#do you KNOW how long it took me to get the seeds for that Ganon!!!!!

[unblemisheddesertflower]

14. If you met one of your muses which ones would you get along with best?

Multi-Mun!

Rotana, no question. The love/hate relationship between librarians and historians is strong, and given the fact that she literally has the same headaches about Gerudo history that I do, I think we'd be able to bond. Between her and Pearle, I feel like I've already spent half a lifetime trying to help their family out, the least she can do is let me read some of those beautiful books that are just out of my tiny hylian grip.

[sweetbitgaming]

The Development of the Zelda Oracle Games

Sweet Bit Gaming Mysteries: The Legend of Zelda The Seed of Courage

The Legend of Zelda Oracle series of games is often overlooked when it comes to focusing on the franchise as a whole. Certainly, there are more popular handheld Zelda games out there than the aforementioned pair; however, what if the entire concept for these games was fully realized? What if the trilogy Nintendo had promised fans was a reality and not just the topic of the day? Within this article, I’ll go over the development of the Oracle games. From many name changes to cut storyline ideas, this is the history of the Legend of Zelda the Oracle games. 

Some of the earliest information out there in regards to the Triforce Series of games came to the public on July 28th, 1999 within an article published by IGN. IGN would state that Nintendo is “hard at work” on six different Zelda Gameboy Color titles. Within the article, it mentions that four of the new Zelda titles were being produced in conjunction with the Japanese design studio Flagship. This development studio was headed by Resident Evil lead Yoshiki Okamoto. Okamoto had revealed earlier in the year that Flagship would be working closely with Nintendo’s EAD team in regard to future titles on the Gameboy Color. Within this same interview, Okamoto would also reveal that Flagship’s work was restricted to the design of scenarios and storylines. While not much information was given, this “leak” would take place roughly a month before Nintendo’s Space World 1999 event was set to take place.

Any hope for the public to demo the game was seemingly heightened by an IGN web article published on August 20th, 1999. Their source of information would be cited as Weekly Famitsu. IGN within the headlines were promoting they were the first to have screenshots of the upcoming Game Boy Color exclusive Zelda game. This article was published roughly a week prior to Nintendo’s Space World 1999 event, which took place on August 27th-August 29th of that year. The game at the time was believed to be called The Legend of Zelda: The Mysterious Acorn and was also cited as being published by Capcom and Nintendo.

In the preview of the game within the article, IGN would mention that Princess Zelda was managing the four seasons within the Land of Hyrule. Zelda would be kidnapped by Ganon and it would be up to Link to manage the Rod of the Four Seasons and track down the eight pieces of the Triforce to save Princess Zelda and also bring balance to Hyrule. With Hyrule’s seasons becoming jumbled up, chaos would ensue and Link would have to travel between Hyrule and this “other dimension” while being guided by spirits residing in the “Tree of Mystery” and also a strange “Uura Tribe” which would be found in this alternate dimension.

Ricky the Kangaroo and Maple the Witch were mentioned briefly within this article as well. Not much information was given on these characters other than they would be allies to help aid Link in his quest to save Princess Zelda.  Also mentioned were more details about the Rod of Four Seasons and how it would be required to solve certain elemental puzzles throughout the game. Possibly the most infamous amount of information detailed within this article is the mention of the Link System and how there would be three upcoming Zelda Gameboy Color games and they would all be a coherent story without getting lost within each other due to the Link System that Capcom and Nintendo were developing. 

With Space World 1999 taking place, a lot of hype and media focus was still latched onto the Nintendo 64 DD, another story within itself. Zelda Gaiden, later to be renamed The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was also playable at this event. Demo copies of The Seed of Courage were also seemingly playable at this event. An interview would be conducted with Miyamoto by Nintendo Power Source and Miyamoto would give more detail and insight on Zelda Gaiden and the recently renamed The Legend of Zelda: Mysterious Fruit.

Q: After hearing rumors of Ura Zelda for Nintendo 64 Disk Drive, Zelda Gaiden for the Nintendo 64 cartridge format was a pleasant surprise. Can you tell me how these two games came to be developed?

A: We are working on two follow-ups to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. "Ura Zelda" uses the same system as Ocarina of Time but uses the 64DD to add game data. The story in "Ura Zelda" will be similar to Ocarina of Time but with new maps and scenarios. Zelda Gaiden, on the other hand, is a completely different game, although it too uses essentially the same game system as Ocarina of Time. Everyone has enjoyed the Zelda series but there's typically at least a 3 year wait between sequels! People who are in Junior High School when they play one Zelda game would be in High School by time the next game comes out, and those in High School will graduate before the next game came out! So, we wanted to make a new game in the series sooner. "Ura Zelda" will use the existing Ocarina of Time cartridge but with different dungeons, and new locations for the treasures. Since the 64DD media is cheaper than a new cartridge, this is an inexpensive way to make a sequel. We may also consider using network technology for "Ura Zelda." Right now, most of the staff is concentrating on Zelda Gaiden.

Q: How involved are you with the different Zelda games?

A: As time goes on, my direct involvement has become less. On the first Zelda, my involvement in directing the game was, say, 100%. With Ocarina of Time, my involvement was about 60%. For Zelda Gaiden, it will be about 20% and for Zelda: Mysterious Fruit for Game Boy, only about 10%. Until Ocarina, I was the Producer and Director of the game-not of everything but some parts. For Zelda Gaiden I will be in a Producer role. In that capacity, I'll decide the overall direction of the game, but I won't write the actual specifications myself. If Zelda Gaiden turns out to be fun to play, from now on we'll see new entries into the Zelda series with shorter time intervals in between. And, I'll probably have less direct involvement in the games. I've been saying all along that I have a lot of confidence in my teams, and I think they will make some good games.

Q: What kinds of things do you do as a Producer?

A: I just tell the staff members what kind of game it should be. The staff then figures out the details of the scenarios. So far, we've had thee big meetings to reviews the game's scenarios. As Producer I approve and disapprove of ideas in these meetings. Mainly I say things like, "If you try to go in this direction, you will never finish the game!" I help set the development priorities, and make staff recommendations. Q: So, what are some of the overall directions you have given to your game developments teams on Zelda Gaiden? What are some of the things that you want the players to experience in this game? A: I had several ideas that I wanted to incorporate into Ocarina of Time but that didn't make it. I've already given those to the staff. In Zelda Gaiden, players will meet some characters that they previously encountered in Ocarina of Time. There were many characters in Ocarina of Time who were in the background-- those characters will be more involved in the story of Zelda Gaiden. You'll talk to them more, and in the end you'll feel a deeper connection to the story of Ocarina of Time. Another thing we want to work on is time in the game. In so many games, you have, for example, eight dungeons. Finish four of them, and you're halfway through. You can guess how far you have to go. But that's not the true nature of interactive entertainment-it shouldn't be like reading a book and knowing you're halfway through it. That's not just something we're working on for Zelda Gaiden, we need to improve this for all of our games. The beauty of interactive media is it is different from other types of media, so we need to concentrate on those differences. Finally, we really want Zelda players to come away from this game feeling that they've played something totally unexpected. Q: In Zelda Gaiden, the moon is slowly falling towards the planet, and the player has a limited amount of time to save the world before it is destroyed. So how does the time limit in the game work? A: What can I tell you….hmmm. There are certain time limits in the game, but, you can play it again and again. If you don't do something in one game, you can try to do it in the next game. The amount of different things you actually do in the game will depend on the player's ability. This isn't a totally unique concept, but we do want to try something new with game time in Zelda Gaiden. To do that we are working on improving the "density" of the world. For example, say you have three days of game time. We are trying to see how many different events we can fit into those three days. That is why we need the Expansion Pak for this game-to keep track of all the events that are happening simultaneously in the world. Q: So the world actually exists and different things happen in real-time, even if you're not there to see them. OK, how about the masks? How many different ones do you think will be in the game? It looks like there is space for a lot of them on the Subscreen! A: There are three main masks-these are the only ones that make you actually change, or morph, into something different. Several other masks will have "human" like faces, and will be necessary to trigger certain events. You can use these masks to disguise yourself as different people. As for the actual final number of masks in the game, that will depend on time. I'm aiming for just under 30 different masks, but that depends on how long things take to develop.Q: You mentioned that the story in Zelda Gaiden will be closely connected to Ocarina of Time. How about the Running Man-will you finally be able to beat him?

A: Maybe you didn't see him in the Space World version, but there is a Running Man who is four times taller than the one in Ocarina of Time! We are experimenting with this character to see if we can make him interesting and fun. Did you see the dogs? In Ocarina of Time, they would follow you. In Zelda Gaiden, their reaction will vary. When you morph into a Goron, they will bark at you and run away. As a Zora, they will approach you. Don't try to become a Deku Scrub if there are dogs around, though! They will try to bite you! Q: What about the other fairy that is shown with Navi in the introductory cinema scenes? A: I don't know, I need to ask the staff about that! I have a feeling it's going to be an important character! Q: Things are busy on the Zelda front with the Zelda games for Game Boy Color that Capcom is developing. How did that deal come about? What is the plan for these three titles? A: Well, it's the same situation as when our team develops a Zelda game-the quality has to be high. Mr. Okamoto (head of development at Capcom) is a young and energetic game developer who says he came into the industry because of games like the original Donkey Kong and Zelda. He came to me and was very serious about developing a Zelda game. He has great teams of developers and he promised to use his best people on this project. A company called Flagship has 20 or so people who are working on the scenarios. Some people have asked me if this means Nintendo will be allowing other companies to develop games using our characters. But this is a very special case. I felt good about Mr. Okamoto and his team. We're not going to be letting everyone work on our characters. We'll be checking the quality of these three titles. Q: What is the connection between the three titles?

A: This project originally started to convert the original NES Zelda to Game Boy Color. So one of the titles will be a perfect conversion of NES Zelda. However, in working on this game, we have come up with a lot of new ideas, so there will be some new features. Basically I can tell you that there is a connection between the three tales. You can start with any one of them, but if you play them in a different order than someone else, the two player's games will be different....

 In January of 2000 IGN would publish an article stating that a new Zelda game was planned to be released every six weeks. The first of these Gameboy releases in the “Tri-force Series” was set to be The Legend of Zelda: The Mysterious Acorn: The Tale of Power. After this initial release The Legend of Zelda: The Tale of Wisdom was set to be released and then the trilogy would conclude with The Legend of Zelda: The Tale of Courage. These games were also mentioned within this article to have the capability to link up with each other and exchange data. Miyamoto would do an interview with IGN on May 11th and state that the games would link up using a “password system.” No other details were given about the games during this interview.

By May 13th Nintendo would officially release some promotional images in regards to the Tri-force series games which were now titled: The Legend of Zelda: Mythical Seed of Power, Zelda, Mythical Seed of Courage, and Zelda Mythical Seed of Wisdom. Also on May 13th, IGN would conduct another interview with Miyamoto about the Triforce Series games and Miyamoto would disclose:

IGNpocket: What is your opinion on the Legend of Zelda trilogy in the works for Game Boy Color?

Miyamoto: Mr. Okomoto from Capcom is the producer on the games for the Game Boy Color, and he has been giving me the materials for the games. And what we have now is the games are becoming late, especially because of the "link system". With the link system, we're thinking about letting the gamer play whatever game first, and what happens in one game affects another game. And with that, the variable scenario is just increasing the work, and that's why we are late in schedule. But we can release the games later this year.

IGNpocket: How does the link system interface work?

Miyamoto: Well, for example, there are similar events in all cartridges. So if you've already finished one event on one cartridge, it makes the quest in another cartridge a little easier. Another example is if you find a specific item in one cartridge, then something special will happen on another cartridge.

IGNpocket: But how does that information get from one cartridge to the other?

Miyamoto: Password system.

By July 24th, Nintendo of Japan would decide to cut one of the games out of the Triforce Trilogy. It was reported that this was due to numerous delays and difficulties getting the link system to work properly. This was an effort to still have the other two games out by Christmas of 2000. Nintendo within this press release didn’t mention which game was on the cutting room floor. Nintendo of America hadn’t commented on the cancellation of the game at the time and it was unclear if the two remaining games would still be released six weeks apart from each other.  By October 20th the concept within the unique release schedule was scrapped and rumors were abundant on IGN that the games would release sometime in January of 2001 in Japan.

By November 9th, IGN would report a brief “Chapter” of the latest Zelda game, now being titled The Legend of Zelda Chapter of Time and Space. This is the game that had been covered mostly in American publications through screenshots and leaked information while the remaining Gameboy Color game would go without much new information being provided. This other game in development would be rumored to go by the name The Legend of Zelda: Chapter of the Earth. It was suggested that this game would play much like the other Gameboy Color game and a link system was still set in place for the two games.  By January of 2001, more information would be released by IGN in regards to the Chapter of the Earth title. This article would feature screenshots and storyline concepts for the upcoming games. By the end of the article, it was mentioned that the two games would be released in February and a potential American release date was planned before the start of Summer.

In an article published by Nintendo of Japan on their Director Interview series, Hidemaro Fujibayashi would be interviewed and give details on the origins of Capcom becoming involved with Zelda on the Gameboy Color.  Here is that interview:

t seems that you first started making Zelda with Capcom.

Fujibayashi　Yes. At first, it seems that my Okamoto  (Yoshiki Okamoto, managing director) had proposed to Shigeru Miyamoto,  "I want to make Zelda with Capcom." That was about two years  ago. After that, a free man started making 2D games based on the Famicom  Disk System "The Legend of Zelda". The concept is to convey  the goodness of Zelda in the NES era to children today.

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■ Was Mr. Fujibayashi also a Zelda  fan?

Fujibayashi　Yes, when it came to the Famicom Disk System, I  went to a toy store first to buy it. I remember squeezing New Year's  gifts and running to buy them.

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■ Did Mr. Fujibayashi participate  in the project from the beginning?

Fujibayashi At　first, I participated in the form of a clerk  who summarized the overall opinions. At that time, I was only told about  the concept, but gradually I became involved in the game production  itself. First of all, I decided to give a presentation to Mr. Miyamoto,  so I wrote a proposal based on Okamoto's concept.

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■ Was the content of the game  decided at the time of the proposal?

Fujibayashi　Almost the pillars of the current game have  been decided. In other words, it should be released as a Color Game Boy,  use the four seasons, and retain the taste of 2D Zelda. It was decided  that it would be released in a series of works, so I thought of a link system  as an idea to make use of it. For example, if I missed a bad guy in the  first game, I wanted to make the software so that the bad guy would appear in  the other game. Since Zelda is a game with a solid view of the world, I  thought that even a Game Boy could fully bring out the "living feeling"  of the characters expressed in the 64 series.

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■ How was Mr. Miyamoto's reaction?

It　was  your first time to meet Mr. Fujibayashi Miyamoto. I  went to a presentation with Okamoto, but it was my first time to work  directly with Okamoto, and I was thrilled because I was going to meet a  famous person from another company. While explaining the proposal, Mr.  Miyamoto was silent from beginning to end, so I was nervous. But when I  finished reading, I was told, "I was thinking of going into it because  there would be various holes, but it looks like it's done." I liked  it, "I think it's good."

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■ After that, do you work at  Capcom?

Fujibayashi　That's right. After that, I proceeded with  the scenario while reporting the situation to Okamoto. As a role, I am a  director and planner.

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■ I heard that Capcom games create  scenarios first.

Fujibayashi　Yes. However, I think that the scenario came  out in the Zelda series after the hardware specifications went  up. Originally, Zelda in the early days was a pure action RPG, and there  wasn't much talk about it. This time, I was hoping that the two could be  fused. However, at first I was supposed to make a work that was one  tenth of the current volume. However, as I made it, it got bigger and  bigger, and it gradually became my own work.

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■ Did you make "Chapter of  the Earth" and "Chapter of Space and Time" by different teams?

Fujibayashi　No, the same team made them in order. At  first, I was interacting with the scenario team alone. So, while I was  making the scenario, I secretly talked to the graphic artists and programmers  who thought "I like it" in Capcom. Such personnel were  actually decided by Funamizu (Producer Noritaka Funamizu), who reports  directly to me, but I thought it would be better for me to consult with him  first. I was angry at Funamizu, saying, "It's my job," but I  was able to get the staff I wanted.

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■ After that, I think it's the  work of actually making a game, but please tell me the procedure easily.

Fujibayashi At　first, I'll start with an image. After  thinking about what kind of terrain it is, start making a map. After  making it roughly, I thought about the character next. We will modify  the scenario while making the game.

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■ Do you sometimes rewrite the  entire field?

Fujibayashi　That's every day. If you actually move it  and think it's different, fix it. When about 60% of the total was  completed, Mr. Yamada of Nintendo participated as a supervisor. From  that time on, I had the opportunity to hear Mr. Miyamoto's story. So I  absorbed something like Mr. Miyamoto's view of Zelda.

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■ Are there any interesting  episodes about the joint development with Nintendo?

Fujibayashi I　was playing Nintendo games and thought that  every game had a common scent. When I met Mr. Miyamoto, it became clear  that there was a way to make sense in the game that Mr. Miyamoto  thinks. It was a great learning experience for our team to get  it. After that, Mr. Yamada and his colleagues ask the character that we  casually placed, "What is the name of this  character?" Certainly, giving a name brings the character to life  and makes the staff feel different. It seemed as simple as "give a  name", and the important thing was that I was surprised. That's  just one example, but I feel like I was taught the know-how of Nintendo's  "making warm games." What I was most happy about was that both  Mr. Yamada and Mr. Miyamoto treated me as if I were an employee of  Nintendo. Rather than Nintendo or Capcom, he talked to me as a staff  member who made games together. In the end, I think that kind of  personality is reflected in Zelda.

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■ At the same time, I think this  is a game that has a Capcom feel to it.

Fujibayashi It's　more about the individuality of Capcom's Zelda  team than it is about Capcom. I tried to make the world view interesting  with a slightly dark character. What is the difference between Kyoto and  Osaka? The place where a little outlaw character appears may be  Capcom-like. However, I don't think there is any difference in the  system in the game.

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■ Please tell me if there is a  story behind this.

Fujibayashi In　"Chapter of Time  and Space", there is a tower called "Tower of Darkness",  and there are people working there, but there are lines that say "I  can't finish my charge" and "I can't go home". Some of  our team couldn't go home (laughs), so I put them in a parody. However,  we are a very homely team, so I was happy with the Nori. The person who  came to give the message was involved in the meeting and talked for about 2  hours.

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■ That kind of homely atmosphere  may be oozing out in the game. Then, what are the highlights of  "Mysterious Tree Fruit" from Mr. Fujibayashi's point of view?

Fujibayashi　This time, Zelda was created with the  individuality of the entire team. The highlights are the many events and  mini-games, and the dungeon gimmicks. I thought about various big tricks  that Game Boy can do. The ideas of all the staff are included, and I  think it's quite full.

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■ What do you recommend for the  link system?

Fujibayashi If　you play the two software as a continuation of  the story using "Aikotoba", you can enjoy a deeper view of the  world. You can also experience the true ending after the story is  over. There will be new characters and there will be many events, so  please give it a try.

 On May 14th, 2001 both of the games, now titled the Oracle series, would release here in America. The games would receive positive reviews and critical praise for the link system that Nintendo and Capcom had developed. Over the years, the games have seemingly faded out of the minds of Zelda fans. Only hopes and rumors of potential remakes are the only true discussion these games draw these days. The concept within the trilogy of games was very similar to Ura Zelda to where Miyamoto wanted what was done in one game to affect that area in the other game. Also, did Majora's Mask overshadow these games? The development of these games runs parallel with each other and Majora's Mask is a beloved game within the Zelda community. Here's to remakes of these games happening on the Switch here in the near future. 

[renatlia]

For Good

A peaceful silence hushed over the battlefield. It was won. However, the calm could only be enjoyed for so long before the scenery began to change.

Oh. It was over. Time and space were correcting themselves, closing the magical rifts that brought the group together. This was it.

Hearts sank watching the companions - brothers - around each of them fading away to their respective eras. Then, the transition seemed to pause midway. Caught halfway between the former battlefield and home, their surroundings looked strangely melted together. From the violent debris scattered along the ground, to the still eerily-dark sky, to the green grass beneath their feet, to the spectral-like figures of their friends.

There was no confusion on what was happening. The goddesses were giving their heroes the chance to bid farewell. Jaws clenched as emotions swelled and no words came to mind. Taking pity, Nayru cast her musical blessing on the silent protagonists, allowing them to express their feelings into song.

“I’ve heard it said,” the captain started cautiously, afraid to break the moment, “that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn. And we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them, and we help them in return.”

“Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true, but I know I’m who I am today because I knew you,” the smithy replied. He wasn’t too sure if he himself had made that much of an impact on the others.

The farmhand was finding it difficult to breathe, just like last time, but he wouldn’t say nothing. He had to speak, and by the grace of Nayru, he was able to. “Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun. Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood. Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”

He was surprised to see his cub once again after his adventure was over, but he was stunned meeting the Hero of Time. If his wild child hadn’t been the one to explain to him what was happening, he would’ve thought he’d finally cracked.

The old man had noticed his recognition, but he never asked about it. Instead, he took well to becoming a mentor, and they grew close enough to share secrets. While he felt horrible about having to keep the fate of his mentor secret, learning more about his ancestors was like a dream come true. Becoming Wolfie was a lot easier with someone to cover your absence. After all, it wasn’t just the old man and his cub on this adventure. Being greeted by someone new wielding the master sword was not something he thought he’d see again, especially not the man who forged it.

It was the man’s protege that sounded next. He had a feeling he was about to experience loss in an entirely new way since waking, and he wanted them all to know just how much they’d affected him. How much he loved them. How he wouldn’t forget them. “It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime, so let me say before we part... So much of me is made of what I learned from you. You’ll be with me like a handprint on my heart.”

Coming across a snarky, pantsless man was not as out of the norm as one would think. Someone completely lost and asking what the guardian carcasses were was. He helped the pink-haired man back to his camp. There he was assaulted with equally curious questions well into the night, especially once they recognized his sword.

They knew his name. He would’ve been suspicious if he didn’t feel such a strong sense of familiarity. He was almost afraid of the close brotherly bonds he was forming until they found the familiar face of an old companion. He knew then that no matter how much it would hurt in the end, he wanted to make long-lasting memories with these people.

“And now whatever way our stories end,” their eldest cut in, “I know you have re-written mine by being my friends.” To think, he and the mrs were just about to give up on having children. Now it was something they were looking forward to, and after having known these boys for the past several months, the old man felt slightly more prepared.

Contrarily, their youngest felt grossly unprepared. He didn’t know what he was going to do once the guys he’d grown attached to- lived with- fought together with... were gone. It was all too fast, and there was no new adventure or task given to throw himself into once he got home.

The young teen was choking on his tears. Through a watery and hazy filter, he could make out the face of a knight in shining armor, who he had been mentally referring as big brother, staring back at him in sad concern. No. That look wouldn’t do. The sailor needed to convey that he understood, that he was grateful to have this conversation, that he’d be okay.

“Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea. Like a seed dropped by a skybird in a distant wood. Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I knew you-“ He shakily gasped to compose himself. “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”

He wasn’t panicking. He wasn’t! He’s woken up in strange places before with no memory of how he got there. Looking around, he could see nothing but dark, rocky terrain. Okay, okay. He needed to breathe. He pulled out his compass and telescope.

Finding north, he started to slowly pivot with his telescope hoping to catch any sign of civilization. A giant blue gem filled his vision startling the boy onto his bum. Luckily, he’d met this blue-haired woman, though it had been quite a while.

This was going to be one heck of an adventure.

“And just to clear the air, I ask forgiveness for the things I’ve done you blame me for.” Whether the Hero of the Sky was asking from those listening or from himself was unclear. He knew he couldn’t hold on to the darkness eating at him anymore. The guilt he felt for causing an eternal struggle for so many in his future was met with bafflement by his friends. Even if he could be held partly responsible for ‘causing’ their curse, there was no ill will directed towards him. Alas, the Spirit of the Hero had a tendency for self-blame, so he would ask for forgiveness, if only to release the negative emotions he had trapped in his throat.

“But then, I guess there’s blame to share.” The Hero of Time took the opportunity to apologize as well. He knew his meddling with time had caused the drastically different outcomes in history the group had experienced on their journey together. And though there was always a chance of death, the fact that he was alive while another timeline suffered Ganon’s rule left him with a sour taste.

“And none of it seems to matter anymore!” The Hero of Hyrule could understand their guilt and thoughts of inadequacy, but what is done is done. They had done their best for all good intentions, and no one begrudged them for it. What mattered now was that his friends had to leave, and he would be alone. Having an apocalyptic world like he did, he had never really lost much. Never really had much to begin with. This was all very new to him.

“Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun,” the smallest swordsman quoted from earlier.

He was just going through his same everyday routine when he met an older, scarred man outside town. He had been taken aback when the man had happily showed him his large sword. Most would’ve waved him off as a nosy child.

The blade was was impressive. Almost twice his height! Proudly centered in the middle of an angular hilt was the Goron symbol. It was incredibly sharp and looked perfectly balanced. He wondered if it was one of Biggoron’s works.

He would have never guessed what would happen next or the journey it would set him on. The man crouched down. Your name wouldn’t happen to be Link, would it?

“Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood.”

A humble traveler walked along a yellow, worn path. Just a little farther and he’d veer off to explore a cave he’d seen once. If he hadn’t been in such a hurry before, he would’ve already done so, but just as well, he was excited. He just couldn’t get adjusted to living in a castle. This was the first time in a while he was able to sneak away.

He met a couple strangers before the mouth of the cave. Not uncommon, he introduced himself. He had not expected they’d actually been looking for him. Confused, he let them lead the way through the cave to their campsite where he spent the night hearing tales of old spoken in first person.

He would still need to explore that cave.

“Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea,” a new voice sang softly.

He was running late. Again. Why was it so hard to wake up if he struggled to fall asleep in the first place? How did that make sense?

Finally, he could see the blacksmith’s wife outside waiting for him. Gulley was also outside playing with the cucco. Good. Less embarrassment when he got inside. Curse his decision to continue pursuing the craft.

He took a moment to breathe when Gulley spotted him and waved. The kid winced in sympathy knowing full well the apprentice was just buying time. Well, he couldn’t pretend to wheeze forever. No one bought it anyway.

Out of literally nowhere, a giant club swung by a hinox knocked him sideways. The mother and son ran inside screaming. He counted three and cursed, struggling to stand. How and why were hinox in Hyrule? He cursed again realizing he was legit wheezing now. Lucky hit.

He booked it to the shop avoiding bombs the cyclopes threw at him. Inside, he gently pushed past the three fussing over him and stared the blacksmith dead in the eye. He was tossed a newly tempered blade. He couldn’t let those monsters continue to live in Hyrule.

Shouts disrupted the anxious silence. He ran back outside and balked at a couple of kids running around avoiding bombs. Cursing at everything, it took the three of them about ten minutes to dispatch of the scarily strong oafs. He had to admit, he was impressed.

He could tell what was coming before they could even open their mouths. Goddesses! Could he not catch a break?

“Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood.”

What? Where was this? He didn’t even get any divine warning! Groose was surely throwing a fit over him vanishing mid-convo. He could only hope the goof wouldn’t do anything stupid searching for him.

A strange, repetitive thunking was drawing closer from behind. He dove out of the way of whatever the beast was, but it had actually come to a stop a few feet before him. A young man with long blonde hair hopped off its back asking if he were okay.

He struggled to answer staring wide-eyed over the man’s shoulder. How was she here? Who was this, and why was she with him?

The man stared back contemplating something in his silence. The stranger then called him by name and seemed proud of the reaction he got. He was getting dizzy from the amount of questions racing in his mind. How’d this guy know him? Why’d he have Fi with him?

Why did he feel so familiar?

“Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?”

Bumping into a large gentleman in the bazaar was not how he imagined a new adventure to start.

The man asked him if they’d met before. They racked their brains for a good half hour trying to remember where’d they knew each other from. It was only when Lana found them followed by a familiar face that pieces were starting to fall into place.

No, it wasn’t Lana’s doing, and she knew nothing of how either. She did, however, sense their presence and knew they were safer together. The old man was still a mystery, but Lana assured them this was fine. Maybe they’d remember later. They all had the Spirit of the Hero.

Suddenly, they were in a new town. The whiplash of everything changing in a blink made him nauseous. Whatever this was, at the very least, they were somewhat experienced.

“I do believe I have been changed for the better,” the Hero of Legend sang quietly, his flushed face partially hidden beneath his hair. Soft smiles were sent his way.

“And because I knew you,” the Hero of Twilight prompted.

“Because I knew you,” the Hero of Winds agreed.

“Because I knew you.” Streaks were running down the vet’s cheeks. He could never catch a break.

To be fair, there wasn’t a dry eye present.

“I have been changed...”

The unison voices drifted away along with anything not of the world one hero would be standing alone in.

“...for good...”

[myssamyss]

Everything Stays, Part 6 of 6

The ending!  Part 6: Right Where You Left It 

“Well, then why don’t you tell me how it is?”

Malon shot Wild a daring glance across the kitchen counter. He recognized the appeal to his courage. Twilight was right, she was good at coaxing things out of troubled heroes, Wild realized. No wonder Time liked her so much.

“So, um,” Wild began, “there’s this princess.”

“Mhm,” Malon encouraged with a hint of knowing sass as she began forcefully mashing her bowl of potatoes with a hand mallet.

“And uh, she chose me as her appointed knight. Because of the sword, it chose me first.” He stared down at the counter.

Malon nodded and continued mashing. The dull sound of wood clinking against ceramic served as a welcome distraction during his usual pauses.

“And I protected her. But then there was a great evil.”

“Ganondorf,” Malon supplied. Wild nodded.

“Yeah, well, Calamity Ganon. And we tried to fight it but we all lost. And I was…wounded.” He thumbed at his scarred ear. “So she put me somewhere to heal, for a hundred years, and all that time—all that time she was fighting. And hoping that I’d come back. And I did. But I didn’t remember anything. I had to learn it all again. So we fought Ganon again, and we won. But now it’s just her and I. She’s so smart, and brave, and caring, she wants to put the whole country back together…” he trailed off.

Malon set the mallet aside and glanced up. “But?”

Wild swallowed. “I’m supposed to go with her and be her knight again. But I’m not the same. I dunno what I want now, it’s different. But she deserves the me she waited so long to see. And she’s wonderful, it’s not that I don’t want to go with her...”

He was surprised he’d gone on for so long. He felt suddenly exposed. He needed to be doing something, so he reached into the sink and grabbed the wooden spoon, then he began drying it on a dishcloth.

Malon began slicing thick pats of butter into the mashed potatoes. “I don’t believe you, that you don’t know what you want now,” she told him matter-of-factly.

Wild glanced down at the counter, examining the whorls and lines of its polished wood grain. He struggled after any honest answer buried within his mind.

“Well, I have a little house. That’s something I wanted,” he admitted. “But I don’t mind traveling. In fact, I like going wherever I’m needed. And helping whoever I want.”

“You like adventuring,” Malon told him, and the simple statement resonated in his bones. He nodded.  

“You know,” she said, “my Link had important things to do, too. And he did alright with all kinds of prophecy and expectation. He rose to the challenge bravely, he’s good with resolve. But still—and this goes for all of you—when the evil’s slain and the fairytale’s over, you gotta open yourself up to finding your own place in the world. The place you want.”

Malon set down the bowl of potatoes and looked him straight in the eyes. Wild fought against the urge to glance away from the unyielding stare.

“Sweetheart, here’s the truth,” she told him. “You can’t be anyone but you. Just like I can’t be anyone but me. Even other versions of me,” she paused and narrowed her eyes, “other versions that he remembers. I’d wear myself ragged trying to be someone I wasn’t. And then we’d both be worse off for it. I can’t change what’s happened to him, and he’d probably get hurt if I tried, so I just love him honestly in the now.”

Wild blinked. He thought of Zelda. Was it possible for him to share this new side of him, this side that reveled in freedom, while keeping his steadfast commitment to serve her? Malon’s advice made it sound possible to do both. He felt a small seed of hope settling in his chest. “He’s only a person, after all. Just like this princess of yours,” Malon added with a smile. “Just talking upfront-like to the people we care about usually goes a long way. For you, and for them.”

Alright, Malon’s insight was uncanny. Wild could admit that.

“Anyways, the potatoes just need a little salt, those cookies of yours can bake while we eat. Should we call the others in?” she asked. He understood; she was giving him an opportunity to say more, or end their conversation. She was incredibly thoughtful, and her words had encouraged him greatly. But he’d already talked more than enough.

“I’ll run and get them,” he told her. She gave him a knowing smile. For a moment he was reminded of Zelda’s rare, carefree smiles, and for the first time in a long while he felt only happiness alongside her memory.

Malon returned to her song as she began setting the table.

Wild carried the melody with him as he left out the creaky back door, and the hope in his chest sprouted. Because if Malon could trust her honest self in devotion to a duty-bound Time, then maybe Wild could do the same with Zelda. From his time on the ranch, he could see how the two were curiously alike: Time and Zelda each shouldered great purpose, yet both remained light and even playful underneath. Malon found a way to push back against Time’s sense of duty while simultaneously underscoring it, and her example left Wild inspired. Spurred on by happiness, Wild ran out to the stable, grabbing an old shovel leaning against the outer wall as he flew past.

“Hey Twi,” he called, rounding the doorway to find Twilight sweeping the stable floor exactly as he’d expected. Twilight glanced up and barely had time to raise his broom to counter as Wild rushed toward him with an exaggerated swing of the shovel.

Twilight shot him a smug smile. He returned Wild’s attack with a wide swipe of his broom’s bristles. Wild backflipped away. He thrust the shovel’s blade toward Twilight’s abdomen. Twilight sidestepped and blocked the handle with a forearm strike, knocking Wild’s shovel off-course. But Wild had anticipated Twilight’s block. He used the momentum to arc the shovel toward the larger man’s feet. Twilight tried to counter with the broom-head, but the bristles gave way against the speeding shovel. The broad side of the shovel smacked his ankle, and Twilight stumbled.

Twilight gave Wild a meaningful look, then he tossed his broom aside and raised both hands in defeat. Wild grinned at him.

“One,” he told Twilight, “Dinner’s ready. And two,” Wild narrowed his eyes, “you were absolutely right.”

The two heroes shared a smile, then they went to gather the others for dinner. As they walked out of the stable and into the growing dusk, Wild found his friends’ hopeful song resounding within him—and he suddenly remembered. He did know the song, or at least a piece of it, from his own time, from his own Hyrule! It was a tune he heard around stable campfires on the strings and flutes of traveling musicians, a tune that spoke to him of warm beds and kind folk—a relative rarity in his sparsely populated kingdom. He’d heard the distant melody many times as he crested a hill, only to glance down at a stable nestled in the valley, an oasis of comfort in the harsh wilderness.

How many years separated his friends from his own time? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Yet, if he weren’t mistaken, this song had somehow lived on, carrying the hopeful spirit of his friends into the future. If their song could travel all the way there, then perhaps he’d find the courage to carry their advice back with him, too.

His mind was made up: if he went back...no, when he went back, he corrected, he might just try speaking openly with his princess.

***

Many months later

Wild’s stomach sank as the world changed around him in a terribly familiar way. NO, he thought to himself. They were done, weren’t they? They’d fought and bled and they’d WON. There couldn’t possibly be MORE, could there?

He found himself standing in a small camp cloaked in darkness save for a crackling fire and a setting moon. Ruined, rotting houses surrounded him. The other heroes were nowhere to be seen.

“Link!” a familiar voice called from behind. He spun around.

Standing before him was Zelda. Her long, blonde hair gleamed in the nearby firelight and her eyes shone with concern. He blinked at her in disbelief.

“Link, what happened?!” she cried.

Wild looked around again. He recognized this place from so long ago—the camp they’d pitched amidst the Goponga Village ruins. He glanced at the fire, where the logs were arranged exactly as he always placed them. He had made this fire, there was no doubt.

“You disappeared suddenly, without even the glow of the Sheikah teleportation!” Zelda exclaimed. “I looked and looked for you, for several hours! But I didn’t want to stray too far from camp if you came back. Especially in the darkness, who knows what’s prowling, and already one of us was unaccounted for and I didn’t want to add more trouble to our predicament,” she rambled joyfully.

She continued on. Wild felt his legs twitch, telling him that he ought to kneel.

But that was the old Link’s memory, he realized. He may have fallen back on those old ways once. But he was Wild now. Over a year of living outside of his Hyrule had reforged him, and he liked the man he’d become. He thought of his friends, of Twilight and Time and all the others, then he thought of Malon and her advice that he wanted so desperately to live by. Encouraged, he pushed back against the old Link’s muscle memory as his friends’ comforting song swelled within him, urging him to follow the hope in his heart.

He took three steps forward and clasped Zelda in a hug, cutting off her words. She froze for a stunned second, then returned the embrace wholeheartedly. A jolt of electric joy shot through Wild’s chest.

He pulled away and smiled wildly.

“Link,” she said with a surprised laugh.

“I don’t think I’m the same Link anymore,” Wild admitted to her. Honesty felt surprisingly good.

Zelda studied him carefully in the flickering firelight. “How long have you been away?” she asked. Her hand caught the tail of his frayed hair that now rivaled hers in length. He’d hardly touched it with a knife since the day he left.

“A long time,” he replied. She knew of magic and other inexplicable things, he knew she’d understand enough for now, at least.

His surroundings jogged a memory deep in his mind and a slow realization rolled over him. The song... the stable song. If only a handful of hours had passed in all the time he’d been away... then that meant a small, helpless boy was still making his way to the Wetland Stable! Wild gasped as he connected the pieces in his mind. His friends’ song seemed suddenly prophetic. And maybe it was just coincidence, or maybe the goddess’s hand had woven this melody through the hero’s long history, who could say? Either way, the path before him was completely clear.

Zelda opened her mouth to ask more questions, but for the first time in Wild’s life, he cut her off.

“I have so much to tell you. And I will tell you about it. About everything, I promise. But first,” he said, “there’s something we need to do. Now.”

Zelda looked stunned. “Now?” she asked, raising a delicate fist to her chest in concern.

Wild took a deep breath. “There’s a boy making his way through the swamp. I ran into him earlier in the night. I think he’s been orphaned, and he’s trying to make his way to family at the Wetland Stable. I’m worried about him.”

“Wait, this child is navigating the swamp right now?” she asked. Wild nodded. “Alright, um, well...” she trailed off, clearly overwhelmed by the night’s events.

“I think he needs help. Our help. But I know we have a mission. Zora’s Domain,” he said carefully.

Zelda shook her head. “No, you’re right. It’s far too dangerous for him to go alone. Why didn’t you tell me this?” she asked, her eyes crinkling in concern.

Wild glanced down. “I didn’t think it was my place,” he said quietly. She gave him a long, searching look. Then she furrowed her brow, grabbed his arm, and yanked him down abruptly onto a nearby log.

“Not your place?” she asked intensely, her face filled with impassioned concern. “Link, we’re partners. We’re two parts of a greater whole. Don’t you know that you don’t serve me, not anymore?”

He stared back at her in dazed silence.

“Don’t you know that you being here, alive, is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me?” she admitted. Link started, shocked to hear her speaking so candidly.

“I was thinking, while you were gone, about how you should have been killed but you lived, and now you’re here,” she continued. “And only the goddess knows why, but in the ruins of this kingdom She’s at least blessed us with a chance for freedom.”

Link nodded, lost for words. He should have known that she would see through him, to the desire for freedom he’d harbored since the moment he’d crawled out from that dim stone shrine and stumbled into the sunlight. For, he realized, it was a desire she shared, folded haphazardly beneath her sense of duty, just as his was, too.

“Tell me, is this boy important to you?” Zelda asked.

He nodded more emphatically. “Yes,” he finally managed.

“Then he’s important to me as well. Besides,” she considered, “we can’t rebuild Hyrule on grand initiatives alone.” She nodded, as if also convincing herself, and her expression grew determined. “Let’s go find this boy.” Her eyes glinted like steel in the dying firelight. Then she stood abruptly and began kicking dirt onto their fire.

Wild marveled at the sudden change in their dynamic. Everything here had stayed exactly the same—including Zelda herself—but he had changed, and now it was all different. A wordless, thankful prayer rose within him, and though he wasn’t at a statue, he hoped his thanks reached Hylia.

He pushed himself to his feet and began swiftly packing their camp. He barely had time to take in the strange familiarity of his old things. Soon, they were ready to leave.

“C’mon, let’s go!” Zelda cried, lifting a lantern with one arm and grabbing Wild’s hand in the other. He jumped, shocked by her casual touch. Her hand was soft and warm and wonderful as she pulled him insistently onward to their detour. He followed breathlessly, feeling as if he’d suddenly swallowed an electric darner.

They journeyed a few hours through the wetlands until the first pink hints of sunlight streaked across the sky behind them. They’d kept a quick pace, and as they reached the end of the swamp, Wild finally caught sight of a pinprick of light bobbing ahead. The boy was just down the road, unharmed.

He glanced to Zelda at his side, whose beauty shone through the muck that now covered them both after their hasty traveling. She had seen the light as well. They shared a relieved smile, then she winked at him and took off jogging into the darkness toward the boy ahead. Wild grinned and started after her. He was still following her lead, just as he always had, but now they pursued a mutual hope, and the path ahead held both duty and fun. Maybe I could teach her to shieldsurf when we get to Trilby, he considered. His smile widened as he pictured her speeding down the side of a hill with her golden hair streaming behind her. Definitely worth asking. He’d learned one thing today: Zelda was full of surprises. And instead of agonizing over not knowing her as well as he’d like, he could just ask. He considered how easily she’d taken his hand. She might even say yes, he realized.

She wasn’t the frustrated teenager that stomped through his early memories, nor was he the same knight who once knelt silently at her side. After all that had happened, he was barely the same hero who’d helped her bring down the Calamity. So maybe now they could learn and discover each other, together.

Unfettered joy rose in Wild’s heart as he chased after his princess. The sun climbed over the horizon to light their path as they ran together toward the ever-unfolding adventure that awaited them in the freedom of the wild.

-----------------------

Author’s Notes:

Title and chapter titles based on the song “Everything Stays” by Rebecca Sugar and Olivia Olson, as popularized by Adventure Time. You can listen here.

Have I mentioned how much I owe @clumsydarknut for beta-reading?? I cannot thank him enough. Please go check his stuff out, if you enjoyed this, it’s the best thanks I can give him. 

[pjarox-journey]

Breath of the Wild - Session #3

I’m still experiementing with how to do this. I have no problem with taking notes while playing, although it might disrupt the game at times. I don’t think this is entertaining enough, and far too long. I should leave out some details, right? *sighs* I’ll try this time! Oh, eh... when looking at some onlinemaps, i found out the shrines have different names in English and German (which i use cause that might be my mother tongue). Which is... kinda strange, tbh, but whatever.

As i wrote the last time, i was ready to take my leave from the stable. Hope poor Terry is alright, but i guess he might have experienced worse. Anyway, i rode north, towards Kakariko. On my way, i killed a few birds, which were unlucky enough to stand in Fiona’s an my way. More meat for me, yay! Also, i threw some bombs at goats, which worked pretty fine as well! (I might be an evil man, yeah...)

I had to cross another river to reach Kakariko, but luckily there was a big bridge i could use. With an Octoplatform as well, which wasn’t hard to loot, tbh. Nothing fancy here, though, but i looked around, looted some more stuff and fish, and found another Korok. #14. I had to throw rocks from the bridge, and... boy, it took me at least five minutes. The stone circle i had to hit was to far away for throwing, so i had put some ice pillars around it. Imagine Link, running over the bridge, taking every stone he could find and throwing it into the river. That was me. Hi. But i finally hit the spot, after... at least ten tries. Maybe more. Didn’t count.

On my way to Kakariko i met Hestu (also know as Maronus. Why do they have different names in English, whyyyy? TT_TT), the biggest korok of the all. He had lost his maracas, and he asked me to return them to him. I found them, after defeating 3 Bulblins nearby. 3 black Bulblins. I nearly broke my Knights Broadsword (the one with 38 attack), just for those 3. I hate everything about it, although i might have fought really bad. Anyway... now, after returning the maracas to Hestu, i was able to give him some Korok Seeds in exchange for bigger bags (read: a bigger weapon bag. This is my main problem right now. Who needs more shields anyway?!). But... he only did it twice, until he said something like “Oh no, it late, gotta go, bye!” :c

On the last steps to Kakariko i found another two Koroks, so now i’ve got 16. I might want to mention one in particular: there are some wooden archways before you enter the village. They have an eye out of metal in the middle,or at least thats what i think it looks like. Anyway, sometimes there are sticking some arrows besides them, indicating some people might have shot at them. I can’t tell you why, maybe for some luck? Whatever the reason might be, if you hit the eye, a Korok will appear. I know there is at least one more i can find this way, maybe even two. Not sure, i just got this one until now.

When i entered Kakariko, it was nearly midnight of the 4th day, and the first night of a blood moon. I don’t know if it was coincidence that it happened right when i entered the village, but... well, whatever. The blood moon is strange phenomena, happening every once in a while. The power of ganon revives all of the fallen monster once again. Yay, i guess.

Like i said, Kakariko is one of the more lively places in this world. There are living at least... 20 people in the village? Maybe even more? I did not count them, but i think you get the idea. They all have their daily routine, and some may even have quests for you. Like one of the villagers loves his chickens, but there are only 3 of them left in their enclosure. The other 7 roam happily through the village. For bringing them back, i got 50 Rupees, which was kinda neat.

The most important stuff about the villages are the shops you can use. Kakariko has a supply shop, where you can buy some ingridients, an arrow shop, for, well, arrows. There is also an inn and a clothing shop. Like i wrote, i wanted to buy some armor, but i found out the stuff i wore was good enough for now. Except for the top, so i bought a Hylian tunic for 120 Rupees. I have to admit, its one of my favorite outfits in this game, so i’m happy i was able to get it. There is also a special outfit in every village, which is pretty expensive. In Kakariko it’s a ninja outfit, for better stealth. I don’t like to play stealthy, to be honest, and i also don’t want to pay 1800 Rupees to buy the whole set (with less armor!), so i just bought the tunic and left. Maybe i’ll come back later, don’t know yet.

But i didn’t mention the most important part of the village yet! It’s Impa, the old wise lady! She was waiting for Link, so she could tell him a message of Zelda. But Link had lost all of his memories, so she told him about the past, what has happened 100 years ago. She didn’t tell me how to retrive the lost memories, but asked me to activated the four titans and pay Hateno a visit. Hateno is a small village at the eastern end of Hyrule, just next to the sea, and my next goal! But first, i will do most of the stuff in Kakariko i’m able to do now. I’ve already found another two Koroks here, so i found 18 already!

At the end of day 5, i already finished some stuff in Kakariko, but not everything. There is still the shrine, the great fairy in the forest, i know about another shrine (can i do that yet? I forgot how to get excess to it D:), and there are some quests here, too. Well, we’ll see! That’s all for today! :D I hope you enjoyed it so far! :3

[triforceangel13]

Golden Eyes Ch. 18 (A SidLink Story)

Chapter 18: So Far From Happiness

This was a mistake. This was a huge mistake. Link shouldn't have come out there to do this in the condition he was in.

He was weak, his body having not had the energy to even chase down a Korok for one of the seeds he needed in the past.

But if he had waited what would happen to the Zoras as this thing grew closer. It was more than obvious that they had tried to go after this monster but had failed each time. They could all be wiped out if something wasn't done now.

Sidon could get hurt.

Sidon...oh he missed him so much. This had to be the way to get him to talk to him again. This had to be the big thing he did to get him to see him again.

He still felt guilty for not telling him about his father. He knew it was wrong and he regretted every moment he could for not saying anything.

Gritting his teeth he looked up at the monster that loomed in the water. Three times he had been thrown back onto the land by its large tentacle like arms, them so clear that they blended into the water. He never saw them coming whenever he tried to dive in to shoot it with a few arrows.

But even arrows were of no use against this thing. Arrows went through it like he was shooting water. The only place he could think of that would hurt it was the small ball like core that sat near the base of all of its tentacles.

Whenever he tried to shoot it he was blocked and thrown.

By now he was sure he had a few broken ribs, blood dripping from the side of his head from one of his falls.

More rest and food were required  to do this. But what hero would he be without going in with the bare minimum.

He had done it multiple times before so what was the difference now?

But it was very dumb idea on his part.

He had fought several monsters from moblins to lynels. He even took down parts of Ganon and Ganon himself with little to no help.

How was this monster any different?

But it was much different which is what he had not realized yet. Those other times he hadn't been kept in a dungeon with the barely any food, water, or rest.

If he hadn't been heart broken and desperate to destroy this monster he would have destroyed it already. He usually had a plan to take this down and now...well now he didn't.

“You bastard,” Link grunted as he limped his way to the edge of the water again. A gurgling noise came from the monster in the water, it rising up further to the surface.

Its tentacles rose and Link gasped as he rolled out of the way just in time of the pointed thing coming right at him.

Raising his bow and arrow again he got to his feet, taking a shot at the middle once more, this time with a electric arrow.

Much to his dismay the piece entered the monster but sizzled into nothing.

Not even electricity was going to work on this thing.

“What am I missing,” Link mumbled weakly to himself, not realizing a large tentacle had risen above his head.

“Look out!” came the sound of a voice from behind.

Link didn't have time to turn, being tackled to the ground with a large body on top of him just as the tentacle struck down on the ground right where he had been standing only for the monster to slither back down into the water.

He quickly looked up to look to who had pushed him out of the way, his skin growing paler at the sight of the familiar red scales.

Sidon.

No, he wasn't ready to face him yet. He hadn't killed this monster for him yet. He wasn't ready to face him until this was done.

But Sidon was here.

He struggled from underneath him, putting distance between them.

“Link, we have to get you out of here,” Sidon declared as he got to his feet. “You are in no condition to take this monster on your own.”

Blue eyes gazed at the outstretched hand and he quickly shook his head, rising to his feet slowly though did his best to hide the pain he felt.

A frown settled on the king's face. “Link, what are you trying to prove? I just found out you had been in the dungeons for Hylia knows how long. You need to rest.”

Link shook his head again taking a few steps back as he rose one hand to sign for him, knowing his voice was still too weak to speak properly.

“I have to do this,” he signed, not meeting Sidon's gaze still.

“Why? Why do you have to do this? Why do you have to risk yourself getting killed,” Sidon demanded, a string of hurt in his words.

“I have to kill this monster on my own to make up for what I did to you,” Link signed aggressively, finally looking up to him. “This is the only way to show you how sorry I was for doing such a terrible thing.”

Sidon was silent. Link clenched his eyes tightly, fighting back tears. He could not break down again like this.

“Then and only then will I disappear. You deserve happiness, even if it is without me being in your life-”

The blonde was crushed against Sidon's chest, his hands pinned between them. It took a moment but he started to push against him, shaking his head hard.

No, he couldn't do this!

“Link...please,” Sidon begged, holding tight to him. He felt as if he let go he would lose him once again. He had already lost his family, he didn't want to lose Link too.

Link's struggles died away, his blue eyes peering up at him, the tears he had struggled to keep in finally leaking down his cheeks.

“I know how sorry you are. I'm not angry anymore,” he said to him. “All I want is for you to be by my side, right where you belong. Just knowing what you have endured over this time...I...No. We will talk about that later. For now we need to get you back home.”

Link shook his head again. “I need to do this Sidon,” he finally croaked out loud. “I must make you safe again.”

Sidon sighed, knowing that if he tried to bring Link home he would fight him all the way and get past him when he let his guard down.

“If you must consist on this then at least let me help you. Together we can figure out a plan and take it down together,” Sidon pleaded.

Every fiber in Link's being wanted to tell Sidon no, that he needed to do this on his own. But he found himself nodding his head for the help.

Sidon relaxed at that and kissed his forehead. “Then...we can go back home and we can take back our kingdom.”

For the first time in what felt like forever a small smile came across Link's face.

A plan was quickly formed, Sidon would dive into the water to go after the core while Link would distract the tentacles from the surface. It sounded easy enough but whether or not they could pull this off without any injuries or causalities was a toss up.

Sidon dove into the water, watching as Link took aim at the beast to get its attention once more.

This monster had to be some sort of tired by now.

Days the Zoran knights had gone after it but each time came up with losing the battle. But Sidon would be damned if they did not win the war.

His men hadn't been strong enough. They didn't even compare to the strength and agility that Link had at full health.

Though he wasn't sure if he and Link would be able to do this on their own.

He had left his men on stand by which he was now unsure if that was a good idea. He should have had them join in the battle.

But Link would fight him even further on this.

One blow to his whistle would have them running over to help, he knew it would.

Keeping towards the side of the rocks he watched as tentacles rose from the base of the monster, surging up towards the surface.

Link was doing a good job of distracting it. Though Sidon was growing worried. Four of those things were up there now. Could Link handle it in his state?

No, he had to trust Link to do this on his own. He had done things before that surprised him. Why would this time be any different?

He surged forward, hearing the beast roar despite its small cell stature in the middle. Moving as quickly as he could he rushed the beast. It let out a roar at Sidon, its arms moving as if grabbing hold of something. Perhaps something to hit Sidon with? He didn't want to find out.

Gritting his teeth hard he drew his sword. He raised the blade high above his head and stabbed with as much force like a boulder hitting the ground from a great height.

The blade sunk into the core of the beast. It let out a roar again, a blue sort of blood filling the water. Its tentacles struggled but they did not come down to attack him.

Not wanting to wait to see what it would do Sidon kicked off the bottom of the reservoir floor and swam back up to the surface.

He let out a cheer as he broke the surface. “Yes my love! We did it!”

There was no response. Perhaps Link's voice was just too weak to respond at the moment. He understood if it did given how much energy he had just expended.

“Link?” Sidon asked, looking around, his eyes finally landing on him standing at the edge of the water. He quickly moved forward, a large grin on his face as he approached.

“Oh my love, we can finally be together...now....Link?”

That was when he saw them. The two tentacles that protruded through his back from his chest. Link slowly turned towards him, blood dripping down his chin and his eyes wide.

“Si...Sidon,” Link whispered, falling to his knees.

It all made sense now. Why the monster hadn't attacked him when he had gone for the core. Link's hands had grasped the tentacles hard, holding them to himself as they had embedded themselves in his chest.

And there he had kept them to keep Sidon safe.

“Link!” Sidon cried, running to his side and catching him as he fell back towards the ground, the tentacles slipping from his body. Blood soaked his tunic, contrasting with his pale skin.

“You're safe now,” Link croaked, coughing hard as blood pushed past his lips.

“Yes, we're safe now. We get to go home together,” Sidon said. He had to find help. He had to get him back to the healers!

He picked up the whistle on his neck, blowing hard to signal his men.

“I'm...sorry about not telling you...about your dad,” Link weakly said, his hand shakily rising up to Sidon's cheek, petting it softly.ou the help you need soon,” Sidon begged, tears rolling from his gold eyes.

“Shh. y Now, Save your Strength. We'll get you the help you need soon,” Sidon begged, tears rolling from his gold eyes as he clutched the hand on his cheek. “I just need you to stay with me.”

“You'll make a great king,” Link whispered, his eyes slowly falling shut.

“And you'll be my queen. Link, please open your eyes.”

But the hero did not, his hand going limp in Sidon's grasp.

“LINK!”

I can no longer link previous chapters with the new “updates” from tumblr.

I’m open for written commissions

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[glassandmetalwings]

Wings plays BotW, Day Twenty

Okay, I'm writing this from mobile in bed because it's after one in the morning and I don't want to get criticized for being on the computer still. But I played a little BotW on Wednesday, and a decent chunk on what is now yesterday, so here's as quick a rundown as I can give you.

Wednesday:

Didn't do much. This was while Dad was doing PT. But I stocked up on Durians as planned. I realized there's nothing stopping me from bombing the Durian trees. That helps when it's raining.

Looked over what I could upgrade thanks to all four Great Fairies. Decided to go get dragon horn shards to level up the Champion's Tunic. And...actually did pretty good. At one point I'm almost positive Dinraal spawned in the wrong place though.

Yeah that was about it.

Thursday:

As a point of reference, most of today's stuff had me looking things up. And that's okay. But don't think I figured most of this out by myself.

Started off my looking for the Leviathan bones in the Hebra Mountains. Never would have found that on my own. I also had to leave and return because I messed up and ran out of snowballs to hit the door with.

Got a second piece of Ancient Armor! I just need the middle piece now and then I'll feel more confident going in to Major Test of Strength shrines.

I did take on one Modest Test of Strength though! One that handed my butt to me a long time ago. It took awhile, and wasn't the most enjoyable thing, but I did it! Also the Guardian glitched near the end, ran away from me, then got stuck in a corner about a foot off the ground? I took pictures and video-I'll see if I can upload the latter tomorrow (I know there's a way to do it using Twitter but...connecting accounts isn't fun).

Leveling up some of the armor isn't going to be fun, I rediscovered. Because I went looking for Stealthfin Trout and they aren't easy places to go looking (Eldin and the Great Hyrule Forest). I think the ones in my bag must have come from either Octoroks or Hinox.

After that I decided to backtrack towards the beginning of the game to gather monster parts for other armor sets.

Did the 'just past the tutorial' part of the map always have Bokoblin camps with Silver Bokoblins in them or is that new? Either way I took two down.

Strolled thoughtlessly onto the same Talbus island twice in rapid succession. Not feeling that today.

Found the one memory I always assumed was /supposed/ to be the first you find (the one with Dueling Peaks in the background). After checking my album, I realized I only had four left to collect, so that was most of the evening.

On a different note, how did Link obtain the Master Sword 100 years ago? Was it in the Korok Forest and he had to prove he was worthy like this time? Was it in Hyrule Castle, awaiting the birth of the newest incarnation of its wielder? Bc he already has in the memories.

Back to the story, I managed to find the first of the four by myself- though it took like half an hour just figuring out where in Eldin I was supposed to stand. But I did take out several Moblins and Lizalfos on the way so that's good.

The second was the one in front of Hyrule Castle. I didn't die! And didn't need help finding it either.

Also finally realized that the blue sashes the Champions wear have their respective Divine Beasts on them. That's cool.

Third was the one at Hyrule Castle, which...not fun. I was able to (accurately!) pinpoint the location on the big map, but that doesn't help once it switches to the castle map.

Before doing that, I decided to got find the shrine Elliot told me I missed inside the castle. I assumed I'd just gone in the wrong entrance, but after having to wait out a thunderstorm on a block of ice and deal with two Guardians and finding nothing, I looked it up. And I absolutely did run right past it on my first trip. It's a Major Test of Strength (of course, so I didn't do it, but it's active now so I can get in the castle easier.

With the aid of a video I found the third memory. I also almost got zapped because there was ANOTHER thunderstorm and I was busy paying attention to the Guardians.

I really don't like the Hyrule Castle music because it constantly sounds like a Guardian has honed in on me. Honestly it happens on horseback too and I don't like that but at least on horseback there's never more than two or three so I don't worry as much.

In other news I can successfully one-shot a Guardian via Ancient Arrow about one out of every three times. That's an improvement.

I messed up on the last memory because I only looked at the name of the location, telling myself I would find it from there. Spent a very long time searching in the location of the final bonus memory that you can't find until after you collect the other 11. Go me.

Found it eventually. Very impressed with myself. Went to go tell Impa.

...Except I forgot about that one quest I hadn't activated yet: Stolen Heirloom. So instead I consoled Paya, then prepared to do that.

Despite having a guide right in front of me, I followed the wrong suspicions-looking person and, instead of finding the heirloom, found someone's grave. That was sad.

Second attempt went much better. I didn't get caught, either! And then the Yiga Clan member only got like one swipe in on me thanks to the Thunderblade. So it worked out well.

In other news there are lots of dead Sheikah. There's lots of dead everyone because of Calamity Ganon but especially Sheikah.

Also got the Windcarver I needed for a side quest. Two birds one stone.

Ended there because it was almost 1. But that's good progress. Tomorrow I should finish off the memory stuff, exchange some Spirit Orbs and Korok Seeds, and then...? Maybe something on that previous list but I'm open to ideas. But progress happened.

[wraithreviewsgames]

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. (Spoilers)

Let me start this with, it’s a Zelda game. The plot is the same as always, Ganon’s back, and he’s still bad, Zelda’s there doing her thing behind the scenes, and Link hyaah’s his way to victory. The End. Thats the plot. However the way you proceed is somewhat different. The game is open world. How you clear the main plot points is up to you. The order is all yours. You can leave the start area and book it to Ganon, or you can explore everything without out touching the plot til you max out health and stamina.

Breath of the Wild drops in some nice new mechanics. Climbing is a fun way to get around. Unless it’s raining, in which case you’re stuck. It makes surfaces slippery causing you to slide down them. Shield surfing is a fun way to get around as it’s fast and lets you just shred. There’s even a side quest for shield surfing. You get some nice shields and rupees for clearing it. The paraglider lets you fall long distance and travel far quickly, provided you can start a fire under you to start an updraft or climb something tall. 

There are no dungeons. Well not conventional dungeons, they did away with them and replaced them with the Divine Beasts: Naboris (Robot Humpy Camel), Ruta (Shotgun Marriage), Medoh (Birdo), and Rudania (Lizardo). These beasts are actually named after characters from other Zelda games, Nabooru (OoT), Ruto (OoT), Medli (WW) and Darunia (OoT) respectively. There are also 120 shrines, thats before adding the DLC shrines. The Divine Beasts are huge puzzles that you manipulate by causing certain parts to move allowing you to solve puzzles. Then you fight a blight. These blights are part of Ganon. They’re also harder to fight than Ganon. Once you kill the blight you get a heart container, and a special ability. The shrines are small puzzles that take a couple of minutes to beat and always provide a bit of loot. There are some shrines that are exceptions. Some require you to drop a certain item onto a pedestal or fulfill certain criteria, like standing naked on a pedestal during a blood moon. Seriously that one hurt, I left the game running for 7 hours to get a blood moon to occur. 7 HOURS THAT I COULD HAVE SPENT PLAYING MARIO KART 8 OR COMPLETING FINDING KOROK SEEDS. The DLC added 16 more shrines and the ultimate test of not dying. Once you beat the 16 DLC shrines you get another Divine Beast. This one is more like a conventional Zelda dungeon. Then you fight Maz Koshia. He’s kinda easy to beat. you just have to watch where he’s attacking from. Then you get a motorbike. I’m not even joking here, it’s called the Master Cycle. It’s fast and turns well but you have to refuel it often. Just use a horse. The test of not dying requires you to return the master sword to the pedestal you grabbed it from and clear 45 levels of enemies, and you can’t save unless you clear certain levels. On the upside it makes the master sword do 60 damage at all times rather than in the presence of Ganon and Guardians.  Only issue is you have nothing. Just the runes on your slate, and weapons dropped by enemies. 

Breath of the Wild ditches the traditional items that you pick up. Gone are the iron boots and the power bracelet, instead you have the bomb runes, magnesis, stasis and cryosis. These let you summon bombs, lift metal objects, freeze an object in time, and make pillars of ice in bodies of water. To get the runes you have to complete 4 shrines on the Great Plateau, netting you the paraglider, an item so useful that you can’t leave the plateau without it as you’d fall to your death. You still have your normal arrows and stuff though, ice, fire, electric, bomb and regular arrows, you can hold as many arrows as you can find. Breath of the Wild also forces you to switch up which weapons you use as they break. Often. Spears, hammers, swords, axes, bows and shields all break, except the Master Sword, that can’t be broken, but it does run out of energy, meaning you cant use it, though I’m sure it could still be used as a sword. Shields take damage if you block attacks with them, deflect guardian lasers or shield surf on anything that isn’t snow. As you progress further and collect more heart containers and korok seeds and stamina vessels weapons get more powerful to let you deal damage to enemies, this means you can find a hylian shield (base defense of 90) that has a massive defense boost making you hard to kill. The Master Sword doesn’t get these bonuses.

I mentioned that in each Divine beast you get a heart container, this would take you to 7 hearts, to get the maximum 30 you have to beat 92 shrines as you must collect 4 spirit orbs to be able to trade for a heart piece. There are 120 shrines with these orbs, meaning the rest can be used to increase your stamina. The problem is that you max out at 30 hearts or 3 wheels of stamina, which is fine because you can over fill both of these with the correct ingredients when cooking, unless you pixked the 30 hearts in which case you can’t you can just recover all of them at once, if you eat a “hearty” meal. You can always over fill your stamina even if you have 3 wheels by eating meals that contain ingredients that boost stamina when cooked. I took the 3 wheels of stamina because I climb and swim more than I fight. Also because finding Korok seeds is easier when you can climb longer. Oh, and if you find all 120 shrines and beat them you get the Tunic, hat and shorts of the wild. These are Links traditional green garments. Pretty cool and useful.

I’ve brought Korok seeds up several times now. Korok seeds are the bane of my existence. You collect them and trade them to Hestu, the most hipster Korok, to expand your inventory. You need 441 to be able to carry the maximum number of weapons, bows and shields. That’s fine. I understand making it harder to upgrade stuff towards the end of the game. Whats not fine is the fact that there are 900 seeds around the map. NINE HUNDRED LITTLE TURDS HIDDEN IN OBSCURE NOOKS AND CRANNIES. Once you collect all 900? You get “Hestu’s Gift”. This “gift” is literally a golden turd. A GOLDEN TURD. The worst part? It was hinted at. The flavour text literally reads “ This small seed was given to you by a Korok. It has a distinct smell. If you gather a bunch of them, you never know what may happen...” IT HAS A DISTINCT SMELL YOU SAY? YOU FIND ALL 900 AND GET THE GIFT. Want to know what the flavour text reads? It reads “A gift of friendship given to you by Hestu. It smells pretty bad.” IT SMELLS PRETTY BAD. HESTU LITERALLY HANDS YOU HIS OWN SHIT AS A GIFT. AND YOU CAN’T EVEN FUCKING SELL IT.  WHY NINTENDO? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO US?! 

Speaking of useless quest rewards, theres a compendium that you can fill by taking pictures using the sheikah slate. It’s simple, see an item and snap a picture and it’ll get added to the compendium. A nice little sidequest really. Until you complete it and get nothing worth while. Just an envelope with a picture you can’t see in it. Nintendo is just screwing with us with some of these rewards. 

The soundtrack for the game is just incredible Kataoka did an incredible job, all the tracks blend seamlessly. The music will queue you into whats going on, certain tracks play at night, or while riding horses (or both), while in combat, when in specific places. It’s incredible, but no transition feels forced at all. It’s just a good time when you listen to it. 

I give this game 9.5 “gifts” out of 10. It rains too much.

[sometipsygnostalgic]

tipsy reviews: breath of the wild

So last month, early november, I went and got myself a Nintendo Switch. And for my new console I bought 3 games: MarioKart Deluxe, Super Mario: Odyssey, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

What I used it for mostly during this time period was.... Mariokart. It’s a fun and addictive little game while the two openworld games required a lot of effort with no linear path, so I wasn’t looking forward to a lot of busywork.

To my pleasant surprise, when I finally sat down to complete Odyssey, I discovered that the game was filled with many little secrets. It would reward you for experimenting, for putting objects in funny places, and solving its puzzles. The addictive gameplay helped me steamroll through the game to its logical conclusion, and then beyond.

Breath of the Wild, fortunately, follows a similar path. Gone are the many hours of tutorials, talking swords, and narrow Hyrule paths. Now we find the world not only open, where you’re free to move in any direction  and climb any mountain, but filled with many secrets and challenges to spend your days working through!  It’s not fair to say that Breath of the Wild is without its challenges though; the open-world formula starts out with many, and though Zelda subverts the issues plagueing more well-known users like Assassin’s Creed, it does fall into some unique pitfalls. 

In this post I will discuss the different areas of this game - story, gameplay, puzzle elements - and see how they compare.

Environment: I felt like it was most important to talk about this aspect first, because the world of Hyrule is so significant to the potential and failures of every other part of the game. Everything to do with story, puzzles, difficulty, it’s all related to the open world, what’s in it, and how you navigate.   Breath of the Wild kinda looks like a barren, empty game when you look at its open world face-value. There’s very few cities, most of the place is ruins littered with some enemy camps and lots of caves. Not a lot of history at all! It reminds me of the empty Hyrule Fields in Ocarina of Time. And there are no sprawling dungeons like in its predecessors. The closest to this is the shrines, short mini-dungeons which were created by the Sheikah predecessors to help the Hero destroy Ganon.  But what Breath of the Wild does RIGHT is utilize this seemingly empty open world to its full advantage. It’s filled with a variety of animals and critters to use for cooking, challenging opponents who you can loot, korok seeds which you need to solve a riddle to collect (but which are far less irritating than riddler trophies), hidden treasure for you to discover... And perhaps the most immersive tactic is how we are able to take damage from the environment - you can freeze to death on a mountain, or dehydrate in the desert, or roast in the Goron mine. All of this, combined with the many, MANY shrines and seeds and their corresponding puzzles, makes this world feel... alive. Like people and animals actually live here.   And the most adrenaline-bursting part of all is entering a Divine Beast for the first time and realising you can manipulate the environment using the map. THIS is what makes a great adventure game. Now, it’s still a fair departure from the classic dungeon crawlers or the previous three entries, but I think Breath of the Wild pulled off its world very impressively. Much more fun to explore than London or North America. It is only for an issue I’ll discuss later on that I have to rank it as low as 8/10. 

Story: BotW does make an interesting departure once again from before, though in some ways I feel this had lost potential. The story is COMPLETELY optional - as soon as you leave the great plateau, you can fight Ganon and call it a day. But if you choose to dig deeper into the memories of Link, you’ll discover that you were ALREADY the Chosen Hero, sealed deep into the Resurrection Shrine by instruction of Zelda. You were identified early because of your upbringing as the son of a Royal Knight, and that’s about it for Link’s known pre-mastersword history. It’s unknown what adventures you went on before. Now you and four Champions were chosen to prepare to fight Ganon. The backstory between you and Zelda is.... mixed, kind of depressing actually; she resented you for a long time because you were so good at your job as the Hero of the Sword while she was deeply insecure over her inability to activate her powers and how her father kept putting pressure on her to constantly pray when she just wanted to become a huge nerd, helping out in other ways.  It ends with Ganon unleashing its power across Hyrule, the Champions being killed and trapped in the Divine Beasts they were going to use against him, and Link nearly dying protecting Zelda who  saves him last second with an awesome Light that Burns the Sky.   After watching 25-ish cutscenes, I... was quite disappointed, because they kept rehashing stuff I already knew; Zelda was insecure over her lack of power, she disliked Link but grew to respect him, and the other Champions are.... well, Mipha’s the only one who has any real history with Link. Revali sees him as a rival, Urubosa looks after Zelda, and Daruk is very hardy and enthusiastic. It’s really cool meeting these characters in the Divine Beasts but you don’t learn much more, and I heard the Champion’s Ballad DLC is the same...  Ganon himself isn’t a chilling villain like before, moreso an intimidating threat. He’s not nearly as scary as the Twilight Beasts or any named Ocarina of Time boss, and he takes very little skill to defeat, even compared to some of his Blights (Thunderblight Ganon took me multiple attempts with its fast hard-hitting moves). In fact I think I’d be able to sweep him easily without saving any Champions. The worst part of all though has to be how it just CUTS YOU OFF.  You complete the game? Yeah, that’s kind of it. There isn’t a “post-game”, it just lets you load your past save. That’s what pisses me off the most. I wanted to speak to Zelda about all those memories I found! Oh yeah the game is also sneaky and won’t load the secret ending cutscene if you didn’t report to Impa and recover the hidden memory after unlocking the Hyrule Tower memory, so good luck doing what I did and getting that one last just before the final boss.  All in all, 5 out of 10. It did its job, but was nothing special whatsoever, lots of wasted potential.  

Gameplay: When you first start playing Breath o the Wild it is extremely punishing. Your weapons  are shit, your damage is shit, you WILL get oneshot many times. But when you pump more hours into it, you gain lots of momentum; since there are so many areas of gameplay, so many ways to approach a certain situation, it becomes inevitable that you’ll figure out a good solution to any fight.  This is a double-edged blade; while it’s lots of fun to kill enemies inventively, the difficulty curb at the BEGINNING of the game is so steep that you’ll find it becoming stupidly easy later on, when you’re more overpowered and you’ve mastered the enemy attack patterns. Sure, they may turn black or silver and do hella damage, but what’s a god to a player who knows how to exploit their AI?  And you’ll be swimming in so many powerful weapons that you’ll abandon them all after a certain point, cos there’s nothing worse to trade out.   The biggest victims of the difficulty scaling have to be the Ganon bosses, all of them, which DO NOT gain health or difficulty at any point. It’s like fighting Champion Wallace’s level 40 watertypes with a level 70 rayquaza, which is what I did in my Emerald playthrough...  This means that the greatest elements of Breath of the Wild’s gameplay are those moments where your tools aren’t quite enough, where you have to prepare and plan. Maybe there’s too many moblins to take on at once? Maybe you’re playing the Island Trial and you have no decent weapons? Maybe you’re trying to complete the Zora divine beast quest and you come face-to-face with the Lynel on the summit? Maybe there’s multiple Guardians aiming at your direction and you have no Ancient Arrows? In all these situations I’ve had to be inventive, sneak around and attack on the sly, or avoid combat altogether.  But what’s even more reliable is the puzzles. You’re not handheld, you’re not told how to do anything outside of the very basic controls - every single puzzle you solve is completely your own accomplishment, your own skills, and sometimes it’s not set out clearly at all so you have to be creative. Nobody TOLD you to put that one rock in the gap between all the others, but you did it, and now you have a rock! And nobody TOLD you how to make a recipe that heals all your hearts and gives you 3 to spare, but your experimentation crafted a recipe.   THIS, in my opinion, is what makes a definitive gaming experience - respect for the player. 9 out of 10 too many royal swords.

Music - No videogame review is complete without an OST ranking. Now.... BotW tried to play a certain role with its music, having it in the background colouring your experiences rather than defining them. This is quite appreciated because it would have been distracting to have booming enemy music for an opponent I knock out in 2 seconds (cough OOT cough). However, outside of its main theme, Breath of the Wild lacks almost all the signature Zelda tracks that have been defining for the series. I’d say that the absence of this booming music makes it.... not feel much like a Zelda at all. It better reflects the open and partially destroyed world, at the expense of recogition. That’s not to say it’s without gems though.. there are very few things more chilling than the music that plays in ganon-possessed guardian containing the tormented soul of your dead zora girlfriend. 7 out of 10, servicable and decent. 

Conclusion - Breath of the Wild is a smashing game, which deserves the praise it gets, not because it’s an open world Zelda but because it REDEFINES the possibilities of an open world game. Instead of littering itself with countless copy-paste fortresses, it offers puzzles and challenges that show respect for the player’s adaptability, encouraging you to explore all the different options its mechanics offer. Instead of making you choke through an insufferable and possibly frustrating campaign to unlock new areas, it gives you the options and tools to go anywhere you like as long as you prepare. It says much when even this game’s biggest weaknesses can be played for strengths. And oh man, what a solid introduction to the Nintendo Switch generation. 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: 8 out of 10. 

[artin5minutes]

Breath of the Wild Adventure Log Day 19

Log 19

Oof it’s been a long time since I updated this log.

Guess what?

I beat the game.

Where I last left off I was exploring the dungeon of Hyrule Castle with the intent of simply exploring the castle and doing basic recon.

However, a particular somebody was around and free and sort of excited that I was so close to fighting Ganon and both of us figured I would just die quickly anyway.

So when I resumed I pretty much beelined for the main objective, after making sure I was healed up and had cooked a bunch of meaty meals.

When I entered I was surprised at what happened simply because I still didn’t know what to expect. The floor collapsed and I found myself far below Hyrule Castle facing a messed up spider version of Ganon. What I would realize later is that if I had not faced the Divine Beasts I would have to fight each of THOSE iteration of Ganon first...hence why I encountered Water Ganon upon my earlier encounter.

So because I had completed all of the Divine Beasts I was pleasantly surprised to see that HALF of Ganon’s health was drained. That’s good.

Oh, I’m pretty poorly equipped and trained at fighting Ganon. That’s bad.

Remember when I told you that I really wasn’t great at combat or doing timed anything in the game...so yeah.

The good news is I didn’t die.

The bad news is I spent a lot of time simply running and evading so that my Goron Shield power would work because once Ganon hit 1/4 health he became impervious to direct attacks.

Again, I figured if I was good at timed blocks I could get some openings on him but I wasn’t and I found myself low on health and food so I simply waited until my Goron shield regenerated and used that to create openings into attacking Ganon.

I also was not prepared for the Master Sword to continuously be useless 99% of the time. WTF! So I was also burning through all of my best swords that I had been saving.

It got pretty ridiculous how barebones the fight became. I was wondering if Link was any good at fisticuffs.

But lo and behold, I was patient and managed to beat spider Ganon and I was eager for the next fight because because we know there is another fight coming and also where the hell is Zelda?

So cutscene cutscene there’s Zelda and we’re outside for some reason and Ganon reappears as a giant 4-legged beast that just stands still while I shoot light arrows at it.

Ok.

This fight is weird and once again I am poorly trained because I barely rode any horses in the game and my horse keeps running INTO Ganon’s hooves and knocking me off.

I eventually hit Ganon in the weak spots enough and now I’m waiting for that final one-on-one battle and somehow it never happens.

WTF SERIOUSLY!?

That was it? That’s the end of the game?

I would come to understand later that like 99% of all gamers, this ending was disappointing but let me elaborate on my reasons.

1. We never have a direct encounter with Ganon. No villain speech, no threat of revenge, no mention of Triforces, no talk of how he even managed to do this for 100 years.

2. For a game this big and expansive and exploratory, having an ending that is so brief is embarrassing. People put in hundreds of hours to exploring this world and the conclusion is a lousy boss fight and even lousier cutscene that doesn’t really wrap anything up nor is there any discussion of the future.

3. We were supposed to believe that Zelda was in peril this entire time but nothing in her 13th hour presence indicated that she had been suffering or hurt. She seemed just fine and ready to help you. It was a HUGE deflation of HER narrative that the game had been building towards the entire time. In the end, she hands you a bow and arrow and tells you to do the rest. Not cool.

4. Looking back at almost EVERY other ending to a console LoZ game, this has got to be the worst. Wind Waker’s ending is epic. Ocarina of Time’s ending is epic and beautiful and tragic. Majora’s Mask has a better ending. A Link To The Past is a great ending (I love catching up with ALL of the characters in the world).

5. I know they wanted to reverse our expectations of what a Legend of Zelda game could be but that does not excuse what seems like a rushed and brief ending. It was like a person climaxing WAAY before they were supposed to.

So...as you can imagine I finished the game and then set about wrapping up all of the loose ends left, loose ends that I am still in progress on.

For one, I completed all of the shrine/side quests though there were several that did not appear in my quest log...thanks to the counter that appears once you complete the game I knew I had 3 that were unaccounted for. This meant though I had found the shrines/quests I had not interacted or triggered them properly in the game flow.

Most notably I had never actually found that demon statue that converts hearts into stamina and when I did find it, outside of Hateno, I was shocked that I had never seen it before.

I also never talked to the guy that points you towards the shrine that is triggered by flying in the air and firing an electric arrow into a target near Gerudo Cliffs.

And lastly, I had never read the tablet that explains how you have to get the shrine ball all the way around the spiral in Akkala.

Obviously, I also had lots of Korok seeds to find. When I finished the game I had less than 200 discovered. Because I completed the game only a few weeks before DLC 1 pack was released I decided to wait until I got the Korok mask to actually look for them directly.

The other giant task I had ahead of me was upgrading ALL of my clothes...and this was when I learned about how hard it was to get star fragments and dragon pieces unless you went online and found the shortcuts of when and where and how to get these things.

It was still daunting. I kept track of all the material I needed. I ended up having to collect over 50 star fragments and over a dozen parts from EACH dragon...so 36+. Near the end of this task I ran out of ruby and topaz so I had to grind for that too.

I finally completed it a few days ago. Fighting ALL of those Lynels sucked.

Since the DLC came out I quickly found all of the treasures. It was by chance that I found the Korok Mask as I was having a hard time navigating the Lost Woods again. I actually still don’t remember how to get through there.

I ended up having to cheat and look online because as it turned out, even though I was given clues to those locations, I had never been to many of them so they were not on my map. Who the hell spends that much time in Hyrule Field?

I tried the Trials of the Sword.

The first time I did not get very far at all and after 3 attempts and not doing very well I stopped and waited a few days. I was worried that it was too hard.

I tried again and got much further...12 rooms deep.

I tried again and the Hinox killed me. Ugh.

I tried again and took my time and was VERY patient...saving all of my weapons.

I fought the Hinox and made sure to utilize my abilities and defeated the Hinox easily.

To my surprise the trial ended and the Master Sword was upgraded A LITTLE.

I’d have to return again to charge it A LITTLE more.

I tried the 2nd stage of the trials. It was hard and I didn’t get past the 3rd room.

I haven’t returned yet though now that I KNOW there is a break in the trials I can better pace myself.

I’ve also been isolating areas and doing detailed explorations with the Korok Mask. I’m currently up over 300 seeds. I’ve scoured Hebra, Tabantha, and Gerudo Highlands (all the barren areas) as well as a few smaller areas in between.

I DO know that my reward for 900 seeds is not at all worth it all but I am a completionist and I fully intend on getting all of the seeds someday. I have a full slate coming up so I probably won’t have an update for another few months but hopefully by then I’ll have made some progress...maybe even completed the Trials of the Sword.

Thank you for following my journey.

[cardinalfeng]

LoZ: BotW Review

I know I don’t really like post game reviews but I’ve loved Zelda for a really long time and I wanted to talk about this new installment because I just finished it.

Let it be said however: Spoiler Warning! I’m talking about all of the main quests and a small amount of the side quests.

So, Let’s start with the great plateau. I thought this area was ingenious. Not only did it get you right back into the feeling of Zelda, with locations like the Temple of Time, but I felt like it was really a mission statement for the game, and I loved it. I encountered the Stone Talus right after the Stasis trial, so I had the hammer, but it took a few tries to realize that the hammer was a better weapon than the swords I had. I thought the sense of mystery throughout the entire area was awesome, and the fact that there were somethings which were just as hard as areas in the rest of the game, like the decayed guardians near one of the shrines. And the fact that you re-encounter the old man at the Temple of Time was awesome, because you have 4 spirit orbs and so, before you know to look at the steeple, you just walk inside and see the goddess statue glowing.

I also liked the run from the Great Plateau up to Kakariko Village. On that trip I encountered moblins and lizalfos, which were the other two extremely common enemies in Hyrule, and the difficulty spike was present but manageable. That whole trip also introduced Hestu, and had one of the most amazing tonal shifts in the game. I went through the East Barracks at night, and it was an extremely hard and lonely area, especially when I had like 2 swords and a few arrows. However, upon leaving that area, you meet a friendly NPC, and then a stable, which leads to not only catching horses, but also changes from the loneliness to feeling like you have friends somewhere at least. 

In Kakariko Village, I feel like they capitalized really hard on the Sheikah. It’s where you learn about the memories, and Hyrule’s past, and the Sheikah’s past, and the Yiga. It was pretty intense in terms of the whole story line. But, it again helped me feel less lonely in Hyrule. And the side quests weren’t hard, but they were full of personality. 

The hike to Hateno Village was also interesting, because of the sheer number of dead guardians you see near Fort Hateno. However, the Hateno Village shrine was pretty terrible. The motion controls are pretty inaccurate and unfun, and I won by basically cheating. Though the goal is to show what the switch can do, I really felt that it was more tedium than fun. I felt the same way about bringing the ancient flame up to the Tech Lab. It was mostly just walking through the village. For comparison, I really enjoyed the Akkala one. However, the NPC’s in both Hateno and Kakariko were fantastic and full of personality, in a way that felt more like an older Zelda, like LTTP.

Meta-game I think was pretty interesting. Sure, it’s basically just Korok seeds, Shrines, Towers, and scavenging. However, the sheer number of things you can find really just filled up my time. And things like shrines and korok seeds are genius little ways to have tons of puzzles filled in the game. Such as the “Steady thy heart” shrine, which was a mini-dungeon, and on the way to finding it, I found like 2 korok seeds, and there’s a bit of combat involved too. And the towers were also their own puzzle-combat combination, which just felt very Zelda, even if it was such a new feature. However, the Gerudo Tower, for the Gerudo Highlands was a load of bullshit, and I had to look it up. It’s just an issue of placement. 

The Divine Beasts were a really cool idea, and I think that there were enough variations in the formula of get to a place, do a fetch quest, fight the divine beast, finish the dungeon, beat the boss. I really liked the Zora’s Domain one, because of the sheer factors involved. The Zora people hate you, you need a shit ton of shock arrows (you didn’t but I played ball), and you need to get inside Vah Ruta. I felt like that mission wasn’t just to get inside of Ruta, but really for Link’s sake, and that of Hyrule. It was multi-layered, and the fetch quest was mostly combat. And Ruta was an interesting gimmick, and I enjoyed the dungeon in its entirety. 

The Goron City quest was fun, and people often harsh on it for getting into Eldin and not being fireproof. However, on either stable next to Eldin you can get fireproof elixirs or fireproof lizards. Plus, Eldin is literally crawling in fireproof lizards. I thought that Rudania as a whole was really fun, but I wish that they’d stuck with the darkness inside Rudania that was there at the start. It might be annoying at first, but the puzzle possibility and interesting mechanics were too good to pass up. I think Arin Hanson is right, however, that the boss cutscenes shouldn’t happen when they do. Rather, when you’re about to fight the Divine Beast, to see it in all of it’s glory. Because I could decide for myself to fight the massive volcano lizard.

My least favorite quest was Vah Medoh. First, getting to Rito Village wasn’t hard. It’s not in a dangerously cold area, Tabantha tower is really close, and Medoh is right above it, so it’s impossible to miss. Second, the fetch quest was really close and not hard to get to, and the task to get Teba on your side was aggressively easy. You have 3 minutes and it took me 30 seconds. Then the battle against Medoh just felt like the same task as the flight range, but with bomb arrows, and one less target. With Teba taking fire, and with Teba as cold and flat of a character, there’s no collateral for Link. Even after you find out that he’s been hurt, I didn’t care because the game gave me no reason to. The Dungeon wasn’t hard, and it’s gimmick felt shockingly similar to Rudania. The boss was easy, and as long as I had arrows, didn’t even mean Link had to get within close range. Furthermore, Revali is annoying and condescending, and has few redeemable qualities until after the boss fight, making me wonder why I even freed that asshole.

I liked the Gerudo quest, but I wish that it didn’t have the rupee gate to get inside Gerudo Town, and it felt like 2 dungeons in one. The Yiga Hideout and Naboris were both a dungeon in their own right. Naboris’s gimmick was annoying at points, and the boss fight had too many phases, but it all felt original and interesting. (Note: I did the beasts in order of Ruta, Naboris, Medoh, Rudania). My biggest point about the game is that there should have been more dungeons. The Gerudo quests left me satisfied, while every other one felt too short. If there were 8 dungeons, plus Hyrule Castle, that might be enough dungeon.

In terms of animals and extra stuff in the game, there were really great things. I liked how Lurelin Village didn’t seem to be balanced on Link, and was just there in Faron. I liked the Triforce Springs, especially the quest to save Naydra, which was new, but fascinating. Tarrey town was super fetch quest filled to build, but another way to make the player really feel how they affect the world. The labyrinths were complicated but fun, as were many shrine quests. The memories got me acquainted with a combination of Hyrule, the modern day, and 100 years ago, and were an interesting way to have a player choose if they want exposition or not. The Master Sword was an interesting way to get the player progress on their own but still have greater goals. Hyrule Castle was really fun, but a little too disjointed to allow for exploration without risking total decimation from the guardians (and the North Gatehouse is such bullshit).

Finally, is the ending. I personally love all of the cutscenes and the boss fights. The first one felt like a greatest hits of the previous bosses, but was still fresh and interesting to see how the mechanics interacted. Dark Beast Ganon was a more classic Ganon fight, but made Zelda’s role both prominent and non-intrusive, and explained the weird malice eyes. All of the cutscenes afterwards were amazing and lead the way to a great set of post-game quests to fix up Hyrule. And then the game stayed the same as if I never beat Ganon. With all of the cutscenes, I would love to see typical NPC Zelda, and travel Hyrule with her, even fix up the castle, use the Guardians to make a game plan against Ganon in the future. Sure it makes Hyrule less dangerous, but it gives the player power in Hyrule’s future beyond Ganon, which is where every Zelda game stops defining Link, and where Botw could have strived to be better.

TL;DR: BotW is a fantastic game that fills the time with tons of activities, and the changes to the Zelda formula only make it more fun. However, the Dungeons were too few and far between, and the ending was particularly underwhelming given the sheer number of hints at post game were in the final cutscenes. But overall, an unforgettable Zelda experience, and the best in a long line of great games.

[pjarox-journey]

Breath of the Wild - Session #9

Going North~

Sooo, it’s been a few busy days, but i was able to play a bit more! Yay! \o/ Last time i got back to Kakariko, where Impa gave me my old clothes back. But its time to do my job as hero. Four Titans are waiting to be freed from Ganons curse!

...although, this task might have to wait a bit longer. I still don’t feel ready to takes those on yet. First of all, i need a bit more hearts and equipment. Or more like... more space for weapons. Which means i have to go to the forest of the Koroks, where i will meet Hestu again. I have gathered enough Korok seeds for a few more upgrades, as you know, and... being able to carry more weapons around is always good. I don’t know, where Link stores them, but honestly, i don’t care. He has like 80 apples in his bags, too, so... whatever.

I left Kakariko through the north-east exit, passing by the great fairy in the small forest. I told you about the plateau there? That’s where i headed. Something in my memories told me that there was another shrine to find, and i couldn’t say no to that, could i?

But there wasn’t only a shrine there. Nonono, of course there were...

...flying nuts. You know what this might mean, right?

Stop throwing around stuff, #48!!

Well... whatever. One more Korok Seed for me. I gathered some more food in the area (as always) and went to search the origin of the music. Of course it must have been Kass, and after a quick search, i found him on a nearby rock.

Long time no see, birbman!

He was singing another song of legends. About a crowned animal, which the hero rode... And you see the plattform behind him? It might have to do something with a shrine...

Another riddle, yes. A fairly easy one, to be honest. Do you know any crowned animals you can ride? If you yelled “Deer!”, you are correct! And somehow there are living some deers in the nearby forest. As if someone had intended this!

While i was chasing the deer (PLS STAY STILL!!) night came, ending day 16 of this journey. I had to fight some skeletons that thought they might have a chance against me. I also found another Korok nearby. He loves running around, just like the deer... >.>

STOP RUNNING AROUND!! (#49)

And as i fought some more skeletons, i, uhh... kinda cought the deer.

Why does these things keep running into me?!

Lucky me, i guess. With the help of the deer, i was able to spawn the Miz-Yo-Shrine (still german!). Sadly, this wasn’t a free shrine, but... i did not write down anything about it. Huh. Must have been uninteresting. But i found a thunderblade!

From there, i ventured further north, into territory yet to explore, with another tower i had to climb. Northern of Kakariko lies a swamp-like area, full of monsters, with a path leading to the domain of the Zoras. I had to fight some battles, including a sleeping Hinox.

Link: 1, Hino: 0

Their weapons were not the best, sadly, but as i had aqquired some strong and durable during my mountain trip, it didn’t bother me that much. Of course, i found yet another Korok here.

Stonecircles are their passion. (#50)

But as there were way too many enemies around, i just... kinda ran past them. They tried to stop me though, but i was faster! Haha! And when i reached the hill with the tower on top, i did the same. I had no intention to destroy my weapons just because like 20 monsters thought to defend it, especially some silver Bokblins. Nope! Go bother someone else!

Tower activated!

On top of the tower was a Zora, somehow. He told me that he came here because the ground was rumbling, and suddenly the tower appeared, and took him with it. Since the towers were activated around 20 days ago, which means... how is he still alive?! Why didn’t he tried to climb down? Jump down? An absolute madman, this guy, seriously.

From the top of the tower i flew a bit south again, because i had spotted some more Octoplatforms there. I found a Rhodondit and an Ice staff there - nothing fancy, although the staff might be handy at times. But to be honest, i rarely used these items, and my inventroy was full with other weapons, so... i will need to grab it once i get back again.

I kept exploring the swamp, where i took down some more Lizalfos (they are everywhere here!), but this time with STEALTH! And you know what? I underestimated how strong stealth is in this game.

Down. You. GO!

I was able to oneshot them, as you can see. So if i can kill most mobs with stealth... i won’t have so much problems with breaking weapons! But stealth is hard, and to be honest, i don’t like to play stealthy, but... it can’t be helped, can it?

But as i further ventured through the swamp, the game reminded me of something very critical i might have forgotten.

OH NONONONONO

...playing stealthy doesn’t sound so bad at all, i think. Yes, that’s a guardian there. And not a destroyed, but a real one. It has still his six legs, and a very functional laserbeam, which it likes to show to everybody who meets is eye. Haha... eh... RUN LINK!

It didn’t spot me though. So i sneaked into the nearby shrine, the Data-Kusu-Shrine (#16, german), did whatever i had to do, and ran away. On my way, i found yet another Korok (#51), as i could have expected. (Imagine a pic of them, because i kinda forgot to take one). There was a nut hanging from a big tree - you just have to shot it with an arrow, and you’re good.

Yet another shrine was nearby, which i wanted to do, too, so i went a bit into the zoras domain, where every few steps a Zora told me, that prince Sidon was searching for a Hylian. It was a bit annoying, to be honest, but... Sidon has to wait.

No i don’t want to buy anything! Go away, Zora #529!!

I had to fight even more Lizalfos on my way, but since it was raining, sneaking up to them was fairly easy. I didn’t know that at first, but the game was kind enough to give me this information in a loading screen.

The shrine i had seen was the Sao-Kohi-Shrine, and it was another trial of strange. But this time, it was an easy one. The small guardian had mere 375 HP, so i was able to deal with him fairly quick.

From there, i ventured further north, following the path to death mountain, the home of the Gorons. I had to leave Fiona behind on the plateau, and as there is a stable near the mountain, i could get here back there.

On my way, a few Bokblins were attacking travelers, and i grew tired of them, i challenged them, despite the silver one there.

Sneak...

...and fly!

Those Knights Broadswords really are something, yep. And as it was a silver Bokblin, he even dropped a few minerals. Money! Yesh!

At the stable a woman told me i should prepare myself before visiting the Gorons. I mean, they live on an active volcano, and it might be a bit too hot there. Like in “Hot enough to catch fire in an instant”. That’s how hot it is there. I don’t know how i handled it in my first playthrough, but some friends of mine just... ran over the mountain, burning. Something i don’t intend to do. The better alternative is to buy one or more potions from the lady which will protect you from becoming a well done steak. They might be a bit costly, yes, but they are totally worth it.

But as it is not my intention to visit the mountain yet, i refused. Instead, i visited the nearby shrine, the Moa-Kishto-Shrine (german, #18), and asked the stables owner to bring Fiona to me.

With the end of day 18, i had my horse back, and was ready to leave the mountain behind me. I still want to reach the forest, as i told you, and with Fiona, i might be a bit faster. At least, thats what i’m hoping.

Anyway, this was it for todays session, and... well, i’ll see when i have enough time to play some more! So thank you again for reading this, and stay tuned for next time!

[thegeminisage]

more zeldablogging! hello, future me, i hope you’re enjoying these

today: lake hyrule!

the tower is next to not-eldin bridge so maybe i should approach from there and not faron tower

but i can see farosh's bridge from here and it's juuust the right time

maybe i'll just got wait a few moments and see if he appears

AAAH THERE HE IS!!!!

and another scale :3

i wish i could get horn shards tho :/

lol i get super sad whenever i go back to the plateau even just to glide off the tower ): old man ))):

i used to think it was so tall! and now it looks so normal bc i've seen so much taller.

did NOT miss the rain while i was at death mountain

lol i can't believe these two puny lizalfos once prevented me from crossing this bridge bc it was too difficult of a fight

and FINALLY i'm across for real

and map obtained

i feel like lake hylia is about the same size here as in tp, but in tp it feels much bigger than it does here bc this world is already so huge and dwarfs even the massive divine beasts

god i can't BELIEVE i am always so low on arrows. frankly: an outrage

lol instead of going to the lake im getting the shrines i have seen from other provinces first

whoa these colums are cool

this zone is called faron woods? not even in faron province, hahaha

ooh there's a lady here talking about the horse revival fountain! i did see something about a lord horse lake or something on the map, so i guess that's it

ugh why is it ALWAYS raining

i'll admit i'm in the stage where like, i'm okay with not walking BY every tree, just maybe seeing them all, maybe even seeing them from a distant ledge or my glider

which isn't to say the world has lost its charm or im tired of exploring, exploring and crafting is basically all you do in skyrim and it pretty much never gets old, but i'm more anxious now to uncover the plot than i was before, which speaks to the game's storytelling skills, yet still feel the compulsive need to explore Everything before moving on lol

i don't typically do a lot of post-game play so i know after i kill the final boss that'll be that

ah here's the shrine maybe the rain will have stopped by the time i get out

NOOO a combat trial......!

but it says minor test of strength so that should be okay :|

ahaha got it in half a dozen hits

unfortunately i have so many great weapons i can't hold the ones i get from this thing or the one in the chest :| i need my shit to break!! i guess i need.....to fight more. ugrh.

god i have like 12 orbs now i should go trade them in lol

i keep forgetting!!

@self pls remember

jesus. it's still raining.

me: i need to fight more!

me: sees two lizalfos, groans

if i had arrows i would just take them out from afar

that's my instinct in skyrim, you know? i'm a sniper at heart, combat isn't my thing

but i have no arrows and too many weapons so i guess i gotta change it up

lol and learn to block my shields NEVER break bc i don't use them bc i don't really know how

that and i'm always fucking carrying two-handed weapons :| i want more one-handers

MAN i one-shotted both of them when it took three hits before with the same weapon...! this atk+ helmet does not fuck around im never taking it off again

the ruins in these woods are making me feel Some Kind Of Way

i hope the lost woods are in this game

i mean, they gotta be, if the master sword is sleeping somewhere in a forest

i hope it's cool when you get the sword. that's all i care about

i'm lying i hope ganon the man is in this game too but

im trying to keep my expectations reasonable

I HEAR KASS! where are you buddy i can't see you

ooh this shrine puzzle is about a forest dragon....FAROSH, MY BUDDY

lol yesterday my brother texted me like where the fuck are you getting all these hearty radishes? me: faron my dude

faron and apparently lake hylia too are absolutely thick with them

oh my god there's a lizalfos camp here and they saw me coming from MILES away how even

naturally they've ALL got shock arrows in this very marshy watery area

good thing i can one-shot them.

oooh there's a glowing goddess statue here

ah this is where i offer a farosh scale, like i offered one for naydra and need to offer one of dinaal

weeeeellll i do have 3-4 of them now so i guess so!

i'd hate to miss a shrine and have to come back

holy SHIT there's a thunderspear in here! fair trade my dude! glad i broke one of my swords at the lizalfos camp lol

ah and now this goddess statue will let me trade orbs!! YES

i got 1 heart and 2 things of stamina which means i have 2 full wheels. i can do ANYTHING

i just swam climbed ran and glided with the same burst without putting on special gear it was GREAT

YES i found the horse lake and there's a great fairy here!!!! fuck yeah!!!!!!!

HOLY FUCK THATS IS ONE CREEPY LOOKING FAIRY

awww it plays epona's song

ah and i found a stable nearby!! good

there's an obstacle course here that i can do w/ my horse for gear, which i Want, but i SUCK at it, so

omg i made friends with a dog ;w; it follows me around

i tried to feed it meat but no dice

the start screen said something cool about befriending them...i wish i remembered what exactly!

ooh there's a quest here to catch the Giant horse...im gonna try it

im riding jemma now as well :3 these places have easy access for horses and i'm not as compulsive in my investigation of Every Single Thing so thats nice

nooooo there's a lynel in the way ;_;

even IF i snuck past it to GET the horse to REGISTER it i never could

i have to fight it. i have no choice

gotta get jemma out of harm's way first

im so nervous )))):

but i put on my soldier's gear and atk helm and drank a defense elixir and gave myself extra hearts so!!!!! hopefully!!!! it'll be ok!!!!!!!

i did it!!! it actually wasn't even too bad with the elixir and the armor

this is gonna be a long boring walk...highkey tempted to go get jemma but im afraid she would get hurt. and like. i know, i can revive her. but god.

THERE IS

ANOTHER LYNEL LOL

JESUS CHRIST

god i bet this WHOLE LANE is full of them

good thing i didn't bring jemma

beat him!! Not Even That Bad

omg I FOUND THE GIANT HORSE

and it looks just like ganondorf's, which my brother spoiled for me hahaha

IM GONNA CATCH HIM

ohhh my god im so nervous. him Big

i know it takes at least two full wheels to soothe him, which i have, but i brought potions too, like i just happened to cook some up last time

GOD I DID IT but okay jfc this is only the beginning i still gotta get him aaaaall the way back to the stable ;_;

and you have to do it at the slowest speed or he'll buck you i think

oh my god oh my god

we did manage a light trot a few times but i don't wanan risk it too much

i soothe it every time it does what i ask haha and it's given me the hearts many times!! so that's a good sign

so far so good abt halfway there

OH MY GOD A FUCKING THUNDER KEESE KNOCKED ME OFF

and shocked him!! poor baby

fucking HELL he ran away

i caught up to him and thank god he let me get right back on

maybe i'll get off and feed him some apples tbh

thank god i cleared out so many of these enemies beforehand tbh

tho i noticed lol the coyotes ran away from it maybe more things do!!

oh my god so i’ve been seeing bigass skeletons on the ground but they don’t move and i thought it was decoration or w/e, rightbut i rode past one on the way to catch the horse, and rode past it AGAIN on the way back, and IT’S A FUCKING HINOX SKELETON UP WALKING AROUND fuck no i’m glad we’re up on a cluff and it can’t see useven the live ones just sleep all the time my dude what the fuck?

HAHAHA I MADE IT

we took the last third of the way at a light trot so we're making progress!

uh holy shit apparently im already at max bond?? god Damn

oooh my gosh what do i NAME him

ganondorf's horse doesn't have a canonical name...

king of something?? idk if i even have room

thief by itself seems a little underwhelming...

ooh maybe phantom? for phantom ganon

midnight is too common, something with flames or fire could be cool for the mane but

i think phantom is what we'll go with

oh my god i'm trying the obstacle course with phantom and i LOVE this horse he turns SO well

AND once he gets to top speed, which admittedly isn't fast, he can stay there forever bc unlimited stamina!!

i still can't do the obstacle course lol the horse just straight up goes around the things most of the time and i looked up like, tips online, and apparently it's really fucking buggy, so, no. i got better things to do

LMAO so im going up to lake hylia finally and i have already run over so many birds this guy can trample anything hes a Big strong Boy i love him

oh hey there's a zora out here at this island!

ohhhh my gosh dude farosh is here at the lake too !! man he is. so cool

he? she? i saw someone online refer to them as shes

theyre named after goddeses but dragons were always boys in this series

i like girls better tho so

she doesn't stay very long here

like, she leaves very quickly as opposed to down in faron where i've seen her circle many times

oh god im at the ruined village again where i saw my first blood moon... #cursed

at least it's daytime now

OMG A FIRE WIZZROBE IM GONNA GET ME A FIRE ROD YES

omg a super fire rod. a meteor rod. #nice

lol wizzrobes are easy to fight you just use the proper elemental arrow and don't let them see you. if they DO see you you die tho

now that im not pissing myself in sheer terror these ruins make me Sad jesus christ im so sad for all of hyrule

BRUH there's a stone talus here!!!!

ugh i wanted to mark the miniboss spot but im OUT OF STAMPS

guess i can't mark cooking pots after all but with the interactive map + my sheikah sensor if i ever TRULY need to find one that should be ok i guess :/

/unmarks them all, SADLY!

killed the talus without even using any special food, haha - don’t have to be afraid of them anymore! becoming less afraid of red lynels, can’t wait for the day when i’m not afraid of guardians

there's a korok seed puzzle here where you have to roll a boulder UP a hill are yu fucking kidding me

ooh maybe i could have used stasis from up there...lmao fuck

maybe i can use it from down here

i hate using stasis tho like it fucks up your weapons and i know i said i need to break some but that's just WASTEFUL

wow and it didn't do anything from down here anyway. ok i'll just come back to this :/

hey and that's all of lake hylia explored :')

tomorrow: gerudo desert!!!! me: HYPE!!!!!!!

well actually my brother's visiting so tomorrow: amiibo, but. yeah.

[nightmarefueler]

Sooo... I beat Breath of the Wild. What did I think of it? Well, click the read more, and I will tell you all about it.

Pros

The exploration aspect is done very, VERY well. Empty space is used to great effect here, making anything even remotely unique or out of place pique your interest and it makes you want to go over and see what’s up with it. Plus, there’s a LOT of things to see and do, so you’re never left wanting for excitement for too long.

Speaking of doing things, there are SO many ways in which you can interact with the assets found in the overworld. Whether you want to make progress or just want to dick around, if you think it’s possible to do, then it most likely is.

Unlike in Skyward Sword where the stamina is just a poorly-implemented mechanic used to waste your time and pretends to offer a challenge, it was made loads better here. Now that you’re able to climb (almost) any surface you want, you have to assess the area you want to climb and see if there will be enough footholds for you to make it to the top before running out of stamina. Not to mention, the multiple levels of charge attack give it more than one use.

The fact that most of the shrines are puzzle-oriented makes it very easy to switch your brain from combat mode (which is what the overworld is almost entirely made up of) to puzzle-solving mode. Even with the shrines that offer combat trials, they let you know straight away what’s in store so that you’ll be ready for them.

The Divine Beasts were pretty cleverly implemented as obstacles that hindered your progression. It gave you huge incentive to want to purify them so that you’d be able to see more of the area that they’re terrorizing.

The quirkiness of random NPCs is back in full force, and the side stories and lore that get presented to you are very engaging, especially if you took time out beforehand to interact with said NPCs. The best side quest is easily the one centered around Hudson, and trust me, you’ll want to experience it for yourself.

The animations that Link and enemies have are all so varied and full of detail that it’s impossible not to be charmed by them.

Although minimalistic, the ambient music does its job well to get you in this calm, relaxed mood, and when it comes time to be epic, oh BOY is it ever. Special shout-out goes to the theme that plays when you’re near a shrine in a snowy mountain area. It’s so serene, mysterious, and beautiful, and it draws you into a trance that you do not want to break out of. I REALLY want to find it without sound effects.

Cons

Framerate drops, pop-in issues, all that good stuff. Normally it’s not too bad, but there are times in which the game will come to a complete dead halt for a second or two if there’s too much happening at once.

Although it is mitigated by having almost all enemies drop weapons and shields upon defeating them and being able to increase your inventory space by giving Korok seeds to Hestu, weapon durability is still a thing and it’s an annoyance to deal with at best. Plus, the fact that said durability is also linked to shield surfing made me very, very hesitant in using that ability at any point. However, considering how open-ended this game is, I can see why they went this route. Though, on that note...

Unique enemy variety is very limited compared to past Zelda games. Sure, there’s still a lot of enemy types, to be sure, but there are practically none that are truly exclusive to any one area in order to make them stand out more. Most of the stronger enemies are merely reskins of the default versions, which makes enemy encounters very repetitive very quickly, especially since the game only gets easier as you get more maximum health and better armor.

The Divine Beasts leave a lot to be desired as dungeons. I know that the fights against the Beasts themselves are part of the experience, and the idea of using your Sheikah Slate to influence the dungeon layout is a very intriguing one, to be certain, but they do not take full advantage of this idea at all. Not to mention, all of the dungeon bosses are almost exactly the same, both in their character design and the way you defeat them. They barely attack you, so you’re free to just shoot bomb arrows into their eyes until you win. The only exception to this is Vah Naboris and Thunderblight Ganon, where the dungeon is not only larger than all the others, but the turning of various sections on the inside influences everything from where you can go to what mechanisms get activated as a result. Plus, there was an actual, legitimate strategy to defeating Thunderblight because of its shield getting between you and itself.

Speaking of lame bosses, my god, they could have done something AMAZING with Ganon’s second form. Instead, it goes with him only having stomps and laser beams for attacks, and it goes the awful route of giving you glowing weak points to shoot only when the game says you can.

The main story is barely there. All it really boils down to is that, aside from defeating Ganon, the people of the world are suffering from the wrath of the infected Divine Beasts and you need to save them without anything to make the journey interesting. Important characters just come and go and only provide what is absolutely necessary out of them, then they just disappear for the rest of the game.

Although the amnesia plot point was a great idea for an open world exploration game--giving you optional memories to seek out in order to fill in the gaps--most of the memories only focus on Zelda. Aside from the ones obtained during the Divine Beast quests, none of them have anything to do with the Champions Revali, Urbosa, Mipha, or Daruk. Also, yes, I know Link is supposed to be a silent protagonist, but they could’ve given him a way stronger presence in his memories. He barely emotes, he barely makes any body gestures, but rather, he just stands there as if he’s a statue half the time.

The voice acting is rather hit or miss, and it misses more often than not. However, I will say that Daruk’s is easily my favorite for how little of him we see. He gets the cheery, burly guy thing down pretty well.

Overall, I will say that while the things they got right were very, very right, most of the flaws were definitely bad enough to keep Breath of the Wild from being as good as it could have been. While it’s still a good Zelda game and a good game in its own right, I greatly hesitate to call it “the ultimate Zelda experience.”

Now all I need to do is wait for the rabid fanboys to DDoS my website just because I don’t think Breath of the Wild is a godly masterpiece!

[ddrkirbyisq]

IGT: 1:50:28.24 | CR: 167/216 Not only did I get done in a bit by the flippers location, but I put off dark world death mountain checks for quite a long time. I was pretty surprised how slow this seed ended up being given how generous is was early on (aside from having to buy bombs in Kak). Coming out of Kakariko you had a sword, blue mail, hammer, boots, blue cane, and an activated flute....hard to ask for much more really. Was planning to fake flipper to hobo and then waterwalk to check waterfall cave. Unfortunately the waterwalk didn't work -- I didn't know that using the flute disarms waterwalk, so that didn't work out. I still ended up getting my power glove from hobo though, meaning glove was flipper-locked... Went up to the mountain, grabbed lantern, decided to do herapot in order to get both items in Herapot. I don't know the superspeed setup for herapot so I had to just use a bomb. Cleared out the remaining light world death mountain checks. At this point I had dark world access already but it made more sense to full clear DP first. Did that and grabbed mitts from desert ledge -- this meant that mitts were flipper-locked, not gloves. Checked mire area, got knowledge on the medallion (ether). I had a really hard time deciding whether to tackle dark world from the bottom up (starting at hype cave) or from the top down (starting from village of outcasts). I'm going to have to think about this situation more. I ended up doing hype cave - pyramid - graveyard ledge/king's tomb, then going to village of outcasts. I isolated catfish doing this. My logic was "I'll just do catfish together with lake hylia, waterfall cave, and zora later when I have the flippers", I think that was a reasonable decision (?). I imagine doing hype cave before VOO also makes sense in this situation, because frontloading those checks means that you can make a more informed decision of what to do after VOO/TT. For example if you had gotten the bow, you could head to POD right away. Or if you get flippers, maybe you do TT into SP. If you don't find anything, then maybe you just do smithy chain after TT. This is probably a situation that comes up a bunch so I'll have to put more thought into it and see what other people do. Of course the one time I decided to not dip into SW, it has the flippers that would put me back into logic =( Instead I ended up hoping that flippers would be in Sahasrala or EP. In hindsight this was maybe not the smartest idea because if flippers were at SW, catfish, zora, or spike cave (all possible) then that puts all of SP and IP in logic, so there's a large chance that I can avoid the double dip of EP/PoD area. I was sort of playing the odds in terms of the most likely place to find flippers (5 item locations all clustered, vs the other scattered checks) but thinking back on it, it probably made more sense to be thorough with the other checks first because on the implications of getting flippers (which I didn't really fully consider). Anyhow I checked most of PoD and EP, then spike cave before finally grabbing my flippers from SW. I thought for sure at one point that it would be at spike cave since access to that had opened up so early, but nope... Full cleared SP, checked pyramid fairy, and full cleared IP (sans icebreaker) and finished PoD before finally routing in the dark world death mountain checks and finding my go-mode somaria. At that point not much was left... So yeah, hunting around for the flippers and red cane took a while and I ended up having gone into every single dungeon. On the plus side, I had a great aga2 and probably my fastest Ganon fight ever, though with butter sword and silvers that is not really super tricky.

[thelastpitchbender]

Memory | Chapter 5

Summary: Link must relearn how to be a Champion before he defeats Calamity Ganon – but first, he needs to stop setting fires and backflipping off of cliffs. It’s too bad that his attempts to be a responsible hero keep getting interrupted by dumb things like owing people money, remembering hardly anything about who he is, and Yiga Clan assassins trying to kill him.

Rating: T for language, violence, dark stuff, and dumb, bad humor.

Read on: FanFiction | AO3

Chapter Index here.

Chapter 5

The Noble Pursuit of Something to Drink

It was hot in the Gerudo Desert.

Well, of course it was, Link reflected crankily. He wasn’t stupid. He always knew that the desert was hot. He always tried to steel himself. But somehow, he never quite remembered exactly how terrible the heat was.

Even with the protection of the sapphire circlet or the airy freedom he felt when he wore his Gerudo disguise, sand scoured every exposed inch of his skin. Sweat trickled down his forehead and into the collar of any armor he wore. The glaring sun burned his skin to an angry red crisp.

And then the lizalfos. Always with the Goddess-cursed lizalfos. All he’d wanted was to shoot a voltfruit off the top of a cactus, but suddenly one of the stupid electric ones had exploded out of the sand, disturbed by his arrow. What with the sand constantly shifting under his feet, harsh sunlight glaring off the yellow dunes and into his eyes, and the near-constant electric pulses from the lizalfos, combat was an exercise in frustration.

He trudged away from that fight with little but a lizalfos talon, a broken lizal boomerang, a bruised voltfruit, and a gash on his arm to show for it. He tore a strip from a spare cloth he carried and tied it around the wound as tightly as he could with one hand and his teeth. The adrenaline from combat was wearing off, and the wound was starting to throb in time with his pulse. Link gritted his teeth and looked ahead. He was almost to Gerudo Town. The walls were visible behind the shimmer of a heat wave. He could properly deal with the cut there. He only needed to avoid another fight.

As he made his way through the desert, a large rock caught his eye at the edge of the poorly defined road, if it could even be called a road. He glanced over his shoulder. There was no one within a half-mile of him. It was late afternoon, and most everyone who traveled in the desert did so before noon. Like he should have done instead of riding all night and sleeping at Gerudo Canyon Stable until two in the afternoon, he internally grumbled.

Yet another thing to add to the list of poor decisions Link had made in recent memory.

But at least the emptiness of the desert at this time of day made it easier for him to change into his disguise behind the rock. He stripped off his tunic and greaves and folded them neatly, placing them into his bag of supplies. Out came the Gerudo veil, top, and sirwal. They did feel better, he admitted. The thin silk garments didn’t chafe against his skin with sweat, and the bandage over his arm was less in danger of being pulled at and shifted around. He’d long since gotten past whatever embarrassment he may have initially felt at having to dress as a woman to get into Gerudo Town. These clothes were too comfortable for that.

Finally, finally, he was at the gates of the town. The two guards straightened as he approached. As if he didn’t need a reminder that pretty much every Gerudo was at least a foot taller than him.

“Vasaaq, Zelda,” one of the guards greeted him.

Oh, Goddess. He always forgot that that was the name he had given everyone in Gerudo Town. Someone had asked him on his first day there, he’d panicked and blurted out the first female name that had come to him, and then he’d had to stick with it. It was mortifying.

Still embarrassed, he tried in vain to search through his memory for the proper phrase. “Sav’orr…?” he tried.

“I think you’re looking for sav’saaba,” the other guard informed him in her accented Hylian. “Good evening, not good night.”

“Right,” he muttered, realizing too late that he had to try harder to make his voice higher pitched. He was fortunate that he was small enough to pass as a Hylian woman, but these Gerudo were scary and he didn’t want to get caught…

“Sarqso,” he said with more confidence. That one he remembered.

The Gerudo guards nodded, impassive as ever. What, no appreciation for his attempt to be polite? Typical.

He passed under the arch and into the town. It was like he’d warped to an entirely different place. No longer was he suffocated by the grit and heat in the desert air. He dimly remembered a shopkeeper explaining that Gerudo Town had been built on the site of an oasis, and that water circulating around the city walls kept the area cooler, if still comfortably warm.

The main market of the city had not died down yet; if anything, dinnertime made it busier. The air was filled with shouts, chatter, and laughter, as merchants hawked their wares and women from all over Hyrule came to admire them. Everywhere he looked were splashes of bright color: on tapestries that hung from stone walls, on the awnings over storefronts, in the geometric patterns of the Gerudo clothes everywhere. Somewhere, someone was roasting meat and vegetables with traditional Gerudo spices, and the warm, rich smell made Link’s stomach rumble.

He made a beeline for the communal cooking pots, right across from Spera’s stall. The merchant eyed him with poorly disguised enthusiasm. Oh, great, Link realized with a sinking stomach. He’d sold all of his monster parts to Beedle. He had nothing more than a couple of lizalfos talons left for the Gerudo merchants. They would tear him to shreds.

Link made a point of avoiding eye contact as he rummaged through his bag for something to cook. He pushed aside the bomb arrows, the Korok seeds, the chunk of ore he was saving for one of the fairies. Panic began to set in.

Where was his food? Had he already eaten it all?

Link grimaced, took a deep breath, and turned around. Spera had her chin propped up on her hand.

“Sav’saaba,” she chirped. “My, my, have you not eaten yet today?”

Link sighed, and at length said, “Uh, no.”

Spera’s grin gleamed like the blade of a scimitar. “I always do worry about you tiny vai from other places. Need something to cook with?”

“Stop it, Spera!” someone shouted from behind Link. “We agreed to split the monster parts!”

Link realized too late that his eyes had gone wide. How was he going to tell them? Were they going to convene some sort of war band and go beat up Beedle? Or worse, beat up Link?

He risked a glance over his shoulder to see Ardin, the mushroom seller, with her hands planted on her hips.

“Shut up, Ardin,” Spera snarled. “We all know you lie about where you get your mushrooms.”

“A deal’s a deal,” Ardin retorted. “You have to – wait, what do you mean I’m a liar? I am not!” She shoved past Link so that she could jab a finger in Spera’s face.

“Ladies, please,” Link muttered. As was typical, the Gerudo merchants paid no attention to him.

“I told you that I was going to start a line of skincare products with those parts,” Ardin was shouting. “Let me have this!”

“Oh, sure, you’re going to grind up some mushrooms and lizalfos talons and pray to the Heroines that it doesn’t give you a horrific rash!” Spera flicked her hand dismissively. “And what are you going to do when you run out of mushrooms like you always do, sell lizal powder featuring your rare, mysterious, invisiblemushrooms?”

“Seven sands, Spera, the invisible mushrooms are just a joke, no one actuallybelieves that I sell those – “

Their argument was interrupted by a commotion from the gates of the city. Link heard aggressive shouts and the metallic clanking of weapons and shields. He peered around the merchants, curious.

A group of Gerudo soldiers was pushing their way through the crowd that was quickly forming around them. “Out of the way!” Captain Teake bellowed from the front of the group, pushing unfortunate passersby aside with her shield.

The captain was limping, Link realized. As she passed by him, he could see bloodstained bandages binding her leg. And other soldiers weren’t so lucky. Behind Teake, several of them were being carried on makeshift stretchers.

The soldiers made it to the barracks, and the crowd went back to normal, although a nervous tension still buzzed in the air. He briefly wondered what had happened. The soldiers couldn’t have been fighting a molduga. Their wounds were definitely the result of blades, but lizalfos rarely gave Gerudo soldiers that much trouble. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he could guess exactly what had done so much damage to the soldiers.

Link cast a quizzical glance at Ardin and Spera. Spera muttered, “This has been happening for a while.”

“Those damn bandits,” Ardin added, spitting on the ground.

Of course. It always had to be the Yiga Clan, didn’t it? Because nothing could ever be easy for Link.

While Spera was too distracted by being angry at the Yiga to bug him about his monster parts, Link bought rice and some spices and whipped up a quick, simple meal. He scarfed it down and escaped to the Arrow Specialty Shop, eager to speak to the one merchant who wouldn’t demand he sell things to them.

The elderly Gerudo woman Danda reclined behind the counter of the arrow shop, eyeing him as he approached.

“Sav’saaba…” she grunted as she pushed herself up into a better position. “Your reputation precedes you. I assume you have monster parts to sell me.”

Blunt and to the point. Link couldn’t decide if he liked that or not. “Not so much,” he said, dragging the words out over several seconds. “Don’t tell the others, though.”

Danda raised an eyebrow. “I see,” she said flatly.

“Hey!” a woman shouted from behind him. Link turned to see Isha stalking toward the booth, tailed by a cohort of angry shop owners. Link felt his stomach drop to his feet. This couldn’t possibly end well. He had an informal agreement with the merchants of Gerudo Town: the merchants decided one person Link would sell to, and they would work out any issues about who wanted what amongst themselves. Link racked his brain for what they had agreed on the last time. With a sinking feeling, he realized that he hadn’tmade an agreement with anyone, and now they would all fight about it.

Isha jabbed him in the chest, and he almost wobbled. “I thought you were going to sell your stuff to me!”

“Whoa,” the fruit seller Lorn objected. “I thought we had a deal?”

Estan the butcher shoved her way to the front of the group. “Isha had a deal with me!” She cast a doubtful glance at Isha. “Didn’t we?”

Isha sighed. “Ladies, please.” She thought for a second, then smiled. “I know where we can work this out.” She pointed in the direction of – Oh. Link couldn’t see. Lorn was in the way.

Then Spera grabbed Link by the arm, forcibly dragging him away from Danda and her arrows. Link grumbled. Really? Was it too much to ask for him to buy her entire stock of bomb arrows? He hesitated to resist or even to speak too much, in case they got too handsy and realized that he wasn’t a vai.

“Looks like you lose again, Danda,” Isha teased with a flick of her hand.

Danda grunted, unimpressed. “Who really loses when Zelda will come by later and buy up my entire stock and no one else’s?”

Isha’s smile turned to a scowl for a second, then she was grabbing Link’s other arm and helping Spera pull him away. Link groaned. When had the Gerudo merchants gotten so competitive about his stuff? Weren’t there other adventurers with bones to sell them?

Link eventually realized that they were headed to the Noble Canteen, and his heart sank. There was no way this wouldn’t end badly. He needed to avoid any drinking if he was to get out of this with his dignity intact.

As soon as they entered, the bartender Furosa shouted out a greeting, and the group of Gerudo women surrounding him cheered.

“What do you think, little vai?” Estan asked as she peered down at him, then cracked a grin. “I’ll buy you a drink if you sell me your ore.”

Link did not know how to respond to that. The merchants were all staring at him expectantly, and he was made uncomfortably aware that although his swordsmanship was the stuff of legends, these Gerudo could still beat the living daylights out of him.

“Um,” he began, very ineloquently, “I have some bad news for all of you.”

He had ridden through a vicious sandstorm, withstood the heat of an active volcano, swam through freezing water, and soared thousands of feet above the ground to appease the massive Divine Beasts. He had faced vicious lynels and the deadly beams of the ancient, terrifying Guardians. He had destroyed the corrupted malice of Ganon itself, in the forms of the horrifying Blights. The expressions on the faces of the Gerudo merchants should not have scared him as much as they did.

“I only have, like, three lizalfos talons,” said Link.

Isha’s eyes narrowed. “Total?”

“Total,” Link confirmed, wishing he could sink into the floor.

Isha peered at him for a second, irritated, before she declared, “Well, this has been a waste of time.” Estan rolled her eyes and moved to the bar. The rest of the merchants followed.

Link sagged in relief. It was good to know that they were not as violent as he’d feared.

One of the bar’s patrons was watching him, Link abruptly realized. She was unfamiliar, but clearly a resident of Gerudo Town. “What?” he asked.

She shook her head. “You’re too young for them to be buying you drinks, aren’t you?”

An unexpected burst of indignation erupted in him. Screw not having a drink. This was a matter of principle. “I am one hundred and nineteen years old,” he said defiantly, straining to keep his voice high.

The woman leaned against the wall, nursing her drink. “Sure,” she said with a healthy dose of skepticism.

But he was! It didn’t matter if she thought he was lying. He had been nineteen before Calamity Ganon’s arrival, he knew that. And it was now one hundred years later. Actually, when was his birthday? It had been close to a year since he awoke in the Shrine of Resurrection. He might be twenty by now. Or one hundred and twenty.

After a few seconds of staring at the wall with a frown, he realized that the Gerudo merchants were now entirely leaving him alone, busy drinking their Noble Pursuits. The usual patrons of the bar were busy gossiping in the corner, and Furosa was pouring out more drinks for the merchants. They were all Gerudo, except for one woman at the very end of the bar. She was Hylian, dressed in dull, nondescript traveling clothes, with a sort of fidgety energy about her. Her eyes kept flicking around nervously. Link tilted his head as he watched her.

Then she turned and their eyes met. Link quickly looked away, but her eyes had already narrowed. That was…suspicious. If the Yiga Clan had the daring to attack Gerudo patrols, there was no telling what their spies could be doing.

Come on, Link. Not everyone is Yiga just because every monster in Hyrule wants to kill you.

Link plopped down in a chair. That was true. He needed to relax. But the Hylian woman did not stop acting shifty. She wasn’t drinking anything, either. Despite himself, he almost felt like the air around him was thicker with tension.

After several minutes, the woman got up to leave, but not before shooting a pointed look at him. Did she…want him to follow? Link shrugged. It was probably a bad idea, but he could defend himself.

He waited until she left, then crept out the door after her. None of the Gerudo merchants who had accosted him earlier noticed. The woman was headed for one of the sand seal rental stalls – a good way to leave the town with less scrutiny. There were many more guards at the main entrances than at the stalls.

He knew this lady was bad news. He felt it in his gut. He didn’t think it was heat exhaustion talking. She rounded the corner and walked into the stall, and Link took a step to follow her –

A hand clapped onto his shoulder. Link whirled around, half-formed excuses trying to tumble out of his mouth.

The Gerudo soldier who had stopped him raised her hands in a placating gesture. Link recognized her after a brief second as Captain Teake. “Seven sands, calm down. I’ve been sent by Buliara to find you and bring you to the chief.”

Link groaned. “I was kind of in the middle of something…”

Teake sighed, unconvinced. She only said, “Let’s go.”

After a few tense moments, Link ventured to ask, “It was the Yiga Clan that attacked you today, wasn’t it?”

Teake pursed her lips. The bandages on her leg had been changed recently, but she was still limping. She was paler than usual. At length, she tersely said, “Ask the chief when you speak to her.”

A sore point, then. Link awkwardly dropped the subject.

They reached the steps of the palace after a couple of minutes. The captain halted at the bottom of the steps and said, “You know, little vai, my offer still stands. Come join our forces after you finish that mission of yours.” Her tone was light, but the look in her eyes was strained and almost a little desperate.

Link hesitated for a second before mock saluting with an ironic smile behind his veil. “I’ll consider it, Captain.” Teake only nodded and set out back to the barracks.

Hylia, what was with all these Gerudo calling him little vai? He got that it was probably some endearing nickname, but… He wouldn’t be surprised if there had been people in his past who had teased him for being so short.

He reached the top of the stairs, and Buliara slammed the tip of her golden claymore into the ground, shouting, “Who wishes to speak with Chief Makeela Riju at this hour? Identify yourself!”

Now that Link knew how much Buliara cared for Riju, she was no longer nearly as intimidating. He grinned. “It’s, uh, Zelda.”

Riju shot him a knowing smirk from her place on the throne. “It’s about time,” she said, feigning anger and slamming a fist on the throne’s armrest. “How dare you keep me waiting this long?”

Link laughed, then realized that Riju had probably been in meetings all day due to the attack. The smile dropped off his face. “Look,” he said, “I’ve got some stuff to tell you about the Yiga Clan, and it’s pretty late, so I think we should get down to business first.” His desire to make a stupid seal pun that would make Riju laugh could wait.

Riju’s expression was more serious now as she nodded. “Buliara, I would like to speak with Zelda alone in my quarters.” Her tone of voice brooked no argument.

Buliara looked unhappy, but said nothing. Riju hopped off her throne in an undignified manner that perfectly fit her age. She pointed to her room, and Link followed.

Link cast his gaze around the chief’s room, trying to pretend like he hadn’t been in here before. It was roomy, but still managed to seem cozy and warm. It was probably because of all the stuffed sand seals everywhere.

Riju collapsed onto her bed, letting out a great sigh. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m tired, and I wanted to talk to someone.”

Link raised an eyebrow. “Is that the only reason you had Captain Teake drag me here?”

Riju shot a glance at him. “Of course not,” she replied primly. “I do have important matters to discuss with you. I just already spent the whole day talking about it to Buliara…and you know how she gets.”

Link chuckled. “Yeah.” No matter how much Riju looked up to Buliara, she had done enough complaining about her bodyguard to fill several books. “So what’s up?”

Riju gave him a long, evaluating look. Link stilled under her scrutiny, suddenly suspicious. “The Yiga Clan has been acting up again,” she said after a moment.

“I saw the soldiers earlier today,” Link said, even as his blood ran cold. She knew that they were after him. Did she blame him for the injuries her soldiers had gotten while fighting against the Yiga?

“I don’t blame you,” she said with a sigh, almost as if she read his mind. “I was just wondering if you knew why they’re more active now.”

Link sat down on her bed, then flopped on his back and stared at the ceiling. Something told him Riju wouldn’t mind. He debated how much to tell her for a moment, then realized that Riju was one of the few people in Hyrule he felt comfortable enough around to be honest with. It would be a shame to waste that. “It’s been almost a year since I woke up in the Shrine of Resurrection. I think it’s been about six months since I defeated Master Kohga and freed Vah Naboris. I’ve been taking too long.”

“With what?”

“Defeating Calamity Ganon. If I can just do that, then, you know – “ Link waved his hand in frustration. “They won’t have a reason to exist anymore.”

“Other than to kill you and make my life difficult,” Riju said dryly.

Link let out a faint laugh. “True. What exactly have the Yiga been getting up to, besides today?”

He heard the covers on the bed rustling as the young Gerudo shifted her position. “They’ve been ambushing patrols out in the desert, mostly near the northern ruins. But they haven’t gotten much closer to us than that. I don’t understand it,” she mused. “Buliara thinks they must have a spy in the town that relays troop movements. Why else would they be holding back from attacking the town itself?”

Link nodded, grim. “I think I may have found who it was. She escaped, though.”

Riju sighed. “At least she’s gone. I don’t know what else I could have done. I’m sure that if we had captured her she would have warped away anyway.”

“Maybe not,” Link said, sitting up as he recalled his encounter with the Yiga footsoldier the day before. “I think their masks are what let them disguise their voice and appearance. I broke this one guy’s mask and his voice went all weird. Also, he couldn’t warp away, I don’t think.”

Riju digested this new information, a thoughtful expression on her face. “That’s good to know. Not all of our soldiers made it back, you know. A few of them had to be left at Kara Kara thanks to their injuries.”

Guilt crashed over him like a wave as he flopped back down onto the bed. If only he’d managed to stop the Calamity the first time he’d tried. Or the second. If only… Those thoughts weren’t helpful. They would drag him deep into a mire of shame and sadness.

“The spy I was talking about earlier. She was a Hylian woman at the Noble Canteen,” Link said, trying to be helpful. “She was wearing dark clothes. Too heavy for the desert. She had short, dark hair, but otherwise looked unremarkable. She left the canteen before Teake found me, so I don’t know where she is now.”

He heard the scratching of a quill as Riju wrote his description down. Link turned his head to look at her and noted with some amusement that she was writing it down in her diary. It was a very chief-like thing to write down in a diary, he thought.

Misinterpreting Link’s glance, Riju explained sheepishly, “It’s my diary. It was the paper closest to me.”

Link nodded, hoping against all hope that she wouldn’t realize that he had already read her diary when he’d first snuck into her room. That would be incredibly embarrassing. And would probably get him kicked out of the town for good. He decided to stare at the ceiling again.

Riju sighed beside him. “I don’t know what to do,” she admitted. “I know that I have to keep sending troops out. I’ll look weak otherwise. But it hurts when they come back injured.”

There was a strong undercurrent of despair in her voice now, and Link turned to meet her gaze.

“I don’t have enough troops to challenge the Yiga in their own valley,” she explained. “And no Gerudo soldier gets trained in stealth, so I can’t order good reconnaissance. I’m stuck, and if this keeps going, my people will consider me unfit to be chief.”

“I’m sure they won’t,” Link hastily put in, alarmed at the direction the conversation was taking.

Riju stared down at the blankets. “I know they’ve already been muttering about how I let the Thunder Helm get stolen. Sometimes I feel like a colossal failure.”

“I can sympathize,” Link said honestly. His heart went out to the young chief, who at this moment looked every bit her thirteen years of age. At least you haven’t repeatedly failed to destroy the ancient evil that will destroy your entire world.

Riju clutched a stuffed sand seal to her chest, a small worried frown on her face. Something about it was so painfully familiar. It was right there in his mind, like an itch he couldn’t scratch.

Then he felt the full weight of memory bear down on him like a pile of boulders, dragging him once again into a vision of a century ago.

“Big brother! Big brother!” A young girl’s insistent cries startled Link awake from his nap. He lay still for a second, trying to reclaim the peace and solitude he’d felt just moments ago.

Then he cracked one eye open to see Aryll before him, clutching her small stuffed horse with a worried frown.

Link decided he did not care. “Go away,” he muttered. He closed his eyes again, basking in the warmth of the spring sunlight.

“Link, no!” Aryll cried. “Dad and his friends got attacked!”

Link bolted upright, all sense of comfort and calm gone. “Where?” he breathed.

Aryll started to run back toward their house, waving him forward. “Follow me!”

Link cast one last longing glance at his nap spot. It was at the corner of their family’s small estate, wedged between a rustic wood fence and a gnarled oak tree, and at this time of day a shaft of sunlight perfectly lit the spot where Link laid down.

But he had a bigger issue to worry about. He ran after Aryll and gasped, “Is he okay?”

Aryll stubbornly shook her head, tears starting to well up in her eyes. Link’s heart jumped in his throat and he surged past her, throwing the door to their house open.

His father was sitting in a chair by the hearth, along with other knights and soldiers of his company. His mother was standing in front of him with her back to Link, blocking the extent of the knight’s injuries from his view. But Link could see his breastplate leaned against the wall. It was caked in dirt and mud and dented all over. Worst of all, there was a jagged slash in the metal, cutting through where his father’s shoulder would have been. The work of a lizal blade, Link realized with a sinking stomach. Hadn’t they escaped the lizalfos when they’d left Zora’s Domain?

Link took a hesitant step forward. Fear gripped him. “Mama – “

His mother whirled around, desperate irritation sparking in her eyes even with the exhausted slump of her shoulders. “Go play with Aryll outside,” she told him tersely. Short and slight as she was, she could still be intimidating.

Link could not think of a single thing to say. He saw the extent of the injuries on the other men in the room, and his throat burned as he tried to hold back tears. He had to be strong. For his father, for Mama, for Aryll.

His mother’s expression softened. “He’ll be alright, Link,” she murmured. “But I have work to do.”

Link heard a weak chuckle from his father. “Ah, leave him alone, Anith,” he said, trying to push himself up. “If he wants to be a knight, he’ll have to get used to seeing this sort of thing.”

His mother scowled and pushed him back down. “Sit down, Rossin. No, I mean it. Sit down.” His father relented after a few seconds of struggle. She slumped into the chair opposite him.

“Link is only twelve,” she told him quietly. “Let him have his last year of freedom before he begins his training.” Then she realized Link was still there, and turned around to fix him with an annoyed glare.

“I get it, Mama,” Link said, backing towards the door. He smacked right into the doorframe, then slipped out and slammed the door before anyone could make fun of him.

Aryll was waiting for him on the other side. She stared up at him expectantly, still clutching that stupid stuffed horse like a lifeline.

“Mama says he’ll be fine,” Link informed her.

Her expression immediately brightened, and she started bouncing on the balls of her feet. “That’s good, big brother!” Then she rummaged around in the pocket of her light blue dress for something. As soon as she pulled out her telescope, Link groaned. That telescope was bad news. It always meant Link would get dragged into a ridiculous scheme where he would help Aryll spy on the villagers and then get into trouble for it.

“I wanna spy on the knights!” she exclaimed.

Link frowned. Knights? Then Aryll pointed behind him, on the other side of their house. He turned around and gaped at the sight.

It seemed like his father’s entire company of knights and soldiers had set up camp in the field next to the house. He hadn’t noticed when he had been napping or so worried about his father, but it was very noisy. The clangs of armor and swords rang out in the air, and there was already smoke rising from between the multicolored tents that had sprung up in a loose block. The smell of roasting meat drifted in the breeze to Link and Aryll. Suddenly, spying on the knights didn’t seem like such a terrible idea to him.

Link heard the sound of crunching dirt behind him, and he spun around. There was a dark-haired man standing behind them, with a sallow face, bags under his eyes, and a well-maintained small moustache. He wore a navy-blue knight’s tunic, but had no weapons on him. Link vaguely recognized him, but couldn’t say whether he was one of his father’s friends or not.

“You’re Sir Rossin’s kids, aren’t you?” he asked without preamble.

Link stared up at him impassively, and Aryll nodded.

“I’ve heard him mention his kids before. Didn’t he say one of them was almost of age to start knight training?” the man continued, nonchalant.

“That’s me,” Link blurted out, unable to resist puffing his chest a little.

The man gave him a critical onceover with one eyebrow raised incredulously. “You? No offense, kid, but you’re a little small.”

Link recoiled, about to give the man a piece of his mind, but someone else beat him to it, shouting, “Linebeck, leave those poor kids alone!”

Linebeck scowled. “Aw, come on, Rusl, I wasn’t being mean!”

Rusl jogged up, soldier’s armor clanking. He had his helmet tucked under his arm. The red royal insignia emblazoned on it marked him as a captain. Link stared at him with wide eyes. Was this the Captain Rusl? Commander of the soldiers of East Necluda Company and his father’s right hand man?

Rusl also had a moustache, but he looked much nicer than Linebeck. “I assume you’ve already checked in on your father. How is he doing?”

Link was too surprised to ask how the captain knew who he and Aryll were. From beside him, Linebeck scoffed, “There’s no way he’s not fine. That man’s a real stubborn bastard.”

“I’ll thank you not to speak of the Knight-Commander that way in front of his children,” Rusl said pointedly.

Linebeck waved him off. “I technically outrank you, old man,” he said, but there was no bite to his tone.

Rusl chuckled. “Don’t let Rossin catch you saying that, Sir Linebeck.”

Link gaped. Sir Linebeck? The man was a knight? Linebeck vaguely saluted Rusl with an eye roll, then jogged off to the camp.

“Dad is fine,” Link blurted out, unsure what else to do.

Rusl grinned. “Good. I’d love to stay and chat more, but duty calls. Take care of your father for me.” Then he left, leaving Link to stare after him. He’d heard so many stories about Rusl’s bravery, leadership, and prowess with the sword. When he was younger, Link had hoped that he would one day be Rusl’s squire, but then he had learned that Rusl had not a single drop of noble blood in him and therefore was ineligible for knighthood.

His thoughts were interrupted by a tug on his sleeve. “Big brother!” Aryll said, smacking her telescope against his arm repeatedly.

“Ow, Aryll, no!” Link slapped her hand away, but the telescope went flying into the dirt a few feet away, and Aryll let out a shriek like she’d been burned. Oh, man.

His sister practically flew to the telescope, scooping it up and inspecting it closely for damage or even the slightest smudge of dirt. “I’m gonna tell Mama!” she cried.

Link froze. “Don’t you dare.”

Aryll shouted, “I will!” and promptly ran off into the soldier’s camp.

Link’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. He didn’t even worry about the fact that she was running in the opposite direction of their house. That crafty girl was probably just trying to dodge him. What – what if she got trampled? Then it would all be his fault! Mama would kill him! Without another thought, he dove between the tents where she had disappeared.

He burst out of the tents into a cacophony of activity. Soldiers were sparring, cooking, and tending to their wounds, all while laughing raucously and telling jokes and stories.

Link paled at the sight of practice swords swinging around. What if they weren’t watching and Aryll got hit? Oh no. No, no, no.

He caught a glimpse of bright blonde hair running in front of a tent across the central clearing of the camp. He sprinted for it, dodging and weaving around soldiers who yelped in surprise.

When he rounded the corner, he almost collided with Aryll. She had come to an abrupt stop, mesmerized by something in front of her. Link was about to start yelling when he realized what she was so enthralled by.

Music. A delicate, simple melody was being plucked from a small harp. The player wasn’t a man but a boy, a Sheikah youth no older than Link himself. As he watched, an older Hylian man seated beside him began to sing.

"The kingdom of Hyrule is a vast and storied land, Oft grasped in the palm of a villainous hand.

A dark force of destruction, many times undone, Rises once again - Ganon, the calamitous one.

But hope survives in Hyrule, for all is not lost, Two brave souls protect it, no matter the cost.

A goddess-blood princess and a fearless knight, They appear in each age to fight the good fight…”

Link had the strangest feeling while listening to the song. He could not place it, but it was as if he were both not him and more him than he had ever been. It was as if he were living countless lives that were not his, all in the blink of an eye – a future him that could exist, a past him who had been snuffed out. Visions of darkness stretched before him. He itched at his hands, breath suddenly short. Was there something on his hands? Dirt? Blood?

When he looked down, his hands were clean. The strange feeling broke. Link shook his head, alarmed. He wasn’t going crazy, was he?

Aryll poked him in the side with her elbow. He realized that the bard had stopped singing, and that everyone was applauding. Link halfheartedly joined them. He had enjoyed the performance, but… He didn’t know how to describe it. He inexplicably felt the urge to whack at something with a sword.

He turned his attention back to the bard, who was grinning and bowing for his appreciative audience. “Thank you, thank you,” he said. Link noted that his right arm was in a sling, and that he was wearing finery that befit Hyrule Castle, not the outskirts of Hateno Village.

“My name is Cassar, and I am Hyrule’s court poet,” the bard continued. “This young gentleman on the harp is Pikango, my apprentice. I cannot thank your wonderful company enough for rescuing us from those terrible lizards!”

The bard continued to speak, but Link turned to Aryll and whispered, “Please don’t run away like that again.”

Aryll grinned mischievously. “Aw, big brother, were you actually worried about me?” Link spluttered a denial, but she shoved her stuffed horse at him and said, “Epona will protect me!”

Link raised an eyebrow. “Epona?”

“Mama told me that Epona is the guardian spirit of horses,” Aryll informed him.

Link grinned despite himself. “Maybe Epona will protect me when I become a knight.”

Aryll said, “I hope so. Otherwise I think you’d get yourself killed really fast.”

Link squawked indignantly and tried to grab the telescope out of his sister’s hands. He never did succeed at that.

Link blinked the memory away. Riju was staring at him, deep concern etched into the lines of her face. He could not care less that she was worried.

He had – a sister?

Aryll. Aryll.

In that moment, a helpless, overflowing rage rushed through his veins, and it was everything he could do not to scream.

Did no one think to tell him that he had a sister? Impa – had she known? Bazz or Kodah? Had Aryll been with him at Zora’s Domain? In all of those images on the Sheikah Slate – had Princess Zelda really been so selfish to leave all memories of her and none of his family?

He clenched his fists, twisting up the bed sheets, and Riju timidly asked, “Link, are you alright?”

Something tried to crawl its way up his throat, halfway between a sob and a scream. He couldn’t breathe. Did Riju seriously think he could even form words right now?

Aryll. She was as bright as the sunlight, inquisitive, likely as he was to get into trouble. She took after their mother – slight, pale blonde hair, sky blue eyes. Just the thought of that brightness getting snuffed out – getting trampled into the dust, buried in an unmarked grave, if even – gone, dead –

Link didn’t know what he was doing, but he was out of Riju’s room, out of the palace, into Hotel Oasis and slapping a red rupee onto the counter, collapsing on a bed. The tears would not come. Why couldn’t he cry for his sister? It was like an endless chasm had opened inside him, swallowing everything until nothing, not even the rage, was left.

He was so tired. He couldn’t sleep, not when blonde hair and a telescope flashed behind his eyelids when he blinked.

How… how had he failed her like this? That was what hurt the most. Until Link had remembered, no one else had. She had been truly gone.

She still is truly gone, an insidious voice whispered in his head. It sounded a lot like how he imagined the Calamity to sound, and it also sounded a lot like Link. He shut the voice out, and shut his eyes.