I first played Link’s Awakening on my lime-green Game Boy Color when I was about nine or ten years of age. It was my second or third adventure with Link, but I remember absolutely loving it. I can vividly remember the first time I beat Moldorm. I was traveling with my dad to some sort of meeting, and he’d asked to sit quietly and play my game while he was in the meeting. As soon as I beat the Nightmare though, I interrupted him shouting, “look Dad!” as I thrust the Game Boy in his face. Guess I was a little excited (sorry Dad!).

Nonetheless, as I continued the game, I fell more and more in love with it. It’s safe to say even though it wasn’t my first foray into the Zelda series, experiencing that game when I did was crucial to me being the Zelda fan that I am today. Which brings me to the question for today’s debate. Is Link’s Awakening for Switch a good introduction to the Zelda series for younger players?

My son, who’s four, is experiencing Zelda for the first time with the Link’s Awakening for Switch. He’s played around with Breath of the Wild and Hyrule Warriors but this is the first game in which I handed him the controller and said, “take this.” My son now has his own file and is doing everything himself (save for a few moments when he asks for help). The joy on his face when he got the sword was one of the best moments I’ve ever experienced as a parent.

Obviously, I think this is a great game to start new Zelda fans out with. The puzzles aren’t too complex, the story is easy enough to follow, and the new toy-like aesthetic is perfect. But what about you? Do you think Link’s Awakening for Switch is a good game for first-timers to the series? Or is there another game you’d recommend more? Let us know in the comments below or chat about it over in our Discord!

Tagged With: No tags were found for this entry.