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New Class Action Accuses Sony Of Keeping Tariff Refunds After PS5 Price Hikes

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Sony Interactive Entertainment is facing a proposed class action lawsuit accusing the company of keeping tariff-related money that plaintiffs say should belong to PlayStation buyers.

The complaint, filed May 6 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, centers on price increases Sony made to PlayStation consoles after tariffs were imposed under the Trump administration’s International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Those tariffs were later deemed unlawful by the U.S. Supreme Court, opening the door for importers to seek refunds.

The plaintiffs in Walker et al v. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC accuse Sony of “retention of a substantial windfall generated by unlawful tariffs imposed by the federal government under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.” They argue that the company raised prices to offset the tariff burden, but now stands to recover that money from the government without returning any of it to customers.

According to the lawsuit, that would amount to “a double recovery windfall.” The filing claims consumers effectively absorbed the tariff costs through higher console prices, meaning any refunds Sony receives should be passed along to them.

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Sony increased U.S. PlayStation prices twice during the period cited in the complaint. The first increase was announced on August 20, 2025, followed by another on May 27, 2026. The suit says that between August 21, 2025, and April 2, 2026, the PlayStation 5 “disc edition” rose by $150, the PlayStation 5 “digital edition” also increased by $150, and the PlayStation 5 Pro went up by $200.

The refund process became a major part of the dispute after U.S. Customs and Border Protection launched a tariff refund website on April 20, 2026, allowing affected importers to seek reimbursement for IEEPA tariff payments. The plaintiffs say Sony should not be allowed to benefit from that process while retaining the revenue generated from tariff-era price hikes.

The case is structured as a “Nationwide Class” action covering “all individuals” who purchased a PlayStation console from August 1, 2025, to the present. If the plaintiffs succeed, eligible buyers could potentially receive some form of reimbursement, though the amount remains unclear.

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The Sony suit also echoes a similar class action filed against Nintendo last month, suggesting that gaming hardware makers may face growing legal challenges over how they handled tariff costs and subsequent refund eligibility.

“Unless restrained by this Court, Nintendo stands to recover the same tariff payments twice – once from consumers through higher prices and again from the federal government through tariff refunds, including interest paid by the government on those funds.”

The complaint against Sony makes a nearly identical argument, alleging that consumers absorbed the cost of tariff-related PlayStation price increases while the company now stands to benefit from federal refunds tied to those same tariffs.

Because the complaint is still new, Sony has not yet had much time to respond in court, and it remains unclear how the company will defend its pricing decisions. The case will likely turn on whether plaintiffs can prove the console price increases were tied closely enough to the tariffs and whether any refund money Sony receives should legally flow back to consumers.

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Nintendo Hits Pause on U.S. Switch 2 Pre-Orders Amid Trump Tariff Turmoil

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Nintendo has indefinitely postponed pre-orders in the United States for its highly anticipated Switch 2 gaming console following the Trump administration’s announcement of significant new tariffs on imported goods.

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Nintendo

Nintendo Switch Games Going On Sale For Mario Day 2021

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March 10th officially marks Mario Day 2021 for Nintendo, a great day for fans and Switch users around the world who are finding some of their favorite Mario games on sale this week. There are some amazing discounts this week in honor of the iconic video game character Mario, and the many other characters that the Mario universe has introduced us to over the years. 

Mario Day, also known as Mar10 Day, is an “annual celebration created by fans of the beloved Mario franchise, which first debuted in 1985; though Mario himself first appeared in Donkey Kong in 1981,” according to media sources. 

Games like Super Mario Party have seen a major price drop this week. Originally the game retailed for about $60 but is currently on sale for $39! Most of the games are on sale for around 35% off. This game in particular has more than 6,000 5-star reviews, which makes sense considering Mario Party has been one of the most popular staple games in the Mario franchise. 

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“Buyers love playing Mario Party with their families and how it makes them nostalgic for arcades and early consoles. The game also now supports up to four players and features 80 new mini-games to keep you entertained all-day long!”

Even more popular, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is now on sale for $50, which is $10 off of its normal price. Out of all the Mario Kart games that have hit the market the Switch version has been regarded as one of the best. 

“If you’ve ever wanted to race your friends in true Mario fashion for the ultimate trophy, this is your chance to do it. Choose your favorite avatar and ride down popular race tracks, like Rainbow Road, with up to eight players wirelessly. There’s even additional battle courses if you’re looking to go toe-to-toe with your best friend,” explained Nichka Dhawan, a staff writer for USA Today.

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With every Mario Kart 8 Deluxe purchase players also receive a seven-day free Switch online trial which allows users to race with friends or strangers from all over the world. Additionally the online Switch membership can be used for any game that has the ability to connect to the internet and other players. 

Super Mario Odyssey is a relatively newer addition to the Mario Universe that has also experienced a price drop of $10 down to $50. According to Dhawan the game has more than 17,000 5-star reviews and takes players on an “action-filled, globe-trotting adventure to save Princess Peach from Mario’s arch-nemesis, Bowser. Customers called this ‘the best Mario title to date’ and noted that it’s a game for all ages.”

Speaking of newer Mario franchise games, Luigi’s Mansion 3 has also seen a $21 price drop down to $39. Play as your favorite video game brother as you navigate throughout a spooky mansion and solve puzzle after puzzle to help rescue Mario, and some of his friends along the way. For a list of all the Nintendo Switch games on sale for Mario Day, click here!

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Nintendo Continues To Thrive, Announces Best Quarter Yet For Switch Devices 

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Nintendo has been thriving even more than usual within the past year. The Covid-19 pandemic which has forced the world to stay home indefinitely has been amazing for the entertainment industry, and Nintendo is no different. Especially with the relatively recent release of their Switch and Switch Lite consoles, Nintendo has literally never been more popular. 

Nintendo sold 11.57 million Switch Consoles last quarter alone, bringing the total sales to 79.87 million since the release of the devices in 2017. That marks a 7% increase in sales when compared to this time last year, it also marks the Switch’s best quarter to date. Switch has now surpassed Nintendo 3DS and 2DS devices in terms of sales; 3DS and 2DS devices currently stand at around 75 million units. 

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If the Switch manages to have a normal spring quarter this year, which would mean selling at least 2.5 million units, the device will pass the Game Boy Advance in sales which peaked at 81.51 million. The Wii, Game Boy, and DS family are the only other Nintendo devices currently above the Switch in terms of overall sales when they were released.

Nintendo Switch sales for last quarter are relatively surprising as well due to the fact that Nintendo didn’t have that many big Switch launches last quarter outside of the Legend of Zelda spin-off game Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Beyond that Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit and Pikmin 3 Deluxe were the only other major launches; each game sold a little more than 1 million units. 

Older Nintendo Switch games have been continuously selling since their releases. Mario Kart Deluxe currently has over 33 million sales, and the extremely popular Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been thriving throughout the pandemic. The game is less than a year old and already has 31 million total sales. 

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According to their quarterly reports “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate takes the third spot with 22.85 million sales, followed by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (21.45 million) and Pokémon Sword and Shield (20.35 million). Rounding out the top 10 is Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Party, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!/Eevee!, Splatoon 2 and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe.”

Super Mario 3D World and Bowser’s Fury, which is an updated version of the 3DS game, will be coming out February 12th which is expected to give Nintendo an even larger boost in sales. Following that release Persona 5 Strikers and Bravely Default II will both be released on February 23rd and 26th. 

Nintendo also announces that later in the quarter the company Capcom will be releasing their Switch version of Monster Hunter: World, the widely popular PS4, Xbox One, and PC game, which will be titled Monster Hunter Rise. The company also announced that it would be releasing dozens of their other popular titles for the Switch this year; many of which were previously released for Nintendo 3DS devices.

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Top 5 Most Popular Nintendo Switch Games

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Video games have certainly seen a surge in popularity within the past few weeks. As more countries all around the world begin to finally enforce mandatory lockdown/quarantine procedures as a response to the coronavirus pandemic, many citizens are scrambling to figure out how to occupy their time. Recently, the World Health Organization teamed up with the video game industry as a means of getting people to stay inside and isolate themselves. 

The Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite has become one of the most used video gaming platforms on the market currently. Thanks to a multitude of games, online multiplayer capabilities, and handheld device capability, many gamers are turning their attention to Nintendo Switch for their quarantine entertainment. Thinking about buying a Switch but have no idea where you’d even start when it comes to what games to play? Here are a few of Nintendo’s most popular Switch games of all time as of March 2020:

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Animal Crossing New Horizons: This video game has been all over social media this past month, as the Animal Crossing franchise is one of Nintendo’s most successful in general. In this game, you become an islander who wants to spend the remainder of their life on a deserted island that you’ll have to build from the ground up. You have complete creative control over where you want your villagers to live, what you want your island to look like, and more! On Nintendo Online Play, you’re able to visit your friends’ villages who also play for inspiration! Animal Crossing: New Horizons currently retails for $60.

Pikuniku: If you’re more of a puzzle-oriented, problem solving type of gamer than Pikuniku may be the game for you. You play Piku, the game’s title red creature, as you explore a multitude of multi-colored world’s and solve puzzles to put an end to the harvesting of your land’s resources. A majority of the puzzles involve some sort of “physical” activity that can be performed to gain access to rooms. These types of “activities” include pushing objects to flip switches and open doors, lassoing Piku’s legs around poles to swing yourself from hook-to-hook, and more. Like Animal Crossing, you can interact with all of the land’s villagers, and spend your “money” on cool accessories and resources. The game currently retails for $13. 

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Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX: This game is a part of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Series, and in it, you’ll start out as a human who turned into a Pokémon character. The character you become is determined by a personality quiz that you’ll take at the beginning of the game. You then choose a Pokémon partner to join you on your journey and from there, the two of you will embark on missions that include rescuing captured Pokémon, delivering items, and interacting with other players. The goal is to complete a job in order to move onto another floor within the mystery dungeon and, eventually, find your way out of it. The game currently retails for $60. 

Rocket League: This game takes the classic worlds of arcade racing and soccer and combined them to create one game. In it, players become a rocket-powered car that they use in a vehicular soccer match against another team. This game perfectly combines all the adrenaline of a demolition derby with the excitement of a fast-paced soccer game. Within it, you can unlock new car skins, accessories, soccer moves and abilities. Like most Switch games, you can even play with all your friends. Rocket League is on sale for $20 currently. 

Minecraft: A list of some of Nintendo’s most popular games would be incomplete without Minecraft. This game has been around for years, and has quickly become one of the most played games on all video game devices around the world. Like Animal Crossing, Minecraft takes on a sort of “choose your own adventure”/ “make your own world” aesthetic. You gather materials, build your village, mingle with your friends, and battle your enemies. The Nintendo Switch version of Minecraft is currently on sale for $30.

Auction

Rare “Nintendo Playstation” Prototype to be Sold at Auction

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If you’re at all familiar with the world of video games, you know that Nintendo and Sony, which makes the popular Playstation series of gaming consoles, have been fierce competitors for many years. But before Sony entered the video game industry with the release of the original Playstation, it had actually cooperated with Nintendo to develop a gaming system, though the results of this effort never saw the light of day. In fact, the name “Playstation” comes from this collaboration, as Sony adopted the moniker for itself after its relationship with Nintendo fell apart. Engineers from both companies worked to develop a prototype, the so-called “Nintendo Playstation,” which had both a cartridge slot and a CD slot, taking advantage of Sony’s expertise with the then-new digital storage medium. Only about 200 of these prototypes were ever created, with nearly all of them thought to have been lost or destroyed; the only known remaining prototype was discovered in a box full of junk after being sold at an auction for $75. Now, the prototype’s owner has announced he would sell it at an auction, and it is expected to sell for over a million dollars.

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For technology and video game enthusiasts, the Nintendo Playstation prototype is a fascinating historical artifact that suggests how the world of video games today could be vastly different if the relationship between Nintendo and Sony hadn’t turned sour. The Nintendo Playstation was intended to be built on top of the wildly successful Super Nintendo console, adding the feature of a CD-ROM drive as well as enhanced processing power. The device would have been sold in two forms: an accessory to the Super Nintendo called the Super NES CD-ROM, and a standalone console, which would have been called the Playstation and would have offered full compatibility with Super Nintendo games. However, in large part as a result of the breakdown of negotiations between the two companies and Nintendo’s collaboration with Phillips, one of Sony’s main competitors at the time, plans to release the device were cancelled. In the aftermath, the Sony Playstation went on to compete directly with the console that succeeded the Super Nintendo, the Nintendo 64.

It’s unclear as of yet exactly how much the system will sell for at the February 27th auction, but the Diebolds are sure to profit handsomely from the sale.

Few people know exactly what ended up happening to the 200 or so prototypes that were developed. But one of them ended up being sold in an auction held by Advanta Corporation, a company connected with Sony’s former CEO, for $75, with no one at the time recognizing the real value of the prototype. It sat in a box in an attic for years before being re-discovered by the son of the man who bought the prototype, who then shared pictures of the device online, drawing the attention of a large Internet community that immediately recognized the device, who described it as “priceless” and a “piece of history.” Dan Diebold, the man who shared pictures of the prototype online, also posted a video showcasing the device, which ended up getting over a million views. But people still doubted the authenticity of his claim, accusing Diebold of having orchestrated a hoax.

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Dan and his father, Terry, recognize the historicity of their possession, and have done their best to preserve and study the device. Fortunately, it still works, though the software being developed for it was never completed and thus its functionality is limited. That being said, it is fully compatible with existing Super Nintendo games, and it is also capable of playing back audio CDs. The console’s owners brought it to Ben Heck, a technology expert, who tore down the console to learn more about how it was built and also fixed some small problems with the device. Additionally, the father-and-son team spent years touring the system around the world, giving global fans an opportunity to see the device in person, an endeavor which they claim made them no money. Someone in Norway offered to buy the device for $1.2 million, but the Diebolds refused this offer. The upcoming auction will be hosted by Heritage Auctions, which previously sold video game artifacts like a sealed copy of the first Mega Man game for $75,000. It’s unclear as of yet exactly how much the system will sell for at the February 27th auction, but the Diebolds are sure to profit handsomely from the sale.

Super Mario

Super Mario 64 Land Reimagines a 23-year-old Classic

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Millennials who grew up playing video games likely have fond memories of their favorite classics from the 90’s, particularly the groundbreaking and wildly successful early 3D titles such as Super Mario 64. This nostalgia is so widespread that it’s led enterprising fans to create their own reimaginings of classic games, using emulators and clever programming tricks to modify the original code. These fan-made projects have become so ambitious in scope that they can rival and even exceed the quality of the games they’re based on, replacing nearly every element of the original titles with custom content. This is perhaps best exemplified by the recent Super Mario 64 Land, a total conversion mod of Super Mario 64 that introduces unique art, level design, and gameplay mechanics to the game engine of the celebrated Nintendo 64 launch title.

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Despite legal challenges from Nintendo concerning the redistribution of their intellectual property, the emulation and modding community for classic Nintendo platforms including the Nintendo 64 has perhaps never been more active, as talented programmers and artists donate their time to create free, fan-made works inspired by their favorite titles. Due to its status as a best-selling classic and the litany of modding tools that have been developed for the title, Super Mario 64, released in 1996 to widespread critical acclaim, is the most popular N64 game to modify. Many of these mods exhibit impressive feats of programming and reverse-engineering, as in the cases of a mod that adds a 24-person online multiplayer feature to the game, a mod that lets you play the entire game from a first-person perspective, and even a custom level editor inspired by the recent Nintendo hits Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2.

The more inventive and creative mods, however, are those that replace existing game content with custom assets, including levels, character models, gameplay features, and music, to create an entirely new experience. Many such total conversion mods have been released over the past several years, including the popular Super Mario Star Road, released in 2011, and the cleverly-themed Super Mario 64: Halloween Edition. But the most recent release, created by a developer with years of experience creating custom content for Super Mario 64, aims to replicate the style and level of polish Nintendo is known for, and draws inspiration from the celebrated 3DS title Super Mario 3D Land. 

Super Mario 64 Land is, of course, of dubious legality, as the mod directly incorporates and redistributes Nintendo’s intellectual property

Super Mario 64 is not the only classic Nintendo title that has received attention from the modding community. Ocarina of Time: Four Swords Arena Edition allows you to play the critically-acclaimed N64 Zelda title with three friends, and another mod adds custom stages to the classic fighting game Super Smash Brothers. Perhaps the most impressive fan-made Nintendo project from recent years was the remake called AM2R, a total re-imagining of the Game Boy title Metroid II: Return of Samus for PC. While the developer was ultimately forced to remove access to the fangame by Nintendo’s legal team, the project ultimately allowed the developer to teach himself game design and programming, leading him to be hired by a professional game studio.

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Super Mario 64 Land is, of course, of dubious legality, as the mod directly incorporates and redistributes Nintendo’s intellectual property, borrowing concepts from newer Mario titles such as their power ups and enemies. The Japanese company is notorious for issuing takedown notices to developers who modify their games, who generally capitulate to the entertainment giant by deleting links to their creations under threat of legal action. As such, the future availability of Super Mario 64 Land on the internet is uncertain, so if you’re interested in playing it, it’s a good idea to download the mod to your computer ASAP. Links to the mod, which is free but requires a ROM image of Super Mario 64 and a Nintendo 64 emulator, can be found in the description for the mod’s YouTube trailer. 

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The Reviews for Nintendo’s Quirky “Ring Fit Adventure” Are In

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Ring Fit Adventure is the type of video game only Nintendo could make. While many developers have tried their hands at the often-unsuccessful genre of “exergaming,” Nintendo’s latest take on the concept represents a breath of fresh air, as the title amusingly combines the worlds of fitness and role-playing games by asking players to perform yoga poses and strength training exercises to defeat enemies and progress through a colorful and creative game world. The game works by combining the Nintendo Switch’s unique hardware offerings with custom fitness peripherals, as the title asks the player to connect one of the console’s controllers to a flexible ring device and to strap the other controller to his or her leg in order to track their physical movements. Reviewers have confirmed that this configuration provides for a challenging, if comical, workout, and mostly agree that Ring Fit Adventure succeeds in the difficult pursuit of making exercise fun.

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This is not Nintendo’s first foray into the world of exergaming. The company previously debuted the fairly popular Wii Fit, which included a so-called “Balance Board,” a sophisticated and expensive scale which tracks the player’s center-of-weight, used in combination with the motion-sensing Wii Remote. The title was a moderate success, but suffered from a general lack of structure, as while it included a number of activities for the player to engage in, it was devoid of character and personality. Ring Fit Adventure seeks to address this criticism, as while its basic and cartoonish story mode likely appeals more to children than adults, it nevertheless provides players with the motivation to return to the game as their avatar levels up and progresses towards the goal of defeating the title’s antagonist.

Dana Wollman, writing for Engadget, enjoyed her time with the game, and while she was not particularly interested its simplistic and childish story and characters, she thought that it was more than capable of providing motivation to those looking to incorporate fitness into their lives, particularly for children, teenagers, and families. While she notes that the game is not entirely necessary for working out, she points out that this is true of nearly all fitness accessories, as their value is not in the workout they provide but in the motivation they offer to their customers. The Verge’s Andrew Webster was even more laudatory, as he praised the game for changing his mindset about exercising, as for the first time he felt guilty when he had to pass on his daily workout. Additionally, he praised the game for being easy to fit into your life, due to its flexible yet consistent structure, though he believed the game’s heart rate measurements were likely inaccurate.

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Dami Lee, also writing for The Verge, thought the title was so fun that it works as a standalone party game, as each of Ring Fit Adventure’s twelve minigames provide an amusing and competitive experience. And Stephen Totilo, writing for Kotaku, went so far as to call the game “ingenious,” praising its success in combining a thoroughly-conceived exercise regimen with traditional role-playing-game elements, to the point where he didn’t even realize how effectively the game targeted various muscle groups, as it felt more to him like levelling up his character’s stats as in any other RPG. Though Totilo was skeptical that the game would be effective for anyone looking to build a significant amount of muscle, he considered the product a more effective motivational tool, in all of its charming weirdness, than any other he had tried.

For those who are looking for an effective and fun motivational tool for introducing basic workouts into their lives, and aren’t too afraid of looking a little bit ridiculous in the process, Ring Fit Adventure releases today, October 18, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.

Apple Arcade

Apple Arcade Creates a Niche for High-Quality Phone Games

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For years, games for smartphones have broadly fit into one of two categories – either they were free-to-play, oftentimes packaged with obtrusive advertisements and microtransactions built into an experience designed to get you to fork over real money, or they were premium titles, requiring players to invest a nominal up-front fee. While the latter category usually offers more polished and fun titles, few smartphone users are willing to spend money in the App Store, making the former category substantially more profitable for developers. As a result, the number of premium games on offer for both Android and iOS devices has dwindled in recent years, and smartphone users looking to play video games on their devices are often left with titles that subtly encourage them to part with real money for in-game advantages. Looking to address this problem in the gaming environment on their devices, Apple announced the subscription service Apple Arcade, which for $4.99 per month provides iOS users with a selection of high-quality, ad-free mobile games with no microtransactions present.

The service, which launched just a few days ago, is already being praised by media outlets for offering a solution to the dearth of quality games available for smartphones. For the price of a typical premium smartphone game per month, Apple Arcade gives access to more than 70 titles, many of which were custom-designed for the service. This wide selection of titles, which subscribers have unlimited access to for the duration of their subscription, ensures that gamers can find titles that match their specific interests as well as explore other genres of gaming without investing money in titles they’re not sure if they’d like. Apple has leveraged the service to fund the development of indie titles that otherwise would not have been realized, as their designs aren’t conducive to the free-to-play model that currently dominates the industry. As an example, Card of Darkness, a game which combines dungeon-crawling mechanics with a virtual card game, was developed by a ten-person studio paid directly by Apple to be featured exclusively on the Apple Arcade service.

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Card of Darkness has already received rave reviews, as media outlets praised its dynamic and addictive gameplay unencumbered by ads or in-app purchases. The success of this title, in addition to the others on the platform, bodes well for the future of the service, whose innovative approach to game development is likely to produce titles of similar and even greater acclaim as time goes on. Because the funding of titles is handled up-front by Apple on a per-app basis, developers don’t have to worry about generating a return on their investment, freeing them to explore risky but unique game design options and package them into a visually appealing and polished product. 

Developers creating experiences for the Apple Arcade platform have to contend with a number of rules and restrictions that Apple places on developers, though. Game creators are required to ensure that their titles function well on a variety of devices Apple offers, many with radically different form factors, and must localize their games for 14 different languages to ensure that all markets have access to the same selection of titles. For many developers, however, the trade-off is worth it, as the service makes possible titles that wouldn’t be financially viable under the standard App Store model. Where Cards Fall, for instance, has been in development for long before the announcement of Apple Arcade, but seeing as the game offers 20 hours of narrative-driven content, the developers would have charged roughly $20 for the title, which is a substantially greater cost than the vast majority of App Store titles. Apple Arcade ensured that the title, which otherwise may never have seen the light of day, would be financially viable.

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For Android users, Google offers a competing service called Google Play Pass, which for an introductory price of $1.99 per month grants access to a collection not only of games, but of other apps, like weather and photography programs. While the competing service is superficially similar to Apple Arcade in its structure, the selection of games available on Google Play Pass is not as strong. Android is a more difficult operating system to develop games for, as a staggering variety of hardware combinations need to be taken into account as different manufacturers support different features. Additionally, Google Play Pass pays developers based on users’ engagement with their apps, meaning developers who create titles that users play for long periods of time make substantially more money than developers who create short titles. As not every game has to be long-lasting to be fun, this practice discourages developers interested in creating shorter experiences. It’s unclear exactly how Apple decides how much to pay developers for titles on their service, but developers have expressed satisfaction with the deals they’ve made with the software giant.

With the advent of Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass, the once-bleak market for smartphone games seems to be making a resurgence. As consumers shift towards preferring a Netflix-style of content delivery generally, wherein they pay a monthly fee for unlimited access rather than paying for titles individually, services like these take advantage of this change in customers’ mindset. Given the surprising early success of Apple Arcade, and the introduction of similar services from Nintendo and Sony for their respective platforms, the subscription model of video gaming seems poised to reshape the industry as a whole. 

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Link’s Awakening on Nintendo Switch Earns Positive Reviews, With Some Caveats

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Reviews for Nintendo’s remake of the 1992 Game Boy classic The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, which releases tomorrow, September 20th, are finally live. After the date for lifting the review embargo was delayed to just a day before the game’s launch, many were worried about the quality of the game, as publishers tend to prolong review embargoes for games they expect to review poorly. Fans can breathe a sigh of relief, however, as reviews indicate that the new Switch title is a faithful, polished, and immensely enjoyable recreation of the beloved original.

One thing you’ll notice immediately upon booting up the game for the first time is the graphics. While the original game was designed around the limitations of the Game Boy’s black-and-white 160×144 display, the remake takes full advantage of the processing power and high-definition capabilities of the Switch, rendering a beautifully detailed and animated world with a unique new art style reminiscent of plastic toy figures. The game takes advantage of rendering techniques like shallow depth-of field to give the impression of a miniature diorama-style environment, brought to life by smoothly animated enemies, characters, and objects. One of the few complaints reviewers had concerned the game’s performance; during certain segments, the game’s framerate would stutter and lag, temporarily disrupting the player’s sense of immersion. These issues are minor, however, and while nothing has yet been announced it’s possible Nintendo will push out a software update that addresses these concerns.

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Another notable improvement from the original game is found in its soundtrack. While the limited processing power of the Game Boy imposed significant limitations on the score’s instrumentation, the remake features an entirely re-recorded, almost fully-orchestrated collection of songs, which are pleasing to hear even as they are repeated throughout the game. Like the game’s graphics, its reimagined soundtrack breathes new life into the game’s original melodies, highlighting and emphasizing the quality of the composition. Nintendo games are famous for the quality of their music, and Link’s Awakening, featuring compositions from the legendary Kazumi Totaka among others, is no exception.

For the most part, reviewers feel that because the original game was so good, few changes were necessary

The game’s overall design is largely unchanged from the version released 27 years ago, but some changes have been made to meet the game design standards of 2019. While the original game only displayed one screen of the environment at the time due to technological limitations, the remake scrolls smoothly across the environment, helping to make the game world feel more cohesive. While the original game only let the player save their progress in certain locations, players of the remake can save and load their game at any point in the environment, picking up right where they left off. Just as in the original game, the player traverses the environment, collecting tools and abilities, interacting with in-game characters, and solving puzzles to progress and allow an original story to unfold. These gameplay elements are largely unchanged, with the exception of features that take advantage of the Switch’s expanded number of buttons and an enhanced map system, among other minor improvements. For the most part, reviewers feel that because the original game was so good, few changes were necessary, and the fundamental gameplay experience holds up even today. While Patrick Klepek of Vice noticed that elements of the game’s design feel dated, Andrew Webster of The Verge described the game as seeming like a brand-new experience.

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The remake introduces a new feature, called Chamber Dungeons, which allows players to customize the game’s various dungeons, rearranging the order of rooms to create a new experience. While the option of creating your own Zelda dungeons sounds enticing, reviewers felt that this mode did not live up to the hype, and instead proved to be a frustrating and dull affair. Reviewers complained that the level of customizability afforded in this mode was far too restrictive, and the dungeons created in this mode ended up feeling repetitive and overly simplistic. Fortunately, this mode is entirely optional, and players who stick to the game’s main campaign won’t have to miss out on any secrets or bonuses if they choose not to bother with the Chamber Dungeons mode.

It’s worth noting that this is not the first time Link’s Awakening has been remade. In 1998, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX was released for the Game Boy Color, featuring color graphics and an optional ninth dungeon which has been carried over to the Switch release. The fact that the game received such strong reviews after having been remade not just once, but twice after nearly 30 years is a testament to the quality of the core gameplay and a sign that the Switch edition of this cult classic is worth checking out, particularly if you’ve never played any version of the game before.