all the hallmarks. Items to gather, dungeons to delve, NPCs to question, and that iconic

music. But despite the familiar mechanics, and the very Link to the Past aesthetic, this

is one strange ocarina-summoned bird. Despite being called The Legend of Zelda, she doesn’t

show up in this title at all. Y’know who does? The dude from SIMCITY. And Chain Chomps.

And there are side-scrolling sections, complete with piranha plants and goombas. And that

dude Richard, from the Japanese-only Famicom Disk System title “Kaeru no Tame ni Kane

wa Naru.” And there’s a Yoshi doll, and a goat trying to pass herself off as Princess

Peach, and that piece of music that keeps popping up in Mario Paint and Animal Crossing...

… This is the fever dream of Zelda games, pure and simple. And this, more specifically, is

the Game Boy Color remake of same, featuring... COLOR. In fact, a whole bonus dungeon devoted

to COLOR, which grants the POWER OF COLOR. (Okay, so it’s just a tunic upgrade that

gives you either double defense or double attack.) And it’s available on your 3DS

via the Virtual Console! So, should you indulge in this rather off-kilter tale of a shipwrecked

Link, trying to awaken the Wind Fish with a series of eclectic instruments? OF COURSE

YOU SHOULD. Consider: the Game Boy ran on an 8-bit processor, and somehow this thing

managed to replicate the advancements of the 16-bit Link to the Past, despite massive hardware

limitations. Sure, this version removed color as a major stumbling block, but there’s

the matter of buttons to consider. You’ve got two action buttons, which can be mapped

to any weapon or item you like, Start brings up the menu, Select brings up the map... and

if you want to save, you have to hit all four at once. (Which is a bit of a wrench on the

3DS.) But once you get the hang of it, it’s as sound an adventure as Link’s ever had,

complete with innovations like pieces of heart (though the maximum health in this game is

14 as opposed to the usual 20), combination attacks like dashjumping, and - in this version

- a cameraman, who documents your quest (but, unfortunately, never asks you to say “Fuzzy

Pickles”).

Some have called the Legend of Zelda series a rehash-tastic series of samey experiences.

But while the formula in Link’s Awakening feels very similar - Obtain key to dungeon,

raid dungeon, obtain item instrumental in completing dungeon, beat boss, get hearts

- the abject strangeness lying about the periphery is enough to jostle even the most jaded gamer.

And with the 3DS offering a restore point, you have no excuse: You’re kinda obligated

to get the good ending. And oh, that ending. Link’s adventure on Koholint Island may

be an aberration compared to the standards of the series, but it’s certainly worth

appreciating in its own right. After playing enough of this game, I may have loaded “Ballad

of the Wind Fish” as my new ringtone. Just for those feels. Just sayin’.