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This is great hack which is challenging and tweaks and introduces plenty of new puzzles and mechanics. With new clues being provided by talking statues pointing in the right direction throughout each dungeon, and an NPC also hinting to your next overworld destination. You are forced to re-explore the overworld to find newly located essential items, and sometimes completing half a dungeon before having to explore the overworld again. This hack shows that the original really had lots of unused opportunities in the programming of the game.

Puzzles are not merely adjusted, brand new ones are introduced in rooms where non existed before, giving you that new game fun feeling.

Unfortunately, the hack includes some annoying, boring overworld hurdles after you have completed dungeon 2 Bottle Grotto. Frame perfect jumping. At which point, any players that have played through without using any guide, cheat or save-states will likely resort to them. A must play for fans who have mastered the original.

In the beginning, it can be quite difficult to get around the forest as others have mentioned. Once I cleared that, I realized that it was nothing compared to what was to come. Enjoyment and frustration alike ensued.

Here are just a few of the things that I thought made Hard Awakening as good as it was:

• Though the overall shapes of the dungeons were the same as ever, the new room layouts were interesting and definitely changed things up.
• Some items were utilized in ways they never had to be in the original game, as Jeville promised.
• Finally! After all this time, the owl statues are USEFUL again! Obviously that's only because this version was new to me, so after having beaten it once, I might not ever need to see them again, unless I forget something. Regardless, it's a nice feeling to want to get the stone beaks again and to be told vital information.

Here are some criticisms I had:

• Dungeons 2 and 3 each had a certain room which was extremely difficult to get through. The ways of dealing with these rooms were certainly nothing seen in the original game, but they were just really frustrating.
• Eagle's Tower was perhaps the most challenging dungeon, which was great, but a good amount of my time was spent trying to figure out how to progress after entering the third floor for the first time. I eventually figured it out by accident. An owl statue giving a slight hint would have been nice. Too nice maybe. Maybe it's just one of those things which, if you give a little hint, you end up giving the whole thing away.
• Pothole Field was just sadistic, man.

But all in all, I definitely had a lot of fun with this hack. It's so great to have a fresh new experience with a game I cherish so, so much.

This hack, to start, is of one of my favorite Zelda games. I played through it simultaneously with a friend, and we had no choice but to work together to find solutions for certain things. This hack is VERY difficult, but at the same time, VERY possible. The puzzles have been redone in such a way that you are forced to think very hard about your next step, and that's where most of the difficulty lies; figuring out how to do things, and what to do. The best part, is that it really is a Master Quest of Link's Awakening. It's still very true to the original game.

A job well done to the creator. Good luck!

This mod felt the same as the very first time I beat the game as a kid. There are still all the locations I love, but tweaked here and there to force genuine exploration and boost the difficulty. Thanks Jeville for letting me play my all time favorite game for the first time again! The beginning is probably the best modification. I hoped for a bit more changes / out of order later in game, but still the dungeon reworkings were top and I could finish the last 3 levels out of order anyway. I have to admit I had to move from phone to TAS emulator on PC at one point. There were two or three rooms that required inhuman precision and speed. I also couldn't get the beak in Bottle Grotto, although I have an idea how it can be done now. Anyway, 100% recommended if you loved the original and would like to get a memory wipe and skill downgrade to make the game challenging again.

New adventure of Link (swordless at the beginning) is interesting, but this hack is not perfect. I found glitchy intro and small plot inconsistency - Tarin (Jason in this hack) is present in Marin's house and in the forest at the same time.

At the beginning, it's possible to use Magic Powder on anything at any time, including killing monsters for rupees (I'm hoping for early Shovel). Unfortunately, aside from an upgrade from the Mad Batter, there appears to be no way to refill the supply after using the powder on Raccoon-Jason and obtaining the Tail Key. The way to the mushroom is blocked by bushes, which are indestructible without powder or sword.

With Magic Powder, the game looks OK, but without it (and no refills), the difficulty is really higher - you have only your shield.

Overall, cool idea, but lack of other weapons at the beginning (aside of Magic Powder) does not satisfy me.

I haven't been able to put this game down. The creators have gone through extreme lengths to make sure the player exhausts ALL options, obvious and not-so-obvious before continuing. Players will have to explore dungeons to a certain extent (until a new item is acquired), then return to the overworld with said item and clear a previously blocked passage. Then, they would have to find a new item which would allow them to progress further in the dungeon.

Every passage, every dungeon, every puzzle is brilliantly constructed and provides a real challenge into Link's Awakening. Players will become very stumped at times, but taking a moment to carefully read into the clues left by the Owls will spark some inspiration for a workaround.

I'm three days into the game, and I'm still in the 2nd dungeon. I highly recommend any fan of the Game Boy Zelda games to give this one a spin. It's a fresh new take on a classic, and all the things you thought you knew about Link's Awakening and the island of Koholint will surprise you with its changes.