Zelda: Link's Awakening - Toronbo Shores, how to move Sea Urchins and get the Sword location
How to explore Toronbo Shores and get the Sword in the opening of the game.
Zelda: Link's Awakening starts with you recovering your prized adventuring possessions - your Sword and Shield.
To get there you need to travel to Toronbo Shores, which involves learning how to move Sea Urchins.
If you're looking for more assistance, our Zelda: Link's Awakening walkthrough can help.
How to get your Shield in Zelda: Link's Awakening
First order of business - talk to Marlin to the right of the room after waking up to get your Shield back.
You are now free to explore Mabe Village. Though nothing required, are a few points of interest you might want to scope out before leaving for the beach:
- To the south is a small hut with a telephone on top. This has Old Man Ulrira inside, who can give you hints if you are stuck. (Our trusty Zelda: Link's Awakening walkthrough can provide more specific pointers, of course!)
- To the south-west is the Village Library, which has a room full of books to pick up some tips about the game and a map to help point you in the rough direction of key named areas. the lower right is a darker coloured book you can only read with the use of a Magnifying Lens - an item you'll come across much later in the game.
Without Rupees or a Sword you can't do much else, so head south-west, then south from the Library, past the two children throwing a ball, to Toronbo Shores.
How to explore Toronbo Shores and how to move Sea Urchins
Head south, jumping down the steps, until you are on the beach.
With the shield you picked up from Marlin when you woke up, you can defend yourself against Octorok attacks by holding the R button, and push the Sea Urchins out of the way by moving towards them with the shield up.
Our Zelda: Link's Awakening walkthrough and guide can help you with the critical path, including the Eagle's Tower and Turtle Rock dungeons. There's plenty to be done on the side, too - including Zelda Link's Awakening Heart Pieces, Zelda Secret Seashells and the Zelda Link's Awakening trading sequence. Finally, there's also the new Zelda Chamber Dungeons feature to unlock and complete.
How to reach the Sword location in Zelda Link's Awakening
Move through the beach east until you get past the line of Sea Urchins, where the Sword lies where the tide meets the sea. After the conversation with the owl, make sure to interact with the Sword to pick it up.
There's nothing else of interest on the beach without having more items, so as the owl says, you must go north to the Mysterious Forest - you can reach it by going back to Mabe Village.
While passing through, there's a few things now available to you:
- Collect a Heart Piece by chopping down the bushes above the well next to the library, then falling into it. There's another Heart Piece to be purchased in the shop.
- Playing the Trendy Game to the south-east when you have enough Rupees to get the Yoshi's Doll. Two Heart Pieces and Secret Seashells will also appear here when you win enough prizes, too.
- Just to the north of Trendy Game is a patch of grass. Chop through these with your sword for a Secret Seashell location.
When you're ready, the entrance to the Mysterious Forest is to the north-west of the village.