The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening Cheat Codes & Secrets
Complete collection of cheat codes, passwords, unlockables, and hidden secrets for The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993).
Beneficial Glitches & Exploits
Link’s Awakening has no traditional cheat code input screen, but it contains some of the most well-documented and player-useful glitches on the original Game Boy.
Wrong Warp (Screen Transition Exploit)
The most famous glitch in the game. The engine loads the next room based on which exit tile Link occupies when a transition triggers. By manipulating position precisely at the boundary, the game loads the wrong destination room entirely.
Basic Wrong Warp setup:
- Stand at a screen transition edge
- Equip Pegasus Boots to Button B
- Press B + the direction into the transition simultaneously
- The game reads the wrong exit index and loads an unintended room
Common payoffs in casual play:
- Skipping into Dungeon 6 (Face Shrine) before completing earlier dungeons
- Accessing the Wind Fish’s Egg area out of sequence
- Warping directly into late-game dungeon interiors
Speedrunners use a chain of Wrong Warps to reach the final boss in under 5 minutes on the original cartridge.
Shop Theft (Permanent Name Change)
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Pick up an item in Mabe Village shop, then walk out the door without paying | You keep the item; your save file name permanently changes to THIEF |
| Re-enter the shop as THIEF | Shopkeeper instantly kills Link with a lightning bolt (one-hit, no recovery) |
The most valuable item to steal is the Bow (normally 980 Rupees). Once you have it, never return. This is irreversible for that file — no way to restore your original name.
BowWow Dungeon Carry
Normally BowWow returns to MeowMeow after clearing Bottle Grotto. To keep him as a combat companion:
- Enter Bottle Grotto dungeon entrance with BowWow in tow
- Immediately exit via the dungeon’s side, not the main entrance
- BowWow’s pathfinding de-syncs and he remains attached
BowWow can clear enemies in areas he was never intended to reach and one-shots many dungeon enemies.
Item Duplication via Pause Buffering
On original hardware (not patched in DX):
- Open the inventory screen mid-sword-swing
- While the sword animation is frozen, swap the item in a slot
- The game processes both the swing and the new item action on the same frame
Usable for doubling bomb effects or getting double-hit damage on bosses.
Infinite Rupees (Trendy Game Reset)
- Play the Trendy Game in Mabe Village and win a prize
- Exit the shop
- Re-enter — the prize resets, but you keep what you won
- Repeat to stockpile Rupees or duplicate early items
This works because the game doesn’t flag individual Trendy Game prizes as collected.
Secret Seashells
There are 26 Secret Seashells hidden across Koholint Island. Bring them to the Seashell Mansion in the lower-right area of the Ukuku Prairie.
| Seashells Collected | Reward |
|---|---|
| 5 | Nothing in original GB; Chamber Stone in DX |
| 10 | Nothing in original GB; Chamber Stone in DX |
| 20 | Nothing immediate |
| All 26 | Koholint Sword (Level 2 upgrade) awarded far earlier than the normal late-game acquisition |
Getting the Koholint Sword early effectively doubles Link’s damage output for most of the game. Key seashell locations players frequently miss:
| Location | Method to Obtain |
|---|---|
| Mysterious Forest (northeast of starting area) | Dig with Shovel near the lone tree |
| Mabe Village (well area) | Hookshot across, Shovel dig |
| Ukuku Prairie (marked ground patches) | Shovel required |
| Animal Village (buried) | Shovel required |
| Tal Tal Heights (cliff ledge) | Hookshot + Pegasus Boots |
| Inside dungeons 1–8 | Chests, often off the critical path |
The Shovel is mandatory for most seashells — purchase it in Mabe Village for 200 Rupees.
Trading Sequence Shortcut
The full 13-item trading sequence is required to obtain the Magnifying Lens, which lets you read the book revealing the dungeon order. Completing it also opens access to the Boomerang trade. The full chain:
| Give | To | Receive |
|---|---|---|
| Yoshi Doll | Woman in Mabe Village | Ribbon |
| Ribbon | BowWow’s owner | Dog Food |
| Dog Food | Grandma Yahoo (Toronbo Shores) | Bananas |
| Bananas | Kiki the Monkey (Kanalet Castle) | Stick |
| Stick | Tarin (Ukuku Prairie) | Honeycomb |
| Honeycomb | Chef in Animal Village | Pineapple |
| Pineapple | Papahl (Tal Tal Mountains) | Hibiscus |
| Hibiscus | Christine the Goat (Animal Village) | Letter |
| Letter | Mr. Write (northwest Mysterious Forest area) | Broom |
| Broom | Grandma Ulrira (Mabe Village) | Fishing Hook |
| Fishing Hook | Fisherman under the bridge (east of Mabe) | Necklace |
| Necklace | Martha the Mermaid (Martha’s Bay) | Scale |
| Scale | Slot in Mermaid Statue (Martha’s Bay) | Magnifying Lens |
Boomerang acquisition: After obtaining the Magnifying Lens, find the hidden figure at the cave on Toronbo Shores. Trade any item (the Boomerang replaces whatever you give). The Boomerang stuns enemies, retrieves items, and hits multiple targets — widely considered the best weapon in the game.
Color Dungeon (DX Version Only)
Exclusive to the 1998 Game Boy Color release. Access requires the Magnifying Lens to read the graveyard book, which reveals the headstone pushing sequence.
Graveyard puzzle to unlock Color Dungeon:
- Push the second headstone from the left in the top row north
- Push the far-right headstone in the middle row north
- A staircase opens
Complete the dungeon to receive a tunic upgrade from the Fairy Queen:
| Tunic | Effect |
|---|---|
| Red Tunic | Attack power doubled |
| Blue Tunic | Magic consumption halved |
The Red Tunic is generally preferred — it makes the endgame significantly easier.
Developer Easter Eggs & Hidden References
Link’s Awakening was developed by a team that had worked on Kirby’s Dream Land, and the Nintendo crossover references are extensive.
| Reference | Location |
|---|---|
| Goombas | Enemies in dungeons, defeated by jumping on them (Roc’s Feather) or sword |
| Piranha Plants | Dungeon obstacles behaving identically to Mario versions |
| BowWow | Chain Chomp from Super Mario Bros. 3 / Mario 64, complete with chain behavior |
| Yoshi Doll | First Trendy Game prize, kicks off the entire trading sequence |
| Kirby Portrait | Appears as a picture on the wall in certain NPCs’ homes |
| Richard’s Villa | Frog NPC named Richard references the Prince of Seatopia from Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (Japan-only RPG) |
| Ulrira | Village elder who refuses to speak face-to-face but happily chats on the phone — a recurring Japanese social joke |
| Shadow of Ganon | A shadowy figure resembling Ganon appears during one NPC’s dialogue, foreshadowing |
Photographer subgame (DX only): A photographer NPC named Snap appears at scripted moments throughout the game and photographs Link. Completing the game with all 12 photos taken unlocks a slideshow gallery in the credits sequence. Photos trigger at:
- Rescuing BowWow
- Defeating the first boss
- Obtaining the Magnifying Lens
- Several other story milestones
Warp Points & Fast Travel
Four warp pads appear on the overworld after you step on each one for the first time. Once all four are activated, you can teleport between them using the Flying Rooster or by simply walking onto any pad.
| Warp Pad | Location |
|---|---|
| Warp 1 | South of Mysterious Forest |
| Warp 2 | East of Goponga Swamp |
| Warp 3 | North of Animal Village |
| Warp 4 | West of Eagle’s Tower |
Flying Rooster fast travel: Obtain the Rooster from Mabe Village’s weathervane after learning the “Frog’s Song of Soul” in Signpost Maze. Hold A while jumping (Roc’s Feather) to grab the Rooster mid-air and fly. The Rooster dies permanently after delivering you to the Wind Fish’s Egg area.
Sequence Breaking Without Glitches
Several items can be obtained out of the intended order through legitimate movement:
| Skip | Method |
|---|---|
| Get Pegasus Boots before Dungeon 2 | Access the Moblin Cave from the east side via alternate path |
| Enter Angler’s Tunnel early | Swim around the locked entrance using the Flippers before getting the key |
| Sword upgrade before endgame | Collect all 26 Secret Seashells |
| Boomerang before late game | Complete the trading sequence as soon as you have the Magnifying Lens |
The Pegasus Boots early acquisition is the most impactful for normal play — they dramatically speed up overworld traversal and enable certain wrong warp setups.
Game Over & Save Behavior
Link’s Awakening uses a three-slot save system with no password equivalent.
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Continue after Game Over | Respawn at the last entrance used (dungeon door or cave mouth) with 3 hearts |
| Save & Quit mid-dungeon | Resume at the dungeon entrance, not inside |
| Holding Start + Select + A + B on the title screen | Soft reset to title (useful for resetting without powering off) |
The soft reset combination (Start + Select + A + B) is the closest thing Link’s Awakening has to a traditional button code. It works at any point during gameplay and is the standard way speedrunners reset runs without power-cycling.