After the shipwreck, Link awakens in the house of Marin and Tarin in Mabe Village. You can collect several important items and collectibles in the first few minutes before you finally head towards the first dungeon with the Tail Key.
This section of the Link’s Awakening Walkthrough for Nintendo Switch takes you on the optimal path from the start of the game via the Toronbo beach and the Mysterious Forest to the entrance to the Tail Cave. On the way we are already collecting the first Pieces of Heart, Secret Seashells and items for the exchange series.
Obtained the Shield of Tarin
After Link is found by Marin on the beach, you wake up in her family’s house in Mabe Village. First speak to Marin and then to her father Tarin.
Tarin found your shield after the shipwreck and is giving it back to you. However, the sword is still missing. According to Marin, some of the shipwreck was washed up on the Toronbo beach – that’s exactly where the first path will take you.
Leave the house. You can already explore Mabe Village, but many paths and collectibles are not yet accessible without a sword. So first go straight to the beach.
Find the sword on Toronbo Shores
Leave Marin and Tarin’s house and go left. Runs on Madam MeowMeow’ house past and follows the path further west.
Then go south towards Toronbo Shores. On the way, several sea urchins block your path. You can’t attack them yet. Instead, hold up your shield and simply push the sea urchins aside.
Follow the path further south and then east until you reach the beach. Finally, at the bottom of the area lies Link’s lost sword.
Picks it up. Immediately afterwards, the mysterious eagle owl appears. He explains to you that eight siren instruments are hidden on Koholint. Only when Link finds all eight instruments can the Wind Fish be woken up.
With the sword you can now cut bushes, defeat enemies and explore significantly more areas of Koholint.
Piece of Heart 1 in the well of Mabe Village
Before you go to Mysterious Forest, first return to Mabe Village. There is a fountain directly north of the library that can be accessed from above.
Cut the bushes and jump from the upper ledge into the well. Inside you will find the 1. Piece of Heart.
In the Nintendo Switch remake of Link’s Awakening there are a total of 32 Pieces of Heart. Four of each result in an additional Heart Container. To get a complete score, you should collect every Piece of Heart as soon as it is available.
You can also find an overview of all Locations in our guide to the Pieces of Heart in Link’s Awakening.
In the Mysterious Forest go
Leaves Mabe Village to the north. Shortly before the entrance to the magic forest, the eagle owl appears again and tells you that the key to the first dungeon is somewhere in the forest.
Enter the forest and initially head north. After a short time you will meet a strange raccoon. As soon as you try to pass him, he will cause Link to end up in another part of the forest.
You can’t do anything with the raccoon at the moment. First, we need an item that can be used to cancel his transformation.
Find the Sleepy Toadstool
Find the entrance to a cave in the western area of the Mysterious Forest. Enter it and follow the path through the interior.
Defeat the opponents and move the stones so that you can make your way through the room. You will also find some Rupees in a chest.
Finally leave the cave through the other exit. On the opposite side lies the Sleepy Toadstool on the ground.
Be sure to take it with you. The Sleeping Morel is not an ordinary collectible, but is needed to craft an important item.
Obtain Magic Powder from the witch
With the Sleepy Toadstool in your luggage, now go to the witch. Her house is located east of the Mysterious Forest.
Return through the cave and then work your way through the eastern part of the forest. Leave the forest to the east and follow the path to the small witch’s house.
Speak to Asa there. It recognizes the Sleepy Toadstool immediately and processes it into Magic Powder.
You will need
Magic Powder in several places as the game progresses. Among other things, you can use it to light torches, influence certain enemies and trigger some hidden events.
Transform the raccoon with Magic Powder
Now return to the Mysterious Forest and look for the raccoon that previously blocked your way.
Stand next to him and use Magic Powder. After a short sequence it turns out that the raccoon is actually Tarin. Apparently he himself ate some strange fruit and was transformed as a result.
As soon as Tarin has disappeared, you can take the previously blocked path to the north.
Find the Tail Key
After transforming the raccoon, go north. There is a chest there that you can finally reach.
Open it and take the Tail Key.
The eagle owl appears again and explains to you that the first dungeon is in the south of Mabe Village. With the Tail Key you can open access to the Tail Cave.
Get
Optional collectibles before the Tail Cave
Before you go straight to the first dungeon, it’s worth returning to Mabe Village. Some collectibles and Side Quests can be completed now and save you additional journeys later.
Pieces of Heart and first bottle at the fishing pond
Visit the fishing pond in Mabe Village.
There is a small fish swimming in the water, in whose mouth you can clearly see a Piece of Heart. Catch him and you will receive Piece of Heart 2.
Then catch a sufficiently large green fish. For the first big catch you get another Piece of Heart 3.
There is also a bottle at the bottom of the fishing pond. Try to get the hook under the bottle and slowly pull it to the bank. Larger fish can knock the bottle off the hook again. It’s best to get some fish out of the way first.
You now have the first one in total three bottles.
Piece of Heart and Secret Seashell in the Trendy Game
Then go to Trendy Game in the southeast of Mabe Village.
There you can already win another Piece of Heart. Position the gripping claw as precisely as possible over the price and slowly move it towards the dispenser.
A Secret Seashell is also one of the early prices. Pick up both collectibles as soon as they become available.
You can also find all Locations in our overview of the 50 Secret Seashells in Link’s Awakening.
Win the Yoshi Doll and start the trading sequence
Also win the Yoshi doll in the Trendy Game. She starts one of the longest Side Quests of the game.
Bring the Yoshi Doll to Mamasha in the northern house of Mabe Village. In return she gives you a ribbon.
Go with the loop to CiaoCiao in Madam MeowMeow’s house. In exchange you will receive dog food.
You will later bring the dog food to the crocodile Sale on the Toronbo beach. This will give you the bananas, which in turn are needed for Kanalet Castle.
You can follow the entire exchange series parallel to the main adventure. You can find a detailed overview in our guide to the exchange transactions and the Magnifying Lens.
More early Secret Seashells
You can find another Secret Seashell in the field east of Marin’s house. Examine the conspicuous area there or dig it up later with the shovel as soon as you have it.
If you have already collected enough Rupees, you can buy a shovel in the Mabe Village store for 200 Rupees. This means that several hidden Secret Seashells are already accessible.
If you don’t have enough Rupees yet, you don’t have to farm extra at this point. The shovel will be needed later in the game anyway and can easily be purchased after the first dungeon.
Go to Tail Cave
Once you have completed all the optional tasks you want, go to the southeastern part of the island. The keyhole for the Tail Key is located there.
Inserts the key. This opens the entrance to the first dungeon.
Next, the Tail Cave is waiting for you – and there Link finds the Roc’s Feather, the first important dungeon item in the game.