The Coast, the first stage in the Eastern Hyrule level, starts out with a new threat to the Links: stepping on a button causes a giant bomb to fall from the sky, and if the bomb explodes while the Links are on the main screen, they die, so they have to escape to caves or other areas where they’re on the GBA screen, or underwater. Later screens have Shadow Link constantly raining giant bombs, so the Links have to crawl forward as much as they can between bombs. Another new mechanic I first encountered here was massive damage, where a Link takes so much damage Force Gems are knocked free in what I can only assume is meant to be a mechanic for spreading wealth in multiplayer games but kind of pointless in single-player since you just scoop up all the Force Gems and continue on your merry way.
Link finds a new weapon here, the slingshot. Great Fairies start showing up, based on their appearance in Wind Waker rather than the general A Link to the Past look everything else has. They both fully restore the Links’ health and upgrade their weapon to a more powerful version: the slingshot shoots three shots at once, the bomb has a bigger blast, etc. Immediately after upgrading the slingshot, the Links have a chance to test it out, first on a horde of Zoras, then on a group of Sand Crabs. Force Likes make their first appearance here, and are just like Four Swords’ Rupee Likes except the currency they steal has been renamed between games. Force Gems also show a couple new tricks here: some run away from the Links, and others turn out to be Force Soldiers, animated Force Gems armed with a sword and shield.
The final boss of the first stage is a Manhandla. The four claws are colored after the four Links, which of course means that each Link needs to hit his respective claw to defeat the boss. Like others of its kind, it gets faster as it loses claws, and a mismatch between the Link hitting a claw and the claw causes all the claws to regrow, resetting the fight.
The second stage is Village of the Blue Maiden, which uses a creepy remix of the Kakariko Village theme. A sign posted by Tingle talks about children disappearing, no doubt (in his mind) ditching school to play games. The sign prattles on about how Tingle wants to play, too, but the Links have business to attend to. Near the village entrance, the Links feel a strange sensation, and shadows of things that can’t normally be seen show up. Kaepora Gaebora drops in to tell them that the Four Sword lets them sense the Dark World, which he speculates is where the missing children have gone. To save the village, the Links need to use Moon Pearls to Moon Gates to the Dark World – which rather than the twisted reflection from A Link to the Past, it looks more or less the same, only displayed on the GBA with a wavy effect and distorted music – and adventure back and forth between the two worlds.
The first major step is to work with the Seeker’s Guild, who are investigating the disappearances around the village. There are four Seekers throughout the village, and each has found a snippet of a longer message. “The six…,” “Deeply connected to the village…,” “Protect…,” and “Beautiful….” Link returns to the guildmaster and correctly surmises that the messages are about the shrine maidens and is awarded with one of three items putting in first appearances on this level, a shovel. It can open a secret passage and dig up the big force gems that are partially buried throughout the village. The other two new items are Pegasus Boots, which have the familiar charge ability, and the Roc’s Feather, that lets the Links jump and make smash attacks. All three are needed to make it through, and the Roc’s Feather has the added bonus of letting the Links show Tingle his Force Gem-thieving is not appreciated by popping his balloon.
The final boss is a pair of Shadow Links, who hop in and out of a portal to the Dark World. One of the Shadow Links seems to be the leader – he’ll force the final hits to come from the Link who matches his color, and if he’s defeated first, the other one disappears as well. Once they’re defeated, everything’s back to normal in the village, and the music takes on a triumphant sound. This was a great level, with lots of fun solving puzzles and juggling items to find the right one.
Next: The second maiden and her home area.
