What makes this ending really stand out from the previous Zelda endings is how it doesn't feel as triumphant or grand as those. In the endings of the first three games, you were called a hero and/or were given recognition as the savior of Hyrule. Here, you just wake up still stranded in the middle of the sea, having ended the existence of an entire island and being left with nothing.
@@joueusedelacave7798 I could be wrong, but isn't this Link the same canon Link from the Oracle games? I don't remember if the Oracle games take place after this, though
Oracle games take place after Link's Awakening according to Hyrule Encyclopedia which came out one or 2 years ago. I believe it's the same Link as the one in ALttP AND the Oracle games.
Easily the zelda with the most powerful message. To hold on to your dreams and never forget them. A masterpiece of gaming and storytelling in one package.
This kinda spared them from a crisis for curious explorers from the island finding out the hard way that they can never go outside the island considering they never existed in the first place though this doesnt make it any less tragic😔
Han Daimond I've only cried four times in my life: Lion King, Sens losing against Habs, Lion King, Links awakening. Such a great game and when you hit the end you just wish you can start all over and get one of those happier endings wind waker gives out.
Han Daimond same here man. The characters were so good, seeing the whole thing do what you knew would happen, which was vanish... man that's still sad to think about even as an adult
This is actually the most messed up and saddest ending in LOZ. With Majora's Mask, Link had to save the entire world from destruction, but Link's Awakening had Link KILL everyone on the island so that he could escape it with a giant whale.
Here is where we have to question the reality of dreams. The people on the island wheren't "real" they were a dream of the Wind Fish. Are they real or are they just dreams? Do the people we dream up in our dreams "die" when we wake up?
@@CSLucasEpic Exactly. The thing is that it wasn't a normal person dreaming this island. This was the Wind Fish's dream; he is, as far as I know, a deity, that might be able to create a new world if he wanted to while conscious. So while dreaming, there are no limits. So, IMO, Marin and all them were real because a deity dreamed them; when the deity woke up, an entire world probably died.
But it wasn’t real. Link was merely sucked into his world. The wind fish was being kept in perpetual sleep against his will. The world still lives on in both his and the wind fishes mind as he says. All dreams must end but they still do live in and no one was lost and the wind fish was saved
I'm sorry, I just can't get over this ending. I remember spoiling it for myself eight years ago, wondering why the Wind Fish didn't swoop down to rescue Link. Just recently, I finished playing through this game for the first time, and my view on this ending changed completely. While it still bothers me that the ending didn't show the Wind Fish giving Link a lift (faithfully assuming he did off screen), there's so much more about this ending to passionately love. Koholint Island is an elaborate dream world the Wind Fish formed in his slumber, and Link entered his dream to help him wake up. To do that, however, meant killing off all these memorable characters you can learn to love by playing this game. It was really saddening to see these debatably conscious people become nothing more than old memories of slumber, all for the sake of a hero and a god whale. That's even more so when I knew I would get the imperfect ending where Marin doesn't get her wish. When the final scene at the ocean kicked in, I remembered the images, but they seemed brighter than ever before. Seeing the beautiful Wind Fish flying under the sun in the awake world immediately became the most inspiring image I've ever seen in a video game. Every time I see the Wind Fish flying up and away in the middle of the staff roll, I want to cry every time. The Wind Fish stole my heart, nuzzled it for hours, and warmly put it back in me.
+Hugo Bayet the point is regardless how comfortable an Illusion is, you have to accept the reality regardless all consequences. Thats the only true way to be alive. And thats the lesson link had to learn.
So glad to see other peopel get so emotoinal about this game as well. I was seven when I played it when it first came out and cried so hard. Looking back, it was a pretty depressing ending, but then, playing it again as an adult, it's not like the game doesn't warn you all thr way through. I mean, when's the last time a game's bosses told you "if you destroy me, you're going to ruin everything"? I played it as a kid and got the perfect ending, of Marin flying across the screen with wings... confused me so much - I prefer this ending because it's more obvious what actually happened.
God, years later, and this ending STILL makes me cry like a young child. The definition of "bitter sweet", right here. And this particular version adds the extra touch of "sweet" that the regular ending lacks to make it, as the title indicates, perfect.
even with the limited capabilities of the GBC this ending managed to draw emotions from people. even years later it still has that effect. I wounder if modern games can make the same claim years from now.
if you want some more moments check out a game called FF6 (aka FF3 in the US because at the time we didn't have FF6) on the SNES that game is FULL OF FEELS. then there is the breath of fire 1 and 2 both have great moments. and then...ya know what pretty much squire and capcom's back catalog of RPG's from the NES/SNES era are places to look. I don't know what has happened to these two companies but whatever triforce like power that they had seems to have been stolen from them. (capcom on the verge of financial collapse and squire following after like monkey see monkey do)
I just beat the game on my perfect ending file, but stopped by town since I forgot which pattern it was. While I was there I talked to Marin, and she mentions having prayed to the wind fish for a wish of hers, one she kept a secret, so maybe...
Kinda ruins the seriousness of it a little but it's funny. Also the fact it's in all caps makes it seem as if the Wind Fish is shouting at him. THIEF! The hero!
The Link's awakening story is a metaphor for "playing games." Whenever a player clears a "game", he returns from the world of fiction to the real world. However, it is a story as a metaphor with the creator's wish that the existence in the game does not disappear as "nothing" but remains in the player's mind as "something beyond fiction". Is this widely known?
I had no idea, it makes a lot of sense. was the metaphor from the developers when making the game or is it thought of by fans? Either way it’s really interesting to think of
Since Zelda has maximum friendzone powers, Link's only hope was Marin. Then the Whale performed the ultimate cockblock magic to ensure Link was Forever Alone. That's the greatest tragedy of all.
@@miitroarts789 Saria would be stuck as a kid forever tho and that would be a bit strange. Malon is a good option and it would make sense knowing that Link is like a farmer in Twilight Princess so he could be related to Malon and Link somehow.
Double meaning in the title... on the surface Link is awakening from his dream, but through his journey he had his own inner awakening of the trifoce qualities (power, courage, wisdom) that exist in memory of the island.
The sad part is that Marin wanted to say something important to Link in yhe bridge but she actually didn't, she probably had a crush on Link which yiu may know beacuse of how she speaks to him in the bridge and how she says "never forget me" before the final boss battle. I was hoping for a kiss or something like that on the ending, would be charming and it's sad how it actually didn't happen when Marin clearly loved him. I prefer how she has wings in the normal version rather than she turning into a seagull on the DX version. You know how much I would appreciate a game coming after this in the timeline where Marin appears?
+Sukuraidogai Actually I feel like Marin is actually real while anything else in the island isn't, after all she still appears after the island is vanished so she clearly has to be real.
What if Marin IS a seagull, but she just got trapped in the dream and, like Link, she doesn't remember anything from her real life. Why she is a human in the dream? Well, because its a dream.
How can you hate the Owl in any of the entries? I always get a happy and rewarding feeling when I hear the music and see it coming. And it always gives me these vibes of a mysterious higher being that always watches over you.
Other than making me feel bad for making the island disappear, as an adult this game had me in an existential kind of mood. It's crazy. I can't really explain it.
It's not that hard. Every good moment in life has a beginning and an end, and everything left are memories and mementos (like Marin being turned to a seagull). I interpret the awakening as getting back to routine. I guess we're all Wind Fish some way or another.
Yea but if you think about it if Link stays with Marin on Koholint island dreaming forever. There will be nobody to save Zelda and Hyrule from Ganon and his army.
i like this game. i never saw the ending until now. when i used to play it i got close to the end of the game but decided i wouldnt want to wake up from a dream like that so i didnt finish the game, just enjoyed running around.
@@Marvsmarvelsminecraf Yep, since this Link is the same from the Oracles that would mean that Veran and Onox would fully revive Ganon, laying waste upon Hyrule, just like in the no hero timeline.
I was holding back tears from the moment he started playing the song, but then, as soon as Marin's face flashed across the screen, tears slowly dripped down my face.
This was the first Zelda game I ever owned. I don't mean the DX version either. The Ballad of the Wind Fish is my favorite piece of video game music. It will always have a special place in my heart.
This game was in fact the first GAME I owned. I got a Gameboy after some classmates had one, and the two Games were this one and Wario Land. I love both to death to this day. And yes, the BotWF is also in my list of favourite game music pieces ever.
@@alexandermorgan6701 ikr, we may be even witnessing last Link's relief (delirium?)moment of his life as well. They say your body tries to make your last minutes as happy as you can feel...
I think this link is the same of A Link To The Past, he went to a trip to improve as a swordmaster and then he returns to Hyrule in his ship and this game occurs
hahahaha everyone is sad about how its just a dream and the characters aren't real and so on and then you come being sad about the lost rupees.. so good xD
All dreams, be them for good, or ill; beautiful, or sorrowful, must eventually come to an end. We wake up, try to forget the bad ones while remembering the good ones, and try to continue our lives. Marin is still alive as a seagull, and if not, at least she is alive in Link's Memory. Maybe someday in the future, when an Elderly Link walks upon the beaches of Hyrule, he'll look up and see a familiar gull circling above him...
Alexis Monarrez I don't think AngeredFox was saying, "Fuck this game," I think he/she meant to say, "Fuck! This game has the saddest ending..." And yes! This game's ending always makes me feel sad and yet I still love to play it. I've beaten it so many times.
All the people you knew in this game and all the adventures you lived, you just keep it in your memories like if it never happened, its so sad. This ending makes me cry
12 years passed by since I played the game for the first time. And I just saw this perfect ending for the first time. And it made me cry to find out that Marin fullfilled her dream. It's really beautiful
I'm almost positive that Link's Awakening was the first video game I ever played. In first grade, when I visited my cousin's house, I saw this game in his Game Boy Color. I started playing it, and man...just exploring Koholint Island alone blew me away. Ironically, I never beat the game. Not until today, over ten years later. For some reason, I never got the willpower to finish what I started so long ago until recently. When the end credits finally rolled around, and Koholint Island started to fade away...I could not hold back the goosebumps. It was like I was Link, wandering around dungeons all my life, desperately trying to wake up to reality. Finishing this game just made my memories from many years ago flush back. Everything feels so surreal. There's no other game like Link's Awakening that invokes true emotions and familiarity to me. The memories of having Bow Wow as a partner, stealing items from the Shopkeeper, Marin waking you up on the shores...thank you, Nintendo.
Link is looking at the sky thinking: "Yo wind fish, what the fuck?! I woke you up and everything, where's my lift back to Hyrule?! DONT LEAVE ME HERE! T_T"
I always love it when video games or movies introduce the main god in a creepy or weird way. Whoever designed the Windfish introduction and design in general is a genius.
I shed a tear watching this after all these years. Just the idea that all those people didn't really exist, I had so much invested love of those characters and to find out they were never real hit home for me as a child. Even know I remember the music alone made it even moreso.
It's such an amazing story! When I first played it (I was young and didn't understand english very well) the plot was obvious right from the start! I'm shipwrecked on an island! But if I wake up the wind fish he can get me out of here by granting me a wish! And then we meet Marin, we find a flying rooster and really enjoy all the adventures we're bumping into. Suddenly, we don't wanna go anymore.. But hey, gotta wake up the windfish anyways! Him being asleep and nightmare bosses being around is clearly not any good. Maybe we can wish for something else? Or let Marin have her wish come true! And as we get closer and closer to cracking the egg we slowly realize... This is just a dream.. All in our head.. I was so happy when I beat the game the first time! And so sad when I saw the island fade away just before the end credits..
Look at his words: *"ONLY THE MEMORY OF THIS DREAM LAND WILL EXIST IN THE WAKING WORLD... SOMEDAY, THOU MAY RECALL THIS ISLAND... THAT MEMORY MUST BE THE REAL DREAM WORLD..."* Koholint lives on, the dream world lives on, in the memories we bring back to the waking world. All those characters are not just with -Link- THIEF. They're with you, in your memory. The islanders live on through you. And if that's not good enough, well... *"BUT, VERILY, IT BE THE NATURE OF DREAMS TO END!"*
When I saw those guys say the island was a dream before the final boss I was like: Pssh! *Spin Attacks Them* But when I saw the ending the wind fish said: This island is a dream. I literally burst into tears and was sad for Marin cause she is (in my opinion) Links first girlfriend in the franchise since he showed no emotion to Zelda
This is one of the greatest video game endings I have ever seen, and this is coming from a person who has played the game for only a few minutes. I will now go play it until I beat it.
According to the timeline, we never know if Link makes it back to Hyrule alive or not. It would be nice if we got a remake-sequel (like a link between worlds) that explains what happens.
i have a personal theory that Sahasrahla comes and saves link. becuse in Ancient Stone Tablets Sahasrahla's younger brother says that he have leaved hyrule in search for link. so there is still hope!
Oh? That's interesting! According to Hyrule Historia, Link went on a soul searching journey after the game, but since the whole point of Link's Awakening is that he found himself, Im not sure if I believe that.
There are so many things to pull from this short ending that packs so much emotional weight into it, but of particular note the shot of the wind fish flying across and blotting out the sun, then the light reappearing afterwards....it's done so beautifully with absolutely minimal graphical power.
It's been said that your mind can't invent faces when you dream, so typically every person you see in your dream is someone you've seen at some point in real life. I know people get a bit existential when they think of this island, but if it was truly Link's dream, chances are those people do exist, and Link just might not know who they are.
Terel Day They were an enemy in A Link To The Past (in Turtle Rock), which is just before the Oracle series and Link's Awakening in the Timeline, so probably there if it's the same Link, unless they're part of the Wind Fishes dream and not Links.
ThatsAnOddName69 K thanks last I heard Link's awakening can go anywhere in the timeline but that was years ago that is probably the official spot what you said
+Moon Doggie (moondoggie54) , it's literally over 20 years old and originally came out on a black and white gameboy. What do you expect? This game, including the music, was phenomenal in 1993.
I haven't played this game since it originally came out.. and to this day I still occasionally whistle the Ballad of the Wind Fish. It was that memorable.
I didn't even understand the impact of the ending of L.A. as a kid. I mean, I knew it was sad to some degree, but I was too young to understand the true meaning of the game. I replayed it last year at the age of 26 and payed really close attention to the storyline and holy shit, the whole athmosphere and music that came along with uncovering the truth was pretty brutal to say at least. The ending was pretty much perfect, it left a deep impression and made me reconsider my own behaviour towards people in my life. One day we'll all be gone and the daily grind, school, college and work made us forget that. Be kind and show some love to your fellow people, to your friends and family. Life's way too short to waste energy on negative thoughts. R.I.P. Marin.
Years and years after playing this game, after I thought my time with Zelda games were completely done; I find out that this game had a secret ending and here I am playing it through again just to see this with my own eyes. ... And crying like a baby listening to this music one more time...
Even when a zora harassed him she turned into a sage. In fact all the girls in Ocarina of Time who took any liking to Link became sages. Lol what are the odds. Poor guy..
I think the real message behind this game is: Nothing last forever. Every beginning carries some kind of uncertainty and even pain; then you'll have good moments, but sometimes you will have to get rid of things and say good bye to some people in order to go on. but once you reach the end, that event that you thouht of it as unpleasant can become one of your fondest memories. School and childhood is a good example of that. Miyamoto stated that Link was named like that because he represents a link between the game and the gamer. I think that link marooned in the middle of the sea is a methaphoric way to say: "This game has finished, now go on with your life".
BALLAD OF THE WIND FISH Sleeper's wake, dreams will fade, Although we cling fast, Was it real, what we saw? I believe Lost in dreams, we sleep on, tossing and turning Stay with me, by my side, Never leave What if the worst comes? If someday this sweet reverie ends We took, our memories, for real Fade us by Dream with me, by the sea We watch the waves crash Hold my hand, think of me And I'll fly
Wasn't Marin's portrait supposed to show up? When I beat this game back in 2000, I was depressed for weeks, the ending was just too sad. Everything was non-existent all along except for Link and the Wind Fish and everything else who are just part of a dream simply vanished with the possible exception of Marin.
There are different perfect endings depending on the version of the game. In this version, it's implied that the seagull at the end is Marin, since she wished to fly.
What if wind waker and awakening have something related to eachother, for example, link can control seagulls in wind waker, in awakening Marin becomes seagull
It's a challenge keeping a straight face when the character's name is THIEF.
Lol the game gives you that name permanently if you steal from the store.
I gotta say I really hate that you have to steal to get every picture
I just name the file THIEF when I start the game
@@Prymer55 what if you make a new file
@@kylecunns well he meant permanently for that file
What makes this ending really stand out from the previous Zelda endings is how it doesn't feel as triumphant or grand as those. In the endings of the first three games, you were called a hero and/or were given recognition as the savior of Hyrule. Here, you just wake up still stranded in the middle of the sea, having ended the existence of an entire island and being left with nothing.
+zangetsu9196 And he probably died
You're right. odd ending.
Yet you somehow feel happy and fulfilled with a note of sadness.
@@joueusedelacave7798 I could be wrong, but isn't this Link the same canon Link from the Oracle games? I don't remember if the Oracle games take place after this, though
Oracle games take place after Link's Awakening according to Hyrule Encyclopedia which came out one or 2 years ago. I believe it's the same Link as the one in ALttP AND the Oracle games.
the windfish could have been nice enough to fly him to land
+Cory Hill The windfish is not kind with thieves. :)
Plus you have to realize, this adventure was an NDE. During this, Link was drowning. He was dying.
@@terraclaiborne2088 NDE?
@@Mugsi Near Death Experience
@@SteeleOkami Oh danke. Thought he was referencing something in the Zelda series
Easily the zelda with the most powerful message. To hold on to your dreams and never forget them. A masterpiece of gaming and storytelling in one package.
a lot of bamboo games were great like this, amazing what nintendo did with such meager hardware
Majora's Mask is that much moreso because of how well woven it is into the narrative: "We are all connected. Even through those who are dead."
Brandon's AudioBooks Truly the saddest but truest to it's message installment in the franchise
NOW THE REMAKE HITS
Gay.
Hearing Marin’s theme while links asleep still sends chills down my spine I love it still till this day
This ending kinda hurts...
ShaDHP23 yeah :(
Kinda?
The ending is so sad, I wrote a blog about it on my fb almost 10 years ago.
Kinda? that's... quite of an understatement xD
This kinda spared them from a crisis for curious explorers from the island finding out the hard way that they can never go outside the island considering they never existed in the first place though this doesnt make it any less tragic😔
I think this is the first vg ending that made me cry when I was a kid.
same, what fond memories
Same here man. Amazing that a 2D game on GBC was able to do that!
Han Daimond I've only cried four times in my life: Lion King, Sens losing against Habs, Lion King, Links awakening. Such a great game and when you hit the end you just wish you can start all over and get one of those happier endings wind waker gives out.
Han Daimond same here man. The characters were so good, seeing the whole thing do what you knew would happen, which was vanish... man that's still sad to think about even as an adult
Han Daimond It's an ending that really does make you feel sad. All those characters you meet are gone forever.
one little seagull makes me want to cry...
:)
Wind Fish is a jerk in not picking Link up while he's stranded in the middle of nowhere.
But this guy made Link become a theif.
This is actually the most messed up and saddest ending in LOZ.
With Majora's Mask, Link had to save the entire world from destruction, but Link's Awakening had Link KILL everyone on the island so that he could escape it with a giant whale.
YowLife he didn’t kill anyone they ceased to exist, which is equally sad and messed up.
Here is where we have to question the reality of dreams. The people on the island wheren't "real" they were a dream of the Wind Fish. Are they real or are they just dreams? Do the people we dream up in our dreams "die" when we wake up?
@@CSLucasEpic Exactly. The thing is that it wasn't a normal person dreaming this island. This was the Wind Fish's dream; he is, as far as I know, a deity, that might be able to create a new world if he wanted to while conscious. So while dreaming, there are no limits. So, IMO, Marin and all them were real because a deity dreamed them; when the deity woke up, an entire world probably died.
But it wasn’t real. Link was merely sucked into his world. The wind fish was being kept in perpetual sleep against his will. The world still lives on in both his and the wind fishes mind as he says. All dreams must end but they still do live in and no one was lost and the wind fish was saved
If link didn't wake the wind fish up, they probably would have gotten killed by the nightmares anyway
They're also just a dream
I'm sorry, I just can't get over this ending. I remember spoiling it for myself eight years ago, wondering why the Wind Fish didn't swoop down to rescue Link. Just recently, I finished playing through this game for the first time, and my view on this ending changed completely. While it still bothers me that the ending didn't show the Wind Fish giving Link a lift (faithfully assuming he did off screen), there's so much more about this ending to passionately love. Koholint Island is an elaborate dream world the Wind Fish formed in his slumber, and Link entered his dream to help him wake up. To do that, however, meant killing off all these memorable characters you can learn to love by playing this game. It was really saddening to see these debatably conscious people become nothing more than old memories of slumber, all for the sake of a hero and a god whale. That's even more so when I knew I would get the imperfect ending where Marin doesn't get her wish.
When the final scene at the ocean kicked in, I remembered the images, but they seemed brighter than ever before. Seeing the beautiful Wind Fish flying under the sun in the awake world immediately became the most inspiring image I've ever seen in a video game. Every time I see the Wind Fish flying up and away in the middle of the staff roll, I want to cry every time. The Wind Fish stole my heart, nuzzled it for hours, and warmly put it back in me.
When I was a kid I was so sad that everyone disapeared at the end ...maybe they were all real and alive, until the Wind Fish woke up !
+Hugo Bayet the point is regardless how comfortable an Illusion is, you have to accept the reality regardless all consequences.
Thats the only true way to be alive. And thats the lesson link had to learn.
Stefan Keil
Well that's how you interpret it. I don't necessarly think there is deep meaning behind that story.
Thats true but the bottom line is: someone had to do it
So glad to see other peopel get so emotoinal about this game as well. I was seven when I played it when it first came out and cried so hard. Looking back, it was a pretty depressing ending, but then, playing it again as an adult, it's not like the game doesn't warn you all thr way through. I mean, when's the last time a game's bosses told you "if you destroy me, you're going to ruin everything"?
I played it as a kid and got the perfect ending, of Marin flying across the screen with wings... confused me so much - I prefer this ending because it's more obvious what actually happened.
God, years later, and this ending STILL makes me cry like a young child.
The definition of "bitter sweet", right here. And this particular version adds the extra touch of "sweet" that the regular ending lacks to make it, as the title indicates, perfect.
even with the limited capabilities of the GBC this ending managed to draw emotions from people. even years later it still has that effect. I wounder if modern games can make the same claim years from now.
And was probably the first and only 2D game to make its players teary eyed at the end. I still have yet to play another one that did it to me.
if you want some more moments check out a game called FF6 (aka FF3 in the US because at the time we didn't have FF6) on the SNES that game is FULL OF FEELS.
then there is the breath of fire 1 and 2 both have great moments. and then...ya know what pretty much squire and capcom's back catalog of RPG's from the NES/SNES era are places to look. I don't know what has happened to these two companies but whatever triforce like power that they had seems to have been stolen from them. (capcom on the verge of financial collapse and squire following after like monkey see monkey do)
Get the GBA version of FF VI, it fixes several mechanical issues with the original. Plus, it has some really interesting post-end-game content.
Hey man mc donalds treasureland adventure ending made me tear up as a kid lol don’t hate
Ending of final fantasy adventure on the og Gameboy. Real feels.
I just beat the game on my perfect ending file, but stopped by town since I forgot which pattern it was. While I was there I talked to Marin, and she mentions having prayed to the wind fish for a wish of hers, one she kept a secret, so maybe...
Good Zelda stories has some depression themes in them.
Majin Nihlathak Exactly! Even talking about the ending Twilight Princess makes me weep a bit.
I just realized the title of the game is a major spoiler!
Not really, since Link awakens at the start of the game on Tarin's house.
Yeah thats whatcha call a Red Herring.
It was definitely meant to imply his real awakening at the end.
@@Liquidcoat17 Exactly! The Japanese title isn't as subtle, it's called, 'The Dreaming Island'! ^_^
MegaLisa830 Bright that also ruins it cause a lot of people including my self thought that koholint was real :p
@@Dexuz well alot of zelda games include Link waking up in the start of the game
It's funny that even the Wind Fish calls him THIEF - all for stealing a goddamn bow.
Kinda ruins the seriousness of it a little but it's funny. Also the fact it's in all caps makes it seem as if the Wind Fish is shouting at him. THIEF! The hero!
What happens if you call Link Thief from the Beginning ? :P
This game never forgets your bullshit stealing ways.
@@deaththekid922 I......dont know. I'll have to see.
It wasn't even a real bow! It was in a dream.
The Link's awakening story is a metaphor for "playing games." Whenever a player clears a "game", he returns from the world of fiction to the real world. However, it is a story as a metaphor with the creator's wish that the existence in the game does not disappear as "nothing" but remains in the player's mind as "something beyond fiction". Is this widely known?
I had no idea, it makes a lot of sense. was the metaphor from the developers when making the game or is it thought of by fans? Either way it’s really interesting to think of
That metaphor is totally trash, the games message is much deeper than your stupid interpretation
Ever heard of a little game called OneShot?
@@kroutkas5507What does that have to do with anything?
@@djlethargic Both games share the common theme of caring for/feeling attached to a fictional world.
Since Zelda has maximum friendzone powers, Link's only hope was Marin.
Then the Whale performed the ultimate cockblock magic to ensure Link was Forever Alone.
That's the greatest tragedy of all.
Wind Fish*
No saria malon
@@miitroarts789 Saria would be stuck as a kid forever tho and that would be a bit strange. Malon is a good option and it would make sense knowing that Link is like a farmer in Twilight Princess so he could be related to Malon and Link somehow.
This comment is great, even 6 tears later rofl.
EDIT: *years not tears, but i guess it may as well have said tears for poor Link bahahahahaha
My girlfriend turned into a seagull
That’s rough buddy
Double meaning in the title... on the surface Link is awakening from his dream, but through his journey he had his own inner awakening of the trifoce qualities (power, courage, wisdom) that exist in memory of the island.
The sad part is that Marin wanted to say something important to Link in yhe bridge but she actually didn't, she probably had a crush on Link which yiu may know beacuse of how she speaks to him in the bridge and how she says "never forget me" before the final boss battle. I was hoping for a kiss or something like that on the ending, would be charming and it's sad how it actually didn't happen when Marin clearly loved him. I prefer how she has wings in the normal version rather than she turning into a seagull on the DX version. You know how much I would appreciate a game coming after this in the timeline where Marin appears?
She's just part of a fish's dream though, so it would be Link dating a fish's imagination.
+Sukuraidogai Actually I feel like Marin is actually real while anything else in the island isn't, after all she still appears after the island is vanished so she clearly has to be real.
+JCrv Ok then Link would be dating somekinda Seagull-human-mutation-being ??
Iroquois Nope she was a human but then she turned into a seagull thanks to the Wind Fish
What if Marin IS a seagull, but she just got trapped in the dream and, like Link, she doesn't remember anything from her real life.
Why she is a human in the dream? Well, because its a dream.
i hate the Owl in OOT but this owl is too cute love it
How can you hate the Owl in any of the entries? I always get a happy and rewarding feeling when I hear the music and see it coming. And it always gives me these vibes of a mysterious higher being that always watches over you.
@@ivayloborov3462 I know, right? I actually don't hate any character that Link meets in any of the games! They're all special to me! :D
@@ivayloborov3462 here's how
Would you like me to repeat everything i said?
No
> Yes
I love Hoot Hoot.
Thank you helmasaur king, very cool
Seeing you get called THIEF makes me so nostalgic for some reason.
haha…we all tried it!
Was necessary for the photo album in the "DX version"
The credits music gives life meaning.
I remember how awestruck I was as a 7 year old when I first saw the Wind Fish in DX. Fantasic artwork for GB.
Other than making me feel bad for making the island disappear, as an adult this game had me in an existential kind of mood. It's crazy. I can't really explain it.
It's not that hard. Every good moment in life has a beginning and an end, and everything left are memories and mementos (like Marin being turned to a seagull). I interpret the awakening as getting back to routine.
I guess we're all Wind Fish some way or another.
Yea but if you think about it if Link stays with Marin on Koholint island dreaming forever. There will be nobody to save Zelda and Hyrule from Ganon and his army.
i like this game. i never saw the ending until now. when i used to play it i got close to the end of the game but decided i wouldnt want to wake up from a dream like that so i didnt finish the game, just enjoyed running around.
if only you could've chosen a different ending, but then that would split the timeline again
@@Marvsmarvelsminecraf Yep, since this Link is the same from the Oracles that would mean that Veran and Onox would fully revive Ganon, laying waste upon Hyrule, just like in the no hero timeline.
I was holding back tears from the moment he started playing the song, but then, as soon as Marin's face flashed across the screen, tears slowly dripped down my face.
Me too brother, me too... and it's okay
I have never played this game but this ending made me tear up anyway! I know beauty when I see it!! 😭
This was the first Zelda game I ever owned. I don't mean the DX version either. The Ballad of the Wind Fish is my favorite piece of video game music. It will always have a special place in my heart.
This game was in fact the first GAME I owned. I got a Gameboy after some classmates had one, and the two Games were this one and Wario Land. I love both to death to this day.
And yes, the BotWF is also in my list of favourite game music pieces ever.
I love how Link's Awakening is almost isolated from all other Zelda games. Almost separate. really adds to the surreal feeling it has.
I don't know man I'm under the impression that link drifts off to Hyrule on those two pieces of wood, Thus the beginning of Ocarina of Time
@@LJdaentertainer To be honest, I think Link would be lucky to get anywhere on those two pieces of wood.
@@alexandermorgan6701 ikr, we may be even witnessing last Link's relief (delirium?)moment of his life as well. They say your body tries to make your last minutes as happy as you can feel...
I always thought this was the OG Link from Zelda 1 and Adventures of Link lol
I think this link is the same of A Link To The Past, he went to a trip to improve as a swordmaster and then he returns to Hyrule in his ship and this game occurs
WHY AM I CRYING? D':
the noise the windfish makes is creepy AF
Don't blame him just because he wants to be an elephant.
IKR
I was watching a like 90% volume and was like "oh I love earrape..."
The thing's an eldritch abomination. It dreams islands into existence. It's gonna make unpleasant noises.
Live well dearest Marin.
May every distant land you fly to be all you imagined and more.
Best zelda game ever :(
Marin is returning for hyrule warriors legends
I am?
+Marin Yup
Chris P. Bacon no shit.
So, did he lost all the rupees too?
Man we talk some business here!
hahahaha everyone is sad about how its just a dream and the characters aren't real and so on and then you come being sad about the lost rupees.. so good xD
What are you Jewish?!
The ending was sad..Still cry when I see this ending...Only ending in all the series that made me cry to this day....
All dreams, be them for good, or ill; beautiful, or sorrowful, must eventually come to an end. We wake up, try to forget the bad ones while remembering the good ones, and try to continue our lives. Marin is still alive as a seagull, and if not, at least she is alive in Link's Memory. Maybe someday in the future, when an Elderly Link walks upon the beaches of Hyrule, he'll look up and see a familiar gull circling above him...
or not...because he's a video game character.
MrFr1day well thanks for that mister killjoy.
PeaceBear16 Lol I'm sorry. Yeah I can be that "guy" sometimes.
I loved this game as a kid; I can't believe its been 20 years! I even wrote a fic based on this ending!
Miss Elly WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S BEEN TWENTY YEARS
I DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS IN HD IM GONNA CRY
Same :(
Did you cry yet?
welp sry it came out for the switch
It was worth the tears.
it's a right of passage. you must join us.
Fuck, this game has the saddest ending of any game I've ever played.
AngeredFox Don't talk all bad about Link's Awakening, it's still a good game
Alexis Monarrez I don't think AngeredFox was saying, "Fuck this game," I think he/she meant to say, "Fuck! This game has the saddest ending..." And yes! This game's ending always makes me feel sad and yet I still love to play it. I've beaten it so many times.
Punctuation is your friend…
+dynamicsketch Yes, this is my favorite Legend of Zelda game, with Ocarina of Time following close 2nd.
+Moon Doggie (moondoggie54) I fixed it, are you happy now, Hitler?
All the people you knew in this game and all the adventures you lived, you just keep it in your memories like if it never happened, its so sad. This ending makes me cry
12 years passed by since I played the game for the first time. And I just saw this perfect ending for the first time. And it made me cry to find out that Marin fullfilled her dream. It's really beautiful
I'm almost positive that Link's Awakening was the first video game I ever played. In first grade, when I visited my cousin's house, I saw this game in his Game Boy Color. I started playing it, and man...just exploring Koholint Island alone blew me away.
Ironically, I never beat the game. Not until today, over ten years later. For some reason, I never got the willpower to finish what I started so long ago until recently. When the end credits finally rolled around, and Koholint Island started to fade away...I could not hold back the goosebumps. It was like I was Link, wandering around dungeons all my life, desperately trying to wake up to reality. Finishing this game just made my memories from many years ago flush back. Everything feels so surreal.
There's no other game like Link's Awakening that invokes true emotions and familiarity to me. The memories of having Bow Wow as a partner, stealing items from the Shopkeeper, Marin waking you up on the shores...thank you, Nintendo.
Links Awaking Remastered Squad. Like it up
best zelda game ever
Link is looking at the sky thinking:
"Yo wind fish, what the fuck?! I woke you up and everything, where's my lift back to Hyrule?! DONT LEAVE ME HERE! T_T"
I always love it when video games or movies introduce the main god in a creepy or weird way. Whoever designed the Windfish introduction and design in general is a genius.
This game is the only game that has ever made me bawl my eyes out. The ending is just so depressing.
ikr :(
I shed a tear watching this after all these years. Just the idea that all those people didn't really exist, I had so much invested love of those characters and to find out they were never real hit home for me as a child. Even know I remember the music alone made it even moreso.
It's such an amazing story! When I first played it (I was young and didn't understand english very well) the plot was obvious right from the start!
I'm shipwrecked on an island! But if I wake up the wind fish he can get me out of here by granting me a wish! And then we meet Marin, we find a flying rooster and really enjoy all the adventures we're bumping into.
Suddenly, we don't wanna go anymore.. But hey, gotta wake up the windfish anyways! Him being asleep and nightmare bosses being around is clearly not any good. Maybe we can wish for something else? Or let Marin have her wish come true!
And as we get closer and closer to cracking the egg we slowly realize... This is just a dream.. All in our head..
I was so happy when I beat the game the first time! And so sad when I saw the island fade away just before the end credits..
RisenDark Seeing the people on the island and the island itself just was depressing.
This game is definitely up there with my favorite games.
Look at his words:
*"ONLY THE MEMORY OF THIS DREAM LAND WILL EXIST IN THE WAKING WORLD... SOMEDAY, THOU MAY RECALL THIS ISLAND... THAT MEMORY MUST BE THE REAL DREAM WORLD..."*
Koholint lives on, the dream world lives on, in the memories we bring back to the waking world. All those characters are not just with -Link- THIEF. They're with you, in your memory. The islanders live on through you.
And if that's not good enough, well...
*"BUT, VERILY, IT BE THE NATURE OF DREAMS TO END!"*
When I saw those guys say the island was a dream before the final boss I was like: Pssh! *Spin Attacks Them* But when I saw the ending the wind fish said: This island is a dream. I literally burst into tears and was sad for Marin cause she is (in my opinion) Links first girlfriend in the franchise since he showed no emotion to Zelda
What's really sad is that Marin really liked Link. There was a moment where she wanted to tell him something and then she hesitated and didn't.
This is one of the greatest video game endings I have ever seen, and this is coming from a person who has played the game for only a few minutes. I will now go play it until I beat it.
Best part is that it's a very simple ending. No need to have a five minute long cutscene.
tcrpgfan I agree.
According to the timeline, we never know if Link makes it back to Hyrule alive or not. It would be nice if we got a remake-sequel (like a link between worlds) that explains what happens.
i have a personal theory that Sahasrahla comes and saves link. becuse in Ancient Stone Tablets Sahasrahla's younger brother says that he have leaved hyrule in search for link. so there is still hope!
Oh? That's interesting!
According to Hyrule Historia, Link went on a soul searching journey after the game, but since the whole point of Link's Awakening is that he found himself, Im not sure if I believe that.
Your theory is better than Hiyrule Historia's in my opinion Konrad Eklund
bittersweet, to be sure
There are so many things to pull from this short ending that packs so much emotional weight into it, but of particular note the shot of the wind fish flying across and blotting out the sun, then the light reappearing afterwards....it's done so beautifully with absolutely minimal graphical power.
Y'all ready to cry again this year? :P
Not yet 😔
It's been said that your mind can't invent faces when you dream, so typically every person you see in your dream is someone you've seen at some point in real life. I know people get a bit existential when they think of this island, but if it was truly Link's dream, chances are those people do exist, and Link just might not know who they are.
He thought Marin was Zelda when he first saw her, so there's some support for that theory
ThatsAnOddName69 ok most the people are simillar to the ones in the N64 games but where has he seen chainchomps
Terel Day They were an enemy in A Link To The Past (in Turtle Rock), which is just before the Oracle series and Link's Awakening in the Timeline, so probably there if it's the same Link, unless they're part of the Wind Fishes dream and not Links.
ThatsAnOddName69 K thanks last I heard Link's awakening can go anywhere in the timeline but that was years ago that is probably the official spot what you said
No song feels as great as a Song of victory *tear up* Bringing back old memories :D
19 people have never had beautiful dreams
I only disliked it because of the god-awful sound quality.
+Moon Doggie (moondoggie54) , it's literally over 20 years old and originally came out on a black and white gameboy. What do you expect? This game, including the music, was phenomenal in 1993.
Mr. Gabe Some of the music is still pretty damn good today
I haven't played this game since it originally came out.. and to this day I still occasionally whistle the Ballad of the Wind Fish. It was that memorable.
That ends on a bittersweet note, you mean.
I didn't even understand the impact of the ending of L.A. as a kid. I mean, I knew it was sad to some degree, but I was too young to understand the true meaning of the game. I replayed it last year at the age of 26 and payed really close attention to the storyline and holy shit, the whole athmosphere and music that came along with uncovering the truth was pretty brutal to say at least. The ending was pretty much perfect, it left a deep impression and made me reconsider my own behaviour towards people in my life. One day we'll all be gone and the daily grind, school, college and work made us forget that. Be kind and show some love to your fellow people, to your friends and family. Life's way too short to waste energy on negative thoughts.
R.I.P. Marin.
You stole from that shop keeper too eh? We're all guilty of it...
Better get that album completed XD
The Wind Fish really is an ungrateful bastard for leaving Link out in the middle of the ocean. He could at least give him a ride back to Hyrule.
Years and years after playing this game, after I thought my time with Zelda games were completely done; I find out that this game had a secret ending and here I am playing it through again just to see this with my own eyes.
... And crying like a baby listening to this music one more time...
4:25
I like how Link knows he will properly die out in the ocean but he still is happy about the windfish.
Finally a remake we deserve
Such a beautiful ending
Ending literally makes me uncontrollably cry my eyes out :')
Remember the fact that this is one of few darkest zelda endings because EVERYONE LITERALLY DIES
The emotions of music and pictures makes this magic I guess. Its just sooo beautiful…
And all the memories will be lost...like tears in the rain.
Can’t wait to see this in HD
Congratulations, you monster.
I recently finished playing this game on an emulator.
This ending hit me right in the feels.
Link doesn't seem to concerned that with no food or water he's going to die floating out at sea.
Great job, Link!
Now how are you going to get back home from there?
link and marin should stay together man i feel bad for link, he rescue alot of girls but always stay alone
Atleast Marin got her wish and was able to explore the skies as a seagull.
***** did he kissed one if these girls ?
@Kagereneko Remove the curtain and they are just hugging.
Link should stay alone forever!>:D
Even when a zora harassed him she turned into a sage. In fact all the girls in Ocarina of Time who took any liking to Link became sages. Lol what are the odds. Poor guy..
This ending made me cry as a kid....what a beautiful game man
I cannot wait for the remake.
What a phenomenal credits sequence and game. To this day, it may still be my favorite credits theme.
I think the real message behind this game is: Nothing last forever. Every beginning carries some kind of uncertainty and even pain; then you'll have good moments, but sometimes you will have to get rid of things and say good bye to some people in order to go on. but once you reach the end, that event that you thouht of it as unpleasant can become one of your fondest memories. School and childhood is a good example of that.
Miyamoto stated that Link was named like that because he represents a link between the game and the gamer. I think that link marooned in the middle of the sea is a methaphoric way to say: "This game has finished, now go on with your life".
Thief? ooh what did you swipe from the shopkeeper?
"THIEF", the name they used because you stole from the store. Bad hombre!
markynio You have to steal for a photo
4:22 when u realize the wind fish is just kyogre on LSD
wailmer on DMT
This is the only video game to ever make me cry.
this leaves me teary-eyed, so nostalgic. this game looks beautiful with colour.
BALLAD OF THE WIND FISH
Sleeper's wake, dreams will fade,
Although we cling fast,
Was it real, what we saw?
I believe
Lost in dreams, we sleep on, tossing and turning
Stay with me, by my side,
Never leave
What if the worst comes?
If someday this sweet reverie ends
We took, our memories, for real
Fade us by
Dream with me, by the sea
We watch the waves crash
Hold my hand, think of me
And I'll fly
I cried
It is going to hurt even more in the remake
This music is wonderful!
Too much émotions!
"Sometimes there are no happy endings" - Batman to Tim Drake.
Wasn't Marin's portrait supposed to show up?
When I beat this game back in 2000, I was depressed for weeks, the ending was just too sad. Everything was non-existent all along except for Link and the Wind Fish and everything else who are just part of a dream simply vanished with the possible exception of Marin.
There are different perfect endings depending on the version of the game. In this version, it's implied that the seagull at the end is Marin, since she wished to fly.
The portrait shows up after credits roll
How the hell do you get depressed over a video game
Todd S. A good story will do that to you
No
This scene is going to destroy me when the remake is released.
me too. me too.
What if wind waker and awakening have something related to eachother, for example, link can control seagulls in wind waker, in awakening Marin becomes seagull
"The development team would like to thank you for playing!"
Fuck, those always get me every time
You stole the shield, didn't you😂
We gonna get a remake this year!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT WAS ALLA DREAM, I USED TO READ WORD UP MAGAZINES
Lmfao! Good one
+YB90Gaming AUHAUHAUHAUHAUHAUHAUHA GOTCHA
Salt n Peppa and Heavy D up in the limousines..
Now I'm depressed
So the ending tells us that the island disappeared and that Link probably will die on the ocean when this piece of wood is all he has
This is my favorite video game ending because it is so awesome! i love it so much i had tears of joy. :D
Who else came here after the direct?
Me :,,3
Me. Looking forward to the HD version of this ending, minus being called "Thief" of course.
oh shit it's Kyogre