Choosing a heading while sailing is accomplished by drawing the path for the ship to take on the map. There’s no wind to worry about, and at least for this journey, no seafaring monsters to harass the poor boat. Just set a course and go. On arrival, Ciela and Linebeck get in yet another argument, and obviously the fact that fate has thrown the two of them together for this adventure doesn’t indicate to either that maybe they should try to get along.
Link and Ciela scurry off to find Astrid, and her home seems deserted. However, there’s a staircase leading to the basement, and once Link is inside, the door closes behind him and a bunch of Octoroks pop out. After they’re dealt with, Ciela notes a presence on the other side of the other door in the basement, and thinks Link should call out to whoever it is. Or, more accurately, the player should call out using the DS microphone. Once that’s done, the person in the locked room responds – it’s Astrid, and she locked herself in to hide from monsters, and by an incredibly user-friendly design, the panic room only opens from the outside. She points to the map by the door, and says that her assistant, Kayo, knows what needs to be done with the map to open the door.
Kayo’s gone from his home, but his journal tells whoever finds it to look to the east side of the island. Over that way, Link and Ciela find Kayo’s body, and his ghost pops out to tell Link to look for three torches on the island. (Ciela’s reaction to the ghost is to tell Link to “get” it, heh.) One torch is on a small island near Kayo’s body, and another was back in Kayo’s home, so that leaves on to find. It’s on the north side of the island. With the locations known, Link returns to Astrid and marks the locations on the map, opening the panic room. Astrid agrees to help find the ghost ship, and looks into a crystal ball, seeing that Link must confront darkness. His first step is the nearby Temple of Fire. As Link approaches the temple, the island’s volcano begins spewing rocks. To open the temple, Link needs to blow out the two candles at the entrance – by the player blowing into the microphone.
There are some key changes to dungeons in this game. (Or at least, the first dungeon.) The map is unlocked, floor by floor, as Link enters each floor. Instead of compasses, gossip stones tell Link how many chests he’s missing per floor and offer to mark the chests on the map. The big key needs to be carried to its lock, Four Swords Adventures-style. And there’s no miniboss. Still, the dungeoneering feels familiar. The dungeon item is the boomerang, which is controlled by tracing a flight path on the screen. (It can also be thrown directly at enemies.) There are a bunch of switch puzzles, as well as chances to show off the fine control the boomerang gives. Ciela also takes several opportunities to be Captain Obvious, telling Link not to walk into fire, to write down hints noted on walls, and that there’s an evil presence in the boss room.
That evil presence is Blaaz, Master of Fire, a simple boss. He’ll split into three smaller versions that Link needs to reunite with a boomerang toss, but otherwise he just teleports around the room and sometimes summons falling rocks. And, for some reason, it takes an incredible number of sword hits to kill him. But eventually, die he does. Once he’s gone, a fairy emerges from the center of the room, freed by Blaaz’ death. He’s Leaf, the Spirit of Power, and he joins with Link and Ciela in their quest. Clearing the temple has also settled the volcano.
Astrid says Link will ultimately need three spirits to find the Ghost Ship, one corresponding to each of the virtues of the Triforce. She doesn’t know where the other two spirits are, but knows where Link can find a hint: back in the Temple of the Ocean King on Mercay Island. She also gives him a Power Gem, one type of spirit gem, ten of which can raise the spirit’s power. Linebeck’s excited to be one step closer to fabulous riches and runs off, leaving Ciela disgusted as usual. Astrid says that Linebeck will ultimately turn out to be helpful, but Ciela has her doubts. But that’s not the important thing right now: back to Mercay and on with the quest!
Next: So are the minutes of Link’s life.
Friday, June 21, 2019
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Phantom Hourglass: Linebeck
The first floor of cave leading east covers the very basics of dungeoneering: some simple combat, using keys to unlock doors, an easy puzzle, and how things like pushing blocks and pulling levers works with the stylus controls. The second floor brings it all together; Link needs to get a key from a rat who scurries between two holes in the wall too fast for him to catch, so he blocks off one of the holes with a block, waits for the rat to come out of the other hole, stands between the rat and the hole, and catches the rat for the key.
As Link and Ciela emerge from the cave, Ciela says she’s not a big fan of Linebeck, whom she all hat, no cattle. But he’s possibly the only lead they’ve got for the Ghost Ship, so they head down to the docks to find him. Instead, they find another man admiring Linebeck’s ship. When he hears that Link’s looking for Linebeck, he points him to the local milk bar where Linebeck’s known to hang out, but he hasn’t been seen for a few days. The bartender says that Linebeck decided to explore a nearby temple devoted to the Ocean King, and then he and a patron begin trying to talk Link out of going there, saying that the temple has become cursed to drain the life out of any visitors. Still, they point out the temple’s location, because surely Link’s got enough sense to heed their warnings and stay clear.
On the way to the temple, Link takes the time to visit the tree he was pointed to and knocks a big green rupee (100) out. When they arrive, Ciela repeats the same information from the milk bar: built to honor the Ocean King, fallen into disrepair, cursed. Unlike them, however, she has no intentions of encouraging Link from abandoning the quest – heck, she’s been the one pushing for it all along. It’s like Link’s finally found the perfect fairy companion. Inside she’s a bit creeped out by the skeletons of those who failed to explore the temple. The skeletons can still talk, referring to the dangers inside. One refers to monsters Link won’t encounter, and another mentions making notes to help him when he comes back. So, the Temple of the Ocean King is apparently the dungeon Link’s coming back to.
As Link and Ciela enter the temple proper, someone calls to them. It turns out to be Linebeck, asking Link to help him. Ciela is annoyed by how rude Linebeck’s being even as he asks for help. Linebeck says he’s trapped, and can’t free himself because he sprained his ankle. When Link agrees to help, Linebeck explains the mechanics: the temple drains the life out of explorers, but areas shaded in purple are safe. After some quick exploration, Link finds a switch that lowers the spikes that are blocking Linebeck from the exit, and Linebeck runs for it. Link heads back to the entrance.
Ciela accuses Linebeck of faking, but he dismisses her and addresses Link. He asks what brought Link to the temple, and when Link apparently mentions the Ghost Ship, asks if Link is looking for the treasure. Ciela pipes up that they don’t know anything about treasure, but are trying to save Zelda, which causes Linebeck to change his tune: he’s willing to help. Linebeck’s looking for the ship too (for whatever treasure there is, no doubt), but hurt his ankle and… well, now they’re caught up. After making a display of how much his ankle hurts when Ciela doubts him again, he grabs Link and shakes him, telling him to explore the temple and find a clue to the Ghost Ship’s location. When Ciela accuses him of being scared, he says he’s letting Link have the glory instead, and gives him a key… while Link’s still woozy from being shaken (he stumbles around with swirly eyes doing the item get thing, and the jingle is off-key, heh) [1].
Exploring the rest of the room involves hitting two switches to disable spike traps, then grabbing a central treasure chest. The chest contains a sea map that uncovers the southwest portion of Link’s chart. The help text mentions showing it to Linebeck, only by time they get to the entrance, Linebeck’s ankle’s recovered enough that he’s gone outside. Linebeck takes a look at the map, and decides he’s got what he wants so he doesn’t have to play nice and runs off with it.
When Link and Ciela catch up to him at the dock, Oshus is there, having crossed the now-repaired bridge and come to see how things are going. Oshus is impressed by Link’s accomplishments, and with Linebeck unable to figure out anything useful from the map, takes it and gives it to Link to uncover the secret. Near the southeast corner of the map, Link discovers that parts of it can be flaked off to reveal a mark not unlike Din’s pearl on the Isle of Ember. There’s a fortune teller there who might be able to help locate the ship, so Link and Linebeck prepare to set sail together to find out what she knows. Oshus encourages Ciela to tag along, too, and she’s excited about it aside from having to put up with Linebeck. And one last thing: Link takes the money he’s found and goes to the island shop to buy a shield.
Next: I didn’t even know the DS had a microphone.
[1] The item get thing gets another poke if Link finds the chest Linebeck emptied for the key. He goes into the pose, only to reveal he got nothing.
As Link and Ciela emerge from the cave, Ciela says she’s not a big fan of Linebeck, whom she all hat, no cattle. But he’s possibly the only lead they’ve got for the Ghost Ship, so they head down to the docks to find him. Instead, they find another man admiring Linebeck’s ship. When he hears that Link’s looking for Linebeck, he points him to the local milk bar where Linebeck’s known to hang out, but he hasn’t been seen for a few days. The bartender says that Linebeck decided to explore a nearby temple devoted to the Ocean King, and then he and a patron begin trying to talk Link out of going there, saying that the temple has become cursed to drain the life out of any visitors. Still, they point out the temple’s location, because surely Link’s got enough sense to heed their warnings and stay clear.
On the way to the temple, Link takes the time to visit the tree he was pointed to and knocks a big green rupee (100) out. When they arrive, Ciela repeats the same information from the milk bar: built to honor the Ocean King, fallen into disrepair, cursed. Unlike them, however, she has no intentions of encouraging Link from abandoning the quest – heck, she’s been the one pushing for it all along. It’s like Link’s finally found the perfect fairy companion. Inside she’s a bit creeped out by the skeletons of those who failed to explore the temple. The skeletons can still talk, referring to the dangers inside. One refers to monsters Link won’t encounter, and another mentions making notes to help him when he comes back. So, the Temple of the Ocean King is apparently the dungeon Link’s coming back to.
As Link and Ciela enter the temple proper, someone calls to them. It turns out to be Linebeck, asking Link to help him. Ciela is annoyed by how rude Linebeck’s being even as he asks for help. Linebeck says he’s trapped, and can’t free himself because he sprained his ankle. When Link agrees to help, Linebeck explains the mechanics: the temple drains the life out of explorers, but areas shaded in purple are safe. After some quick exploration, Link finds a switch that lowers the spikes that are blocking Linebeck from the exit, and Linebeck runs for it. Link heads back to the entrance.
Ciela accuses Linebeck of faking, but he dismisses her and addresses Link. He asks what brought Link to the temple, and when Link apparently mentions the Ghost Ship, asks if Link is looking for the treasure. Ciela pipes up that they don’t know anything about treasure, but are trying to save Zelda, which causes Linebeck to change his tune: he’s willing to help. Linebeck’s looking for the ship too (for whatever treasure there is, no doubt), but hurt his ankle and… well, now they’re caught up. After making a display of how much his ankle hurts when Ciela doubts him again, he grabs Link and shakes him, telling him to explore the temple and find a clue to the Ghost Ship’s location. When Ciela accuses him of being scared, he says he’s letting Link have the glory instead, and gives him a key… while Link’s still woozy from being shaken (he stumbles around with swirly eyes doing the item get thing, and the jingle is off-key, heh) [1].
Exploring the rest of the room involves hitting two switches to disable spike traps, then grabbing a central treasure chest. The chest contains a sea map that uncovers the southwest portion of Link’s chart. The help text mentions showing it to Linebeck, only by time they get to the entrance, Linebeck’s ankle’s recovered enough that he’s gone outside. Linebeck takes a look at the map, and decides he’s got what he wants so he doesn’t have to play nice and runs off with it.
When Link and Ciela catch up to him at the dock, Oshus is there, having crossed the now-repaired bridge and come to see how things are going. Oshus is impressed by Link’s accomplishments, and with Linebeck unable to figure out anything useful from the map, takes it and gives it to Link to uncover the secret. Near the southeast corner of the map, Link discovers that parts of it can be flaked off to reveal a mark not unlike Din’s pearl on the Isle of Ember. There’s a fortune teller there who might be able to help locate the ship, so Link and Linebeck prepare to set sail together to find out what she knows. Oshus encourages Ciela to tag along, too, and she’s excited about it aside from having to put up with Linebeck. And one last thing: Link takes the money he’s found and goes to the island shop to buy a shield.
Next: I didn’t even know the DS had a microphone.
[1] The item get thing gets another poke if Link finds the chest Linebeck emptied for the key. He goes into the pose, only to reveal he got nothing.
Monday, June 17, 2019
Phantom Hourglass: Ciela and Oshus
“Hey!”
“Hey!”
“Hey!”
Link has landed on a beach and a fairy has been trying to get his attention. I’m not entirely sure the fairy’s voice is the same as Navi's (she doesn’t say “Listen!”), but if it’s not, they probably could have saved whatever money they spent recording the new clips. The fairy’s name is Ciela. She’s lost her memory, and has been living with a man she calls Grandpa. When she hears about the Ghost Ship and Zelda, she thinks Link should go talk to him. Control is given over to the player for the first time, giving me a chance to get used to controlling Link by poking the screen. It’s different, and I’m not a huge fan of this style of control, but most of it’s become fairly easy to get a handle on.
By time Link gets to Oshus, Ciela’s “Grandpa,” he’s been filled in on what Link intends to do. He tries to talk Link out of his goal, but Link’s not easily dissuaded, and neither is Ciela. So with a grumble about young people, he points Link to the nearby harbor village, where Link can find a sailor named Linebeck, who might be willing to help Link find the Ghost Ship. Ciela mentions that he’d come to visit them, and wants to go with Link to point Linebeck out. Oshus agrees, to Ciela’s great delight. Oshus has one final warning: there are monsters about the island, and Link needs to be careful.
As Link heads to the village, an earthquake strikes the island, and Ciela notes that they’ve been happening a lot recently. The bridge leading from Oshus’ home to the village is knocked out by the earthquake. A woman standing by the wrecked bridge tells Link and Ciela about another way to the village around to the north, but the path is filled with monsters so the only thing to do is wait for the bridge to be fixed. Oshus agrees with this careful plan, but Link and Ciela have to go see the monsters for themselves. In fact, a flag has to be set by Ciela commenting on the monsters – you can’t go to the path, see the ChuChus, realize Link doesn’t have a sword [1], and go back to Oshus to advance the plot without her nudge.
Despite Oshus’ continued insistence that Link and Ciela wait for the bridge to be repaired, Ciela isn’t giving up on dashing to the rescue. She and Link find a cave that Oshus uses to store stuff, including a sword. She remembers his passnumber hint, which gives Link the opportunity to find it and write it on the sign forbidding entry to the back room. With the room now open, Link goes in and finds the sword Ciela mentioned. She says they shouldn’t tell Oshus they’re taking it, but he’s there to greet them as they come out and notices Link has the sword. He agrees to let Link use the sword – after a swordplay tutorial. In-universe, while it makes sense for Oshus to make sure Link can use the sword, Link should be able to quickly show that he’s advanced beyond “the pointy end goes into the other man.” But out-of-universe, since the control scheme is all-new, it’s very welcome. The targeted attack is easy, the side slash is slightly more complicated but not bad, but the spin attack, which requires drawing a circle around Link, I can only manage about half the time.
There’s one more tutorial before Link sets out to the north – a guy had a bunch of rocks fall into his field and he wants Link to clear them. He rewards Link with a single rupee – which actually gets the full item get sequence – and then to make up for it not being very much, tells Link about a tree he might want to crash into off to the northwest, which introduces the idea of using the DS touchscreen to make notes on the map. As Link takes the trail and fights off a few Red ChuChus, there’s a gossip stone that tells how to roll, and suggests rolling into a nearby tree. I'm about as good at rolling as I am spin attacking, but I got the red rupee out. At the end of the trail, Link heads into the cave that leads to the eastern end of the island.
Next: How to run with a sprained ankle.
[1] The Master Sword got left in Ganon in Hyrule, but did Link not keep the sword he got from Orca? I guess it could have been lost when he went overboard, or he had it stowed somewhere on Tetra’s ship and didn’t have time to get it before his ill-fated attempt to jump over and rescue her.
“Hey!”
“Hey!”
Link has landed on a beach and a fairy has been trying to get his attention. I’m not entirely sure the fairy’s voice is the same as Navi's (she doesn’t say “Listen!”), but if it’s not, they probably could have saved whatever money they spent recording the new clips. The fairy’s name is Ciela. She’s lost her memory, and has been living with a man she calls Grandpa. When she hears about the Ghost Ship and Zelda, she thinks Link should go talk to him. Control is given over to the player for the first time, giving me a chance to get used to controlling Link by poking the screen. It’s different, and I’m not a huge fan of this style of control, but most of it’s become fairly easy to get a handle on.
By time Link gets to Oshus, Ciela’s “Grandpa,” he’s been filled in on what Link intends to do. He tries to talk Link out of his goal, but Link’s not easily dissuaded, and neither is Ciela. So with a grumble about young people, he points Link to the nearby harbor village, where Link can find a sailor named Linebeck, who might be willing to help Link find the Ghost Ship. Ciela mentions that he’d come to visit them, and wants to go with Link to point Linebeck out. Oshus agrees, to Ciela’s great delight. Oshus has one final warning: there are monsters about the island, and Link needs to be careful.
As Link heads to the village, an earthquake strikes the island, and Ciela notes that they’ve been happening a lot recently. The bridge leading from Oshus’ home to the village is knocked out by the earthquake. A woman standing by the wrecked bridge tells Link and Ciela about another way to the village around to the north, but the path is filled with monsters so the only thing to do is wait for the bridge to be fixed. Oshus agrees with this careful plan, but Link and Ciela have to go see the monsters for themselves. In fact, a flag has to be set by Ciela commenting on the monsters – you can’t go to the path, see the ChuChus, realize Link doesn’t have a sword [1], and go back to Oshus to advance the plot without her nudge.
Despite Oshus’ continued insistence that Link and Ciela wait for the bridge to be repaired, Ciela isn’t giving up on dashing to the rescue. She and Link find a cave that Oshus uses to store stuff, including a sword. She remembers his passnumber hint, which gives Link the opportunity to find it and write it on the sign forbidding entry to the back room. With the room now open, Link goes in and finds the sword Ciela mentioned. She says they shouldn’t tell Oshus they’re taking it, but he’s there to greet them as they come out and notices Link has the sword. He agrees to let Link use the sword – after a swordplay tutorial. In-universe, while it makes sense for Oshus to make sure Link can use the sword, Link should be able to quickly show that he’s advanced beyond “the pointy end goes into the other man.” But out-of-universe, since the control scheme is all-new, it’s very welcome. The targeted attack is easy, the side slash is slightly more complicated but not bad, but the spin attack, which requires drawing a circle around Link, I can only manage about half the time.
There’s one more tutorial before Link sets out to the north – a guy had a bunch of rocks fall into his field and he wants Link to clear them. He rewards Link with a single rupee – which actually gets the full item get sequence – and then to make up for it not being very much, tells Link about a tree he might want to crash into off to the northwest, which introduces the idea of using the DS touchscreen to make notes on the map. As Link takes the trail and fights off a few Red ChuChus, there’s a gossip stone that tells how to roll, and suggests rolling into a nearby tree. I'm about as good at rolling as I am spin attacking, but I got the red rupee out. At the end of the trail, Link heads into the cave that leads to the eastern end of the island.
Next: How to run with a sprained ankle.
[1] The Master Sword got left in Ganon in Hyrule, but did Link not keep the sword he got from Orca? I guess it could have been lost when he went overboard, or he had it stowed somewhere on Tetra’s ship and didn’t have time to get it before his ill-fated attempt to jump over and rescue her.
Friday, June 14, 2019
Phantom Hourglass: Introduction and Story
The Weird Controls Era begins. Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks are both designed around touchscreen/stylus controls, and then Skyward Sword is the motion control game. (I guess you could say Twilight Princess started the Weird Controls Era with its experiments in motion controls, but it also had a GameCube version with… well, I hesitate to call the GameCube controller “normal” [1][2], but it’s a gamepad.)
What I know about this game:
“Our story begins not long ago…
There was a young girl, savvy to the seas and head of a band of pirates. Her name was Tetra. She was pretty, brash, and brave. Tetra and her handsome pirates set out to explore the vast and unfamiliar seas. One day on a stop at an island, Tetra met a young boy dressed in green. After a series of strange events, the two began traveling together…
They found old ruins, and light enveloped Tetra. At once, she transformed into a beautiful princess. Her lineage traced back to an ancient, ruined kingdom. She was Princess Zelda of the Kingdom of Hyrule. Just then, a huge, ominous king appeared! He carried Princess Zelda away…
The evil king sought the power passed down to Hyrulian [sic] princesses. He schemed to take the power and use it himself. The boy chased after him, determined to save the princess…
The boy crossed seas and climbed mountains. The journey was perilous. He slayed evil monsters and used their power to become a true hero. After long and hard adventuring, he defeated the evil king. And beautiful Princess Zelda was rescued at last. Later, the two set out with the brave pirate crew in search of new lands…
Yes, they set sail together! A happy pirate ending!”
It’s like the movie version of the Wind Waker real events. The story is condensed, omitting several details (the Triforce seems unique to Zelda, not something she, Ganon, and Link each had a piece of; the King of Red Lions doesn’t appear; the final fate of Hyrule isn’t mentioned). The only major twists that gets spoiled are that Hyrule is ruined and Tetra is Zelda, which given that the story starts with that same group of pirates, is going to be important to know, while the rest of it can wait for people to go back and play Wind Waker to find out.
That impression is not at all informed by the fact that it’s a story Niko is narrating, complete with adorable paper cutouts he made that serve as the game’s illustrations. And he’s talking to Link who has fallen asleep on the deck. (Hey, it’s the start of the game.) Tetra comes down to yell at them for playing and sleeping while they’re supposed to be on lookout. Link sits up, but is still groggy, prompting Tetra to mock his legendary hero status. Mako calls down to tell Tetra that they’ve reached their destination, but he calls her “Princess Zelda,” which seems to annoy her – she prefers Tetra.
We get some more exposition: They’re looking for a ghost ship, and several other ships are said to have gone missing in the area. Gonzo adds that the waters in the area are protected by a sea spirit called the Ocean King. Tetra seems dismissive of the idea of a ghost ship – apparently Link didn’t share that particular story with her – and thinks it’s just pirates cultivating a reputation, and feels similarly about the Ocean King. Link spends much of the time with his head lolled back and then finally pulls it upright but is still pretty groggy – until the sky turns stormy.
Zuko calls down “Ship ahoy!” and a ship appears on the horizon. Even if it’s not a ghost ship, it’s still creepy and obviously evil. It pulls up alongside Tetra’s ship, and Tetra jumps over to investigate the mystery and recover any treasure they have. The ghost ship disappears – and a scream is heard – before Link can follow her over, and Link falls overboard. While he’s unconscious, he sees Tetra repeating “Link… save me….”
Next: Another familiar voice.
[1] Or the N64 three-handled monstrosity, for that matter.
[2] Yes, I play Smash Bros. No, I don’t get it.
What I know about this game:
- It’s kind of like Wind Waker. It’s got the same art style, it’s set in the same branch of the timeline (as a sequel), and also at sea.
- There’s a central dungeon that Link has to revisit between each of the main dungeons.
- There’s one more thing that I wasn’t sure applies to this or Spirit Tracks, but having played even just a little bit, is probably Spirit Tracks, so I'll acknowledge it if it comes up but otherwise leave it for the next game.
“Our story begins not long ago…
There was a young girl, savvy to the seas and head of a band of pirates. Her name was Tetra. She was pretty, brash, and brave. Tetra and her handsome pirates set out to explore the vast and unfamiliar seas. One day on a stop at an island, Tetra met a young boy dressed in green. After a series of strange events, the two began traveling together…
They found old ruins, and light enveloped Tetra. At once, she transformed into a beautiful princess. Her lineage traced back to an ancient, ruined kingdom. She was Princess Zelda of the Kingdom of Hyrule. Just then, a huge, ominous king appeared! He carried Princess Zelda away…
The evil king sought the power passed down to Hyrulian [sic] princesses. He schemed to take the power and use it himself. The boy chased after him, determined to save the princess…
The boy crossed seas and climbed mountains. The journey was perilous. He slayed evil monsters and used their power to become a true hero. After long and hard adventuring, he defeated the evil king. And beautiful Princess Zelda was rescued at last. Later, the two set out with the brave pirate crew in search of new lands…
Yes, they set sail together! A happy pirate ending!”
It’s like the movie version of the Wind Waker real events. The story is condensed, omitting several details (the Triforce seems unique to Zelda, not something she, Ganon, and Link each had a piece of; the King of Red Lions doesn’t appear; the final fate of Hyrule isn’t mentioned). The only major twists that gets spoiled are that Hyrule is ruined and Tetra is Zelda, which given that the story starts with that same group of pirates, is going to be important to know, while the rest of it can wait for people to go back and play Wind Waker to find out.
That impression is not at all informed by the fact that it’s a story Niko is narrating, complete with adorable paper cutouts he made that serve as the game’s illustrations. And he’s talking to Link who has fallen asleep on the deck. (Hey, it’s the start of the game.) Tetra comes down to yell at them for playing and sleeping while they’re supposed to be on lookout. Link sits up, but is still groggy, prompting Tetra to mock his legendary hero status. Mako calls down to tell Tetra that they’ve reached their destination, but he calls her “Princess Zelda,” which seems to annoy her – she prefers Tetra.
We get some more exposition: They’re looking for a ghost ship, and several other ships are said to have gone missing in the area. Gonzo adds that the waters in the area are protected by a sea spirit called the Ocean King. Tetra seems dismissive of the idea of a ghost ship – apparently Link didn’t share that particular story with her – and thinks it’s just pirates cultivating a reputation, and feels similarly about the Ocean King. Link spends much of the time with his head lolled back and then finally pulls it upright but is still pretty groggy – until the sky turns stormy.
Zuko calls down “Ship ahoy!” and a ship appears on the horizon. Even if it’s not a ghost ship, it’s still creepy and obviously evil. It pulls up alongside Tetra’s ship, and Tetra jumps over to investigate the mystery and recover any treasure they have. The ghost ship disappears – and a scream is heard – before Link can follow her over, and Link falls overboard. While he’s unconscious, he sees Tetra repeating “Link… save me….”
Next: Another familiar voice.
[1] Or the N64 three-handled monstrosity, for that matter.
[2] Yes, I play Smash Bros. No, I don’t get it.
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Twilight Princess: Ganon
After being forced out of Zelda’s body, Ganon reincorporates and turns into a pig-lion dark beast. He’s got three basic moves: running a ring around the throne room and eventually teleporting, charging at Link, or trying to drop on Link. When he materializes after teleporting, or during his charge, Link has a chance to hit his forehead with an arrow, which causes him to roll onto his side and give Link some free shots at the scar on his chest. Eventually he catches wise to how Link’s fighting and teleports away the second before an arrow would hit him, and Midna suggests matching him beast for beast. Link turns into the wolf and can grapple a charging Ganon and toss him aside – a throwback to doing the same with Gorons, or the sumo wrestling. After enough hits, Ganon falls.
With Ganon down, the gift Zelda gave Midna to heal her returns to Zelda, and she wakes up. They express the understanding they gained while Zelda’s spirit was inside Midna, but are rudely interrupted when Ganon starts preparing for the next phase of the battle. Midna summons the Fused Shadow, teleports Link and Zelda outside before they can stop her, and turns into the gigantic twilight beast to fight Ganon herself. Link and Zelda materialize in Hyrule Field and can only watch as Hyrule Castle fscking explodes, and when the dust settles, Ganon is sitting on his black stallion holding Midna’s helmet. He crushes the helmet and summons phantom riders to come after Link and Zelda. [1] Zelda calls on the light spirits, who teleport Link and Zelda away before they’re run over and give Zelda light arrows to fight Ganon.
Link and Zelda return to the field on Epona, leading to a chase fight where Zelda shoots Ganon with the arrows and then Link takes advantage of the stun to move in for sword attacks. After enough of this, Ganon’s horse falls, but he gets up to challenge Link one last time. He summons a barrier around the two of them for a final sword fight, Chosen Hero vs. Dark Lord. Mortal Drawing doesn’t work very well against him (maybe it does and I just couldn’t get the timing right, but either way, I wasn’t able to use it), but the Back Slice does okay. Eventually, Link will knock Ganon down and have a chance to land an Ending Blow.
Ganon screams as Link plunges the Master Sword into his chest, but is still able to get back up, still defiant. However, his defeat causes the Triforce of Power to abandon him, leaving him just a mortal man. A mortal man run through by a sword. Ganon sees a vision of Zant, who tilts his head to the side breaking his neck, and Ganon dies. The light spirits appear again, with a silhouette that resembles Midna’s, and Link runs to check it out. He finds a cloaked woman kneeling, and the woman – Midna, restored to her true Twili form – turns to look at him and smiles. And just in case there’s any doubt it’s Midna, she speaks with the familiar voice and irreverent tone, “What? Say something! Am I so beautiful that you’ve no more words left?”
The credits roll with the expected scenes of life going on in Hyrule now that the threat has passed. Highlights include a big line of people in Hyrule Castle Town doing the Malo Mart dance, Rutela still watching over her son, hearts floating over the yetis’ home, Telma’s group investigating the area around the Temple of Time, and of course the Ordon Village homecoming and reunions. There’s a mid-credits scene in the Mirror Chamber as Midna returns to her world. Zelda says the Mirror was left so that they could meet. As Midna’s leaving, she crystalizes a tear and sends it into the Mirror, causing it to crack, and once she’s gone, the Mirror shatters. The final scenes of the game echo the beginning: Fado runs up to Link’s house, calling for him; over by the road, Ilia watches as Link rides off on Epona.
Twilight Princess has got a great supporting cast, headlined of course by Midna, the best advisor companion yet, and a wide variety of memorable supporting players. The dungeons and bosses are all among the best in the series. It’s definitely in the top tier of Zelda games for me, along with A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, and Majora’s Mask.
[1] When it became apparent I was going to need to split this post from the Hyrule Castle post, this was where I thought I should leave off.
With Ganon down, the gift Zelda gave Midna to heal her returns to Zelda, and she wakes up. They express the understanding they gained while Zelda’s spirit was inside Midna, but are rudely interrupted when Ganon starts preparing for the next phase of the battle. Midna summons the Fused Shadow, teleports Link and Zelda outside before they can stop her, and turns into the gigantic twilight beast to fight Ganon herself. Link and Zelda materialize in Hyrule Field and can only watch as Hyrule Castle fscking explodes, and when the dust settles, Ganon is sitting on his black stallion holding Midna’s helmet. He crushes the helmet and summons phantom riders to come after Link and Zelda. [1] Zelda calls on the light spirits, who teleport Link and Zelda away before they’re run over and give Zelda light arrows to fight Ganon.
Link and Zelda return to the field on Epona, leading to a chase fight where Zelda shoots Ganon with the arrows and then Link takes advantage of the stun to move in for sword attacks. After enough of this, Ganon’s horse falls, but he gets up to challenge Link one last time. He summons a barrier around the two of them for a final sword fight, Chosen Hero vs. Dark Lord. Mortal Drawing doesn’t work very well against him (maybe it does and I just couldn’t get the timing right, but either way, I wasn’t able to use it), but the Back Slice does okay. Eventually, Link will knock Ganon down and have a chance to land an Ending Blow.
Ganon screams as Link plunges the Master Sword into his chest, but is still able to get back up, still defiant. However, his defeat causes the Triforce of Power to abandon him, leaving him just a mortal man. A mortal man run through by a sword. Ganon sees a vision of Zant, who tilts his head to the side breaking his neck, and Ganon dies. The light spirits appear again, with a silhouette that resembles Midna’s, and Link runs to check it out. He finds a cloaked woman kneeling, and the woman – Midna, restored to her true Twili form – turns to look at him and smiles. And just in case there’s any doubt it’s Midna, she speaks with the familiar voice and irreverent tone, “What? Say something! Am I so beautiful that you’ve no more words left?”
The credits roll with the expected scenes of life going on in Hyrule now that the threat has passed. Highlights include a big line of people in Hyrule Castle Town doing the Malo Mart dance, Rutela still watching over her son, hearts floating over the yetis’ home, Telma’s group investigating the area around the Temple of Time, and of course the Ordon Village homecoming and reunions. There’s a mid-credits scene in the Mirror Chamber as Midna returns to her world. Zelda says the Mirror was left so that they could meet. As Midna’s leaving, she crystalizes a tear and sends it into the Mirror, causing it to crack, and once she’s gone, the Mirror shatters. The final scenes of the game echo the beginning: Fado runs up to Link’s house, calling for him; over by the road, Ilia watches as Link rides off on Epona.
Twilight Princess has got a great supporting cast, headlined of course by Midna, the best advisor companion yet, and a wide variety of memorable supporting players. The dungeons and bosses are all among the best in the series. It’s definitely in the top tier of Zelda games for me, along with A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, and Majora’s Mask.
[1] When it became apparent I was going to need to split this post from the Hyrule Castle post, this was where I thought I should leave off.
Monday, June 10, 2019
Twilight Princess: Hyrule Castle
Before I start, a word about fishing. I tried, I really did. I actually got okay at it. But the tenth time I caught that same fscking greengill, I decided finding out what the other three types of fish are could wait until I take on the Wii U version, where I’ll try to remember to catch a fish every time I’m near water. I don’t see the appeal of fishing in real life, and playing a simulated version is about doubly meh. Aside from that, there’s nothing left to do (aside from stocking up on consumables), so Link heads to the twilight barrier around Hyrule Castle. Midna takes the moment and brings together the Fused Shadow. Its power overwhelms her at first and sends her bouncing against and eventually over the walls, but she emerges as a giant twilight beast that summons a light spear that shatters the barrier. The scene cuts to Midna, back in her imp form, waking up in Link’s arms as the Hyrule Castle fanfare plays.
Before entering Hyrule Castle, Link and Midna explore the grounds. There are two keys, the map, and lots of rupees to collect out here. One of the keys is held by King Bulblin, who challenges Link to one last sword fight. When it becomes apparent Link is the better swordsman, the King admits defeat and hands over the key, saying, “I follow the strongest side. That is all I have ever known.” As he walks away, Midna emerges from Link’s shadow, astonished that King Bulblin can actually speak.
The first part of the castle interior is a short mix of puzzles and combat. After the first two rooms, the path branches and Link can go one of two ways. The first way is mostly fighting, including another fight against two Darknuts that for some reason gave me more trouble than the fight against three of them in the Cave of Ordeals. At the end of the path, Link can either go forward, or back to the entryway to collect the last two treasure chests and go back and try the other path. (The level designer thought of completionists, hooray!) The other path doesn’t have any enemies harder than Dinolfos, but there’s a tricky puzzle involving lighting torches while being swarmed by Keese.
Out in the courtyard, as Link approaches the chest with the big key, a bunch of enemies stand in his way. Then the archers get shot down, the ones charging at Link explode, and a hawk flies down to Rusl, who’s there with the others from Telma’s bar. Rusl waves, Link nods, and as the group continues on their way, Link heads into the tower. The puzzle there is a simple one once you know what to do: the floor tiles collapse, but there are ghosts Wolf Link can see who’ll point him in the right direction. The stairs up the tower are half missing; one set requires Spider-Linking between grates on the wall to pass, the last brings out the Spinner for one last ride. Then Link fights one final Darknut, and uses the last key to open a room full of chests and pots that make sure he’s well-stocked before heading to fight Ganon.
As Link and Midna enter the throne room, they find a lifeless Zelda suspended in a broken statue depicting the goddesses and Triforce. Ganon, sitting on the throne, holding the sword used to try to execute him, with a giant glowing scar on his chest, welcomes them. He talks about the Twili, how their anguish over their banishment served to help him grow strong, but their power pales before that of the Triforce. When he claims that his link with the Triforce of Power makes him fit to be king, Midna defiantly scoffs at him. Ganon is amused and welcomes the challenge, and moves toward Zelda. Midna tries to protect her, but Ganon splinters into twilight and passes by. Zelda is unharmed – but Ganon has possessed her. Midna moves to strike, but can’t bring herself to do it. She gets blown back, and as Link runs to her, a twilight barrier pops up separating them. Ganon’s puppet Zelda floats down with a few last words about their defiance, and the boss fight begins.
Puppet Zelda has three attacks: charging, creating a glowing triangle on the ground, and throwing an energy ball at Link. The last is the important one, and Link needs to bounce the attack back at her – the old familiar game. After three successfully reflected attacks, Ganon is weakened enough that the barrier comes down, and is powerless as Midna uses the Fused Shadow to drive Ganon out of Zelda’s body. Then, in a great little moment, she comes and leans against Link’s shoulder and the two smile at each other, even as Ganon begins to reincorporate.
Next: Link vs. Ganon.
Before entering Hyrule Castle, Link and Midna explore the grounds. There are two keys, the map, and lots of rupees to collect out here. One of the keys is held by King Bulblin, who challenges Link to one last sword fight. When it becomes apparent Link is the better swordsman, the King admits defeat and hands over the key, saying, “I follow the strongest side. That is all I have ever known.” As he walks away, Midna emerges from Link’s shadow, astonished that King Bulblin can actually speak.
The first part of the castle interior is a short mix of puzzles and combat. After the first two rooms, the path branches and Link can go one of two ways. The first way is mostly fighting, including another fight against two Darknuts that for some reason gave me more trouble than the fight against three of them in the Cave of Ordeals. At the end of the path, Link can either go forward, or back to the entryway to collect the last two treasure chests and go back and try the other path. (The level designer thought of completionists, hooray!) The other path doesn’t have any enemies harder than Dinolfos, but there’s a tricky puzzle involving lighting torches while being swarmed by Keese.
Out in the courtyard, as Link approaches the chest with the big key, a bunch of enemies stand in his way. Then the archers get shot down, the ones charging at Link explode, and a hawk flies down to Rusl, who’s there with the others from Telma’s bar. Rusl waves, Link nods, and as the group continues on their way, Link heads into the tower. The puzzle there is a simple one once you know what to do: the floor tiles collapse, but there are ghosts Wolf Link can see who’ll point him in the right direction. The stairs up the tower are half missing; one set requires Spider-Linking between grates on the wall to pass, the last brings out the Spinner for one last ride. Then Link fights one final Darknut, and uses the last key to open a room full of chests and pots that make sure he’s well-stocked before heading to fight Ganon.
As Link and Midna enter the throne room, they find a lifeless Zelda suspended in a broken statue depicting the goddesses and Triforce. Ganon, sitting on the throne, holding the sword used to try to execute him, with a giant glowing scar on his chest, welcomes them. He talks about the Twili, how their anguish over their banishment served to help him grow strong, but their power pales before that of the Triforce. When he claims that his link with the Triforce of Power makes him fit to be king, Midna defiantly scoffs at him. Ganon is amused and welcomes the challenge, and moves toward Zelda. Midna tries to protect her, but Ganon splinters into twilight and passes by. Zelda is unharmed – but Ganon has possessed her. Midna moves to strike, but can’t bring herself to do it. She gets blown back, and as Link runs to her, a twilight barrier pops up separating them. Ganon’s puppet Zelda floats down with a few last words about their defiance, and the boss fight begins.
Puppet Zelda has three attacks: charging, creating a glowing triangle on the ground, and throwing an energy ball at Link. The last is the important one, and Link needs to bounce the attack back at her – the old familiar game. After three successfully reflected attacks, Ganon is weakened enough that the barrier comes down, and is powerless as Midna uses the Fused Shadow to drive Ganon out of Zelda’s body. Then, in a great little moment, she comes and leans against Link’s shoulder and the two smile at each other, even as Ganon begins to reincorporate.
Next: Link vs. Ganon.
Friday, June 7, 2019
Twilight Princess: Palace of Twilight
As Link and Midna prepare to begin exploring the Palace of Twilight, she has one last request for Link: That she be allowed to hide in his shadow until they finish. She’s embarrassed about her transformation, and would rather her people not see her like that. There are some Twili hanging around in the outside area; they’re cursed, but not as fully transformed as the ones Link’s been fighting under the portals. They’re also not hostile to Link, so he can go about his business.
The main objective for the first part of the dungeon is to get two sols, balls of solid light, and return them to the starting area. When deposited into sockets, they open up hard light platforms that help Link find the way forward. Complications in this endeavor include patches of dark fog, which turn Link back into the wolf, the various shadow enemies Link has fought up to this point, and new enemies which are giant versions of Zant’s helmet that spit fireballs at Link finally giving a good chance to use the shield bash ability to reflect projectiles. At the end of each path, Link fights a phantom version of Zant that teleports all around the room, trying to summon swarms of enemies. The trick for these fights is catching the phantom at the perfect moment where it’s too late for it to teleport away, but still before the summon can be completed.
After defeating each phantom Zant, Link can knock a sol out of a nearby hand holding it. The hands function as a combination of the various master enemies and Phanto from Super Mario Bros. 2 [1]: they will relentlessly chase after the sol, trying to get it back. Unlike Phanto, they can be temporarily stunned with arrows. Getting back to the courtyard requires an intricate dance of using the sol to disperse the dark fog, placing it to create the platforms leading forward, and grabbing it with the Clawshot before the hand scoops it up. Along the way back, Link can claim the 44th and 45th heart pieces, completing that collection.
Once both sols have been returned to the courtyard, they open a staircase leading forward. They also imbue the Master Sword with their light, allowing it to disperse the dark fog and do more damage to the shadow foes. (This is the closest the dungeon comes to having a treasure item.) The rest of the dungeon is a platforming climb up the central tower, culminating in a room filled with dark fog and shadow enemies and, surprisingly, not a lot of useful items for the fight with Zant.
Zant greets Link and Midna by telling him his story. He believed the Twili royal family was weak for accepting their exile into the Twilight Realm rather than fighting back, and only put up with them because he believed he’d be the next king. When he was passed over for Midna, his despair led him right to Ganon. Ganon gave him the power to take over the Twilight Realm and the world of light, spreading darkness and… well, Zant doesn’t say it, but his actions let Ganon leave the Twilight Realm to take another shot at conquering Hyrule. Throughout the cutscene, Zant’s behavior becomes more erratic – twisting himself in odd ways, and a petulant display hopping around when he talks about being passed over. (This is actually more like the weird Zant from Hyrule Warriors. On the topic of that game, I recognized the inspiration for a lot of the attacks he uses.) Once he’s done speaking, the battle with the usurper king begins.
The first five phases of the fight recreate elements from earlier boss/miniboss fights:
Defeating Zant didn’t restore Midna’s form, and he taunts her that she was transformed with Ganon’s power, so of course it did nothing. Midna says the reason he was passed over to rule was because he has the same lust for power that led the gods to banish the Twili’s ancestors in the first place. Zant says Ganon will resurrect him, before Midna’s hair grows into three long tendrils that stab him, causing him to explode. Midna’s horrified by just how powerful she is now – she only used a little bit of it killing Zant – but she also can give Zelda back her own power and save Hyrule.
Next: One castle stormed and false king dethroned, one to go.
[1] The American game by that name, not The Lost Levels.
The main objective for the first part of the dungeon is to get two sols, balls of solid light, and return them to the starting area. When deposited into sockets, they open up hard light platforms that help Link find the way forward. Complications in this endeavor include patches of dark fog, which turn Link back into the wolf, the various shadow enemies Link has fought up to this point, and new enemies which are giant versions of Zant’s helmet that spit fireballs at Link finally giving a good chance to use the shield bash ability to reflect projectiles. At the end of each path, Link fights a phantom version of Zant that teleports all around the room, trying to summon swarms of enemies. The trick for these fights is catching the phantom at the perfect moment where it’s too late for it to teleport away, but still before the summon can be completed.
After defeating each phantom Zant, Link can knock a sol out of a nearby hand holding it. The hands function as a combination of the various master enemies and Phanto from Super Mario Bros. 2 [1]: they will relentlessly chase after the sol, trying to get it back. Unlike Phanto, they can be temporarily stunned with arrows. Getting back to the courtyard requires an intricate dance of using the sol to disperse the dark fog, placing it to create the platforms leading forward, and grabbing it with the Clawshot before the hand scoops it up. Along the way back, Link can claim the 44th and 45th heart pieces, completing that collection.
Once both sols have been returned to the courtyard, they open a staircase leading forward. They also imbue the Master Sword with their light, allowing it to disperse the dark fog and do more damage to the shadow foes. (This is the closest the dungeon comes to having a treasure item.) The rest of the dungeon is a platforming climb up the central tower, culminating in a room filled with dark fog and shadow enemies and, surprisingly, not a lot of useful items for the fight with Zant.
Zant greets Link and Midna by telling him his story. He believed the Twili royal family was weak for accepting their exile into the Twilight Realm rather than fighting back, and only put up with them because he believed he’d be the next king. When he was passed over for Midna, his despair led him right to Ganon. Ganon gave him the power to take over the Twilight Realm and the world of light, spreading darkness and… well, Zant doesn’t say it, but his actions let Ganon leave the Twilight Realm to take another shot at conquering Hyrule. Throughout the cutscene, Zant’s behavior becomes more erratic – twisting himself in odd ways, and a petulant display hopping around when he talks about being passed over. (This is actually more like the weird Zant from Hyrule Warriors. On the topic of that game, I recognized the inspiration for a lot of the attacks he uses.) Once he’s done speaking, the battle with the usurper king begins.
The first five phases of the fight recreate elements from earlier boss/miniboss fights:
- Diababa – Zant teleports around, shooting energy at Link. Link can grab him with the Gale Boomerang to bring him closer for sword attacks.
- Dangoro – Zant jumps around the metal plate, trying to shake Link off. Link can hold on with the iron boots, then chase Zant down when he tries to shoot energy at him.
- Morpheel – Underwater; Zant appears inside a giant version of his helmet, then later, one of four helmets. Link pulls him out via Clawshot.
- Ook – Zant shoots energy from the top of pillars. Link knocks him off, causing him to land on his head and get stuck.
- Blizzeta – On ice; Zant grows enormous and flies around, trying to land on Link. Link dodges and smashes Zant’s foot with the flail, causing him to shrink as he hops around holding his foot. This was the worst phase; getting enough traction to chase Zant down to stab him was tough.
Defeating Zant didn’t restore Midna’s form, and he taunts her that she was transformed with Ganon’s power, so of course it did nothing. Midna says the reason he was passed over to rule was because he has the same lust for power that led the gods to banish the Twili’s ancestors in the first place. Zant says Ganon will resurrect him, before Midna’s hair grows into three long tendrils that stab him, causing him to explode. Midna’s horrified by just how powerful she is now – she only used a little bit of it killing Zant – but she also can give Zelda back her own power and save Hyrule.
Next: One castle stormed and false king dethroned, one to go.
[1] The American game by that name, not The Lost Levels.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Twilight Princess: Princess of Twilight
Getting down from the sky involves getting shot out of a cannon again. I’m not sure about the physics here, but Link and Midna were okay jumping off the bridge into Lake Hylia when it was more like Puddle Hylia, so, whatever. (Also, think of the catgirls.) The postman has two letters for Link. The first is from Ooccoo and Jr.; Jr.’ s excited, while Ooccoo thanks Link for everything he’s done for them. The second letter is from Purlo, challenging Link to a new version of the STAR game.
Link finds this version of the game has a lot more balls of light to collect, and no platforms to help. Of course, he’s got the Double Clawshots now to zip around the room; it’s a matter of finding the lines of lights to zip along while the fangirls squee. Beaten again, Purlo gives Link the second quiver upgrade and seems to have lost his desire to challenge him further. Out in Hyrule, there are a couple Clawshot targets that Link couldn’t properly explore until he got the second Clawshot. Now he has both and can get to the chests: one has rupees, the other a heart piece.
Back when Link repaired the Bridge of Eldin, he opened the way into the Cave of Ordeals, a gauntlet challenge similar to Wind Waker’s Savage Labyrinth. It’s fifty levels divided into five sets: nine levels of enemies followed by a visit from the Great Fairy. The Great Fairy doesn’t heal Link; in fact, there’s almost no healing available in the Cave aside from what Link brings with him. There are a couple groups of ChuChus, and Link has to be quick if he doesn’t want to take his chances with purple jelly which has a random effect because they spawn in huge groups with only a few blues/reds (and sometimes a yellow, which is probably standing in for a rare one) that quickly combine. And there are a few places where Wolf Link can dig to find rupees (to further power the magic armor) or hearts.
For the most part, the combat in the Cave is simply a matter of keeping everything in front of Link and hacking away until everything’s dead. Complications include the ghoul rats which are only visible to Wolf Link using his senses and slow his movements and hordes of small enemies that can slip through Link’s defense. There doesn’t seem to be any theme to the levels, unlike in the Savage Labyrinth where each the first four set’s foes appeared in collections based on the same dungeon. Each set of levels after the first requires using the items from the dungeons to access: Arbiter’s Grounds (spinner), Snowpeak Ruins (flail), Temple of Time (dominion rod), and City in the Sky (double clawhots).
The last level of the fourth set pits Link against a pair of Darknuts. Three of the final four groups of enemies are worse: a bunch of Chilfos (the enemy that gave me the worst trouble out of anything in the whole gauntlet) backed by a couple Freezards with the ghoul rats hanging around, a Darknut with a pair of Aeralfos, and finally three Darknuts. The good news is, I quickly got the hang of the second phase of the Darknut fight. (Dodge their attack and counterattack. Seems obvious in hindsight, really.)
The rewards for making it through the Cave of Ordeals: For the first four visits with the Great Fairy, fairies appear in a spirit’s spring. With the final one, Link gets a bottle of Great Fairy’s Tears, and they become available at the springs. (This is the source Jovani spoke of.) Link can only get them from the spring if he doesn’t already have a bottle of them, but I guess the game figures since I didn’t use them getting through the Cave of Ordeals, it’s not going to break the game for me to have two bottles of them (plus a rare ChuChu jelly) at once.
Oh, and speaking of Jovani: the final three Poe souls are in the Cave of Ordeals. Cured of his condition, he runs off to find his girlfriend, giving Link 200 rupees. Link can find him at Telma’s Bar, and things didn’t go so well – his girlfriend apparently prefers guys who haven’t been touched by Midas, and moved on in the meantime. (Shad, meanwhile, seems happy that his project got completed, not minding that he wasn’t there to see it through.) If Link returns to Jovani’s home, Jovani’s cat will give Link another 200 rupees.
With the missing shards of the Mirror of Twilight, Link and Midna head back to the Mirror Chamber. With the Mirror reassembled, Midna talks about how the Twilight Realm isn’t so bad, or wasn’t until Ganon showed up. The sages take the blame for that, and ask her forgiveness, calling her Twilight Princess. A couple flashbacks play, showing Zant turning Midna from her true form (only vaguely seen) to the familiar one she’s occupied the full game, Midna discovering her helmet (is this a piece of the Fused Shadow? I don’t remember if that got confirmed), and Midna watching as Link becomes the prophesied Divine Beast. She admits that at first she didn’t care about saving the Light World, but Link’s heroism and Zelda’s sacrifices have made her realize she has to save both. She’s sure once Zant is dealt with, she’ll be back to her true form and they can resurrect Zelda, and she and Link head into the Twilight Realm to confront him.
Next: Lighting up the twilight.
Link finds this version of the game has a lot more balls of light to collect, and no platforms to help. Of course, he’s got the Double Clawshots now to zip around the room; it’s a matter of finding the lines of lights to zip along while the fangirls squee. Beaten again, Purlo gives Link the second quiver upgrade and seems to have lost his desire to challenge him further. Out in Hyrule, there are a couple Clawshot targets that Link couldn’t properly explore until he got the second Clawshot. Now he has both and can get to the chests: one has rupees, the other a heart piece.
Back when Link repaired the Bridge of Eldin, he opened the way into the Cave of Ordeals, a gauntlet challenge similar to Wind Waker’s Savage Labyrinth. It’s fifty levels divided into five sets: nine levels of enemies followed by a visit from the Great Fairy. The Great Fairy doesn’t heal Link; in fact, there’s almost no healing available in the Cave aside from what Link brings with him. There are a couple groups of ChuChus, and Link has to be quick if he doesn’t want to take his chances with purple jelly which has a random effect because they spawn in huge groups with only a few blues/reds (and sometimes a yellow, which is probably standing in for a rare one) that quickly combine. And there are a few places where Wolf Link can dig to find rupees (to further power the magic armor) or hearts.
For the most part, the combat in the Cave is simply a matter of keeping everything in front of Link and hacking away until everything’s dead. Complications include the ghoul rats which are only visible to Wolf Link using his senses and slow his movements and hordes of small enemies that can slip through Link’s defense. There doesn’t seem to be any theme to the levels, unlike in the Savage Labyrinth where each the first four set’s foes appeared in collections based on the same dungeon. Each set of levels after the first requires using the items from the dungeons to access: Arbiter’s Grounds (spinner), Snowpeak Ruins (flail), Temple of Time (dominion rod), and City in the Sky (double clawhots).
The last level of the fourth set pits Link against a pair of Darknuts. Three of the final four groups of enemies are worse: a bunch of Chilfos (the enemy that gave me the worst trouble out of anything in the whole gauntlet) backed by a couple Freezards with the ghoul rats hanging around, a Darknut with a pair of Aeralfos, and finally three Darknuts. The good news is, I quickly got the hang of the second phase of the Darknut fight. (Dodge their attack and counterattack. Seems obvious in hindsight, really.)
The rewards for making it through the Cave of Ordeals: For the first four visits with the Great Fairy, fairies appear in a spirit’s spring. With the final one, Link gets a bottle of Great Fairy’s Tears, and they become available at the springs. (This is the source Jovani spoke of.) Link can only get them from the spring if he doesn’t already have a bottle of them, but I guess the game figures since I didn’t use them getting through the Cave of Ordeals, it’s not going to break the game for me to have two bottles of them (plus a rare ChuChu jelly) at once.
Oh, and speaking of Jovani: the final three Poe souls are in the Cave of Ordeals. Cured of his condition, he runs off to find his girlfriend, giving Link 200 rupees. Link can find him at Telma’s Bar, and things didn’t go so well – his girlfriend apparently prefers guys who haven’t been touched by Midas, and moved on in the meantime. (Shad, meanwhile, seems happy that his project got completed, not minding that he wasn’t there to see it through.) If Link returns to Jovani’s home, Jovani’s cat will give Link another 200 rupees.
With the missing shards of the Mirror of Twilight, Link and Midna head back to the Mirror Chamber. With the Mirror reassembled, Midna talks about how the Twilight Realm isn’t so bad, or wasn’t until Ganon showed up. The sages take the blame for that, and ask her forgiveness, calling her Twilight Princess. A couple flashbacks play, showing Zant turning Midna from her true form (only vaguely seen) to the familiar one she’s occupied the full game, Midna discovering her helmet (is this a piece of the Fused Shadow? I don’t remember if that got confirmed), and Midna watching as Link becomes the prophesied Divine Beast. She admits that at first she didn’t care about saving the Light World, but Link’s heroism and Zelda’s sacrifices have made her realize she has to save both. She’s sure once Zant is dealt with, she’ll be back to her true form and they can resurrect Zelda, and she and Link head into the Twilight Realm to confront him.
Next: Lighting up the twilight.
Monday, June 3, 2019
Twilight Princess: City in the Sky
Okay, I really liked this dungeon, but I’m going to start off with a list of little frustrations. First, one that’s not so little: the place is huge and confusing to navigate. With lots of multi-floor rooms, the map really isn’t that much help, and I managed to miss a treasure chest and now I’m wondering if it’s going to be worth it to go back and get it. (Yes, it is, because otherwise there’s a chest left in the dungeon. Why is this even a question?) The Oocca are everywhere in the dungeon, and they make sounds very reminiscent of the fscking Wind Waker Miniblin chittering. Maybe not as harsh as that, but still: Miniblin chittering. Finally, there’s a lot of waiting for things to Clawshot onto, which isn’t too bad, but makes an already long dungeon feel even longer.
Being a flying people, the Oocca didn’t exactly design their dungeon with the non-flighted in mind. There are gaps everywhere that Link needs to jump or Clawshot or Ooccaglide across, and floor tiles that aren’t capable of supporting Link’s weight so they fall if he steps on them. The only new enemy is an upgraded Helmasaur, the Helmasaurus, whose helmet can’t be taken off with the Clawshot so Link needs to stab it from behind and I’m glad I practiced with the regular Helmasaurs.
The Clawshot is Link’s constant companion in this dungeon, with lots of targets and vines and gratings and Peahats to latch onto. There are also several switches he needs to pull down using the iron boots to increase his weight. The miniboss is an Aeralfos, a flying Lizalfos. Its shield looks like a Clawshot target, so when it holds its shield forward as it prepares to divebomb Link, Link can catch the shield with his Clawshot and pull the Aeralfos to it, stunning it. After a while, the Aeralfos shakes up its tactics and flies out of the room, only reappearing at a random window, already preparing to charge. As usual, defeating the boss lets Link claim the treasure. With how important the Clawshot is, and what I know about the dragon from Hyrule Warriors, I was expecting a Clawshot upgrade, which… well, sort of.
It’s a second Clawshot, and while it’s not more powerful than the first or anything, both can be equipped at the same time. The main advantage of the Double Clawshots is Link can use one while he’s dangling by the other. This adds a very Spider-Man feel to the rest of the dungeon, particularly with sequences where the Clawshot targets Link’s hitting are on pillars that begin to fall under his weight so he has to keep zipping to the next target, or other sequences where he zips from Peahat to Peahat to cross a gap. As Link makes the final climb to the boss, he has to fight a pair of Aeralfos, which don’t get as creative as the single miniboss did but are harder to keep track of – sometimes one will divebomb Link while he focuses on the other.
After passing through the boss door, Link has to climb to the roof of the tower, where he’s joined by Argorok, the twilit dragon that’s been seen flying around and destroyed the bridge. In the first phase, Argorok has two attacks: it flies low to the tower in an attempt to push or blow Link off, and it hovers and flaps its wings to blow up a storm and knock Link off. The iron boots anchor Link, and if during the storm attack Link latches on to target tantalizingly dangling from Argorok’s tail while wearing them, Argorok will crash to the ground and his armor will break. The second phase is like the first, except Argorok will sometimes perch on the pillars around the rooftop, and Link will have to Clawshot his way up to be able to latch onto the tail. The fall this time breaks more armor, revealing a giant glowing gem on Argorok’s back. When Argorok gets up again, it shakes off what’s left of its armor and flies higher than before. A ring of Peahats rise above the pillars, so it’s obvious what Link needs to do: Clawshot up to the Peahats, get Argorok to breath fire at him, go around the ring until he can latch onto Argorok’s back [1], and stabbity stabbity stabbity. Eventually, Argorok catches wise to this strategy and tries turning around, which forces Link to switch directions around the circle to get its back.
Argorok dies with an impressive display of fire, and apparently Link got off its back at some point because when it explodes in midair, Link’s watching from the rooftop as the heart container and last mirror shard come down. With all the pieces of the Mirror, Midna’s delighted. As the sages said, only the true ruler of the Twilight Realm can completely destroy the Mirror, and Zant has reason to want the mirror gone, so the fact that he couldn’t proves his rule is illegitimate. And once they reassemble the Mirror, they can finally go to the Twilight Realm and fight him there and bring an end to his reign.
Next: The true ruler of the Twilight Realm.
[1] I had to switch over to hold target locking for this, because I couldn’t make it target Argorok instead of the Peahats otherwise.
Being a flying people, the Oocca didn’t exactly design their dungeon with the non-flighted in mind. There are gaps everywhere that Link needs to jump or Clawshot or Ooccaglide across, and floor tiles that aren’t capable of supporting Link’s weight so they fall if he steps on them. The only new enemy is an upgraded Helmasaur, the Helmasaurus, whose helmet can’t be taken off with the Clawshot so Link needs to stab it from behind and I’m glad I practiced with the regular Helmasaurs.
The Clawshot is Link’s constant companion in this dungeon, with lots of targets and vines and gratings and Peahats to latch onto. There are also several switches he needs to pull down using the iron boots to increase his weight. The miniboss is an Aeralfos, a flying Lizalfos. Its shield looks like a Clawshot target, so when it holds its shield forward as it prepares to divebomb Link, Link can catch the shield with his Clawshot and pull the Aeralfos to it, stunning it. After a while, the Aeralfos shakes up its tactics and flies out of the room, only reappearing at a random window, already preparing to charge. As usual, defeating the boss lets Link claim the treasure. With how important the Clawshot is, and what I know about the dragon from Hyrule Warriors, I was expecting a Clawshot upgrade, which… well, sort of.
It’s a second Clawshot, and while it’s not more powerful than the first or anything, both can be equipped at the same time. The main advantage of the Double Clawshots is Link can use one while he’s dangling by the other. This adds a very Spider-Man feel to the rest of the dungeon, particularly with sequences where the Clawshot targets Link’s hitting are on pillars that begin to fall under his weight so he has to keep zipping to the next target, or other sequences where he zips from Peahat to Peahat to cross a gap. As Link makes the final climb to the boss, he has to fight a pair of Aeralfos, which don’t get as creative as the single miniboss did but are harder to keep track of – sometimes one will divebomb Link while he focuses on the other.
After passing through the boss door, Link has to climb to the roof of the tower, where he’s joined by Argorok, the twilit dragon that’s been seen flying around and destroyed the bridge. In the first phase, Argorok has two attacks: it flies low to the tower in an attempt to push or blow Link off, and it hovers and flaps its wings to blow up a storm and knock Link off. The iron boots anchor Link, and if during the storm attack Link latches on to target tantalizingly dangling from Argorok’s tail while wearing them, Argorok will crash to the ground and his armor will break. The second phase is like the first, except Argorok will sometimes perch on the pillars around the rooftop, and Link will have to Clawshot his way up to be able to latch onto the tail. The fall this time breaks more armor, revealing a giant glowing gem on Argorok’s back. When Argorok gets up again, it shakes off what’s left of its armor and flies higher than before. A ring of Peahats rise above the pillars, so it’s obvious what Link needs to do: Clawshot up to the Peahats, get Argorok to breath fire at him, go around the ring until he can latch onto Argorok’s back [1], and stabbity stabbity stabbity. Eventually, Argorok catches wise to this strategy and tries turning around, which forces Link to switch directions around the circle to get its back.
Argorok dies with an impressive display of fire, and apparently Link got off its back at some point because when it explodes in midair, Link’s watching from the rooftop as the heart container and last mirror shard come down. With all the pieces of the Mirror, Midna’s delighted. As the sages said, only the true ruler of the Twilight Realm can completely destroy the Mirror, and Zant has reason to want the mirror gone, so the fact that he couldn’t proves his rule is illegitimate. And once they reassemble the Mirror, they can finally go to the Twilight Realm and fight him there and bring an end to his reign.
Next: The true ruler of the Twilight Realm.
[1] I had to switch over to hold target locking for this, because I couldn’t make it target Argorok instead of the Peahats otherwise.
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