Zelda: Link's Awakening Has A Claw Machine And It's Kind Of Evil

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is now on Nintendo Switch in all its remake-y glory. One of the coolest (or weirdest) things about Link’s Awakening is that it features various Mushroom Kingdom characters, like Goombas, Chain Chomps, and Yoshi in doll form. The Yoshi doll is of particular significance, as it kicks off a classic Zelda-style item trading quest. Or it would, if you could actually get it.

In Mabe Village, there’s a building that houses the “trendy game,” a UFO catcher mini-game which you can play for a handful of Rupees. There are a lot of great prizes in there, but only one will literally jump out of the claw as if vexing you is its job.

In the video below, our own Jake Dekker compiled all his attempts that were foiled by the Yoshi doll. At the suggestion of various GameSpot employees, he has added lovely Yoshi sound effects for, well, effect. There were further attempts before he actually got the Yoshi doll.

Anyway, Link’s Awakening is a great game despite some claw machine frustrations. In our review of the remake, Managing Editor Peter Brown wrote, “Though the remake has a couple of blemishes, it’s still an easy game to recommend. People speak of Link’s Awakening as the secret best Zelda game. That’s a tough call to make, but it’s definitely one of the best. If you haven’t touched a classic Zelda game in a while, Link’s Awakening will almost instantly transport you back to the ’90s. It’s simple, in many ways, but the orchestrated journey still conveys a sense of adventure, and this new version is without question the best way to experience it. And more than anything else, it will put a smile on your face. Remakes are a dime a dozen nowadays and often easy to overlook. Don’t make that mistake with Link’s Awakening.”

If you get stuck in Link’s Awakening, don’t worry! We don’t have a “trendy game” guide, but we do have a guide to the secret seashell locations, another guide for heart piece locations, and a more general tips guide if you’re looking for something more spoiler-free.