The island is a dream. To continue on would mean the destruction of the island and everything on it. Once the Wind Fish awakens, Link too will wake from his dream. Does he continue his journey knowing that it’s the only way for him to escape his dreams into the real world, or leave things as they are knowing that to finish his journey would mean the destruction of all who he met, learned from, and established connections with on Koholint?
Though a seemingly cutesy game, Link’s Awakening takes a simple story and adds a ton of layers to it, mostly left to player interpretation. I played the DX release as a kid and it remained my favorite handheld title up until I played the equally brilliant Minish Cap. Of course, I was only about seven or eight years old, so a lot of this deeper plot went right over my head. It wasn’t until years later as I read articles and theories from others online that I began to realize there was far more to this game than I remembered.
I was very excited when the Switch remake was announced not just to experience the gameplay again, but to see all I had missed in the story the first time I played it. Seeing all the locales reimagined in the vibrant and colorful world and in HD brought many a smile to my face and initially, the nostalgia became so strong I became overwhelmed by emotion and cried a little as I reminisced.
Closer towards the end of the game, Link finds a tablet which reveals to him the truth of the island he finds himself washed upon. Shortly after this revelation, Link carries on to the next dungeon to find the next instrument to wake the Wind Fish. His destination: the Face Shrine.
Zelda dungeon music is, at least from Ocarina of Time and on, more about being atmospheric. This is usually accompanied by various sounds as opposed to instruments, such as the sound of a stomach growl in Jabu-Jabu’s Belly. While the original Link’s Awakening was constrained by the limitations of the Game Boy, it still had a very memorable soundtrack, if a bit repetitive due to the aforementioned constraints. Every dungeon had its own theme and most of them were again, just simple tunes.
But the Nintendo Switch remake of Link’s Awakening tossed me a curveball with the remix of the Face Shrine. Though still restrained as dungeon music in the series is so that the player might focus on solving puzzles within the labyrinthine dungeons, the music for Face Shrine evokes a powerful and somber ambiance. Once the 54-second mark happens, the original Face Shrine music begins to play on top of it with a bit more of an ethereal sound to it. The beginning is seemingly treated as an addition to the original, as if the song itself was never changed, only added onto. What it creates however, is one of the most unique and powerful ambiances I have felt in a long time.
This being dungeon music is absolutely brilliant, in my opinion. Link had just learned the truth of the island, and now here he is, trying to find another instrument to complete his quest that will result in the disappearance of the island. This music perfectly encapsulates the idea that Link being here means his decision to move forth with his quest, knowing full well now the ramifications of his actions. I like to interpret this song as a feeling of inner turmoil for the little hero. He goes on many quests to save people, but his actions here would do the opposite, exacerbated because of the bonds he has already forged with the island denizens. The story becomes a tragedy, and this song helps to show that even further.
One of my favorite aspects of the Zelda series is how often there is much more than meets the eye, especially with the older titles. They weave intricacies in simple ways, many of which are quite sad. The beauty in the writing and presentation of these games do an excellent job, as is evident by the amount of love and passion the fans have by dissecting every little juicy bit they can from these games.
The music in the Face Shrine here manages to tell a story of emotions. Perhaps they’re nothing more than conjecture, but this song helped change the way I viewed the story up to this point, and just like many excellent subtle storytelling games, stands tall in its execution. The Face Shrine remix is a somber and sad song that ultimately gives rise to powerful emotions within, as Link faces the truth.
