Link has two destinations, but there doesn’t seem to be a set order for them. As I said in my first post for this game, I know it’s taken a less linear approach; getting items from Ravio and using them in whatever order you see fit seems to be the approach. This may mean the House of Gales and Tower of Hera can’t assume Link has the other dungeon’s item – and, hell, he could even lose the Bow if he dies – so they’ve got to get all their puzzles for each item out in the respective dungeon. That was the approach Twilight Princess mostly took even with linear dungeon progression and I liked those dungeons just fine.
Ravio’s got his shop fully up and running now, with a grand total of nine items. This includes the Bow that Link rented and the Sand Rod Osfala has, leaving seven items. Six are familiar from A Link to the Past: Boomerang, Bomb, Hammer, Hookshot, Ice Rod, and Fire Rod. The last is another new rod, the Tornado Rod, and this thing is fscking incredible. When Link uses it, he flies into the air, lifting everything around him. Most enemies are stunned by this, making them easy to pick off. About the only thing that keeps it from being completely broken is that it takes half of Link’s Energy Meter to use.
As Link explores Hyrule some more, the witch we saw earlier flies overhead and decides to come talk to Link. Her name’s Irene, and apparently the last time she saw the fortune teller, he told her to “take care of green” to change her disastrous future. Link’s green, so she figures that meant him. She gives him a bell he can use to call her, and she’ll show up to take him to any of the weather vanes he’s unlocked. She’s not fond of being called, but she’s the most helpful fast travel system since Midna in Twilight Princess. She points Link to two locations: her grandmother’s potion shop (only red potions for now, the others require items that drop from monsters) and the Fortune Teller (who gives Link a pair of Hint Glasses that let him see ghosts who sell hints for Play Coins, which I apparently have).
Getting to the House of Gales requires swimming, and climbing Death Mountain to the Tower of Hera takes heavy lifting, so we’ve got a couple more items to get. Lifting is the easy one: A miner named Rosso – he looks kind of like a Goron/Hylian hybrid – lives in what used to be the lumberjack brothers’ house. The disturbance at Hyrule Castle caused an earthquake that knocked a bunch of rocks from the mountain loose and they landed in his yard. He gives Link a Power Glove to help him lift; if Link actually cleans up the rocks, he gets a purple rupee.
The Zora fountain’s in the northeast corner, where the Waterfall of Wishing was in A Link to the Past. Getting there requires a wall merge to cross a gap. As Link approaches the fountain, he meets the Shady Guy he’s seen hanging around Kakariko Village leaving. The Zoras call for help; something’s gone wrong with their queen. As Link comes to investigate, the queen is not doing well – she’s uncontrollably blubbering, and constantly catching fish, eating them, and growing enormous. Apparently the Shady Guy stole a smooth gem that keeps her in check.
Link follows the Shady Guy back to the village. He’s hanging out by Sahasrahla’s house, and runs off when Link approaches. Link can take him by surprise by wall-merging and popping out behind him, and this gives Link a chance to talk. The Shady Guy apologizes for causing trouble, but he no longer has the gem; he sold it to the bottle merchant. He’s had a kleptomania streak ever since he got his fancy Pegasus Boots, which he gives to Link who’ll put them to better use [1]. As for the gem, the merchant sells it to Link for 200 rupees, and Link takes it to the Zoras and chucks it in the queen’s pool. The gem restores the queen, Oren, to her normal size, and she rewards Link with Flippers [2]. She does warn him that the Zoras that live in the lakes and rivers don’t listen to her when she tells them to get along with people.
There’s one last accessory Link can get right now. As he passes by the grove where Gulley was playing, the Blacksmith’s Wife is looking for Gulley. Link goes into the grove to investigate and finds Gulley gone, but he left a pouch sitting on the stump. The Blacksmith’s Wife comes in to investigate, and says she made the pouch for Link, but Gulley wanted to be the one to give it to him. Link explains what he can, and Mrs. Blacksmith goes off to tell her husband what’s happened, but lets Link keep the pouch, which allows him to equip two items since the DS has the second screen for maps so the X button isn’t needed for anything.
Next: Taking the grand tour of Hyrule.
[1] Although Link has never had much problem entering people’s homes, breaking everything and stealing any valuables.
[2] 200 rupees is both absolutely less than the 500 rupees the Flippers cost in A Link to the Past, and not as big a deal as 200 rupees in that game since they’re bountiful in this one.
