The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening might be pretty small for a Legend of Zelda game, but it's nevertheless packed with secrets hidden around its island setting. Some are trickier to find than others, and some of those are actually needed to complete the game, like the late-game item known as the Bird Key.

By this point, players will have most no doubt faced a number of challenges that have had them traveling back and forth all over Koholint Island, such as Link's Awakening's lengthy trading quest. But the business of getting the Bird Key is a little different in that it’s needed to unlock the game's seventh dungeon, Eagle's Tower, and push the story along. Getting it is a bit of a quest in itself, and it starts with first finding something else altogether: the Frog's Song of Soul.

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How to Get the Frog's Song of Soul

To get this song for Link’s Ocarina, players are going to need the Hookshot and 300 rupees to spare. They'll need to take those to the southwestern corner of Ukuku Prairie, the center region of Koholint Island. After heading south and crossing over a chasm with the Hookshot, they'll find themselves at Signpost Maze, a small open area littered, as the name suggests, with signposts.

The "maze" part comes from having to read the signs in a specific order, with each one pointing Link in the direction of the next one. Follow them correctly and the last sign will cause a pond to drain and reveal an underground entrance. This leads into the cave of the frog-like Mamu, who will teach Link the Frog's Song of Soul in return for listening to his frog choir performance, as well as the 300 rupees.

How to Get the Bird Key

The Frog's Song of Soul may be one Link's most powerful tools in The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, on account of its power to bring the dead back to life. Once they have it, players are going to want to use this in Mabe Village. Underneath the weather vane there is a hidden cave where some remains can be found. Playing the Song of Soul there will resurrect the remains into a special blue-feathered rooster capable of flight. This rooster will follow Link wherever he goes, so players won’t have to worry about carrying him everywhere.

From here, players are going to want to head north of Dampe's Shack to a path leading up into the Tal Tal Mountain Range in the island's northeastern section. The path is blocked by boulders, but players will be able to lift them aside by this point in the game. Climbing up the second of the two nearby ladders will send players on a path through the mountains caves and out onto a stream. Then they'll want to swim to the right towards a ladder, climb up the ladder, and enter the first cave they see.

This is where Link’s rooster friend comes into play at last. Pick him up like any other chicken and players will be able to fly right over the otherwise impassible chasms inside the cave, beyond which the Bird Key can be found just lying on the ground. That takes care of the hard part. All that remains to do now is head to Eagle's Tower at the top of the mountains, use the key to open the Tower up, and start worrying about other things, like how to unlock Link’s Awakening's perfect ending.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is available for the Nintendo Switch.

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