The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (ゼルダの伝説 夢をみる島, Zeruda no Densetsu Yume wo Miru Shima, lit. The Legend of Zelda: Dreaming Island), one of the prime titles of the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Said by many fans to be one of the best portable Zelda titles even today, Link's Awakening still proves to be a tough contender even against the likes of The Minish Cap, and A Link to the Past + Four Swords.

The Story
It is said that Link traveled across the world in search of adventure and to increase his skills. One day upon the great Ocean, a huge storm broke out tossing Link's ship around and around until it came upon an island. His ship was utterly destroyed leaving Link unconscious on the beach. A young girl was strolling across the beaches to find Link lying there, unconscious. After a long nap, Link awakes to find himself in a house being looked after by a young girl named Marin. Marin's father, Tarin, informed Link of the restless monsters that had been circulating the area. He gave Link his shield and Link set off to the beach to recover his sword.

After taking his sword from the beaches, a mysterious owl came down from above and told Link that in order for him to leave, he had to wake the Wind Fish.

Timeline Placement
The chronological placement of Link's Awakening in respect to the rest of the series has always been something of a hot issue, although the game was originally created as a sequel to A Link to the Past, still clearly references A Link to the Past's story in booklet, and is a necessary story element in Kodai No Sekiban. Still, every new game featuring a boat incites a new debate over the possible 'ret-conning' of Link's Awakening to a new place in the timeline.

The Legend of the Wind Fish
The Wind Fish, said to be inside the Egg atop of the Tal Tal Mountain Range, is a legend circulating around Koholint Island. Many say that when the Wind Fish is awoken, then the island will disappear. It is also believed that the Wind Fish can grant wishes when awoken. Of course, the residents of Koholint Island merely treat that as a legend, but the Owl and Link put their skills to the test to make this legend a reality.



Mario References
There are several references to the Mario games in Link's Awakening. Here's a list, please add anything you see.


 * The Yoshi Doll
 * Tarin himself (who is similar in appearance to Mario)
 * Tarin turning into a raccoon after eating a Mushroom might be a reference to Super Mario Bros.3
 * The yoshi-like egg on top of the mountain
 * Mr. Write shows you the picture of Peach sent to him by the goat in Animal Village. (Because of the picture, her name is implied to be Christine.) (This scene is poking fun at long distance relationships involving mail, e-mail, etc. since the goat is lying about who she really is and Mr. Write thinks he is writing to a beautiful woman)
 * Various enemies:
 * Wart (under the name Mamu)
 * Goomba
 * Piranha Plant
 * Cheep-Cheep
 * Boo
 * Mask-Mimic
 * Pokey
 * Bloober
 * Thwimp/Thwomp
 * Bombite
 * Bow-Wow
 * Anti-Kirby (Not a Mario reference as such, but a Nintendo cameo nevertheless)

Ports and Remakes
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX for Game Boy Color is a re-release of Link's Awakening with more monsters, a secret photo album, and the Color Dungeon, which offers either the Blue Tunic, which increases defense, or the Red Tunic, which increases attack. However, once you choose a tunic, you could switch between the two, but never back to the original Green Tunic.

Trivia

 * Princess Zelda is not featured at all in Link’s Awakening, though she is referenced by Link, initially confusing Marin for her.
 * If the player completes the game without dying, Marin will appear at the end and she will transform into a seagull and fly away, just as she wished in an earlier scene.
 * According to Twin Galaxies the fastest completion of Link’s Awakening is 1 hour, 22 minutes and 57 seconds by Rodrigo Lopes on June 12th, 2006.
 * If the player inputs the name ZELDA when creating a new game, a remixed Zelda theme tune will play in the background.
 * Unlike the other Zelda games in the series, none of the levels in the original Link’s Awakening are called Dungeons or Temples.

Listings

 * Characters in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
 * Dungeons
 * Boss Index
 * Enemy Index

Gallery: Enemies in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Links and Reviews

 * Link's Awakening page on ZU - Strategies, game information, pictures and more.
 * Link's Awakening review on VGRC.net 9.5 out of 10
 * Link's Awakening DX review on VGRC.net: 9.75 out of 10