Line #16 Trivia/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening


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5	* ApprovalOfGod: While developing the original ''Link's Awakening'', the team asked Creator/HALLaboratory for permission to use Franchise/{{Kirby}} as an enemy. They apparently agreed, though Takashi Tezuka admits that [[https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/ds/zelda/1/1/ "some people at HAL Laboratory might say they never heard anything".]] Actually, HAL loved the cameo so much that -- according to the ''Kirby's Dream Collection'' booklet -- they "returned the favor" in ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'' by making the Sword ability more overtly inspired by Link, as well as including the Triforce as a collectible treasure. The Switch remake of ''Link's Awakening'' even reuses the character model of Kirby from ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'', suggesting that HAL directly provided it to the developers.
6	* BreakthroughHit: The game was the first written by Creator/YoshiakiKoizumi, which then cemented him as one of Nintendo's top developers. He already left a significant mark in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' by creating the CreationMyth of the series, but that was only in the game's manual. But it was in this game where he showed his chops as a storyteller by actually increasing the focus on story, which would become more and more important down the line in the series under his watch and beyond. His work in this game earned him his position as one of the co-directors of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''.
7	* CompletelyDifferentTitle: The game is titled ''The Dreaming Island'' in Japanese, which was changed to ''Link's Awakening'' for the English localization. The original title was apparently considered as an English title during development, judging by files found in a ContentLeak; it was likely changed to hide the fact that [[spoiler: Koholint Island is a dream]].
8	* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer:
9	** The final boss's last form, [=DethI=], is actually a [[InconsistentSpelling weirdly spelled translation]] of Death Eye. Because the uppercase "I" and lowercase "L" look similar in many fonts, many mistook it for "Dethl" (with an "L"). This extended to Zelda.com and even the Prima player's guide.
10	** Zelda.com notoriously treated the two appearances of the Miniboss Cue Ball as completely different characters when all that changed was the location.
11	* CreatorDrivenSuccessor: To ''Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru'' ("VideoGame/ForTheFrogTheBellTolls") an earlier action-adventure game for the Platform/GameBoy. TheRival character from ''Kaeru'', Richard, makes a cameo in ''Link's Awakening''.
12	* DevelopmentGag: You can visit Richard from ''VideoGame/ForTheFrogTheBellTolls'', a reference to ''Link's Awakening'' using an improved version of that game's engine.
13	* DummiedOut: Unused sprites for the Old Man exist in within the original games. These would later be used in the ''Oracle'' games.
14	* FlipFlopOfGod: Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto once said this game could be the sequel to any ''Legend of Zelda'' game where Ganon is defeated. Many people saw it as the sequel to ''A Link to the Past'', which was the Zelda game released before this one. This was half-right, as the ''Hyrule Historia'' later placed it after the ''Oracle'' games, which were sequels to [=ALttP=].[[note]]Sequels in Zelda meaning any game that stars a [[LegacyCharacter Link]] that appeared in a prior title.[[/note]] However, the later ''The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia'' would retcon this and have the game be a direct sequel to ''[=ALttP=]'', with the ''Oracle'' games taking place far later.
15	* InspirationForTheWork: The game's tone and inclusion of some of the weirder elements were inspired by ''Series/TwinPeaks'', which was airing at the time during development.
16	* NewbieBoom: The Platform/GameBoy original sold about 3.8 million units, while the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch remake sold more than 6 million as of 2022. This was attributed in large part to the larger public profile the ''Zelda'' franchise in general got after ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' became a massive hit (along with the "Switch effect" that saw great software sales in general on the console), as it's otherwise rare for remakes to sell better than the original games.
17	* PropRecycling: In the Switch remake, Kirby's model is [[https://twitter.com/ObscureKirby/status/1497639609509072903 reused directly]] from ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies'', though with different textures applied.
18	* ReferencedBy: "Links Awakening" is a Trophy in ''VideoGame/TrailsOfColdSteel III''. The description is "Raised any two characters to Link Level 5."
19	* RoleReprise: In the Switch remake, Creator/MitsukiSaiga reprises her role as Link from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds''.
20	* ThrowItIn: Takashi Tezuka, the game's director, stated that the game's development was essentially "free-wheeling", noting that the ''Mario'' and ''Kirby'' cameos were put in as jokes by the development team. He even described the game as "a parody of ''The Legend of Zelda'', as an actual ''Zelda'' game."
21	* UrbanLegendOfZelda: The final dungeon of the game is in the Wind Fish's Egg, a location that you have been practically able to reach since you could get to the second dungeon, but cannot enter until all eight dungeons are cleared. Once inside, you enter a room with nothing special, however the second room is almost completely black, and lacks a floor, forcing you to fall down and do a Lost Woods style puzzle. However, if one looks closely, you can see a set of floor tiles on the other side of the second room, implying there is something over there. There isn't, but childhood rumors flew regarding a second version of the dungeon, one that was more like the rest you had played through during the game. Maybe there was a harder final boss, maybe there was a secret ending, maybe there was a secret ninth instrument that instant-killed the final boss; it all depended on who told you about it. Using the screen warp glitch to cross the gap shows that all it does is take you directly to the labyrinth section you normally have to drop down to enter.
22	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
23	** The game originally started development as a port of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'' for the Game Boy.
24	** The game was originally going to be localized with its Japanese title ''The Legend of Zelda: The Dreaming Island'' at some point during development, before it was changed to ''Link's Awakening''.
25	** Early localization text shows that the English translation originally kept the Mermaid's lost bikini top before {{Bowdleris\|e}}ing it into a pearl necklace.
26	** ''Hyrule Historia'' includes some storyboards that show a few unused elements from the planning stages. For instance, originally at the Southern Face Shrine, the player would have to ram into a pillar with the Pegasus Boots to get the key -- the pillar would break to reveal the relief that the player must read. Also, apparently there were plans for a two-player mode, including a boss that one player would have to throw the other onto to defeat. It looks like they were having trouble with what to do to beat the boss with only one player, so the boss was scrapped along with the two-player mode. The basic concept of the boss (a floating head with hands) would be reused [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames several]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker times]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap later]], while the latter concept eventually became a core mechanic in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTriForceHeroes''.
27	** During the development of the game, Dark Link was considered to be a form that the Shadow Nightmares took on during the final boss fight. It is likely that he was to act as a sort of MouthOfSauron, giving the fight some BossBanter between phases. Shadow Link ended up being repurposed for the Switch remake's Chamber Dungeon mode.
28	** The announcement trailer for the Switch remake showed Goombas that look identical to their established design in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, featuring two pointy teeth and [[PerpetualFrowner constant frowns]]. By [=E3=] 2019, these Goombas were replaced with a new unique model that more closely resembles their sprites in the original Game Boy version of ''Link's Awakening'', featuring a goofy grin, BigOlEyebrows, and lacking visible teeth.

Context Trivia / TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening