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Overview

Title Screen

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX is an enhanced re-release of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Link's Awakening was the first hand held game in the franchise and the fourth game released on a Nintendo platform. The game was released exclusively for the Game Boy (Link's Awakening DX was released on the Game Boy Color) in 1993 (both in Japan and USA) and features Link  getting stranded on Koholint Island. There he discovers that he must awaken the Wind Fish if he ever wants to get off the island.

Link's Awakening shares many gameplay features with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past despite the hardware deficiencies (less powerful system with one third the number of buttons). Like most Zelda games, the game revolves around adventuring, dungeon crawling, item-finding and defeating various creatures and bosses. In order to awaken the Windfish and get off of Koholint Island, Link has to battle his way through eight dungeons and collect eight Instruments of the Sirens. In each temple there are many enemies, one or more sub-bosses and one main boss (in this game called Nightmares); each Nightmare can be defeated with the aid of a specific item located in the associated dungeon.

When Link has acquired all the instruments, he must climb up to the peak of Tal Tal Mountain and play the song "Ballad of the Windfish" (which since has been a part of several other games in the franchise) in order to defeat the last Nightmares and awaken the Windfish.

Version Differences

Link, stealing from the shop.

The DX version, as most other deluxe releases, is a dual function cart, meaning it will work in the original black and white Game Boy (as a black and white version) and in color on both the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance.

It also contains an extra dungeon only playable on either the Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance, called "color dungeon", which mainly consists of different color-based puzzles. (If the dungeon is accessed on Game Boy or Super Game Boy, Link is refused entry by the skeleton guards.) Upon completion there is an option between a blue or red tunic, which boost either attack or defense stats, respectively. The game also adds photo booths with tweleve different photos of Link to be taken throughout the island (in reality thirteen, as there are two possible versions of the first photo), all printable via the Game Boy Printer accessory. Getting one of these photos requires the player to steal something from the Village Shop, which results in being called THIEF for the rest of the game.

Many of the original game's bugs have been fixed, such as the map exploit in moving between unexplored screens in the overworld. Like other Game Boy Color cartridges with classic Game Boy compatibility, the cart of the game is black plastic as opposed to the gray color of the original Link's Awakening release.

Trivia

• This the only Legend of Zelda game in which  Princess Zelda herself is absent from the game.
• The game features numerous cameos by other Nintendo characters, such as Yoshi,  Kirby, Shy Guys, Chain Chomps,  Piranha Plants and Goombas.