About
A fan-made, from-scratch HD remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, the 1998 Game Boy Color title from Nintendo. Built in MonoGame (a .NET/XNA-successor framework), it rebuilds the original top-down action-adventure with high-resolution art, widescreen 16:10 support, high refresh rates, and seamless screen transitions in place of the GBC's room-by-room scrolling. The project drew wide attention before Nintendo issued a DMCA takedown in December 2023, after which its source code circulated and community forks added Linux and other platform builds.
Identity
Launch
- Binary
- Link's Awakening DX HD
- Needs files
- none beyond the binary
Runtime
- Runs as
- Native Linux
- Proton
- not needed
⚙ Setup notes
MonoGame / .NET 8 fan port. Two ways to run it on Deck:
1) Proton + .NET (the community-tested path). This is the route that Steam Deck reports actually describe as working. Add the Windows DirectX build as a non-Steam game, force a compatibility tool (Proton Experimental, Proton 8, or a recent GE-Proton all reported working), then install the .NET Desktop Runtime into the prefix with protontricks BEFORE first launch — the game shows a "needs .NET files to run" dialog otherwise. For a fully native binary set type='proton'. (.NET Desktop 6 vs newer matters depending on build version; match it to whatever .NET the build targets.)
2) Native Linux build (newer, less widely confirmed on Deck). BigheadSMZ's Patcher can output a native Linux x86-64 (OpenGL) binary that runs without Proton — chmod +x it, keep it in its own folder, add as a non-Steam game. This avoids the .NET prefix step, but the widely-shared "runs flawlessly" Deck reports below were on the Proton path, not this one.
Controller: Reports indicate the gamepad is read without a manual Steam Input remap once the game launches. If buttons don't respond, apply a Gamepad layout in Steam Input.
Display: Users report it running on Deck at 90Hz and 16:10.
Caveat: Do NOT run the game fullscreen in Desktop Mode — there's no in-game way to quit and you can get stuck.
The one thing to know
Supply your own copy: Nintendo issued a DMCA takedown of this port (Dec 2023), so official itch.io downloads were removed and availability is unstable; obtain it only from a source you judge legitimate. The source code remained available, and BigheadSMZ's Patcher project rebuilds/ports the game from a base copy.
What it is: A free, from-scratch fan PORT of Link's Awakening built in MonoGame. Steam Deck reports describe it running well with the gamepad working without a manual remap, at 90Hz and 16:10 — but those reports are on the Proton + .NET (Protontricks) path, NOT the newer native Linux binary. Treat the native build as "should work, less confirmed."
Type: type is set 'native' because BigheadSMZ's Patcher can emit a native Linux binary. If you instead run the Windows DirectX build (the more widely tested route on Deck), switch type to 'proton', force Proton Experimental / Proton 8 / recent GE-Proton, and install the .NET Desktop Runtime into the prefix via protontricks first.
Don't fullscreen in Desktop Mode: there is no in-game quit, so a fullscreen Desktop-Mode session can trap you.
ProtonDB: protondb_tier left blank — this is a non-Steam fan port with no Steam appid, so it has no ProtonDB listing.
Note: deckport describes configuration only and links nothing it does not have a right to.
Community guides
Write-ups and threads from people who got this (or a similar) game running. deckport links to them — it doesn't reproduce them.
Get the artwork
deckport never hosts game images. Open this game on SteamGridDB, pick
the cover / hero / logo / icon you like, and drop them into the
game folder under .deckport-art/ before you push it to the
Deck. The importer files them under the right names automatically.
Run it on your Deck
Two files: the one-time importer (deckport.py) in your
Deck's home folder, and this game's install helper. Copy the game
into ~/Games and run the helper with Steam closed — it
writes the recipe (binary, launch options)
and registers the shortcut with artwork.