I don’t know why I never got this game back in the day. I had a Game Boy, and I’m pretty sure I was still playing it when this game came out. I’d stopped getting Game Boy games by then, I’m sure, but I’m quite surprised I didn’t really want this one. And it took me 25 years to check it out. That’s… a lot.
My first playthrough was on the DX/Game Boy Color version, but I figured for this project I should tackle the original. The DX version is slightly easier, with a few more hints in dungeons and the Color Dungeon giving Link a reward that amounts to either a permanent Guardian Acorn or Piece of Power, without having to put up with the annoying repetitive music that plays while either of those powerups is active. Plus the actual Acorns/Pieces stack with the reward. It does require defeating another candidate for my least favorite Zelda boss that I’ve faced, Hardhit Beetle1.
The… Story?
Well, here’s where I’d quote the prologue text from the game, except there isn’t any. Link’s sailing in a storm, his ship is destroyed, and he washes up on an island and is found by a girl. Then there’s the title screen, and that’s it. The manual, as usual, has more of the story. After defeating Ganon, Link2 sailed away from Hyrule in search of “enlightenment.” The storm happened as he was coming home, his quest fulfilled. The manual goes on to recap the opening scenes of the game itself, but I’ll stop there.
Unlike the first three games, the goal in this game is pretty simple: Link wants to find a way off the island and continue his journey home, but he’s told that he’s not going to be able to leave as long as the Wind Fish sleeps, whatever that means3. All he has to do is gather up instruments for a one-man band and go be a human alarm clock so he can go home.
Humor and Character
Two other big things about the writing stand out in this game. First, unlike the first few games which were mostly serious, with A Link to the Past having a few humorous moments, Link’s Awakening has a really goofy sense of humor throughout. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s a little jarring, and overall I’m not sure if I like this game’s humor or wish it was a little more serious. I’m curious to see if this carries forward into later games, or if it’s just because of the nature of Koholint Island.
Second, A Link to the Past had actual characters for the first time, and this game takes it further. Sure, tying in with the last point, many of them are varying degrees of ridiculous, but Marin is probably the best-developed character in any Zelda game so far, and the owl is more than just an exposition tool/hint system.
Okay, enough general talk before the game.
Link Awakens
Link wakes up in the house of the girl who found him. He initially mistakes her for Zelda, but she’s someone else, named Marin. She welcomes him to Koholint Island. Her father, Tarin, greets Link by name, which he says he learned reading it off the shield he or Marin found near where Link washed up. They say more of Link’s stuff may be on the shore, but warn him that monsters have taken over the area ever since Link arrived.
Mabe Village’s inhabitants are a rather quirky bunch. There’s Ulrira, who doesn’t have much to say in person but will gladly give Link hints if he uses the island’s various phone booths. Papahl, the father of the numerous kids running around the island giving hints about how to use the game’s controls, doesn’t look or act his age, and tells Link he’ll be lost in the mountains later. And there’s a woman named Madam MeowMeow who has pet Chain Chomps, including a giant one tied up in her front yard called BowWow.
Link leaves the village to explore the Toronbo Shores, where he finds his sword. He knows it’s his, because it has his name engraved on it. As he approaches the sword, he’s greeted by an owl, who says that the monsters are acting up because they think Link’s come to wake the Wind Fish. And while that may not be the reason Link came to Koholint Island, the owl says that Link won’t be able to leave unless he does, so that becomes the quest. Before flying off, the owl tells Link to continue his search in the Mysterious Forest to the north.
Next: The quest properly begins.