Summary
Nintendo has issued a takedown notice regarding another fan project, this one being an unofficial PC port of the classic Game Boy game,The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.The Legend of Zeldahas a lot of fan-made games based on the property, some being remakes of older games while others are spins on existing ones. However, any fan project based on an iconic Nintendo IP always runs the risk of being shut down by the Japanese gaming giant, as seen withNintendo fan games likeAnother Metroid 2 RemakeorPokemon Uranium. This PC port of the classicZeldagame is no exception.
This PC port ofLink’s Awakening, titled “Link’s Awakening DX HD,” was released earlier in December, looking to enhance the original game with many quality-of-life tweaks and overhauling it to work natively with modern PCs. This includes high framerate counts, widescreen support, and other ways to make the game feel polished. This can be seen in its release trailer, where so much of the game was overhauled to accommodate for the new dimensions. While it wasavailable to download for free off of itch.io, it has since been taken down by Nintendo.
Ina post on the Link’s Awakening DX HD page on itch.io, it is stated that the game’s files have been suspended because of a copyright or trademark claim. Viewing the notice itself shows that it was submitted by an authorized legal representative from Nintendo of America, stating the fan-made port was infringing on Nintendo’s copyright ofThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. As a result, the files and downloads of the game have been suspended.
The news of the game’s shutdown was felt among theZeldacommunity, though many expected this inevitable result considering Nintendo has been historically very protective of its IPs. Nintendo has previouslyre-releasedLink’s Awakeningon the Switch, both through the 2019 HD remake by Grezzo, along with re-releasingThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DXas part of the Nintendo Switch Online service in February 2023. Both these versions were cited in the takedown notice, which is likely why Nintendo pursued legal action against this fan-made port.
This isn’t the first time that Nintendo has legally strong-armed fan-made projects into the ground, and it likely won’t be the last. Earlier this year, for example,Nintendo requested the Dolphin emulator to be removed from the Steam platform. Much like the shutdowns of games likeAM2R, fans have been trying to and preserve thisLink’s AwakeningPC port after downloads were removed.
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (1993)
It was the first Game Boy entry into the series, later re-released in colorized “DX” form for Game Boy Color. The game is essentially one long side quest that deviates as much from the traditional Zelda storyline as the N64’s Majora’s Mask. The story is completely new and original, but the game system is largely the same as in the Super NES hit, A Link to the Past. You explore a vast island named Koholint, opening up access to more new and new areas as you collect special items and solve puzzles. On your way, you gather Rupees and heart containers, use your sword to defeat enemies, and push plenty of blocks around.
