Why the Link's Awakening Face Shrine is Still the Weirdest Part of Koholint Island

It starts with a mural. You’ve probably spent hours slashing bushes and hopping over pits by the time you reach the Southern Face Shrine, and honestly, the game feels like a standard, whimsical Zelda adventure up to that point. Then you read it. The relief on the wall tells you that Koholint Island is nothing but a dream. If the Wind Fish wakes up, everything—the villagers, the monsters, the grass, and you—will simply vanish. It’s a heavy moment for a Game Boy title. The Link's Awakening Face Shrine isn’t just another dungeon; it's the point where the narrative stakes shift from "save the world" to "existential crisis."

Most players remember the Face Shrine for its tiles. Those flying floor tiles that scream across the room at you. But there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface of this sixth dungeon. It’s a complex, non-linear mess of a map that requires more backtracking than almost any other spot in the game.

The Secret Geometry of the Map

The layout is shaped like a face. Kind of. If you squint at the map in the original 1993 release or the 2019 Nintendo Switch remake, you can see the eyes and the mouth. It’s a bit meta. Most people don’t even realize the dungeon design mirrors the "Face" theme until they’ve already cleared half the rooms.

Getting through this place is a headache if you aren't paying attention to the Crystal Switches. You know the ones. You hit a switch, the orange blocks go down, and the blue blocks go up. In the Face Shrine, Nintendo’s designers went a little overboard with this mechanic. You’ll find yourself standing in a room, staring at a chest you can’t reach, realizing you have to trek back three rooms just to hit a switch you already toggled twice. It’s tedious. It’s brilliant. It’s classic Zelda.

You need the Powerful Bracelet here. This is the upgraded version of the Power Bracelet, and it lets you pick up those massive elephant statues. Without it, you’re stuck. The dungeon essentially forces you to prove you’ve mastered the game's physics before it lets you reach the boss.

Why Everyone Hates the Flying Tiles

We have to talk about the tiles. In several rooms of the Link's Awakening Face Shrine, the floor literally attacks you. One by one, the floor tiles lift off the ground and hurl themselves at Link’s head.

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You have two choices.

You can stand in a corner with your shield up and wait for the room to finish its tantrum. It takes forever. Or, you can try to outrun them, which usually ends with Link taking a ceramic slab to the face. The trick, which many veteran players like Zelda Speedrunner TGH have demonstrated, is to stand in the doorway or a very specific corner where the trajectory can't reach you. Once the tiles are gone, a door opens or a key appears. It’s a test of patience more than skill, but it adds to the shrine's hostile, "you shouldn't be here" atmosphere.

The Boss That Isn't Really There

Facade. That’s the boss. He’s literally just a face on the floor.

He doesn't have a body. He doesn't have weapons. He just talks trash and makes holes appear in the ground. It’s one of the most unique boss fights in the series because you aren't using your sword. Swords do nothing. You have to drop bombs on his "face" while dodging tiles and pots he throws at you.

Actually, Facade is a bit of a recurring character in the Zelda mythos, appearing later in Oracle of Seasons. But his debut here in the Link's Awakening Face Shrine is where he makes the biggest impact. He taunts you about the dream. He knows that by defeating him, you’re one step closer to ending the world. It’s a bizarre psychological layer that you don't usually see in a game where you also fight a giant mushroom.

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Navigating the Mini-Boss: Smasher

Before you get to Facade, you have to deal with Smasher. He’s a round, muscular guy who throws a massive black ball at you.

You can't hit him with your sword.
You can't shoot him with arrows.

You have to play catch. You pick up his own ball and hurl it back at him. It sounds simple, but the timing is tight. If you miss the pick-up, the ball hits you and does a decent chunk of damage. The Smasher fight is a perfect example of the "item-centric" design of Koholint. The game wants you to stop thinking about your sword as your only solution.

The Lost Details of the Remake

The 2019 Switch version of Link's Awakening changed the Face Shrine in subtle ways. The art style—that shiny, toy-like aesthetic—makes the dungeon look less "creepy" and more "haunted dollhouse."

• Lighting: In the original, the Game Boy’s lack of color (or limited GBC palette) made the shrine feel dark and oppressive. The Switch version uses beautiful blue and purple lighting that highlights the "Face" architecture.
• The Map: The modern map is much easier to read, which actually takes away some of the "where the heck am I?" tension that made the original so memorable.
• The Music: The arrangement of the Face Shrine theme in the remake is incredible. It’s eerie, minimalist, and uses woodwinds to create a sense of ancient dread.

Hidden Rooms and Secret Chests

There is a chest in the Face Shrine that most people miss on their first run. It contains a secret seashell (in the Switch version) or just a lot of rupees. To find it, you have to bomb a wall that doesn't have a visible crack. In a dungeon already filled with puzzles, this feels like a bit of a mean trick.

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You also have to deal with the Wizrobes. These wizards are invulnerable to your sword. You have to use bombs or the hookshot/arrow combo to take them out. Most players waste half their bomb supply here because the Wizrobes teleport right as the fuse is about to blow. Pro tip: Use the Bow if you have it. It’s much faster.

The Existential Dread of the Southern Face Shrine

Technically, the "Face Shrine" is two locations. There’s the dungeon itself, and then there’s the Southern Face Shrine, which is an outdoor ruin guarded by Armos statues. This is where you find the Secret Medicine and the mural that reveals the truth about the island.

The game forces you to go here first. You fight an Armos Knight, get the Face Key, and then head north. This sequence is vital for the story. It’s the "Point of No Return" for Link’s motivation. Up until this point, you're just trying to get home. After the Southern Face Shrine, you realize that getting home means destroying everything you’ve seen on Koholint. Marins’s singing? The Chef Bear? All gone.

Essential Strategy for the Face Shrine

If you’re currently stuck, here is the most efficient way to handle the chaos:

1. Prioritize the Left Side: The dungeon is split. Go left first to get the Powerful Bracelet. You can't progress on the right side without being able to lift those heavy statues.
2. Watch the Floor: When you enter a room with a checkerboard floor and no enemies, get your shield ready. The tiles are coming.
3. Bomb the Statues: Some of the elephant statues aren't just obstacles; you can throw them at doors to open them.
4. The Secret Staircase: There’s a section where you have to use a staircase that leads to an underworld side-scrolling area. Don’t ignore the enemies here; they often drop hearts you’ll desperately need.

The Link's Awakening Face Shrine remains a masterclass in 8-bit level design. It’s frustrating, it’s atmospheric, and it’s deeply sad when you think about what the "Face" represents. It’s the face of a dreamer who is about to wake up.

If you're playing the remake, take a second to just stand in the main hall and listen to the music. It’s one of the few moments where the game drops the "cute" act and reminds you that you’re basically a wrecking ball in someone’s subconscious.

To finish your run through the shrine effectively, make sure you have at least 20 bombs before entering. If you run out during the Facade fight, you're going to have to backtrack all the way to Mabe Village, which is a long walk just to buy some explosives. Ensure your "Select" button (or the equivalent on Switch) is working well, as you'll be swapping items constantly to manage the shield, bombs, and bracelet requirements of this specific level.