THIS POST HAS SPOILERS EVERYWHERE!!!!! YOU HAVE HAD FAIR WARNING!!!!!!!
5. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993 Nintendo Gameboy)
Following the great success of A Link to the Past on the Super Nintendo in 1991, Nintendo was under a lot of pressure to release a Zelda game for their extremely popular portable gaming system the Gameboy. Released in 1989, Nintendo fans had to wait four long years before they would see a Zelda title for the Gameboy. Thankfully, this is one of those games that Nintendo hit completely out of the park. It didn't simply sit in the shadow of A Link to the Past; it carved its own path with a unique story and a truly brilliant world to explore. For the past twenty years (1993-2013) Link's Awakening had continued to hold the title of best handheld Zelda game; mercilessly tossing aside all that might challenge its reign. Another thing Link's Awakening brings to the table is just how many elements introduced in it are still used frequently in the current Zelda games. While all of those milestones it produced are important ones, the true testament to how great this game is is that those elements are still better than their counterparts in many of the more recent Zelda titles.
Link's Awakening, in terms of the Zelda timeline, takes place after the events of Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. After Link's adventures in Labrynna and Holodrum he sets off on his boat to sail back home. During the trip back, Link is caught in a great storm, his ship is struck by lightning, he plunges into the water and everything turns black.
This Owl tells Link the true nature of the island of Koholint: "A Courageous lad has come to wake the Wind Fish... It is said that you cannot leave the island unless you wake the Wind Fish..." As you progress through the game the Owl makes several other appearances, each time giving Link some direction as to where he needs to go to continue his quest. Each time Link completes a dungeon, he gets one of eight total instruments used to wake up the Wind Fish. This story line is unique to the Zelda series in several ways the most important of which is that it is the only canon Zelda game that does not have Princess Zelda appear in any capacity. It's even more odd to think about this when you consider that this was only the fourth game in the series. It was quite a risk for Nintendo to depart from the traditional hero saves damsel in distress format. Instead, we get a game that truly is an expression of the courageous spirit that Link embodies. This is his quest to get home, it is his quest to awaken the Wind Fish, and it is the kind of quest that solely benefits him. Sure he is saving the Wind Fish, but the residents of Koholint aren't in any immediate danger from some kind of supervillain. This is one of the few Zelda games where Link's motivation for action is his own self interest. Every other game in the Zelda series has Link working for a cause like saving princess Zelda, stopping some kind of catastrophe, or saving a member of your family. It's reasons like these that make me love this game so much; there's nothing in the background to distract you from what Link is doing and everything discovered is for the taking. I also just love the plain old mystery surrounding the Wind Fish. Very early on in the game Link can simply walk right up to the egg that the Wind Fish is sleeping inside of.
I like this plot-device of allowing you to see your end goal without totally throwing it in your face. Also try and think about the context of the times when this game first came out. Unless you had watched a friend play it, there wasn't really any way you could find out what the Wind Fish looked like. There was no google image search and no real online communities of any kind devoted to compiling images of video games; especially those that were only on handheld devices. All of these factors really contributed to the mysterious feeling of the island and at times the seeming futility of escaping it. Apart from the mysterious Wind Fish, the island itself is filled with some very interesting characters, side quests, and environments.
The dungeons in Link's Awakening are truly a test even for some of the most experienced gamers. Each dungeon truly tests your memory and situational awareness. You often have to backtrack across nearly the entire level in order to grab a small key. However this backtracking, while at times taxing on your memorization skills, definitely provides a serious sense of accomplishment each time you figure out each puzzle. In addition to the great level design each new item you obtain really does feel like a game changer. For example: in the 2nd dungeon, Bottle Grotto, the simple act of getting the power bracelet opens up well over half of the level that was previously closed off. Moments before you felt weak and now you feel like a jar tossing badass. Some items in Zelda games feel a lot like throwaway items. The Spinner (an item that let you travel along grooved paths) in Twilight Princess felt like such a waste of an opportunity. Instead of making it more capable and giving the player numerous chances to use it, it gets used in one temple and for a few pieces of heart; that's pretty much it. And the problem is that I love that item, but it really doesn't do very much in terms of opening up the world. The power bracelet and really several other items in Link's Awakening make you feel that without them you be completely helpless in the world presented to you. Even though some of the same kinds of puzzles are reused in different dungeons, raising and lowering of groups of blocks is one of the most used in the game, they continue to get more and more difficult as the game progresses. It's great to see how Nintendo coped with the limited power of the gameboy and with the limitations of the top-down perspective.
One dungeon I have to make special note of is Eagle's Tower (7th dungeon) not only for it's level design but for how groundbreaking it is to the entire series. As you can see from the picture to the left, Link is standing in front of a pillar and a green/black ball. Throughout the course of this level Link is tasked with bringing this ball around with him and tossing it into four separate pillars. Holding the ball prevents Link from using items and it opens him up to attack from enemies. What's unique about this is that Link is required to bring an item with him that is not part of his normal arsenal. This was a first for the Zelda series and Nintendo did an excellent job of implementing the mechanic. At times you have to throw it over gaps and then backtrack several rooms to get to it again. You have to use pretty much every item in the game up to that point as well in order to figure out how to reach all four of the pillars. I cannot stress enough just how clever this dungeon is because clearly Nintendo thinks so too. They have used this mechanic in several subsequent Zelda games and will likely continue to use it in the future.
There was one mechanic in the dungeons of Link's Awakening that Nintendo has not used since and that is changing the perspective from top-down to 2d side-scrolling. Not only does the camera angle change in certain areas, it almost turns the game into a mario-esque experience; they even put enemies from the Mario games in these parts to make it that much more confusing (fun little easter eggs). I have a serious soft spot in my heart for these sections and it's always fun when game series give shout outs to each other. I must say though, if the dungeons are lacking in one thing in this game it's in difficulty of bosses. I actually enjoy the design and battle mechanics of all of the bosses but I wish they weren't so damn easy. Maybe you'll die once or twice until you figure out which items you need to use but for the most part the battles are pretty straightforward and only two of the bosses will give you any real trouble. One battle in particular that truly demonstrates my point is the battle with Anglerfish. Everything seems like it's going to be awesome: you had just gotten the flippers, you jump into water, the game switches to the 2D side scrolling view, and a giant scary fish appears from the depths; here's a situation ripe with potential danger. Unfortunately the battle is as easy as slashing him on his light a couple of times pretty quickly. He doesn't really move around to avoid you and all of the things he is shooting at you are at the bottom of the screen and the battle can be over in about five seconds. I don't think it would have been that hard to make the battle a bit more challenging (at least the setting makes the battle somewhat cool).
Thankfully the final boss fight is about as epic as they come and will likely take several attempts before you will beat it. Further enhancing the mysteriousness of Link's Awakening the main antagonist is never really given a name and isn't seen until the very end. In a way, this really makes sense for how the story of Koholint Island is portrayed. The only way to escape the island is to wake the Wind Fish and the only way to wake the Wind Fish is to destroy the dark energy keeping it inside the large egg. Getting the Wind Fish in the first place was the main goal of the game so it makes sense that you wouldn't encounter the main evil until the very end. Like many other Zelda series mainstays established in this game, the formula for 2d zelda final boss battles really came into its own with this game.
The final boss has six different forms some of which resemble bosses from the dungeons and some of which are completely unique to the final boss. The shadow in the bottom left corner of the picture is clearly a shout out to Ganon in A Link to the Past and the shadow in the bottom right corner would become the template for the final boss in several subsequent Zelda games. Even though this is kind of a simple detail I love how it adds to the ambiguity of the story; is it Ganon or is it some other evil force causing all of these problems? This procession of different forms is a highly popular mechanic used for final bosses in Zelda games and I really am a huge fan of how it's used here. I don't want to spoil everything for the reader so I'll allow you to figure out how much fun it is on your own.
Apart from the dungeons there are several side sections of the game that make it a truly unforgettable experience. For yet another Zelda milestone Link's Awakening marks the first item-trading sequence in the Zelda series. Surely developed as a way to get the player to interact with all of the characters and places in the game, Link must perform a series of trades with different characters in the game. At the end of this trade-sequence, Link is given a magnifying glass that eventually makes it much easier to get through the final dungeon of the game. The beauty of the sequence is that it forces the player to interact with the NPC's while also introducing a sense of accomplishment with each interaction. Each of these characters are goofy and all around delightful; it's hard to overstate just how much I enjoy this part of the game. Link's Awakening also marks the first appearance of a bunch of items whose sole purpose was to be collected, in this game's case: Secret Seashells.
Secret Seashells are hidden throughout the entire game in pretty surprising places. Some are in simple locations like under a piece of grass or inside obvious chests. Others though are hidden intricately inside of dungeons or require you to play a mini game to get them. If you get twenty out of the twenty six hidden throughout the game you get the Level 2 sword which is twice as powerful as the normal sword. I love that this powerful of an upgrade is not only difficult to get but is also completely optional. Nothing in this game is handed to you and at times you even have to make sacrifices. In order to get the boomerang (a very powerful projectile weapon) you have to trade away another one of your items. Nintendo is constantly making you think in this game and they clearly wanted you to actively engage with the environment. Link's Awakening also marked the first appearance of a musical instrument that had multiple songs the player could actively select. Each of the situations involving the Ocarina are pretty fun. One of songs warps you right to the house you buy potions from, one song allows you to open several areas in the mountains and involves a funny scene with frogs, and the last song is one of the best songs in the Zelda series: The Ballad of the Wind Fish (link to song) and it makes several appearances throughout the game including the ending credits. On a small side note, the music in this game is wonderful (link to the OST). I highly recommend checking it out when you get a chance.
Link's Awakening also marks the first appearance fishing in the Zelda series and despite its simplicity it's actually pretty damn delightful. All you have to do is catch the large fish and it isn't all that hard but there's something about it that is just charming as all hell. I can't really explain why except that the feeling this small fishing game gives you is the feeling that the rest of the game gives you: one of pure happiness and accomplishment. Link's Awakening is a triumph, plain and simple. It's such a simple game and yet it's depth was until very recently unparalleled in other 2d zelda games. The pinnacle of this games depth had to be saved for the very end. The encounter with the Wind Fish is both amazing and yet somehow sad. As the Wind Fish begins it's story, Link eventually learns that Koholint island itself was a mirage produced by the Wind Fish inside the egg. In freeing the Wind Fish from the egg Link accomplished his initial goal of escaping the island but he lost all of those friends he had made on his travels. A bittersweet ending to a truly excellent game; one worthy of the highest praise.
Link later washes up on the shore of the island of Koholint and is discovered by a young girl named Marin. Unable to wake Link, Marin brings Link back to her home in Mabe Village. Still unconscious, Link hears the voice a girl who he thinks is Princess Zelda but after he starts to come to it turns out to be the voice of Marin. As Link wakes and begins to understand his predicament he ventures out to find his sword. Upon discovering his sword on the beach by the wreck of his ship he is approached by an Owl.
This Owl tells Link the true nature of the island of Koholint: "A Courageous lad has come to wake the Wind Fish... It is said that you cannot leave the island unless you wake the Wind Fish..." As you progress through the game the Owl makes several other appearances, each time giving Link some direction as to where he needs to go to continue his quest. Each time Link completes a dungeon, he gets one of eight total instruments used to wake up the Wind Fish. This story line is unique to the Zelda series in several ways the most important of which is that it is the only canon Zelda game that does not have Princess Zelda appear in any capacity. It's even more odd to think about this when you consider that this was only the fourth game in the series. It was quite a risk for Nintendo to depart from the traditional hero saves damsel in distress format. Instead, we get a game that truly is an expression of the courageous spirit that Link embodies. This is his quest to get home, it is his quest to awaken the Wind Fish, and it is the kind of quest that solely benefits him. Sure he is saving the Wind Fish, but the residents of Koholint aren't in any immediate danger from some kind of supervillain. This is one of the few Zelda games where Link's motivation for action is his own self interest. Every other game in the Zelda series has Link working for a cause like saving princess Zelda, stopping some kind of catastrophe, or saving a member of your family. It's reasons like these that make me love this game so much; there's nothing in the background to distract you from what Link is doing and everything discovered is for the taking. I also just love the plain old mystery surrounding the Wind Fish. Very early on in the game Link can simply walk right up to the egg that the Wind Fish is sleeping inside of.I like this plot-device of allowing you to see your end goal without totally throwing it in your face. Also try and think about the context of the times when this game first came out. Unless you had watched a friend play it, there wasn't really any way you could find out what the Wind Fish looked like. There was no google image search and no real online communities of any kind devoted to compiling images of video games; especially those that were only on handheld devices. All of these factors really contributed to the mysterious feeling of the island and at times the seeming futility of escaping it. Apart from the mysterious Wind Fish, the island itself is filled with some very interesting characters, side quests, and environments.
Walking around Koholint for the first time, it immediately becomes apparent that the traditionally styled Zelda series map was firmly established in this game.
We have the mountains at the top of the screen, a graveyard, a desert, rivers, and an ocean area; all of the areas that we now classically associate with Zelda. These types of areas continue to be mainstays of practically every Zelda game and it really was this game and A Link to the Past that firmly established that trend in the Zelda series. One of the best features of Koholint is how wild the island still feels. Apart from Mabe Village, the Animal Village, and a few huts here and there Koholint makes you feel a lot more like you are exploring a wilderness as opposed to say Hyrule Kingdom; a place where you feel people have been able to make their mark on the entire landscape. This lack of mankind affecting the environment adds to the mysteriousness and personal struggle of Link's quest.
The dungeons in Link's Awakening are truly a test even for some of the most experienced gamers. Each dungeon truly tests your memory and situational awareness. You often have to backtrack across nearly the entire level in order to grab a small key. However this backtracking, while at times taxing on your memorization skills, definitely provides a serious sense of accomplishment each time you figure out each puzzle. In addition to the great level design each new item you obtain really does feel like a game changer. For example: in the 2nd dungeon, Bottle Grotto, the simple act of getting the power bracelet opens up well over half of the level that was previously closed off. Moments before you felt weak and now you feel like a jar tossing badass. Some items in Zelda games feel a lot like throwaway items. The Spinner (an item that let you travel along grooved paths) in Twilight Princess felt like such a waste of an opportunity. Instead of making it more capable and giving the player numerous chances to use it, it gets used in one temple and for a few pieces of heart; that's pretty much it. And the problem is that I love that item, but it really doesn't do very much in terms of opening up the world. The power bracelet and really several other items in Link's Awakening make you feel that without them you be completely helpless in the world presented to you. Even though some of the same kinds of puzzles are reused in different dungeons, raising and lowering of groups of blocks is one of the most used in the game, they continue to get more and more difficult as the game progresses. It's great to see how Nintendo coped with the limited power of the gameboy and with the limitations of the top-down perspective. One dungeon I have to make special note of is Eagle's Tower (7th dungeon) not only for it's level design but for how groundbreaking it is to the entire series. As you can see from the picture to the left, Link is standing in front of a pillar and a green/black ball. Throughout the course of this level Link is tasked with bringing this ball around with him and tossing it into four separate pillars. Holding the ball prevents Link from using items and it opens him up to attack from enemies. What's unique about this is that Link is required to bring an item with him that is not part of his normal arsenal. This was a first for the Zelda series and Nintendo did an excellent job of implementing the mechanic. At times you have to throw it over gaps and then backtrack several rooms to get to it again. You have to use pretty much every item in the game up to that point as well in order to figure out how to reach all four of the pillars. I cannot stress enough just how clever this dungeon is because clearly Nintendo thinks so too. They have used this mechanic in several subsequent Zelda games and will likely continue to use it in the future. There was one mechanic in the dungeons of Link's Awakening that Nintendo has not used since and that is changing the perspective from top-down to 2d side-scrolling. Not only does the camera angle change in certain areas, it almost turns the game into a mario-esque experience; they even put enemies from the Mario games in these parts to make it that much more confusing (fun little easter eggs). I have a serious soft spot in my heart for these sections and it's always fun when game series give shout outs to each other. I must say though, if the dungeons are lacking in one thing in this game it's in difficulty of bosses. I actually enjoy the design and battle mechanics of all of the bosses but I wish they weren't so damn easy. Maybe you'll die once or twice until you figure out which items you need to use but for the most part the battles are pretty straightforward and only two of the bosses will give you any real trouble. One battle in particular that truly demonstrates my point is the battle with Anglerfish. Everything seems like it's going to be awesome: you had just gotten the flippers, you jump into water, the game switches to the 2D side scrolling view, and a giant scary fish appears from the depths; here's a situation ripe with potential danger. Unfortunately the battle is as easy as slashing him on his light a couple of times pretty quickly. He doesn't really move around to avoid you and all of the things he is shooting at you are at the bottom of the screen and the battle can be over in about five seconds. I don't think it would have been that hard to make the battle a bit more challenging (at least the setting makes the battle somewhat cool).Thankfully the final boss fight is about as epic as they come and will likely take several attempts before you will beat it. Further enhancing the mysteriousness of Link's Awakening the main antagonist is never really given a name and isn't seen until the very end. In a way, this really makes sense for how the story of Koholint Island is portrayed. The only way to escape the island is to wake the Wind Fish and the only way to wake the Wind Fish is to destroy the dark energy keeping it inside the large egg. Getting the Wind Fish in the first place was the main goal of the game so it makes sense that you wouldn't encounter the main evil until the very end. Like many other Zelda series mainstays established in this game, the formula for 2d zelda final boss battles really came into its own with this game.The final boss has six different forms some of which resemble bosses from the dungeons and some of which are completely unique to the final boss. The shadow in the bottom left corner of the picture is clearly a shout out to Ganon in A Link to the Past and the shadow in the bottom right corner would become the template for the final boss in several subsequent Zelda games. Even though this is kind of a simple detail I love how it adds to the ambiguity of the story; is it Ganon or is it some other evil force causing all of these problems? This procession of different forms is a highly popular mechanic used for final bosses in Zelda games and I really am a huge fan of how it's used here. I don't want to spoil everything for the reader so I'll allow you to figure out how much fun it is on your own.Apart from the dungeons there are several side sections of the game that make it a truly unforgettable experience. For yet another Zelda milestone Link's Awakening marks the first item-trading sequence in the Zelda series. Surely developed as a way to get the player to interact with all of the characters and places in the game, Link must perform a series of trades with different characters in the game. At the end of this trade-sequence, Link is given a magnifying glass that eventually makes it much easier to get through the final dungeon of the game. The beauty of the sequence is that it forces the player to interact with the NPC's while also introducing a sense of accomplishment with each interaction. Each of these characters are goofy and all around delightful; it's hard to overstate just how much I enjoy this part of the game. Link's Awakening also marks the first appearance of a bunch of items whose sole purpose was to be collected, in this game's case: Secret Seashells. Secret Seashells are hidden throughout the entire game in pretty surprising places. Some are in simple locations like under a piece of grass or inside obvious chests. Others though are hidden intricately inside of dungeons or require you to play a mini game to get them. If you get twenty out of the twenty six hidden throughout the game you get the Level 2 sword which is twice as powerful as the normal sword. I love that this powerful of an upgrade is not only difficult to get but is also completely optional. Nothing in this game is handed to you and at times you even have to make sacrifices. In order to get the boomerang (a very powerful projectile weapon) you have to trade away another one of your items. Nintendo is constantly making you think in this game and they clearly wanted you to actively engage with the environment. Link's Awakening also marked the first appearance of a musical instrument that had multiple songs the player could actively select. Each of the situations involving the Ocarina are pretty fun. One of songs warps you right to the house you buy potions from, one song allows you to open several areas in the mountains and involves a funny scene with frogs, and the last song is one of the best songs in the Zelda series: The Ballad of the Wind Fish (link to song) and it makes several appearances throughout the game including the ending credits. On a small side note, the music in this game is wonderful (link to the OST). I highly recommend checking it out when you get a chance. Link's Awakening also marks the first appearance fishing in the Zelda series and despite its simplicity it's actually pretty damn delightful. All you have to do is catch the large fish and it isn't all that hard but there's something about it that is just charming as all hell. I can't really explain why except that the feeling this small fishing game gives you is the feeling that the rest of the game gives you: one of pure happiness and accomplishment. Link's Awakening is a triumph, plain and simple. It's such a simple game and yet it's depth was until very recently unparalleled in other 2d zelda games. The pinnacle of this games depth had to be saved for the very end. The encounter with the Wind Fish is both amazing and yet somehow sad. As the Wind Fish begins it's story, Link eventually learns that Koholint island itself was a mirage produced by the Wind Fish inside the egg. In freeing the Wind Fish from the egg Link accomplished his initial goal of escaping the island but he lost all of those friends he had made on his travels. A bittersweet ending to a truly excellent game; one worthy of the highest praise.
Link's Awakening it was later remade into Link's Awakening DX. Link's Awakening DX has a secret ending (link to secret ending, don't click it you don't want major spoilers, the secret ending begins at 3:17 of the video) if you don't die once while playing it you get an extra cut scene at the end that is actually pretty damn cool. DX also added color (it was first introduced on the Gameboy Color) and one more dungeon: The color dungeon (clever I know). It was basically a couple of mini bosses but it gave you a cool blue or red tunic. It's definitely a better experience than the original game and I highly recommend playing it if you can.
Until next Time! Let's bring on #4!
