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Let's Play Link's Awakening, part 12: Link's Ocarina



Here we are outside the Key Cavern. Let's go!



The owl shows up.



Hoot! How many Instruments have you gotten so far? When you play the Instruments in front of the Egg, the Wind Fish will wake and you will leave this island. Now, you must hasten to the Yarna Desert! The dark, monstrous inhabitants of the sand will show you the way! Hoot Hoot!



Alright, now I know to avoid the Yarna Desert until I've done everything else on my list that I can. Too bad I don't know where it is. Anyway, speaking of the list:
To-do:
  • Find a way to cross long gaps.
    -Cut the bush on the island in the lake north of Richard's place.
That's just above where the owl was standing. Let's take a run-up and jump over there!



Oh. I guess I'll have to move that item from "Cross long gaps" to "Learn to swim" on my list.



I head back to Richard's place, and through to Pothole Field. Why?
  • Kill the moving skull in the cave under Richard's house.
  • Explore Pothole Field some more
Unfortunately, the Pegasus Boots/Sword combo don't allow me to kill moving skulls. But Pothole Field is doable:



Here it is after more thorough investigation. I thought the dead end might have a buried secret seashell, but no dice. In retrospect that makes sense. If there were one there, it would probably fall in a hole after being dug up.



'BRRING! BRRING! Hi, this is Ulrira! In the Yarna Desert, which is located in the southeast of the island, you will find something called the Angler Key. Hmmm... How much more obvious do I have to be? Bye! CLICK!'

I head east, stopping off at a phone booth along the way. Ulrira is kind enough to tell me where the Yarna Desert is, so I know not to approach the southeast yet.



-Cross the gap south of the phone booth just outside of town.



Done! What's that signpost say?



GO THIS WAY? Can do! This reveals more signs, almost all of which tell me to start over.



Looking around some more, I find a long gap. Too long, as it turns out. I can't reach the signpost at the bottom left yet.



Reading the lowest signpost on each screen gets me a series of GO THIS WAYs, but the sign I can reach on the last screen is a bust. I guess I'll have to come back when I have some other way of crossing long gaps. Better add that to the list.



I head back up and enter a cave. Hey, I think that's on my list!
  • Find a way to get past crystals.
    -Get the chest in the cave northwest of the pig head rock.


Done! 50 Rupees closer to the bow! Now, just east of here is the tree with the bee hive. I bet I can knock that down from the tree with my ramming boots!



Oh?! Link, I see ya have a nice stick... Can I borrow it for a second?

Hey, Tarin's here! Finding out where he's gone is on my to-do list. I wonder what he wants my stick for?



I'm coming to suspect that Tarin may not be all that smart. Then again, my plan was to hit the tree so hard the hive fell out, so who am I to talk?



Anyway, I now have the honeycomb. Nobody springs to mind as wanting honeycomb, but I'm sure someone will turn up.



Feeling disappointed, I slam the tree anyway, for no benefit.



In the cave on the beehive screen is a fairy who refills Link's hearts. Wish I'd realised that when I was digging up the previous screen looking for heart drops. Health restored, I head for the Seashell Mansion. My seashell count has passed a multiple of five, so I think there'll be a prize for me there.



But there isn't. I stand in stunned silence, then try to attack the wall, but nothing gets me a prize. Oh well. Maybe when I reach fifteen. What else is on my to-do list?
  • Find a way to cross long gaps.
    -Cross the gap to the left of the Kanalet Castle gates.


No good! What else do I have?
  • Find a way to get past crystals.
    -Get through the cave two screens south of Seashell Mansion.
That's close by! Let's do it:



The cave takes me across the river. I should have had this crossing on my "long gaps" list, but I'm looking at it now and I guess I missed it. Hope I haven't missed too much else. Let's try jumping it:



Link seems to lose momentum and fails to make it across. It's possible this is just me pressing jump too late, but I think this type of gap cannot be jumped over. I'm gonna add crossing it to my "another way to cross long gaps" section of my to-do list, even though I can already cross under it, because I have a good feeling about it.



For now, though, I head back to town. Tarin hasn't returned home, and Marin's dialogue hasn't changed. I return to the Dream Shrine, since I can now break the crystals stopping me getting its second chest.



Getting through the Dream Shrine is a lot easier with the Pegasus Boots.



You've got the Ocarina! You should learn to play many songs!

In the chest, I find an Ocarina. Time to get musical!



Ah. I'd better add "learn to play" to my list.



Hey! That's a nice Ocarina you have there! Will you accompany me as I sing?

So, how do you like it? It's really touching, isn't it? Does it stick in your mind?

You've learned the 'Ballad of the Wind Fish!' This song will always remain in your heart!

Please remember this song! You should play it every once in a while to keep it fresh in your mind!


Well, that didn't take long! Marin loves to sing, and teaches Link her song.



They say the 'Ballad of the Wind Fish' is a song of awakening. I wonder, if the Wind Fish wakes up, will he make my wish come true?

A song selection box pops up when you highlight the ocarina in the inventory screen. It appears I'll be learning three songs. For now, there's only one thing to do: play this little number for the Wind Fish. I head for the giant egg in the mountains, stopping along the way to establish that the gap in the cave in the forest is too large to do a running jump over.



Link somehow manages to play on the ocarina and the other three instruments he's collected as well, but it doesn't look like the Fish will be waking up just yet.



I've got a few items on my list relating to the mountains. The gap is once again too long to jump, but I can get past the crystals no problem. Beyond, I find:



Papahl, lost in the hills. Now I just need to get to him.



There's a short cave, featuring a slime in a chest, and I am back outside in a new area of mountain.



Yep, Papahl got lost, just like he said! Now, I am so famished I can't move! Can you give me some vittles?

I failed to dig up the dead end at the upper left of this image, but it's just the sort of place where things might be hidden so I'll add it to the list to do later. Anyway, this the same place where Papahl is, so I speak to him. Poor guy is starving up here, and asks for help. Why, I bet he'd like this honeycomb! I should share with Papahl:



I guess that's not what Link wants to do. My options are "Nope" and "Can't", and either way Papahl will comment on Link's cruelty. I leave him to die (but add finding him some food to my list), and head back down. To the right of the waterfall is some deeper water, a dead end so long as I can't swim.



I head down from the mountains. My list says there's a gap I might be able to jump near the witch's house, and this time I'm actually able to do it and score a piece of heart. Along the way I visit Crazy Tracy and get myself an extra life. Oddly, her price has gone down. It was 42 rupees last time, even though I have more hearts to refill now. Both times I visited I was three hearts short of full health, so I don't think it's about how much health she refills at time of purchase.
  • Find a way to cross long gaps.
    -Reach the stairs south of the Mermaid statue.


I don't think I can do this just yet.



I can cross this gap, though.



It leads back to the dilapidated house near the beach. I still can't figure out what to do there, but crossing the nearby gap was on my list, so I can tick that off now. That about does it for the to-do for now, so I head back to the river I crossed under earlier and start looking around the other side.



I find the entrance to the Animal Village, which I won't go into until I've explored everywhere else since I think the next part of the plot is in there, another gap over water that I can't cross, and an owl statue.



I get a cryptic message and find another Seashell. I think the bridge referred to is probably the one just south of the statue. What is water when it comes to bridges? Underneath! I think there's a secret under that bridge, but until I can swim I won't be able to reach it.



I head back to the gap over the river and explore northwards. I wonder what those statues are about? At the right of this image you can see Link landing a hit on a flying mushroom, which I had thought he couldn't do. There's a flying mushroom (not this one) on my to-do list, I'll have to take a shot at it later.



THE WIND FISH SLUMBERS LONG... THE HERO'S LIFE GONE...

This is a pretty creepy message. Note the exit at the lower right of this area. I missed it, and only noticed when I was putting this update together. Whoops!



I find a cave entrance and go to equip my bombs, only to realise I haven't got any. Nuts! I'll have to come back later.



With no bombs and no idea that I've missed an open pathway, I head for the Animal Village, at the entrance to which we'll be stopping for today.

Next Time:
We'll talk to the animals. Assuming Link can do that.

Map:


This thing is now its full height and width, so it's just a matter of filling in the missing areas.

To-Do:
  • Find a way to get past crystals.
    -Explore the cave in the mountain to the east of Mt. Tamaranch.
    -Get the other chest in the Dream Shrine.
    -Get the chest in the cave northwest of the pig head rock.
    -Get through the cave two screens south of Seashell Mansion.
  • Find a way to cross long gaps.
    -Get the piece of heart in the cave south of the witch's hut.
    -Cross the gap east of the dilapidated house.
    -Cross the gap south of the phone booth just outside of town.
  • Reach the stairs south of the Mermaid statue.
  • Find another way to cross long gaps.
    -Reach the last signpost in the signpost maze.
    -Cross the gap to the left of the Kanalet Castle gates.
    -Cross the river east of the Seashell Mansion.
    -Cross the water east of Angler's Tunnel.
    -Get the chest in the north cave in the Mysterious Forest.
    -Get the chest near the crystals in the cave in the mountain to the east of Mt. Tamaranch.
    -Cross the gap over water to the south-west of the Animal Village.
  • Learn to swim.
    -Explore the waters and caves near Angler's Tunnel.
    -Visit the person swimming in Martha's Bay.
    -Explore the waters of Martha's Bay.
    -Cut the bush on the island southwest of the Mermaid statue.
    -Cut the bush on the island in the lake north of Richard's place.
    -Cross the water to the east of the waterfall in the mountains near where Papahl got lost.
    -Check for secrets under the bridge south-west of the Animal Village.
    -Do something with the statues on the island north of the Animal Village.
    -Reach the cave entrance north of the stone field north of the Animal Village.
  • Blow up the entrance to the cave near the stone field north of the Animal Village.
  • Take the south-east pathway from the stone field north of the Animal Village.
  • Find a way to get past cracked (but non-explodable) rocks.
    -Get past the cracked rock north of the phone booth near Write's place.
    -Get past the cracked rocks on Mt Tamaranch.
    -Get past the cracked rocks on the mountains east of Mt Tamaranch.
  • Find the key to Angler Keyhole.
  • Get into, and explore, pothole field.
    -Explore it some more.
  • Do something with the Flying Rooster statue.
  • Do something with the Mermaid statue.
  • Do something at the grave west of the witch's hut.
  • Do something at Manbo's Pond.
  • Keep a look out for Papahl in the hills later.
    -Find some vittles for Papahl.
  • Dig up the dead end near where Papahl got lost.
  • Find something to do with the stick.
  • Find something to do with the honeycomb.
  • Meet Sale's brother.
  • Help Mr Write receive a letter.
  • Find out where Tarin's gone.
    -Find out where he went after being chased off by bees.
  • Do something with the beehive in the prarie.
  • Get to the owl statue to the right of the lake above Richard's place.
    -Figure out how to kill the moving skulls and explore the cave under the owl.
  • Kill the moving skull in the cave under Richard's house.
  • Kill the electric jelly.
    -Try arrows.
  • Buy a bow.
  • Do something at the dead end bit of beach south of the chest.
  • Do something in the cave on the beach.
  • Reach the piece of heart in the cave in the mountain to the east of Mt. Tamaranch.
  • Get to the other side of the hole in the cave two screens east of Angler's Tunnel.
  • Kill the flying mushroom south of Angler's Tunnel.
  • Do something in the house east of the beach.
  • Get into the closed off area northeast of the house east of the beach.
  • Collect a lot of secret seashells.
    -Have something pretty ordinary happen.
    -Have something good happen.
  • Learn to play many songs.
    -Learn to play the "Ballad of the Wind Fish".
  • Get a magnifying glass.
    -Read 'Dark Secrets and Mysteries of Koholint'.
  • Find the five remaining instruments.
  • Play the eight instruments in front of the Wind Fish Egg.
    -Wake the Wind Fish.
  • Get off the island, I guess?
Despite crossing off a lot of stuff, this thing just keeps getting longer, doesn't it?

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