WEBVTT 00:00:00.399 --> 00:00:05.719 Hi. I'm Mark Brown, and welcome back to Boss Keys 00:00:05.720 --> 00:00:11.020 You know, despite the fact that Zelda: Link's Awakening is one of my most dearly beloved 00:00:11.030 --> 00:00:16.570 games of all time, I completely forgot just how much it brought to the Zelda franchise. 00:00:16.570 --> 00:00:21.789 Flying on a chicken? That was Link's Awakening. Trading sequence? Link's Awakening. Playing 00:00:21.789 --> 00:00:26.769 different songs on an ocarina? That was Link's Awakening. Fishing, mini-bosses, and jumping? 00:00:26.769 --> 00:00:30.769 It all goes back to this wonderful, and very green game. 00:00:30.769 --> 00:00:35.740 Though, I'm going to be playing the Game Boy Color re-release Link's Awakening DX for this 00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:40.110 video. It's almost identical but I've put a link in the description to a complete rundown 00:00:40.110 --> 00:00:43.030 of the changes if you're interested. 00:00:43.030 --> 00:00:47.960 Link's Awakening was made by pretty much the same team as A Link to the Past, but as it 00:00:47.960 --> 00:00:53.330 was a handheld game the developers felt more free to experiment and try new things. In 00:00:53.330 --> 00:00:58.080 an interview, years later, director Takashi Tezuka said it "was like we were making a 00:00:58.080 --> 00:00:59.960 parody of Zelda". 00:00:59.960 --> 00:01:05.690 Alongside the more bizarre choices, like cameos from Mario and Kirby, Link's Awakening also 00:01:05.690 --> 00:01:11.260 makes some fundamental and, I think, very beneficial changes to the Zelda formula - especially 00:01:11.260 --> 00:01:14.690 in the dungeons, which is what I'm looking at in this series. 00:01:14.690 --> 00:01:19.250 The compass, for example, now shows the location of treasure chests on your map and plays a 00:01:19.250 --> 00:01:25.130 chime when you enter a room containing a key. These features cut out the frustration of 00:01:25.130 --> 00:01:30.570 hunting down a lost key, and make the compass a much more valuable item to find. 00:01:30.570 --> 00:01:38.260 These bird statues work like the Sahasrahla stones in A Link to the Past but now you must 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:43.799 first find the stone beak to hear the hint. That's one more thing for the designers to hide. 00:01:43.799 --> 00:01:50.600 But the biggest change comes down to how the big key works. Lemme explain. 00:01:50.600 --> 00:01:54.920 In A Link to the Past, the big key is used to open the chest that contains the dungeon's 00:01:54.920 --> 00:01:59.479 item - which is a brilliant touch. It gives you a real sense of excitement as you rush 00:01:59.479 --> 00:02:04.690 back to that big chest you saw earlier, giddy with anticipation to find out what's inside. 00:02:04.690 --> 00:02:09.930 That sometimes involves backtracking, sure, but it's meaningful and motivated backtracking. 00:02:09.930 --> 00:02:13.460 You're excited to return to the chest. 00:02:13.469 --> 00:02:17.709 But in Link's Awakening, the item is just in a normal chest, which doesn't need a key. This 00:02:17.709 --> 00:02:22.489 is basically how Zelda will work for the rest of the franchise. The chests containing key 00:02:22.489 --> 00:02:26.180 items will sometimes be bigger, but will remain unlocked. 00:02:26.180 --> 00:02:31.510 Also, that big key was used to open one door in A Link to the Past's dungeons, which would 00:02:31.510 --> 00:02:37.739 normally reveal the second half of the palace. So, in Misery Mire, the big key gives you 00:02:37.739 --> 00:02:42.870 access to this more linear, second basement area. And in Thieves' Town, the big key lets 00:02:42.870 --> 00:02:48.260 you leave this maze-like opening section to explore the rest of the dungeon. 00:02:48.260 --> 00:02:54.080 In Link's Awakening, and - again - pretty much every game since, the big key - now called the nightmare key 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:56.980 - specifically opens the door to the boss's lair. 00:02:56.989 --> 00:03:02.120 But, don't be fooled into thinking that this make's Link's Awakening's dungeons less interesting. 00:03:02.120 --> 00:03:06.439 Far from it! Because instead of opening up a second half of a dungeon, Link's Awakening 00:03:06.439 --> 00:03:08.689 opens up a second phase. 00:03:08.689 --> 00:03:13.859 And it does this using the dungeon's key item. In all of the dungeons except for Eagle's 00:03:13.859 --> 00:03:18.760 Tower- which we'll come to - the rooms are littered with obstacles that you can't bypass. 00:03:18.760 --> 00:03:25.159 Like holes in the floor in Tail Cave, heavy pots in Bottle Grotto, and deep water in Angler's Tunnel. 00:03:25.159 --> 00:03:29.659 Then, when you get the key item - the Roc's Feather that lets you jump over those holes, 00:03:29.659 --> 00:03:33.919 the power bracelet that lets you lift those pots, or the flippers that let you swim in 00:03:33.919 --> 00:03:39.260 that deep water - the dungeon changes in an instant. All those places you couldn't access 00:03:39.260 --> 00:03:41.239 before are now open to you. 00:03:41.239 --> 00:03:46.279 And that rush of anticipation we saw with that big chest returns. You're excited to go back 00:03:46.279 --> 00:03:50.459 to those areas and see where they lead. Maybe not quite as excited as you were when you 00:03:50.459 --> 00:03:54.309 knew you were about to get a new item. But still. It's that motivated backtracking. 00:03:54.309 --> 00:03:56.169 Though, with a difference. 00:03:56.169 --> 00:04:01.799 Because, the big key only opens one locked door, but an item like the fire rod or Pegasus 00:04:01.799 --> 00:04:08.139 boots lets you bypass lots of obstacles. That means the entire dungeon is recontextualised, 00:04:08.139 --> 00:04:13.699 like it's a mini Metroidvania. This gives you more to think about and remember as you explore. 00:04:13.699 --> 00:04:19.739 And it gives each dungeon a nice sense of progression. In every dungeon except Eagle's 00:04:19.739 --> 00:04:23.930 Tower - it's coming! - you first work to find the item. Which then gives you access to the 00:04:23.930 --> 00:04:28.530 nightmare key. Which then lets you take on the boss. That formula might be strained by 00:04:28.530 --> 00:04:33.310 Zelda game number ... 16? Or however many we're up to now. But it's good for Link's 00:04:33.310 --> 00:04:34.300 Awakening. 00:04:34.300 --> 00:04:38.199 There are some instances in A Link to the Past where you need to backtrack with your 00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:43.860 newly equipped item to bypass an obstacle but they're few and far between. Take the 00:04:43.860 --> 00:04:48.810 hook shot in Swamp Palace: you need to use it precisely twice, in the same room, to finish 00:04:48.810 --> 00:04:54.590 the dungeon. That same item in Catfish's Maw in Link's Awakening is used to collect two 00:04:54.590 --> 00:05:00.539 small keys, get the nightmare key, reach the boss, and access a bunch of optional items. 00:05:00.539 --> 00:05:05.740 This focus on items also extends to the bosses. Only a few of the bosses in A Link to the 00:05:05.740 --> 00:05:10.400 Past were weak to the item hidden in that dungeon, and Arrghus is the only boss that 00:05:10.400 --> 00:05:16.090 requires you to use the dungeon's key item. In Link's Awakening, almost every dungeon 00:05:16.090 --> 00:05:21.180 has a boss or mini-boss that is defeated with the key item. 00:05:21.180 --> 00:05:25.949 This Game Boy game once again lets you carry a handful of small keys, and you get to decide 00:05:25.949 --> 00:05:31.849 which doors to unlock - giving you some real choice in how you proceed through the dungeon. 00:05:31.849 --> 00:05:36.870 But unlike A Link to the Past, this game does not mess around. Even in the very first dungeon 00:05:36.870 --> 00:05:41.610 you can carry three keys in your pocket at once, and in the second dungeon you can choose 00:05:41.610 --> 00:05:43.879 between three doors from the word go. 00:05:43.879 --> 00:05:48.430 Now, so far in my analysis I've found that when you're presented with multiple locked 00:05:48.430 --> 00:05:53.930 doors, you can always find the same number of keys - or more - elsewhere in the dungeon. 00:05:53.930 --> 00:05:59.129 But in the dungeon Key Cavern you will find yourself in a room with four locked doors, and only 00:05:59.129 --> 00:06:03.830 one key in your hand. Ultimately, three of the doors lead to single rooms - two of which 00:06:03.830 --> 00:06:07.939 are completely pointless and the other is optional. But it's a fun way of making the 00:06:07.939 --> 00:06:10.840 dungeon look more complex than it really is. 00:06:10.840 --> 00:06:15.650 You'll get your key back in all three rooms but the clever clogs out there might realise 00:06:15.650 --> 00:06:20.770 that if you leave these doors to last you'll actually run out of keys. To stop this from 00:06:20.770 --> 00:06:24.930 happening, for those who feel the need to go in every single room, Key Cavern has nine 00:06:24.930 --> 00:06:29.330 keys for eight locks. Cheeky. 00:06:29.330 --> 00:06:34.050 Some stray thoughts before I get on to Eagle's Tower. These card suit enemies are cool but 00:06:34.050 --> 00:06:38.740 these horse head things are super annoying. It's cute how all the dungeon maps look like 00:06:38.740 --> 00:06:42.860 things, and it leads to a good puzzle involving the "eyes" of the Face Shrine. 00:06:42.860 --> 00:06:44.340 I like this puzzle where you can 00:06:44.340 --> 00:06:50.180 only see this cracked, bombable wall by standing up on this high platform. And the bonus Color Dungeon 00:06:50.180 --> 00:06:52.310 is nothing to write home about. 00:06:52.310 --> 00:06:57.289 Okay so Eagle's Tower is really good. It's the only Link's Awakening dungeon on multiple 00:06:57.289 --> 00:07:02.199 floors but it makes really good use of this fact. It has a bit where you drop down from one 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:07.740 floor to the other like in the Tower of Hera. And, oh yeah, the fourth floor falls down 00:07:07.740 --> 00:07:09.759 and crashes into the third. 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:14.110 To do this you must pick up this giant metal ball and throw it at these four pillars. Which 00:07:14.110 --> 00:07:18.139 is easier said than done because you can't take the ball downstairs or jump while holding 00:07:18.139 --> 00:07:22.830 it. It's a different type of key: one that makes you think about how to move it. 00:07:22.830 --> 00:07:28.099 So to get it around the dungeon you have to throw it, then go around and get it. It forces 00:07:28.099 --> 00:07:31.629 you to be smart about where you take the ball, and to figure out how you'll get both the 00:07:31.629 --> 00:07:36.919 ball and Link to the same space. This dungeon, and Turtle Rock which follows afterwards, 00:07:36.919 --> 00:07:41.689 also uses a lot of one-way doors and paths so you can't just wander around the dungeon 00:07:41.689 --> 00:07:46.370 freely. You need to understand the space and make deliberate choices in your navigation. 00:07:46.370 --> 00:07:50.460 My only disappointment with Eagle's Tower is that you never need to visit the third 00:07:50.460 --> 00:07:53.990 floor so you could quite easily miss out on the fact that one part of the dungeon gets 00:07:53.990 --> 00:07:56.659 radically changed because of your actions. 00:07:56.659 --> 00:08:02.090 So, as we can see, a dungeon in Link's Awakening is all about keys and locks. 00:08:02.090 --> 00:08:07.840 Small keys are many keys, for many locks. The nightmare key is one key for one lock. 00:08:07.840 --> 00:08:12.909 And then the item is one key for many locks. You can even add in the crystal switches - those 00:08:12.909 --> 00:08:17.060 orbs that raise or lower all the blocks in the dungeon - which are like many keys for 00:08:17.060 --> 00:08:21.400 one, giant lock. And then you have the ball which is a key for four locks but it's heavy 00:08:21.400 --> 00:08:23.259 and, well, you get the idea. 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:28.349 This gives Nintendo a lot to work with to create some truly devious and non-linear dungeons 00:08:28.349 --> 00:08:32.500 for us to play. I think Link's Awakening marks a high point in Zelda's dungeon design and, 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:36.580 well, we'll have to wait and see where it goes next... 00:08:36.580 --> 00:08:40.730 Thanks for watching. Next time on Boss Keys we're going 3D, we're going back and forth 00:08:40.730 --> 00:08:45.280 through time, and we're entering... the Water Temple. You can subscribe to the channel so 00:08:45.280 --> 00:08:48.690 you don't miss an episode and you can support the show's production at Patreon.