Support NeoGAF

[Incitemaybe]

I enjoyed reading your OP, OP

 

[ZiZ]

LA is seriously underrated, it's probably the 2D Zelda I enjoyed the most.

 

[Junahu]

The canon is one of the worst things about the Zelda series.

"the canon" gave us Majora's Mask and The Wind Waker, two supreme Zelda titles that work so well because they piggyback off of a previous game's (Ocarina of Time) plot and themes.

 

[shacklesmcgee]

I have ALWAYS said about Link's Awakening:

• LA introduced learning songs and then playing them back on an instrument to change things (albeit automatically).
• LA introduced the Ocarina
• LA introduced actual memorable NPCs with several lines of dialog
• LA introduced the trading quest that results in a key item at the end
• LA introduced being able to actually use your shield
• LA introduced the Owl

+ more I can't remember right now.

A lot of people seem to attribute many or these things to OoT.

Good to see someone else notice.

Wow, I didn't realize most of these

Sorry OP, but this post gets the point across a bit better...though I do agree with everything you said, just a tad long

Edit : Changed the formatting a bit to make it easier to read for me, and I take it back, great OP. LA is way more iconic to the series than most people are willing to admit

 

[Muscle Wizard]

"the canon" gave us Majora's Mask and The Wind Waker, two supreme Zelda titles that work so well because they piggyback off of a previous game's (Ocarina of Time) plot and themes.

I'm talking about the big book of bullshit and three timelines Nintendo released to indulge the fans, which happened long after the release of those games. Those games reference and built upon earlier games, which is cool, but now with the existence of the canon everyone is questions where and when games fit exactly into the timelines and nitpick things that seem to be accurate or doesn't fit well.

 

[Rafavert]

I love LA <3 Very fond memories of it.

It was also the first game with an emotional ending beyond "You beat the bad guy! Hooray!". We

Spoiler

collected the instruments, some with the help of the residents of the island, only to see everything disappear!

It's just a shame the Windfish hasn't been used again. Closest we got was Levias in SS.

 

[Rymuth]

Spoiler

I still see them that way.

Preach

 

[zoukka]

What canon? There is no canon. Nintendo only said there's a canon to appease the fanfic fanatics like every other company that "admits" a canon even though it hasn't really existed.

 

[cireza]

It is the Zelda game that made everything casual.

 

[Jonnax]

What canon? There is no canon. Nintendo only said there's a canon to appease the fanfic fanatics like every other company that "admits" a canon even though it hasn't really existed.

Why is it that you decided not to even read the first sentence of the thread?

 

[broz0rs]

I'm pretty sure I cried as a kid when I realized that

Spoiler

everything was just a dream and that I wasn't going to see Marin again after I freed the whale

.

Also that beach scene and subsequent Marin tag along was one of the sweetest video game moments ever.

 

[Earthpainting]

LA introduced actual memorable NPCs with several lines of dialog

This is the big one for me. None of the three Zelda games that came before it had all that many memorable characters. This was mostly because most of them weren't characters. They were personality-less ways of delivering exposition or tutorials. Link's Awakening had pronounced personalities and even cutscene scripting. Modern Zelda games may mechanically be rooted in A Link To The Past, but the way they present themselves to me can be traced to LA. The bigger focus on the puzzles, item implementations and visual theming is something that is usually attributed to Ocarina of Time, but I would also say this comes from LA. I'm pretty sure LA ramped up the puzzles and item use in the design because the sword became an optional item. In spite of being an audio-visually weaker game, I would say the dungeons in LA feel a lot more distinct than ALttP's.

It's just a shame the Windfish hasn't been used again. Closest we got was Levias in SS.

We also had

Spoiler

Oshu the Ocean King

in Phantom Hourglass, who

Spoiler

is literally a flying whale.

 

[MCN]

Link's Awakening was my first ever Zelda game. I traded in Home Alone 2: Lost In New York to get it. I'd consider that a good deal.

 

[CTLance]

Still my favourite Zelda.

I think what I like the most is the lack of formulaic Zelda plot. There is no princess to rescue. No Ganondorf*. Not even a Triforce*. The player is playing the game in order for Link to leave the island. No baddie put him there, he just crashed his boat in a storm. Then they add that very nice twist to this setup that gives a moral ambiguity to the entire game. Add to that the focus on a core set of NPCs which fits right in with this dilemma, giving it weight. I mean, would I care whether

Spoiler

the island vanished if the NPCs hadn't become dear to me?
(* yes yes yes, they exist - not in their respective capacity though.)

Also, in the initial GameBoy release at least, they offered two different endings. If you complete the game without dying you get one additional cutscene at the end, and an emotionally significant one at that. Sadly, the DX rerelease did away with this mechanic, playing the

Spoiler

Seagull

scene regardless of player performance. Which is sad. I love me some endings. One of the reasons why I'm not overly fond of the DX version.

Finally: I love the stealing mechanic and how it prevents you from seeing the "good" ending if you're a dumb thief. So good.

 

[Rafavert]

We also had

Spoiler

Oshu the Ocean King

in Phantom Hourglass, who

Spoiler

is literally a flying whale.

I guess Oshu does come pretty close, specially considering

Spoiler

the world of Phantom Hourglass is a dream as well. I find it's disappearance far less emotional than LA's, though.

Oh, and I forgot the best part of LA:

THIEF!

 

[Junahu]

Finally: I love the stealing mechanic and how it prevents you from seeing the "good" ending if you're a dumb thief. So good.

Oh man I loved that. Link's Awakening actually had the gumption to permanently change the player's name to THIEF, so you'd always branded as the filthy cheater who didn't want to pay 980 rupees for a bow.

 

[RagnarokX]

I didn't even know there was a Zelda canon until the internet started talking about it. I saw every game in the series as it's own self-contained story in it's own self-contained universe, save for direct sequels like Phantom Hourglass or Majora's Mask.

Spoiler

I still see them that way.

Same.

Me too.

Same here and I assume it would still be that way today, but Nintendo eventually felt they had to finally give in and give the fanboys what they'd been clamoring for ever since OoT- a definitive timeline that connects all of the games directly, sense of it be damned.

I'm talking about the big book of bullshit and three timelines Nintendo released to indulge the fans, which happened long after the release of those games. Those games reference and built upon earlier games, which is cool, but now with the existence of the canon everyone is questions where and when games fit exactly into the timelines and nitpick things that seem to be accurate or doesn't fit well.

Preach

This mindset just baffles me. Apart from a few games almost every game since the first has had a clear relationship to at least one other game.

Zelda 2 (direct sequel to the first game)
A Link to the Past (prequel to the first 2 games)
Link's Awakening (direct sequel to ALttP)
Ocarina of Time (prequel to ALttP)
Majora's Mask (direct sequel to Ocarina of Time)
Wind Waker (sequel to Ocarina of Time)
Twilight Princess (sequel to Ocarina of Time)
The Minish Cap (prequel to everything)
Phantom Hourglass (direct sequel to Wind Waker)
Spirit Tracks (sequel to Wind Waker)
Skyward Sword (prequel to everything)
A Link Between Worlds (sequel to ALttP)

That's 12 games with sequel/prequel relationships. There are only 4 games that do not have clear relationships.

There was a clear change in direction for the series when Nintendo made OoT where they established a new idea for where they wanted things to go and swept the first 3 games quietly under the rug. The only points of contention for the timeline was where the first 3 games fit in after Wind Waker and Twilight Princess essentially closed off both forks and where games like Four Sword, Four Sword Adventure, and the Oracle games fit since they did not provide any specific clues to how they related to the other games.

Ocarina of Time clearly establishes the split with its ending, and Wind Waker and Twilight Princess cement it. It was never a question if the split timeline was a thing or not and the games always related to each other, yet people act like Nintendo just pulled these things out of their ass after the fact. The only thing they pulled out of their ass after the fact was the fallen hero timeline.

 

[bennywhatever]

Link's Awakening is my favorite game of all time (hence the avatar). It's so good, and I wish more people were able to grow up playing it like I did.

I'd love for them to write in a way to revisit Koholint Island. I know it was "All just a dream," but it was a fantastic dream. Link could have a second dream, right?

Also, Tal Tal Heights and Sword Search are two of the greatest Zelda themes ever.

 

[Highwind]

One of the best Zelda's ever made imo.

Filled with charm and fun gameplay.

 

[Madness]

I adored reading this thread. I agree with all your points. In some ways I feel it's ignored simply because many people never played it. A lot of people really do cherish this game for what it accomplished. A seriously impressive game for it's hardware, everyone owes it to themselves to play DX.

This. Hardly anyone I know played it when it actually came out, maybe they picked up DX when the color came out and they re-released it etc. But even then, I think they shrugged it off because it was handheld. I think I was the only one at my school that even had the original game boy. It's honestly one of my favorite Zelda games of all time, up there with link to the past, ocarina etc.

 

[Shuggananas]

This. Hardly anyone I know played it when it actually came out, maybe they picked up DX when the color came out and they re-released it etc. But even then, I think they shrugged it off because it was handheld. I think I was the only one at my school that even had the original game boy. It's honestly one of my favorite Zelda games of all time, up there with link to the past, ocarina etc.

Had a gameboy back then and zelda DX was the game that made me want a color. A friend at the local ping pong club had it and it got me so jealous I asked for a GBC + LADX for my next birthday

 

[SystemUser]

Link's Awakening is great Zelda game. I remember really liking the overworld and the dungeons. I also liked that you could assign any item to either hand. I swear when I was a kid I saw screenshots where the original NES Zelda had this feature.

I Nintendo didn't even know there was a Zelda canon until the internet started talking about it.

I am not sure why Nintendo tried to make it an over archiving timeline. It is some really bad fanfic-ish bullshit.

 

[Rafavert]

A Link to the Past (prequel to the first 2 games)

I don't remember seeing anything outside of Hyrule Historia establishing this connection. Care to enlighten me?

 

[Solid SOAP]

I'm pretty sure I cried as a kid when I realized that

Spoiler

everything was just a dream and that I wasn't going to see Marin again after I freed the whale

.

Spoiler

She gets her wish though and is reborn as a seagull.

 

[entremet]

It's way better than LTTP, which is usually considered by many the best Zelda game or the best 2D Zelda game.

 

[Griss]

To me, the core trinity of Zelda games will always be The Legend of Zelda (NES), Link's Awakening (GB), and Ocarina of Time (N64). The reason that Link's Awakening makes the list, as OP pointed out in one of his paragraphs, was that it was where the series discovered its thematic tone of whimsy and loss. This is something that elevated it above the standard fantasy fare of the first three games. For the first time, a Zelda game was capable of being emotional as well as exciting. I'd wager almost no one who played it at the time forgets the Marin sequence on the beach, or the dawning realization that the island and its people are 'doomed', or that feeling when you finally wake the wind fish and wipe the island away forever. It was powerful stuff. At the same time, this was balanced by so much silliness. Chain chomps and telephones, Will Wright and talking animals. Mario and his mushrooms, Yoshi dolls. The game was fun and funny so long as you didn't think of the underlying melancholy to the scenario. This tone is something that has applied to almost every single Zelda since.

OoT: Lots of humour and silliness countering the sad 'outsiderness' of our orphaned hero growing up in a place he doesn't belong as an orphan, and then travelling to a place he doesn't fit into, followed by the fucking destruction of all of Hyrule and subsequent loss of childhood and innocence
MM: Lots of humour and silliness countering the impending end of the world and the wandering loneliness of both the hero and villain
WW: Lots of humour and silliness countering the past destruction of Hyrule and failures of the past hero and generations, the offf-screen loss of the child heroes' families and the desperation and alienation of Ganondorf
TP: Lots of humour and silliness countering the world falling into a monster-infested twilight, the kidnapping of children, the transformation of our heroes into a wolf and an imp etc.
SS: Strangely, I don't think it really applies to this game. This one's more of a straightforward adventure.

If you're arguing mechanically, then I think the core games are simply to be LoZ and OoT. I wouldn't include LttP as the original LoZ arrived pretty much fully formed as a piece of game design, and LttP didn't change much or do anything truly revolutionary to that design. LA is the same, and I think most of the mechanical stuff added by LA is pretty minor stuff that Zelda would survive without. (The trading quest, for example. Yes it's Zelda DNA now but it's hardly essential to the game.) The one mechanic I'd agree with the OP on is the musical instrument with different tunes acting like a kind of a spellbook. That has become a core feature of Zelda, whereas in LttP it was really just another item.

Basically, I think LA was hugely important to the development of the series, but really only in terms of 'tone and themes' rather than mechanically.

 

[Iokis]

I just finished LA again recently on VC and it's still an incredible game. Despite the fact that it gates off later dungeons and parts of Koholint behind needing the necessary items from previous dungeons like other Zelda games, the game still feels like a big, explorable place.

The music is great, mainly the Ballad of the Wind Fish itself and of course Tal Tal Heights. The characters, as mentioned in other posts, are quirky and interesting, such as the man who can't speak to you in person but happily babbles over the phone. Despite Link's usual role as a silent protagonist, I feel his relationship with Marin was more authentic than any other relationship in a Zelda game (particularly if you get the scenes with photos involving her too). Even the fact that NPCs move around (Marin is all over the place over the course of the game, Tarin goes to the woods and later is seen prodding a beehive, a guy gets lost in the mountains, etc) makes the place seem a whole lot more alive. By the end of the game, when I'm fully decked out and all of Koholint's map squares are filled in, the island feels like a comforting, familar place...

...Which makes it all the more heartbreaking when you realise

Spoiler

the island and all that inhabit it will cease to exist when you wake the Wind Fish

. This premise was mindblowing to me as a child, and every time I replay the game I like to think about the ramifications of that idea, like

Spoiler

what happens to Link if he dies in a dream, if the Nightmares tell you you will disintergate with the island because they actually believe that or just to try and put you off, or the fact the game can get away with modern stuff like a crane game and phones because things in dreams that shouldn't be there don't seem out of place to you until you wake up!

And of course, the ending. The music,

Spoiler

watching everything disintegrate, including a slightly slower scene of watching a singing Marin fade into oblivion... smacks me with the feels every time

.

For me, such originality like in LA wasn't seen again until MM. I hope the new Zelda is as awesome as it looks to be shaping up, but I would be so happy if it had some of the flair in games like LA.

 

[Griss]

Spoiler

She gets her wish though and is reborn as a seagull.

That was the sad wish of an isolated girl, though. It's not a normal thing to wish for, it was just a cry for some freedom. It's not a happy ending, it's a bittersweet one. Just like the game itself.

Also, surely the Statue of Limitations is up on spoilers when a game is more than 20 years old, no?

I am not sure why Nintendo tried to make it an over archiving timeline. It is some really bad fanfic-ish bullshit.

I feel like this is something all Zelda fans should agree on. It was fun to try and link the games as a topic of discussion, but that discussion should have stayed on fan sites because it was ultimately pretty nonsensical. Nintendo making the nonsense canon was a horrible move.

 

[petran79]

Of all the Zelda titles I think Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, is perhaps the only game which seeks to compete with other games in the 2D platformer/rpg genre (arcades included).

Perhaps this is the main reason it alienated Zelda fans. So Zelda producers decided to return to the roots again with a top-down perspective game. Ironically Ys games did the same after Ys III: Wanderers from Ys


I mean if you compared Zelda 2 to Sega's/Westone's Wonderboy in Monster Land released at the same year, it was clear that Nintendo should stick to the traditional Zeldas and Mario, while leaving other genres to companies like Capcom.

It was the right choice indeed since it lead to LA, one of the best Zelda games ever.

 

[Iokis]

Also, surely the Statue of Limitations is up on spoilers when a game is more than 20 years old, no?.

Didn't want to take any chances.

But it crossed my mind that people who had never played LA might wander into the thread to see if it may convince them to finally give it a go, so it would be nice if everything was unspoiled for them.

 

[Griss]

I remember sneaking a Game Boy Colour with LA into my boarding school when I was younger. None of my friends had any time for games at all, but in moments of boredom I got a few to try LA. Almost all of them loved it. Almost all of them came back to me towards the end saying 'Whoa, this is actually heavy shit...' or something to that effect.

It actually became an in-joke for a while among us. If something sweet but melancholy happened watching TV or something, one of the guys would say 'The wind fish slumbers long. The hero's life, gone.' and we'd crack up laughing. (Yes, we were very young. Yes, that line has always made me smile with it's silliness.) The point is that the emotion of the game stayed with people.

 

[Moon_frogger]

I'm sorry that was not only far, far too long to read on my smoke break but also painfully rambling. Your introduction cannot be 5 paragraphs bro. Can anyone summerize? Does op actually talk about the importance of the game mechanics or is Just another silly rant about Zelda lore? I can get behind links awakening as an important main entry to the series. I certainly can't see any reason why it isn't, other than being a gameboy game

 

[Solid SOAP]

I'd love for them to write in a way to revisit Koholint Island. I know it was "All just a dream," but it was a fantastic dream. Link could have a second dream, right?

Like the OP said, Link's Awakening would really benefit from a remake. I'd be happy to see a ALBW style reboot, but if they simply took Link's Awakening, gave it a facelift ala ALBW and let you carry more items simultaneously and ditched the power-up system I think it would be practically perfect.

Seriously, the only two things I find annoying about it are the fact that the soundtrack comes to a screeching half when you pick up an acorn and the fact that you can't carry more than two items, including your sword and/or sheild. Faithfully redo the entire game with new visuals, map the sword to B-button and sheild to R ala ALBW and allow two items to be used through X and Y. Near perfect game.

 

[Solid SOAP]

That was the sad wish of an isolated girl, though. It's not a normal thing to wish for, it was just a cry for some freedom. It's not a happy ending, it's a bittersweet one. Just like the game itself.

True, honestly I agree. It's a cute little addition to the plot that I like to think about.

Also, surely the Statue of Limitations is up on spoilers when a game is more than 20 years old, no?

Yes, it's a sculpture of limitations.

 

[Maiar_m]

I'm pretty sure I cried as a kid when I realized that

Spoiler

everything was just a dream and that I wasn't going to see Marin again after I freed the whale

.

Also that beach scene and subsequent Marin tag along was one of the sweetest video game moments ever.

I remember I did cry! It was my first video game with a scenario in it and it had kept me busy all through my summer vacations. It's still my dearest gaming memory.

 

[Mak]

Does Link's Awakening really get discredited? It was the 4th Zelda game, and just happened to be developed on Game Boy hardware. It was made by about half of the staff from A Link to the Past. It combined elements from The Legend of Zelda on NES and the SNES version and would be the only new Zelda for another 5 years.

They wanted to make a Zelda for Game Boy and started with the idea of transfering A Link to the Past to the handheld. After the SNES version, Takashi Tezuka wanted to make a more lighthearted Zelda with no Hyrule and no Ganon, and with odd characters like in Twin Peaks.

http://www.glitterberri.com/links-awakening/staff-list-interview/
http://www.glitterberri.com/links-awakening/staff-questionnaire/
http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/ds/zelda/1/0

And to clear up Link's Awakening's relation to previous games (before Hyrule Historia was created), it's a direct sequel to A Link to the Past.

For the 1998 release of the GBC version of Link's Awakening DX, Nintendo's Japanese website for the game specifically mentions that Link had just defeated Ganon in A Link to the Past, and even went as far to include a short Quicktime video of Link destroying Ganon in the SNES game.
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n02/dmg/azlj/sutori.html

This part of the backstory was already known from the original 1993 release from Nintendo Power, and the references in the instruction manual and elements in game.

Yoshiaki Koizumi also wrote both the backstory to A Link to the Past's manual and Link's Awakening, and was in charge of the overall story. http://www.wired.com/2007/12/interview-super/ http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/ds/zelda/1/1

The EGM Number 111 Dec 1998 issue has a retrospective of the first 4 Zelda games.

"Link's Awakening is widely considered to be one of the best (if not the best) Game Boy games ever released."

"The Story: The hero of Link's Awakening is actually the same Link from A Link to the Past. In other words, this one takes place about 100 years before the NES Zelda games, too. After Ganon was defeated in A Link to the Past, peace returned to Hyrule and all was well. Being the restless adventurer we know him to be, Link decided to hop on a boat and take a cruise into the unknown on a quest for enlightenment. Unfortunately, on the way back he ran into a fierce storm, and his ship was torn to pieces..."

(Later, Capcom developed Oracle of Seasons and Ages for GBC based on Link's Awakening DX with the ending of those games hinting at taking place before Link's Awakening with Link setting off from Hyrule on a ship)

 

[Darryl]

I'm talking about the big book of bullshit and three timelines Nintendo released to indulge the fans, which happened long after the release of those games. Those games reference and built upon earlier games, which is cool, but now with the existence of the canon everyone is questions where and when games fit exactly into the timelines and nitpick things that seem to be accurate or doesn't fit well.

Don't worry eventually the series is going to get so complex that they average person won't even be able to pretend they understand it and it'll go back to basically having no coherent plot. That's the plus side to the formula they've committed themselves to.

 

[Art Vandilay]

If I remember right and using the Wiki:

* Chain Chomp (Bow-Wow, but in Japan they're both Wan-Wan which means Bow-Wow)
* Yoshi Doll
* Tarin = Mario. Also turns into a Tanuki.
* A picture of Princess Peach used by the goat.
* Prince Richard from For the Frog The Bells Toll
* Mr. Wright from Sim City SNES
* Wart from SMB2US, called Mamu here, his Japanese name.
* Shy Guy called Mask Mimic, but their Japanese names are both Hei-Ho
* Anti-Kirby
* "Bloobers"
* Goomba
* Piranha Plant
* Cheep-Cheep
* Thwomps
* Boos
* Podoboo
* Pokey
* "Spiked Beetle", Spiny from Mario as in Japan both are Togezo (there's also a Kirby foe named this too)
* Boo Blah from Yoshi's Island in Link's Awakening DX


Fun Fact: According to the Japanese Manual of the NES Zelda, Digdogger in that game is a Unira from Clu Clu Land, and Manhandla is a Pirahna Plant from Mario.

Wow, that's really cool. Has any other Zelda entry come close to this amount of references or Easter eggs, if you will?

 

[Rafavert]

Wow, that's really cool. Has any other Zelda entry come close to this amount of references or Easter eggs, if you will?

I don't think any other game has remotely as many references to universes other than Zelda's.

 

[RelentlessRolento]

Still my favorite Zelda. Superbly underated and has some of my favorite weird moments in the series (receiving a woman as an item).

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

THIEF was such an awesome concept, and you HAD to do it in the DX Version if you wanted 100% to complete the photography sidequest. You also had to make sure you purchased everything you needed from the shop if you're going for the secret ending (which is in the DX Version, I think it used the secret scene in the original as the default, but added a new one I've read) as it'll give you an instant Game Over and lock you out.

I'd love if they made a remake to keep that in, but make it reversible...but only if you paid the shopkeeper and insane amount of money. Would be a silly rupee-sink for the end game.

Actually, if I remade Link's Awakening, I'd do the following...

* LBW Engine, but a new graphical style...maybe go for something that resembles the box-art, with bright colors. Also give the game a neat "cloudy" effect at parts to imitate a dream.
* Have the sword and shield as default buttons, as well as the Pegasus Boots, and then two slots for the other items that could be quickly switched on the bottom screen.
* More photography sidequests, and perhaps work in some Miiverse support.
* Keep all the DX Stuff, such as the Color Dungeon. I could see them perhaps working that in as an Amiibo unlock or something.
* Add some more Ocarina Warp Spots, perhaps?
* Let you collect various Nintendo dolls, like the Yoshi Doll, as a new sidequest
* Remove the Acorn and Piece of Power, and instead include potions that do the same thing.
* The Final Dungeon was really simplistic, I'd actually totally revamp that into a full-on final Dungeon to really shake things up, and maybe make Nightmare reference a different set of bosses from later games as well as Ganon like in the original.

And that's pretty much it.

We also had

Spoiler

Oshu the Ocean King

in Phantom Hourglass, who

Spoiler

is literally a flying whale.

That was a pretty thrown-in there ending, really. Usually the "it's just a dream!" ending sucks, unless it's done well...it wasn't built up at all in Phantom Hourglass, and just came across as "remember Link's Awakening?"

Link's Awakening did it so well, because it told you fairly early on the world was just a dream, and thus it had ramifications and didn't come out of nowhere. It actually made you think what it'd be like to live in a world that's just a dream, rather than it just being a lame twist ending.

Wow, that's really cool. Has any other Zelda entry come close to this amount of references or Easter eggs, if you will?

Oracle and Minish Cap, as they re-use some of the Nintendo enemies, but to a lesser amount. I know Minish Cap also adds in some Lakitu/Bob-Omb looking foes, and also has Dr. Wright again.

 

[The Real Abed]

Link's Awakening was my first Zelda and remains my favorite.

Marin &#10084;&#65039;

 

[InfiniDragon]

Spoiler

She gets her wish though and is reborn as a seagull.

Yeah, but I'm fairly sure most people playing that game would have much rather

Spoiler

she be floating on that driftwood next to Link, as his waifu. XD

Guess it works out for him going by the canon since if I recall right,

Spoiler

that Link is the same one in the Oracle games so he ends up with a Zelda, as is normally the case.

 

[RealityCheque]

I remember having tonsilitis when I was 9 or 10 and Links Awakening was the game that I played all the way.

I actually remember getting heaps better after 5 or 6 days but faking some more illness so I could finish the game off!

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

What I like about Link's Awakening's introduction is it could easily fit after plenty of games if you just go by the game.

All you need is Link having met Zelda, fought Ganon or (since he appears as a Nightmare), and sailed off...

It could take place after Zelda 1. After Link's Adventure. After either part of Ocarina of Time. After Majora's Mask. After Link Between Worlds. After Twilight Princess. It has such a short and sweet opening that could fit almost anywhere.

 

[Junahu]

What I like about Link's Awakening's introduction is it could easily fit after plenty of games if you just go by the game.

While it's true that the introduction can slot in after basically any Zelda game, the Final Boss would lose some of its impact if it didn't come after Alttp specifically.

Spoiler

The Nightmare assumes the forms of different bosses Link had tussled with in alttp; Agahnim, Moldorm and Trident Ganon. This is significant because it indicates that these are Link's nightmares, and thus Link's dream that he needs to awaken from

 

[RagnarokX]

I don't remember seeing anything outside of Hyrule Historia establishing this connection. Care to enlighten me?

It was marketed as a prequel. The back of the original game box said "The predecessors of Link and Zelda face monsters on the march when a menacing magician takes over the kingdom." The Japanese manual also said "Indeed, the King of Evil Ganon, the one who has threatened Hyrule so, was born at this time." referring to the Imprisoning War, which places the game as a prequel since Ganon already exists in the first two games.

 

[Mak]

What I like about Link's Awakening's introduction is it could easily fit after plenty of games if you just go by the game.

All you need is Link having met Zelda, fought Ganon or (since he appears as a Nightmare), and sailed off...

It could take place after Zelda 1. After Link's Adventure. After either part of Ocarina of Time. After Majora's Mask. After Link Between Worlds. After Twilight Princess. It has such a short and sweet opening that could fit almost anywhere.

In 1993 Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, A Link Between Worlds, and Twilight Princess didn't exist when Yoshiaki Koizumi wrote the story to Link's Awakening.

The final Nightmare of the game, DeathEye, that takes the forms of both Agahnim and Ganon, the Lanmola's in the desert, the Moldworm (Tail) in the first dungeon, the Armos Knight in the shrine with the exterior of the Eastern Palace, the level 2 sword appearing as the Master Sword, the secret spin technique being passed down by the hero's family, and the giant catfish entrance of level 5 are references to A Link to the Past, the game most of the staff had previously worked on.

The Link's Awakening manga by Ataru Cagiva from 1994 uses the character design for Zelda from A Link to the Past when Link confuses Marin for Zelda http://melorasworld.com/zelda/publications/manga_la1/009.html

The same artist followed up with a A Link to the Past manga adaption in 1996 as a "prequel" that features the "fallen hero" concept 2 years before Ocarina of Time
released.
http://melorasworld.com/zelda/publications/manga_lttp3/033.html
"During the Imprisoning War, the one who was wielding the [Master] sword... was me. Stand firm, oh you who draws my blood. I will be watching over you from the heavens."
http://melorasworld.com/zelda/publications/manga_lttp3/153.html
"Ganon: I shall use this technique just as I have with the previous hero 600 years ago.
Why you..!! This body, which not even the previous hero was able to pierce through... Impossible... This mighty Ganon defeated by... by this mere child..!!"

The A Link to the Past manga published between 1995-1996 ends with Link heading off on his training journey for Link's Awakening, connecting it to the Link's Awakening manga published in 1994. http://melorasworld.com/zelda/publications/manga_lttp3/189.html
http://melorasworld.com/zelda/publications/manga_lttp3/191.html

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

In 1993 Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, A Link Between Worlds, and Twilight Princess didn't exist when Yoshiaki Koizumi wrote the story to Link's Awakening.

The final Nightmare of the game, DeathEye, that takes the forms of both Agahnim and Ganon, the Lanmola's in the desert, the Moldworm (Tail) in the first dungeon, the Armos Knight in the shrine with the exterior of the Eastern Palace, the level 2 sword appearing as the Master Sword, the secret spin technique being passed down by the hero's family, and the giant catfish entrance of level 5 are references to A Link to the Past, the game most of the staff had previously worked on.

Yeah I knew all that, I think you missed the point I was trying to make...Awakening just has a really loose story that isn't really bound to the lore like some of the other entries,

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Seriously. Read this people. This is why you come to neogaf is it not? To read about games instead of play them. Otherwise go play Link's Awakening now.

We can't even finish our games. You think we'd finish reading posts? You're so silly, injurai. So silly that I feel like forcing my backlog onto you.