You’re stranded. There’s a giant egg on a mountain, a talking owl that won't leave you alone, and a sword buried under some sand. If you’re playing the 1993 original or the Link’s Awakening DX color update on a vintage handheld, you already know this game is weird. It’s not like A Link to the Past. There’s no Zelda, no Ganon, and honestly, the internal logic feels like a fever dream. That’s because it basically is one.
Most people looking for a Link's Awakening GameBoy walkthrough get stuck before they even reach the first dungeon. They wander the beaches, hacking at sea urchins, wondering why the hell they can’t lift a rock. It’s frustrating. But there’s a specific rhythm to Koholint Island that you have to catch if you want to wake the Wind Fish and get home.
The Sword, the Shield, and the Beach
First off, don't just run around aimlessly. Talk to Marin and Tarin in Mabe Village. Tarin gives you your shield back, but it’s useless for offense. You need steel. Head south. Follow the path to Toronbo Shores. You’ll see these spiked black things—urchins—blocking your path. Hold your shield button and walk into them to push them out of the way.
Down at the shoreline, you’ll find your sword. A screen-shaking jingle plays, the owl swoops in with some cryptic nonsense about a mountain, and suddenly the game actually begins. Now you can cut bushes. This is where the addiction starts. You’ll spend twenty minutes just mowing lawns for single rupees. Don’t do that yet. You need a shovel and a bow later, and those are expensive, but right now, you need to head to the Mysterious Woods.
The woods are a maze. If you don't have the Toadstool, you aren't getting through. Find the mushroom, take it to the Witch’s hut in the eastern part of the woods, and she’ll give you Magic Powder. Light the torches. Burn the pests. Sprinkle it on the weird raccoon—who is definitely just Tarin having a mid-life crisis—and he’ll spin away, clearing the path to the Tail Key.
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Tail Cave: Your First Real Test
Tail Cave is the "intro" dungeon, but it can still trip you up. The key here is the Roc’s Feather. This is the most important item in the early game because it lets you jump. In a 2D top-down Zelda, jumping feels like a superpower.
The boss, Moldorm, is a massive pain. He’s a giant segmented worm that zooms around the room. If he knocks you off the ledge, you have to restart the fight. It's annoying. Pro tip: Just stay in the center as much as possible and time your sword slashes at his golden tail. Eight hits and he’s toast. You get the Full Moon Cello, the first of the eight Instruments of the Sirens. One down, seven to go.
The Trading Sequence: Don't Ignore It
Seriously. Start the trading sequence immediately. It’s not optional if you want the best ending or even to finish the game easily. It starts with the Yoshi Doll from the Trendy Game shop in Mabe Village. You trade the doll for a ribbon, the ribbon for dog food, the dog food for bananas... it goes on. Eventually, this leads to the Magnifying Glass and the Boomerang. The Boomerang in the GameBoy version is arguably the most broken, powerful weapon in Zelda history. It kills almost anything in one hit. Get it.
The Bottle Neck: Bottle Grotto and Beyond
The second dungeon, Bottle Grotto, requires you to rescue BowWow. Yes, the Chain Chomp from Mario. He lives outside a house in Mabe Village, gets kidnapped by Moblin thugs in the Tal Tal Heights, and you have to go bust him out.
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Walking BowWow is hilarious because he eats everything. He eats ghosts. He eats flowers. He eats your enemies. Use him to clear the path to the swamp entrance. Inside Bottle Grotto, you’ll find the Power Bracelet. Now you can finally lift those rocks that have been mocking you since the start of the game.
Dealing with the "Genie"
The boss of Bottle Grotto is a jerk in a jar. He mocks you. He throws fireballs. You can't hurt him while he's in the bottle. Wait for him to retreat into the jug, then smash it against the wall with your newly acquired Power Bracelet. Do this enough times, and the bottle breaks. Then it’s just a matter of dodging and slashing.
Navigating the Mid-Game Slump
By the time you hit Key Cavern and Angler’s Tunnel, the world opens up. This is where most players lose the thread. You’ll need to navigate the Villa near the desert and find the Walrus who’s blocking the path. He’s asleep. Typical. You need Marin to sing to him.
Finding Marin is a whole thing. She’s usually by the weathercock in the village or sitting on the beach. Once she follows you, it’s honestly one of the most charming parts of the game. She’ll comment on things you do, like if you dig in a lady’s house or try to hit a Cucco.
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The Truth About the Southern Shrine
This is where the story gets heavy. Most Zelda games are "save the kingdom," but Link's Awakening is a tragedy. When you reach the Southern Shrine, you read the mural. You find out that Koholint is just a dream of the Wind Fish. If he wakes up, everyone—Marin, Tarin, the annoying kids, the shopkeeper who murders you if you steal—disappears.
It’s a gut-punch. But as the owl says, you have to keep going. The Nightmares are trying to keep the Wind Fish asleep because they want to rule the dream world. You aren't just a hero; you're the alarm clock.
Survival Tips for the Final Dungeons
- Eagle’s Tower: This is the hardest dungeon in the game. It’s a multi-floor tower where you have to carry a heavy iron ball around to smash four pillars. If you lose the ball, it resets. It's tedious, but the boss fight atop the tower against the Evil Eagle is one of the coolest cinematic moments on the GameBoy's tiny screen.
- Turtle Rock: Bring medicine. Crazy Tracy lives near Manbo’s Pond and sells a secret medicine that refills your hearts when you die. You will need it here. The dungeon is filled with lava and requires the Magic Rod to melt ice blocks. It’s long, it’s hot, and it’s the final hurdle before the mountain.
Waking the Wind Fish
Once you have all eight instruments, head to the Egg on Mt. Tamaranch. Play the Ballad of the Wind Fish on your Ocarina. The egg cracks.
The final boss is a shapeshifter. He turns into Agahnim, Ganon, and a bunch of other forms.
- The Shadow Blob: Sprinkle Magic Powder on it.
- Agahnim Form: Hit his energy balls back at him with your sword.
- Moldorm Form: Hit the tail.
- Ganon Form: Use spin attacks.
- The Eye: This is the "Dethl" form. Jump over the swinging arms and shoot the eye with arrows or the boomerang.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you want to master this Link's Awakening GameBoy walkthrough, follow these specific steps to ensure you don't miss the essentials:
- Check the Map Regularly: The GameBoy screen is small. It’s easy to miss a single square of the map where a secret seashell is hiding.
- Farm Rupees in the Crane Game: If you're short on cash for the shovel (200 rupees), the Trendy Game is the fastest way to get rich early.
- Learn Manbo’s Mambo: Talk to the big fish in the cave near Angler’s Tunnel. This song lets you warp to any warp hole on the map. It saves hours of backtracking.
- The Secret Seashells: Collect 20 of them. Take them to the Seashell Mansion to get the L-2 Sword. It shoots beams when your health is full and does double damage. It makes the endgame a breeze.
The ending is bittersweet. You see the island vanish, the characters fade away, and Link wakes up on a piece of driftwood in the middle of the ocean. But if you finished the game without dying a single time, look for the special post-credits scene. You'll see a small image of Marin with wings, suggesting that maybe some part of the dream survived. It’s a small reward for a lot of hard work, but in the world of 8-bit gaming, it’s one of the most emotional payoffs you’ll ever get.