– Now that we have the hook shot, we can finally finish up the Trading Sequence. First off, diver underwater, and swim through the water sequence to get outside the rocks that surround Catfish’s Maw. Swim to the right a screen and then climb the steps. Walk up two screens, right a screen, and down four screens. Walk to the left a screen and then use the hook shot on the rock on the left side to get across the gap. Continue up a screen and left a screen to find the mermaid statue. Walk up to it and press A to place the scale we got from the mermaid on the statue, causing it to move to the side, revealing a staircase.
– Inside this cave there are a few enemies but they are currently invisible. Just quickly walk up a screen and grab the Magnifying Glass that is waiting for you. The Magnifying Glass will allow you to see previously invisible enemies and people, along with small text in certain books. Go back down a screen to find all the enemies that were invisible before. Walk up the steps to exit the cave.
– Our next step is in Animal Village where there are now a few goodies we can take care of. Walk right a screen, down a screen, right two, up three, and right a screen to reach the village. Walk to the top-right of the village and enter the right-most house in the village. Link will immediately walk over to the water in the corner of the room and will find a zora sitting in the pond. Since you now have the magnifying glass, Link can see this previously invisible zora. After finding out that this is a peaceful zora, the photographer will appear to snap a picture of the two of you. This photograph is called ‘I Found Zora!’ If you speak to the zora once again, he mentions a secret found at the Toronbo Shores. We’ll surely look into that in just a bit.
– Our next step is on this same screen in Animal Village, but it is the cave that we see blocked up. To reach this cave head left a screen, down three screens, right a screen, and up three screens. Place a bomb to blast open a hole and then enter the cave.
– Once inside the cave, if you walk to the left a screen and up a screen, you’ll find a room with a piece of heart. In order to reach the heart piece we have to blow up the cracked block. You can do this in one of two ways. If you equip both the bombs and arrows simultaneously, and press the buttons as the same time, Link will shoot a bomb-arrow. Basically, this is an arrow that has a bomb attached to it and if you shot correctly, it will blow up the cracked block.
– Alternatively, you can return to the entrance of the cave and jump over to the top part of the screen. Place a bomb against the wall and it will explode, revealing a path so you can head up a screen. Follow this path left a screen to reach the room with a heart piece. From here you can simply toss a bomb over the barricade, exploding the cracked block. Whichever method you do use, you can now use the hook shot to grapple the second block, allowing you to reach piece of heart #10. With the piece of heart now collected, exit the cave.
– While we got the magnifying glass, there is an even greater reward to get from the trading sequence and now we finally can get it. It is located all the way back at the Toronbo Shores, so let’s make our way to the warp portal in Animal Village and then warp to just outside Mabe Village.
~ The Boomerang ~– Return to Mabe Village and then exit the village to the south. Travel all the way south until you reach the ocean shore. From the ocean shore, travel east two screens to find yourself back at the screen where you first got your sword. Continue east two screens and you’ll find a cave that is blocked off. Use a bomb to explode open the cave and head inside.
– Inside you will find the Secret Goriya, an ode to the few friendly Goriyas found in the original Legend of Zelda. If you entered this cave earlier, the Goriya was invisible, but since we now have the magnifying glass, you are able to see him. Speak to the Goriya and he mentions that he found a good item that has washed up on the shores. He will trade it for whichever item you have selected on the ‘B’ button. There are only a few items that you can actually trade in, including the Roc’s Feather, Hook Shot, Pegasus Boots, and the Shovel. Whatever you do decide to trade in, you can always get this item back at any point by returning to this cave. The best item to trade in is the shovel as we pretty much will never need it again from this point forward.
– In exchange for whichever item you trade, the Goriya will give you the Boomerang. The Boomerang in Link’s Awakening works very similar to how it did in A Link to the Past except for the fact that is now incredibly overpowered. In previous Zelda titles the boomerang was used to freeze enemies, but in Link’s Awakening it defeats almost every single enemy in just one hit, with a few them even leaving behind fairies as a reward. It is the most over-powered weapon in the whole Zelda series and will be your item of choice for much of the remainder of the quest.
– For our next stop, we are going to need at least 300 rupees. If you opened all the treasure chests in Catfish’s Maw, you should have plenty of rupees. If not there, there is a new treasure chest we can open up in the Mysterious Forest. Play Manbo’s Mambo and then walk left three screens to reach a cave in the Mysterious Forest. It is on the screen just to the right where we got the Tail Key. Lift up the rocks and then enter the cave. Using the hook shot, grapple over to the treasure chest and open it to get 50 rupees! This hopefully should bring you to the 300 rupee mark. Let’s now make our return to Mabe Village.
~ The Signpost Maze ~– Make your way over to the shop in Mabe Village and then exit the town to the right. Lift the rocks and then head down two screens to reach the entrance of the Signpost Maze. Use the Roc’s Feather and Pegasus Boots to dash-jump across the gap. Read the sign and it tells you to ‘GO THIS WAY’, with an arrow pointing straight down. Throughout the Signpost Maze, you have the follow the precisely how they are displayed. So from this first sign, walk in a straight path down a screen.
– There are four signposts on this screen, but if you walked directly south, it will lead to the signpost that is near the bottom of the screen. Read this sign post and it tells you to go to the right. Continue following the sign posts throughout the maze. Counting the initial sign post, there are 15 of them in total. Some of the sign posts will require you to use the power bracelet or the hook shot to read, so do just that. Once you have reached the 15th sign in successful order, it will say, ‘GREAT, YOU DID IT! YOUR REWARD IS –> THIS WAY!’ A staircase has appeared on this screen, so let’s head down.
– There are two small frogs and a giant frog in this underground cave. The giant frog is a reference to Wart, the final boss in the American version of Super Mario Bros 2. Speak with Mamu, the big frog and he talks about his vocal ability. He gives you a chance to listen to him sing at the cost of 300 rupees. Agree to do so and the Frog will sing a song. The screen will blink as the Frogs sing their song. Afterwards, The Frog Song of Soul will now be a learned song on your Ocarina. It’s a very moving tune, and it can even liven up unliving things! Before leaving, Mamu gives a you hint that you can make everything around you seem more alive when using this song.
– The Frog’s Song of Soul will come into use later on, but we don’t quite need it just yet. Our next destination is all the way on the east end of Koholint Island. Go up a few screens, getting out of the Signpost Maze. Walk over to the warp portal and make your way to Animal Village once again.
– Exit Animal Village to the west and then walk up three screens. Continue walking east two screens and the owl will stop you in your tracks. He mentions that there are two shrines nearby, one to the North and one to the South. We must first head to the shrine to the south, where ancient ruins speak of The Wind Fish. Continue east two more screens, defeating the mad bombers with your boomerang to get fairies.
– Walk up a screen and read the owl statue here which states, ‘THE WIND FISH SLUMBERS LONG’ THE HERO’S LIFE GONE” This is some more cryptic language that we will soon shine some light upon. Walk down two screens and you’ll find yourself in a more desert-like area.
– There are a number of statues here and some of them will come alive once you make contact with them. These enemies are known as Armos Statues and can be defeated with two hits of the boomerang or one hit with an arrow. Walk down a screen and left a screen, avoiding any armos along the way. On this next screen an armos statue blocks your path on the left. Touch it to awaken it and then defeat it with either the boomerang or arrows. Continue left along the top portion of the screen.
– Walk up a screen and awake the armos statue on the right side and then continue to the right. There are four statues here, and the one at the bottom-right has a staircase underneath him. Awaken the armos and head down steps. There is a treasure chest here containing a secret seashell. However, if you already have gotten 20 secret seashells and the Level -2 Sword, this treasure chest will be replaced with just 20 rupees.
– From this cave, head left a screen, awakening the armos at the top-left, and then continue down a screen. Continue left a screen, defeating the various enemies along the way, and then climb up the steps. Enter the building here which is known as South Face Shrine.
– Once you enter the building, go up a screen and you’ll be met with a boss of sorts, an Armos Knight. Walk up to the Armos Knight and it will awaken. Its only attack is to jump up and try to land on top of you. Each time it hits the ground, the ground will shake causing Link to stumble momentarily. You either use your arrows or your sword to defeat the Armos Knight. Six shots with your Level 2 sword, or 12 shots with your arrows will do the trick.
~ Secrets of Koholint Island ~– After the Armos Knight has been defeated, pick up the Face Key that he leaves behind and then head up a screen. Light the torches and then read the carving on the wall at the top of the screen.
‘TO THE FINDER’ THE ISLE OF KOHOLINT , IS BUT AN ILLUSION’ HUMAN, MONSTER, SEA, SKY’ A SCENE ON THE LID OF A SLEEPER’S EYE’ AWAKE THE DREAMER, AND KOHOLINT WILL VANISH MUCH LIKE A BUBBLE ON A NEEDLE’ CASTAWAY, YOU SHOULD KNOW THE TRUTH!’– Finally some light shed about this strange island. The island is just a dream? If we awake the dreamer (The Wind Fish), then Koholint will vanish? With that in mind, let’s head down a few screens and exit the Shrine. You will immediately be met by the Owl.
– That is some deep information that we’ve heard from the owl and from the scripture in South Face Shrine. However, we did collect the Face Key and this will now allow us to enter north Face Shrine, so let’s backtrack through this sandy area by heading down a screen, right, up, down, right two, and up two to exit the area.
~ Entering Face Shrine ~– Walk left a screen and then cut through the bushes and left the rocks to make your way up a screen. Lift all the rocks and walk left a screen. Jump into the water and swim down a screen. Climb up the ladder and touch the statue on the left to awaken an armos. Defeat it and then head down the staircase. Make your way left a screen and use the hook shot to get across the large gap. Walk up the steps to get back outside.
– Walk up along the right side and put the Face key we just got into the Key Hole and this will reveal the entrance to the Face Shrine. Go back down a screen, up the steps, and enter the 6th dungeon of the game, Face Shrine.
– Face Shrine continues down the trend of being less linear, offering a number of side quest areas and a bit of backtracking. The dungeon is divided into two halves and this split occurs right at the start of the dungeon where you can either head left or right a screen. Most of the important items are on the west side of the dungeon so we will be tackling that area first.
– From the entrance of the dungeon walk to the left a screen and you’ll find three wizzrobes. These enemies will disappear and reappear, giving just a few moments where you can harm them. Many of your weapons will have no effect on the wizzrobes. Your best bet is to freeze them with the hook shot or boomerang when they appear and then quickly place a bomb to defeat them. Either way, you can ignore this first batch and head up a screen.
– There is a spark in this room and if you use a boomerang on it, it will give you a fairy as a reward. Continue heading up a screen and left a screen. Defeat the mask-mimic in this room and then stand near the exit at the top-right part of the room. Toss the boomerang diagonally so it hits the switch, causing the blocks to rise. Alternatively, you can drop a bomb and have it explode. Do this so that you are above the switch and then head up a screen along the right side.
~ L-2 Power Bracelet ~– Follow the pathway on the ground and it leads you to the wall on the right side. Place a bomb here and blow open a hole. Walk right a screen and light the torches in this dark room. There are four green zol in this room. Defeat them and head down the staircase that appears at the top-right corner of the room.
– There is a giant spark in this underground area that cannot be defeated. Just avoid it, defeating the goomba that is in your way and head left a screen. Avoid a second giant spark and resurface on the left side. The blocks in this room should be lowered allowing you to maneuver around. Defeat the mini-moldorm that is moving around. You’ll also need to defeat the two wizzrobes, so use the boomerang or hook shot to freeze them and finish them off with a bomb. Alternatively 4 arrows shots will defeat a wizzrobe. When you have defeated all the enemies, head up through the door that opens up.
– Open up the treasure chest on the left side of the room to get the dungeon item, the Level-2 Power Bracelet! This will now allow you to pick up and move even heavier objects. You can lift up the pot on the right side of the room to find a fairy floating around underneath. Lift up one of the two large statues in the center of the room and then head through the one-way door.
~ Dungeon Map ~– Back inside the room with the mask-mimic, hit the switch once to lower the blocks. Once again you have to hit the switch diagonally, but this time walk up a screen along the left side. Walk over and pick up the block at the top-left part of the room to find a floor switch. Step on it to open the door and then head through to the room to the left.
– There are three wizzrobes in this room, along with a floating arrow in the center of the screen. Use your bow and arrow to hit the crystal switch so you can move around the room. Defeat all three of the wizzrobes and a treasure chest will appear containing the dungeon map.
– Be sure the blocks on the right side are lowered and then head up a screen. Skip passed this room for now and head right a screen. Open the treasure chest found here to get the dungeon’s stone beak. Backtrack to the previous room to the left.
– Lift up one of the pots and toss it at the door above to open it up and then go up a screen. Walk to the right a screen and open the treasure chest found here to get the compass. Climb the steps and hit the crystal switch just once and then follow the narrow path down a screen, right two screens, and up a screen.
~ Secret Seashell and Lots of Rupees ~– All the blocks in this room should be lowered. Use the boomerang to hit the anti-fairy and it will turn into a regular fairy. Defeat the two wizzrobes found in this room and collect the small key that drops from the ceiling. With the key in hand, backtrack, down a screen, left two, up one, and left a screen.
– Since we hit the crystal switch in the previous room, the blocks have changed. Defeat the sparks if you’d like and then pick up the large statue. Toss it at the closed door to open it and then head up a screen. Walk up the steps and open the treasure chest to get 100 rupees! Then climb up the stairs to actually leave the dungeon.
– Back outside you’ll appear in the middle of the Raft Ride area, but on one of the land platforms with a treasure chest. This treasure chest contains secret seashell #22. However, if you have already collected the level 2 sword, this chest will have 20 rupees in it. Walk back inside the dungeon.
– There are two horse head statues found in this room. Pick each of them up and toss them aside. You need to get them both to land straight up, which causes the door to open up. It might take some time but keep tossing the horse heads until you’ve got it and then head down a screen.
– Backtrack down two screens to get back to the room where we got the dungeon map. We want to head back right a screen, but before you go, shoot an arrow to hit the crystal switch and then quickly move towards the door on the right. With the blocks up, head right a screen. Climb the steps in this room and follow along the path for a few screens until you reach an owl statue. Talk to the statue and it states, ‘Enter the space where the eyes have walls’ This is a reference to the dungeon map. If you take a look at the map, it forms a face of sorts. We already walked through to the eye room on the left side of the map and we’ll be doing the same for the right side of the map shortly.
– Let’s now backtrack left two screens and down to screens to get back to the room with the mask-mimic. Defeat the enemy once again and then hit the crystal switch in this room so that all four blocks are up. Pick up the large statue and toss it at the closed door on the right side of the room and then head through.
– Open the treasure chest here to get 100 rupees! Once again pick up the large statue and this time toss it against the door at the bottom part of the room and head through. Get rid of the statue here and open the treasure chest to get 50 more rupees! Now head down a screen and right a screen to get back to the dungeon entrance.
~ Face Shrine – East Side ~– Now that are done with the west side of the dungeon, let’s now navigate the east side. Walk right a screen and carefully make your way across the moving platforms. You can lift the large statues if you’d like, but then head right a screen. Pull out your shield in this room and then stand in one of the corners of the room. Just hold out your shield the whole time and the floor tiles that fly at you will just hit your shield. After all the floor tiles are gone, the door will open, so head up a screen.
– There is a locked door above and we should have a small key. However, we’ll need to collect a second key before heading in this direction. Instead, pick up one of the large statues and toss it at the closed door on the right to open it. Walk through to the next room and then use bombs or arrows to defeat the four wizzrobes. Go down through the door that opens up.
– Defeat the two enemy stars in this room and then lift the pot. Talk to the owl statue here and it states, ‘Hop on top of the crystals to move forward.’ This is a clue for right here in this room. The blocks on the left side should be down so climb up the steps at the bottom-left part of the room. Drop down on the right to land on the raised blocks. Use Roc’s Feather to jump over to the other block that is raised. Climb the steps at the bottom-right area, jump over the blade trap, and head up a screen. Open the treasure chest found here to get some secret medicine! You can only hold one at a time, so if you purchased one earlier from Crazy Tracy and still have it, then this one will do you no good. Jump off the ledge and head up a screen.
– Defeat the star, spark, and water tektites that are found in this room and then head up a screen. Continue up another screen and open the treasure chest that you find here to get a small key. You should now have two small keys in your possession. Now backtrack down three screens and left a screen.
– Use the small key on the locked door at the top of the room and head up a screen. Defeat the two zol in this room and then if you look at your map, you’ll notice that the room straight above is where one of the eyes on the map are located. Tap against the north part of the wall to find a secret passage. Use a bomb to blast open a whole and then head up to take on the dungeon mini-boss, Smasher.
~ Mini-Boss – Smasher ~– Smasher is a strange looking fellow that has a large bowling ball in the room. He’ll move around the room, picking up the bowling ball and tossing it at you. What you need to do is use the power bracelet, pick up the ball, and toss it back at smasher. After four hits with his own bowling ball, smasher will be defeated, a fairy will be left for you, and a warp portal will appear. Ignore the portal for now and just head up a screen.
– If you continue up a screen from this room, you’ll find yourself back in a previous room. If you just keeping head up and up, you’ll be just repeating rooms in an endless maze. Instead, use the power bracelet and lift up the block on the left side of the room to find a staircase. Walk down the steps.
~ Nightmare’s Key ~– Make your way through this underground area, defeating the sparks and goombas if you’d like. On the second screen, climb the ladder to resurface at another part of the dungeon. There are more floor tiles that will come alive in this room. Stand at the bottom-left portion of the room and use your shield to block them as they fly towards you. After all floor tiles have fallen, grab the small key that fell from the ceiling. Unlock the block and head up a screen.
– Lift the large statue in this room and toss it at the closed door to open it, and then head left. There are two horse head statues in this room. Toss them until they both land straight up, opening the doors in the room. Continue left a screen and then head down the steps. In this underground area there are enemy thwimps that will fall to the ground if you walk underneath. Just use the Pegasus boots to dash across these two screens and then resurface.
– There are three Pols Voice found in this room, but we now have a much easier way of defeating them in comparison to the last time we saw them. Just pull out the Ocarina and play the Ballad of the Wind Fish. The noise will affect their large ears, defeating them in the process. Lift up the pot at the top-left of the room to find some spare bombs. Walk up a screen through the open door.
– Use the power bracelet and boomerang to make safely make your way through this room. Be sure to grab the bombs and ten head up a screen. Hit the crystal switch once with your boomerang and then open the treasure chest in this room to get 200 rupees. Toss the horse heads until they land correctly and then backtrack down two screens.
– Back in the room with the three pols voice, let’s head down a screen. You will find two dodongo snakes in this room, so defeat them just as we did earlier. Use bombs and either place them or toss them into snakes’ mouth. Remember, if the bombs are about to detonate, you can pick them up and the timer will reset. After hitting each dodongo snake with three bombs, head through the door that opens on the left.
– Use the hook shot to get across the gap. Use your final small key on the locked block and then head up two screens. Lift the blocks and talk to the owl statue. The owl statue states, ‘To open a treasure chest, use the pots around it.’ If you try opening the treasure chest here, it won’t open. So listen to the owl statue and toss a pot at it to open it up and get the Nightmare’s Key!
~ Reaching the Nightmare ~– From the treasure chest with the Nightmare’s Key, walk down two screens, jump off the ledge, and continue down two more screens. Defeat the wizzrobes here once again and head left a screen, and up three screens. Lift the stone statue on the left and head down the steps. Make your way through the underground area and resurface back at the tile room.
– From the floor tile room, head down a screen and the doors will close. There is an enemy vacuum on the left and four green zols are burrowed under the ground. Walk around the room so the four green zols are revealed and the vacuum will suck them in so they fall into the abyss. Once all four are gone, head right a screen.
– Push the block that is at the bottom of the screen to the right. From here, use a bomb and toss it so that it explodes and defeats the wizzrobe in this room. There is an enemy beamos in this room as well, and if it sees you, it will shoot out a green laser in your direction. After its eye passes, quickly run to the right and use roc’s feather to jump over the gap. Walk up a screen.
– You’ll find two unlit torches and some sparks in this room. Either light both torches to get a fairy, or just use the boomerang on one of the sparks to get a fairy. With full power, use the nightmare’s key and head up a screen to take on the dungeon boss, Facade.
– Facade is a rather easy boss. First, he’ll keep on throwing Tiles at you until he runs out. Facade will then start making holes appear in the floor in random places. Now it is time to start hurting him.
– Start in the center where his face is. Holes do not appear in the floor where he is. Drop a Bomb and then run. When it explodes, it will hurt him. Repeat this a couple times, and Facade will admit defeat. Once again, you’ll get another strange message. After reading it, snag the Heart Container and proceed.
– Grab your usual reward for beating a boss, a Heart Container. Walk up the stairs to get the Coral Triangle. Now that we have six out of eight Instruments, we are called to the mountains, where the last two dungeons reside. I hope you didn’t die on this boss, he was very easy. You’re going to need the Secret Medicine for the last two. Leave the dungeon with pride and congrats!
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