The new version of Link’s Awakening lets you zoom out to see the entire island

An anonymous Nintendo fan and innovator has recreated the classic Game Boy game The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening With a twist that separates it from the official 2019 remaster. The new widescreen version for Windows adds high frame rate support and lets you zoom out to view a larger portion – or even all – of Koholint Island. But the game may not last long because Nintendo has a habit of squashing fan games that infringe copyrights, even when they’re lovingly designed and offered for free like this one.

spotted on × (next to A Writing by ribbed), Awakening Link DX HD is a love letter to the 1993 original and its 1998 color re-release. The unofficial port recreates the twisted Zelda version with 120 frames per second (FPS) support, which the developer describes as adding “unparalleled fluidity.”

The homebrew port also gets rid of the original’s transitions, which brought up a new screen every time you moved to the next screen (old Zelda style). In this version, the camera moves smoothly as Links wanders around the island, something we imagine was no simple task for the unnamed creator.

The zoom level, available in the in-game settings menu, lets you go to a 1:1, half or third pixel scale, allowing you to view the entire island at once. This is not a fixed perspective either. Each visible section is fully activated (as if Link was originally on it) and swarmed with enemies. You can navigate sweeping scenes, swing your sword at Moblins, and search for the next mission without pausing to return to the game’s static map.

The game’s developer posted a ’90s love letter anonymously, likely protecting them (for a while, anyway) from Nintendo’s litigation-happy legal team. 24 MB Awakening Link DX HD he Free download on itch.ioBut we wouldn’t count on him staying there much longer. Either way, you can watch a snippet of gameplay in the video below.