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) is the fourth installment in the Legend of Zelda series, developed for the Nintendo Game Boy. It was released in Japan on June 6, 1993, and in North America on December 31 of the same year. Being the first handheld Zelda game, despite originally being a monochrome title, the game made numerous contributions and innovations to the series, including the ability for Link to jump. The game has been announced to be a sequel to the Oracle games.

Unlike most other Zelda titles, Link's Awakening does not take place in the land of Hyrule, nor does the Triforce or nemesis Ganon make an appearance. In Link's Awakening, Link finds himself on Koholint Island. To escape, he needs to find the Instruments of the Sirens which will awaken the Wind Fish and allow Link to leave the island he is marooned on. A remake called The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX for the Game Boy Color was released in 1998, and features compatibility with the Game Boy Printer as well as an exclusive color-based dungeon to capitalize on the GBC's palette. Upon its release, Link's Awakening proved highly successful, selling over four million units, and paved the way for later handheld Zelda games to follow. Most publications rated the game positively, despite the technical restraints imposed by the Game Boy's black and white screen; the DX version went on to receive even higher scores than the original. IGN rated the title as one of the top 100 games of all time.

Gameplay
Like all games in The Legend of Zelda series, Link's Awakening is an action-adventure game, most similar to its predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Most exploration and combat takes place from an overhead perspective. The player explores the overworld of Koholint Island, fighting monsters and entering special dungeons. The dungeons vary in size and the puzzles needed to beat each one, but all end with a powerful 'Nightmare' which the player must defeat. Success earns the player another Heart Container, which increases the amount of damage the player can take; when a player loses all heart, the game restarts from the last door that Link walked through before dying.

In addition to the main quest to awaken the Wind Fish by completing a total of eight dungeons, Link's Awakening also offers numerous side quests and diversions. For example, hidden across the overworld and dungeons are secret seashells which can be collected; if a majority of the shells are brought to a special shrine, the player receives a more powerful sword which shoots beams. In addition, Link's Awakening was the first Zelda game to include a trading sequence side quest. This mini-game consists of giving a certain item to a character, who in turn gives the player another item to trade to someone else. Link's Awakening even allows Link to abscond with items from shops without paying for them, although the consequence if he ever returns to the store is instant death. In addition, he is referred to as "THIEF" by the inhabitants of Koholint Island for the remainder of the game.

Like A Link to the Past before it, Link's Awakening introduced numerous new game mechanics to the series, such as allowing Link to jump. This allowed the game to feature side-scrolling puzzles and elements, similar to those found in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Link can expand his abilities with items, which are discovered in dungeons and through character interactions; in addition to allowing access to previously unreachable areas, some items are often crucial for reaching or successfully completing a dungeon. Link's Awakening was also the first Zelda game in which both A and B buttons could be assigned to different items, neither of which had to be the sword, allowing for more inventive play styles. While the button assignment method was only used for subsequent handheld Zelda titles, jumping was only one of several mechanics which have since become standard in most subsequent Zelda games; also appearing for the first time in a Zelda game are fishing, flying around using a Cucco, and the learning of special songs which are played on an ocarina.

Plot
Link, traveling the seas in search of adventure, one night comes across a raging storm and is marooned on Koholint Island, a tropical paradise. He is found by a young lady by the name of Marin. Link awakens, confused, in the house of Marin and her father Tarin. After finding his lost shield and sword, an Owl approaches Link and tells him that in order to escape from the island, he must awaken the Wind Fish, the guardian God of Koholint Island, from his sleep with the help of the Instruments of the Sirens. The Nightmares, evil creatures that are revealed to be in control of the island, do everything in their power to guard the Instruments of the Sirens and stopping Link from ever waking the Wind Fish.

Link travels around the island and retrieves the instruments, and seemingly falls in love with the beautiful Marin. However, the true nature of the island is revealed when he discovers a mural in a shrine. Here, it is inscribed that the island is merely a dream of the Wind Fish, and if he is awakened, the island will disappear. Link, confronted with a difficult choice, continues on his journey. After collecting all the eight Instruments, Link approaches the Wind Fish's Egg and plays the "Ballad of the Wind Fish", opening a doorway into the maze-like interior of the egg. After braving the maze inside the egg, Link meets the leader of the Nightmares, Dethl. Dethl transforms into many powerful shapes, some resembling enemies Link has fought before, but to no avail -- it is finally defeated by Link. After its defeat, a staircase appears and Link is congratulated by the Owl. He plays the "Ballad of the Wind Fish" once more, awakening the Wind Fish. As it carries Link away, the island disappears. He comforts the troubled Link by telling him that while Koholint Island itself must disappear, it will remain in his memories forever.

Setting
Unlike most other Zelda titles the game does not take place in Hyrule, and does not involve any of the characters or locations of previous games, besides a passing mention of Princess Zelda in the opening portion of the game. Instead, Link's Awakening takes place entirely on Koholint Island (コホリント島) an isolated landmass which is cut off from the rest of the world. There are two major towns, located to the west and east portions of the island; the former, Mabe Village, is where the player begins their quest. The latter, Animal Village, is named due to its non-human inhabitants. In addition to a large mountain range to the north, Koholint contains a forest, plains, castle, swamp, and desert; game reviewers noted that the island, though small, contained a large amount of hidden secrets and interconnected pathways. Scattered across the world are eight dungeons which contain the instruments needed to wake the 'Wind Fish', which sleeps in a giant egg at the top of the island's mountain range.

Characters
The protagonist in the game is Link, a defender of Hyrule who arrives on the island of Koholint after his ship is damaged in a storm. There, he is found by Marin, who nurses him to health. During his travels, Link is aided by an Owl who serves as a guide throughout the game, and informs Link of the mysterious Wind Fish, whom the player must awaken for Link to leave the island and finish the game.

Link's Awakening also features other characters who help the player figure out where to go next; this includes Ulrira, a shy old man who communicates to Link exclusively by telephone. Other characters Link meets on his quest include the scholar Mr. Write and the exiled prince Richard, who first appeared in the Nintendo title Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (For Whom the Frog Tolls). The island is also inhabited by strangely aware non player characters who inform the player of game mechanics such as saving, although they have no idea what this means.

Development
Development of Link's Awakening proceeded directly following the completion of the Japanese-only Game Boy title, Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru. The graphic style was similar to that of a cartoon, with the intro and ending utilizing nearly fullscreen comic stillframes in this style. The game's background music was composed by Yuichi Ozaki, Kazumi Totaka, Minako Hamano, and Kazue Ishiwaka.

To roll out the game for the North American release, Nintendo sponsored a cross country train competition, called the 'Zelda Whistle Stop Tour'. The event, which lasted for three days, had selected players test out Link's Awakening in a timed race. Not only was the event a way to showcase the new Zelda game, but Nintendo also wanted to tout the Game Boy's superior battery life and portability, which would make or break the accessibility of a portable Zelda title.

DX version
In 1998, Link's Awakening was re-released as The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX for the Game Boy Color on a black hybrid cartridge that is also compatible with the original Game Boy. This was one of the few "deluxe" versions of Game Boy games, along with Wario Land II DX, Tetris DX, Super Mario Bros. DX and the canceled Metroid II: Return of Samus DX and Kirby's Dream Land 2 DX. As with other DX games, the game was fully colorized. In addition to the mere addition of color, the DX version added numerous gameplay features.

One addition to the was an entirely new dungeon, based on color. The Color Dungeon made use of the Game Boy Color's capabilities to deliver puzzles based on color. The reward for beating the color-based puzzles is the choice of a red or blue-colored tunic, which offer a boost in offensive power or resistance to damage, respectively. The Red Tunic allowed Link to become more powerful (the equivalent of always holding a Piece of Power), while the Blue Tunic raised his defense (the equivalent of always holding a Guardian Acorn).

Another new feature of the DX version was a Camera Shop and photo album. Certain actions trigger cutscenes in which the Camera Shop owner would appear and take a picture. The pictures could be viewed in the player’s photo album at the Camera Shop, and printed using the Game Boy Printer. This feature included the addition of an invisible Zora in the Animal Village as one of the triggers.

The DX version also contains a Super Game Boy enhanced border and color palette. The original game does not have those features, since it was released a year before the peripheral.

Reception
Link's Awakening was well-received by critics, with a reviewer average of 90% on aggregate site Game Rankings. In a retrospective, Electronic Gaming Monthly declared Link's Awakening the "best Game Boy game ever, an adventure so engrossing and epic that we can even forgive the whole thing for being one of those 'It's all a dream!' fakeouts." The Washington Post declared that Nintendo had created a "legend that fits in the palm of your hand", praising the portability and depth of gameplay. The Mainichi Shimbun praised the game's music and story. The title was touted as an excellent portable adventure for those with little time for more sophisticated role-playing games.

Link's Awakening won several awards, including the Graphics and Sound, Challenge, Theme and Fun, Play Control, and Best Overall categories for the Game Boy in the 1993 Nintendo Power Awards decided by readers. The title made multiple top games list as Nintendo Power's fifty-sixth best Nintendo game, IGN reader's 40th best game of all time, and IGN staff's 78th best game. IGN singled out Link's Awakening, saying that "while handheld spin-offs are generally considered the low point for game franchises, Link's Awakening proves that they can offer just as rich a gameplay experience."

Complaints with the game included the graphics, which William Burrill dismissed as "Dim Boy graphics [that are] nothing to write home about." The monochrome graphics occasionally made it harder for critics to see what was going on, leading reviewers to wish the game had some color. The two-button control scheme was called awkward to use, having to constantly switch items almost every screen.

Link's Awakening DX received slightly better reviews than the original; Game Rankings rates the DX version of Link's Awakening with an average score of 92%, based on ten media outlets. IGN gave the title a perfect score, noting that "throughout the color-enhanced version of Zelda DX, it can easily be inferred that Nintendo has reworked its magic to fit new standards", removing nothing from the original game and adding in new adventures. Cameron Davis of Gamespot applauded the camera support and attention to detail in coloration and style, while reviewers for the Courier Mail credited the camera features with added gameplay depth and allowing players to show off trophies. Reviewers for The Daily Telegraph said that the addition of color made the game easier and reduced deaths caused by the player not being able to see what is going on. Despite the improvements, publications such as AllRPG.com took issue with parts of the gameplay that remained unchanged, including the awkwardness of the two-button format. RPGFan felt that the colorization, though adequate, was not as fully detailed as possible.

Link's Awakening and its rerelease were commercially successful; the game remained on bestseller lists for more than 90 months after release, and went on to sell 3.83 million units by 2004. The DX version sold another 2.22 million units.

Trivia
Link's Awakening stands out among the Zelda titles in its lightheartedness and (almost Kojima-esque) humor. Contributing to this atmosphere, many characters from other Nintendo games make cameo appearances in Link's journey.


 * A Chain Chomp from Super Mario Bros. 3 appears in this game as a domesticated pet in Mabe Village named "Bow-Wow", who assists Link at one point in the game. Smaller "puppy" Chomps are also present in the vicinity of Bow-Wow’s doghouse, one of which can talk and contributes to the trading sequence. Chain Chomps did appear previously as enemies in A Link to the Past.


 * Various other enemies from the Mario series appear throughout the game, including Goombas, Thwomps, Boos, Cheep-Cheeps, Bloopers, Pokeys, Bob-Ombs, Shy Guys, Piranha Plants, Podoboos, and Sparks.


 * Princess Peach of the Mario series appears in a picture sent to Mr. Write by his pen-pal, Christine.


 * Yoshi appears as a doll. The doll is the first item collected in the trading game.


 * Wart from the United States version of Super Mario Bros. 2 appears in a cave beneath the Signpost Maze as Mamu (his Japanese name). This is Wart's only appearance outside of SMB2 and both games take place in a "dream world."


 * In Eagle's Tower, there is an enemy called Anti-Kirby (an evil version of the Nintendo character Kirby), who will try to suck Link up into his mouth as he passes by.


 * Mr. Write, a character based on The Sims creator Will Wright, from the SNES version of SimCity and SimCity 64 (Japan-Only) makes an appearance in the trading sequence. Called Mr. Write in this game, his Sim City theme music plays in his house.


 * Totaka's Song can be heard in this game after waiting two and a half minutes in Richard's villa. This song first appeared in X and showed up in many games whose music was composed by Kazumi Totaka.