Key Cavern

The Key Cavern is the third Dungeon in Link's Awakening.^[1] The Dungeon's entrance is behind a fence of statues resembling Slime Eye, one of which has the Slime Keyhole. Despite being called a cavern, this Dungeon isn't set inside a cave, but more or less a bricked building. The Slime Key, which is possessed by Prince Richard, is required to enter. The mini-boss of this Dungeon is a pair of Dodongo Snakes, which require Bombs to defeat them. The main tool of this Dungeon is the Pegasus Boots, which is necessary to break away blocks that cannot be bombed as well as used to aid Link in defeating the Boss, Slime Eye, who guards the Sea Lily's Bell.

Entrance to the Cavern

When Link enters Ukuku Prairie and heads to where Richard's Villa is located, he passes by the Dungeon's entrance which is at first closed and requires the use of the Slime Key to open. South of the entrance is Richard's Villa, where Prince Richard now resides ever since he had been kicked out of Kanalet Castle. Prince Richard has the Slime Key with him but does not let Link have it until he fetches all five of Prince Richard's Golden Leaves from Kanalet Castle.^[2] After Link hands all of them to Prince Richard, he will let Link into his maze of bushes and hidden pits. Link would eventually make his way to an Owl Statue, in front of which the Slime Key was buried.^[3] Link then has to use it in the Slime Keyhole to open the entrance. To get to the entrance itself, Link has to go around Richard's Villa and cross a lake using the Roc's Feather.

Themes and Navigation

The mini-bosses of the Dungeon are two Dodongo Snakes, which can be defeated by feeding them Bombs. Defeating these opens the way to the Treasure Chest where the Dungeon's item, the Pegasus Boots, are hidden. The Pegasus Boots allow Link to perform a running attack when combined with his Sword, which is necessary for defeating the Boss of the Dungeon, Slime Eye. This Nightmare takes the form of a giant eyeball, which hides above Link on the ceiling of the room until Link runs into the wall with the Pegasus Boots, making it fall to the floor.^[4] It then must be split into two smaller eyes using the running attack before it can be hurt by conventional weapons.

When looked on the Map, the first and third floors of this Dungeon form the shape of a very large Small Key, while the second and fourth create Small Keys. The name of this Dungeon is thus named after its shape. Fittingly, there is a multitude of Small Keys in this Dungeon. There are a few rooms which require a Small Key to enter, but yield only enemies and another Small Key when explored. Also, to proceed to the top floor where the Boss room is, Link must collect four Small Keys to open four Locked Block blocking the way to the staircase. This Dungeon additionally appears to be themed on the Boss Slime Eye, as there are Slime Eye statues outside and Zols tend to live here. The Keyhole to open the Dungeon is also called the Slime Keyhole. There is also a pattern of eyes above the Dungeon's entrance, as Slime Eye is a giant eyeball in its original state. There are also more than average amounts of bombable walls and Bombites.

Minor Enemies

Trivia

Key Cavern contains one more Small Key than it does unlockable doors. The final Small Key in the Dungeon drops from above automatically in the final room before the Boss, when there is no use for it. If Link has not unlocked the optional rooms in this Dungeon, it can be used to unlock them, although since both of them contain Small Keys themselves and have no other purpose the end result will always leave Link with an extra Small Key.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language	Names	Meanings
French^CA	Souterrain aux Clés ^(LANS)	Underground of Keys
French^EU	Cave aux Clés ^{(LA \| LADX)}^[7] Souterrain aux Clés ^(LANS)^[6]	Key Cave Underground of Keys
Italian	Grotta della Chiave ^{(LA \| LADX)}^[5] Caverna della chiave ^(LANS)	Key Cavern
This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery

Layout of the Dungeon
Layout of the Dungeon
Dodongo Snakes, the Dungeon's mini-boss
Slime Eye
The Sea Lily's Bell
A room inside the Key Cavern from Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch

References

↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 148
↑ "Salutations! You wouldn't know by the look of me, but I used to live in the castle! My servants went berserk and I was forced to flee to my villa... So, you want the key to Ukuku Prairie, do you? I may be able to help you... Let's make... a deal, shall we? I want you to retrieve the Golden Leaf I left behind in the castle when I fled..." — Prince Richard (Link's Awakening DX)
↑ "IN SOIL SLEEPS SECRETS, BENEATH YOUR SOLES..." — Owl Statue (Link's Awakening DX)
↑ "NEENER NEENER! You can't find me! NYAH NYAH!" — Slime Eye (Link's Awakening DX)
↑ Enciclopedia di Hyrule, Magazzini Salani, pg. 148
↑ "Souterrain aux Clés" — System (Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch, European French localization)
↑ Encyclopedia, Les Éditions Soleil, pg. 148