A.V. Club Article Descends Into Dreams with Link’s Awakening

In a recent article, entertainment writer Anthony John Agnello explores the moral dilemmas at the heart of Link’s Awakening. Follow the jump to learn why he considers the classic Game Boy adventure the most human of all the Zelda games.

Agnello argues that the dreamlike structure of Link’s Awakening sets it apart from the series’s other heroic quests. He points out that Link doesn’t necessarily save the day this time around. All he does is wake up, seemingly dooming Kohonlint Island to the somber fate of fading into the mists of his mind.

Because it calls Link’s will into question, because it’s tinged with uncertainty, and because it captures the illogical flow of a dream, Link’s Awakening feels more human than other Zelda games.

Looking at Link’s Awakening from this angle certainly lends it a greater sense of depth than one would expect from an early handheld Zelda game. Fans of the series rarely question whether Link’s heroic exploits are justified. Having not played Link’s Awakening yet myself (the closet I’ve come was purchasing a glitched cartridge of it from GameStop years ago), Agnello’s account of the game’s offbeat narrative design has me eager to eventually experience it firsthand.

Agnello’s article is an insightful read: enjoyable and well-written from start to finish. Feel free to discuss it and your fondest memories of Link’s dreamland adventure in the comments below.

Source: The A.V. Club