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Short answer: The 2019 Nintendo Switch version of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening tells the same Koholint Island story and follows the same dungeon-and-item progression as the Game Boy adventure, but it rebuilds the presentation and removes much of the original’s control friction. It adds modern menus, easier item management, revised mini-games, new rewards and the Chamber Dungeon creation mode. The 1998 Link’s Awakening DX is a separate comparison point: it added color and an exclusive color dungeon before the Switch remake existed.
What changed in Link’s Awakening?
The Switch remake is best understood as a faithful reconstruction rather than a new sequel or a wholesale redesign. Link still washes ashore on mysterious Koholint Island after a shipwreck. He still has to uncover the island’s secret, enter eight major dungeons, recover the Instruments of the Sirens and awaken the Wind Fish. The item-gated exploration, trap-filled rooms, bosses, talking animals and unusual tone remain recognizably those of the Game Boy game.
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What changes is almost everything surrounding that framework. Nintendo rebuilt the island in a toy-diorama visual style, rearranged the classic music for modern hardware, improved the control scheme, expanded the number of items that can be equipped, made conversations easier to review, revised map functions and renovated optional mini-games. The remake also introduces Chamber Dungeons, a separate system in which rooms from completed dungeons are arranged into new objective-based layouts.
That combination explains why longtime players can remember the same puzzles and story while still experiencing a substantially more comfortable game on Switch. The remake preserves the adventure’s identity and progression, but not the limitations of 1993 hardware.
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Which “original” are you comparing?
There are three important releases, and calling all of them “the original” can create misleading comparisons.
| Version | Release context | Defining characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 Game Boy | The original monochrome release | Black-and-white presentation, the baseline two-button item system and the original form of the Koholint adventure |
| 1998 Link’s Awakening DX | Nintendo’s definitive Game Boy Color version | Color graphics and an exclusive color dungeon added to the Game Boy design |
| 2019 Nintendo Switch remake | Released September 20, 2019 | Fully rebuilt visuals, rearranged music, modern controls and menus, renovated mini-games, new rewards and Chamber Dungeons |
If your memories come from a Game Boy Color cartridge, you already experienced more than the 1993 monochrome release. Color graphics and the exclusive color dungeon belong to DX, not to the original Game Boy edition and not originally to the Switch project. The Switch remake carries that expanded lineage forward while adding its own systems and presentation.
What stayed the same?
The Koholint Island premise
Link remains shipwrecked on Koholint Island, a place that is not part of the usual Hyrule setting. The island’s mystery and the Wind Fish objective still drive the entire adventure. The remake does not replace that premise with a new plot or alter the central question of what will happen when the Wind Fish awakens.
The eight-Instrument objective
The broad progression is unchanged: Link explores the island, finds entrances to dungeons, solves item-based puzzles, defeats bosses and collects the eight Instruments of the Sirens. Instruments remain the milestones that connect the dungeon campaign to the Wind Fish objective.
Item-gated exploration and puzzle logic
Important items still determine where Link can go and which obstacles he can overcome. A newly acquired tool opens routes, reveals previously inaccessible rooms or changes how a dungeon can be solved. The remake makes handling those tools easier, but it does not turn the core puzzle progression into a different type of game.
The island’s cast and tone
Koholint’s talking-animal residents, odd encounters and deliberately unusual atmosphere remain central. The remake changes how these characters are drawn and heard, not the fact that the island’s personality is one of the adventure’s defining features.
Dungeons, bosses and adventure identity
The major dungeons remain trap-filled spaces built around keys, locked doors, compass and map information, an area-specific item and a boss. The Switch version is therefore not a rearranged campaign in the way a sequel would be. Players who know the Game Boy route will recognize the overall dungeon progression even when the screen presentation and controls feel new.
Visual presentation: monochrome sprites become a diorama
The largest immediate change is visual. The 1993 Game Boy game uses monochrome sprites and a small, hardware-limited display. Link’s Awakening DX adds color while retaining the underlying Game Boy presentation. The Switch remake instead rebuilds Koholint Island in a detailed, toy-diorama-like style that Nintendo describes as the island being “reimagined in stunning detail.”
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This is more than a palette swap. Characters, terrain, objects and dungeon rooms are rendered as modern 3D assets, and the camera presents the island with a miniature, tabletop feel. The effect changes how the world reads at a glance: edges, elevation cues and character animations are much more elaborate than the original’s tile-based sprites. Yet the remake keeps the same broad map logic and recognizable landmarks, so visual novelty does not erase the geography veteran players learned on Game Boy.
The three versions create different kinds of atmosphere:
- Game Boy: stark monochrome sprites and a compact screen that emphasize abstraction and hardware-era texture.
- Link’s Awakening DX: the same basic handheld identity with color added, plus the color dungeon.
- Switch: a high-resolution, toy-like reconstruction with fully redrawn characters, environments and effects.
The Switch look is therefore a reinterpretation of the presentation, not evidence that the underlying adventure has been replaced.
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The remake keeps the classic soundtrack’s melodic identity but presents it through new arrangements for modern hardware. Nintendo describes the soundtrack as the classic music “reborn with new arrangements.” That distinction matters: the Switch release does not use a completely unrelated score, nor does it simply play the Game Boy audio unchanged.
Players should expect familiar themes to have a fuller console sound and a different arrangement layer. The original’s sound is inseparable from its handheld limitations and compact chiptune texture, while the remake’s audio is designed to complement its rebuilt visual world. Choosing between them is partly a question of atmosphere: the Game Boy versions preserve the period character, and the Switch version presents the same musical ideas with a modern recording approach.
Controls and quality-of-life improvements
Less item swapping
On the Game Boy, Link’s equipment is constrained by a two-button system. Players frequently pause or open the inventory to move different items onto those buttons before using them. That limitation is part of the original’s feel, but it also creates friction when a puzzle or traversal sequence requires several tools in quick succession.
Nintendo explicitly contrasts that two-button limitation with the Switch remake’s improved controls. More items can be equipped at once, reducing the amount of menu shuttling between actions. The remake therefore preserves the need to choose the correct item while making the act of choosing it faster and less disruptive.
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The remake lets players review key conversations. In the original versions, a missed instruction or clue could require remembering where it was delivered or returning to the character who said it. Conversation review gives the player a practical reference without changing the dialogue’s role in solving the adventure.
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Map improvements
The Switch map offers new ways to navigate and record information. The island’s structure and dungeon progression remain familiar, but the interface is more useful for keeping track of explored areas and planning the next route. These changes are especially valuable for players approaching the game without a 1990s handheld’s expectation that every clue and location must be memorized.
What these improvements do not change
Quality-of-life features do not remove the item-gated logic of the puzzles or automate the dungeon campaign. You still need to identify the correct tool, understand how rooms connect and defeat bosses. The difference is that the interface gets out of the way more often.
Mini-games, collectibles and optional rewards
The Switch remake renovates the game’s mini-games rather than discarding optional activities. Their presentation and reward structure are updated for the new version, and Nintendo specifically lists Super Mario character dolls and Chamber Stones among the rewards players can encounter.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThese additions sit alongside the main quest instead of replacing it. A player focused on reaching the Wind Fish can follow the principal dungeon route, while collectors and returning fans have more reasons to revisit optional activities. The important distinction is that the remake layers new presentation and rewards onto familiar side content; it does not turn every mini-game into a required part of the eight-Instrument progression.
Chamber Dungeons: the remake’s major new mode
Chamber Dungeons are the Switch release’s signature new feature. Series producer Eiji Aonuma described the system this way: “With Chamber Dungeons, each room of the dungeon is a single tile called ‘Chambers’, and you arrange these tiles together like jigsaw pieces to form a dungeon. It’s a completely new feature.”
How the system works
- Complete dungeons to obtain room pieces. Chambers are based on rooms from dungeons you have conquered, so the mode grows as you progress through the main adventure.
- Arrange the rooms into a connected layout. Each chamber functions as a tile, and you place tiles together to form a dungeon rather than exploring a fixed Nintendo-designed sequence.
- Build toward an objective. Chamber Dungeon challenges teach construction rules and give you a target layout or task to satisfy.
- Use connections strategically. Chest contents are determined by how rooms are connected, making the links between chambers part of the puzzle rather than mere decoration.
- Clear the dungeon for rewards. Aonuma explains that conquered Chambers can provide rupees and useful items.
Why Chamber Dungeons feel different
The campaign dungeons are authored spaces with a carefully controlled sequence of rooms, keys, switches, items and bosses. Chamber Dungeons turn that fixed design into a construction problem. You are deciding how to connect familiar room types, how to satisfy the objective and how to make the resulting route workable.
That makes the mode an addition to the original adventure rather than a replacement for it. A player who only wants the classic campaign can treat Chamber Dungeons as optional. A player who has already memorized the Game Boy route gets a new reason to experiment with the same dungeon vocabulary.
Zelda amiibo functions
Nintendo says Zelda amiibo can unlock exclusive Chambers. Aonuma also says arranged dungeons can be saved to a Zelda amiibo and shared with friends. These functions require compatible Zelda amiibo figures; they are not part of the 1993 or 1998 Game Boy releases.
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The practical implication is simple: amiibo support expands the Chamber Dungeon system, but it is not required to experience the main Koholint story. Treat the figures as an optional way to obtain additional chamber content or carry a created dungeon, not as a prerequisite for completing the remake.
Game Boy original vs. DX vs. Switch: side-by-side comparison
| Category | 1993 Game Boy | 1998 Link’s Awakening DX | 2019 Switch remake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Story and setting | Link’s shipwreck, Koholint Island and the Wind Fish objective | Same core adventure and setting | Same core adventure and setting |
| Dungeon progression | Eight-Instrument campaign with item-based puzzles | Same campaign structure | Same campaign structure, plus optional Chamber Dungeons |
| Graphics | Monochrome Game Boy sprites | Color Game Boy presentation | Fully rebuilt, toy-diorama-like presentation |
| Exclusive dungeon content | Not present | Exclusive color dungeon | Includes the expanded DX lineage and adds Chamber Dungeons |
| Music | Original Game Boy-era soundtrack presentation | Game Boy Color-era presentation | Classic soundtrack with new arrangements |
| Item handling | Two-button item swapping | Same basic handheld limitation | Improved controls and the ability to equip more items at once |
| Conversation reference | No modern conversation-review feature identified | No modern conversation-review feature identified | Key conversations can be reviewed |
| Map interface | Original handheld map functionality | DX-era map functionality | New navigation and map improvements |
| Mini-games and rewards | Original forms | DX-era forms | Renovated mini-games, Super Mario character dolls and Chamber Stones |
| Chamber Dungeons | Not available | Not available | Available; Zelda amiibo can unlock exclusive Chambers |
The table shows why “same game” and “different experience” can both be accurate. The narrative spine and progression are shared, while presentation, input, interface and optional systems differ substantially.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How faithful is the Switch remake?
Faithful in structure
The remake retains the island’s adventure identity, the eight-Instrument objective, item-gated exploration, major dungeons, bosses and the cast that makes Koholint distinctive. Someone who learned the campaign on Game Boy will recognize the route and the purpose of the major milestones.
Expanded around the edges
The additions concentrate on presentation, usability and optional play. The rebuilt art and rearranged music change the sensory experience. The controls and menus reduce friction. Renovated mini-games and new rewards broaden side activities. Chamber Dungeons add a construction-focused mode that did not exist on Game Boy.
Not a replacement for the DX color dungeon
Because DX already introduced color graphics and an exclusive color dungeon, those features should not be credited to the Switch remake as if they were invented in 2019. The Switch version is the first of these three releases to combine that expanded content history with a full visual rebuild, modern interface work and Chamber Dungeons.
Which version should you play?
Choose the Switch remake if you want the easiest modern entry
The Switch version is the practical choice for most new players. Its visual presentation is the most elaborate, its controls reduce repeated item swapping, conversations can be reviewed, map functions are improved and optional activities have been renovated. You also get Chamber Dungeons, which provide a separate reason to keep playing after the fixed campaign’s familiar structure has been completed.
Choose the Game Boy original for historical texture
The 1993 release is the right choice when you specifically want the monochrome handheld experience and the constraints that shaped it. The two-button item system and original audiovisual texture are not defects to be patched out; they are part of what it means to play the first version on its own terms.
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Link’s Awakening DX is the relevant version for players who want the definitive Game Boy Color presentation, including its exclusive color dungeon. It occupies the middle ground: more visual information than the monochrome release, but without the Switch remake’s rebuilt art direction, modern controls or Chamber Dungeon mode.
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Use this decision rule
- First playthrough and convenience: Switch remake.
- Original hardware history and monochrome atmosphere: 1993 Game Boy.
- Game Boy Color experience and exclusive color dungeon: Link’s Awakening DX.
- Fresh optional construction challenges after the main story: Switch remake, with Chamber Dungeons.
What the remake does not provide
No version comparison should imply that the Switch release changes everything. The remake does not replace the story with a new plot, remove the eight-Instrument objective or turn the campaign into a free-form dungeon builder. Chamber Dungeons are an additional mode built from completed dungeon rooms, not a new version of the main island map.
It is also inaccurate to describe the Switch color presentation as the first color version of Link’s Awakening. Nintendo’s 1998 DX release already supplied color graphics and an exclusive color dungeon. The Switch contribution is the scale of the rebuild and the collection of modern systems around it.
Release and buying context
The Nintendo Switch remake launched on September 20, 2019, in a physical edition. Buying that release gives you the rebuilt campaign, updated interface and controls, renovated mini-games, Chamber Dungeons and the amiibo-compatible features described above. A Zelda amiibo is optional: it can unlock exclusive Chambers and carry a saved arranged dungeon, but the core story does not depend on owning one.
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There is no official completion-time, frame-rate, sales or review-score figure established here, so those numbers should not be used to decide between versions. The meaningful differences are the ones documented in the releases themselves: structure, presentation, input friction, optional content and the period-specific atmosphere of each platform.
Final verdict: same adventure, substantially different experience
The Switch release is faithful where it matters most: Koholint Island, the Wind Fish mystery, the eight Instruments, item-based progression, dungeons, bosses and the island’s strange cast are still the backbone. It is different where older hardware imposed limits: graphics are rebuilt in a detailed diorama style, the classic music receives new arrangements, more items can be equipped, conversations can be reviewed, maps are more useful and side activities have new rewards.
Chamber Dungeons are the clearest boundary between remake and original. They add a room-arranging system with objectives, connection-based chest contents, rewards and optional Zelda amiibo functions. That mode does not rewrite the campaign, but it gives the Switch edition a form of play that neither Game Boy release has.
For a first playthrough, the Switch remake offers the most accessible and feature-rich route into the story. The 1993 Game Boy game remains valuable as the original monochrome artifact, while Link’s Awakening DX is the version to seek when its color presentation and exclusive color dungeon are the priority.
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