“Animal Village” is not an imaginative name, but no other name would fit this town better. All of the residents of Animal Village are of the non-human variety, ranging from rabbits to crocodiles to goats. But despite this, all of them are able to speak and behave as any person would. This makes it easy for Link to interact with them, but it must also make him wonder why the dogs and Cuccos in Mabe Village don’t show the same level of sophistication.
For Link, there are two reasons to visit Animal Village: to find the entrance to the desert, and to visit a village full of adorable animals. One of those goals is significantly easier than the other, thanks to a heavy sleeper who blocks the path leading from the village to the wasteland. And there is special emphasis to be placed on the “heavy” part. A prodigious walrus lies in the middle of the road, taking a legendary power nap. Link cannot budge him or wake him, so his only option is to turn back to the village. Well, at least this gives him the chance to see the town’s sights.
Animal Village is smaller than Mabe Village, which is already modest in size, so there isn’t much to do there in terms of activities. For this reason, Link can spend most of his time talking with the animals and getting to know them.
There aren’t many animals living in the village, but each of them provides Link with a new and interesting interaction: The rabbits share their helpful tips and wishes to see Marin, a crocodile artist named Schule Donavitch can be found painting a hippo’s portrait, an uppity goat named Christine is busy penning letters to her admirer, a sneaky-yet-peaceful Zora can be found hiding in a seemingly empty pond, and the helpful Chef Bear provides valuable information on how to proceed with his adventure. All of these charming animals are what make the Animal Village feel like an oasis in the middle of Koholint Island’s dangers (and they also help Link with the lengthy trade sequence he is trying to complete).
When he has his meeting with Chef Bear, Link learns that Marin’s song can easily wake the walrus. Now that he knows this and knows that the villagers would like to see her again, Link departs from Animal Village to fetch their favorite visitor. Though, to be real, there is also a good bet that Links sees this as a good excuse to see her again as well.
When Link returns with Marin, the animals are understandably overjoyed, but their reunion needs to wait. Link must first lead Marin to the walrus so she can stir the sleeping beauty, a task that, for her, is a simple matter of singing her beloved melody to it. Once the dozer does wake, it shows the same level of joy to see her as the other animals did. It grunts with delight and jumps into the waves crashing against the cliffs, now content with a day of snoozing and adoring Marin.
That done, Marin returns to the village so she can visit with her excited fans. Link is now able to continue his quest, and though he’d probably like to stay and enjoy some time with his new friends, and to spend even more time with Marin, he knows he has a job to do. So, Link quietly heads for the desert, knowing that he can visit more once his work is finished.
