Playing Link’s Awakening DX for the First Time — Heather’s Adventure, Part Two

Part One |

Having just parted with Marin and waking up the sleepy Walrus, I found myself in Yarna Desert. I defeated the Desert Lanmola and got the Angler Key, and I then checked the guide for what I should do next. While the next main dungeon of the game is Angler’s Tunnel, I instead opted for the Color Dungeon!

Let me start by saying that I spent five minutes trying to access the dungeon itself. I pushed on every gravestone — as specified in the out-of-reach book in the Mabe Village library — only to learn that I was two screens off from where I needed to be. And this isn’t the first dumb thing I’d do regarding this dungeon, so let’s continue on. Once I figured out the puzzle, I entered the dungeon and talked to the skeletons. I wasn’t paying close enough attention and got their extremely easy questions wrong. If there was ever a face-palm moment, that was it.

The Color Dungeon was really easy to get through. I did mess up with some keys again, but I eventually figured my way around my mishap. Both of the mini-bosses were easy, and I soon found my way to the Nightmare. The puzzle before the boss was tricky, but after many attempts, I got through. Boss Time! I honestly thought I had the boss figured out, but it then hit me that I needed to hit D.Poon a lot quicker than I had been. I was being way too cautious, and that was costing me hits. Once I figured out an approach that worked, I vanquished the boss and made my way to The Great Fairy.

 

I was then presented with a major choice in the game. I knew that I could come back and change my mind later, but I wanted to avoid that for the time being. After some thought — knowing that I’m accident prone with enemies — I went with the blue tunic! A great defense is a great offense, right? (Looking back at what I wrote at the time, I’m glad I went with the blue tunic. It saved me many times; and if you go for an all-out attack approach, you’ll want the extra defense. There were times I took hits just to make hits, and it worked out for me.)

Leaving the Color Dungeon, I made my way to Tal Tal Heights. I LOVE the music in this area! It’s upbeat and fun to play to. (And it reminds me so much of the remix in Cadence of Hyrule.) After visiting The Egg of the Wind Fish, I followed the guide’s direction to do more of the trading sequence and then use the Angler Key to get into the the next dungeon. I really felt like I had relied too much on the guide at that point, so I ditched it and did this dungeon alone.

Figuring out the layout of the dungeon wasn’t hard once I had the Map and Compass, and I made my way through in quick fashion. The mini boss in this dungeon seemed like a joke to me, having asked myself if that was really it. Apparently it was… For a dungeon in the middle of the game, Angler’s Tunnel was easier than the others. I really liked the room with the lever mechanic  though. It presented a sense of urgency that I had not experienced in a dungeon yet.

After that room I got the Flippers! I could finally reach other places in the dungeon. I made my way through the dungeon, finishing up chests I had not gotten yet along the way, and found the room to the Nightmare. …I couldn’t get in. I had gotten every key but the important one. I was so proud of myself for not using the guide, but I had to see where the dumb Boss Key was. I thought I had lost my co-dependency streak, but alas… I needed the guide. I was mad at this point, but I found my key and made my way to the boss. I wish I could explain how angry I was. How did I miss the Nightmare Key?

I haven’t mentioned it yet, but the random Mario enemies in Link’s Awakening seemed rather fitting, but also out of place. I can’t really describe how I feel about it. Anyway, Angler Fish was an easy boss. The only challenge occurred when the stones started to fall from above, but defeating the fish was a no-brainer. I had more of a challenge with the second boss to be honest. (Maybe that was because I couldn’t figure it out…) 

Now that I was halfway through the game, I found myself wanting to make it last longer. I made my way to the raft game, but didn’t gain much in return. I actually wish I could have saved my rupees because I had enough for a bow before I wasted them all on the game. I learned Manbo’s Mambo and followed the guide for two more Heart Pieces. I can’t stress enough about the Heart Pieces. They come in handy! After the raft game I noticed a very friendly ghost following me, so it was time to take him home. We first went to his house and then back to his grave. Once our ghostly friend was returned, it was time to check the handy guide and find out where to go next.

I completed two more pieces of the trading sequence and learned that I needed to buy the Bow. I was 120 rupees short… I didn’t want to steal it… so I spent an HOUR trying to gather more rupees. I failed the Trendy Game and wasted even more rupees trying to get more. After a while, I gathered 30 rupees by plowing down the field in Mabe Village a million times. But I finally got fed up with rupee gathering after seeing that my efforts were proving to be epically slow. So I walked into the shop and stole the bow. Yes, I am proud of myself. Bow in hand it was time to continue on and never go into the shop again. I didn’t want my file to be labeled as Thief, because Lonk. 

With my stolen bow in tow, I did more sections of the trading sequence and entered Catfish’s Maw. After a small preview of the Zelda Dungeon guide, I decided to follow the guide up until I got the Hookshot. Fighting Master Stalfos four times was a bit annoying, but at least he was easy to defeat. I also opted to fight Gohma so I could use my stolen bow. Navigating the different rooms with the Hookshot was a blast! It made me excited to use the tool later on in the game. The Nightmare, Slime Eel, was really easy to figure out. BUT it told me that the island is not what it seems. It left me asking so many questions and anxious to keep going!

The game is wrapping up! Stay tuned for the final installment of Heather plays Link’s Awakening coming soon!

Heather Beard is a writer for Zelda Dungeon. She’s a (crazy) cat lady with a passion for Zelda lore, and really cheesy pizza. You can follow her adventures on Instagram and Twitter!

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