Walkthrough Part 1
The Mysterious Forest (it's a little bit mysterious)
So here we are at the intro cutscene. Apparently Link's ship has gone down in a storm, and now he's washed up in some strange land. I like how they cut to the chase. Stare at the title screen for a bit if you must, then press Start.
I feel ashamed even bringing this up in a walkthrough. To continue an existing game, just push A when the walking Link sprite is next to the slot you want. To start a new game, press A on an empty slot, enter your name, and then press A on that slot again to start the adventure. If you need help with the Erase and Copy features, you probably shouldn't be fooling around with them. Actually, if you need help with those, you probably shouldn't be playing this game at all, nor should you be allowed to have access to a computer.
After you wake up, you meet the girl who you saw in the opening. Her name is Marin, and she explains that you are on the island of Koholint. Hop out of bed like the spry Hylian that you are.
Now talk to Tarin, Marin's father, who is in the same room. He presents you with your old shield, which washed ashore with you. You might want to practice equipping and un-equipping the shield in your sub-menu just to get the hang of the system. I personally prefer to have my shield in the "A" slot, but you can put it wherever you want.
Now go outside and wander around town. There are lots of interesting people and places to visit, but you're fairly limited as to where you can go, and you can't afford to buy anything at the moment. Let's hit the road, since you're getting chills from your sword withdrawal. Head to the western edge of town, and head south — past the kids throwing the ball — as far as you can until you reach the beach.
At this point, head east until you can see your sword laying in the water. To get past this prickly urchin, simply hold down your shield button, and push it out of the way. Be careful not to touch it without your shield.
Just before you reach your sword, an owl flies out of nowhere and begins speaking to you! He fills in some of the story about the Wind Fish, then he tells you to go to the Mysterious Forest.
Once the owl flies away, you can finally get your hands on some cold steel. Notice the poor urchin cowering nearby, quaking in fear of the holy sparkly energy emanating from your blade. Link then spin-attacks the creature into obliveon. Mwah hah hah!
Head back west where you came from, then go north once more to the village. When you see the kids throwing the ball, go one more screen north and then stop. Cut the bushes on the hill above the well, then jump down into the well itself. Your reward is a piece of heart. Climb the stairs and you're back above ground.
Go north another screen and read the sign you find there. This sign always cracks me up: "The Mysterious Forest (it's a little bit mysterious)". I'll bet there's another sign somewhere around saying: "Welcome to Koholint Island (it's a little bit surrounded by water on all sides)". Alright, go north again and prepare for another talk-filled encounter with the owl.
After talking to the owl, proceed into the forest. It's inhabited by Moblins, most of whom will attack you with arrows. There are a couple who come at you with swords as well. For the arrow-shooters, the best offense is a good defense. Use your shield to block the arrows and come at them with your sword before they know what's happening. Unlike previous Zeldas, the shield is not automatic, so you must push the button to use it.
From the screen where you meet the owl, go north twice then east twice. Walk inside the hollow log you find there to enter a cave. Inside, avoid or kill the bats (Keese). To get the chest, cut the crystals around the round rocks, then push the rocks out of the way. You'll get 50 rupees inside.
Go deeper into the cave, killing the blobbish enemies you'll encounder, into a room with a bunch of round rocks. You can't get this piece of heart yet, so just concentrate on getting out. It's pretty easy, but if you need directions, one solution is to push the red rock west then the yellow rock west. (Colors were added by me, they're not in the game.)
Leave the cave, head west, and grab the mushroom. There's not much else in this neck of the woods, so back to the cave. Push around the rocks to get back inside — I recommend pushing the yellow rock east, the red rock east, then the green rock north. Work your way through the cave to return to the main forest.
If you're ever running low on hearts in the forest, there's a fairy who will refill your health for free. To find her, go north from the hollow log you came out of, then east.
From the hollow log, go north twice, to another hollow log. This log's blocked on all sides by immovable rocks, so we'll have to explore later. Go east twice and you'll see a piece of heart surrounded by pits. It's also inaccessible for now. The lack of special items is really starting to hurt, isn't it?
Follow the path south for two screens, then east one screen. Enter the witch's hut. Use the mushroom on her to hand it over, and wait while she brews up some magic powder for you. Try tossing some into the torch in the corner. It lights up, just like magic. You can also kill some enemies by sprinkling them with powder.
Leave the hut, and go back to the hollow log (go west, north, north, west, west, south, south). Now go west and north to meet a mischevious raccoon. If you try to go north, he'll taunt you and then warp you away to another part of the forest with his Magical Raccoon Powers. Talk to him and he'll give you a clue about his sensitive nose.
Hmmm... sensitive nose... powdery substance... I know! I'll chuck the magic powder right in his face! No, really. Do it, and he'll reveal himself to be... Tarin?! Don't ask any questions, just go north and grab the Tail Key.
After grabbing the key, the owl pays you another visit and tells you that it unlocks the first dungeon, the Tail Cave. We want to head there now. Return to Mabe Village (south twice, west, south 4 times). Now follow these directions to the Tail Cave: south twice, east 3 times, go back west on the southern route, go south, and then east. Walk up to the keyhole, watch the door open, then head inside.
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