Koholint Island shouldn’t exist. It’s a dream, a literal figment of a sleeping deity’s imagination, and yet, for millions of us who grew up with a Game Boy Color glued to our palms, it felt more real than the actual world. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX is a weird piece of history because it’s a "Deluxe" upgrade of a 1993 masterpiece that somehow managed to add meaningful content without breaking the fragile, melancholic atmosphere of the original. Most remakes or ports today feel like cash grabs. This didn't.
It’s honestly impressive.
When you boot up DX, you aren't just getting the same game with a fresh coat of paint. You’re getting a very specific moment in Nintendo's history where they were testing the limits of what a handheld could actually do. They took a monochrome world—which was already incredible—and splashed it with a palette that changed how the island felt. The grass wasn't just "green"; it was a specific, lush shade that made the mystery of the Wind Fish's Egg feel even more ominous against the bright blue sky.
The Color Dungeon and the Power of Choice
The biggest draw for The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX was the Color Dungeon. To get in, you had to go to the library, dash into a bookshelf to knock down a secret book, and then follow a specific color-coded directional path in the cemetery. It felt like a playground rumor. Back in 1998, if you didn't have a strategy guide or a friend who’d already figured it out, you were basically just wandering around pushing gravestones hoping for a miracle.
Inside that dungeon, the game designers leaned hard into the new hardware. You had to hit blocks to change their colors or match floor tiles. It wasn't the hardest Zelda dungeon ever made, but it offered a choice that changed the entire endgame: Red Tunic or Blue Tunic?
If you picked the Red Tunic, your attack power doubled. You’d basically become a buzzsaw, tearing through Moblins like they were nothing. If you picked the Blue Tunic, your defense doubled. This choice felt massive at the time. It gave the player a sense of agency that the original Game Boy version lacked. Most people went for the Red because, let’s be real, hitting things harder is always more fun. But the Blue Tunic turned Link into a tank, which was a godsend for the grueling boss fights in the later dungeons like Turtle Rock.
Why the Photography Sidequest Changed Everything
There’s this little mouse named Mouseer (the Photographer) who shows up in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX. He’s not in the original. He’s not in the 2019 Switch remake. He is exclusive to the DX version, and he represents one of the most charming, "Nintendo" things ever created.
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Basically, he stalks you.
He pops up at specific moments to take pictures of Link and the other islanders. There are 12 photos in total. Some are easy to get, like the one where you stand on the bridge with Marin. Others are incredibly specific, like having to go back to the fisherman’s hut or getting caught "theft-handed" at the Mabe Village shop. These photos weren't just digital collectibles; they were designed to be printed using the Game Boy Printer.
Remember that? That thermal printer that used receipt paper? It was loud, it was clunky, and the "photos" looked like grainy ghosts, but it made the game feel tangible. It turned Link’s journey from a digital save file into a physical scrapbook. It added a layer of nostalgia while you were still playing the game. That’s a level of meta-commentary on memory that fits perfectly with a game that is literally about a dream ending.
The Weirdness of the Script and the Censorship Debate
One thing most people forget—or never knew—is that the DX version actually changed some of the "racy" humor from the 1993 original. In the Japanese version of the first game, there was a mermaid who lost her bikini top. In the English 1993 version, it was changed to her "necklace." By the time The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX rolled around, Nintendo of America was even more careful.
They also fixed the "screen warping" glitch.
In the original monochrome version, you could stand on the edge of a screen, press the map button, and warp through walls. It was a speedrunner's dream. DX mostly patched this. It made the game "better" from a technical standpoint, but it also killed a bit of the wild-west energy that the original possessed. Still, the script remains one of the best in the series. It’s funny, it’s self-aware, and it features a talking owl that isn't nearly as annoying as Kaepora Gaebora from Ocarina of Time.
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The Technical Marvel of GBC Hardware
Let’s talk specs for a second, but not in a boring way. The Game Boy Color wasn't just a Game Boy with a light. It had a processor that ran at twice the speed (8 MHz compared to 4 MHz) and had four times as much RAM.
When you play The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, you notice the difference in the scrolling. The original had a bit of "ghosting" on the old LCD screens. DX on the GBC was crisp. The developers at Nintendo Research & Development 1 didn't just slap color on; they optimized the engine. They ensured that the transition between screens—which is how the island is navigated—felt seamless.
It’s also worth noting that DX is backward compatible. You can stick that black cartridge into an original grey brick Game Boy, and it’ll still play. You just won't be able to access the Color Dungeon. That kind of forward-thinking engineering is why these cartridges still sell for a premium on eBay today.
Is the Switch Remake "Better" Than DX?
This is a hot take, but honestly? DX might be superior to the 2019 Switch version for some players.
The Switch version is beautiful, sure. It looks like a living toy box. But it also has significant frame rate drops when you’re moving through the forest or heavy areas of the map. It’s jarring. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX runs at a rock-solid frame rate. There’s a snappiness to the 2D sprites that the 3D models can’t quite replicate.
Also, the music. The 8-bit chiptune soundtrack by Minako Hamano and Kozue Ishikawa is legendary. The "Ballad of the Wind Fish" on the GBC sound chip has a haunting, piercing quality that the orchestrated Switch version softens too much. In DX, the music feels like it's struggling to stay alive, which fits the theme of the island perfectly.
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The Owl, The Wind Fish, and the Existential Dread
Zelda games usually involve saving a kingdom. This one involves destroying a world.
That’s the core of why this game sticks with you. As Link, you are told that to leave the island, you must wake the Wind Fish. But as you progress, the Nightmares—the bosses of the dungeons—start telling you the truth. If the Wind Fish wakes up, everyone you’ve met disappears. Marin, the girl who sings to you? Gone. Tarin, the guy who looks like Mario? Gone.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX presents this moral dilemma with zero fluff. You are the villain of the island's story, in a way. The addition of color in DX actually makes this harder to swallow. Seeing the vibrant life of Animal Village in full color makes the inevitable "poof" at the end feel more tragic.
Hidden Secrets and Things You Missed
- The Thief Name: If you steal from the shop, the shopkeeper kills you. When you come back, your name is "THIEF" for the rest of the game. Even the Wind Fish calls you THIEF at the end. It’s brutal.
- The Secret Ending: If you finish the game without dying a single time (000 on the save file), you get a special scene after the credits. You see Marin’s face in the sky, and then she turns into a seagull. In DX, this is rendered in full color and is much more detailed than the original.
- The World Map: DX gave us a much better map interface. Being able to actually see where you were in relation to the dungeons made the non-linear parts of the game much less frustrating.
How to Play It Today
You have options. You could hunt down an original cartridge, which will probably cost you a decent chunk of change. You could play it on the Nintendo Switch Online service, which is probably the easiest way. Or you could find a dedicated handheld emulator.
If you play it on the Switch Online service, use the "Game Boy Color" filter. It mimics the slight screen door effect of the original hardware. It makes the pixel art pop in a way that raw HD output doesn't.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
- Don't skip the photography sidequest. Go to the Photographer's house early (near the entrance to Tal Tal Heights). Seeing those photos fill up the album adds a layer of soul to the game that you won't get if you just rush the dungeons.
- Commit to the "No Death" run. It’s the only way to get the "true" ending. If you’re playing on Switch, use save states if you have to, but seeing that seagull at the end is the only way to get closure for Marin’s story.
- Explore the library often. There are clues there about the final boss (the Shadow Hag) that many players miss, leading to a lot of frustration in the Wind Fish's Egg.
- Try the Blue Tunic. Everyone goes Red. Try the Blue. It makes the final gauntlet feel like a completely different game where you can actually take risks instead of just kiting enemies.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX remains a masterclass in how to iterate on perfection. It didn't try to reinvent the wheel; it just gave the wheel a better grip and a brighter coat of paint. Whether you’re a veteran who remembers the smell of the manual or a newcomer who only knows Link from Breath of the Wild, this version of Koholint is the one that deserves your time. It’s a beautiful, tragic, colorful dream that you’ll be glad you woke up from—even if it hurts a little.