The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Description official descriptions
The fourth game in the Zelda series although it does not take place in Hyrule. After being attacked at sea, Link's ship sinks, and he finds himself stranded on Koholint Island. He awakens to see a beautiful woman looking down at him. He soon learns the island has a giant egg on top of a mountain that the Wind Fish inhabits deep inside. Link is told to "awaken the wind fish and all will be answered," so Link sets out on another quest.
Play is mostly similar to the SNES game with a top down perspective. However, there are short sections in dungeons where the game switches to a side-scrolling view with platforming elements. Link must go onto each of the 7 temples to retrieve a musical instrument that will help awaken the Wind Fish. Along the way, Link must search the land and uncover hidden treasures and items that will allow him to progress on his journey. With new items, he can open up new passages that will take him even farther on his quest and allow him to enter new areas that were inaccessible before. Link can attack his enemies with his sword or use items he finds during his quest to help him. Guarding every instrument is a temple boss, which must be defeated if Link is to awaken the Wind Fish.
Spellings
- ゼルダの伝説 夢をみる島 - Japanese spelling
- 撒尔达传说 - Simplified Chinese spelling
- 撒爾達傳說 - Traditional Chinese spelling
Groups +
Screenshots
Promos
Credits (Game Boy version)
20 People (15 developers, 5 thanks)
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Reviews
Trivia
1001 Video Games
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Enhanced re-release
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX includes new features and areas to explore.
References
- The platforming sections are clearly inspired by the Super Mario series, including pipes with hungry plants and enemies which can be killed by stomping on them.
- Wart makes a short cameo in this game, as a music teacher. Wart was the final boss in Super Mario Bros. 2.
- The character Richard, whom you help get five golden leaves for from his castle, is none other than Prince Richard from the obscure Japanese Game Boy game Kaeru no tame ni Kane wa Naru. In this game, both Richard, and the main character, Sable, were able to transform into frogs at key points in the game - which probably explains why there's a whole heap of frogs in Richard's villa. The music that plays while in the villa is also from the same game.
Timeline
There is much speculation over the chronological order of the Zelda storyline, so although Link's Awakening is the fourth Zelda game, it is unknown when the events in it occur. Many agree that it probably takes place directly after A Link to the Past, although one theory suggests it takes place in the middle of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (while Link is sailing to the east continent).
Awards
- Electronic Gaming Monthly
- November 1997 (Issue 100) - ranked #28 (Best 100 Games of All Time)
- Game Informer
- August 2001 (Issue #100) - #58 in the "Top 100 Games of All Time" poll
- Retro Gamer
- October 2004 (Issue #9) – #4 Best Game Boy Game
Information also contributed by Ben K, PCGamer77, Tiago Jacques and Zovni
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Related Sites +
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OC ReMix Game Profile
Fan remixes of music from <em>Link's Awakening</em>. -
The Legends of Zelda
This site contains everything you ever wanted to know about the Zelda series. This page contains several FAQs and secret lists about Link's Awakening. There's also images and music from the game. -
Zeldapower.com Forums
Message Board for all of the Zelda games
Identifiers +
- MobyGames ID: 4267
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Matthew Bailey.
Additional contributors: Xa4, rey_, Jeanne, Exodia85, Alaka, gamewarrior, Ms. Tea, Patrick Bregger, Thomas Thompson, FatherJack, GenesisBR.
Game added June 10th, 2001. Last modified April 3rd, 2023.