The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Game Boy (USED)

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is one of the more interesting releases in the Zelda franchise. It was the first handheld installment, and until Majora’s Mask was the only side game in the series. I didn’t get a chance to play it at release but I drooled over it in kiosks and often wondered what it was like. There were few instances where I played it as a kid; I recall a field trip where a friend brought it and their Game Boy and let me take a spin. I didn’t get a chance to play through it until I was an adult though. Today I’m here to take a look at this oddball Zelda game.

For some reason this game can be a touchy subject amongst fans of the series. Side games in the franchise are generally heralded as the best ones by the vocal minority, and this one in particular is held sacred. I grew up on a Link to the Past, and I often replay that one. This one takes the basic mechanics from that, but is quite different in tone and mechanics. I’ll start this review by saying that I like it a lot, but it’s far from the best. Much of what makes it different also holds it back.

Link’s Awakening picks up some time after the ending of Link to the Past. Our green tunic hero has taken to the high seas, and the opening sequence depicts him battling a storm aboard his tiny boat. He succumbs to the elements when his vessel is struck by lightning, and the screen fades away from here. Link then awakens in a hut wherein he learns that he has washed up on a mysterious land mass known as Koholint Island. As the story unfolds (via a rather chatty owl) we learn that the only way for our hero to return to Hyrule is by awakening a local deity known as the Wind Fish. To do so Link must collect eight magical musical instruments. The bad news? They’re all located deep within the local monster filled dungeons.