The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

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This article is about the original game for the Game Boy. For other uses, see Link's Awakening (Disambiguation).

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	GB release Takashi Tezuka (director) Shigeru Miyamoto (producer) Kazumi Totaka (sound composer) Minako Hamano (sound composer) Kozue Ishikawa (sound composer) Koji Kondo (sound advisor) GBC release Yosinori Tutiyama (director) Takashi Tezuka (supervisor) Yuichi Ozaki (sound composition)
Release date(s)	United States of America: • August 6, 1993 Japan: • June 6, 1993 The UK / Ireland: • December 1, 1993
Content ratings	ESRB: E PEGI: 7 ACB: G8+ USK: 0
Canonicity	Canon
Predecessor	A Link to the Past Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages (Fallen Hero Timeline)
Successor	Ocarina of Time A Link Between Worlds (Fallen Hero Timeline)

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is the fourth main installment of The Legend of Zelda series. Released in 1993 on the original Game Boy, it is the first title in the long-running series to be released on a handheld system, and the only Zelda title on such console. It is also the first game that takes place outside the Kingdom of Hyrule. Link's Awakening was met with acclaim during its release and has since been popular among fans and critics; by 2004, the game had sold 3.83 million copies worldwide. In 2009, Guinness World Records named it the 42nd most influential video game of all time. The Japanese version of the game is known as The Legend of Zelda: The Dreaming Island.

A colorized update, titled Link's Awakening DX, was released for the Game Boy Color in 1998 shortly after Ocarina of Time, featuring a few extra content. During a Nintendo Direct on February 13, 2019, an eponymous 3D remake of the game was announced for Nintendo Switch. The remake was released on September 20, 2019, 24 years after the original.

Link's Awakening is the direct sequel to A Link to the Past. According to Hyrule Historia, Oracle of Seasons/Ages takes place between the two games' events, but the Zelda Encyclopedia states those installments occur after this game.

Story

The title screen

Link, who had defeated the evil Ganon and regained peace in Hyrule in the events of A Link to the Past, had not enjoyed the tranquility he had worked so hard to achieve for long, and eventually became restless. Feeling in need of training or enlightenment, he embarked on a private journey and sailed across the oceans in a small sailboat. Eventually, Link completed his training in foreign countries and began to sail back to his home, Hyrule. But suddenly the seas turned rough and the skies became dark due to a severe thunderstorm. Link tried valiantly to fight the strong currents of the waves, even tying himself to the ship with some rope. But then, a bolt of lightning struck the ship and everything went black.

Link caught in the fierce storm

Later, on a faraway island, a young girl named Marin is walking along the Shores of the Island's beach. She suddenly spots someone laying on the sands. Upon looking closer, she finds an unconscious Link and tries to wake him, but to no avail. Unwilling to simply leave the boy in green lying on the beach, Marin takes Link back to her house in Mabe Village. From beyond the darkness, the hero hears the voice of a girl. He first mistakes the voice to be that of Princess Zelda, but wakes up to discover that it was instead the voice of Marin. It turned out that, miraculously, Link had been washed ashore on Koholint Island. He starts his preparations to leave this place to return back to Hyrule, and Tarin gives him back his Shield he had dropped. The man also tells Link of another thing belonging to him that washed up on the beach.

Link washed up on the shores of Koholint Island, being found by Marln

Yet, the hero's Sword is nowhere to be found. Searching on Koholint Island's beach, Link eventually finds it. Just before picking it up and get back into action, a mysterious Owl suddenly flies down to him. The Owl explains that high on the mountaintops of Koholint Island is a giant Egg, and inside sleeps a whale-like being known as the Wind Fish. The Owl says that the Wind Fish must be awakened, for that is the only way Link can leave Koholint Island. He instructs the young hero that he needs to go into the Mysterious Forest to find a Key and then flies away. Left with nothing but a puzzling riddle and his questions, Link heeds the Owl's words and heads into the Mysterious Forest. He eventually finds the Tail Key. The Owl reappears and tells him to go into Tail Cave and to use the Tail Key to get inside.

Link does so and fights his way through this early Dungeon. After defeating the boss, he finds a magical Instrument, the Full Moon Cello. Although Link does not know what it is at first, the Owl reappears and explains that this instrument is one of the eight Instruments of the Sirens. The Owl explains that he must retrieve the remaining seven if he is to awaken the sleeping Wind Fish. Link, still full of questions about this strange world, must explore the rest of Koholint Island and find the remainder of the Instruments of the Sirens in order to complete his main objective.

Later in his journey, Link arrives in Animal Village. The Owl had told him to venture into Yarna Desert to find an important item that will aid him. Unfortunately, a large, sleeping Walrus blocks his path. However, one of the six rabbit siblings of Animal Village tells Link that Marin and her beautiful voice can awaken those who hear her. Link returns to Mabe Village and eventually gets an Ocarina from the Dream Shrine. He finds Marin on the Toronbo Shores who tells him of her wish to be a Seagull so that she can fly around the world and share her songs with many people. She hopes that she herself can make this wish to the Wind Fish. Afterwards, Link learns from Marin how to play the Ballad of the Wind Fish on his Ocarina, a song of awakening. However, since it is not enough to awaken the Walrus, Marin tags along with the hero to Animal Village. Marin decides to stay in Animal Village after the Walrus awakes, and Link finds the Angler Key in Yarna Desert.

Official artwork of the game and main cast

Sometime before getting the sixth Instrument of the Sirens, the Owl flies to Link and tells him to go to the Southern Face Shrine. When he arrives there, Link learns the horrible truth about Koholint Island; On a wall depicting the Wind Fish himself, the words read "TO THE FINDER... THE ISLE OF KOHOLINT, IS BUT AN ILLUSION... HUMAN, MONSTER, SEA, SKY... A SCENE ON THE LID OF A SLEEPER'S EYE... AWAKE THE DREAMER, AND KOHOLINT WILL VANISH MUCH LIKE A BUBBLE ON A NEEDLE... CAST-AWAY, YOU SHOULD KNOW THE TRUTH!"

Link now faces a dilemma, whether he should awaken the Wind Fish or not. But the Owl tells him that none know if the inscription is true, and advises him to trust his feelings. Link continues on, finding the remaining three Instruments of the Sirens. Eventually, he discovers Marin on Tal Tal Mountain Range being attacked by monsters. Link saves her, and for a moment, she tries to tell him something, but changes her mind. The Owl knows about the song that she always sings, the Ballad of the Wind Fish, and wonders if she herself was trying to awaken the Wind Fish.

After Link finally obtains all eight of the Instruments of the Sirens, the Owl says that now is the time to awaken the Wind Fish. He heads up the mountaintop and encounters the Wind Fish's Egg, in which the Wind Fish itself sleeps. With his Ocarina in hand and the other Instruments of the Sirens, Link plays the Ballad of the Wind Fish. The Wind Fish's Egg finally cracks open, and he ventures inside.

Inside, Link finds the true mastermind behind all of the chaos on Koholint Island, the Shadow Nightmares who have the power to transform. The monsters were created by the Shadow Nightmares to prevent the young hero from awakening the Wind Fish. After a long battle, Link ultimately defeated the villains, the last of Koholint Island's evils. Suddenly, a stairway opens and he climbs up, where Link finds himself in a strange black room filled with rainbow clouds and stars.

There, the Owl comes to see Link one last time. The Owl explains that he himself is in fact part of the Wind Fish's spirit, and thus was the guardian of his dream world. All was peaceful in the Wind Fish's dream, until Nightmares began to invade it. Many of the Nightmares that Link had faced were the ones in the dungeons that had guarded the Instruments of the Sirens. But now Link had destroyed the main one, and the Wind Fish's dream was at peace once again. With the Nightmares gone and the eight Instruments of the Sirens retrieved, the Wind Fish could finally be awakened. The Owl then states that his role in this dream is now complete and says farewell to the hero before vanishing.

Suddenly, Link hears a wail and the Wind Fish himself appears before the young hero. The Wind Fish says that in his dreams, a whole world had existed. Yet he could not awaken due to the Nightmares. It is only natural that dreams are to end, and when he awakes, Koholint Island shall entirely disappear. He says that Link may someday recall this dream in the waking world, the only remaining memory of Koholint Island.

The Wind Fish then fades away and says that they should awaken together, and commands Link to play the Ballad of the Wind Fish one more time. The young hero does so slowly, while Koholint Island and all its inhabitants fade away. Link is then forced out of the Wind Fish's room by a stream of water.

The sky above shines brightly as Seagulls fly overhead. Link awakens on a wooden board in the sea, part of his ship, just like in the beginning. Just as it was predicted, Koholint Island is gone and Link is back in the real world. As he recalls all of the events of his latest adventure, a shadow looms over him. Looking up, he sees the Wind Fish flying above him in the sky. Link smiles, realizing that he actually helped awaken the Wind Fish, and his dream journey had finally come to an end. As Link's adventure is over, he seemingly returns back to Hyrule.

The Legend of the Wind Fish

Writing on the Wall in Southern Face Shrine

It appears that the Wind Fish is a mere myth to the inhabitants of Koholint Island. The Wind Fish's Egg on top of Mt. Tamaranch is rather large and can be seen from a distance, making it obvious that some of the inhabitants of Koholint Island would know at least something of the Wind Fish, however. Marin is a very good example of a simple citizen of Mabe Village, yet she knows of the existence of the Wind Fish. She even dreams of wishing on the Wind Fish to turn into a Seagull. It's not quite obvious if she too believes it is just a myth or if it is real, however, Marin can be spotted on Tal Tal Mountain Range for no apparent reason. The Owl seems to believe that she may have tried to awaken the Wind Fish with her song. Only the Owl and possibly Marin seem to know of the actual existence of the Wind Fish. Shortly after Link clears the Face Shrine, a boy in Mabe Village was asked by Link when they had appeared on the Koholint Island but had no idea what Link meant by this, suggesting that the inhabitants of Koholint Island have no idea that they are part of a dream world.

The Southern Face Shrine is the only place that holds much information about the myth of the Wind Fish, and the script upon its walls, about Koholint Island being but a dream, is very much true. Judging by these writings, the Southern Face Shrine seems to have been built solely for the person who would awaken the Wind Fish.

The Perfect Ending

Perfect ending in the original version

If Link completes his entire quest without receiving a Game Over (which is an extremely difficult task), an additional scene can be seen after the ending credits. Both the original and DX versions of the game show Marin as a Seagull (or simply having Seagull wings) while the "Ballad of the Wind Fish" theme plays in the background for the latter. This may either hint that Marin had her wish come true and was "saved" from the fading dream world, or simply that Link was thinking of Marin and her wish of becoming a Seagull.

DX version perfect ending

The perfect ending varies between the original Game Boy and updated Game Boy Color releases. In Link's Awakening, a Marin with wings on her back will fly around the words "The End" while apparently singing her song. In Link's Awakening DX, a full-colored image of Marin can be seen within the clouds, and her song will be playing in the background, although she is not the one singing. Shortly afterward, the image fades into a Seagull who flies away. Then, a message appears from the development team thanking the player.

In the Nintendo Switch remake, it is largely similar to Link's Awakening DX, although Marin's image is animated slightly to have her briefly close her eyes and shudder in an apparent giggle before it fades away with a seagull flying past.

Gameplay

Screenshot of gameplay

The gameplay of Link's Awakening is similar to that of the original The Legend of Zelda and A Link to the Past, but is the first game where Link is able to use items to play music or even perform fishing. Unique to this game, Link can use two items at one equipped to the action buttons for dramatic effect.

Timeline Placement

According to Hyrule Historia, Link's Awakening is the sequel to A Link to the Past, Oracle of Seasons, and Oracle of Ages. It takes place in the "Downfall" split timeline after Ocarina of Time, where Ganon tragically defeated the legendary Hero of Time. The prologue speaks of Link defeating Ganon and saving Hyrule, an apparent reference to A Link to the Past. Link journeys away from Hyrule to embark on a "quest for enlightenment". The "quest for enlightenment" away from Hyrule is the story told in Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. After defeating Ganon once more at the end of the Linked Game, Link leaves Labrynna on a boat. This leads to the events of Link's Awakening. Link's Awakening is followed by A Link Between Worlds centuries later.

According to Encyclopedia Link's Awakening takes place between A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons.

During an interview around the release of Ocarina of Time, Shigeru Miyamoto stated that Link's Awakening could have occurred at any point following the Nintendo 64 title.

Non-Canon Information

Zelda.com originally stated that Link's Awakening occurred partway through The Adventure of Link, taking place during the period where Link crosses the sea to Eastern Hyrule.

Speedrun Records

Main article: Speedrun Records

Category	Runner	Time	Date
Any%	Global-Trance	1m 21s 333ms	August 15, 2015
Any% (No ACE)	Flynn	2m 54s	May 2, 2014
Any% (Warpless)	Nitroz	41m 47s	June 10, 2022
100%	GlyphDX	58m 41s	Feburary 11, 2021
All Instruments	Bloo	13m 49s	May 27, 2019

Ports and Remakes

Link's Awakening DX

Main article: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX

Screenshot of the Link's Awakening DX port

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX for Game Boy Color is an enhanced port of Link's Awakening with several new additions, most notably the entire game is now in full color. It was released in 1998, just months after the release of Ocarina of Time.

Link's Awakening DX can be played on a Game Boy as well to make it appear identical to the original version, although playing it on that console makes accessing the optional Color Dungeon impossible. However, if the dungeon is started on a Game Boy Color and then played on the original Game Boy, the dungeon is still accessible.

Nintendo 3DS re-release

It was announced at Nintendo's E3 Press Conference on June 7, 2011 by Shigeru Miyamoto that Link's Awakening DX would release that day alongside Super Mario Land as the first Virtual Console games on the Nintendo eShop. The eShop price for the game is $5.99 in the United States, $9AU in Australia, and £5.40 in the United Kingdom.

Nintendo Switch remake

Main article: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo Switch)

Screenshot of the Switch remake of the game

A trailer announcing and showing off early footage of a 3D remake of Link's Awakening for the Nintendo Switch was included as the final segment of the February 13, 2019 edition of Nintendo Direct, with a scheduled release on Sep 20, 2019. Some differences include anime-styled cutscenes in the beginning and ending, voice acting by some characters, and a Dungeon maker mode.

Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda

A port of the original Game Boy version of Link's Awakening is one of the games to be included in Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda, announced at E3 2021.

Legacy

While not as influential to the overall structure of prior Zelda games as The Legend of Zelda or A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening introduced a number of elements that recur in later installments, including:

• The use of a location other than Hyrule as a setting.
• A list of songs playable on the game's instrument that must be learned and have different functions, although unlike in Ocarina of Time and some later games the songs simply play when selected, rather than having to be played note by note.
• The first occurrence of fishing.
• Unique background music for each dungeon rather than reusing the same single theme or few themes, as its predecessors did. Most games after Link's Awakening follow its lead in this respect.
• The first trading sequence in the series.
• The first clear example of a lava or fire-themed dungeon in the series, with Turtle Rock.
• The Roc's Feather.
• An Owl who periodically meets Link and gives him advice on where to go or what to do next.
• A set of well-hidden collectible items that have no use by themselves but can be redeemed at a certain location to receive useful items (Secret Seashells in Link's Awakening, with Gold Skulltulas and Poe Souls in Ocarina of Time as examples of successors).
• The boss theme for this game was later used for the miniboss theme in Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages, as well as a remix being used in the fight against Twinrova in the linked ending.
• Some of the DLC outfits for the various characters in Hyrule Warriors were based on those of Link's Awakening, and one of the maps for Legend Mode is derived in appearance and plotline from the same game as well. Also, Marin is a DLC warrior in the game, with some of her attacks involving the Wind Fish.
• In Echoes of Wisdom, Ganon is seen using a double-bladed Trident similar to the one used by his Shadow Nightmare incarnation instead of his regular version during his fight against Link.

References to other Nintendo games

Link's Awakening is unique among other games in The Legend of Zelda series where it contains many Easter Egg content from other Nintendo franchises or games. The majority are from the Mario series.

The "Christine" photo, who is actually Princess Peach from the Mario franchise, one of many crossover references found in the game

• The Yoshi Doll is a doll based on Yoshi.
• Tarin himself, who is similar in appearance to Mario, Nintendo's mascot.
• Tarin turning into a Racoon after eating a Mushroom is likely a reference to Super Mario Bros. 3, specifically Mario turning into his Raccoon form using a Super Leaf.
• The Cucco Keeper is similar in appearance to Luigi.
• The Wind Fish's Egg is similar in appearance to a Yoshi Egg. In the DX and Switch versions, it appears pink.
• Mr. Write shows Link a picture of Princess 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.)
  • In the Switch remake, the name is omitted, and the photo itself is replaced with a modern artwork of Princess Peach carrying a parasol.
  • Mr. Write himself is similar in appearance to Dr. Wright from the Super NES version of SimCity. They share the same last name, but both are spelled differently. A slower version of Dr. Wright's theme from Sim City plays when the player enters his house.
• In addition to Mario characters, Richard from the Japan-only The Frog For Whom the Bell Tolls made an appearance.
• Mamu the Frog is actually Wart, the main antagonist of Super Mario Bros. 2. Ironically, "Mamu" is the character's Japanese name.
• Various enemies are based on a number of characters from Nintendo games appearing as foes for Link, particularly Mario adventures:
  • Blooper
  • Boo
  • Chain Chomp
  • Cheep-Cheep
  • Goomba
  • Kirby (from the then-new Kirby series, it should be noted that this is not the actual character)
  • Piranha Plant
  • Pokey
  • Shy Guy
  • Spiny
  • Thwomp & Thwimp

Trivia

• This title is Shigeru Miyamoto's favorite The Legend of Zelda series game, as he and the development team had lots of fun creating it and was even playing the game the whole time.
• The game's setting was partially inspired by the 1990 American mystery television series, Twin Peaks.
• Princess Zelda is not featured at all in Link's Awakening, though she is referenced by Link in the beginning, initially confusing Marin for her.
  • Ganon is also not featured in this game as well, due to himself being already destroyed in A Link to the Past. However, he is referenced by the Shadow Nightmare taking on a form resembling the Demon King during the final battle, as well as his then-alter ego Agahnim.
• The international title logo of Link's Awakening is identical to A Link to the Past's, with the exception of the game's name. The Japanese version, however, is entirely different, showing tropical trees on the side.

  

  Link's cameo in F1 Race predates his appearance in Link's Awakening for the original Game Boy

• Although this game is the first handheld title of the Zelda franchise, it is not technically Link's first appearance on the Game Boy. The console's port the 1984 Famicom racing game F1 Race, released in 1990, three years prior to Link's Awakening, features the hero as a cameo alongside several mainline Mario characters as well as Samus Aran and Pit from the Metroid and Kid Icarus series. His appearance in-game appears to be similar to The Adventure of Link released on the NES.
• This game remains the only installment in the franchise to have a special ending upon completing the game without Link dying once.
• If the name "ZELDA" is used when creating a new game, a remixed The Legend of Zelda theme will play in the background.
  • In the Japanese version, entering the name "ぜるだ" yields the same result. In addition, enting the name "とたけけ" will play an arranged version of Totaka's Song.
  • In the original German release, entering the name "MOYSE" will play a strange jingle. In the German DX release, "MOYSE" will instead play Totaka's Song.
  • The French DX version will yield the same result as "ZELDA" if the entered name is "LOLO". In the original release, "LOLO" will instead play a different song than "MOYSE" or "とたけけ".
• With the exception of Eagle's Tower, every dungeon in Link's Awakening has a map that forms a picture of an object, such as a Moldorm in the case of Tail Cave or a Key in the case of Key Cavern, similar to The Legend of Zelda.
• Link's Awakening originally was intended to be a handheld port of A Link to the Past.^{[citation needed]}
• The Koholint Island being a dream world and ultimately fading away at the end of the game is a parallel to Super Mario Bros. 2, when Mario's adventure in-game was only a dream.
  • The game's setting is also likely an inspiration for Majora's Mask, the next game in the franchise that takes place outside of Hyrule.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	ゼルダの伝説 夢をみる島 (Zeruda no Densetsu: Yume o Miru Shima)	The Legend of Zelda: The Dreaming Island
	ChineseSI	塞尔达传说 梦见岛
	ChineseTR	薩爾達傳說 夢見島
	German	The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
	Korean	젤다의 전설 꿈꾸는 섬

Gallery

View Gallery

External Links

• Official Japanese site
• Official Japanese site (DX Version)
• Official North American site
• Official European site
• Link's Awakening page on Zelda.com

References

Games

Main SeriesSpin-offOther

The Legend of Zelda  · The Adventure of Link  · A Link to the Past (& Four Swords)  · Link's Awakening (DX; Nintendo Switch)  · Ocarina of Time (Master Quest; 3D)  · Majora's Mask (3D)  · Oracle of Ages  · Oracle of Seasons  · Four Swords (Anniversary Edition)  · The Wind Waker (HD)  · Four Swords Adventures  · The Minish Cap  · Twilight Princess (HD)  · Phantom Hourglass  · Spirit Tracks  · Skyward Sword (HD)  · A Link Between Worlds  · Tri Force Heroes  · Breath of the Wild  · Tears of the Kingdom  · Echoes of Wisdom

Zelda (Game & Watch)  · The Legend of Zelda Game Watch  · Link's Crossbow Training  · My Nintendo Picross: Twilight Princess  · Cadence of Hyrule  · Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda

CD-i games

The Faces of Evil  · The Wand of Gamelon  · Zelda's Adventure

Hyrule Warriors series

Hyrule Warriors (Legends; Definitive Edition)  · Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Satellaview games

BS The Legend of Zelda  · Ancient Stone Tablets

Tingle series

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland  · Tingle's Balloon Fight DS  · Too Much Tingle Pack  · Ripened Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love

Animal Crossing  · SoulCalibur II  · WarioWare series  · Nintendo Badge Arcade  · Captain Rainbow  · Nintendo Land  · Scribblenauts Unlimited  · Mario Kart 8

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros.  · Super Smash Bros. Melee  · Super Smash Bros. Brawl  · Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS  · Super Smash Bros. for Wii U  · Super Smash Bros. Ultimate