"The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation."
From The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
Every mind is an ocean, and every dream provides a deep dive into the depths of one's innermost consciousness.
A lucid dream occurs when the dreamer is aware that they are currently experiencing a dream. This may provide a degree of autonomy that allows the dreamer to shape the events taking place within the dream's narrative. Lucid dreams can be vivid, highly realistic, and indistinguishable from reality.
Dreams also serve as inspiration. They can be arbitrary or trifling, nonsensical or revelatory, however one wishes to perceive them.
How does one tell the difference between a dream and reality? Simple: one has to wake up. Then the shift in conscious state will become apparent.
But what if one never awakens from his or her dream? Such is the conflict that Link, a lucid dreamer, faces in The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, recently re-released on the Switch. Considered a quirky, at times bizarre, entry in the Zelda line of video games (arguably second in eccentricity only to Majora's Mask), Link's Awakening is, in many ways, a surreal take on the Zelda formula. Yet, it manages to maintain all of the essential aspects necessary for an engaging Zelda experience, without having to sacrifice depth or length for portability.
Of course, I'm talking about the original release of Link's Awakening for the Gameboy. What about the Switch remake? Does the game still hold up in 2019?
I think yes, for the most part. But Nintendo shouldn't have charged $60. $30-40 at most. The Switch remake is completely identical to the original, with a few quality of life improvements (more buttons for items, an auto-save feature, expanded mini-games...) and almost no changes to the script. I was initially ambivalent about the updated toyish art style, but it grew on me as I played through the game. Overall, the game was a pleasant nostalgia trip. Though nowhere near in length or complexity as Breath of the Wild or other more recent Zelda games, Link's Awakening serves as a perfect entry point to the series, especially for younger kids. Its greatness lies in its simplicity.
Simple in gameplay, at least. Not so simple in regards to the implications of its abstract plot and setting. Koholint Island, where the game takes place, is a land that doesn't truly exist and serves as a stark contrast to Hyrule, with talking animals and cameos from Mario characters. Link's Awakening begs the question: What is real, anyway? What do dreams mean, if anything? If meaningless, why do we have them? Inward contemplation is necessary for such inquiries.
Contemplate these questions as I momentarily step away from the topic of dreams to discuss some precious memories.
--
Link's Awakening was the very first game I ever finished. Since my first completion, I've frequently replayed it throughout my childhood and young adult years. During each play-through, I would occasionally forget how to navigate a certain dungeon, and I've been temporarily stuck in each dungeon following the first at least once in my life. In my first play-through, I recall racking my brain in the seventh Eagle dungeon, unable to figure out how to access the fourth and final pillar that must be destroyed with a giant ball (one that Link must carry around the dungeon) to access the boss. Nor could I find a way to obtain the final heart piece in the game. Of course, the solution to both of these puzzles required bombing walls to access secret rooms. After finally beating the 7th dungeon, my progress would once again be halted while venturing the immense 8th and final dungeon, Turtle Rock. Lost in its maze, I repeatedly traversed the same rooms seeking for additional keys. Finally locating the magic rod seemed to take ages.
We didn't have online guides back then, so I took my time to eventually figure everything out on my own. I managed to complete the final dungeon through constant experimentation, exploration, and perseverance. To this day, Zelda games continue to effectively incorporate these gameplay elements. Beating Link's Awakening was my first major accomplishment in video games. As such, this game will always have a special place in my heart and memories.
Though I've played through the game about a dozen times, for the remake I still got stuck in the 6th dungeon. I forgot that the torches in the dark room could be lit prior to obtaining the upgraded level 2 Power Bracelet (in fact, this room leads to the aforementioned item). I could remember that in previous my play-throughs, I managed to obtain the upgraded bracelet much earlier, near the start of the dungeon. An oversight on my part. But this was certainly not the first time I was stuck in the Face Shrine. It's also not as bad as getting the ball in the Eagle Tower stuck in an unreachable location, forcing me to start a new save file. That happened to me once in the original Game Boy game.
The 7th and 8th dungeons gave me no problems this time around. Figuring out the new fishing game mechanics took me a while, though. The dungeon maker was really tedious, and all I did was make dungeons that would provide quick access to the boss so I could get Dampé's challenges over and done with.
The brilliance of Link's Awakening's dungeons lies in the game's perfect difficulty progression. Each dungeon is slightly longer and more challenging than the previous. And although the plot is simple, it effectively builds tension as the player anticipates the inevitable end: once the Wind Fish awakens, Koholint Island, and maybe even Link himself, will disappear.
--
Let's return to discussing dreams, and, more importantly, awakening from them.
Throughout Link's Awakening, the player cannot help but ponder the fates of Link, the island's inhabitants, and, most of all, Marin, who seems to be a manifestation of Link's attachment to princess Zelda. Her uncanny resemblance to the princess is noted in the original game's instruction manual, and the similarity is further accentuated in the Oracle of Ages and Seasons games in which Marin's sprite is used for Zelda. However, they are not the same person.
--
Marin: "What a relief! I thought you'd never wake up! You were tossing and
turning... What? Zelda? No, my name's Marin! You must still be
feeling a little woozy. You are on Koholint Island!"
--
Unlike the other characters in the game, save for the guiding Owl and Nightmares, Marin reveals in her conversations with Link a heightened awareness of the nature of her and the island's existence. She also reveals her own dream of becoming a seagull, free to fly wherever she wants. Though she wants to know everything about Link and learn about the real world, she understands that this reality is almost certainly impossible. They cannot stay together for long, and whether her existence can continue remains a lingering question.
Marin yearns to exist and live freely in the real world. Even if she does not fully comprehend the fact that she is merely a product of the Wind Fish's dream (or maybe she does), a dream that Link appears to share, she clearly reveals her understanding that Link must, inevitably, leave the island.
--
Marin: "Thank you for everything! Link, you are the kindest boy I know.
One day I made a wish to the Wind Fish... What was the wish?
It was... No, it's secret!
Link, some day you will leave this island... I just know it in
my heart... ...Don't ever forget me... If you do, I'll never
forgive you!"
--
There is no attempt to convince Link to stay, to continue the dream that would maintain both Koholint's and Marin's existence, even if this means that she will likely fade away forever once Link and the Wind Fish awaken.
Ironically, the Nightmares' goal of keeping the Wind Fish in its slumbering state ensures that Marin can continue to exist. The origin of the nightmares is never explained, and the dying words of each progressive nightmare convey increasingly desperate and foreboding tones.
--
Slime Eel (level 5 boss): "TSSSK, TSSSK! You don't ssseem to know what kind of island this
iss... KEEE-HEE-HEEE! What a fool... KEE-HEE-HEH!!"
Facade (level 6 boss): "Okay, listen up! If the Wind Fish wakes up, every-thing on this
island will be gone forever! And I do mean... EVERYTHING!"
Grim Creeper (level 7 boss): "My energy...gone...I...lost! But you will be lost too,
if the Wind Fish wakes! Same as me...you...are...in...
his... dream..."
Hot Head (level 8 boss): "C-C-CRACKLE! Why did you come here? If it weren't for you,
nothing would have to change! You cannot wake the Wind Fish!
Remember, you...too...are in......the dream..."
--
These words suggest that Link himself may not truly exist, as he is part of the Wind Fish's dream, and that the Wind Fish's awakening would mean the end of not only Koholint Island, but Link as well.
Or perhaps the Nightmares are lying to Link, or are ignorant of the nature of his existence.
Shadows always appear in the brightest of places. And in our darkest dreams, cruel intentions may emerge and manifest in reality. Lies and deceit; pride and corruption. But there is far more evil in the world of reality than what any dream can contain.
This being the case, why would anyone want to awaken from an eternal dream of blissful ignorance? If given a choice to awaken to the harshness of reality or continue living contentedly within a pleasant, never-ending dream, which would you choose? The red pill, or the blue pill?
In the game, the player isn't given a choice; Link must defeat the Nightmares and help the Windfish awaken. He must return to reality. Or, I guess the player can simply choose not to finish the game...
--
I wish to return to the questions regarding the purpose and possible meanings behind dreams. What lessons can we learn from dreams? Can anything happen in a dream that is more meaningful than what happens in real life? There are no lucid answers to philosophic questions.
The infamous Sigmund Freud believed that dreams serve as manifestations of unfulfilled wishes, wishes that desperately seek expression. Other theories suggest that dreams reflect everyday experiences or play a role in processing memories. Psychoanalysts can interpret dreams however they want; their underlying meaning or meaninglessness will constantly elude us.
But why is it essential that we awaken from dreams? Every day we experience the sleep-wake cycle. Sometimes we pass through nights without experiencing any dreams whatsoever. Then, suddenly, as REM kicks in, our dreams return. When we awake, we may realize that we had experienced a dream mere seconds prior. We may either commit them to memory (as unreliable as memory is) or allow them to sink back into the unconscious, into oblivion.
Fragments of dreams may linger. But do dreams in any way affect our conscious thoughts or behaviors?
Like life, dreams have no inherent meaning; we ascribe to them whatever meaning we desire based on our personal beliefs. We settle on incomplete explanations or whatever sounds convenient. Dreams, like life, are whatever we decide them to be. In the end, the dream's memory, if anything, is all that's left.
--
What do you think? Does your head hurt yet? Have we reached the limits of your inner contemplation? I hope not.
As I imagine the inner thoughts of our silent, quintessential hero Link, I cannot help but wonder what goes through his mind. Playing a silent hero allows us to project our own thoughts and personalities onto the protagonist. Link clearly trusts in the Owl's words and seeks to awaken the Wind Fish, even if this could come at the expense of his own existence. Why is waking up so important? And what about Marin? Does she simply disappear? Did she ever exist in the first place?
We mustn't forget that dreams can also refer to aspirations. The unfortunate reality is that many people give up on their dreams or never attain them. What must we do to turn dreams into reality? Should we ever give up on our dreams?
Of course, seeing Marin become a seagull requires one's save file to have 0 game overs. If you saved and continued from a game over at least once during your playthrough, then you won't get this part of the ending, which could mean that Marin...
So make sure you don't die.
--
To sum up his poem, a dream deferred may dry up, fester, run, stink, or crust and sugar over. It may sag like a heavy load. It may explode.
But it may come true, eventually. All worthy ventures take time. Beating Link's Awakening for the first time took me a while, but I never gave up (in hindsight, the game is pretty easy). Anything that seems impossible at first will become manageable with time and effort.
We'll never truly understand dreams, but we certainly can't live without them. And every dream will have a reawakening proceeding it. Sleep is necessary to make the waking world more meaningful (and tolerable). And in that sleep, what dreams may come?
Sometimes I oversleep. Sometimes I suffer from insomnia. My dreams usually make no sense. Sometimes I'm unintelligible. But I certainly feel reawakened. I just had to reopen my eyes.
Now listen to the "Ballad of the Wind Wish," and reawaken from your dream. But never lose sight of a dream that's worth living for.
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