-Owl
Link’s Awakening really is a feat of engineering. It’s easy to look at the Game Boy Colour version, or in more recent times, the Switch remaster and say – “so what, big deal”. However, when you remember that this game was first released on the original Game Boy back in 1993, you’d be forgiven for failing to comprehend just how they managed to pack the sheer size and depth of Koholint onto such a tiny cartridge.
Many things make Link’s Awakening unique – the Mario references, the lack of Zelda and the side-scrolling sections, to name a few. But, in this Nintendo blog, I’ll be focusing on those wonderful dungeons. In my Top 10 Zelda Games blog, I mentioned that Link’s Awakening is my favourite handheld/2D entry. Well, a big contributing factor to that opinion is the vast number of wonderful dungeons they fit into this TARDIS-like game. What’s more impressive is that even with the graphical limitations of the Game Boy, each of these dungeons has its own personality and character – something amplified further when colour was added in Link’s Awakening DX (and further still on the Switch).
While only so much can be achieved within a 2D plane, some of these dungeons are incredibly well designed, creating challenging and complex puzzles for you to solve throughout your journey to wake the Windfish. So with that said, here are my Top 10 Link’s Awakening Dungeons.
Did You Know?
- The setting for Link’s Awakening was inspired by the TV series Twin Peaks.
- Despite the name, Zelda doesn’t appear in LA once – only being mentioned at the start.
- If you take out Eagle’s Tower, each dungeon in LA makes the shape of an object!
10) Bottle Grotto
Whilst there’s nothing inherently wrong with the Bottle Grotto, it, unfortunately, picks up the bottom spot on this list. Hiding in the Goponga Swamp behind a bouquet of strange Goponga flowers that only BowWow can eat, the Bottle Grotto is the second dungeon you’ll venture across in Link’s Awakening. However, since it’s located within a grotto, the dungeon is dank, dark and full of shadowy corners. With a drab atmosphere and annoying Hinnox mini-boss fight (hurling Link across the room several times), Bottle Grotto, for me, is the least rememberable dungeon in Link’s Awakening.
9) Tail Cave
The first dungeon you’ll come across after collecting the Tail Key from the Mysterious Woods is Tail Cave. Just north of Toronbo Shores, Tail Cave is a great introductory dungeon which, although not very challenging, eases the player into the mechanics of Link’s Awakening. I really love the item that you get in Tail Cave – Roc’s Feather. This allows Link to jump (a series first!), and the dungeon makes fantastic use of the item’s purpose in both the side-scrolling sections and mini-boss fight. In addition, the dungeon is filled with mini-Moldorm’s and Blade Traps, teaching the player to get used to Link’s movements and fast! Unfortunately, the decor is mostly reds and browns to match the cave aesthetic, so it doesn’t stand out compared to some of the later dungeons. But, this aside, there’s enough here to make Tail Cave a solid first dungeon.
8) Dampé’s Chamber Dungeon
Dampé’s Chamber Dungeon is a straightforward but effective dungeon builder introduced in the Nintendo Switch remake. As you venture through the main game, each room from the visited dungeons is added into your inventory which you can then use as tile placements in the builder. Dampé has many challenges that teach you how to build versatile dungeons whilst rewarding you with Bottles and Heart Pieces in the process. There’s a huge amount of creativity to be had here – creating huge dungeons with as many twists and turns as your heart (piece) desires. However, as this part of the game is completely optional, and the dungeons will only ever be as good as your imagination allows, Dampé’s Chamber Dungeon can equally sink as it can soar.
7) Key Cavern
Located in Ukuku Prairie, you’re given access to the Key Cavern after you retrieve five Golden Leaves from Prince Richard’s Kanalet Castle. Key Cavern is the third dungeon in Link’s Awakening, and it feels like there’s a real step up in the puzzles at this stage. The dungeon features many Small Keys for all of the locked doors, which are frequent throughout Key Cavern – I guess that makes sense! To find the keys, you’ll complete several tasks that include defeating enemies, bombing hidden walls and obtaining the dungeon’s item, the Pegasus Boots. This dungeon also introduces Dodongos as the mini-boss, appearing in several other dungeons after Key Cavern. The dungeon’s boss is a tad on the easy side, and the green aesthetic doesn’t do much for the whole ‘cavern-vibe’, but other than that, Key Cavern is a positively puzzle-filled pleasure.
6) Color Dungeon
Let’s address the elephant in the room on this one – colour is spelt with a ‘u’. Now that the only negative is out of the way let’s talk about the dungeon introduced in Link’s Awakening DX. The Colour Dungeon was added to the Game Boy Color release to showcase the upgraded screen and graphical prowess of the newer handheld. The dungeon plays off the theme of colour, adding Red, Blue, Yellow and Green splashes to the aesthetic, resulting in the most saturated dungeon in the title. It’s full of colourful enemies and puzzles that require Link to match up coloured turnstiles, hit enemies into their matching coloured holes, and swat enemies hiding camouflaged in their colour. The dungeon’s boss changes colour after every sword swing, almost as if it was a final opportunity for the Game Boy Colour to say, “look what I can do”. The reward of the dungeon allows Link to choose Red Mail for more power or Blue Mail for more defence. Of course, they always say the best offence is defence, so I always went for that trusty Blue Tunic.
5) Face Shrine
Just before entering the Face Shrine, you’re told by the Owl to head on over to the Southern Face Shrine, and it’s here you learn about the dark twist behind Link’s Awakening. I mean, it was obvious to figure out before this point, but it’s actually clarified that (spoilers) waking the Windfish will cause Koholint to be no more. This change drastically alters the ambience of the game, and the Face Shrine dungeon further augments this feeling. The sandy-red colour and eastern-influenced Elephant statues conjure feelings similar to those in Ocarina of Time’s Spirit Temple. While the upgraded Power Bracelet isn’t all that useful outside of the dungeon or even used for the boss fight, there’s a noticeably heightened complexity here. As the sixth dungeon of the game, the difficulty jumps and prepares you for the final two harder dungeons. Face Shrine is definitely a challenging and more memorable dungeon but gets outshone by a few others with more personality.
4) Angler’s Tunnel
Whilst the water dungeons in 3D Zelda games can be notorious; I’ve always really enjoyed a good-old 2D Zelda water dungeon. For example, Swamp Palace in A Link Between Worlds is a fantastic specimen of creative dungeon design – well, Angler’s Tunnel in Link’s Awakening is no different. The dungeon is a flooded cave with watery areas that you cannot traverse until you’ve picked up the dungeon’s item, the Flippers. Angler’s Tunnel is also full of puzzles and secrets, including some sections that are hidden and only accessible by diving with said dungeon item. I also really like the boss fight – not so much the giant fish boss – but more that it takes place in a side-scrolling section, mid-swim. The dungeon reveal is also pretty special, hidden behind a waterfall that shows itself spectacularly after using the Angler Key in front of it. All these elements combined leave a lasting impression and make Angler’s Tunnel one of the stand-out 2D Zelda dungeons.
3) Catfish’s Maw
Right after leaving the incredible Angler’s Tunnel, you get to experience the scintillating Catfish’s Maw. I mentioned in my Top 10 Zelda Mini-bosses blog my love for the mini-boss here; Master Stalfos. You don’t just fight Master Stalfos once – you, in fact, fight him five times before finally getting your hands on the dungeon’s item, the Hookshot. Not only does that make this dungeon unique, but the Hookshot opens up a whole load of new paths and treasure chests after you claim it. You’re forced to learn the layout of Catfish’s Maw quickly to not only defeat Master Stalfos but pick up the scattered hidden treasures afterwards – so it’s therefore burned into my brain like the Triforce is to the back of Link’s hand. Not only does it include one of the more unique mini-bosses, but it also hosts arguably the best boss fight in Link’s Awakening, making the whole dungeon experience truly wonderful.
2) Eagle’s Tower
Just missing out on the top spot is the second to last dungeon – Eagle’s Tower. This dungeon is a complex concoction of Switch Blocks and Staircases, forcing Link to make several journeys between the first and second floor. The reason for this is to conquer the first, unique objective of this dungeon – knocking down the four pillars with a heavy metal wrecking ball. Getting to the top of Eagle’s Tower is impossible without achieving this step, as reducing the four pillars to rubble allows the upper half of the dungeon to sink a level. Making your way through the dungeon with the wrecking ball is tricky as you have to lob the ball over different gaps in the floor before having to snake around various parts of the dungeon to pick it up again and carry on. It feels a little like you’re trapped in an Escher-style maze, and there’s a real sense of triumph when you finally grasp the layout and what staircases and shortcuts you need to take to advance. Add in another side-scrolling boss fight, and you’re left with what is probably the most unique dungeon in Link’s Awakening.
1) Turtle Rock
Here it is – my favourite dungeon in Link’s Awakening – Turtle Rock. Sure, Turtle Rock isn’t as unique as Eagle’s Tower, but it’s definitely more iconic, appearing in Link’s Awakening, a Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds. The version of Turtle Rock in Link’s Awakening is that of a fiery hell-hole. Almost every room is drenched in lava or flames, meaning one misstep or poorly timed jump could result in the hottest bath you’ve ever taken. This not only gives Turtle Rock both aesthetic and character, but it adds to the difficulty of the dungeon, aptly placing it as the final dungeon within Link’s Awakening. This dungeon also includes four mini-bosses from previous dungeons – meaning that not only is traversing the dungeon difficult but combating through it is too. The fifth mini-boss is the boxer Blaino who – cruelly – will punch you back to the start of the dungeon if you take a punch, hitting reset on all your progress to that point. As well as being the largest dungeon, you also have to leave at one point and renter the dungeon from a different point in Koholint’s overworld to solve a puzzle – a nice little touch not found elsewhere in Link’s Awakening. Overall, Turtle’s Rock makes for a wonderfully complex Zelda dungeon which I always look forward to replaying when I boot this game up – which is terribly frustrating given it’s right at the very end of Link’s sleepy adventure.
The dungeons in Link’s Awakening genuinely do set the pace of this beautiful game. The first three dungeons ease you in before cranking up the difficulty. The sixth dungeon changes the game’s vibe and sets up the final act for the last two and most challenging dungeons. It’s this pacing and creative dungeon design that keeps me coming back and keeps Link’s Awakening as my favourite handheld Zelda title.