This brilliant, fan-made PC port of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is free to play (until Nintendo finds out)

Editor’s take: A classic Zelda game from the 90s has been recreated and brought to life on the PC. The port is an unofficial Nintendo project, however, meaning it’s likely not to stick around for long once the company’s lawyers get wind of it.

Officially titled The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX HD, the game is a meticulously crafted PC version of the Game Boy Color release from 1998 – itself, an updated version of the 1993 release for the original Game Boy.

The fan-made port is said to feature enhanced graphics as well as support for widescreen monitors and high frame rates. Link’s Awakening DX HD also trades in the old screen-by-screen interface for a smooth-scrolling layout that feels much more modern.

This is truly amazing. Playing Link’s Awakening at 1:1 pixel scale with 120 fps scrolling – you can zoom the map alllll the way out and the entire world is active.https://t.co/H1ZLpd3sqy pic.twitter.com/wVjqhzAVu6

– John Linneman @dark1x.bsky.social (@dark1x) December 13, 2023

As John Linneman from Digital Foundry highlights, what is arguably most impressive is the ability to zoom all the way out to a 1:1 pixel scale. Here, you can see the entire map all at once with all characters active. If you are looking for a unique way to play the game and have a large enough display, this setting would certainly be worth a try.

One thing the port does not change is the content, which remains faithful to the original in terms of storyline and gameplay.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX HD is available to download over on itch.io. The 24 MB download is free of charge but again, don’t expect it to remain active for long once Nintendo comes knocking.

In the event you would rather try an official Nintendo version of Link’s Awakening, there are options.

Nintendo published an HD remake of the game for the Switch in 2019 that is currently priced at $59.99. It features a totally different art style that is more cartoon-like than the original, which could make it harder for some retro gamers to get into. The original Link’s Awakening DX is also available via Nintendo Switch Online as part of an ever expanding library of classics.