"Wake up and play the best game for GBC..."

Ever had a dream that stayed in your mind?

I recall a certain dream that has stayed in my memory for years. I was driving a van in the middle of a long road when the road just opened up and swallowed me whole. I saw myself falling through an endless hole filled with moving green vines. These vines shot out and grabbed my van, my personal belongings, etc. while I kept falling. I landed on a patch of brown grass, and looked around. The area was huge, about the size of a huge city. The entire world was enclosed by bare, cold looking trees. The thing was, the city was a few miles away from me. I dusted myself off and started walking towards the city. I stopped when I heard a loud growling noise behind me. I closed my eyes and ran like hell to the city.

I found out once I entered the city that I already had an apartment and such there, and I managed to find some of my other friends there. One of them pulled me aside and told me that the people were forced to live there due to the growling monster that followed me, which was named Satano. Satano shoved people in his city and made them stay there forever. My friend told me to leave quickly, and not to stay there at all. Then, it quickly became night and the trees enclosing the area started to dance and move back and forth slowly. They slowly grew mouths and started to scream and demons flew through the entire city. This is when I woke up. This dream was hauntingly beautiful, and stays in my mind to this day.

Link, going on a journey of self-discovery, sets out on a huge boat for who know how long. A huge storm hits his boat, and it is smashed to pieces. Link is tossed through the storm, and wakes up on a beach. He turns and sees a heavenly figure resembling Princess Zelda, and blacks out. He wakes up in a small house, and is greeted by Marin, the figure who saved him. She tells him he is on Koholint Island, and that his sword washed up on the beach. She also tells him of the great deity the Wind Fish, who watches over the island and grants the people’s wishes. Link goes to find his sword, and learn more of the Wind Fish… but is Link really there? Or is this all a dream?

First, Link must traverse the beaches and find his sword. Once he does this, he is confused and wants answers as to what this place is, and who the Wind Fish is. A friendly owl flies down and tells him the Wind Fish sleeps in eternal slumber, and only a blessed orchestra and a magical tune has the power to wake the Wind Fish. The owl tells Link that when the Wind Fish wakes, he will be able to leave. But Link needs the orchestra of instruments and the magical tune to wake the deity. Of course, the instruments are hidden in the dungeons across the island, but the tune lies in the heart of a friend…

Link must travel around the island and enter the dungeons, searching for the instrument. He faces a plethora of evils and dangerous creatures inside these dungeons, but armed with a trusty sword and shield Link is ready. The dungeons have quite a few items inside of them, such as the keys which open locked doors, the compass that helps you find treasure, and the dungeon map so you can find your way around. Also, each dungeon hosts a powerful item Link will be able to add into his inventory such as the Roc’s Feather and Power Bracelet. These items are essential to Link’s quest, and without them he stands no chance against the dungeon bosses and terrors ahead. Before you find one of the magical instruments in the dungeons, you fight a big, mean boss. These bosses are tough, and the powerful item you found inside the boss’s dungeon will be of help to you somehow during the battle. Once you destroy the boss and collect the instrument, you are taken back to the entrance of the dungeon where the owl is waiting. The owl usually tells you where to head next, and flies off, leaving you to your heroic duties.

As with the other games in the series, it is wonderfully non-linear. You still must find Pieces of Heart to boost your heart meter, and they are hidden freakishly well. You can hunt down Rupees to buy that expensive bow and arrow set, or continue through the dungeons till you have enough Rupees. The game also hosts a well thought out trading quest, too. The trading starts out when you win a Yoshi Doll in the island’s local crane game. It seems that a girl on the island wants the doll, and will give you her bow for it. You agree, and remember a certain creature that wishes that she had some new accessories, like the bow… This trading sequence was very well done, and neither too challenging or too easy. You have many choices and you are able to take your time as you progress and attempt to unravel the mystery of Koholint Island, and return home.

Subtle touches of humor do the game justice, as well. A lot of these are apparent in the photographs that are taken of you. You will meet a traveling mouse photographer, and when you first meet he will take your picture. As you travel, there will be some circumstances when you see this friendly photographer and he will want to take your picture. I recall a moment in the game where Marin follows you around for a while. If you jump into a hole, you’ll land first and Marin will jump in with you as well. The problem is she lands on your head! The photographer happens to be there at the time, and takes a picture. The picture shows Link in obvious pain while Marin sits on top of him. There are quite a few photos that can be taken of you, and it is a challenge to get all of them.

Graphically, the game shines. The textures look splendid, and the silly characters will bring a smile to your face. The characters, backgrounds, etc. are all detailed and are enjoyable to watch and look at. One of my favorite things was when you cut grass with your sword, the grass will disappear and a few shards of grass will float in the breeze. I know it sounds trivial, but the little things like this made the game enjoyable. There are some beautiful cut scenes and still shots that are incredible. All of the instruments shine, and look like they should in real life. The dungeons and bosses look great, but a small graphical glitch during the final fight puts a smudge on the graphics score.

As I mentioned, you travel around the dungeons to find instruments. These instruments, when all collected, will play the magical tune “The Ballad of The Wind Fish” and wake the Wind Fish up. You initiate the tune by first playing a little of it on your Ocarina you find, and then the instruments fly around you and join in. “The Ballad of The Wind Fish” is a beautiful, mesmerizing tune. It will stick into your mind, and stay there forever. The songs are not what you will expect from a GBC game. The songs are amazing, wonderfully well done that you will be humming when you shut the game off. The background music is the “Overworld Zelda Theme”, and that tune itself is a fun little melody. The sound effects are surprisingly average, but the true beauty and amazing music more then makes up for it.

The controls are on the spot. You can set items to the A and B button, and you move with the D-Pad. Being able to set items to two different buttons is a welcome addition, and it reduces having to constantly switch items.

You will enjoy playing this game. No, for I am wrong. You will love playing this game. The game is amazingly fun, and packs a lot of replay value due to the Heart Pieces and photographs, which are both hidden very well. Also, hidden deep inside the game is a totally all new dungeon exclusive to Zelda: DX. What lies in that dungeon, you ask? A new change of clothes, perhaps?

Despite what others may say, Link is the star of GBC. He stars in the best game for GBC, which should be in every gamer’s library.

NOTES:
If this wins ROTW or ROTD, I’ll dress up as Santa Claus and moon CJC.</I