Near the western edge of the central area, there’s a second stable, Outskirt Stable, with its normal assortment of sidequests. One is to find a horse like the one Zelda rode, but that requires crossing the bridge to the next area west, so I’ll wait on that until I go that way. The other two can be done now: a stablehand is hungry and wants gourmet meat, and a woman wants to meet the Legendary Hero who she’ll recognize because he has the Master Sword. The reward for the latter is a Star Fragment, so that’s nice (although camping for Star Fragments is something to do those rare times I have to wait for the Master Sword to recharge its batteries).
The shrine near the stable is Rota Ooh (“Passing of the Gates”). The shrine’s core trick is kind of sort of like a Divine Beast; there’s a switch that rotates the central block 90 degrees when hit. The two main things Link needs to do to advance to the end require manipulating that block – first tossing an orb into a basket to be flung into its socket, then riding an updraft through a hole in the block and shooting the switch in midair to get a landing spot that leads to the shrine monk and Spirit Orb.
There are three Minor Test of Strength shrines in the area (Dah Kaso, Katah Chuki, Noya Neha) – two in the shadow of Hyrule Castle, one under a bridge that leads to the Gerudo lands. This seems really weird to me. All the guidance Link gets is “Don’t start in the center, go east.” The omnipresent Guardians and black and blue Hinox in the area, plus the Lynel in the Coliseum Ruins, say, “Go away, noob. Come back when you can run with us.” And then there’s these shrines, which have tougher versions throughout the game, but these three fights a decently-equipped Link can win by sneezing a little too hard.
The final shrine in the area is Kaam Ya’tak Shrine (“Trial of Power”), between the tower and the Coliseum. This shrine is a long winding corridor mixing together various tricks with Stasis and Magnesis (Bombs can be used to blow open a wall for a chest; they couldn’t work Cryonis in), Guardian fights, and even a motion control apparatus (groan). The trickiest puzzle is not the motion controls, but a rolling ball that Link needs to flip into the air onto a see-saw that needs to be Stasised to avoid dropping the ball into the abyss. It ends with sending Link flying and paragliding down to the platform with the shrine monk, which also affords a good overview of the path Link took.
There’s a bunch of Koroks in the area – nothing entirely new, but there’s one point where Link has to find a nearby Rusty Shield (assuming he’s not carrying his own around… hey, it could happen) for an offering. The Koroks here aren’t quite enough for Link to unlock everything, but I’ve only got one empty slot left for a shield [1] that doesn’t really seem that important now that I have the Hylian Shield. Still, I wouldn’t have Stasised that ball up the hill if I weren’t absolutely determined to get them all, so… like with Ocarina of Time’s Skulltulas and Twilight Princess’ Poe souls, I guess useful rewards cut off at a certain point and the final reward is basically there to let you know you can stop.
There are three memories to be found in the area: the first two and last from Zelda’s pictures. The first one depicts a ceremony where Zelda blesses Link and the Master Sword. (“Whether skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight, the sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the Hero.” I’ve kind of embraced the timeline merge theory, but leaving out references to Wind Waker and the Triforce of the Godses feels like a suggestion we’re in the child timeline… although strictly speaking, that timeline’s version of the Hero of Time never used the Master Sword…) Zelda doesn’t seem into it, which bums Daruk out. Revali doesn’t seem to think much of Link, and Urbosa says Link’s bonding with the sword reminds Zelda that she hasn’t awakened her power yet.
In the second memory, Zelda talks about Daruk’s progress with Rudania and how far they have to go with unlocking the abilities of the Divine Beasts. She asks Link about his mastery of the Master Sword, and specifically if he can hear the ancient voice inside it. (Incidentally, I unlocked this memory shortly after completing the final Trial of the Sword and hearing Fi’s chime.) The final memory happens after things have gone south – the Guardians and Divine Beasts are corrupted by Ganon, and Hyrule Castle is lost. Link and Zelda flee on foot until the weight of everything catches up to her and she collapses. These three memories pretty much settle that I’m not a fan of Zelda’s voice acting. Everyone else is fine, but… having an American actress do a British accent was probably not the best choice.
Next: The series' horse controls have never been great. My general dislike of motion controls has made me never try using them for aiming. Say, I've got a really bad idea.
[1] Bows top out one slot short of a full page; if weapons and the Master Sword are any indication, the last slot is for the Bow of Ganon-Killing.
