Throwback Thursday: Link’s Awakening
July 2, 2015Link’s Awakening was my first videogame.
I was four years old, and at a wedding in Iowa. Let me deviate and show the order of things that can bore a four year old, in descending terribleness:
- Iowa
- Weddings
- Michael Moore Films
This was a Code 9. I was bored as hell. Luckily, my cousin, bless his heart, was there to save me. In his hands were a see-through Gameboy Color, and a copy of Link’s Awakening.
At the time, I was aware of videogames, in the same way I was aware of taxes and the president — that is, they were not directly involved in my life, and thus had no impact on me. I have memories of playing Sonic 2 on a Sega Genesis with my brother, but I was barely conscious of life at that age (and you hardly have to be conscious when you’re playing as Tails, am I right!?).
So my experience with games was limited, to say the least. But I’d say I was lucky that my first exposure was with Link’s Awakening, because it’s still one of my favorite games of all time.
The interesting thing is that Link’s Awakening represents such a large departure from Zelda games before it, from a story perspective. The titular princess is nowhere to be found in this game, and neither is the Master Sword, nor Ganon. In reality, it was a very strange game, matching the dreamlike-tone it was going for: there are side-scrolling segments where you jump on goombas, weird, anthropomorphic animals to befriend — hell, even the Chain-Chomp from Mario shows up, becoming an intergal tool for a particular dungeon.
All of these strange aspects don’t change the fact that for all intents and purposes, Link’s Awakening was a full-featured Zelda game that could fit in your pocket. It had the dungeons, the puzzles, the sweeping music, and the creative boss-fights. In this regard, the game was revolutionary — one of the first to show the true potential of the portable gaming industry.
Four year old me was blown away by the game’s beautiful colors and gigantic world, full of secrets to uncover and places to explore. It was like the Redwall books I had read at the time, filled to the brim with adventure — except this time, I was the main character.
Link’s Awakening awakened (I’m so sorry) the part of me that yearned for adventure in everything. It built part of who I am today. The friendships that I’ve made, the art that I’ve created, everything I’ve written — all of these things can be traced back to Link’s Awakening to some degree, because it inspired me to be as creative as I currently am.
Cut to the end of my month’s stay in Iowa. It was my birthday, and my parents decided I could have a Nintendo 64, along with one game. My brother had his eyes set on Rogue Squadron. But I saw that sword and shield logo above me in the shelves of Walmart. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
“That one, please,” I told my mom, pointing to the box.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
