Daily Debate: Does Link’s Awakening Have the Best Ending?
Posted on December 04 2017 by Michaela El-Ters
Link’s Awakening is among one of the most unique and creative entries in the series. Taking place within a dream, Link faces a moral dilemma in his journey to escape the island. If he wakes up the Wind Fish, he threatens to destroy the existence of the entire island and everyone on it, including the endearing Marin, and the ending of the game is rather unclear on what exactly happens, leaving it open for interpretation.
After Link’s dream ends, he wakes up at sea on his boat and looks up at the sky to see a seagull flying overhead. This seagull is believed to be Marin after she achieved her wish of being able to fly, but how she appears here is unclear. Is the seagull real, and is it really Marin? Was she saved before Koholint Island vanished? Did the island disappear at all, or is it real and she got her wish? Is Link imagining it? The possibilities are endless, making it among one of the most compelling endings the series has to offer. It can be considered a happy ending, but not in an outright way, allowing it to achieve a level of deeper storytelling and symbolism that only a handful of other installments in the series have achieved. It’s because of these qualities that this ending stands out to me as among one of the most interesting in the franchise, offering something beyond a “happy” ending and reaching for something greater and philosophical. What does everyone think? What is your favorite ending in the Zelda series? Let us know in the comments!
Michaela El-Ters is an Original Content Editor at Zelda Informer. For more of her thoughts on happy endings versus sad endings, check out her blog.
Feature art by bellhenge
Michaela El-Ters is a Senior Editor for Zelda Dungeon. She is also an Senior Writer for Boss Rush Network, and writes blogs and streams games on Objection Network. Her favorite Zelda game changes with the seasons, but the series as a whole is near and dear to her heart.
