A clown has appeared in town, and he tells Link about a new area of the Drablands that’s just been discovered: the Den of Trials. This is apparently a marathon challenge dungeon like we’ve been seeing since Wind Waker’s Savage Labyrinth, and there’s a special outfit reward for those who make it through and prove they don’t need it. (I may have extrapolated that last part.)
The third area is the Volcano, and the first level is Blazing Trail. The first stage introduces the new item, the Boomerang. Like the Water Rod and Gripshot, the Boomerang has a function that serves as an alternate way to get a Link across a barrier: it grabs the Link and brings him to the thrower. The second stage has a puzzle involving volcanic rocks that break apart under the Links’ weight (but regrow if they do sink into the lava) and Boomeranging to get to the combat encounter: Fire Keese and Hinox. The Hinox aren’t as tough as they were in A Link Between Worlds, but the fire in the area adds a bit of challenge, especially with the “Link who takes fire damage runs around uncontrollably with his buns on fire” mechanic from Four Swords making its return. Stage three has falling boulders to avoid while navigating the path. The final stage has rising and falling levels of lava, with a few safe high points for the Links to stand while battling Kodongos and Fire Keese. It’s funny how a little change can affect things; if this were water, I’d have hated it, but with fire/lava it’s actually fun.
Next up is the Hinox Mine, which gives the Links a Bow and two Boomerangs. (In situations like this, I try to give Green Link the item there’s only one of.) The first stage is short and mainly exists to sell the idea that Link can grab bombs from bomb flowers with the boomerang. Then the real fun starts with the second stage, which puts the Link in a minecart and they have to use their items to open the way to the gate. The third level is more of the same, with three crystal switches that must be activated (thankfully, not linked). Then the fourth level has the miniboss: Hinox Brothers. At first, there’s just one, throwing bombs into the Links’ minecart that the Links need to toss back and the timing makes it tricky. Then there’s two of them and it’s easy to fill up the cart; the trick I found to staying alive was keeping active Links toward the edges of the cart and exploiting the fact that Doppels don’t take damage.
Third is the Den of Flames, which has another new item, returning from Minish Cap: the Gust Jar. It can blast Links across gaps, put out flames, and accelerate swinging platforms. The second stage has a bunch of Fire Hardhat Beetles, because if there’s one enemy that had to be made more annoying, this was it. The third stage has swinging platforms to manipulate and firebars to avoid. The boss room is simple but annoying: Fire Keeleons that spit bombs, followed by a couple more with Fire Hardhat Beetles.
Finally, there’s the Fire Temple. For the first time, there’s three separate items: Bow, Boomerang, and Gust Jar. All three are required to get through the first stage’s puzzles. The second stage pits the Links against more minecart-riding Hinox; one at first, then two more once the first one’s defeated. This fight is much easier than the Hinox Brothers for four reasons: First, the Links’ platform is stationary, so they only have to account for the enemy carts’ movement. Second, the platform is bigger, giving more room to get away from bombs. Third, the bombs don’t come as fast. Fourth, there are bomb flowers the Links can use to get their own bombs, so they don’t need the Hinox’ bombs to win the fight. The third stage has puzzles involving a big block and lava geysers that can lift the block.
And we come to the boss of this very tiresome area, and they top it off by bringing back our old friend Moldorm. (It’s wearing armor, so it looks less like a chain of leafy hamburgers.) Fire geysers scattered around the platform add a bit of challenge, but it’s the multiplayer mechanic that makes it really frustrating. Moldorm will focus on the active Link and only reveal its tail weak point periodically. And once the active Link is switched, there’s a fraction of a second before the tail becomes invulnerable again. Also, the reason Moldorm in general is so annoying is its tendency to push Link off of platforms, and Doppels are neither immune to being pushed around nor falling damage. As the fight goes on, Moldorm raises its tail so it requires a Totem to hit. For the final phase, the tail requires a full Totem to hit, but Moldorm loses the ability to focus and bounces erratically around the platform. Also, the tail’s up so high the Totem Link can shoot over Moldorm’s body and hit the tail, which feels like a mercy.
Next: I’d try to keep the song theme going, but if a song’s got a snowflake in it, it automatically becomes a Christmas song.
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
Monday, July 6, 2020
Tri Force Heroes: Riverside
Madame Couture recognizes the Lady’s Glasses in Link’s possession, and now that Link has proven himself, she tells him the full story of the witch, starting with the fact that she’s her older sister. Their people have powers to create magical outfits. Couture feels bad about helping hunt down her sister, but something has to be done after what she did to Princess Styla. But she’s come up with an alternate plan: create a facsimile of The Lady’s outfit, and whoever wears it will be able to break the curse on Styla, without needing to defeat The Lady herself. Also in town, a street merchant has set up selling random treasure items.
The next area is the Riverside, and the first level is the Secret Fortress. The name suggests a watery area, which is borne out not just by the terrain, but by the item in that level: the Water Rod. (I don’t think we’ve had Water Rods before. Fire, ice, sand, and tornado… but not water.) It creates a pillar of water that the Links can ride to reach higher places without Toteming, and the first stage has a bunch of cliffs to navigate, and some enemies near the end on high platforms to fight, to get familiar with its use. The pattern I noted in the Woodlands doesn’t hold here: the second stage is combat-free, with puzzles on chaining pillars together and using the water to extinguish fire. The third stage has a tricky puzzle involving moving fast enough with the pillars and a bomb to break a wall, and the final stage has enemies hovering over water or standing on island pillars that require the Water Rod to get to.
Next up is the Abyss of Agony. One Link gets a bow here, the other two stick with their Water Rods. The main new obstacle in this area is rapids which can sweep the Links along, including right off a cliff, if they fall in. The second stage here is the simple combat encounter stage, and – as is typical for these encounters – it won’t activate until all three Links are in the combat area, and it took me forever to figure out what I needed to do. I was constantly exploring with one, and then two Links, but there was nothing that seemed to require the full Totem, so I never felt the need to try bringing all three down… I was stuck for quite a while. Octoroks are among the enemies here, looking more like the terrestrial version but aquatic. The third stage has a long climb up cliffs to the gate, aided by platforms controlled by wheels that can be spun by the Water Rod’s pillar of water. The final stage has another Giant Buzz Blob, with three differences from the first one: it has four stages instead of three, requiring the Links to raise themselves up to hit the weak point for the final stage; it goes underwater between stages and must be forced to surface with the Water Rod; and it has three feet instead of four, so its electric attack goes out in a Y instead of an X.
The Cove of Transition has another new item; as is traditional, the water level has a Hookshot variant, this time the Gripshot. As the first Hookshot or variant to appear in a multiplayer Zelda game, the Gripshot embraces that novelty and can pull the Link to another Link/Doppel. The second stage has a combat area with water going up and down. In the third stage, using the Gripshot to guide a raft around returns (with one Link having to stand in as a guidepost). The final stage features Gyorms, shelled enemies that need to be pulled out of their shells to be vulnerable to the sword (and quickly get back in, which is frustrating for a single-player campaign).
The Water Temple gives two Gripshots and one Water Rod and reintroduces the familiar element of using the Gripshot to spin wheels to raise/lower the water level. The second stage features combat in an area with few places to stand, and here came the ultimate frustration with the shared life bar and the heads-up messages every time something happens: When the Links get down to three or fewer (out of a base nine) hearts, messages start scrolling across the screen warning you you’re in the danger zone YES I KNOW I can hear it beeping and am keeping a close eye on my life bar I DO NOT WANT OR NEED THESE at least it’s better than Fi at least it’s better than Fi at least it’s better than Fi…
Sorry. I’m fine now.
The third stage is mostly a puzzle involving getting to a raft, then using that raft to bring the key to the door. Then the final stage has the area boss, Arrghus. The first part of this fight is the same as always: Link pulls the eyes that circle Arrghus off with the Gripshot and whacks them with his sword. When all the eyes are gone, the water drains and the Links go to the bottom of the area. Pulling the second ring of eyes requires a full Totem, which leaves little time for a Link to jump off the Totem so they can attack the eye. It’s easier to wait for Arrghus to send one out to attack, pull it closer with the Gripshot or stun it with the Water Wand, and attack. The last phase is the easiest: Arrghus’ core body has an eye, and Gripshotting it stuns it, allowing many free shots before it recovers.
Next: Ground she’s moving under me / Tidal waves out on the sea…
Friday, July 3, 2020
Tri Force Heroes: Woodlands
The second level of the Woodlands is Buzz Blob Cave. In the first stage, the Links start out separate, each needing to claim their bow and use it to pop a balloon to reach the central area. There’s one other new trick to this stage: the gate is locked. The key is in a balloon near the gate; one of the Links needs to pop the balloon, and then the key must be carried to the lock. The second stage has a switch all three Links must stand on to activate, activating two waves of Blobs (mostly buzzless, but it would be weird to have Buzz Blob Cave with no Buzz Blobs) to fight. The first wave comes in a circle, but that one Buzz Blob keeps it from being easy to spin attack and be done.
The third stage has the Links riding a set of platforms and needing to shoot two Totem Dekus and two switches to open the way forward. The boss of the level is a Giant Buzz Blob. It starts mostly unformed with the giant red orb that’s its weak spot at ground level, so a single Link can shoot it. After a couple hits, it forms up a little so that it takes a two-Link Totem to hit the orb. Then, of course, it stands up to full height, and a full Totem is required. In between phases, the Giant Buzz Blob sends out four lines of electricity in an X, rotating around the area. This is tricky to avoid, although less so in single player because inactive Doppels don’t take damage (except from falling.)
The third level is the Moblin Base, and it mixes up the item selection by giving one Link bombs. The first stage has some simple bomb and bow puzzles to show the player(s) know how to use the items. The second stage has a bunch of enemies: Totem Dekus for the bow, Life Likes for the bombs, and Buzz Blobs for either (but easier with bows). The Moblins show up in the third stage as the Links try to enter the actual Moblin Base; the highlight of the stage is a set of six crystal switches, one that needs to be hit with a bomb, then five at varying heights that need arrows. The final stage is a battle against a bunch of Moblins, including three mounted on Armos.
After three levels, a clear pattern is emerging: The first stage has some basic puzzles to solve with the items, the second stage has a stronger combat focus, the third stage is a longer series of puzzles, and then a boss (or boss-like) fight. The next level, the Forest Temple, follows the pattern fairly well. The items are two bombs and one bow. The first stage brings back shooting through torches to light unlit torches, and adds Mini-Margos, spiked enemies that move around in a pattern and can be destroyed by tossing a bomb into their back. The second stage has a bunch of Mini-Margos and some Tektites hopping around between pillars. The third stage has a series of long, narrow pathways with arrow traps continually firing along the paths.
The Forest Temple concludes with a boss fight against Margoma, a cross between the Mini-Margos (themselves based on Margomill from A Link Between Worlds) and Gohma. It spins around the room until it charges. Charging into a wall stuns it, allowing a Link to toss a bomb into its hole, further stunning it and revealing the eye. At this point, a Link needs to toss another on top of Margoma to hit the eye. After the first few hits, Margoma grows a second layer, requiring a Totem to get bombs into the hole and the Link on top to hit the eye. Eventually all that’s left is the eye, which hops erratically around the room; an arrow will stun it, and a few more sword hits kill it. In addition to the normal reward, Link finds the Lady’s Glasses in the chosen treasure chest.
As Link prepares to return to town, Sir Combsly calls him over to tell him he’s got a summons from King Tuft. Tuft tells Link that clearing an area unlocks extra challenges in that area (three per level). For the first level, these are to complete the level within a (very tight!) time limit, to carry an orb from start to finish of each stage (the orb lights a portion of the stage, any active Link outside the lighted portion takes damage), and to play with half as many hearts. Like with outfit collecting, I’m still deciding if this is something I want to bother with. Frankly, I don’t know that I’m enjoying the game enough to play it four times.
Next: Gonna lay down my sword and shield [1]…
[1] Does this Link even have a shield?
The third stage has the Links riding a set of platforms and needing to shoot two Totem Dekus and two switches to open the way forward. The boss of the level is a Giant Buzz Blob. It starts mostly unformed with the giant red orb that’s its weak spot at ground level, so a single Link can shoot it. After a couple hits, it forms up a little so that it takes a two-Link Totem to hit the orb. Then, of course, it stands up to full height, and a full Totem is required. In between phases, the Giant Buzz Blob sends out four lines of electricity in an X, rotating around the area. This is tricky to avoid, although less so in single player because inactive Doppels don’t take damage (except from falling.)
The third level is the Moblin Base, and it mixes up the item selection by giving one Link bombs. The first stage has some simple bomb and bow puzzles to show the player(s) know how to use the items. The second stage has a bunch of enemies: Totem Dekus for the bow, Life Likes for the bombs, and Buzz Blobs for either (but easier with bows). The Moblins show up in the third stage as the Links try to enter the actual Moblin Base; the highlight of the stage is a set of six crystal switches, one that needs to be hit with a bomb, then five at varying heights that need arrows. The final stage is a battle against a bunch of Moblins, including three mounted on Armos.
After three levels, a clear pattern is emerging: The first stage has some basic puzzles to solve with the items, the second stage has a stronger combat focus, the third stage is a longer series of puzzles, and then a boss (or boss-like) fight. The next level, the Forest Temple, follows the pattern fairly well. The items are two bombs and one bow. The first stage brings back shooting through torches to light unlit torches, and adds Mini-Margos, spiked enemies that move around in a pattern and can be destroyed by tossing a bomb into their back. The second stage has a bunch of Mini-Margos and some Tektites hopping around between pillars. The third stage has a series of long, narrow pathways with arrow traps continually firing along the paths.
The Forest Temple concludes with a boss fight against Margoma, a cross between the Mini-Margos (themselves based on Margomill from A Link Between Worlds) and Gohma. It spins around the room until it charges. Charging into a wall stuns it, allowing a Link to toss a bomb into its hole, further stunning it and revealing the eye. At this point, a Link needs to toss another on top of Margoma to hit the eye. After the first few hits, Margoma grows a second layer, requiring a Totem to get bombs into the hole and the Link on top to hit the eye. Eventually all that’s left is the eye, which hops erratically around the room; an arrow will stun it, and a few more sword hits kill it. In addition to the normal reward, Link finds the Lady’s Glasses in the chosen treasure chest.
As Link prepares to return to town, Sir Combsly calls him over to tell him he’s got a summons from King Tuft. Tuft tells Link that clearing an area unlocks extra challenges in that area (three per level). For the first level, these are to complete the level within a (very tight!) time limit, to carry an orb from start to finish of each stage (the orb lights a portion of the stage, any active Link outside the lighted portion takes damage), and to play with half as many hearts. Like with outfit collecting, I’m still deciding if this is something I want to bother with. Frankly, I don’t know that I’m enjoying the game enough to play it four times.
Next: Gonna lay down my sword and shield [1]…
[1] Does this Link even have a shield?
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Tri Force Heroes: Doppels
At the gate to the castle, the guard stops Link for inspection, and determines he’s got the ear, hair, and sideburns to be a Tri Force Hero, and allows him to enter the castle, to the consternation of another would-be hero (dressed in green, with pink hair like Link’s sprite from A Link to the Past, heh). Inside, Sir Combsly also inspects Link and declares after several who didn’t measure up, he’s finally found someone with the attributes to be a Tri Force Hero. He gives Link the necessary materials for a Hero’s Tunic and sends him to Madame Couture. On the way, Link talks to the pink-haired guy again; something about Friendly Tokens which are earned through multiplayer play and unlock exclusive outfits and wow am I even more likely to not bother.
Link takes the materials to Madame Couture, who agrees if Sir Combsly vouches for Link, she’ll work her magic. She makes the Hero’s Tunic and directs Link to the changing room to put it on. Outside, the Bearded Baron directs Link to give thanks to the Tri Force Hero statue (i.e., save his game). Link returns to Combsly, who welcomes him back and explains the rules: “It’s literally too dangerous to go alone, so you’ll need a team of three.” However, for those who insist on going it alone, there’s another option through a smaller door to the right of the main door. (It doesn’t matter to me, but there doesn’t seem to be an option for two players. Weird.)
Through that door, Link finds a wizard and two wooden dolls. The dolls are Doppels, which can serve as vessels for a lone hero’s spirit, transferring among them so one hero can solve puzzles meant to be solved by three. There’s also a skip button which lets the hero sacrifice a resurrection fairy to empower the Doppels to skip a section of a level, which also means one of the treasure chests at the end of the level will be empty. The other core mechanic is that the Links can carry each other in a stack like the statue in the city, referred to as a totem. (During this, the music mix changes depending on which position Link is in.) Link can use the topmost Doppel’s sword and item from any position in the stack. Finally, Link and the Doppels share a life meter and energy meter. (Doppels can’t wear different outfits, but Link can; Link can wear his original outfit, but it has one less heart and causes him to take double damage. So, for challenge seekers.)
There are eight areas in the game, and each has four levels. The first area is the Woodlands, and its first level is Deku Forest. It’s divided into four stages. In the first stage, each of the Links can take an item – in this case, all three get bows. The objective of each stage is to activate the portal at the end and reach it. There’s no true need to collect rupees, unlike in Four Swords where more rupees means better keys, or Four Swords Adventures where the Force Gems are the required collectible to make it out of the stage, but you can probably spend them on stuff in town. In the first stage, Link and the Doppels must strike orbs on platforms of varying heights, mastering totem tricks to get there. The second stage is full of buzzless Blobs, and the portal appears when they’re all defeated. The third stage has a string of platforms and orbs Link needs to manipulate to make it to the end. Near the end of the third stage is a Squiddy, a creature that Link can juggle with his sword and drops items as long as he keeps juggling.
And then the final stage is another fighting stage, this time against four Totem Dekus, Deku Scrubs that rise to different heights to be attacked by Link in various totem sizes. Overall this is very fast-paced; each stage can be done in a couple minutes; probably even under a minute if rushing. Of course, this is the first level, so they may get longer. One annoyance is that every time Link picks up a heart or rupee or opens a treasure chest, a little banner scrolls across the screen declaring what Link has just done. This is probably useful for multiplayer where the other players need to know what one is doing, but for single player it’s grating. After leaving the final stage, Link returns to the castle, and the Doppels disappear. Link gets to choose one of three chests, each of which has a treasure item.
Back in town, people recognize that Link’s accomplished stuff. More interestingly, two new shops are open. Daily Riches is a chest game with a prize in one of four chests. It’s free to play, and playing each day increases the odds of winning until the fourth day when winning is guaranteed. The other location is the Miiverse gallery, and while the Miiverse is no more, the Photo Bro still gives Link a camera so he can take pictures while exploring the Drablands.
Next: The rest of the first area.
Link takes the materials to Madame Couture, who agrees if Sir Combsly vouches for Link, she’ll work her magic. She makes the Hero’s Tunic and directs Link to the changing room to put it on. Outside, the Bearded Baron directs Link to give thanks to the Tri Force Hero statue (i.e., save his game). Link returns to Combsly, who welcomes him back and explains the rules: “It’s literally too dangerous to go alone, so you’ll need a team of three.” However, for those who insist on going it alone, there’s another option through a smaller door to the right of the main door. (It doesn’t matter to me, but there doesn’t seem to be an option for two players. Weird.)
Through that door, Link finds a wizard and two wooden dolls. The dolls are Doppels, which can serve as vessels for a lone hero’s spirit, transferring among them so one hero can solve puzzles meant to be solved by three. There’s also a skip button which lets the hero sacrifice a resurrection fairy to empower the Doppels to skip a section of a level, which also means one of the treasure chests at the end of the level will be empty. The other core mechanic is that the Links can carry each other in a stack like the statue in the city, referred to as a totem. (During this, the music mix changes depending on which position Link is in.) Link can use the topmost Doppel’s sword and item from any position in the stack. Finally, Link and the Doppels share a life meter and energy meter. (Doppels can’t wear different outfits, but Link can; Link can wear his original outfit, but it has one less heart and causes him to take double damage. So, for challenge seekers.)
There are eight areas in the game, and each has four levels. The first area is the Woodlands, and its first level is Deku Forest. It’s divided into four stages. In the first stage, each of the Links can take an item – in this case, all three get bows. The objective of each stage is to activate the portal at the end and reach it. There’s no true need to collect rupees, unlike in Four Swords where more rupees means better keys, or Four Swords Adventures where the Force Gems are the required collectible to make it out of the stage, but you can probably spend them on stuff in town. In the first stage, Link and the Doppels must strike orbs on platforms of varying heights, mastering totem tricks to get there. The second stage is full of buzzless Blobs, and the portal appears when they’re all defeated. The third stage has a string of platforms and orbs Link needs to manipulate to make it to the end. Near the end of the third stage is a Squiddy, a creature that Link can juggle with his sword and drops items as long as he keeps juggling.
And then the final stage is another fighting stage, this time against four Totem Dekus, Deku Scrubs that rise to different heights to be attacked by Link in various totem sizes. Overall this is very fast-paced; each stage can be done in a couple minutes; probably even under a minute if rushing. Of course, this is the first level, so they may get longer. One annoyance is that every time Link picks up a heart or rupee or opens a treasure chest, a little banner scrolls across the screen declaring what Link has just done. This is probably useful for multiplayer where the other players need to know what one is doing, but for single player it’s grating. After leaving the final stage, Link returns to the castle, and the Doppels disappear. Link gets to choose one of three chests, each of which has a treasure item.
Back in town, people recognize that Link’s accomplished stuff. More interestingly, two new shops are open. Daily Riches is a chest game with a prize in one of four chests. It’s free to play, and playing each day increases the odds of winning until the fourth day when winning is guaranteed. The other location is the Miiverse gallery, and while the Miiverse is no more, the Photo Bro still gives Link a camera so he can take pictures while exploring the Drablands.
Next: The rest of the first area.
Monday, June 29, 2020
Tri Force Heroes: Introduction and Story
I remember, many, many years ago, seeing a blurb on Daredevil #318 declaring it was the last issue of Daredevil before Daredevil #319. At the time, I thought it was odd and ridiculous. Now… okay, it’s still a weird way to phrase it, but I get it. Given how much I’m looking forward to Breath of the Wild, and how much multiplayer Zeldas have not been my favorites (although Four Swords Adventures was pretty good), thinking of the eighteenth Zelda game in the series as the last one before the nineteenth Zelda game seems kind of normal.
What I know about Tri Force Heroes:
Story
“Hey, you! Listen up, and I’ll tell you how our story begins…
“Once upon a time there was a kingdom called Hytopia. At the heart of this fashion-obsessed land was the lovely Princess Styla. The people adored their fair princess… but the Drablands witch despised the girl’s unbearably cute fashion sense.
“One fateful day, a beautifully wrapped gift arrived at the castle. The sender was unknown, and the box was brimming with an aura of mystery. The princess simply had to open it! Naturally, this was a HUGE mistake.
“When the smoke cleared, Styla was met with a terrible sight, followed by the witch’s voice in her pretty head: ‘A perfect outfit for a perfect princess.’
“This cursed outfit of ultimate ugliness could not be removed no matter how the princess tried. Humiliated, she fell into misery and isolation. The people of Hytopia wept for her terrible fate.
“The king, too, was in agony. As only chosen heroes may enter the witch’s domain, the despicable Drablands, King Tuft issued a call to kingdoms near and far for a hero to save the day. Luckily, it wasn’t long before this courageous young fella came passing through…”
On the first watch through the story reel I was laughing at it, and admittedly the illustrations don’t help, but reading the story by itself, it’s kind of got a fairy tale charm to it. Snow White has a queen’s talking mirror tell her her stepdaughter has surpassed her as the fairest of them all and her reaction is totally one a normal person would have. I can’t say this is too much different.
So, anyway, our courageous young fella – walks up to a sign advertising that King Tuft is looking for “pointy ears, truly epic sideburns, and side-parted hair” to be the Tri Force Heroes to break the curse on Princess Styla. As Link walks away from the sign, someone comes up to him and says he must be the one who’s going to break the curse. He segues from talking about Styla’s cursed unstylish outfit to… well, Link’s not in a green tunic yet, so, you know. He works at Madame Couture’s and invites Link to stop by to upgrade his look.
A little way into town, Link finds the Bearded Baron, who tells him the story of the Tri Force Heroes: “When the Kingdom of Hytopia falls into despair, three courageous heroes shall ever arrive to save the day… This statue is in recognition of their struggles and triumphs, both past and future. Three heroes working together to save the day… In a way, this here statue represents love!” (The statue in question has three stacked heroes, the top one with his sword raised, and the Baron says Link looks like the figures in the statue.)
Link’s next stop is Madame Couture, but despite her employee’s opinion, she’s dismissive of Link, saying his ears are fake and used for “le ‘cosplaying.’” The employee explains that with Styla cursed and residents of Hytopia fearing if they dress to stylishly, they’re next, they haven’t had a lot of customers, leaving Madame Couture in a bad mood. Madame Couture relents, saying if Link’s the one to break the curse, she’ll lend her talents to help. For now, Link is directed to see Sir Combsly, the captain of the guard.
Next: It’s dangerous to go alone! Take these.
What I know about Tri Force Heroes:
- Obviously, it’s multiplayer. Only, as indicated by the title, it takes three players instead of four. Sorry, Purple Link, you don’t have a place here.
- It’s officially set in the Downfall timeline, after A Link Between Worlds with the same Link (as one of the three).
- It’s not set in Hyrule, and Zelda doesn’t have a big role, if any.
- The core plot has a princess in distress because she’s been cursed to wear an unflattering outfit and no, I did not make that up.
- Tying into the last point, this game is a lot more wacky than normal for the series.
- Someone makes a doge meme joke. I’d make a joke about relevance, but… I still quote Zero Wing (for great justice).
- Crafting outfits for adjustable bonuses is the main collectible, and speaking of which…
Story
“Hey, you! Listen up, and I’ll tell you how our story begins…
“Once upon a time there was a kingdom called Hytopia. At the heart of this fashion-obsessed land was the lovely Princess Styla. The people adored their fair princess… but the Drablands witch despised the girl’s unbearably cute fashion sense.
“One fateful day, a beautifully wrapped gift arrived at the castle. The sender was unknown, and the box was brimming with an aura of mystery. The princess simply had to open it! Naturally, this was a HUGE mistake.
“When the smoke cleared, Styla was met with a terrible sight, followed by the witch’s voice in her pretty head: ‘A perfect outfit for a perfect princess.’
“This cursed outfit of ultimate ugliness could not be removed no matter how the princess tried. Humiliated, she fell into misery and isolation. The people of Hytopia wept for her terrible fate.
“The king, too, was in agony. As only chosen heroes may enter the witch’s domain, the despicable Drablands, King Tuft issued a call to kingdoms near and far for a hero to save the day. Luckily, it wasn’t long before this courageous young fella came passing through…”
On the first watch through the story reel I was laughing at it, and admittedly the illustrations don’t help, but reading the story by itself, it’s kind of got a fairy tale charm to it. Snow White has a queen’s talking mirror tell her her stepdaughter has surpassed her as the fairest of them all and her reaction is totally one a normal person would have. I can’t say this is too much different.
So, anyway, our courageous young fella – walks up to a sign advertising that King Tuft is looking for “pointy ears, truly epic sideburns, and side-parted hair” to be the Tri Force Heroes to break the curse on Princess Styla. As Link walks away from the sign, someone comes up to him and says he must be the one who’s going to break the curse. He segues from talking about Styla’s cursed unstylish outfit to… well, Link’s not in a green tunic yet, so, you know. He works at Madame Couture’s and invites Link to stop by to upgrade his look.
A little way into town, Link finds the Bearded Baron, who tells him the story of the Tri Force Heroes: “When the Kingdom of Hytopia falls into despair, three courageous heroes shall ever arrive to save the day… This statue is in recognition of their struggles and triumphs, both past and future. Three heroes working together to save the day… In a way, this here statue represents love!” (The statue in question has three stacked heroes, the top one with his sword raised, and the Baron says Link looks like the figures in the statue.)
Link’s next stop is Madame Couture, but despite her employee’s opinion, she’s dismissive of Link, saying his ears are fake and used for “le ‘cosplaying.’” The employee explains that with Styla cursed and residents of Hytopia fearing if they dress to stylishly, they’re next, they haven’t had a lot of customers, leaving Madame Couture in a bad mood. Madame Couture relents, saying if Link’s the one to break the curse, she’ll lend her talents to help. For now, Link is directed to see Sir Combsly, the captain of the guard.
Next: It’s dangerous to go alone! Take these.
Friday, May 1, 2020
A Link Between Worlds: Lorule Castle
As Link approaches Lorule Castle’s gate, Hilda contacts him to warn him that Yuga has escaped her control and his monsters have taken over the Castle. She releases the barrier to let Link in. After a introductory miniboss fight against a fiery flail trooper, the real work begins. As in Wind Waker (or, perhaps, the Palace of the Four Sword from the GBA version of A Link to the Past), the central door of the castle has four seals protected by four more minibosses at the end of subdungeons. Before starting any of them, however, Link can grab the final dungeon item: Red Mail, further reducing his damage taken.
The first subdungeon involves navigating a maze of tiles that only pop out of the lava below when Link is near enough, and guiding rolling balls over the tiles without getting squashed. At the end, Link fights a giant purple Bari. The second subdungeon requires navigating a networks of color switches and their corresponding walls, and escorting a giant bomb flower to blow up a rock. The miniboss here is another purple Moldorm; this one doesn’t have a platform to knock Link off of, but the walls sometimes close in leaving Link little room to stand. Of course, Link can merge with said walls, wait for the Moldorm to skitter past, and pop out and whack the tail.
The third subdungeon has the inverted light property (things are hidden when there’s light, but visible in the dark) from the Dark Palace, plus narrow mazelike walkways over a pit that disappear in the light – but to remove the walls blocking the way, Link needs to light the torches, then memorize the way forward. Another fiery flail trooper awaits as the end boss. The final subdungeon has hookshot puzzles, two eyeball stones to return to sockets, and the Wallmaster stalker/escort mechanic from Skull Woods. The miniboss in an Arrghus that’s not noticeably different from the fight in the Swamp Palace.
With the door open, Link walks back into Hilda’s study. The fissure that originally brought Link to Lorule is still there, and Link can pass through back to Zelda’s study in Hyrule Castle to see what’s going on. Link finds Hilda still admiring Zelda’s painting; after she greets Link, she touches the painting, drawing the Triforce of Wisdom from it. She tells Link the story of how Lorule reached its ruinous state. Once, it had its own Triforce, and as in Hyrule, an artifact of the gods that grants wishes was a tempting target, so everyone fought over it. Unlike Hyrule, which sealed the Triforce away to prevent its (mis)use, Lorule destroyed theirs. Without the Triforce to hold Lorule together, it started falling apart. So when Hilda learned about Hyrule and its Triforce…
Well, the game’s dropped a few too many hints that Hilda’s behind it all for it to really be surprising when she says she’s guided Link’s entire journey – with her (and Yuga) securing the Triforces of Power and Wisdom along the way – but it’s still an effectively creepy moment when her eyes turn red and she summons Yuga to take the Triforce of Courage from Link. Yuga – still merged with Ganon, fights Link in a straight-up duel. When Link wins, Hilda pops back in to ask for the Triforce of Power so she can continue the fight. However, Yuga’s been after the Triforce for himself all along, turns Hilda into a painting, and absorbs her and the Triforce of Wisdom.
Yuga turns his attention to Link; the main part of this battle is the obligatory Dead Man’s Volley sequence. After Yuga is hit, he merges into the wall, so Zelda manages to reach out from her painting to give Link the final weapon he needs: the Bow of Light, which he can use while merged to attack wall-merged Yuga. The first time, Yuga holds off the arrow, but Link sneaks around behind to attack from the back. The second time, Yuga deflects the arrow and charges, again leaving his back open before he can stop and turn around. The final time (after Yuga tries two balls at once), Yuga’s defense is perfect – unless Link turns around and fires an arrow the long way. Each time leaves Yuga stunned and vulnerable, and after the last, he explodes, restoring Hilda but leaving her stunned on the floor.
Link rescues Zelda from her painting, but Hilda refuses to give up. She and Zelda argue about the Triforce, until Ravio stumbles in, saying this needs to stop. He removes his mask to reveal he’s the Lorulean Link, then turns to Hilda to explain himself. Like her, he needed the help of Hyrule’s hero… but to stop her. He understands why she wants the Triforce, but taking it would leave Hyrule as doomed as Lorule is now, and there has to be a better way to save Lorule than that. He finally gets through to her when he points out that this is exactly the sort of thing that led Lorule to destroy its Triforce in the first place.
Finally seeing reason, Hilda takes Link and Zelda to Lorule’s Sacred Realm, which was where Yuga discovered the link to Hyrule in the first place. The dominating feature is a huge black monolith – the Triforce’s gravestone – with a big glowing crack. Hilda takes Ravio’s bracelet and uses it to send Link and Zelda through the fissure (after Ravio says a fond farewell to Link). Link and Zelda arrive in Hyrule’s sacred realm, with the full Triforce restored to its proper place. They go to take a closer look at it, and since they restored it, they get to make a wish, so they reach out. Back in Lorule, the monolith explodes, and as Ravio and Hilda look on, the Triforce is restored.
The credits show scenes from Hyrule, starting with the seven Sages returned home. Then there’s a celebration at the Milk Bar, a shot of the Cucco-dodging game (there’s a reward here for surviving the “endless” mode for 999 seconds that I never got close to unlocking, and some things even I can say “screw that” to), Gramps (with the main series theme playing – is the implication that he’s a Link, perhaps even the one from A Link to the Past?), and the Maiamais. Link and Zelda admire a new painting of Hyrule’s history, which includes Ravio (as a blurry figure in the background, but his bunny costume is unmistakable even before it zooms in). Finally, mirroring the final scene of A Link to the Past’s ending, Link returns the Master Sword to its pedestal and walks away.
A Link Between Worlds did a wonderful job of tweaking the Zelda formula and reimagining A Link to the Past. In particular, Lorule is a great new version of the Dark World, and Hilda and Ravio stand among my favorite characters.
The first subdungeon involves navigating a maze of tiles that only pop out of the lava below when Link is near enough, and guiding rolling balls over the tiles without getting squashed. At the end, Link fights a giant purple Bari. The second subdungeon requires navigating a networks of color switches and their corresponding walls, and escorting a giant bomb flower to blow up a rock. The miniboss here is another purple Moldorm; this one doesn’t have a platform to knock Link off of, but the walls sometimes close in leaving Link little room to stand. Of course, Link can merge with said walls, wait for the Moldorm to skitter past, and pop out and whack the tail.
The third subdungeon has the inverted light property (things are hidden when there’s light, but visible in the dark) from the Dark Palace, plus narrow mazelike walkways over a pit that disappear in the light – but to remove the walls blocking the way, Link needs to light the torches, then memorize the way forward. Another fiery flail trooper awaits as the end boss. The final subdungeon has hookshot puzzles, two eyeball stones to return to sockets, and the Wallmaster stalker/escort mechanic from Skull Woods. The miniboss in an Arrghus that’s not noticeably different from the fight in the Swamp Palace.
With the door open, Link walks back into Hilda’s study. The fissure that originally brought Link to Lorule is still there, and Link can pass through back to Zelda’s study in Hyrule Castle to see what’s going on. Link finds Hilda still admiring Zelda’s painting; after she greets Link, she touches the painting, drawing the Triforce of Wisdom from it. She tells Link the story of how Lorule reached its ruinous state. Once, it had its own Triforce, and as in Hyrule, an artifact of the gods that grants wishes was a tempting target, so everyone fought over it. Unlike Hyrule, which sealed the Triforce away to prevent its (mis)use, Lorule destroyed theirs. Without the Triforce to hold Lorule together, it started falling apart. So when Hilda learned about Hyrule and its Triforce…
Well, the game’s dropped a few too many hints that Hilda’s behind it all for it to really be surprising when she says she’s guided Link’s entire journey – with her (and Yuga) securing the Triforces of Power and Wisdom along the way – but it’s still an effectively creepy moment when her eyes turn red and she summons Yuga to take the Triforce of Courage from Link. Yuga – still merged with Ganon, fights Link in a straight-up duel. When Link wins, Hilda pops back in to ask for the Triforce of Power so she can continue the fight. However, Yuga’s been after the Triforce for himself all along, turns Hilda into a painting, and absorbs her and the Triforce of Wisdom.
Yuga turns his attention to Link; the main part of this battle is the obligatory Dead Man’s Volley sequence. After Yuga is hit, he merges into the wall, so Zelda manages to reach out from her painting to give Link the final weapon he needs: the Bow of Light, which he can use while merged to attack wall-merged Yuga. The first time, Yuga holds off the arrow, but Link sneaks around behind to attack from the back. The second time, Yuga deflects the arrow and charges, again leaving his back open before he can stop and turn around. The final time (after Yuga tries two balls at once), Yuga’s defense is perfect – unless Link turns around and fires an arrow the long way. Each time leaves Yuga stunned and vulnerable, and after the last, he explodes, restoring Hilda but leaving her stunned on the floor.
Link rescues Zelda from her painting, but Hilda refuses to give up. She and Zelda argue about the Triforce, until Ravio stumbles in, saying this needs to stop. He removes his mask to reveal he’s the Lorulean Link, then turns to Hilda to explain himself. Like her, he needed the help of Hyrule’s hero… but to stop her. He understands why she wants the Triforce, but taking it would leave Hyrule as doomed as Lorule is now, and there has to be a better way to save Lorule than that. He finally gets through to her when he points out that this is exactly the sort of thing that led Lorule to destroy its Triforce in the first place.
Finally seeing reason, Hilda takes Link and Zelda to Lorule’s Sacred Realm, which was where Yuga discovered the link to Hyrule in the first place. The dominating feature is a huge black monolith – the Triforce’s gravestone – with a big glowing crack. Hilda takes Ravio’s bracelet and uses it to send Link and Zelda through the fissure (after Ravio says a fond farewell to Link). Link and Zelda arrive in Hyrule’s sacred realm, with the full Triforce restored to its proper place. They go to take a closer look at it, and since they restored it, they get to make a wish, so they reach out. Back in Lorule, the monolith explodes, and as Ravio and Hilda look on, the Triforce is restored.
The credits show scenes from Hyrule, starting with the seven Sages returned home. Then there’s a celebration at the Milk Bar, a shot of the Cucco-dodging game (there’s a reward here for surviving the “endless” mode for 999 seconds that I never got close to unlocking, and some things even I can say “screw that” to), Gramps (with the main series theme playing – is the implication that he’s a Link, perhaps even the one from A Link to the Past?), and the Maiamais. Link and Zelda admire a new painting of Hyrule’s history, which includes Ravio (as a blurry figure in the background, but his bunny costume is unmistakable even before it zooms in). Finally, mirroring the final scene of A Link to the Past’s ending, Link returns the Master Sword to its pedestal and walks away.
A Link Between Worlds did a wonderful job of tweaking the Zelda formula and reimagining A Link to the Past. In particular, Lorule is a great new version of the Dark World, and Hilda and Ravio stand among my favorite characters.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
A Link Between Worlds: Fire and Ice
Turtle Rock is the game’s fire dungeon, and so the obvious key item is the Ice Rod. The Ice Rod’s icicles can be used to freeze some enemies, kill enemies on unreachable ledges, and freeze lava to either create walkways or pillars Link can merge with and walk around. There are also some walkways which are balanced on a volcanic rock that see-saw as Link walks across them; if Link freezes the rock fulcrum, the walkway will stay as it is so he can walk across to reach higher places. The dungeon has two minibosses: Wizzrobes that require dropping ice on to kill, and Ice Gimos that can only be attacked when frozen. The treasure item is the Hylian Shield, making its first appearance in a Downfall Timeline game. (Complete with the normal Hyrulean Triforce, rather than the inverted Lorulean one.) It can block lots of attacks, including Beamos’ lasers and Lynels’ flame jets. Link can also get the final heart piece by leaving the dungeon to an island.
The dungeon boss is Grinexx, a giant lava turtle. In the first phase, it moves around in the lava below the platform where Link stands, sometimes shooting fire out of a jet on its back. Link needs to drop ice onto the jet through the holes in the platform; after a few shots, Grinexx comes to the platform to fight Link directly. It has two modes of attack: shooting out its head to bite at Link, and pulling its head into its shell and spinning around the platform. When the head is out, Link is able to attack it directly while avoiding its attacks. When Grinexx is defeated, a pillar with the painting of Impa appears, and Link rescues Impa, who acknowledges that she shouldn’t have doubted Zelda and Link is the incarnation of the Legendary Hero. Meanwhile, Hilda is still talking to the painting of Zelda, knowing that Link has nearly gathered the Sages to earn the Triforce of Courage, and Lorule will be saved – “One princess to another…? I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”
With the Hylian Shield, Link can finally complete the last of the StreetPass challenges. When he goes to Gramps to discuss his accomplishment, Gramps reveals that only one other achieved them all – him. He offers Link a chance to battle the ultimate Shadow Link, who has all the upgrades and uses two random items (upgraded versions for all items that have one). This was a tough fight, with me leaning on the shield the whole time through, and I didn’t know the fight could time out, with the winner being the one who dealt more damage. The reward for this is 5 rupees – Gramps pays the bounties himself, and doesn’t want people coming after him. Heh [1].
Right away in the Ice Ruins, Link can start a rotating elevator of blocks, and ride it all the way down to claim the Big Key, so the challenge is making it to the boss door. The puzzles mostly involve finding and opening new secret pathways; there are surprisingly few icy floors (although there certainly are some). The key item is of course the Fire Rod; there are no particularly exciting new uses for it, but Link’s got a flamethrower and finally gets to put it to use. In addition to the expected assortment of icy enemies, both unique (Freezors) and variants of Bubbles and Wizzrobes (but not the Ice Gimos), Pengators make their return appearance, including a Big Pengator that’s the miniboss. The treasure item is the Stamina Scroll, which gives Link more Energy.
The dungeon boss is Dharkstare [2], a mass of tentacles with a central eye. At the start of the fight, it encases itself in ice with three circling orbs it sends out to freeze anything that gets caught in the triangle they form. Link melts the ice, leaving Dharkstare to helplessly hop around the icy platform while Link whacks it. After a while, Dharkstare gets three more orbs letting it make two triangles at once, but even when they hit Link’s got enough health it’s a minor nuisance at worst. I suppose this is the downside of being able to do the dungeons in whatever order you want; whatever boss was saved for last was bound to be anticlimactic.
Rosso, the final sage, knew he was a sage all along but never felt the need to mention it. Now that all seven are gathered, the sages summon the Triforce of Courage for Link, and their chamber is transformed to a series of stairways leading up to it. Each sage has a few words for Link, generally encouraging him for the final tasks ahead. (Gulley: “My papa can’t call you lazy anymore. But I bet he will anyway.”) After Link reaches the top and claims the Triforce, Impa directs him to Lorule Castle.
Next: Saving two worlds.
[1] I’m glad leaving the DS running while plugged in was an option to generate Shadow Links, because my backup plan was tossing it in my bag at Comic-Con to see if I got StreetPass hits there, and… yeah.
[2] I guess Kholdstare had the bonus silent H, so its counterpart must as well. Ugh.
The dungeon boss is Grinexx, a giant lava turtle. In the first phase, it moves around in the lava below the platform where Link stands, sometimes shooting fire out of a jet on its back. Link needs to drop ice onto the jet through the holes in the platform; after a few shots, Grinexx comes to the platform to fight Link directly. It has two modes of attack: shooting out its head to bite at Link, and pulling its head into its shell and spinning around the platform. When the head is out, Link is able to attack it directly while avoiding its attacks. When Grinexx is defeated, a pillar with the painting of Impa appears, and Link rescues Impa, who acknowledges that she shouldn’t have doubted Zelda and Link is the incarnation of the Legendary Hero. Meanwhile, Hilda is still talking to the painting of Zelda, knowing that Link has nearly gathered the Sages to earn the Triforce of Courage, and Lorule will be saved – “One princess to another…? I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”
With the Hylian Shield, Link can finally complete the last of the StreetPass challenges. When he goes to Gramps to discuss his accomplishment, Gramps reveals that only one other achieved them all – him. He offers Link a chance to battle the ultimate Shadow Link, who has all the upgrades and uses two random items (upgraded versions for all items that have one). This was a tough fight, with me leaning on the shield the whole time through, and I didn’t know the fight could time out, with the winner being the one who dealt more damage. The reward for this is 5 rupees – Gramps pays the bounties himself, and doesn’t want people coming after him. Heh [1].
Right away in the Ice Ruins, Link can start a rotating elevator of blocks, and ride it all the way down to claim the Big Key, so the challenge is making it to the boss door. The puzzles mostly involve finding and opening new secret pathways; there are surprisingly few icy floors (although there certainly are some). The key item is of course the Fire Rod; there are no particularly exciting new uses for it, but Link’s got a flamethrower and finally gets to put it to use. In addition to the expected assortment of icy enemies, both unique (Freezors) and variants of Bubbles and Wizzrobes (but not the Ice Gimos), Pengators make their return appearance, including a Big Pengator that’s the miniboss. The treasure item is the Stamina Scroll, which gives Link more Energy.
The dungeon boss is Dharkstare [2], a mass of tentacles with a central eye. At the start of the fight, it encases itself in ice with three circling orbs it sends out to freeze anything that gets caught in the triangle they form. Link melts the ice, leaving Dharkstare to helplessly hop around the icy platform while Link whacks it. After a while, Dharkstare gets three more orbs letting it make two triangles at once, but even when they hit Link’s got enough health it’s a minor nuisance at worst. I suppose this is the downside of being able to do the dungeons in whatever order you want; whatever boss was saved for last was bound to be anticlimactic.
Rosso, the final sage, knew he was a sage all along but never felt the need to mention it. Now that all seven are gathered, the sages summon the Triforce of Courage for Link, and their chamber is transformed to a series of stairways leading up to it. Each sage has a few words for Link, generally encouraging him for the final tasks ahead. (Gulley: “My papa can’t call you lazy anymore. But I bet he will anyway.”) After Link reaches the top and claims the Triforce, Impa directs him to Lorule Castle.
Next: Saving two worlds.
[1] I’m glad leaving the DS running while plugged in was an option to generate Shadow Links, because my backup plan was tossing it in my bag at Comic-Con to see if I got StreetPass hits there, and… yeah.
[2] I guess Kholdstare had the bonus silent H, so its counterpart must as well. Ugh.
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