The latest setback seems to have broken Midna’s spirit. The spirits of the sages come to Link with an explanation. Once upon a time, there was a man named Ganon(dorf). He tried to conquer Hyrule, but was stopped by Link’s knowledge of the future. However, Link was still bound to the Triforce of Courage, so Ganon gained his later self’s bond to the Triforce of Power, which made executing him impossible – he took a sword to the chest and pulled it out and killed one of his would-be executioners. So, the sages had to settle for banishing him to the Twilight Realm, which got him out of Hyrule. But, of course, Ganon would eventually find Zant and empower him to cause problems. Midna asks what the point of this exposition is – the mirror’s broken, it’s too late. But the sages explain that only the true ruler of the Twilight Realm can destroy the mirror; Zant, a usurper, was only able to fragment it, and the missing pieces are in the next three dungeons: Snowpeak, back in the forest, and up in the skies.
Given that both Link and Zelda’s Triforce crests have been focused on, Ganon’s involvement isn’t a big surprise. (I do question the Wii U’s cover artist’s decision to feature him more prominently than Zant…) There are some lingering questions about Midna, and I’m not sure which is more likely if I didn’t know the answer: that I would guess at this point, or not even realize those questions exist.
There’s not much to do before starting the ascent to the next dungeon. With the Spinner, Link can get a couple heart pieces, and then it’s time to figure out how to get up the mountain to the next dungeon. Auru has returned to Telma’s Bar, so Ashei has left to continue her investigation into what’s been happening on Snowpeak. The Zoras have noted that the way up has become dangerous, and Ashei’s confirmed that, yep, it’s bad. There’s been a monster coming down from the mountain, and Ashei has a picture of it with a red fish. The Zoras identify it as a Reekfish, but it’s hard to catch – only Prince Ralis has ever had any luck.
Ralis has been spending most of his time at his parents’ grave, but Link bringing the Reekfish drawing to him seems to awaken something inside him. He tells Link that the Reekfish are only drawn to a specific type of coral, and gives him a fishhook-shaped earring made of the coral. Armed with the earring, Link heads back up to Zora’s Domain to try his hand at fishing, and now I’m wishing I’d spent more time with that minigame because every time I have to go back and remind myself how to do it. After a bunch of false starts, I figured it out and caught a Reekfish, and the description noted a specific smell – a hint to turn into Wolf Link to learn the scent so he can follow the fish the monster caught.
The snows on Snowpeak are so thick the Poes think its constantly night. With the monster’s Reekfish scent trail as a guide, Wolf Link can make it through, catching a couple Poes along the way. (Human Link sinks into the snow and can barely move, so it’s best to just stay a wolf while making the climb.) Near the top of the mountain, there’s a Howling Stone (and again, I don’t recognize the tune) that causes the golden wolf to appear back in the graveyard. Shortly afterward, Link has to fight some cursed Twili to open a portal, so he can go back to Kakariko, learn the skill, and come right back. This skill is the jump strike, a jumping attack that strikes multiple foes. It feels like it would be most useful against the Twili, but I’m guessing there aren’t many more portals to open at this point.
Back atop Snowpeak, Link finds a yeti named Yeto. Yeto found the piece of the mirror Link needs, and invites him to his home to get it. Yeto knocks a frozen leaf off a nearby tree and snowboards down the mountain, and Link does the same to follow. At the end of the path, there’s a mansion that will serve as the next dungeon, but first, there’s one last Poe in the area to defeat and claim the soul of.
Next: Link’s already a human wrecking ball, but this time the developers decided that wasn’t enough.
