In terms of chronology, the story of Link's Awakening DX isn't exactly clear. According to the instruction manual, this game takes place after The Adventure of Link. In this version of the story, Link has just destroyed Ganon. The people still fear his resurrection, so Link embarks on a journey of enlightenment to better prepare himself in case Ganon does rise again. After many months, Link is on his way home to Hyrule but his boat is struck by lightning. Fortunately the ship is close to land and Link is washed ashore. The story according to Zelda Universe, the official online Zelda site, takes place during The Adventure of Link. At one point in the game, Link must use a raft to cross a sea into Eastern Hyrule. It was during this sea crossing that Link encountered a storm and was shipwrecked. Either way, Link woke up on Koholint Island in Marin's house. Marin found Link washed up on the shore, so she took him into her house to rest. To leave the island Link must solve the mystery of the Wind Fish, a giant creature who sleeps inside a giant egg on the island's central mountain.

Link's Awakening was originally released on Game Boy in black and white. Later on, when the Game Boy Color was released, so was Link's Awakening DX. The difference between this and the original version is that the DX version is in color and contains an extra (optional) dungeon, the Color Dungeon. Once the Color Dungeon is completed, Link has the option of choosing a tunic which will either enhance his health or his strength. Fortunately, if you feel you've made the wrong choice, you can simply go back to the dungeon and take the other tunic.
Many classic items such as the hookshot, bow and arrow, and Pegasus Boots are featured in this game, and for the first time ever (excluding the side-scrolling scenes in The Adventure of Link) Link can jump with the use of Roc's Feather. This is also the first Zelda game to feature a trading sequence, something which has since become a necessity to future Zelda games. Other side-quests included in this game are collecting Heart Container Pieces (of course), as well as collecting seashells and taking pictures. The seashell side-quest is similar to that of collecting Gold Skulltula Tokens in Ocarina of Time, in that as Link collects more seashells he gets more rewards (the ultimate reward can only be obtained when Link has found all the seashells). The picture side-quest is basically just for fun. At certain points in the game the photographer from the camera shop will come and take your picture. However, he may or may not take your picture depending on what you do. Once a picture is taken you can print it out of you have a Game Boy Printer.
Link's Awakening was a very unique game at the time because it was the first Zelda game to take place somewhere other than Hyrule, and it didn't feature Zelda or Ganon. Its not the best Zelda game, but any fan of the series should play through it at least once.