Tail Cave

The Tail Cave is the first dungeon in Link's Awakening.^[2]

Entrance to the Tail Cave[]

The entrance to the dungeon is located south of Mabe Village and north of Toronbo Shores.^[3] In order to open the gate and enter the dungeon, Link needs to insert the Tail Key found in the Mysterious Woods into the Tail Keyhole which is located in the central Mini-Moldorm statue in front of the Tail Cave.^[4] Doing so will cause the bars blocking the entrance to rise up, allowing entry.

Themes and navigation[]

LADX Link Obtaining Roc's Feather — Link obtaining Roc's Feather within the Tail Cave

The dungeon appears to be carved into a cave of stone. Like other dungeons in Link's Awakening, Tail Cave is shaped in accordance to its name, resembling Moldorm.^[1] It contains 25 different screens and four underground ones which can be accessed by using staircases. Among those rooms, one of them is dedicated to defeating Three-of-a-Kinds, while another one holds a Secret Seashells but must first be blasted open using a Bomb.

Deep within Tail Cave, Link comes across Rolling Bones, a boss who attacks with a Spiketrap that spans the length of the chamber, hoping to crush Link. Making good use of the Roc's Feather found in Tail Cave, Link is able to jump over the Spiketrap and slash Rolling Bones with his Sword.^[5] With the defeat of Rolling Bones, Link opens the way to Tail Cave's Nightmare guarding the Full Moon Cello, Moldorm.^[6]

To defeat Moldorm, Link must strike the tip of its tail several times, each strike causing the beast to increase its pace. Moldorm can knock Link off into a basement where several corpses are hung from chains in the background. Upon Link's triumph over the beast, it disintegrates into nothingness, opening the way to Tail Cave's final chamber which holds the Full Moon Cello.

Enemies and Traps[]

Link's AwakeningLink's Awakening DXLink's Awakening for Nintendo Switch

In other media[]

Non-Canon Information

Link's Awakening (Cagiva)[]

In the Link's Awakening manga by Ataru Cagiva, Link finds the Tail Key after saving Tarin in the Mysterious Forest. Following the Owl's words, Link arrives to Tail Cave and opens it with the Tail Key. Inside he fights various enemies, Spike Roller, and finally Moldorm. After the boss's defeat, the chamber to the Full Moon Cello opens up.

Nomenclature[]

Like all dungeons in Link's Awakening, the name of Tail Cave is a reference to its shape, which resembles a Mini-Moldorm.^[1] This is reinforced by the fact that in the Japanese version of Link's Awakening, Mini-Moldorms are known as "Tail".

Names in other regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	テールのほらあな (Tēru no Horaana) ^(LANS)	Tēru Cave Tēru is the Japanese name for Moldorms.
	French^CA	Caverne Flagello ^(LANS)	Flagello Cave
	French^EU	Cave Flagello ^{(LA \| LADX)}^[7]^[8] Caverne Flagello ^(LANS)	Flagello Cave Flagello Cave
	German	Wurmpalast ^(LANS)	Worm Palace
	Italian	Antro della coda ^(LANS)	Cave of the tail
	Spanish^EU	Cueva Tail ^(LANS)	Tail Cave
	Spanish^LA	Cueva del Rabo ^(LANS)	Cave of the Tail
This table was generated using translation pages. To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery[]

Map of Tail Cave from Link's Awakening DX
Rolling Bones's chamber from Link's Awakening DX
The chamber with the the Full Moon Cello from Link's Awakening DX
A chamber with Goombas from Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch
The entrance to Tail Cave from the Link's Awakening manga by Ataru Cagiva

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named E 148
↑ "Level 1 - Tail Cave" — N/A (Link's Awakening for Nintendo Switch)
↑ "Hoot! Ho, brave lad, on your quest to wake the dreamer! Welcome to the Mysterious Wood! Much of mystery you will find on this uncharted Koholint island! I'm afraid you may find it a trifle difficult to leave the island while the Wind Fish naps. ...By the by, have you ever visited the Tail Cave, which is south of the village? Go there with the key you find in this forest... The Wind Fish is watching...Hoot! " — Owl (Link's Awakening DX)
↑ "You've got the Tail Key! Now you can open the Tail Cave gate! " — N/A (Link's Awakening DX)
↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 200
↑ "BUZZZZZ! BUZZZZ! OUTZZZIDER! " — Moldorm (Link's Awakening DX)
↑ Encyclopedia, Les Éditions Soleil, pg. 148
↑ Encyclopedia, Les Éditions Soleil, pg. 148