions were largely insubstantial compared to the original game. The DX version of Link's Awakening has retrospectively been cited by critics as one of the best games for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color systems. It was subsequently re-released on the Nintendo 3DS via the Virtual Console and the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Classics service.
Gameplay
thumb|left|The graphics of Link's Awakening were colorised in DX to take advantage of the features of the [[Game Boy Color.]]
Link's Awakening DX is an action-adventure game played in a top-down perspective in which players guide Link, stranded on Koholint Island, through a quest to collect the eight Instruments of the Sirens to awaken the Wind Fish and leave the island.
An additional hidden dungeon, named the Color Dungeon, is also included in the game, featuring color-based puzzles including color-coded enemies and switches. Completion of the dungeon allows the player to select one of two items: the Red Tunic, which increases the player's attack power, and the Blue Tunic, which decreases the damage taken by the player. Link's Awakening DX also modifies the hints given by statues in dungeons throughout the game to provide additional guidance to the player. For the Color Dungeon, Yuichi Ozaki created a musical piece based on Koji Kondo's dungeon theme from the original The Legend of Zelda. Another emulated version was released as part of the Nintendo Classics service in February 2023.
In December 2023, a fan-made port of Link's Awakening DX was released for PC, containing widescreen, zoom and high-framerate support, allowing the game to be played without transitions between screens. The port was shortly taken down following release after a takedown notice was issued by Nintendo on the basis of copyright infringement.
Reception
Link's Awakening DX was critically acclaimed upon release, with many reviewers recommending the game on the basis of the merits of the original title and its continuing appeal both for new and returning players. Pocket Games, GamePro, and Nintendo Power. The game has also been identified as one of the best Game Boy Color games by Digital Trends, GameSpot, and TheGamer. Luke Albiges of Retro Gamer considered the game's addition of a "vivid" color pallette and new features to "breathe new life" into the game, highlighting the Color Dungeon for "expanding upon what was possible" in the original title. Gavin Lane of Nintendo Life described the game as "bursting with colour" and commended the pixel sprites, but felt the game did not add any "unmissable" additions to the original title. Stuart Gipp, also for Nintendo Life, considered DX to be a downgrade from the original due to its "unenjoyable extra dungeon" and "garish lick of paint that doesn't do the visuals any favors".
Several critics also provided favorable reviews of Link's Awakening DX upon its release on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. Nintendo Power describing the game as one of the best games available on the eShop. Jacob Crites of Nintendo Life found the game's port to the 3DS to "play better" than its predecessors, citing the "more fluid" analog controls and the inclusion of restore points. Similarly, Lucas M. Thomas of IGN generally praised the game, but considered the upscaled graphics to not be as sharp as the original and lamented the omission of the Game Boy Printer features.