
It might be only us games journalists that get hot-under-the-collar for brand new Zelda key art, but this day is extremely special for us: Nintendo have just released three new websites for The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, and Link's Awakening to prepare us all for the release of the Zelda Game & Watch in November. And they're full of new assets. Delicious, high-resolution assets. YUM.
All three websites are in Japanese, but with the power of AI translation tools, we can roughly understand that each one is designed to introduce us to the three early Zelda games, the characters, and the monsters you'll be fighting along the way. There are even hints if you get stuck, and the original manuals to download (also in Japanese)!
Most of the art isn't "new" as in "never seen before", but redraws and high-quality scans of manual artwork, with more vibrant colours — take a look:





You can find all three websites on Nintendo Japan's site: Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, and Link's Awakening. The manuals are available at the bottom of each page, but you can also read them here: Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, and Link's Awakening.
[source nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 19
I feel like the original release of Link's Awakening isn't as appreciated as the DX version (or, of course, the Switch remake). There was really no adventure game so fluid and vast on Game Boy (in the west) before it, and honestly not much after it either. It was a big milestone, and I'm glad to see Nintendo paying homage to its past ❤
@CharlieGirl it was my first Zelda. First game I ever completed (seashells). Love it to this day! Indeed a milestone on a handheld device
since they released Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch with part 1 and 2, I figured they’d do the same for The Legend of Zelda version. so glad they added Link’s Awakening! they could’ve easily made the DX version, but I’m glad they opted for original version. a classic!
You can tell how utterly amazing these three games are when this many years and god-knows-how-many play throughs later, we still get this excited for artwork related to them.
I'm deeply disappointed by the wrong aspect ratio for Link's Awakening and what's worse is that even in the website they use stretched screenshots everywhere as if the game is supposed to be like that!
@CharlieGirl
I completely agree. Link's Awakening is actually my all-time favorite Zelda game. (I know it's not the best - but because of nostalgia, and the mysterious bittersweet story I grew to love as a kid.) And the original GB version was the one I grew up with, and genuinely prefer. I thought the picture sidequest in the DX version felt tacky and out of place - plus, completing it (getting all 12 pictures) meant that every character would permanently call you THIEF, and you'd be forced to get 1 game over if you ever went back in the shop. And TBH, I prefer not having the color dungeon in the game. The difficulty of the game was set around not having that upgrade, so being allowed to get it after the second or third dungeon can trivialize much of the difficulty thereafter. (I could just not get it, but being a completionist, I would.) The DX version is certainly better in some ways, but overall I prefer the original.
The truth is, the only reason I decided to buy this Game & Watch is because they put the original version on it. It's the first chance I've had to officially have it again since the Game Boy itself.
Also, it would be nice if those sites - particularly the manuals - were up in English too. I'd certainly download that. (But I suppose they're probably already available somewhere else on the interwebs, too. )
That's so dope
The NES mini had a similar price and that one came with 30 great games and a full size controller.
@Rocky2418 glad to see someone else agreeing about the Photos and Color Dungeon. I love the colouring in DX, but not those additions. The color dungeon felt especially hacky since it's just applying the guardian acorn or piece of power effects permanently. At least it had a great theme.
This brand new art feels familiar like I've seen it in an instruction booklet.
@Curbie
Actually, that's a good point, and something I forgot about: In addition to trivializing the difficulty, the red/blue mails also rendered either the pieces of power or guardian acorns superfluous - just getting in the way - for the rest of the game. (If we're speaking technically, pieces of power would still give the slight boost in walking speed and lifting speed that the red mail didn't, but that's mostly semantics.) At the very least, it seems like the game should've stopped dropping one or the other for the rest of the game depending on which mail you took, once they became useless.
Anyway, yeah, the colors in DX were great. And I also preferred the visual difference in Marin's "transition" in the secret ending. But other than that, I prefer the original.
I'm confused isn't Zelda G&W available months ago? Its 50 euro rn. (Mario Game and Watch cost 40 euro)
@BoostPower you can play these games in many different forms. Nintendo G&W is a collector's item
@dimi I agree with you but I still think it's a bit too expensive, or maybe the NES mini was such a bargain that the comparison is not fair
I can't wait for it to come. Just a few more weeks.
Looking forward to it. I picked up the mario G&W a month ago and I felt that it was very lacking. Since Both games are nearly identical they really could have tossed in Mario land 1 and 2 (and to be greedy Mario bros 2 (west version) and 3 also).
With the Zelda G&W and what they added is better deal in comparison because the games are much different (but if I were to be greedy I also would have like if they added both the oracle games).
The old promo and manual artwork was so appealing. I love seeing it. The art at the time in general was quite good.
@Rocky2418 Hopefully one reason for using the monochrome version is that they'll leave the "warp glitch" in. Easiest sequence break in the world, but that certainly was a part of the charm growing up with that version (well 1.0 carts, and thankfully to an error on Nintendo's part, removed in 1.1 but reinstated in 1.2)
The Legend of Zelda 3D All Stars when?
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