The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
	Game cover for the DX version of the game.Game cover for the DX version of the game.
Developer(s)	Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Takashi Tezuka ;
Designer(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto
Platform(s)	Game Boy, Game Boy Color
Release	August, 1993 - Game Boy ; December 1, 1998 - Game Boy Color
Genre(s)	Action Adventure
Mode(s)	Single player

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening was a 1993 video game, originally created for the Game Boy. A color version, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, was created for the Game Boy Color in 1998. The latter is compatible with the Game Boy Printer and features a new dungeon.

Gameplay

Link's Awakening was an action-adventure game, as were all of its prequels and most of its sequels. Being played from a viewpoint above the playfield looking down at Link and his surroundings, it followed its closest relative from the Legend of Zelda line of games, A Link to the Past (which in itself is a further developed version of the original NES Legend of Zelda), in its sense of gameplay and the possible actions that could be performed in the game.

Link's Awakening was the first of the topview games in the series (that excludes Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, which is more of a platformer with RPG elements) to feature jumping and platformer action scenes. The treasure caves from Legend of Zelda (platformer scenes seen from the side found in dungeons where treasures lay hidden) make a cameo appearance in Link's adventure and other side-view scenes (e.g. the chamber below the first dungeon boss or the hiding spot of the fisherman below the bridge) were added also to fully use the new jumping abilities of Link.

Also appearing for the first time in a Zelda game was fishing, and flying around using a rooster.

Presentation

Title screen of the monochrome original.

The graphic style was similar to that of a cartoon. The intro and ending utilized nearly fullscreen comic stillframes in this style. With the release of Link's Awakening DX, the game only required minor changes (colorization and the addition of a photographer's shop, another dungeon and advanced armor were the most significant) as it was already considered by Nintendo to be of very high quality. The DX version of the game was well received on the market and was able to outsell the successful Pokémon games in Japan for a brief time.

In 2001, Nintendo and Capcom released the Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons games for the Game Boy Color. The two games used large parts of the graphics and sounds of the 1993 monochrome original as well as much of the 8-year-old program code, including nearly all of the music playing code.

Story

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File:Zeldadx 1.jpg

Link on his raft, opening scene of the DX version.

Link journeys out to sea in search of adventure but he is soon shipwrecked in a violent storm and awakens on Koholint Island in the house of a kind man named Tarin and his daughter Marin, who bears a strong resemblance to Princess Zelda. A mysterious owl tells him that to return home he must awaken the Wind Fish by playing the eight Instruments of the Sirens. The instruments are: the Thunder Drum, the Full Moon Cello, the Conch Horn, the Sea Lily Bell, the Surf Harp, the Wind Marimba, the Coral Triangle, and the Organ of Evening Calm.

It is the first in the series to take place outside Hyrule and the main "Triforce" storyline, and can therefore be considered one of a number of Zelda side stories. These side stories are games in which Ganon is not the principal antagonist, such as The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for the Nintendo 64. Even though the story's marine setting bears a similarity to The Wind Waker, it is much more closely related to its direct prequel A Link to the Past and sequel Ocarina of Time.

DX version

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Title screen of the color remake.

In 1998, Link's Awakening DX was released for the Game Boy Color. Many fans of the game, despite already owning the original version, bought the DX version as well, because of the new color scheme. This was one of the few deluxe versions of Game Boy games, along with Super Mario Bros. DX, and the cancelled Metroid II: Return of Samus DX and Kirby's Dream Land 2 DX.

One addition to the newer version of the game is the brand new, never seen before, Color Dungeon that was hidden somewhere on Koholint Island. The Color Dungeon made use of the Game Boy Color's capabilities to deliver puzzles based on color. It featured two minibosses and a boss; the minibosses consisted of a Golem that would throw rocks at Link, and a giant Buzz Blob. The boss was a creature resembling the nearly-impenitrable Beetle enemies, that could change colors. Once the player beat the dungeon, they were given the option of having a Red Tunic or a Blue Tunic. The Red Tunic allowed Link to become more powerful, while the Blue Tunic raised his defense. Players could change his tunic any time they wanted, but only out of blue or red; once he bore one of those tunics there was no turning back to the traditional green.

One other addition to the game that the DX version has over the original version is a photo album feature. This allows the player to collect various pictures throughout the game. Note that it is not to be confused with The Wind Waker's DX Pictobox (camera) as the player does not take the pictures themselves, but instead do certain particular actions in order to make the Camera Shop owner come and take their picture. The pictures can be viewed in the player's photo album at the new Camera Shop and printed using the Game Boy Printer. This feature added various triggers, such as the adding of the invisible Zora in the Animal Village.

A hint system in the dungeons of the game, which used a stone tablet piece to complete a hint message on a wall tile, was replaced with an owl's beak, that, when used with the corresponding owl's body tile, allowed the player to receive hints from owl "guide" NPC.

Link's Awakening as part of the series

Link's Awakening (including the DX version) is the best-selling Zelda game for a portable gaming system to date, surpassing the successful re-release of A Link to the Past on the Game Boy Advance. It has, however, suffered from the stigma of being technically inferior to the previous SNES game.

Despite this, many characters and items from Link's Awakening were carried over to newer Zelda games and have become important elements of the Legend of Zelda series as a whole. Among others, Marin and Tarin have become major influences on the Zelda games—especially The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Cameos

File:GBC Zelda Links Awakening DX.png

Bow-Wow the Chain-Chomp, tied to a post.

Wart of Super Mario Bros. 2 appears in a cave beneath the Signpost Maze as Mamu (the Japanese translation of "wart").
Dr. Wright, a character based on The Sims creator Will Wright, from the SNES version of SimCity. Called "Mr. Write" in the game, he is one of the characters involved in the trading game. His theme music also made it into the game.
Princess Peach of the Mario series appears on a picture sent to Mr. Write, under the name "Christine".
Yoshi of the Mario series appears as a doll. The doll is the first item collected in the trading game.
Kirby of the Kirby's Dream Land series is an enemy in the Eagle's Tower, and attempts to suck you in as you pass by.
Chain Chomp of Super Mario Bros. 3 appears as a domesticated pet in Mabe Village, named "Bow-Wow", and a Chomp in a dog house, that trades you Dog Food for your Ribbon.
Various other baddies from the Mario series appear throughout the game, including Goombas, Piranha Plants, Cheap Cheaps and Shy Guys.

Trade of Items

An important part of the game is the trading of items, leading up to the discovery of the Magnifying Glass, which Link needs to read the book called "Dark Secrets And Mysteries Of Koholint" at the Library.

The first item is the Yoshi Doll, obtained in the Trendy Game in Mabe Village.
Trade with Mamahl at the Quadruplets' house (the big house next to the Dream Shrine) for the Ribbon.
Trade with Mini-Bow Wow (inside Madam MeowMeow's doghouse in Mabe Village) for the Dog Food.
Trade with Sale the Alligator at Sale's House O' Bananas (on the beach) for the Bananas.
Trade with Kiki the Monkey (near Kanalet Castle) for the Stick.
Trade with Tarin (in the Ukuku Praire) for the Honeycomb.
Trade with Chef Bear of Animal Village for the Pineapple.
Trade with Papahl in the Tal Tal Mountains for the Hibiscus.
Trade with Christine the Goat in Animal Village for the Letter.
Trade with Mr. Write for the Broom.
Trade with Grandma Ulrira in Mabe Village (sometimes in Animal Village) for the Fishing Hook.
Trade with the Fisherman (under a bridge in Martha's Bay) for the Necklace (Note: This was a bikini top in the japanese and original, non-colored european version) .
Trade with Martha the Mermaid for the Scale.
Set the scale in the Mermaid Statue to gain access to the cave where the Magnifying Glass lies hidden.

Glitches

Link's Awakening was well known for the infamous 'screen warp' glitch. As the game world is divided into many 'screens', which did a scroll effect from one to another, by activating a certain glitch, a player can warp over a screen.

When the screen is changing, if you bring up the map with select, you will warp to the opposing side of the next screen. This allows a clever player to bypass much of the game, yet it carries the risk of getting stuck in walls.

External links