The 2019 Nintendo Switch version keeps the recognizable Koholint Island adventure but remakes its presentation, updates its controls and adds a dungeon-building mode. One distinction matters before comparing features: the 1993 Game Boy release is monochrome; Link’s Awakening DX is a later Game Boy Color edition with color graphics and an exclusive dungeon.
Which versions are being compared?
| Version | What it is |
|---|---|
| Game Boy original (1993) | The original monochrome release. |
| Link’s Awakening DX (Game Boy Color) | A later edition with color graphics and an exclusive dungeon, according to Nintendo’s DX page. Those additions are not features of the original monochrome release. |
| Nintendo Switch remake (2019) | A new version released on 20 September 2019. Nintendo describes it as the classic adventure reimagined in a new art style; its UK product page lists Game Card and download editions. See Nintendo’s Switch product page. |
What changed in Link’s Awakening on Switch?
New visuals and reworked music
The Switch remake replaces the Game Boy presentation with a colorful, toy-like world viewed from a tilt-shift perspective. Series producer Eiji Aonuma said the visual approach was intended to make Koholint feel like a miniature diorama while preserving the sense of exploring a small but immersive world. Read Aonuma’s Nintendo interview.
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The score was also reworked. Nintendo Life’s 2019 review describes it as an almost fully orchestrated re-recording, replacing the original Game Boy-style sound. That is the reviewer’s description of the result, rather than a technical specification from Nintendo. See Nintendo Life’s review.
The familiar island and story remain
The remake is not a new story set on Koholint. Nintendo Life’s review says the map is identical, NPCs remain in the same locations, and conversations are almost word-for-word the same. It also describes the familiar progression through dungeons and items. These are the review’s observations, not an official guarantee that every detail is unchanged.
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Controls are less constrained
The Game Boy’s limited buttons meant frequent item swapping. In the Switch version, sword and shield have dedicated buttons, while other gear can be assigned to X or Y, as reported in Nintendo Life’s review. The reviewer also notes empty bottles, a compass indicator for nearby treasure chests, additional heart fragments and secret seashells, and more warp points.
Chamber Dungeons add a creative mode
Chamber Dungeons are new to the Switch version. After clearing a main dungeon, players earn its rooms, called Chambers, arrange them into a dungeon layout, and then play through the dungeon they assembled. Aonuma identified the feature as all-new for Switch in his 2019 interview.
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Nintendo says compatible Zelda-series amiibo can unlock additional Chambers and save layouts. The Link’s Awakening amiibo can also add Shadow Link as an enemy in Chamber Dungeons. Compatibility and effects vary, so this should not be read as a claim that every amiibo provides the same content; see Nintendo’s product details.
At a glance: Game Boy original vs. Switch remake
| Feature | Game Boy original | Switch remake |
|---|---|---|
| Visuals | Monochrome Game Boy presentation. The later DX edition added color. | Tilt-shift art direction designed to evoke a miniature diorama, as described by producer Eiji Aonuma. |
| Sound | Original Game Boy-style presentation. | Reworked score, described by Nintendo Life’s 2019 review as almost fully orchestrated. |
| World and story | The original Koholint Island adventure. | Nintendo Life’s review says the map and NPC locations are the same and conversations are nearly word-for-word unchanged. |
| Controls | Limited buttons make item swapping part of play. | Dedicated sword and shield buttons; other gear can be assigned to X or Y, according to the review. |
| Additional features | Do not attribute DX’s color graphics or exclusive dungeon to this monochrome release. | Chamber Dungeons and the convenience features reported by Nintendo Life. |
| Performance | No comparative performance measurement is established here. | Nintendo Life’s September 2019 review observed slowdown in some busy areas, including Toronbo Shores; that observation is not a guarantee of performance on every console, patch, or play session. |
Is the Switch version the same game?
It is the same core Koholint adventure in a substantially rebuilt presentation, not a pixel-for-pixel port. The review’s account of the unchanged map, character placements, dialogue and familiar dungeon-and-item progression helps explain why the story remains recognizable, while new controls, convenience features and Chamber Dungeons make the Switch edition a distinct version.
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If you mean the monochrome 1993 release, compare against that version rather than DX. If you mean the Game Boy Color edition, remember that DX already includes color graphics and its own exclusive dungeon; those features predate the Switch remake.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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