Nintendo’s Weirdest Zelda Game Keeps Redefining the Franchise

The greatest trick the Legend of Zelda games ever pulled was convincing the world the third dimension didn't exist. Flat and 2D, the original Zelda was a trailblazer. It connected neural pathways in our minds for a new genre of storytelling: the role-playing game. It wasn’t the first RPG, but no one can deny it was the most popular, launching a franchise and creating a world every bit as immersive as our own. Even as the franchise has grown to include literal new dimensions, its medium is always part of the message.

When it came time to put a Zelda title on a new platform, the Game Boy, in 1993, Nintendo could’ve played it safe. It would’ve been easy to follow in the footsteps of 1991’s A Link to the Past, a gorgeous SNES opus that still serves as a cornerstone for the franchise. Instead, for the highly anticipated fourth entry in the series, Nintendo did something completely different. It launched the first of what would be a recurring theme for the franchise: the experimental Zelda game.

Link’s Awakening was a wild and literal fever dream of a game that saw Link shipwrecked and stranded on Koholint Island. A mysteriously massive egg beckoned you from a mountaintop, and things only got weirder from there. This wasn’t your typical Arthurian-style RPG with all the trappings of castles, royal courts, and cozy village hamlets.

Game director Takashi Tezuka cited Twin Peaks as inspiration, aiming to create a game world that felt like an enchanting but liminal space to compliment the is-it-a-dream-or-isn’t-it vibe of the story. It worked, and the game was a massive success. However, subsequent masterpieces The Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask for the N64 (both 3D games) quickly overshadowed Link’s Awakening, and fans forgot all about it.

Nintendo thought Link’s Awakening deserved a second look and brought it to the Switch five years ago. It was released on Sept. 20, 2019, as equal parts reimagining and remake. It captivated fans with a unique aesthetic and, for many younger fans, offered the first chance to experience a game that is low-key among the most influential in the series.

One of the first things that strikes players is the remake’s visual style. Nintendo opted for a charming, toy-like aesthetic, transforming the world of Koholint Island into a diorama-esque environment where every character and object appears as if it’s made of plastic or clay. While some may have preferred a grittier, more realistic approach, this choice enhances the dreamlike quality of the game.

After all, Link’s adventure is framed as a surreal journey on a mysterious island, with odd inhabitants and bizarre occurrences that reinforce its otherworldly nature. The tilt-shift effect used in the visuals emphasizes this dreamlike feel, creating a world that appears crafted, almost like a physical toy set. The third dimension that helped overshadow the original release was now in play.

The Switch remake also highlights the reverence Nintendo had internally for the game, as it contains so many series firsts. It’s got the first talking owl, the first playable ocarina, that first fishing game. That Twin Peaks vibe of sweetly unsettling small-town residents who are just a little bit sus got its start in Links Awakening. First-time players may be surprised by how familiar it all feels.

Nintendo also did a lot of things in Link’s Awakening that it couldn’t do again. Because (spoilers) the whole adventure ends up being a dream the normal world-building rules didn’t apply. Tezuka and his team got meta with it. Cameos from Kirby, Mario, and others were a fun surprise that Tezuka said made the team feel like they “were working on a parody of The Legend of Zelda.” It certainly feels that way at times, as Link’s Awakening is the funniest Zelda game around.

It also proved an experimental Zelda could be successful. We wouldn’t have Wind Waker without it, and what it added to the spirit of the franchise is still seen today. It's hard to imagine Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom being the games they are without a risk-taking legacy to inspire them. Hand-crafting giant flaming penises in TotK certainly doesn’t feel like something you’d get from A Link to the Past, but would feel right at home on Koholint Island.

And in an even more meta twist, the remake of this influential game is having an influence of its own. The upcoming Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom lifts the tilt-shift toybox aesthetic from the Link’s Awakening remake. And in keeping with the series' love of big new ideas, you’re gonna play as Princess Zelda for the first time, too. It almost feels like a dream, minus the egg on a mountaintop.