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The Story Behind Legend of Zelda, The - Link's Awakening

Yasahisa Yamamura designed the dungeons, which included the conception of rooms and routes, as well as the placement of enemies. Tanabe implemented a trading sequence; Tezuka compared it to the Japanese Straw Millionaire folktale, in which someone trades up from a piece of straw to something of greater value. Several elements from Link's Awakening were re-used in later Zelda titles; for example, programmer Morita created a fishing minigame that reappeared in Ocarina of Time, among others.

A total of twelve photos can be taken, which may be viewed at the shop, or printed with the Game Boy Printer accessory. The company-owned magazine Nintendo Power published a guide to the game's first three areas in its July 1993 issue. The results of these experiments with the Game Boy started to look promising.

How Legend of Zelda, The - Link's Awakening Plays

Collectible "secret seashells" are hidden throughout the game; when 20 of these are found, the player can receive a powerful sword that fires energy beams when the player character is at full health, similar to the sword in the original The Legend of Zelda. Link's Awakening was the first overhead-perspective Zelda game to allow Link to jump; this enables sidescrolling sequences similar to those in the earlier Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. The player may steal items from the game's shop, but doing so changes the player character's name to "THIEF" for the rest of the game and causes the shopkeeper to knock out the character upon re-entry of the shop.

The player traverses the overworld of Koholint Island while fighting monsters and exploring underground dungeons. Defeating a Nightmare also earns the player one of the eight instruments necessary to complete the game. Link's Awakening is the first Zelda game to include a trading sequence minigame: the player may give a certain item to a character, who in turn gives the player another item to trade with someone else.

Why Players Still Load It Up

Cameron Davis of GameSpot applauded the game's camera support and attention to detail in coloration and style, while reviewers for the Courier Mail believed that the camera added gameplay depth and allowed players to show off trophies. The Vancouver Suns Katherine Monk called the dialogue "stilted", but considered the rest of the game to be "ever-surprising". Game Informers Ben Reeves called it the third best Game Boy game and called it influential.

The Washington Posts Chip Carter declared that Nintendo had created a "legend that fits in the palm of your hand", and praised its portability and depth. Critic William Burrill dismissed the game's visuals as "dim Boy graphics [that are] nothing to write home about". Total Games noted that the new content added little to the game, but found it addictive to play nonetheless.

Legend of Zelda, The - Link's Awakening — Frequently Asked Questions