Link’s Awakening‘s soundtrack is just chock full of bangers. The boss music goes so hard. That musical sting when you get your sword at the beginning of the game? Iconic. The dungeons? Don’t even get me started. But the music that slaps the hardest is found at the top of the map. Tal Tal Mountain Range has one of the greatest tracks in all of Zelda history. Its driving beat makes you yearn for adventure. It’s fast paced, making you feel like you have entered a do or die scenario. Yeah, it’s good stuff.
So why does it get the greatest track of all? Shouldn’t the best banger be saved for the (underwhelming) final dungeon? Of course not. This powerful track is reserved for the most perilous part of Link’s journey.
Tal Tal Mountain Range is a sprawling area that covers the entire top quarter of the map. It’s so massive that it contains three main dungeons, seven waterfalls, and the final boss. It’s teased from as early as the second dungeon. You can just see the base of the mountains at the far edge of Goponga Swamp, inaccessible until you get the Power Bracelet. Once you can cross the threshold, the scale of the mountains is almost too much to behold.
We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. Let’s start with the first place you can access: the path to Angler’s Cavern. The game’s fourth dungeon is the first dungeon in Tal Tal Mountain Range and it takes a very circuitous route to get to it. After discovering the keyhole at the base of the mountain, Link must climb up the steps by Goponga Swamp which leads to two different staircases. One takes you on the correct path, the other leads to the Wind Fish’s Egg. Heading to the east, you have to traverse through caves and over deep water to get to the proper waterfall and jump down. It’s a great section of the game that shows you almost half of the expansive area right off the bat.
The next time you come to Tal Tal Mountain Range, you’re accompanied by the best winged boy in the world, the Flying Rooster. He flaps. He flies. He squawks. He’s the Flying Rooster! Aided by your companion, you can access previously inaccessible areas in the Range, including the bridges at the top of the peaks that, for some reason, have massive holes. You get to play hero again with Marin and save her from certain death. She’s literally in the center of the bridge, surrounded by holes. How are those planks still there? Who knows. There’s also a man who keeps Cuccos up there and he is as excited as all of us to see that amazing Rooster. All of this culminates in getting to the absolute worst dungeon in the game, Eagle’s Tower.
Now, if you were a ding-dong like I was, this dungeon was usually where you gave up and played something else. Usually Kirby because they’re much easier. Eagle’s Tower is the tallest dungeon in the game, spanning four floors that you eventually bring down to one. At the top is the antithesis of the Flying Rooster, the Evil Eagle. I refuse to give it the time of day. Honestly, there is a lot to say about Eagle’s Tower, so I’ll save it for another day. You’re welcome.
The western side of Tal Tal Mountain Range is the place that I know the least about, mainly due to the whole Eagle’s Tower thing. Honestly, there isn’t a lot to do on that side of the Range, except to travel to the final dungeon, Turtle Rock. I’ve always loved getting into this dungeon because of the giant dragon that you have to bring back to life in order to enter. It’s such an odd detail that it always stuck in my mind.
Finally, your entire journey ends at the top of the mountains. The Wind Fish’s Egg sits at the top of Mount Tamaranch, waiting for you to play your instruments. Will you finish your quest to wake the dreamer?
