With most of the five zillion things that could be accomplished on the Great Sea done, it’s time for Link to finally head to the Triangle Islands and deposit the pearls. Each island has a statue that responds to Link’s presence by asking him to deposit the pearl, with each island corresponding to the one counter-clockwise from it in the giant Triforce mark. The last statue begins glowing brightly, and Link finds cover. When nothing else happens, he comes back to investigate, only to be blown away as the statue explodes, revealing a less abstract statue of the goddess inside. Beams emit from the pearls, blowing up the other statues and connecting the three islands, and inside the triangle, a Triforce appears, spiraling down to its center, where the Tower of the Gods rises from the water. Then Link splats face first into the tower, and fortunately, the King of Red Lions is there again to fish him out of the sea. He explains that the tower is a test for someone who wants to wield the power to destroy evil. Before heading into the tower, Link seeks out the area’s fish, who says that Link is destined to return many times, and the Triumph Forks are important here, and Tingle can help with them.
The entry level of the dungeon has a mechanic where the water level periodically rises and falls. Given how much I’ve liked dungeons where Link’s had to raise and lower the water level himself, this should be an improvement, although the fact that he really can’t do anything while waiting for the water level to return to whichever level he needs it at for any given task makes it annoying, too. For instance, sometimes there are yellow ChuChus, and when the water level’s raised above the ground, Link can’t fight them, but they can still swim to him so they can shock him. I guess I should be grateful the game doesn’t go into the realistic consequences of being in water with creatures constantly spouting electricity. Anyway, the point of this level is to get a couple statues and place them into their sockets to stop the waterfall that blocks access to the upper levels of the tower.
The second level is a lot more fun, with Link needing to guide three animated statues to the central room to open the path upward. The first one’s fairly simple, needing to be carried over gaps and through doors but able to make the journey without much assistance. The other two are going to be more complicated, so the first statue teaches Link the Command Melody which will let him possess statues so he can walk them across temporary bridges caused by a button he’s standing on. The other key to progressing is the dungeon’s treasure, the Hero’s Bow, guarded by the miniboss, a Darknut. Up till now, parrying had never really come up, but it turns out to be important when fighting Darknuts because Link’s parries knock off their armor and leave them vulnerable to easier attacks. However, as I learned, you don’t get the parry option while you’ve got the grappling hook out to steal Knight’s Crests from them. With the bow, Link can shoot eye switches to help open paths for him and his statue buddies.
Once all three statues are in place, a portal further up opens. After getting the boss key in the first room, Link has a climb on an outside staircase to the boss room. The way is guarded by lots of Beamos that come in two varieties now: one that continually shoots a beam along a fixed path, and one that tries to shoot Link. The first type can easily be destroyed with arrows, but the second’s lasers move too fast for Link to hit their emitter while they’re vulnerable.
At the top of the tower, Link comes to the boss room, where he’s greeted and challenged to face one final test: Gohdan. Gohdan’s design seems inspired by Bongo Bongo (minus the drumhead to bounce around on, sadly): two disembodied hands with eyes on the palms, and a head with two glowing eyes a giant gaping mouth. Link needs to shoot the hands in the eyes to disable them (for about two seconds longer than the minimum time to disable the other hand, it seems – very frustrating to finally get the second shot on the second hand only to have the first one come back to life), then shoot the head’s eyes, then throw a bomb in the mouth. This takes a lot of arrows, and with no chance for a quiver upgrade beforehand, there’s a very good chance Link will run out during the fight. Fortunately, the gods are merciful in this case and have Gohdan sneeze out a bundle of arrows when it happens, so it’s just a simple matter of getting all the hits in. Once defeated, Gohdan returns to its dormant state and spits out a heart container.
Link takes the portal out, only it leads to the roof, where he has to use the grappling hook to ring a giant bell. That opens another portal in the sea, which he sails into with the King of Red Lions, and the boat begins sinking. Link amusingly tries to hold his breath as long as he can, but once he has to let it go discovers he’s fine as the boat continues to its destination.
Next: Yes, I’m really going to leave it there.
Monday, December 17, 2018
Friday, December 14, 2018
The Wind Waker: Nintendo Gallery
Since Link’s in the area, he takes the King of Red Lions back to the Forest Haven now that he can take color pictographs. Showing the first one to Carlov at the Nintendo Gallery unlocks the sidequest, in which Carlov will create figurines of pictures of NPCs Link brings him. There are seven rooms around the gallery to house these figurines, and well over a hundred vacant bases. So… this quest is going to take a while. Additional complications include that if the picture isn’t just perfect, Carlov won’t accept it and Link has to go back and take it again. The list of possible figurine subjects includes monsters and bosses, whose parents apparently didn’t teach them basic etiquette for having their picture taken, for example, “Do not try to eat the photographer.” Oh, and two of those bosses are dead so I’ll have to wait until they maybe come back later to get their pictures. And speaking of starting the quest too late, the Koroks have spread to the four winds. And the pictograph box only has room for three pictures, so it’s not like he can get a bunch of pictures at once, and the Forest Haven is not exactly what I’d call “centrally located.” Oh, and it takes a day to make a pictograph; not a big deal if you’re dropping off the last one and heading out to get three more, but in between Link has to step out of the gallery, play the Song of Passing twice, and head back in. Carlov doesn’t want Link watching him make the figurines, saying something about trade secrets, only I would guess the real reason is hinted at on his own figurine (who wrote the caption?): he does it in his underwear.
I hunted the Gold Skulltulas. I got every ring in the Oracle games. I can do this. I won’t like it, but I will do this.
Okay, now there’s still a lot of high-seas adventuring that can be done before the next dungeon, and rather than try to organize it into some kind of cohesive narrative, I’ll just summarize.
I hunted the Gold Skulltulas. I got every ring in the Oracle games. I can do this. I won’t like it, but I will do this.
Okay, now there’s still a lot of high-seas adventuring that can be done before the next dungeon, and rather than try to organize it into some kind of cohesive narrative, I’ll just summarize.
- There are five Big Octos left, and each can be fought now. They’re a bit tougher than the one Link’s already killed, with more eyes. Bombs can put out the eyes with a single shot, but are tricky to aim, so I went back to the old standby boomerang. The rewards for killing them are 600 rupees and two pieces of heart.
- Link can visit three of the five Fairy Island fairies, who give him the last wallet upgrade (to 5,000 rupees) and two bomb bag upgrades (from 30 to 60 to 99) – both his largest capacity for their respective items thus far.
- On Dragon Roost Island, a Rito guard wants Golden Feathers for his girlfriend. Link sells him a bunch of them, and the girlfriend sends Link a piece of heart via the mail as a reward.
- At Needle Rock Isle, Link can now sink the warships as the fish hinted, one of which is protecting a piece of heart.
- Salvatore has set up another game on Spectacle Island, where Link gets to sink ships (that look suspiciously like barrels) to win a heart piece and treasure map. When he gives Link the rewards for playing, he roleplays as a very flirtatious Tetra.
- At the Flight Control Platform, a couple Rito have set up a game to see who can fly furthest. Link, by setting the wind in a favorable direction and hitting some cyclones as he flies, can break the record for a heart piece.
- On Bomb Island, by blowing up a boulder Link can enter a cave with several Magtail switch puzzles that lead to a heart piece.
- On Star Island, Link blow up a rock to find a cave with an enemy gauntlet that gives a heart piece as a reward.
- There are platforms across the Great Sea that shoot bombs at Link. He can take out their cannons and explore the platforms, collecting items like a piece of heart, a treasure chart, and assorted spoils.
- Link can get treasure charts from the Private Oasis, a submarine with a bunch of Moblins near Northern Fairy Island, Crescent Moon Island and a Miniblin-infested submarine nearby, and a Keese-infested cave on Rock Spire Isle.
- I tried taking the forest water to a nearby Korok with a wilted tree, but when the water said it lasted for 20 minutes but could be used multiple times, I realized why exactly that was and decided it could wait until I unlocked quick travel.
- The main thing to do right now is sail around and collect the treasures from the charts. By the end of this section, Link had a total of 26 charts, and was able to claim 25 of their treasures (the last one is near the Forsaken Fortress, where he can’t go right now). In addition to the two heart pieces he’d already recovered, he adds 5 more pieces of heart and lots of rupees – usually 200 a pop, but one map (that he won at auction) led to a treasure of a single rupee.
- All of that money let Link visit the special items shop near Rock Spire Isle. It’s on a ship that looks exactly like Beedle’s, and the proprietor has all of Beedle’s mannerisms, but you can tell it’s not Beedle because he’s wearing a mask and doesn’t increment Link’s loyalty card. The three things I Can’t Believe It’s Not Beedle has for sale are a treasure chart (included above), a heart piece, and the third bottle.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
The Wind Waker: Filling in the Map
When Link returns to Windfall Island, the long stormy night has lifted, and the people are back to their regular business. Link finds the dancing man he was told about, who's struggling to remember a tune. When Link takes out the Wind Waker, he remembers and teaches Link the Song of Passing, which lets him turn day into night or vice versa (cf. Sun’s Song, Song of Double Time). Armed now with a crapton of Joy Pendants, Link visits the schoolteacher, who gives him the deed to the cabana on the Private Oasis for 20 of them, and a Hero’s Charm in exchange for the rest. The Hero’s Charm has the useful effect of displaying the health of enemies Link fights, at the cost of blocking his facial expressions and ruining cutscenes. Finally, the shopkeeper asks Link to help him find suppliers, and gives him a Town Flower to trade. He also starts selling Town Flowers, which can be planted in pots around the island. Once Link’s done that, a man on the island will give him a piece of heart in appreciation.
At night, the shopkeeper rents the main floor of the rich father’s house to host auctions. These are well-attended, with various townsfolk bidding on items that seem useless to them, like a heart piece and two treasure charts. The fish’s hint suggested being both patient and bold, and the key strategy is to wait until the closing seconds of the auction, then make a bid large enough to leave the other bidders stunned so they can’t top it. While stars circle everyone else’s heads, Link does his happy dance until the shopkeeper calls time and awards Link whatever it was up for auction. After four times, Link’s cleaned the place out, the last time for a rather worthless Joy Pendant.
Now that Link has the color picto box, there are a few things he can do on the island with it. First, there’s a lady who appreciates being shown a pictograph of herself. A rather surly guy challenges Link to take a picture of his favorite object, with the hint being it’s pale and round – the full moon. The two gossipy ladies are interested in the pictographer’s love life, so Link sneaks in to get a picture of him with the woman he’s spending time with and brings it to them. All three of these events earn Link a treasure chart. Finally, the pictographer helped nudge the prospective couple he was interested in helping get together toward each other, and now it’s up to Link to finish the job by taking a picture of the woman and showing it to the man, who gets the courage to ask her out. When Link later finds them at the cafe, the woman gives him a heart piece as thanks.
Now, there’s about a third of the map left to visit, so let’s get to it. Heading west, Link comes to Spectacle Island, which seems to be where the ghost ship docks during the waning crescent moon. Turning south, he finds Tingle’s home, and apparently Tingle can help decipher maps for a hefty fee. To the west, the fish at Rock Spire Isle laments the lighthouse on Windfall going dark. At the far west, the fish at Western Fairy Island talks about using the grappling hook to pickpocket enemies. Four-Eye Reef is to the north, and the fish there says that some of the treasure-marking rings of light only appear at night. The King of Red Lions stops Link from going to the Forsaken Fortress, so he turns east to the Mother and Child Isles, the location he’s been pointed to from Fire Mountain and Ice Ring Isle, where a fairy lives but is inaccessible.
Going to the top row of the map and heading east, the first square to visit is Star Island, whose fish suggests freezing a monster and smashing it with a hammer. At Northern Fairy Island, the fish says that the shopkeeper on Windfall has a set of magic armor. To navigate the winds on Gale Island, the fish suggests visiting Ice Ring Isle for a useful item. Crescent Moon Island seems to host the ghost ship when the moon is full. The fish at Seven-Star Isles says that flocking seagulls indicates a spot where Big Octos spawn. Finally, there’s Overlook Island, which has a Triumph Fork map.
Now turning to the south for the last few squares, Link comes to the Flight Control Platform, where the fish talks about treasure hidden inside rocks on Dragon Roost Island. Star Belt Archipelago is where the ghost ship is during the first (waxing) quarter moon. Thorned Fairy Island’s fish says that the use for the golden feathers Link’s been collecting is to give to Rito women, who love them. And finally, Link comes to Bird’s Peak Rock, home to another Triumph Fork map.
Next: In your belly, you hold the treasures few have ever seen…
At night, the shopkeeper rents the main floor of the rich father’s house to host auctions. These are well-attended, with various townsfolk bidding on items that seem useless to them, like a heart piece and two treasure charts. The fish’s hint suggested being both patient and bold, and the key strategy is to wait until the closing seconds of the auction, then make a bid large enough to leave the other bidders stunned so they can’t top it. While stars circle everyone else’s heads, Link does his happy dance until the shopkeeper calls time and awards Link whatever it was up for auction. After four times, Link’s cleaned the place out, the last time for a rather worthless Joy Pendant.
Now that Link has the color picto box, there are a few things he can do on the island with it. First, there’s a lady who appreciates being shown a pictograph of herself. A rather surly guy challenges Link to take a picture of his favorite object, with the hint being it’s pale and round – the full moon. The two gossipy ladies are interested in the pictographer’s love life, so Link sneaks in to get a picture of him with the woman he’s spending time with and brings it to them. All three of these events earn Link a treasure chart. Finally, the pictographer helped nudge the prospective couple he was interested in helping get together toward each other, and now it’s up to Link to finish the job by taking a picture of the woman and showing it to the man, who gets the courage to ask her out. When Link later finds them at the cafe, the woman gives him a heart piece as thanks.
Now, there’s about a third of the map left to visit, so let’s get to it. Heading west, Link comes to Spectacle Island, which seems to be where the ghost ship docks during the waning crescent moon. Turning south, he finds Tingle’s home, and apparently Tingle can help decipher maps for a hefty fee. To the west, the fish at Rock Spire Isle laments the lighthouse on Windfall going dark. At the far west, the fish at Western Fairy Island talks about using the grappling hook to pickpocket enemies. Four-Eye Reef is to the north, and the fish there says that some of the treasure-marking rings of light only appear at night. The King of Red Lions stops Link from going to the Forsaken Fortress, so he turns east to the Mother and Child Isles, the location he’s been pointed to from Fire Mountain and Ice Ring Isle, where a fairy lives but is inaccessible.
Going to the top row of the map and heading east, the first square to visit is Star Island, whose fish suggests freezing a monster and smashing it with a hammer. At Northern Fairy Island, the fish says that the shopkeeper on Windfall has a set of magic armor. To navigate the winds on Gale Island, the fish suggests visiting Ice Ring Isle for a useful item. Crescent Moon Island seems to host the ghost ship when the moon is full. The fish at Seven-Star Isles says that flocking seagulls indicates a spot where Big Octos spawn. Finally, there’s Overlook Island, which has a Triumph Fork map.
Now turning to the south for the last few squares, Link comes to the Flight Control Platform, where the fish talks about treasure hidden inside rocks on Dragon Roost Island. Star Belt Archipelago is where the ghost ship is during the first (waxing) quarter moon. Thorned Fairy Island’s fish says that the use for the golden feathers Link’s been collecting is to give to Rito women, who love them. And finally, Link comes to Bird’s Peak Rock, home to another Triumph Fork map.
Next: In your belly, you hold the treasures few have ever seen…
Monday, December 10, 2018
The Wind Waker: Jabun
Before returning to the King of Red Lions, Link heads back into the forest to see what he can do about the fairy there. The way is infested with monsters – Miniblins along the road, Moblins, Mothulas, and Morths in the forest itself. It turns out the fairy fountain is blocked by a large boulder, but now that Link has bombs, he can open the way. The Great Fairy rewards Link for finding her by upgrading his wallet, allowing him to hold 1,000 rupees. Back on the beach, there’s another letter, offering exclusive items for sale on Rock Spire Island.
And there’s one more thing to do on the island before finding Jabun. Link visits Orca, who invites him to show the skill with the sword he’s learned by demonstrating how many times Link can hit Orca before taking three hits in return. The game is in that frustrating area of not being hard to get a rhythm going, but it requires so many successes with little margin for failure that it becomes hard to get a truly good score. The main prize here is a heart piece, awarded when Link scores 500 hits.
When Link returns to the King of Red Lions, the King points out that the storm has caused the night to last an unnaturally long time. In other words, it’s not just game convention that has Link arriving at Outset Island in time no matter how long it actually took him to get there. (I wonder if Tetra knew about the cursed night.) They sail over to where a giant stone slab is blocking the way to Jabun’s new lair, and there’s one other obstacle: they’re sucked into a giant whirlpool which makes for a timed encounter. Link has to shoot bombs to blow up the slab; once it’s gone, the whirlpool disperses and Link can sail in to meet Jabun.
Jabun, like the other keepers of the pearls, speaks in Hylian, which the King of Red Lions can understand. Link’s only privy to the King’s side of the conversation, in which he says that despite appearances, Link is not actually related to the Hero of Time, just the latest Hero to try to save the world. Jabun give Lsink Nayru’s pearl, completing the set. The King of Red Lions states the next step is to deposit the pearls in statues on three islands, and marks the spots on Link’s map: the three Triangle Islands. Interestingly, these three islands all sit at the midpoint squares between the islands where the pearls originated (Greatfish, Dragon Roost, and Forest Haven), so when lines are drawn between the six islands, the result is a giant Triforce mark on the map.
Now that Link has the third pearl, the cursed stormy night has lifted and the sky is clear again. With that, it’s time to head back to Windfall Island, to wrap up some stuff there. And that means taking a long route to fill in map squares and chat with fish. At Shark Island, northwest of Outset, the fish speculates that Link may be able to harness the power of Cyclos’ cyclones to quick travel across the sea. Heading east, the fish near Southern Fairy Island hints that there’s treasure buried beneath black soil on Outset Island. Ice Ring Isle’s fish says melting the ice requires an item – and the directions he gives place the location at the same place as the item that will cool the volcano of Fire Mountain.
Turning to the north, Link comes to a Private Oasis, which the local fish says has a map to the Triumph Forks. The next square doesn’t have an island, and without that, finding the fish in the square, if it’s even there, is impossible. This square is located at the center of the Triforce mark suggested by the pearl islands, so it’ll be worth revisiting once the pearls are placed in the statues. Continuing on, the fish by the Eastern Fairy Island talks about auctions on Windfall Island, giving Link a hint of strategy for them and suggesting one of the items up for auction is a piece of heart. Finally, Link comes to Pawprint Isle between Windfall and Dragon Roost; Link stopped here before, but didn’t look for the fish, who talks about ChuChus and notes that he’s seen Windfall’s potion maker visiting the island.
Next: Going once, going twice…
And there’s one more thing to do on the island before finding Jabun. Link visits Orca, who invites him to show the skill with the sword he’s learned by demonstrating how many times Link can hit Orca before taking three hits in return. The game is in that frustrating area of not being hard to get a rhythm going, but it requires so many successes with little margin for failure that it becomes hard to get a truly good score. The main prize here is a heart piece, awarded when Link scores 500 hits.
When Link returns to the King of Red Lions, the King points out that the storm has caused the night to last an unnaturally long time. In other words, it’s not just game convention that has Link arriving at Outset Island in time no matter how long it actually took him to get there. (I wonder if Tetra knew about the cursed night.) They sail over to where a giant stone slab is blocking the way to Jabun’s new lair, and there’s one other obstacle: they’re sucked into a giant whirlpool which makes for a timed encounter. Link has to shoot bombs to blow up the slab; once it’s gone, the whirlpool disperses and Link can sail in to meet Jabun.
Jabun, like the other keepers of the pearls, speaks in Hylian, which the King of Red Lions can understand. Link’s only privy to the King’s side of the conversation, in which he says that despite appearances, Link is not actually related to the Hero of Time, just the latest Hero to try to save the world. Jabun give Lsink Nayru’s pearl, completing the set. The King of Red Lions states the next step is to deposit the pearls in statues on three islands, and marks the spots on Link’s map: the three Triangle Islands. Interestingly, these three islands all sit at the midpoint squares between the islands where the pearls originated (Greatfish, Dragon Roost, and Forest Haven), so when lines are drawn between the six islands, the result is a giant Triforce mark on the map.
Now that Link has the third pearl, the cursed stormy night has lifted and the sky is clear again. With that, it’s time to head back to Windfall Island, to wrap up some stuff there. And that means taking a long route to fill in map squares and chat with fish. At Shark Island, northwest of Outset, the fish speculates that Link may be able to harness the power of Cyclos’ cyclones to quick travel across the sea. Heading east, the fish near Southern Fairy Island hints that there’s treasure buried beneath black soil on Outset Island. Ice Ring Isle’s fish says melting the ice requires an item – and the directions he gives place the location at the same place as the item that will cool the volcano of Fire Mountain.
Turning to the north, Link comes to a Private Oasis, which the local fish says has a map to the Triumph Forks. The next square doesn’t have an island, and without that, finding the fish in the square, if it’s even there, is impossible. This square is located at the center of the Triforce mark suggested by the pearl islands, so it’ll be worth revisiting once the pearls are placed in the statues. Continuing on, the fish by the Eastern Fairy Island talks about auctions on Windfall Island, giving Link a hint of strategy for them and suggesting one of the items up for auction is a piece of heart. Finally, Link comes to Pawprint Isle between Windfall and Dragon Roost; Link stopped here before, but didn’t look for the fish, who talks about ChuChus and notes that he’s seen Windfall’s potion maker visiting the island.
Next: Going once, going twice…
Friday, December 7, 2018
The Wind Waker: Homecoming
Before Link checks in with the pirates, there are a few things he can clear up on Windfall Island, even with the stormy weather driving everyone indoors. The mailbox is hopping with a letter from Orca, the sword master on Outset Island. Link’s collected a lot of green Chu Jelly by now, and by giving them to the potion maker, he develops green potions for sale. If Link takes the special firefly he got from Forest Haven to the pictograph guy, his pictograph box will be upgraded to a deluxe pictograph box that can take color pictographs. Link can also use the Wind Waker to cause a windmill to turn, then ride it like a Ferris wheel and, from there, jump onto a balcony allowing him to sneak in to the pictograph shop and loot a couple treasure chests, gaining some rupees and a treasure map. Downstairs, the guy is having a conversation with a woman, and is startled when Link comes up on them from inside the shop.
The town’s Bomb Shop is locked up tight, and the owner refuses to open the door. Link, undeterred, sneaks around the back, climbs up some vines to a ledge, and crawls in to see what’s going on. During Link’s first visit to the island, he visited the shop only to basically be kicked out because there’s no way he could possibly afford the prices. Well, apparently the pirates didn’t like his prices very much, because they’ve got the shop owner tied up while they loot his inventory. They mock his prices and where they’ve landed him, and brag about how they got the information about Jabun’s location out of Quill.
They’re not very excited about the prospect of heading back to Outset Island immediately, but Tetra’s concerned that what happened to Greatfish Isle could happen to it. As the other pirates wonder if her concern is for the island or just the treasure, she stammers that it’s the treasure – as she looks up to where Link’s watching the whole sequence and winks at him, so she clearly knows he’s there. She relents and says they’ll set sail in the morning, and leaves them to finish up. As they do, one of the pirates asks another to remind him what the password is, noting that Niko’s a stickler for that. Link overhears the password and waits until they leave before jumping down and leaving himself. There’s no option to help the shop owner, so Link just leaves him tied up. (I know the game wants Link to go steal the bombs from the pirate ship, but, seriously, he could just say they stole everything he had, but he’ll offer Link a discount on future sales or something.)
After Niko lets Link onto the ship, he challenges Link to a harder variation of the test from last time. This time, there are no platforms, so Link has to make like Tarzan and swing from rope to rope, still with a time limit that feels stricter because Link needs to take time to line up the swings. Once he successfully makes it across, Niko gives him the bombs, and Tetra contacts him via the pirate gem. She commends him for having the nerve to steal from them, and says that she’ll give him a head start in the quest to get Nayru’s pearl, but her crew’s sailing first thing in the morning, and has more bombs, so he’d better not dawdle.
There’s not much to do on the journey to Outset Island aside from track down the fish to fill in the map. At Windfall, the fish talks about a dancing man on the island and how he’d like to learn the dance. Three squares to the south at Southern Triangle Island, it’s a hint about the pictographer on Windfall who has a collection of legendary pictographs. Turning to the east, Link comes to Stone Watcher Island and the Islet of Steel, each of which are said to have a map to the “Triumph Forks.” Finally, just north of Outset at Five-Eye Reef, the fish says the “abandoned” fairy fountain on Outset isn’t actually abandoned and the fairy’s still there.
As Link arrives at Outset Island, the King of Red Lions understands that Link may miss his home and tells him the quest can wait a bit while he visits his grandmother. First, though, the mailbox has a letter from Beedle, the merchant ship owner, who now has bombs in stock. When Link returns home, Grandma is not faring too well. Link uses the fairy he has bottled to heal her, and that plus seeing Link again lifts her spirits. She’s determined to be strong again, and fills the fairy bottle with her special soup, which acts like a blue potion plus doubles Link’s attack strength until he gets hit and the bottle has two servings. And she offers to make more if/when he runs out. I haven’t bothered with potions in the 3D games because it’s hard to run out of magic (Ocarina final fight against Ganon aside) and fairies offer full health refills from dying, but this one’s tempting.
Next: The long night ends.
The town’s Bomb Shop is locked up tight, and the owner refuses to open the door. Link, undeterred, sneaks around the back, climbs up some vines to a ledge, and crawls in to see what’s going on. During Link’s first visit to the island, he visited the shop only to basically be kicked out because there’s no way he could possibly afford the prices. Well, apparently the pirates didn’t like his prices very much, because they’ve got the shop owner tied up while they loot his inventory. They mock his prices and where they’ve landed him, and brag about how they got the information about Jabun’s location out of Quill.
They’re not very excited about the prospect of heading back to Outset Island immediately, but Tetra’s concerned that what happened to Greatfish Isle could happen to it. As the other pirates wonder if her concern is for the island or just the treasure, she stammers that it’s the treasure – as she looks up to where Link’s watching the whole sequence and winks at him, so she clearly knows he’s there. She relents and says they’ll set sail in the morning, and leaves them to finish up. As they do, one of the pirates asks another to remind him what the password is, noting that Niko’s a stickler for that. Link overhears the password and waits until they leave before jumping down and leaving himself. There’s no option to help the shop owner, so Link just leaves him tied up. (I know the game wants Link to go steal the bombs from the pirate ship, but, seriously, he could just say they stole everything he had, but he’ll offer Link a discount on future sales or something.)
After Niko lets Link onto the ship, he challenges Link to a harder variation of the test from last time. This time, there are no platforms, so Link has to make like Tarzan and swing from rope to rope, still with a time limit that feels stricter because Link needs to take time to line up the swings. Once he successfully makes it across, Niko gives him the bombs, and Tetra contacts him via the pirate gem. She commends him for having the nerve to steal from them, and says that she’ll give him a head start in the quest to get Nayru’s pearl, but her crew’s sailing first thing in the morning, and has more bombs, so he’d better not dawdle.
There’s not much to do on the journey to Outset Island aside from track down the fish to fill in the map. At Windfall, the fish talks about a dancing man on the island and how he’d like to learn the dance. Three squares to the south at Southern Triangle Island, it’s a hint about the pictographer on Windfall who has a collection of legendary pictographs. Turning to the east, Link comes to Stone Watcher Island and the Islet of Steel, each of which are said to have a map to the “Triumph Forks.” Finally, just north of Outset at Five-Eye Reef, the fish says the “abandoned” fairy fountain on Outset isn’t actually abandoned and the fairy’s still there.
As Link arrives at Outset Island, the King of Red Lions understands that Link may miss his home and tells him the quest can wait a bit while he visits his grandmother. First, though, the mailbox has a letter from Beedle, the merchant ship owner, who now has bombs in stock. When Link returns home, Grandma is not faring too well. Link uses the fairy he has bottled to heal her, and that plus seeing Link again lifts her spirits. She’s determined to be strong again, and fills the fairy bottle with her special soup, which acts like a blue potion plus doubles Link’s attack strength until he gets hit and the bottle has two servings. And she offers to make more if/when he runs out. I haven’t bothered with potions in the 3D games because it’s hard to run out of magic (Ocarina final fight against Ganon aside) and fairies offer full health refills from dying, but this one’s tempting.
Next: The long night ends.
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
The Wind Waker: Stormy Weather
Heading west to the southwestern corner of the grid map, Link comes to Horseshoe Island. There’s a puzzle here that resembles mini-golf, rolling Deku Nuts into holes to open the way forward. Once the puzzle’s clear, Link can claim two treasure charts: one from a hidden cave with Mothulas, one from the tall island in the center of the horseshoe. The fish tells Link that the swordsman on Outset Island has a Knight’s Crest, which is a spoil Link got in the last dungeon, so that’s who they go to.
Turning to the north now, Link comes to Diamond Steppe Island. There’s not much to do with the island itself, but it corresponds to one of Link’s treasure charts, so he can grab that now and get another heart piece. The fish’s hint seems to be about the ghost ship, which appears near Diamond Steppe Island during a waning gibbous moon. However, it seems that if Link gets close to the ghost ship without an item on the island, the ship disappears.
Next up is Needle Rock Island. There’s a treasure chest protected by flames generated by a switch on top of the tall island, which is in turn protected by a bunch of Kangarocs. So, Link needs to charm a seagull, fly it to the top, and hit the switch without getting hit too many times. It’s doable, but it’s not easy. Once that’s done, Link can claim the treasure, another heart piece for a third complete heart container. The fish says that sinking the warships Link sees around the area is likely to be a good source for treasure. One more square to the north, Link comes to Three-Eye Reef. There’s nothing of interest here, except the fish who says there’s a big treasure hunter on the island to the east.
Now it’s time to turn that way and visit the destination marked on the map, Greatfish Isle, which is easily spotted from a distance because of the large clouds around it. Arriving at the island, the King of Red Lions expresses dismay at the state of the island, and especially the fact that there’s no sign of Jabun, the water spirit he hoped to visit. Quill happens to be visiting the island at the time, sent by Valoo to look for Link. He confirms that Jabun did escape – to Outset Island. There are two complications: First, Jabun is protected and no one can get in to see him. Second, Quill told the pirates about Jabun, and after they couldn’t get past his protection, they went to Windfall Island. Before leaving the island, Link can get a piece of heart from a cave. As Link sails away, he finds the fish, who says something (the ghost ship, presumably) appears nearby during a waxing gibbous moon.
After Link’s visit to Greatfish Isle, the skies are locked in a perpetual storm and the music takes on a darker sound [1], with Ganon’s theme mixed in. This makes exploration a little more difficult because sailing is kinda choppy, but it’s still doable. So, Link heads off to the east, finding two more eye reefs. The fish at Cyclops Reef explains that the rings of light Link sees sometimes in the ocean mark buried treasure, and the really shiny ones correspond to his open treasure maps. Six-Eye Reef has a submarine with three moblins guarding another heart piece, then before Link turns to the north, the fish tells Link that the outdoors shop (the guy Link bought the sail from) on Windfall Island is an enticing target for thieves. Hrm.
At Northern Triangle Island, the last stop before Link arrives back at Windfall Island, the most prominent feature is a giant cylcone. Inside the cyclone is Cyclos, and if Link can’t keep the King of Red Lions from being sucked up into it, they’re sent flying in a random direction. There isn’t anything Link can do about Cyclos right now, so he just avoids the whirlwind and looks for the fish. The fish talks about the teacher on Windfall Island and the Killer Bees – well, we’ve already dealt with that.
Link and the King of Red Lions approach Windfall Island, where the pirate ship is docked. The King advises Link not to ask the pirates directly what they’re up to, and to not let them know what he’s up to. Link nods and runs off to begin the next quest.
Next: Stealing stolen goods.
[1] I’m not musically adept enough to say for sure it switched to a minor key, but that’s what it feels like.
Turning to the north now, Link comes to Diamond Steppe Island. There’s not much to do with the island itself, but it corresponds to one of Link’s treasure charts, so he can grab that now and get another heart piece. The fish’s hint seems to be about the ghost ship, which appears near Diamond Steppe Island during a waning gibbous moon. However, it seems that if Link gets close to the ghost ship without an item on the island, the ship disappears.
Next up is Needle Rock Island. There’s a treasure chest protected by flames generated by a switch on top of the tall island, which is in turn protected by a bunch of Kangarocs. So, Link needs to charm a seagull, fly it to the top, and hit the switch without getting hit too many times. It’s doable, but it’s not easy. Once that’s done, Link can claim the treasure, another heart piece for a third complete heart container. The fish says that sinking the warships Link sees around the area is likely to be a good source for treasure. One more square to the north, Link comes to Three-Eye Reef. There’s nothing of interest here, except the fish who says there’s a big treasure hunter on the island to the east.
Now it’s time to turn that way and visit the destination marked on the map, Greatfish Isle, which is easily spotted from a distance because of the large clouds around it. Arriving at the island, the King of Red Lions expresses dismay at the state of the island, and especially the fact that there’s no sign of Jabun, the water spirit he hoped to visit. Quill happens to be visiting the island at the time, sent by Valoo to look for Link. He confirms that Jabun did escape – to Outset Island. There are two complications: First, Jabun is protected and no one can get in to see him. Second, Quill told the pirates about Jabun, and after they couldn’t get past his protection, they went to Windfall Island. Before leaving the island, Link can get a piece of heart from a cave. As Link sails away, he finds the fish, who says something (the ghost ship, presumably) appears nearby during a waxing gibbous moon.
After Link’s visit to Greatfish Isle, the skies are locked in a perpetual storm and the music takes on a darker sound [1], with Ganon’s theme mixed in. This makes exploration a little more difficult because sailing is kinda choppy, but it’s still doable. So, Link heads off to the east, finding two more eye reefs. The fish at Cyclops Reef explains that the rings of light Link sees sometimes in the ocean mark buried treasure, and the really shiny ones correspond to his open treasure maps. Six-Eye Reef has a submarine with three moblins guarding another heart piece, then before Link turns to the north, the fish tells Link that the outdoors shop (the guy Link bought the sail from) on Windfall Island is an enticing target for thieves. Hrm.
At Northern Triangle Island, the last stop before Link arrives back at Windfall Island, the most prominent feature is a giant cylcone. Inside the cyclone is Cyclos, and if Link can’t keep the King of Red Lions from being sucked up into it, they’re sent flying in a random direction. There isn’t anything Link can do about Cyclos right now, so he just avoids the whirlwind and looks for the fish. The fish talks about the teacher on Windfall Island and the Killer Bees – well, we’ve already dealt with that.
Link and the King of Red Lions approach Windfall Island, where the pirate ship is docked. The King advises Link not to ask the pirates directly what they’re up to, and to not let them know what he’s up to. Link nods and runs off to begin the next quest.
Next: Stealing stolen goods.
[1] I’m not musically adept enough to say for sure it switched to a minor key, but that’s what it feels like.
Monday, December 3, 2018
The Wind Waker: Down to the Seas Again
The King of Red Lions may say that time is of the essence in reaching the next destination, but with no timer, the standard rule of “A Link is never late. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when the story intends for him to” applies. The King of Red Lions will stop Link from sailing off the map into the wide empty sea, but other than that Link is finally free to explore. The mapped portion of the Great Sea is a 7×7 grid, and each square has one main point of interest. Anyway, as Link sails away from the Forest Haven, the local fish tells him about a merchant to the north.
Sailing isn’t entirely peaceful. Every now and then, Link will be attacked by enemies that try to knock him off into the sea. The two most common types of enemies I’ve found are Seahats – aquatic Peahats – and shark-like Gyorgs. Gyorgs aren’t too bad, but the Seahats are difficult to target before they rock the boat and the best way I’ve found to deal with them is to run. There’s also ships that shoot cannons at Link, and without a cannon of his own, the only thing to do is raise the sail, weave around so the attacks miss, and outrun the ship.
The first direction Link heads is east, to the Cliff Plateau Isles. Here, Link meets a third type of ChuChu, a blue one, who electrifies if Link doesn’t thwack it with his boomerang first. It drops a blue jelly when defeated. Also around the island, Link can find a couple treasure chests, one with a Joy Pendant, and the other with another treasure chart. There’s also a Korok whose sapling isn’t growing right; it asks Link to bring some water from the Forest Haven to help it grow. The island’s fish gives Link the hint on how to hit the switch and open the Nintendo Gallery: bait a seagull and have it hit the switch.
Turning to the south, Link arrives at the Five-Star Isles. The fish says that the ghost ship appears here when the moon is a waxing crescent. There’s a submarine in the very far corner of the map with some bokoblins and keese inside, and when they’re all down Link gets another heart piece.
Now turning to the west, the next square over is the Boating Course, named for a minigame run there. There doesn’t seem to be a reward for the game aside from rupees. The other feature of interest is a hidden cave filled with Miniblins with a chart that maps all the squares with submarines marked. Very useful. The fish tells Link he can make the boat jump, and use that to execute quick turns.
Next up is the Angular Isles, which is the first time Link can use one of his treasure charts to find sunken treasure, claiming a heart piece. The islands are blocky, and some of the blocks can be pulled or pushed to help Link work his way to the top, where he finds another piece of heart. The fish tells Link about a special firefly in the Forest Haven.
With two hints about the Forest Haven that we can do now, Link heads back before it becomes too far a journey. He lets one of his fairies loose to capture the forest firefly he finds in the Deku Tree’s cave, then he heads back to the Nintendo Gallery entrance. To take control of a seagull, Link puts a Hyoi Pear on his head. The seagull takes it and now Link controls its flight. When it flies into the distant switch, the Nintendo Gallery entrance opens up and Link heads inside. There, a man offers to make figurines if Link brings him suitable pictographs – which he can’t take yet, because he can only take black-and-white pictographs, and the man wants color ones. So, the Gallery will have to wait for another day.
Returning to the Angular Isles and heading west again, Link comes to the Two-Eye Reef. The fish tells Link that he hasn’t seen the fairy who used to hang around these parts, and now there’s a Big Octo – and he worries that the Octo ate the fairy. Link tracks down the Big Octo and kills it by putting out its eyes with the boomerang, and sure enough, the Great Fairy appears – all new appearance, kind of abstract – and doubles Link’s magic meter.
Continuing on, Link comes to Headstone Island. There’s a heart piece on top of the island Link can get by possessing a seagull, and a submarine in the area that’s overrun by rats carrying bombs that awards a treasure chart when all the rats are killed. The main cave on the island is inaccessible, blocked by a heavy head-shaped stone. The fish tells Link the way to lift it can be found on Fire Mountain.
The next island over is Outset Island, where Link started. Link can refill his bait bag here, and wave to all the people he knows. The fish’s intro dialogue this time is different, because Outset Island was already marked on the map so the game thinks this isn’t the first time Link’s talked to it. Anyway, he says that a chart to “golden Triumph Forks” is buried on the island, and says there’s another name it’s heard for them: Triforce.
Next: A storm is coming.
Sailing isn’t entirely peaceful. Every now and then, Link will be attacked by enemies that try to knock him off into the sea. The two most common types of enemies I’ve found are Seahats – aquatic Peahats – and shark-like Gyorgs. Gyorgs aren’t too bad, but the Seahats are difficult to target before they rock the boat and the best way I’ve found to deal with them is to run. There’s also ships that shoot cannons at Link, and without a cannon of his own, the only thing to do is raise the sail, weave around so the attacks miss, and outrun the ship.
The first direction Link heads is east, to the Cliff Plateau Isles. Here, Link meets a third type of ChuChu, a blue one, who electrifies if Link doesn’t thwack it with his boomerang first. It drops a blue jelly when defeated. Also around the island, Link can find a couple treasure chests, one with a Joy Pendant, and the other with another treasure chart. There’s also a Korok whose sapling isn’t growing right; it asks Link to bring some water from the Forest Haven to help it grow. The island’s fish gives Link the hint on how to hit the switch and open the Nintendo Gallery: bait a seagull and have it hit the switch.
Turning to the south, Link arrives at the Five-Star Isles. The fish says that the ghost ship appears here when the moon is a waxing crescent. There’s a submarine in the very far corner of the map with some bokoblins and keese inside, and when they’re all down Link gets another heart piece.
Now turning to the west, the next square over is the Boating Course, named for a minigame run there. There doesn’t seem to be a reward for the game aside from rupees. The other feature of interest is a hidden cave filled with Miniblins with a chart that maps all the squares with submarines marked. Very useful. The fish tells Link he can make the boat jump, and use that to execute quick turns.
Next up is the Angular Isles, which is the first time Link can use one of his treasure charts to find sunken treasure, claiming a heart piece. The islands are blocky, and some of the blocks can be pulled or pushed to help Link work his way to the top, where he finds another piece of heart. The fish tells Link about a special firefly in the Forest Haven.
With two hints about the Forest Haven that we can do now, Link heads back before it becomes too far a journey. He lets one of his fairies loose to capture the forest firefly he finds in the Deku Tree’s cave, then he heads back to the Nintendo Gallery entrance. To take control of a seagull, Link puts a Hyoi Pear on his head. The seagull takes it and now Link controls its flight. When it flies into the distant switch, the Nintendo Gallery entrance opens up and Link heads inside. There, a man offers to make figurines if Link brings him suitable pictographs – which he can’t take yet, because he can only take black-and-white pictographs, and the man wants color ones. So, the Gallery will have to wait for another day.
Returning to the Angular Isles and heading west again, Link comes to the Two-Eye Reef. The fish tells Link that he hasn’t seen the fairy who used to hang around these parts, and now there’s a Big Octo – and he worries that the Octo ate the fairy. Link tracks down the Big Octo and kills it by putting out its eyes with the boomerang, and sure enough, the Great Fairy appears – all new appearance, kind of abstract – and doubles Link’s magic meter.
Continuing on, Link comes to Headstone Island. There’s a heart piece on top of the island Link can get by possessing a seagull, and a submarine in the area that’s overrun by rats carrying bombs that awards a treasure chart when all the rats are killed. The main cave on the island is inaccessible, blocked by a heavy head-shaped stone. The fish tells Link the way to lift it can be found on Fire Mountain.
The next island over is Outset Island, where Link started. Link can refill his bait bag here, and wave to all the people he knows. The fish’s intro dialogue this time is different, because Outset Island was already marked on the map so the game thinks this isn’t the first time Link’s talked to it. Anyway, he says that a chart to “golden Triumph Forks” is buried on the island, and says there’s another name it’s heard for them: Triforce.
Next: A storm is coming.
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