issue 6// vol 46

‘Legend of Zelda’

reinvented and memorable

> ‘The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening’ Review

Tyran Batten
Contributor

 

T Legend of Zelda as a series has
evolved outstandingly over its 30 plus
year history. With the release of Breath
of the Wild in 2017, we saw Nintendo
create an immense open world for us to
explore, filled with monsters, puzzles,
and adventure. Having spent nearly 100
hours in that world, I was fascinated
when Nintendo decided to remake Link’s
Awakening, a game that was originally
released in 1993 for the Game Boy. The
result is a game that stands apart from
the rest of the series while still holding
onto the classic formula that veterans will
remember.

The world of Link’s Awakening is so
memorable compared to other titles in the
franchise. This is the only mainline Zelda
game where Princess Zelda herself does
not appear in any fashion. Instead we are
introduced to Marin, a young girl who finds
Link on the beaches of Koholint Island
after a terrible storm washes him and his
boat ashore. We soon learn of his quest to
awaken the Wind Fish, who sleeps atop the
island’s mountain, encased in a giant egg.
This mission is unlike any other since there
is no world to save or princess to rescue.
Instead you need to find all eight magical
instruments (found in each dungeon of
the game) that when played together will
awaken the Wind Fish who will hopefully
help you escape the island. It’s a goofy
dream-like plot and it makes this journey

more memorable than any other Zelda
story.

Having only brief experience with
the Game Boy original, I found myself
constantly impressed at how many
elements felt modern and original. The
puzzles and combat are consistently
innovative, forcing you to reinvent your
approach as you uncover new items that
change the gameplay. Each dungeon
introduces a new mechanic that builds
on the last, allowing you to access new
areas of the map and meet new characters.
The dungeons are challenging, with
increasingly difficult enemies and puzzles
to solve. If you are a veteran to the series, I
would recommend trying the game on the
higher difficulty setting. I played the game
on the lower difficulty at first and found
some bosses to be far too easy for my taste.

Adding to the charm of this already
great game are the numerous characters
that all feel realized and well-imagined.
The writing in the game is humorous and
sometimes even emotional with a few key
moments that will bond you to the island
of Koholint and its inhabitants. From a
simple village rabbit to a giant eagle boss,
every character has a personality that pulls
you deeper into their world. The island is
littered with characters that make it feel
real and lived in. You can really tell that
Marin has been stuck on this island her
whole life, and her dream is to fly away one
day is incredibly heartwarming. This is one
of the few Zelda games where I can say that
I was enamored by every new character |
met; they all had their own ambitions and

 

desires.

The biggest
issue | have with
Link’s Awakening is
how often the game
would lag whenever
the screen was filled
with one too many
elements. The frame
rate of the game
drops far too many
times for a modern
Nintendo game and
it takes you out of
the experience as you
watch your character
flash through the
busier areas of
the overworld.
Fortunately, this
is made up for
by the beautiful
high definition
reimagining of the
original Game Boy
sprites. The characters look plastic, evoking
a theme of toys and make-believe. The
music has also been reimagined through
a fully orchestrated score that feels both
epic and perfectly tailored. | listened to
the original Game Boy soundtrack for
comparison and was impressed with how
they were able to capture the feeling of the
classic tunes while still making a score that
feels brand new.

Link’s Awakening gives Zelda fans
a chance to explore a world unlike any
other in the series. The world of Koholint

What I learned from ‘Parasite’

» Another Palme d’Or film tackling the class system

Jerrison Oracion
Senior Columnist

 

eople are human and all have similar

desires, so it makes sense that everyone
should have the opportunity to achieve
societal success. While every class does
have the same opportunities, the higher
classes have more of an advantage then
the lower classes. Many of the films that
got the Palme d’Or (the highest award in
the Cannes Film Festival) this decade talk
about social issues, including wealth and
welfare.

Like Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or winner, J,
Daniel Blake—which explores social welfare
in England—last year’s winner, Shoplifters
(directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda), shows
the lives of a low income family in Japan
and highlights the reasons why shoplifting
is not a great thing. In a similar vein is this
year’s winner—Bong Joon-ho's Parasite.
The films focuses on the differences
between the lower class and higher class
and the importance of accuracy. It did very
well when it was shown in the Vancouver
International Film Festival (VIFF)—there
was a very long lineup outside of The
Centre, which went around the theatre
once. Joon-ho is a director that has his films
regularly screened in VIFF. He has come to
Vancouver to talk about his films before.
For example, he came to VIFF to talk in

2017 about a screening of his previous film
Okja.

The film revolves around the Kim
family, who live in a basement house in
Seoul and get internet from public Wi-Fi,
eat food from convenience stores, and
earn money by folding pizza boxes. When
the son, Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik), gets an
offer from his friend to tutor the a girl
named Park Da-hye (Jung Ji-so), who is the
daughter of a tech business man. The rest
of the family gets involved as well, working
in the Park’s high security house. His
father, Ki-taek (regular collaborator with
Bong, Song Kang-ho), his mother, Chung-
sook (Jang Hye-jin), and his sister, Ki-Jung
(Park So-dam) all work in the house. They
get away with it despite the fact that they
are not wealthy.

Because Ki-woo does not have the
credentials to be a tutor, he and his sister
make fake documents in an internet café—
and they look realistic enough to convince
Da-hye’s mother to give Ki-woo the job.
Although, Ki-woo is so good at his job of
tutoring—he should just be one instead
of pretending. The same thing happens
with his parents—Ki-taek is a good driver
even though he could not find a driving
job in the city, and Chung-sook makes
delicious food and maintains the house
professionally. While credible evidence
looks convincing, it could be misleading

and lead to unforeseen consequences.
Ifyou saw Spiderman: Far from
Home, you probably know what I am
talking about. I learned that there are a
lot of people that have the skills to doa
lot of jobs—though the current economic
landscape causes many of them to be
unemployed. When the Park family fire
their maid, Moon-gwang (Lee Jeong-eun),
we find out that most of the Parks are not
used to everyday tasks because they relied
too much on Moon-Gwang—this attitude

 

 

arts // no. 7

Illustration by Athena Little

captivates with every character and every
location. The dungeons are filled with
puzzles and monsters that will reward you
through their challenge (assuming you
choose the right difficulty setting), and the
island will feel more personal than other
Zelda stories while still feeling equally
important in scope. It’s an intimately
handcrafted experience that will you leave
you dreaming of a chance to really meet
the people of this unfortunately fictional
world.

is compared to the Kim family, where all of
them are capable and have many skills.
Without giving away the film, it
ends with a message that hard work
leads to success and that there should be
more opportunities given to every class,
including the lower class. Parasite explores
the lives of the higher class and the lower
class and shows that credible evidence is
very important, where credibility must be
examined. Parasite will show in theaters
(limited release) October 1.

‘Parasite’ promotional image via CJ Entertainment