On the lowest level of Melari’s Mines, Link finds Melari, who’s happy to repair the broken Picori Blade. He says it’ll take some time, suggesting that Link could find one of the elements he needs in a nearby human mine. Link sets the broken sword on the block, and Melari and a couple apprentices start whacking it with their hammers while Ezlo encourages Link to be active while waiting and head for the mine. Another apprentice is blocking the way to the mine, but with Melari’s blessing, he moves aside to let Link go out. Outside, there’s a portal to return Link to human size, and another crumbling stone (Ezlo’s still shocked when it happens), and then Link heads up one last laddder to enter the Cave of Flames.
Upon entering, Ezlo complains about the heat. There are Spiked Beetles that need to be flipped over to be damaged, and I’m out of practice with this type of enemy because I forgot that Link could flip them by bouncing them off his shield. I was able to do it with bombs after the Gust Jar proved ineffective. There’s also a Rupee Like in the last room on the first floor, which I should have been more suspicious of because it was surrounded rupees that Link could suck in with the Gust Jar, but it stayed where it was, but no, I didn’t realize what was about to happen until the exact moment it was too late to stop it.
The second floor has a bunch of mine cart railways, so obviously Link needs to ride into them. Ezlo’s all for the idea, but after the first ride, decides he’s happier walking. In his defense, this isn’t the slow-paced carts of the Oracle games but rocket carts that zip along to their destination with Link screaming and Ezlo… you know, there have probably been lots of times when Link could have lost his hat over the course of the series, and I only think of it now that it’s a living being. Anyway, the increased cart speed probably means there won’t be any of the puzzles where Link has to adjust the track’s course mid-ride.
Also on the second floor are several Minish-sized doors. Those wouldn’t be there without a way to shrink down to use them, and sure enough, after defeating a bunch of Helmasaurs, a portal appears. Link shrinks down and follows the path now open to him, seeing a heart piece he can’t pick up while small along the way. After Link returns to human size, he finds the first of the dungeon’s puzzles involving traveling over lava using rocks that break apart when he walks on them. (They respawn pretty quickly.) When I wrote about Ezlo’s being a little too helpful, I considered reminiscing about a time Navi thought it was important to tell Link that if he falls in lava, he’s going to have a bad time, and say at least Ezlo hadn’t reached that level yet. Well… Ezlo also hadn’t seen lava yet.
Instead of a miniboss, Link has to fight eight silver ChuChus that grow spikes. This was where I became pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to have the boomerang already, because having it made the fight really easy. After they’re defeated, a chest spawns with the dungeon’s item, the Cane of Pacci, which can flip things upside-down. In addition to its dungeon-specific uses (flipping over a mine cart so it can be used, flipping a spiky rock to reveal a smooth underside Link can walk on), it has a bunch of simple utility like turning the shallow holes in the ground to platforms to reach ledges, blowing up pots, and flipping Spiked Beetles. Both of this game’s dungeon items have been original, and both have been quite clever and versatile.
After a long sequence of Ezlo-gliding, Link comes to the boss room, where he faces Gleerok. Despite the name being similar to Gleeok, Gleerok has more in common with Barba and Volvagia: It’s a dragon that pops out of a lava pool. It has a spiny shell on its back that, when hit with the Cane of Pacci, flips over and breaks apart, revealing the weak spot on Gleerok’s back as Gleerok lies, stunned, with his head and neck providing a convenient bridge. Gleerok comes to, dives back under the lava, floods the room except for the outermost ring, and once the lava pool subsides, it emerges with a new protective shell. After a few rounds, Gleerok dies and Link can claim the Fire Element.
Link returns to Melari to find the Picori Blade reforged into the White Sword (probably not the same one from the first NES game). Infusing the blade with the elements is up to Link, and requires him to go to an elemental sanctuary at Hyrule Castle. Melari also tells Link of a shortcut down the mountain; the path down is one jump off a ledge, then climbing down a couple walls, including the one that warned “No climbing!” that Link saw on his way up.
Next: The secret origin of Vaati and Ezlo.
