The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening Guide - Back To Basics

Nintendo recently released the latest addition to The Legend of Zelda with Link's Awakening. The game was first released in 1993 for the Game Boy and then re-released back in 2010 for the Nintendo 3DS. This latest remake has been developed for the Switch. While many players are sure to be familiar with the game, there are a few changes this time around.

In today's guide, we start with the basics and learn how to play The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.

Before we dive deep, you have to remember that there wasn't much of a difference when it came to controls for the Game Boy and the 3DS. However, the Switch version has different controls. For this, refer to the picture below:

Let's start with the left side (blue). There are three controls which are:

• (L)
  • This is located at the upper left.
  • The button allows your character to Dash, particularly with Pegasus Boots.
• (-)
  • This is located on the upper right portion of the blue controller.
  • The button lets you access the map.
• (L) - Stick
  • This lets you control how you move your character.

We now move to the right side (red) which has a lot more controls.

• (R)
  • Located on the upper right portion of the red side.
  • This lets you use the Shield.
• (+)
  • Placed at the upper right portion of the red side.
  • Lets you access the subscreen.
• (X) & (Y)
  • These buttons lets you assign the different items.
• (A)
  • This lets you Confirm/Lift (with Power Bracelet)
• (B)
  • This is the Attack button.

Now that we have an idea of the controls, what are the things you can do in the game? There are three basic attacks and one defensive move.

• Attack
  • Horizontal Slash
    • This is the most basic attack and likely the most used.
  • Whirling Blade
    • This is a strong charged attack that lets you hit anything next to you.
  • Jump Attack
    • This is a powerful move where Link jumps into the air and slashes down quickly.
      • This move is only possible once Link gets the Roc's Feather.
• Defense
  • Blocking
    • This is the most basic defensive move.
    • It is done by holding up the shield.

It's not just about moves as items also play a major role. There are two types of weapons: the first kind are those that are always equipped, and the second kind you can equip to the (X) or (Y) buttons.

The items that always need to be equipped are:

• Sword
• Shield
• Power Bracelet
• Pegasus Boots

Meanwhile, the items that can be equipped to the (X) or (Y) buttons include:

• Roc's Feather
• Bombs
• Bow
• Hookshot
• Shovel
• Ocarina
• Magic Powder
• Magic Rod
• Fairy Bottle

Compared to the original game, the map system in this new version has been upgraded. The map now allows you to pin important spots while also being able to review memorable conversations. Aside from that, the map also comes with its our set of controls. You can view a sample of the map below:

We’ll stop here for now. Next time we take a closer look at the other features of the game.