Link's Awakening (Game Boy, 1993): Improvised Review 

the sweating is intentional. it’s hot in front of those lights. a faker or a poser would have a fan or an assistant with a towel nearby to refresh between takes. well, you can’t do anything between takes if there’s just one take. the sweat provides visual continuity

Kotaku is finally utilizing their golden boy to his fullest potential

Tim is your diamond in the rough, Kotaku. Treat him right.

When I was 8 my cat died because of my stepmother’s neglect I cried more for this cat than for all my grandparents On the very same day, back in my room, in grief, I finished Link’s Awakening, and the ending cutscene made me accept the concept of death

I can't image what it must be like to live in the perfect memory prison Tim lives with.

i love this Tim Flexes That Memory format

RU-vid is almost worth it because of videos like this.

"implore you to excuse them" is one of my favorite things I've heard in a while

Tim’s amazing as ever, but I’d also like to thank the editors for their masterful step-by-step playthrough editing! It really enhanced the experience. Edit: If Tim edits everything himself, he has officialy transcended Godhood.

I watched every minute of this fully enraptured. I enjoyed the previous two Timprovisation videos, but this one was especially wonderful. Thanks for all you do, Tim! You are appreciated!

I’ve had a rough week. Sometimes, it’s tough. As I watched Tim’s discussion from 31:09 to 36:30, I became aware that I was suddenly smiling. The joy of the game, the joy of Tim’s explanation, my warm feelings about my youth - you take your joy where you can find it. Thanks, Tim. Love the Vertical Slice. I’d love for you to do more.

Congrats Tim. Glad to see Kotaku really pushing you . You are a star.

I know we're almost 9 months into the year but I just changed my New Year's resolution to "Love the human race as much as Tim Rogers loves the first 30 minutes of Link's Awakening."

As a person with a terrible, terrible memory, I am bamboozled.

this is the first lecture i've had since college and i don't recall any of those making me feel the warm fuzzies!

Tim thrives at Action Button Reviews now!

Kotaku. Get this man some air conditioning!

I could listen to this man talk for like ten hours straight.

TIm is such an incredibly talented guy. The passion with which he talks about the games he likes makes me just urge to play whatever video game he happens to be talking about. I love him.

I cackle with glee everytime you play the Monday night football theme. It's absolutely wonderful

How to make me like your videos? "Hello. I'm Tim Rogers"

Tim’s screen by screen recall of this game is absolutely mind bottling.

This guy is a genius. I enjoy watching his videos more than anything tv has to offer these days. He’d be a good person to know, a good friend to talk to. Keep it up Tim. These videos are a treat for intelligent gamers. Thank you.

Tim's new haircut rules and Link's Awakening also rules.

Kotaku should of done everything in thier power to keep this guy. His RU-vid channel is pumping out gold now if anyone is curious its "Action Button".

Wonderful and insightful analysis, Tim! I never appreciated how expertly crafted the intro to this game is. I also love this style and format of video. Excellent work all around!

I really love the direction of these Timprovisation videos. I think you're hitting your stride with this new format!

Dude, this content does it for me. Love this game and love your analysis/commentary.

This was incredibly brilliant! Absolutely loved it, love Tim's game design wisdom! And presented in such an entertaining way

You really just hit the head on why I love video games - I think we all need to take a moment time and again to understand what makes a game enjoyable and how much thought and care goes into making one. You should really do more of these game breakdown videos! Thanks for the special video!

tim you look healthier these days.. luv u

Tim is a treasure. I was suddenly stricken with a vision of the entirety of "walkthrough youtube" being this style of video, and the walkthroughs for every game were 160+ parts, and hundreds of hours long.

Tim. I enjoy your work immensely.

This is delightful and you're the best! Thanks Tim and video production crew for always putting the time and effort into making videos that are so much fun to watch. Your videos are highlights of the Kotaku feed for me!

Thank you for this improvised Review, Tim Rogers. I loved every second of it. Link's Awakening is one of the first video games I played as a kid when I was around 4 years old. I'm utterly convinced, that this game has made me into the person loving video games with a passion that I am today. Needless to say it still remains one of my all time favorite games and I regularly play through it again which is really helped by how timeless this classic gem is.

I'm always a bit hesitant to start watching a new Tim Rogers video since they're consistently so long, but after I finally give in I always enjoy every minute of it.

Links Awakening has always been my favorite Zelda game. Thank you for this video. So many good memories.

As someone whose favorite Zelda is Link's Awakening, I thank you for this video, Tim. You do amazing work and to hear you speak so positively on games like Link's Awakening and Dragon Quest does my heart some good.

actually so keen because of this video alone. we need more of these retro reviews

Tim Rogers I love your content. Never stop making these high quality videos. Regarding your closing statements about Wind Waker, I challenge you to rebuild the map of the great sea (either visually, or just through colourful verbosity) entirely unprepared and by memory. I promise I will comment on AND like such a video regardless how accurate it is.

Thanks, Tim! This was great!

Thank God we get another Vertical Slice. Gimme more of that pie, Tim

Perfect video for the perfect game. Thanks for this entertaining hour, Tim. :)

I've played this game literally dozens of times and you remember things about it that I never noticed in the first place.

Link's Awakening is my favourite Zelda game. This is now my favourite review ever.

I've been enjoying your foray into on-camera videos this year and this is the best one so far! Thank you for the great hashtag content. I will never not laugh at the Money Night Football music.

I was wondering if Vertical Slice would ever come back! Great video.

school started back up this week, and the medicine i need is fifty eight minutes and eighteen seconds of my boy

god just hearing the soundtrack in the background reminds of how much the sound design absolutely kills

It's so awesome to behold a human being who has maintained this level of enthusiasm for their defining hobby well into adulthood. I've been binging Tim Rogers videos for the past few days and I hope to see a geriatric Tim explaining video games to me a few decades from now.

That was so good. I'm even more excited for next month!

I can't even recall with I did in the last hour with this level of clarity. Another phenomenal vid.

Enjoy the Tim Rogers at Kotaku era while it lasts; we will look back on this as a golden age

As someone who also grew up in Pennsylvania I cannot but share the nostalgic memories of pretzel sticks and the King of Prussia Mall glad to see this be online.

"Which is the best Zelda game, by the way" FACT CHECK CORNER: TRUE

The length of this video matches the drive time from my apartment in San Francisco to my grandma's house in San Jose. Just like Link's Awakening, this video is entertaining AND an effective time grinder for long drives!

This has made my weekend - bravo sir

Something like 20 years ago, I was that little clueless kid playing his first Zelda game. I had no idea how good this game was but it was my favorite game for a long time. Thank you for helping me reliving that moment and helping me appreciate the genius behind my childish wonder. Video games forever.

love this. and to your comment at the end telling professors to show this to their students: we have to write a paper analyzing everything you just talked about and he directed us this video, very cool

I should also mention that the music in these dungeons is simply fantastic. So incredibly simple yet VERY foreboding in atmosphere. It's absolutely sublime, and particularly impressive considering the hardware it was doing this on.

that was amazing. one of your top 4 videos! even though they're all in the top 10!

I have split the viewing of this video into 5 small episodes and it was amazing. I can't wait to play this game and based on this I should be able to succeed at least until the end of the first dungeon. Thank you for this Tim (and the KOTAKU team).

If I have to watch a Timprovisation every week of the rest of the year, and the years after that. I will never fall into depression. So far these are funny, entreteining, and even educational. All for this great guy love for video games and the platform it provides this kind of editorial freedom 👍🏽 It’s Tim Rogers from KOTAKU DOT COM

Tim, your videos are always a highlight of my day and I’m so glad you do these!

Link's Awakening is suuuuuuch a good game. Glad people will get a chance to play it.

Wait JUNE 7TH? I SHARE BIRTHDAYS WITH TIM ROGERS HOLY MOTHERF***

This man is the sole reason why I subscribed to Kotaku on youtube

We share similar nostalgia for Link's Awakening. Great video!

I remember discovering Tim’s lengthy (almost novel sized) reviews of Mario Bros 3 and earthbound back in middle school. The length of this is bringing me back to those old essays. Please do video essays where you read those reviews if you need content ideas.

I really enjoyed this video, Your awesome Tim.

This is like seeing a learned lecturer describe thoughts that had occurred to you but in striking detail and precision. La is the best game ever

RU-vid suggestions do sometimes work. This was a really fun watch!

i love this man so much

Tim, on camera: hello Tim, off camera: *H E L L O*

Tim is one year younger than me. His takes are unique but much of what he says makes sense to me due to shared cultural experiences. Or maybe he's just awesome.

I swear I could listen to this dude all day

It's nice to hear someone speaking respectfully of a game that deserves respect for once. I was born within two months of this game's release, it was one of my first games, and one that shaped who I would become as an adult who now lives on a boat.

Looking forward to hanging out with this video for an hour and basking the Tim Rogers Perspective on an undervalued gem of a Legend of Zelda game. Good stuff.

I live by KOP and the in-laws live past Pottstown, this story is just awesome.

I feel like Tim is pushing the concept of what video "content" can be. Very intriguing.

"killing is good" - tim rogers, 2019 (great video! cheers)

i think about this video from time to time. His photographic memory of this game is incredibly impressive.

This is an in-depth examination of the game mechanics and intentions of the designers of this classic Zelda game. It helps me pinpoint why I felt that so much of what I like about Zelda was missing from BotW. I know this is not a popular opinion.

Grew up 5 minutes from Pottstown, in southeastern Berks. Glad to see my stomping grounds pop up in a Tim Rogers video. Thanks Tim Rogers!

Awesome video. I moved to Pennsylvania from michigan a couple years ago, I went to the King of Prussia mall for the first time a couple months ago. Also went to massage therapy school in Pottstown, funny to hear these stories from those places. This game is freaking awesome.

Tim's haircut is sick. Very fitting. Anyway, I couldn't be anymore hyped for this game. So excited for traditional Zelda!

Tim and the team at gamexplain are my current RU-vid gaming addictions.

Tim, I actual fecking love you. I hope they pay you very well. You deserve it!

Great video. I'd love to see Tim do a similar video for Majora's Mask.

great video as always tim ~Nightcore Jones

Watching those slimes in slow motion at 21:15 really made me appreciate how nice and fluid the animation for those enemies are, even for a Gameboy game

King of Prussia Electronics Boutique. I used to go there all the time when I was a kid. Really enjoy watching all your reviews.

I hit like before the ad even stopped playing

Thanks for that Tim! You did to video games for me what Karim Debbache and François Theurel did for movies, get me interested in thinking about them more in depth.

this might be the best video i have ever seen

Same beautiful boy I just started watching on Action Button s couple days ago. Never change Tim.

I'm starting to feel like a comment stalker because I comment on every Tim video. But they are just so good I want everyone to read how good I think Tim's content is!

I've played this game a ton of times! It is one of my favorite games of all time on Gameboy. I even bought it again when it was made for the Gameboy color. Worth every penny, and I will be playing it again.

his memory always amazes me

this was the first 8 bit game i ever played, and might still be the best