The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening's dungeon design | Boss Keys

[@권용대-b5v]

I’ve just completed the remake, and wow, I can’t believe this game was released more than 20 years ago. By the glance it looked like an easy game for children, but I was so wrong! The latter part of Link’s Awakening showed me one of the most intricate level designs. I’m glad that I finally enjoyed it :)

[@falcoperegrinus2292]

Link's Awakening also the first Zelda that has individual dungeon themes.

[@Howitchewstofeel5gum]

And that was LONG overdue IMO and makes the game much more enjoyable. I find the repetitive dungeon music in AlttP to be extremely unnerving. Strange that the first game with individual dungeon themes was released on such a limited piece of hardware.

[@kamikazilucas]

isnt the music the same general theme just slightly different

[@OlleLindestad]

@@kamikazilucas Yes, all eight dungeon themes (as well as the regular "cave" theme) are reinterpretations and re-combinations of the same two leitmotifs. It's done so nicely that I honestly never noticed it in all my years of playing the game until I read this blog post: jasonyu.me/links-awakening-dungeons/

[@NakeyJakey]

When you said that bit at the beginning (stuff about developers experimenting with new things because it was a handheld title) all I could think about were the awesome additions to gameplay GTA: Chinatown Wars tried out on the DS. Just too bad GTA V didn't keep any of them...

[@regpett3730]

How did I find a 🔥 hot boi 🔥 comment with so low likes and comments 4 years after it was posted? Well anyway, I gotta agree. There's hope maybe the next gta will add something more expieriemental. Or perhaps a game with similar layout and/or gameplay with come along with more interesting mechanics.

[@handlesarestupid154]

Fancy finding the lad himself here!!

[@RTU130]

Hmmm

[@MellowGaming]

Love Link's Awakening. Was one of the first games I got fully obsessed with and finished multiple times. Was my first Zelda game too.

[@bazzy5644]

Mellow Gaming Yup same, to this day my favorite Zelda, actually. Even if i know it is not the best one.

[@darkmagician1184]

You missed one of my favorite features of Link's Awakening, tapping the sword on the wall to discover where it is weak, rather than having to see a crack (like in LttP).

[@metalicarus8372]

i reckon it works too in alttp

[@SendyTheEndless]

Great video. This is my favourite Zelda game, those small, blocky, low-resolution rooms somehow seem very rich and bring my imagination to life. It's just charming.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

_Shamalamadingdong_ will remain my favourite video game analysis key word.

[@Weebusaurus]

I've just discovered your channel and I'm sure messages like this have lost meaning to you but I'm really blown away. I utterly adore your critical analysis and I've almost binge watched your entire channel after finding this episode linked on reddit. Thank you for delivering high quality, intelligent videos on video game DESIGN in a KZbin ecosystem so plagued with low effort let's plays.

[@GMTK]

+Weebus Thanks!

[@mbp9tf]

This was actually my first Zelda game (the DX version, specifically), as my elder brother always refused to let me play OoT with him on the family N64 (he did buy OoT for himself, to be fair). So, I bought myself Link's Awakening DX when I bought myself a GBC by doing menial chores for the neighbors (it was a different time, I suppose...). I will always love this game, as it was my first experience with something more complex than Mario or Sonic - the first game to really make me think, rather than just throwing myself against a challenge until I luckily overcame it through sheer repetition. Loving this analysis series, man - thanks for producing it!

[@CaptainAardvaark]

Link's Awakening is definitely one of the best Zelda games, and my favourite 2D Zelda game. Thanks for the great video! You did an excellent job of clarifying what I loved about the dungeons in this game and helped me understand just why it is that I like them so much more than the ones in Link to the Past!

[@jamesat66]

Used to play this with my Dad on his old gameboy! Completing it was one of the most memorable times I spent with him growing up :) Thanks Mark for articulating all the great feelings I have about this game so succinctly.

[@ganaham9144]

Huh. Never realized how influential this game was.

[@Thraim.]

Most people have little appreciation for the handheld Zelda games and handhelds in general. They only see the limitations of these systems with far less power but don't realise that limitation leads to innovation.

[@ItsPBUH]

@@Thraim. "limitation leads to innovation" - design 101 right there

[@lunasophia9002]

@@Thraim. I mean, the entire philosophy of Nintendo from the start has been focusing on software rather than hardware. And look how successful they are with it. They don't compete with MS and Sony on performance but _they don't need to_.

[@OSW]

This is fantastic. Going through the less-played Dungeons as well is brilliant. I love Zelda but never had a GB (or GBA) so I've never played 'em and the analysis is top notch. I love the high production values as well, everything is so sharp and smooth :)

[@tomato2108]

You can download emulators and game ROMs online EDIT - I just realized I replied to a four year old comment

[@alondite215]

Just as I was about to comment on it, you mentioned how this game's dungeons take a page out of the Metroid handbook. Touche.

[@GMTK]

Hey, thanks for your kind comments. To answer the most common questions I get: If all goes well, I'm going to do videos on Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Oracle of Ages and Seasons, Wind Waker, Minish Cap, Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword, and A Link Between Worlds - in that order. Phew! Whether I do the Oracle games and the DS games as one video for a pair of games, or videos on each, depends on how much I have to say I will likely do Zelda 1 and 2 at some point to make the video series complete. I'll think about Four Swords Adventures and Triforce Heroes. And finally, they should all be done by the time Breath of the Wild is out. And so I guess I'll cap the series off with that one. I've been fortunate enough to play that one and it's awesome, but only played mini dungeons - no proper ones. Finally, Zelda videos will come out in between normal GMT episodes.

[@PaulandoUK]

It would be interesting to compare the Water Temple in OoT, with the revised version in OoT 3D. I heard they made it easier and less frustrating!

[@Booksds]

+Paul L There's not really much of a difference, they added glowing lines on the walls leading to the water-level rooms and made the Iron Boots an item instead of equipment.

[@NatStarlight]

Sounds great! :)

[@Lulink013]

I think you should do DS games in 1 video because the normal dungeon didn't change much from a game to the other, but the dungeon you go back to multiple times is clearly improved in ST. Comparing both side by side should make that evolution clearer. On the other hand, I don't like to have them compared too much because I prefered ST unlike the majority... (unrelated criticism about PH: the hammer is brocken as fuck, the sailing is boring (not even side quests involving it), the wind temple (forgetable is an undertatment when describing this dungeon, especially the boss), overused "oh, look! there is a map you can write on and stuff" gimmick... I think the train is much more interesting than the boat in terms of stuff to do with it: there are enemy trains, the rails to turn to solve puzzles involving those enemy trains, tunnel minibosses, the lost woods: rail edition, a great minigame, and the MANY side quests that add more rails to explore and some serious challenges (that black evaporating matter though...).

[@famuel2604]

I would maybe recommend not doing the oracle games. They are good but are done by a completely separate team. There is a strong continuity in how dungeon designed developed at least up to windwaker, because there is overlap in the teams and their approaches.

[@TurboButton]

"Shamalamadingdong Stones" Fucking hell man

[@zekek3777]

The British accent makes it sound so prestigious

[@myrealusername2193]

It really shows that naming is important in games

[@cronolink9]

I'm so glad you covered Link's Awakening. The game is, kind of surprisingly, one of the most important in the series because of the way it handled story and emotion, which it did far better than any of its predecessors. But you kind of enlightened me to stuff I hadn't realized that this game did in other ways that was significant to the development of later titles, so thank you. You have an amazing channel, and I look forward to more of both Boss Keys and your other series!

[@randomperson10082]

Please don't skip the Oracle games Mark! They go generally underappreciated I've found.

[@VideoFeverShow]

He is covering them. The only question is whether he dedicates a video to each of them, or covers them both in one video.

[@colinfrederick2603]

They really need to remake them like the Links Awakening remakes on Switch

[@Cranson92]

As a Link's Awakening speedrunner, it's always interesting to watch videos like these. I don't think I've seen some of these dungeons solved the correct way in years. Eagle's Tower is incredibly broken in the run, to the point where you don't even need the metal ball at all, lol. Great video, glad I stumbled onto the channel.

[@garrettjohn439]

I love that you're doing this. I'm seriously excited to see how the dungeon design changes throughout the series.

[@SagaciousSilence]

Wow, the level of analysis here is mind blowing! Some of the best analysis I've ever seen on the 2D Zelda games.

[@iden01]

This video was amazing, great work! Also thanks for adding subtitles, it's so much better than using the automatic version

[@GMTK]

+Unidentiviable No problem!

[@PHONO_tv]

Subbed immediately after the "shamalamadingdong" joke. Link's Awakening will always be my favorite Zelda game, in part because it was the first video game I ever owned. But even now, after playing (almost) all the other Zelda titles, the tone and originality of this game still stand out to me. Thanks for making me view it in a new light- great video!

[@AshNorton]

I play ALTTP with my first grade kid. He asks me to read the texts. I do so with gusto but struggle to pronounce "Sahasrahla" as well. When Mark (@Game Maker's Tookit) made the Shamalamadingdong joke, I had the same thought: this guy deserves a Subscribe! Of course, his analysis is superb. Yet not in a month would I have come up with something so spot-on funny.

[@AzaleaJane]

This was my first Zelda game! My friend and I were both playing it on OG Gameboy and helped each other beat it.

[@ZerogunRivale]

An analytical video on Link's Awakening now exists. The world is a happier place.

[@happilyisolated]

Watching this video reminded me of the Link's Awakening remake... ooooooh man I can't wait!

[@YARGGG_GG]

Another excellent video, Mark, thanks for all the hard work. Ocarina of Time is really great! Looking forward to it! But I had also hoped to see some of the more obscure games in the series, like the Oracle games and Minish Cap.

[@GMTK]

+Arjen They're coming! Doing the games in order of release

[@tarquinnff3]

Fantastic series so far. Link's Awakening was my first favorite Zelda game. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[@nichiyohane]

Great episode, I never know Link's Awakening is THAT WELL DESIGN!

[@PauLtus_B]

The "mini-Metroidvania" is exactly why I like Zelda dungeons as much as I do.

[@Rukalin]

And it's the reason I hated ALBW.

[@PauLtus_B]

Linkaru Because it isn't that?

[@Rukalin]

PauLtus B Yes. I hated buying all of the items before the dungeon.

[@bazzy5644]

PauLtus B Funny that you and Mark said that, cause i honetly never played a metroidvania before this and had no real Interest in them, but i loved LA, wonder if i should give other ones of old a go too?

[@francisthompson3772]

@@bazzy5644 You should. If you want a Metroid game, I would recommend Zéro mission(Metroid 1 remake) first. Great physics for beginer(unlike Super), some optionnal help, not to complex or hard... If you prefer 3D, start with Metroid prime 1(because story), but be prepare for the most tedious and useless backtracking in the entire serie... At least you'll see how much that aspect improve in the sequels.

[@ThunderRazorYT]

Fantastic series. It is really nice to see in better detail how the dungeon design has changed over time. Zelda seems to be the most deserving franchise of this awesome show, too!

[@elim9054]

Link's Awakening is one of the few Zelda games I played a little of but never finished, but this video makes me want to play it.

[@iPruch]

Great! After watching this video, I think I realised why I liked Link's Awakening that much to be my favourite Zelda: those many little details that were new to the franchise, and being so much experimental and even being a "Zelda parody" as developers said. I'm always surprised about how you dissect games in such a clear way in terms of game design, where I only can say when I like a game more than another but can't really say why. Thank you very much for these videos! And as a Patreon backer, thank you for releasing Boss Keys series for free. You're great ;)

[@meaninglez100]

This game is so tightly designed. I feel its cleverness is often overlooked.

[@lyzalyza7]

I first played this game on GameBoy color when I was about 9 years old, and I remember it being quite difficult for me at the time. Several times I got stuck for days or even weeks on a particular puzzle. Now seeing the dungeon design helps me understand why 9-year-old me had so much trouble. Many of the dungeons have little linear progression or direction and require the use of creative thinking and cognitive mapping. Quite the challenge for someone of that age. At the same time, it makes the game more challenging/interesting for older players as well as a great joy to replay.

[@Fueledbychapstick]

“Mini-metroidvania” !!! I’ve been a Zelda fan all my life but recently started enjoying Metroid and its kin. This connection makes total sense. I love that feeling of progression!

[@NatStarlight]

Your videos are such high quality; I really can't state that enough! Really enjoying this series and happy that you plan on covering all the main games! I know you are mainly covering the raw design of the dungeons, but Link's Awakening really succeeds atmospherically with its dungeons as well (in addition to the rest of the game of course). For the first time in the series, every dungeon has its own unique music track, and each dungeon also has more of a distinctive identity than the ones in ALttP (this can be argued, but I think it holds true for the most part). Face Shrine and Eagle's Tower particularly shine in my opinion; the former's BGM sets the perfect mood given the part of the game that the dungeon appears in, following the point where most players learn the true nature of the island, while Eagle's Tower has an eerie, mysterious vibe that wonderfully complements its tricky design. :)

[@OlleLindestad]

I was around ten or eleven when I played this game, it was a huge deal for me (as games tend to be when you get really into them at that age) and I remember experiencing something akin to existential angst in response to finding out, as you say, the true nature of the island. It's left the Face Shrine and its melancholy soundtrack forever tinted with emotion for me. Eagle's Tower, meanwhile, was the dungeon that had me stuck for months without progressing. I just couldn't wrap my head around how to get the damn ball to the right place, to the point where I was having feverish dreams about finishing the dungeon with a hockey ball instead.

[@NatStarlight]

I played this game for the first time at exactly that age as well (first Zelda game too) and it sounds like the game has left a similar impression on both of us. :) My sticking point actually came much earlier, in Bottle Grotto, the second dungeon, where you need to kill three monsters in a specific order. Knowing nothing about Zelda, I had no idea what a "Pols Voice" or a "Stalfos" was. I put the game down for a while, but eventually picked it up again, figured it out, and then got truly sucked into the experience.

[@OlleLindestad]

Yeah, that puzzle was super unfair. :P This was my first Zelda game as well. I never owned a TV console, only handhelds throughout my childhood, so while my friends were playing Ocarina of Time I'd be playing this. It made the game feel very much like MY Zelda.

[@NatStarlight]

I feel sort of the same way! I did have consoles growing up, but I still played my Game Boy perhaps more than anything else. I have a big attachment to many Game Boy games over their big console counterparts, mainly in regards to Super Nintendo games, which I did not have. So while many people around my age have fond nostalgic memories for the likes of A Link to the Past, Super Mario World, and Kirby Super Star, for me it's all about Link's Awakening, the Mario and Wario Land games, and Kirby's Dream Land 1 and 2!

[@Coffeenaut]

Oh god, I was stuck on the bottle grotto 'kill the enemies in a particular order'-puzzle for several years (not playing constantly though ofc). I needed to learn some more English to figure out what I was supposed to do :)

[@sinjinvancleef2708]

This is my favorite boss keys yet

[@Rubberman202]

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening was my very first Zelda game, and it's dungeons left a huge impression on me. In particular, the Eagle's Tower kind of broke my tiny child brain a bit when it came to collapsing one floor by destroying the pillars beneath it, both in trying to do so and then seeing it actually happen.

[@salaciouscandy4006]

This was my first Zelda game and still one of my faves.

[@tristanneal9552]

The "shamalamadingdong stones."

[@gamesergeanthd]

Now I can't think of Link's awakening without thinking of Shamalamadingdong Stones.

[@Olivysg]

I haven't played link's awakening since i was like 10 and back then i managed to beat it... I was a smart ass kid cuz looking at it today eagle's tower is messing with my head o.O

[@bazzy5644]

Hexetera It took me a while to beat 7 and 8 back in the day but i was extremly proud when i finally found the fire rod, i must've been around 8 or 9 years old. Love that game deeply. Ballad of the Windfish still gives me chills if i hear it to this day.

[@milesbrown2261]

Great series so far. I'm loving this and game makers toolkit. Both are fantastic.

[@TrevRockOne]

Link's Awakening is such an amazing game. It does _so_ much with _so_ little. It's a masterclass in creating a very touching, very memorable story through very limited means.

[@WritingOnGames]

Excellent video as always. Getting into the handheld Zelda games myself, so this has made me even more excited to do so. Also CHECK YOU OUT GETTING TO PLAY BREATH OF THE WILD MR NINTENDO

[@WritingOnGames]

Additionally, your more conversational and passionate style of delivery is making these even more of a joy to listen to than before. keep it up!

[@leighsavage3073]

I love this game the first ever Zelda experience and it stayed with me ever since and I’m still a massive Zelda fan

[@goatbone]

My favourite game in the series. Couldn't stop playing it.

[@Clerkz]

I would love for these to be even more in depth and longer. Love the work you do.

[@Vykrex]

Fantastic video as always, keep up the great work. I am sad there aren't other game design shows up to your quality, unless someone has some to recommend. If there is one thing I love is the zelda/metroid dungeon and explore design, and the boss keys videos hit the sweet spot.

[@RetroPowerUp]

I really need to replay this, I haven't played it again since the DX version released. Definitely glad they made a color version of the original game.

[@GeneralBolas]

In terms of things LA did first, one of the most important aspects not mentioned in the video is this: it made the Overworld *important.* For the most part in prior Zelda games, the Overworld was just whatever was in the way of you getting to the dungeons. A few dungeons in Zelda 2 required running an errand for someone in town before getting a spell that would allow you to get to/through the palace. LttP forced you to interact with the Overworld in the early game to some degree, but once you're in the Dark World and get the hammer, the game expands out and you can go wherever, whenever. Overall, in the Zelda series up to that point, the Overworld was just a place where you can find random loot. It served as the terrain you had to traverse to get to a dungeon. Link's Awakening did something special. It effectively guarded every dungeon with some kind of Overworld errand which you had to perform in order to get to the next dungeon. This means that you can't treat the Overworld as optional; you have to interact with it in more than just a "look around for a dungeon entrance/goodies" way. It gave the Overworld *character* to a degree that LttP didn't. Indeed, this added sense of character was really important, because the gut punch of "this is all a dream, and achieving your goal will wipe it all out" is only important *because* the game makes you care about the Overworld and the people in it. This aspect would stick with the Zelda series all the way through to Link Between Worlds. And even LBW uses it to a degree in the pre-Lorule half of the game; it's used to force you to meet each of the Sages before they get abducted. Which is important if their abduction is going to mean anything to you. Of course, it is not a coincidence that Link's Awakening was also the first Zelda game that was almost completely linear in terms of dungeon order.

[@thomaszeh2577]

Yes! Link’s Awakening brings so much character and sense of progression to the table. It is a great improvement of the franchise and filled with new ideas.

[@chadschmaltz9790]

The Oracle of Seasons/Ages games were my first handheld Zelda games and I loved them. I never knew how much their dungeons were inspired by this game.

[@sinecurve9999]

Remember this game well. One of my first. Nice analysis.

[@sooisZA]

I love all of your videos. Such high production value and a really clean style. (And that radio voice)

[@theoverlord9535]

Marvelous video Mark! loving the your take on Legend of Zelda so far!

[@Vagabor123]

Hands down my favorite Zelda game.

[@mikevignola4213]

One notable difference between the original and DX versions was the stone slab and fragment which was replaced by the owl and beak in the DX edition. Funny thing is they forgot to change the text in the games manual. I loved this game, unlike other games in the franchise it promoted exploration and using unorthadox tactics, like the bomb arrow. Only having two buttons was actually a benefit, yes it made going to menu tedious,but it made you think flexibly what items to have equiped in addition to having to manually engage the shield.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Oh boy. Except for the tower level, you basically just described Minish Cap. Man, you are going to LOVE Minish Cap.

[@123eee555]

My first Zelda game was oracle of seasons, that, ages and links awakening have become my all time favorite Zelda games

[@MalabarTheGreat]

Highly underrated game! My favorite handheld Zelda, for sure.

[@StonebeakProductions]

Thoroughly enjoyed this! Thanks for creating such an engaging video! Absolutely solid!

[@cognitivedissonance8406]

This series is literally named after something this game introduces Link’s Awakening is the quintessential Zelda game

[@donskiver]

Links awakening and the Oracle games are my favorite zelda games and solidified my love for 2d zelda.

[@Jake-gx4ow]

These zelda videos are great. It's one of my favorite series ever, so I'm really excited to see these. Keep up the excellent work.

[@danathurmond4340]

Love your videos. I appreciate your intellectual style. Also, you got me hooked on Downwell now. Thank you!

[@XaserII]

Shamalanadingdong :D... anyway, dude your videos are great, keep it up!

[@FYCY]

I played links awakening for the first time a few years ago I bought it on the 3DS eshop. It really is an amazing game and I loved playing through it.

[@MoeChicken]

Wow, I'm really impressed! This is a great video. This was recommended to me by a Zelda game-playing buddy of mine, but I didn't know it would be so professionally produced and presented. Great polish. I'm not trying to say it's style over substance, either. I think you did a great job of breaking down the finer bits of Link's Awakening (one of my long-time favorites that I feel is a bit undervalued). In particular I like the description of the dungeon items being used as a sort of key to the second phase of the dungeon. I never really considered that, but I agree with the notion. I'm looking forward to watching more! Keep up the good work.

[@IainNewtonDoull]

The deal with "those horse head things" is made more clear in the Switch remake: they don't just bounce around at random. You throw them and they land 2 tiles ahead of you and one tile to the side. Like an L-shape. Because they're actually chess knights.

[@TheFantasticJoe]

Link's Awakening is my favorite Zelda game so I loved seeing this. Do you plan on doing the two NES Zelda games?

[@GMTK]

Maybe! Depends how much people like this series I guess

[@Alakadoof]

Please do!

[@clairity_dx5552]

I'd very much like to see the NES games get tackled.

[@WarpZone10]

Zelda 1 has some of my favorite dungeon design in the series. A video on it would be awesome!

[@TheRealNintendoKid]

You can't do a series talking about Zelda and just leave the game that started it all out. Also, what about CDI Zeldas? =P Seriously though, you gotta talk about the roots.

[@andreysantiago]

Found your channel today and I already watched all your videos, so good! :D

[@broken1394]

This was always be my favourite Zelda. Full of charm and magic. ♥️

[@ocarinaofwastingmytime607]

1:30 "These bird statues work like the sahjuhrahlis... sawjuruh... saj- *shamalamadingdong* stones in A Link to the Past."

[@cfamcam5663]

I think I somehow manage to pronounce that name, tho I think it’s a very weird name to be fair.

[@Howitchewstofeel5gum]

Link's Awakening Remake HYYYYYYYYYPE!!! I love this game. LA DX was the second Zelda game I ever played and the first 2D one. So I don't think I fully realized how wacky it is back then, though I absolutely loved the humour and strange atmosphere. But I could never finish it as a kid. I got to the penultimate dungeon and got stuck. Completed it for the first time last year on Virtual Console on my 3DS and now I'm super excited to play it all refreshed and shiny on the Switch later this year!

[@PanjaRoseGold]

This is one of my favorite games in the series! My first playthrough I accidentally glitched out 75% through the game(I think it was Eagle's Tower), so I had to redo it, but I didn't mind restarting it. I've since beaten it and I hope I eventually get to play the remake! Shamalamadingdong.

[@ShaunMcMillan]

Dude, this guy is doing all my research for me (I'm a game designer)

[@OdinPerez]

I'm glad you changed the channel name to Mark Brown! You definitely deserve the prime spot in here. Excellent video as always

[@jennilocke]

So, about that room at 7:30 I had this game as a kid, it was the first Zelda game i ever beat entirely on my own. I got through most of it okay (this was the 90s, where you couldn't really look up a walkthrough like you can today) but Eagle's Tower took me forever to finish. Because of that one room. I might just be stupid, but i thought you had to bring the ball in through the door at the top (you went down a long path with immovable blocks, and the pillar you needed to knock down was right there on the other side of the blocks). So I'd be standing there over that pit with the ball. Now, i knew that you could 'long jump' in this game using the Pegasus Boots and the feather simultaneously. So i figured the game wanted me to throw the ball across this long pit, which i tried many times to do. Link kind of skitters on the edge if you're close to a pit, so it gave me just enough time to throw the ball. I don't even remember how many times i tried to do this. And every time i failed i had to bring the ball back to that room since dropping it down a pit would reset it to its starting point. But i did eventually manage it... only for the ball to be in the way of the chest so i couldn't hookshot across. So i had to start all over. By some miracle i actually dig manage to get the ball across this way and cleared the dungeon. It was years later, when i replayed the game in my early 20s, that i realized you could throw the ball over those little tiny squares and you just had to loop around and hookshot like a normal person. Whenever i hear people praise BOTW for letting you solve puzzles in a way that might not have been intended by the designers, i think back to those long hours in my room as a kid, trying over and over to get that damn ball across without blocking the chest. Man, i love this game. It's so quirky and weird... and it rewarded my stubborn bullshit, which rarely happens.

[@SeekerOfSand]

This was my very first Zelda so I hold it in a dear place within my heart. And the progression enter dungeon > find dungeon item > find final boss was so ingrained in my brain that it's difficult to let go. I'll have to do the Switch remake next after TOTK... too many conflicting feelings about new Zelda... that's also why I'm binging this series in 2023.

[@hif100]

man! this video is fantastic and really well made. why the hell did i only find your channel now?!

[@muuuictor]

We love this, Mark. Keep it coming.

[@PsychadelicoDuck]

Ai. Been so long since the first video I'd forgotten all about it. Once these are all out I'm going to need to do a marathon.

[@jzeke91]

LA is easily the most underrated zelda game. I played thru it for the first time about 2 years ago and man was I blown away. The dungeon design was just absolutely magnificent and results in some of the best dungeons in the series

[@SeanLaMontagne]

When i was a child I got stuck in swamp palace cause I didn't know how to finish the dungeon after getting the dungeon item. And you just showed me how.

[@cracka276]

Jesus, I can't even begin to describe how much I love this game. Easily my favorite 2-D Zelda, arguably my favorite Zelda overall (barring maybe Wind Waker). And that's to say nothing of the Oracle games, which are almost as good in my opinion. It's such a shame that people tend to forget about the game boy Zeldas, as they were some of the best.

[@AdvancePlays]

Upon completing the re... re-make, I really do understand the notion of it being a parody of Zelda, specifically A Link to the Past. I knew it translated many elements from that game but I forgot just how much. The moldorm fight being almost 1:1, including aggravating restarts when he knocks you off

[@LinkEX]

The analysis was spot on, particularly when it came to looking into the impact from the changes between Link to the Past. I especially liked the comparison between the use of the big key: "Acces to Part B" vs "Mini-Mentroidvania" and Boss Room. Then again, that's what the video title (series even, to be exact) promised, so it seems obvious that it would be given a substantial part of video length :P Link's Awakening has somewhat of a special place for me as well, and even though it isn't as polished as the Oracle games, I still do prefer the gameplay experience, which feels more rough and less

[@LinkEX]

Another good point about LA's dungeon design (that you implicitly adressed) is that it manages to create many key/lock puzzle mechanisms that all feel (and act) unique. I never thought of the metal ball in Eagle's Tower like that, for instance. All I know is that I loved using it as it defied established rules of liftable objects, which would usually neither be allowed to be carried into another room, nor would their position where you left them off be remembered. The second aspect in particular made it feel so special since otherwise, leaving a room would just reset everything, and any changes in dungeon would be global instead, rather than local for single objects (if you ignore the state of opened chests and locks).

[@codypower4298]

Absolutely love this x

[@garybigtigerhardin]

I do love this game too. Just got back to playing it.

[@masonpeck5252]

Great video! You definitely brought up points I hadn't considered between the two games. However, this video could have used some more criticism on how these game design choices negatively altered the game as well. For example, the fact that every boss must be defeated with the dungeon item feels gimmicky instead of feeling like I have a whole arsenal of tools at my disposal to use at my discretion. That's just one example. Still a quality video!

[@Ashamedofmypast]

Just played through the switch remake. Links awakening was my first zelda back on gameboy and it might be nostalgia talking but I think it is the 2d zelda to this day.

[@AlessaChevalier]

Excellent video. Something I would have brought up, but something you could absolutely bring up if you talk about the Oracle games, is how the limited screen space forced the designers to make every screen count and fit with the complex level design. This is something that the Oracles games dropped the ball on. The Oracle games had the technological benefit of screen scrolling but they squandered the space within those dungeons and because of that they feel unnecessarly spacious. Definitely something to discuss if you proceed into the Oracle games.

[@bazzy5644]

AlessaChevalier So you would say even if they look like LA and used assets from it, they're not worth replaying? I love LA and always wondered if i missed something skipping the GBC era games.

[@bazzy5644]

AlessaChevalier So you would say even if they look like LA and used assets from it, they're not worth replaying? I love LA and always wondered if i missed something skipping the GBC era games.

[@SomeGuyWhoPlaysGames333]

I need to play this game again.

[@ThatFanBoyGuy]

Thank you for revealing how important that Eagle Rock dungeon is. I found dragging around that ball tedious. I find it less tedious now that I understand its purpose

[@Rozenkratz]

Great script and editing!

[@anonymousfellow8879]

Liked the horse heads, hated the card monsters (especially in Eagle’s Tower with that disappearing chest you have to kill them to be able to hookshot across...from a barrier.) And...I think the Color Dungeon is probably my favorite dungeon in the game, especially since it gives you access to an upgrade you can access fairly early on (and has lots of puzzles)

[@esmooth919]

The first time I got here, I discovered this by complete accident, because I did not yet know that I needed to destroy the four pillars

[@lpsp442]

In effect, the quest items obtained at the end of dungeon are a case of many keys unlocking just one lock - namely the path to the final encounter. Rephrased, the individual keys are like parts of a single larger key. This extends to such ignominious examples as the "Triforce Shard Quest" from the Wind Waker.

[@bazzy5644]

LP SP I would call it pieces to solving the puzzle in this case the game itself.

[@DemsCreates]

Amazing episode as always!

[@Gafanha]

Amazing series! Keep on!