Differences between the GameBoy and Switch versions

Index of Tips and Tricks  •  Complete Walkthrough


Various information

  • Contrary to the GameBoy version, you can carry more than 999 rupees.
  • In the Switch version, bombs can only be bought after finishing the Bottle Grotto (second temple).
  • On GameBoy, Guardian Acorns and Pieces of Power are deactivated after you get hit a certain number of times or if you get out of the place where you got it. For example, if you get it in a dungeon and that you get out of it, you lose it. On Switch, they last for a certain amount of time before the effect stops. Furthermore you can find one of these, then the other one before the first one has stopped, which could not happen on GameBoy, but they don't combine.
  • On Switch, at Goponga Swamp in front of the temple's entrance, there is now a stone instead of a flower. This allows you to get in the temple again even if you don't have BowWow with you anymore. This stone appears when you get the Power Bracelet, so you still have to complete the first dungeon.
    On GameBoy, once BowBow returned to Madam MeowMeow, you couldn't enter the Bottle Grotto anymore unless you had the Magic Rod which allows burning flowers.
  • On Switch, the way out from the Pothole Field is easy: just lift the rock and jump over the hole. On GameBoy, you had to cross the field back and go through Richard's Villa.
  • If you have a Secret Medicine (from Crazy Tracy) with you and that you find one in a chest, it's getting back into the chest.
  • By playing the Manbo's Mambo, you can travel to the warping points.
  • Once Link is wearing the red or blue outfit, he can still find from time to time Guardian Acorns or Pieces of Power. On GameBoy, once you have the red or blue clothes, the game doesn't give any more acorn or piece of power until the end of the adventure.
  • On Switch, you can break pots with the Kokolint Sword, which was not possible in the original version.
  • The access to the Signpost Maze is modified. On GameBoy, you just need to have the Pegasus Boots, whereas on Switch, there are 5 holes and a tree trunk, which means that you must have the Hookshot found in the fifth dungeon.
  • The Armos Knight who keeps the Face Key in the South Temple cannot be defeated with the Bow only anymore, but thanks to the spin attack until breaking his shield. After that you can finish him with the bow or sword.
  • The "electric balls" which go along the walls in some dungeon rooms don't leave a fairy every time and don't pop up every time you get out and in a room. That was the case on GameBoy.

Color Dungeon

  • On Switch, at the beginning of the Color Dungeon, the blue skeleton proposes to sell some Magic Powder: 20 doses for 100 rupees (Gar and his friend Dion don't propose a riddle anymore).
  • When you go back into this dungeon, the great fairy proposes not only the red or blue outfit (like on GameBoy), but also to get your green outfit back. So on Switch you have the possibility to finish the game while wearing your green clothes, even if you have completed the Color Dungeon. You can also choose to keep the green outfit the first time.
  • On Switch, once you have found the secret passage in the graveyard, it stays opened forever.
  • The secret room with the blue rupees doesn't respawn anymore, whereas on GameBoy, everytime you would leave and get back into the temple, the rupees would be back.

End of the trading sequence

After finding the last item of the Trading sequence, you can get the Boomerang in exchange of one of your other items. On Switch, you can now get the exchanged item back for 300 rupees while keeping the Boomerang in your inventory.

Figures at the Trendy Game

At the Trendy Game in Mabe Village, you can catch figurines from the Mario universe which can be placed on different stands located in the houses of the village. You need to place a figure on its pedestal before being able to get another one.

  • From the start of the game, a CiaoCiao (BowWow baby) at Madam MeowMeow
  • After completing the first temple, a Goomba to be placed at Marin and Tarkin's place
  • After completing the second temple, a Spiny at Papahl's house
  • After completing the third temple, a Boo at Papahl's house
  • After completing the fourth temple, a Cheep at Grandpa Ulrira's house
  • After completing the fifth temple, a Bloups at Grandpa Ulrira's house
  • After completing the sixth temple, a Shy Guy at Papahl's house
  • After completing the seventh temple, a Piranha Plant at Marin and Tarkin's place
  • After completing the eighth temple, a Pokey at Papahl's house
  • After completing the game, BowWow at Madam MeowMeow

After catching BowWow (the last of these figures), the salesman offers you a chamber stone and says that now it will only cost you 5 rupees to play.

New pieces of heart

These new heart pieces are now on the Pieces of Heart page.

New secret seashells

These new secret seashells are now on the Secret Seashells page.

New bottles

These bottles are now on the Items page.

New warp holes

These new warp holes are now on the warp holes page.

Fishing Pond

  • On Switch, the fisherman records the weight of the biggest fish you caught.
  • Furthermore, he offers more powerful lures according to the fish you caught: a middleweight lure when you catch a green fish, and a heavyweight lure when you catch a Blooper.
  • You can fish a Cheep Cheep (kind of flying fish from the Mario universe) (it can appear after dungeon 4) and earns you a secret seashell (lightweight lure recommended)
  • You can catch a Blooper (kind of octopus from the Mario universe) (it can appear after dungeon 5) and earns you sometimes a secret seashell (lightweight lure recommended)
  • You can fish an Ol'Baron (it can appear after dungeon 7) (middleweight or heavyweight lure recommended)
  • There's a shiny light on the pond's water when there is a rare fish to be caught.

Horse heads in temples in Link's AwakeningHorse heads in temples

To know where to stand to throw a horse head onto its location, first of all when you're carrying the head, it must look towards the green square. Then you need to stand three squares further and a square beside relative to the green square.

Getting rid of the beamos

At Turtle's Rock, you can neutralize the rotating beam-throwing statues by raising the Mirror Shield at the beam. It will then be reflected at the statue, which will disable it! In the original version, the beam was reflected without disabling the beamos.

Room with the 5 treasure chests in Tal Tal Mountains new

When you're heading to Dungeon 7, after crossing the water with the Flippers, in the first cave to the right, there's a cracked wall leading to a room with 5 chests. On GameBoy, the 5 chests each hold 20 rupees, and if you leave the room (having opened at least one chest) and you go back, the 5 chests will be opened even if you haven't opened them all. On Switch the 4 first chests hold a gel and the fifth one 100 rupees (only feasible when entering through the bottom). If you don't open all the chests and you leave the cave, when you go back in, they'll be all closed again (unless you opened the 5th one, of course).

Route in the Wind Fish's Egg

On Switch, if you don't complete the trading sequence quest and you don't visit the library to read the brown book with the Magnifying Lens, the inside of the Wind Fish's Egg stays in the dark. You cannot find the path by chance, the game blocks the player to force him to finish the trading sequence. On GameBoy, the rooms are lit up and it's possible to find the path by chance.

Final battle

The final form of the Shadow Nightmares is not "lethally" sensitive to the Boomerang anymore. In the GameBoy version, the last shadow could be defeated in one shot with the Boomerang, whereas on Switch, the Boomerang inflicts damages but doesn't "one-shot" it like before.


Thanks to Maella, Samchi and Lyanna for these tips!