Complete The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening without a single death recorded on your save file and you’ll unlock a secret ending after the game’s credits.
This was the case for both versions of Link’s Awakening released back in the day, on the Game Boy and Game Boy Color, and it’s something the new Nintendo Switch version of the game incorporates too.
Obviously, spoilers for the game’s ending lie below.
After waking the Windfish and watching Koholint Island disappear, Link wakes up floating in the sea holding on to some driftwood. Had the whole adventure been a dream? No – because the hulking Windfish itself suddenly appears, flying overhead.
It’s here the end credits roll, and after those you’ll get a final “The End” message.
But if you’ve beaten the whole of Link’s Awakening without dying, you’ll then get a heartwarming Easter egg featuring Marin, Link’s crush and closest in-game ally.
During your adventure, Marin tells you she wants nothing more than to leave Koholint herself, and will wish to the Windfish to make it happen.
“If I was a seagull, I would fly as far as I could! I would fly to far away places and sing for many people! … If I wish to the Wind Fish, I wonder if my dream will come true.”
And it’s this you’ll get to see if you have that no-death save file – the implication being that Marin got her wish and has been saved, despite Koholint Island being no more.
In the original Game Boy Link’s Awakening, Marin’s sprite was literally given wings – like a floating item in one of the game’s dungeons. Here, she simply flew over the “The End” screen.
In the Game Boy Color version, Link’s Awakening DX, a vision of Marin herself is briefly seen, before a seagull is shown flying away. The implication here is less that Marin has sprouted wings, and more that her wish has literally come true.
Finally, in the Nintendo Switch version, which is a direct remaster of the DX ending. Again, we see a vision of Marin, before the seagull flies away. Is Link simply remembering her when he sees the seagull? Or has she been reincarnated as a spirit? The game lets you decide.
It’s one of the many ways Link’s Awakening on Switch stays authentic to the original game – which in turn was a big reason I found so much to love about this remake. “Koholint deserves nothing less, and while Link must journey to leave its shores, this version will always be a place which preserves the island for others to follow,” I wrote in Eurogamer’s Link’s Awakening Switch review.
Be the first to comment