Entities

This is a sub-page of Development:The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Game Boy).

Removed Entities#

There's no remaining evidence of an entity called MSTES3.

MSTES2#

This entity's label is short for "Message Test 2." The first mention of it is found in an early LA entity list found in the source code of A Link to the Past. Code for how it would behave no longer exists.

Two instances of this entity were once loaded in indoor map DE1A3, which is Marin and Tarin's house, but were later replaced by the latter. (See SRD_DMG_Zelda_JP_v0\2\ZED.DMG.)

DE1A3
    DB  $35,GIRL0  ;MSTES2
    DB  $47,PAPA0  ;MSTES2
    DB  $61,HART1
    DB  $62,HART1
    DB  EEND

Another snippet of commented-out code related to it can be found under the MSTESTMV label in SRD_DMG_Zelda_JP_v0\3\ZEN.DMG, which displays message 0000.

[...]
;MST0058
;;  CP  MSTES2
;;  JR  NZ,MST0060
[...]
;MST0060
;   LD  HL,ENSTAT
;   ADD HL,BC
;   INC (HL)
;;
;   LD  A,$0
;   CALL    MSGCHK
[...]

In the final game, at least, this message is Tarin saying the following if you try to go outside without having the shield.

"Whoa, boy! Where
ya off to in    
such a hurry?   
Set a spell, I  
got somethin' ta
tell ya!"

MSTES4#

To do: What else does this entity's code do?

This entity's label is short for "Message Test 4". The section header for its code is blank. It would have used the graphics for SLIMB, the Zol.

Its code indicates that it would have displayed message 0009.

Ahhh... It has 
the Sleepy Toad-
stool, it does! 
We'll mix it up 
something in a 
jiffy, we will!

MSTES5#

To do: What is BOSS1 in the final game? What else does this entity's code do?

This entity's label is short for "Message Test 5". The section header for its code is blank. It would have used the graphics for BOSS1.

Its code indicates that it would have displayed message 000C.

Double double, 
toil and trouble
a toadstool mix 
makes powder for
tricks!

MSTES6#

To do: What else does this entity's code do?

This entity's label is short for "Message Test 6". There are three different versions of it: one in ZE6.DMG and two in ZEN.DMG. The section headers for the first and third versions of its code call it "メッセージテスト！", meaning "Message Test!". The section header of the second version is blank. The first and third versions would have used the graphics for CHUNLI, an unused entity in the final game. The second version would have used the graphics for MOTOS, the Hardhat Beetle.

Its code indicates that it would have displayed message 000E.

It's the toad- 
stool you picked
in the woods. 
What is it for? 
You hold it over
your head and a 
mellow aroma 
wafts into your 
nostrils.

MSTES7#

This entity's label is short for "Message Test 7". The section header for its code is blank. It would have used the graphics for SKEL0, the aggressive Stalfos.

Its code indicates that it would have displayed message 0011.

I'm tired... I'm
goin' ta sleep 
now... Zzzzzz...

MSTES8#

To do: What else does this entity's code do?

This entity's label is short for "Message Test 8". The section header for its code calls it "対話的人物試験", meaning "Interactive Character Test". It would have used the graphics for BABUL, the Anti Fairy.

Its code indicates that it would have displayed the following messages.

0022:

BOW WOW! 
BOW WOW!

0012:

Well that was a 
surprise! Hey! 
I'll tell you a 
secret! Use your
sword to poke at
dungeon walls...
If you hear a 
hollow clank, 
you can break 
the wall with a 
Bomb!

MSTES9#

To do: What graphics would this entity have used? What else does its code do?

This entity's label is short for "Message Test 9". The section header for its code is blank.

Its code indicates that it would have displayed message 0013.

You've learned 
the 'Ballad of 
the Wind Fish!' 
This song will 
always remain in
your heart!

MSTESA#

This entity's label is short for "Message Test A". The section header for its code is blank. It would have used the graphics for CHUNLI, an unused entity in the final game.

Its code indicates that it would have displayed message 0014.

Please remember 
this song! You 
should play it 
every once in a 
while to keep it
fresh in your 
mind!

MSTESB#

This entity's label is short for "Message Test B". The section header for its code is blank. It would have used the graphics for SKEL0, the aggressive Stalfos.

Its code indicates that it would have displayed message 0015.

Please! I want 
you to learn it!
This song is my 
favorite!

MSTESC#

This entity's label is short for "Message Test C". The section header for its code is blank. It would have used the graphics for SKEL0, the aggressive Stalfos.

Its code indicates that it would have displayed message 0016.

So, how do you 
like it? It's 
really touching,
isn't it? Does 
it stick in your
mind? 
 Yes No

MSTESD#

To do: What is BOSS1 in the final game?

This entity's label is short for "Message Test D". The section header for its code is blank. It would have used the graphics for BOSS1.

Its code indicates that it would have displayed message 0017.

Hi there, big 
guy! I'm Crazy 
Tracy! I've got
a little secret 
for sale that'll
pump you up!

MSTESE#

To do: What is BOSS1 in the final game? What else does this entity's code do?

This entity's label is short for "Message Test E". The section header for its code is blank. It would have used the graphics for BOSS1.

Its code indicates that it would have displayed message 0018.

Will you give me
28 Rupees for my
secret? 
 Give Don't

STEST#

To do: What is BOSS1 in the final game? What else does this entity's code do?

It's not entirely what this entity's label is short for, but it might stand for "Status Test". The section header for its code is blank. It would have used the graphics for BOSS1.

TEST#

The only remnant of this entity is a commented-out mention of a movement routine in SRD_DMG_Zelda_JP_v0\1\ZES.DMG.

    EXTERN  PYAAAMV
    EXTERN  BUMERMV
;;  EXTERN  TESTMV  ;BUMERMV
    EXTERN  BOMBRMV
    EXTERN  FUCKSMV
    EXTERN  PRTBMMV

TOBI[x]#

Code for removed entities TOBID, TOBIU, TOBIL, and TOBIR can be found at the bottom of SRD_DMG_Zelda_JP_v0\3\ZE5.DMG, below the "END" marker in the file, meaning the code doesn't get read or compiled. The entities' names are short for 飛び降り[x]方向 (Jump Off [x] Direction) with [x] being Up, Down, Left, or Right.

Replaced Entities#

MSTESF#

This entity's label is short for "Message Test F". The section header for its code calls it "対話的人物試験", meaning "Interactive Character Test". It would have used the graphics for JIJII, an entity which is no longer present in Link's Awakening. JIJII shares its name with an old man NPC from A Link to the Past, pictured at right.

Its code indicates that it would have displayed message 0029.

Aye Caramba! 
Kid, you have a 
lot to learn, 
trying to buy 
something you 
have no use for!

In the final game, the entity, number 4B, was replaced with a pot.

MSTEST#

To do: Which messages would it have displayed? What else does its code do?

This entity's label is short for "Message Test". There is no section header for its code. It would have used the graphics for MORI1, the Moblin.

In the final game, the entity, number 37, was replaced with an arrow drop.

Unused Entities#

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: All of these have code associated with them in the source files. Someone should figure out what it does, as well as if any of these entities have sprites associated with them. Also, someone should check the Japanese version of Link's Awakening to see if there's anything more that remains of these enemies compared to the DX version.

13: BOMBO#

This entity also appears in a very early enemy list in the leaked source files of A Link to the Past.

The Link's Awakening DX Disassembly notes that it's possible to kill, that it crashes the game if the player collides with it, and that it can be defeated with the Magic Powder.

1D: BASSF#

This entity's name may be short for "Bass Fish".

The Link's Awakening DX Disassembly notes that it is "disabled", meaning that it has no code associated with it.

25: BOSS1#

BOSS1 appears to be a removed boss.

The file ZEN.DMG contains a section of code pertaining to it following the point where the end of the file is defined, meaning that none of the code is read or used. Among other things, the code defines the message IDs that the entity would have used. The IDs seem to have been overwritten with unrelated messages in the final game, but comments next to the IDs give some indication of what the messages would once have said.

    LD  A,$25   ; Nanda temeewa..
    LD  A,$2A   ; Watashi ni nanika..
    LD  A,$26   ; Kanbenshitekudase..
    LD  A,$2B   ; Na naniwosurunoda..
    LD  A,$2C       ; Sonnani watashino ..
    LD  A,$27       ; Oboeteyagare!!
    LD  A,$28
;   LD  A,$24
    LD  A,$2D
    CALL    MSGCHK  ; Doubutsuwo...

Let's heal your 
wounds and get 
rid of all that 
stress... Close 
your eyes and 
relax...

Hey runt! You 
think you can 
take me?! All 
right boys, get 
this punk out 
of my face!

Yep! Those're 
my boys! I'm 
Papahl, pleased 
ta meetcha! I'll
be lost in the 
hills later, so 
keep a look out 
for me, hear?

You've got a 
Heart! Thump! 
One of your 
Heart Containers
is filled!

Rod Base
10 for 10 Rupees

Buy
Don't want it

Bow & Arrow Set 
Only 980 Rupees!
 Buy No Way

10 Arrows 
 10 Rupees 
 Buy Don't

26: KWUSO#

This entity's name is short for "Otter". It shares its name with a removed entity from A Link to the Past. Both seem to be named after the otter man from the manga Utsurun Desu, whose graphic appears in a Mario sprite sheet found in both the Super Mario World art files and the A Link to the Past source code files from the Gigaleak.

It shares code with BOSS1. (The code described in the BOSS1 section of this page is labeled as both BOSS1MV and KWUSOMV. MV stands for "MOVE", and is developer shorthand for entity handling code.)

4C: FRBAR#

This entity's name is short for "Fire Bar". Fire Bars appear in A Link to the Past, but not in Link's Awakening.

4E: CHUNLI#

This entity's name seems to refer to Chun-Li from the Street Fighter series. Since entities from other Nintendo properties like Kirby, Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru and Mario appear in Link's Awakening, perhaps the developers considered including entities from third-party IPs, as well.

64: PSCRL#

This entity's name seems to be short for "P Scroll". It was originally meant to be used in map square 0x1E8, as seen below.

DE1E8
    DB  $43,BBIRD
;;;;;;  DB  $CC,PSCRL
    DB  EEND
;

You can see the final version of the map here.

67: SWTRP#

This entity's name is short for "Switch Trap".

6B: TANABE#

This entity's name refers to script writer Kensuke Tanabe. A comment in the file Source\Disk3\GBZE\ZEN.DMG identifies it as a "メッセージテスト！" (Message Test!).

70: KODOMO#

This entity's name translates to "CHILD". It appears in a list in the file Source\Disk3\GBZE\ZEN.DMG, where it's noted to be the same as a used entity called "KODOMA" (short for "KODOMOA", meaning "CHILD A"), a child that appears in the Dream Shrine. KODOMO and KODOMA both use ID 70.

8C: SWBLK#

This entity's name is short for "Switch Block". There are two versions of this entity's MV code in SRD_DMG_Zelda_JP_v0\3\ZE4.DMG.

8D: SWBLK2#

This entity's name is short for "Switch Block 2". There are two versions of this entity's MV code in SRD_DMG_Zelda_JP_v0\3\ZE4.DMG.

Entities with Older Versions#

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: How do they differ?

These entities have older versions of their code in the following files, found below the END tags, meaning that the code is neither read nor compiled.

• SRD_DMG_Zelda_JP_v0\3\ZE2.DMG
  • FRBARMV: Fire Bar
  • TRAP0MV: Spike Trap
• SRD_DMG_Zelda_JP_v0\3\ZE3.DMG
  • BSKELMV: Master Stalfos
• SRD_DMG_Zelda_JP_v0\3\ZE5.DMG
  • FISHGMV: Fishing Game & Proprietor
• SRD_DMG_Zelda_JP_v0\3\ZEN.DMG
  • BUMERMV: Boomerang

Entities with Unusual Names#

0F: KUZUH#

The internal name for the Armos Statue refers to programmer Takamitsu Kuzuhara. There are numerous self-referential homages to him in the source code and the game itself. (For example, he's the proprietor of the Trendy Game, as well as the Raft Shop Owner.) Some labels in this entity start with SBA, short for his nickname, Shibahara.

Interestingly, this entity also appears in a very early enemy list in the leaked source files of A Link to the Past. Kuzuhara was included in the credits for the SNES game under "Special Thanks".

2C: INOSI#

The internal name of the Spiked Beetle is INOSI, which is short for "inoshishi", meaning "boar".

4D: NYAMA#

The internal name for the item shop proprietor is a reference to someone named Nishiyama. While there's no Nishiyama in the Link's Awakening credits, Tatsuo Nishiyama is credited as one of the programmers on A Link to the Past.

57: NINJA#

Pairodd's entity name reflects a time when it actually was a ninja. This also explains why they shoot ninja stars.

89: HINO#

The header for the Hinox enemy indicates that its name is a reference to Shigefumi Hino of the R&D department, who's credited as a character designer on Link's Awakening.

C4: TODD#

It turns out the Walrus has a name, and that name is Todd the Walrus. Game changer.

D3: GMUSI#

The internal name for the rabbit in Animal Town is GMUSI, which is short for "G MUSI", meaning "[?] Bug". Some versions of the entity list read "動物村 虫" (Animal Village: Bug), while others helpfully note "動物村 虫（実はうさぎ）" (Animal Village: Bug (Actually a Rabbit)).

Old Enemy Bank Data#

ZBD.DMG contains the following data after the end point of the file is defined, meaning it is neither read nor used.

EBANKDT may be an older version of GEBANKD (Ground Enemy Bank Data) and DEBANKD (Dungeon Enemy Bank Data), which are found in the same file, before they were split into two.

Entity identifications in square brackets are guesses based on the Japanese descriptions.

; うるりら－
EBANKDT ; OLD
    DB  $00,$01,$02,$03 ;0
    DB  $10,$11,$12,$13 ;1
    DB  $20,$11,$12,$13 ;2  BASSF
    DB  $00,$01,$12,$03 ;3  Ground heishi
    DB  $10,$11,$15,$13 ;4  MAGE0
    DB  $10,$11,$14,$13 ;5  HIPLP
    DB  $10,$11,$04,$13 ;6  店員１
    DB  $10,$11,$05,$13 ;7  爺
    DB  $10,$11,$06,$13 ;8  ブーメラン
    DB  $10,$11,$12,$18 ;9  速虫
    DB  $10,$11,$12,$19 ;A  回転砲台
    DB  $10,$11,$08,$13 ;B  店員２
    DB  $26,$11,$07,$13 ;C  テストマリン
    DB  $08,$07,$04,$09 ;D  クレーンゲーム
    DB  $10,$11,$17,$13 ;E  TERSA
    DB  $10,$11,$12,$1B ;F  猪,爆弾兵
    DB  $10,$11,$12,$1A ;10 卓球兵
    DB  $00,$01,$04,$03 ;11 釣り店員
    DB  $20,$21,$04,$03 ;12 魚達
    DB  $10,$11,$12,$1D ;13 まとわりBOMB
    DB  $10,$11,$12,$1E ;14 NINJA
    DB  $10,$11,$14,$1F ;15 HIPLP 仮面
    DB  $00,$01,$02,$0A ;16 GHOSB  
    DB  $10,$11,$30,$31 ;17 HAYAB  
    DB  $10,$11,$30,$13 ;18 HAYAB  2
    DB  $10,$26,$32,$33 ;19 BGKAO  
    DB  $10,$26,$32,$13 ;1A BGKAO  2
    DB  $10,$11,$34,$35 ;1B BSLIM  
    DB  $10,$11,$34,$13 ;1C BSLIM  2
    DB  $10,$11,$36,$37 ;1D TBOSS  
    DB  $10,$11,$36,$13 ;1E TBOSS  2
    DB  $10,$11,$38,$39 ;1F BSNAK  1
    DB  $10,$11,$38,$13 ;20 BSNAK  2
    DB  $10,$11,$12,$28 ;21 GORMA
    DB  $10,$11,$12,$29 ;22 BSKEL
    DB  $10,$11,$12,$2A ;23 DDNGO
    DB  $10,$11,$3A,$3B ;24 BFIRE  1
    DB  $10,$11,$12,$3B ;25 BFIRE  2
    DB  $3C,$3D,$3E,$3F ;26 BBIRD
    DB  $2C,$2D,$2E,$2F ;27 BFISH
    DB  $0D,$0E,$0F,$13 ;28 GIRL0
    DB  $0D,$0E,$23,$13 ;29 BABA0
    DB  $00,$0E,$0F,$22 ;2A KINOK & PAPA0

Ulrira



BASSF
Overworld Soldier
MAGE0
HIPLP
Clerk 1
Old Man
Boomerang
Speedy Bug
Rotating Artillery
Clerk 2
Test Marin
Crane Game
TERSA
Boar, Bomb Soldier
Ping-Pong Soldier
Fishing Clerk
Fish
Following BOMB
NINJA
HIPLP Mask
GHOSB  
HAYAB  
HAYAB  2
BGKAO  
BGKAO  2
BSLIM  
BSLIM  2
TBOSS  
TBOSS  2
BSNAK  1
BSNAK  2
GORMA
BSKEL
DDNGO
BFIRE  1
BFIRE  2
BBIRD
BFISH
GIRL0
BABA0
KINOK & PAPA0

[Removed Entity]

Wizrobe
Iron Mask

[Removed Entity]
[Boomerang]
[Mini Moldorm]
[Flame Shooter]


[Trendy Game Owner]
Boo Buddy
[Spiked Beetle], [Bouncing Bombite]
[Knight]
[Fisherman (Under Bridge)]
[Fisherman (Fishing Game)]
[Timer Bombite]
Pairodd
Iron Mask's Mask
Giant Ghini  
Moldorm  
Moldorm 2
Facade  
Facade 2
Slime Eye 
Slime Eye 2
Genie  
Genie 2
Slime Eel 1
Slime Eel 2
Gohma
Master Stalfos
Dodongo Snake
Hot Head 1
Hot Head 2
Evil Eagle
Angler Fish
Marin
Witch
Sleepy Toadstool & Tarin