The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019 video game)/Key Cavern Exploration

Beginning the exploration

The entrance chamber contains a number of pots, which often contain bomb pickups. Enter and leave a few times to respawn the pots, replenishing Links supplies as needed.

When preparations are complete, pick up a pot and toss it at the northern door to enter the northern room.

This next room contains a skeleton, mini red slime, and two bomb enemies. The bomb enemies go wild when attacked, so be careful. Beat them all to make a treasure chest spawn. This treasure chest contains a small key.

Go through the northern door to be locked in a room with four green slimes. Beat them to spawn a treasure chest. Inside the chest is another green slime! Dispatch it and head north to find a room with two skeletons. Beat them and head north. Head down the stairs. Link will enter a room with four locked doors! This segment is a signature feature of Key Cavern.

Go west. This room contains two enemies that teleport when Link approaches. Beat them with a bow and arrow if possible, otherwise toss bombs to beat them from a distance. Be sure to be on the west side of the room when Link beats the last one, since a key will fall on the conveyor belt, and there isn't much time to grab it. Head back to the room with the four doors.

Head to the east door. Enter and find a small room with a conveyor belt. This contains another teleporting enemy, as well as bats. Head up the stairs.

Walk around the room and beat the slimes that are drawn out until they are all beaten. Once all the slimes are gone, a small key drops down.

Head north to find a room with 5 red slimes and two robed skeletons. Beat the slimes to open the doors. Go west through the door.

This room contains two teleporting enemies and two green slimes. Dispatch them to make a key drop down. Pick it up and then head north. This room contains slime and skeleton enemies. Beating them makes a treasure chest spawn in an inaccessible area.

Head north to enter a room with enemies. Beat them, then head up the stairs and go south to reach a chest to get 50 rupees. Head back up and then head right. Here Link stands on an overlook of a chamber with enemies. Toss a bomb at the cracked wall to open it up. Throw at an diagonal angle if you have trouble getting it right. Beat all the enemies here at a safe distance to make a key drop. Link can't get to it yet, but keep it in mind. Follow the ledge left and south to make it back to the large room Link came from.

Mini-Boss

Head through the north door. This room contains two mini-bosses! Throw bombs in to their mouths when they open them to defeat them - They can be picky and may not eat a bomb on a floor, letting it harmlessly blast against their impervious exterior. Each spawns a fairy when defeated. Once they are beaten, a portal to the start of the dungeon is created. Now is a time to warp back to the entrance and use the respawning pots there to regain bombs lost during the miniboss fight.

Continuing onwards

Take the portal back to the mini boss room and continue to the east. Take the warp pad back to the room and continue to the east. Get into the nook, and push the bottom left block further left, then go where it once was and push the block north of Link up. This makes a path to a treasure chest, which when opened reveals the Pegasus Boots. Hold L to dash with the boots into the two crystals to pop them, then push the block aside to clear a path to the exit.

Head back downstairs to go back to the room with the four doors. Go north and then beat the jumping skeleton followed by the spear throwing skeleton to cause a key to fall. This room also contains an owl statue, a switch, and two pots. Make sure the switch is set to orange.

Head south and unlock the southern door. Enter and beat the enemies there, then grab the key that falls on the conveyor belt.

Head back to the dungeon entrance and stock up if you need to. From the Key Cavern entrance go east, and quickly dash at the repulsive purple orb to make it to the other side, taking care not fall off the treacherous bridge. Open the chest at the end of the room for a small key.

Head north of the entrance chamber to return to the forked room. Go northeast at the form. From the green slime room head right. With the platforms reversed thanks to the switch, Link can head right to claim the treasure chest, obtaining the dungeon map. Go back down into the corridor and beat the skeletons to spawn a chest containing a gold rupee. Head north and Link is now able to open the treasure chest due to the switch recessing the blocks. Open it to receive a stone beak.

Head back to the large room and then head northeast to the owl statue, who tells Link to poke the walls until a funny sound is made. Charge a spin attack and then start walking into the walls. Do so until a dull thumping is heard on the wall opposite to the owl. If you need a hint, examine the floor tiles to see an arrow pointing at the location. Bomb this spot to uncover a secret entrance.

Go in and clear out the skeleton spear throwers.

Use a bomb to clear a path through the cracked west wall. Take advantage of this extra space to prepare a running jump with the Pegasus boots and the roc's feather. begin running, then activate the Roc's feather at the edge to vault over the pit. If you are unable to clear the jump on your first try, the pots in the bottom of the room may have health recovery hearts if needed. After the jump is successfully made, head north and use the same jump strategy to reach the treasure chest, which contains the Nightmare Key.

Jump off the ledge and head north. Beat the enemies in this room to open the west door. Pop open the chest to grab the Dungeon Compass.

Continue to the west room to grab the key on the ground. Head back to the large chamber, and use the keys to unlock the four blocks obstructing the path to the staircase. Go down the stairs to begin a platforming section.

To beat the red block in the way of the path, dash into it with the Pegasus boots to cause it to drop down, clearing the way.

To make it over the spiked pit, dash jump onto the ladder. At the top of the ladder, be sure to time going over it to avoid being hurt by the piranha plant.

Once through the platforming section, Link finds himself in a room filled with teleporting enemies. Dispatch them by using the Pegasus boots to dash into them before they can react. To get the flying three heart pickup in this room, a dash jump must be used, as a regular jump won't reach it.

Head west to enter a room with a conveyor belt maze of a floor. By using the Roc's feather, Link can more easily traverse this environment. Grab the small key that falls down, and continue on north into the boss chamber.

Slime Eye

The boss starts by taunting Link, hiding with only it's shadow visible in the center. Green slimes will begin drooping from the ceiling. Beat them as they fall and dash into a wall to unveil Slime Eye, the true boss.

Dash at its eye until it nearly splits in two, then dash into the thin strand to spit it into two fully. Now one slime will attempt to stun Link as the other attacks. Slash at their eye to damage them. Take down one and then the other will be easier to deal with.

Should Link prevail, a heart container will fall. Take it to increase Link's heart capacity by one heart.

Head to the north chamber to acquire the Sea Lily's Bell. A vision tells Link to head to the Waterfall and that something is hidden inside. Link leaves the dungeon and is greeted by the owl. The owl informs Link that playing instruments in from of the Wind Fish will awaken it. The owl also mentions that this is a key step in leaving the island. Interestingly, the owl tells Link to go to the Yarna Desert to be guided by the evil monsters there. This isn't exactly where one would expect to find a waterfall, but the owl hasn't been wrong so far. The owl flies to the east, and Link becomes controllable again.