The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, known as Zeruda no Densetsu: Yume o Miru Shima (ゼルダの伝説 夢をみる島 lit. The Legend of Zelda: Dream Island?) in Japan, is a 1993 action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It is the fourth installment in the Legend of Zelda series, and the first for a handheld game console.
What became Link's Awakening began as a port of the Super Nintendo title The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, developed after-hours by Nintendo staff. It grew into an original project under the direction of Takashi Tezuka, with a story and script created by Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kensuke Tanabe. It is one of the few Zelda games not to take place in the fictional land of Hyrule, and does not feature Princess Zelda or the fictional Triforce relic. Instead, protagonist Link begins the game stranded on Koholint Island, a place guarded by a creature called the Wind Fish. Assuming the role of Link, the player fights monsters and solves puzzles while searching for eight musical instruments that will awaken the sleeping Wind Fish and allow him to escape from the island.
Link's Awakening was critically and commercially successful. Critics praised the game's depth and number of features; complaints focused on its control scheme and monochrome graphics. A remake called The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX was released for the Game Boy Color in 1998; it features color graphics, compatibility with the Game Boy Printer, and an exclusive color-based dungeon. Together, the two versions of the game have sold more than six million units worldwide, and have appeared on multiple game publications' lists of the best games of all time.