The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a relatively short game with a small overworld, so the development time wouldn't be as long as it would for the more complex entries in the same series, so there is less risk involved if it underperforms.

It's possible that the reason why The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening was chosen first was to act as a testing ground for future remakes. It seems like a strange decision for Nintendo to remake The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening instead of any other number of games in the series, especially as fans would kill for a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Link's ship is destroyed in a storm on the way back to Hyrule and he washes up on Koholint Island, which is covered in the events of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. The same Link returned to Hyrule Castle at some point in the future and was later sent to the lands of Holodrum and Labrynna, as was seen in The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. The Link from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past defeats Ganon and leaves Hyrule to train. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is actually the first game in a four-part storyline that has been chronicled on the official website for the series, as well as in books like The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia.

The Legend of Zelda series has included several games that star the same version of Link, such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is also receiving a sequel that appears to be starring the same versions of Link and Princess Zelda from the first game.

Zelda a link to the past