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For most players, choose the 2019 Nintendo Switch remake. It keeps Link’s Awakening’s map, story, puzzles and odd dreamlike mood while replacing the Game Boy presentation with a detailed diorama, rearranged music and far more practical controls. It also adds Chamber Dungeons and amiibo support.
Choose the 1993 Game Boy release for the most authentic monochrome, hardware-era experience. Choose Link’s Awakening DX if you want the classic pixel game in color, its additional dungeon and Camera Shop, and access through Nintendo Switch Online when it is available in your region and subscription catalog.
Quick verdict: which version fits you?
| Version | Best for | What it does best | Main compromises |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy (1993) | Players seeking the original design and monochrome hardware feel | Purest expression of the compact handheld adventure; historically important pixel art | Monochrome graphics, frequent equipment swapping and fewer conveniences |
| Link’s Awakening DX (1998) | Players who want the classic game with color and extra content | Up to 16 colors, an additional dungeon, Camera Shop and Game Boy Printer support | Still uses the original-style controls and screen limitations; access depends on Nintendo Switch Online availability or compatible Game Boy hardware |
| Nintendo Switch remake (2019) | First-time players and anyone prioritizing comfort and presentation | Dedicated sword and shield buttons, assignable gear, rebuilt visuals and music, map and conversation tools, Chamber Dungeons | Nintendo Life’s review reported frame-rate dips when the screen became busy |
The central adventure is close across all three versions. The remake is a ground-up technological rebuild, but its island layout, character locations and conversations remain almost unchanged. Your decision is therefore less about choosing a different story and more about choosing how you want that story to feel, sound and control.
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How faithful is the Switch remake?
The 2019 release is best understood as a faithful remake rather than a sequel or reinterpretation of the plot. Nintendo Life describes it as a ground-up remake and a “supreme overhaul,” yet reports that the map is identical to the Game Boy game, non-player characters remain in the same locations and conversations are almost word-for-word the same.
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That fidelity preserves the unusual identity of Koholint Island. Link is not returning to the familiar Hyrule formula: the original adventure moved the setting elsewhere and omitted staples such as Princess Zelda, Ganon and the Triforce. The remake keeps that detour, along with the game’s deliberately strange cast, dream logic and progression through its dungeons.
What changes is the layer around the design. The Switch version makes the island easier to read, reduces friction in combat and exploration, adds modern tracking tools, and supplies optional challenges beyond the original route. If you remember the Game Boy game, the remake should feel recognizable within minutes; if you are new, it removes many of the small interface obstacles that once defined a long handheld play session.
The Game Boy original (1993): the purist choice
Why the monochrome version still matters
The first release, launched on Game Boy in 1993, is the baseline design. Its small monochrome sprites and limited screen are not merely an art style layered over a larger game; they shaped how the world, puzzles and encounters were designed. Rooms communicate with very little visual information, and the compact presentation makes the island feel intimate and self-contained.
Nintendo Life editor Gavin Lane wrote that “the monochrome of the initial release emphasises for me what an incredible achievement this daring, delicate game was on the Game Boy.” That is the appeal for players interested in original hardware constraints, early portable design or pixel art that works within severe limitations.
What playing it feels like
The original asks you to accept the habits of a 1993 handheld adventure. Equipment is assigned through a small number of buttons, so you will open the inventory and swap items regularly. The display is less immediately legible than the remake’s larger, more detailed scenes, and the monochrome palette can make environmental distinctions depend on pattern and memory.
Those limitations also create a direct, economical rhythm. There is no visual clutter, no optional modern interface layer and no additional challenge mode competing for attention. You move through the same core route, solve the same principal puzzles and experience the same dreamlike story in the form closest to its original release.
Who should choose the original
- You specifically want the 1993 Game Boy look and sound rather than a modern reinterpretation.
- You enjoy seeing how a major adventure was compressed into handheld hardware.
- You value historical authenticity more than convenience.
- You already know the game and want to revisit its smallest, most focused form.
Choose the original with the expectation that its friction is part of the period experience. If your priority is simply to finish the adventure comfortably, DX or the Switch remake is more accommodating.
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Link’s Awakening DX (1998): the classic game in color
What DX adds
Link’s Awakening DX launched for Game Boy Color in 1998 and keeps the original structure while adding up to 16 colors. It also introduces an extra dungeon, a Camera Shop and Game Boy Printer compatibility. The game remains backwards compatible with the monochrome Game Boy, so its design still belongs to the original handheld generation even when played in color.
The additional dungeon is the most substantial content difference from the 1993 cartridge. The Camera Shop and printer features are more specialized, but they document how Nintendo adapted a single-player adventure to the capabilities of the Game Boy Color and its accessories.
Why DX can be the best middle ground
DX preserves the original room layouts, controls and pixel-art language while making the world easier to parse through color. It is therefore a stronger choice than the monochrome release for someone who wants the classic version but does not need strict 1993 authenticity. You still get the compact screen, inventory swapping and period pacing, but the island has more visual separation and one more dungeon to explore.
Modern access
Nintendo Life’s version comparison notes that DX is available through Nintendo Switch Online, subject to Nintendo’s current catalog and the subscription access required in your territory. Catalogs and entitlements can change, so confirm that the Game Boy service and this title are included before treating it as your only way to play. If you use original hardware, the Game Boy Color release is the version to seek for its complete classic feature set.
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The Nintendo Switch remake (2019): the easiest version to live with
Presentation and atmosphere
The remake launched on September 20, 2019. It replaces monochrome and low-resolution sprites with a detailed, figurine-like world that makes Koholint look like a physical diorama. Nintendo Life reviewer PJ O’Reilly called it “a thoroughly modern reimagining” that turns the island into “a beautiful little tilt-shifted toy-box.” The art direction is dramatically different, but it supports the same whimsical and unsettling tone rather than rewriting it.
The soundtrack was also rebuilt. Nintendo’s product description says the classic soundtrack was “reborn with new arrangements.” Familiar melodies therefore return with a fuller modern sound while retaining their role in exploration, dungeons and story scenes. Players who prefer the exact Game Boy audio presentation may regard this as a change rather than an improvement; newcomers generally benefit from the clearer arrangement.
Controls that remove the old bottleneck
The practical advantage of the remake is item handling. Sword and shield stay assigned to dedicated buttons, while bombs, arrows, Roc’s Feather and other equipment can be mapped to X or Y. On Game Boy, nearly every item competed for the same two action buttons, forcing repeated inventory visits. The Switch layout lets you keep more of Link’s kit ready while moving through a dungeon or reacting to an enemy.
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This does not alter the underlying puzzles. It changes the cost of executing them. Combat is less interrupted, traversal tools are easier to combine and a first-time player spends less time learning the inventory interface instead of learning Koholint.
Navigation and conversation tools
Nintendo says the remake lets players review key conversations and navigate the map in new ways. Those additions are especially useful in a game that asks you to revisit areas after acquiring a new item. They provide context when you return after a break and reduce the need to rely on handwritten notes or memory.
Because the island layout and character placements remain the same, these tools are conveniences rather than a redesigned quest system. They help you follow the original adventure without replacing its discovery.
Chamber Dungeons and amiibo
The Switch release adds Chamber Dungeons, an optional mode built around arranging dungeon rooms into new challenges. It gives experienced players a reason to keep experimenting after the main route and adds a different way to use familiar rooms.
The game also supports Zelda amiibo. Nintendo says amiibo can unlock chambers exclusive to amiibo. These chambers are optional: no amiibo is required to complete the main story or its standard dungeons. Treat the feature as bonus content for collectors or players who enjoy building additional challenges, not as a requirement for a complete first playthrough.
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The documented drawback is technical consistency. Nintendo Life’s review reported frame-rate issues when the screen became busy. Most of the game remains playable, but players who are especially sensitive to visible dips may prefer DX or the original’s fixed, simpler presentation.
Nintendo lists the physical Nintendo Switch edition as a single-system game and identifies SKU 110249. Nintendo also lists a free Switch 2 update that improves image quality and adds HDR support. The update affects image output on compatible Switch 2 hardware; it does not turn the remake into a different game or add a new story campaign.
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Controls, content and presentation compared
| Category | Game Boy (1993) | DX (1998) | Switch remake (2019) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual style | Monochrome pixel art | Color pixel art, up to 16 colors | Detailed figurine-like, diorama presentation |
| Core map and route | Original structure | Original structure with added dungeon content | Map is identical to the original; NPC locations remain the same |
| Story and conversations | Original script and scenes | Classic story with DX additions | Conversations are almost word-for-word the same, with tools to review key dialogue |
| Equipment handling | Frequent manual swapping | Original-style swapping | Sword and shield have dedicated buttons; other gear maps to X or Y |
| Music | Original Game Boy soundtrack | Classic Game Boy-era soundtrack presentation | Re-recorded and rearranged soundtrack |
| Extra content | None beyond the original adventure | Extra dungeon, Camera Shop and Game Boy Printer compatibility | Chamber Dungeons and amiibo-exclusive chambers |
| Technical caveat | Limited by original hardware | Classic hardware-era limitations | Nintendo Life reported frame-rate issues during busy onscreen scenes |
| Current access noted in the available information | Original Game Boy release | Nintendo Switch Online availability is subject to the current catalog and subscription | Physical Nintendo Switch edition; free Switch 2 image-quality and HDR update listed by Nintendo |
Which version has the best atmosphere?
Choose monochrome for restraint
The Game Boy original communicates through suggestion. Its limited palette leaves more to your imagination and makes every new sprite, room pattern and musical cue feel significant. That restraint is ideal if you want to study the game as a landmark of portable design or prefer a less embellished visual language.
Choose DX for classic pixels with clearer separation
DX keeps the same basic pixel presentation while using color to distinguish environments and objects. It is the most natural choice when your preference is “the original game, but easier to read.” Its added dungeon also gives the classic format more content without changing its fundamental scale.
Choose Switch for a tactile storybook world
The remake’s toy-box look makes Koholint feel like a miniature place you can inspect. Lighting, depth and character animation give scenes a physical quality that the Game Boy versions cannot reproduce. This can make the game more immediately welcoming, although players who love the starkness of monochrome may find it less mysterious.
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If you want a straightforward modern purchase
Nintendo lists a physical edition of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening for Nintendo Switch, SKU 110249. Availability, territory and retailer terms can vary, so check the listing in your region rather than assuming a universal price or stock situation. The game supports single-system play.
If you already subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online
DX may be the most convenient route when it is present in your service catalog. Confirm the current Game Boy lineup and your subscription tier first. Service access is different from owning a standalone cartridge, and catalog status can change.
If you are preserving original hardware history
The 1993 Game Boy release is the appropriate reference point for the first design, while DX is the historically later color revision. Hardware condition, cartridge availability and display quality are practical factors for original-system play, but the choice is worthwhile when the method of play is itself part of your interest.
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First-time player with no nostalgia requirement
Pick the Switch remake. Dedicated controls, readable visuals, conversation review and modern map tools reduce friction without changing the adventure’s identity. Chamber Dungeons provide optional extra play after the main journey.
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Player who wants the original game in its most complete classic form
Pick DX. It retains the pixel structure, adds color and includes the extra dungeon, Camera Shop and printer support. It is the strongest classic recommendation when strict monochrome authenticity is not essential.
Player studying early portable game design
Pick the 1993 Game Boy release first. Its monochrome presentation and constrained interface show how the original design solved problems within the limits of the hardware. You can then use the remake or DX to see which changes are interface improvements and which are changes in atmosphere.
Player who dislikes modern performance dips
Pick the original or DX. Nintendo Life’s reported busy-screen frame-rate issues are specific to the Switch remake’s documented performance, while the older versions offer the simpler technical profile associated with their hardware.
Player who wants optional challenges and collectibles
Pick the Switch remake if Chamber Dungeons and amiibo-exclusive chambers appeal to you. They are additions around the core game, not replacements for its normal progression.
Is the original Game Boy version still worth playing?
Yes, if you are interested in the design rather than merely the plot. The original is not a cut-down curiosity that the remake makes obsolete. Its map, puzzle logic and unusual tone are the foundation on which every later version is built, and its monochrome limitations create a distinct experience.
It is less suitable if you want modern convenience. You will swap equipment more often, read less visual information at a glance and miss DX’s extra dungeon and the Switch remake’s added modes. Those are meaningful trade-offs, but they are also exactly why the original remains valuable as a historical and aesthetic choice.
What the audience poll suggests
In a Nintendo Life version poll published in 2023, 2,705 voters chose among the three releases: 55% selected the Switch remake, 30% selected DX and 15% selected the original Game Boy version. That result indicates audience preference, not an objective quality ranking or a representative survey of all players. It aligns with the practical recommendation: most people favor the remake’s convenience, while a substantial minority prefers the classic versions for their pixel presentation and historical character.
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Bottom line
Play the Switch remake for the best all-around first experience: it is faithful in map, story and tone while being much easier to control and navigate. Play DX for the best balance of classic pixel identity, color and additional content. Play the 1993 Game Boy original when the point is to experience Link’s Awakening as the remarkable monochrome handheld game that established the adventure in the first place.
Quick Recap
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