As a long time Zelda fan who spents hours playing Zelda games for Nintendo you can imagine the excitment I had felt when I heard that there was going to be a new Zelda adventure being released for Nintendo's Gameboy. I was playing little league baseball in 1993 when one of my friends named Gene first got the game, well the baseball game went back seat and Zelda came first.
As soon as the game ended I can remember us sitting at a picnic bench at the field passing the Gameboy to each other taking turns playing this amazing game. Soon after this and after days of begging my parents to buy this game they finally did. I took this game and my Gameboy everywhere with me playing it nonstop.
I can remember playing this game with friends, each one of us having our own and coaching each other what to do next. Well enough about my childhood with this game and lets talk about it.
The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening came out for Gameboy and contained the usual green and shades of black but at the time it seemed great to me. The opening story line shows a large mountain with an enormous egg at its peak which made you wonder what did this all mean.
The setting is in Koholint Island and you wake up in a little shack owned by Tarin and Marin after Zelda's ship is destroyed by a terrible storm and you end up beached on this mysterious island. Tarin gives you back your shield and sends you on your way. As you leave a strange owl appears which will become your friend and give you essential clues in order to finish your journey and awaken the Windfish sleeping in that giant egg on top of the mountain by using the Instruments of the Sirens.
There are many different items around the island that link needs in order to finish his quest.
These items include a shovel, bombs, power bracelet, hook shot, magic powder, sleepy mushroom, feather, magic rod, bow, pegasus boots and the Ocarina. As you search for these items you also collect seashells, collect enough of them and you enter into a special shrine where your sword becomes more powerful than before. Link also finds another shrine that states that this whole quest is a dream of the Windfish and if he awakens it, the island will no longer exist so he is left with a choice which we all know what he chooses. Even though you are exploring an island there are many different places to poke around in to find clues, items and dungeons you need to see. Link explores a forest, plains, castle, swamp, and desert with many battles to fight to move forward in his quest.
There are also some fun things to do like gambling and fishing. Gambling was never real big for me in this game since I was never good at it for some reason but fishing was another story. As an avid fisherman myself I thought it was great they incorporated it into the game.
Finally after beating 8 dungeons and retrieving all the instruments, Link stands in front of the WindFish on top of the huge mountain and plays the song entitled The Battle of the Windfish opening a door leading inside the egg. After finding your way through this maze inside the egg Link's final battle is with Dethl who is an evil nightmare than transforms himself into enemies Link has already defeated in this game but must do again. Once you defeat Dethl, you play the Ballad of the Windfish again and the Windfish awakens and takes Link away.
He comforts the troubled Link by telling him that while Koholint Island itself must disappear, it will remain in his memories forever. A combination of such a great storyline and characters combined with childhood memories of playing this game like the Windfish says it will remain in my memories forever!
