#impa mentioning searching for a way to help zelda and then it just being dropped

[ganondoodle]

i have never played or seen anything of outer wilds (game) and im just now watching someone play it and i keep thinking like .. man .. the sonau could have been something like that in totk, like even the architecture of the nomai in OW looks similar - very angular and mostly off-white green and gold, the name nomai is similar to the english translation for the sonau (zonai), the only(?) somewhat living one of the old and gone people is called solanum which reminds me of sonau and the ore sonanium (engl. zonaite), heck the nomai are goat like looking people with three eyes and use a highly advanced but little understood tech that you need to discover!!! they got swirly patterns alot! they even fuck up some time stuff!!

and im not saying nintendo copied them or something, the general idea isnt something all too unique (as no ideas are) but some of the similarities (like highly advanced in tech three eyed goat people that have a white and green/gold color scheme) do just make me sad bc i keep thinking about thats how the sonau could have been (minus the space stuff but moreso the VIBES and theme, game design aorund them!!), the way its done in OW is so neat, also i love that you cant understand them without a tool and you cant really communicate with them in turn like either! like the fact that there is not even a hint of a language barrier to the sonau in totk is like??? especially given the time span that is supposed to be between the past and the present in totk, not being able to clearly communicate would have been a really good and rather easy way to make the sonau more mysterious! even if you gave them subtitles that translated their language later on it would still make them feel a little more ancient

... actually ..its even worse .. in totks present theres only few people that can translate the text of the sonau, so the idea is there .. but how is zelda able to talk to them no problem? and rauru with you also mineru you could argue its bc they spent a long time as ghosts on the islands or in the shiek- purah pad but neither of them had any contact to the surface so that doesnt work, zelda teaching it to them also doesnt work bc that would take time she doesnt have and she literally talks to them all normally the literal first time they even meet ... it just being bc the hylian language never changed somehow so rauru and mineru just talk hylian is ...... the most boring answer tbh, not even slightly different manner of speech? over all that time? not some sort of accent?? even some of the old zora got one in botw (at least in german .. then again they also removed dumsda (engl. hudson) quirky way to talk ..... ), nothing? no??

it kinda plays into the whole lot that is a big problem with totk imo, the idea is there or even mentioned but its either not acted upon, never adressed or answered the most boring way

[rational-mastermind]

So, question: if Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess take place in the Child Era, and Majora's Mask is all about Link being dead and stuck in purgatory after Ocarina of Time, then how is he, the Hero of Time, an adult stalfos in Twilight Princess?

Still following?

Then let's discuss.

Everyone loves to analyze the darker, horrific aesthetics of Majora's Mask and  the bigger topics you'll likely hear about is "What is Termina?" "Where did Navi go?" "Who is Majora?" "How the hell do I get through Snowhead Temple?!"

Meanwhile, I've stumbled across a different question. One I'm not sure if a lot of people have asked. If this is Link's personal hell or a weird drug trip through his Wonderland, then what does any of it, but specifically the transformation masks, say about the Hero of Time?

Now before answering, let's go back over the beautifully blood-stained lore.

At the beginning of the game you are turned into a deku scrub and the only way to be a real boy again is to get back your ocarina and play the song of healing.

Now the lore for this alone is a little weird. I recall reading that Link is transformed because of his fear of deku scrubs, but that feels a little silly cause Link practically grew up with them in Ocarina of Time. It'd be like being afraid of feral cats while having one for a pet.

And while I'm here, cause my ADD likes to jump to a thousand different conclusions, I'll drop this mini theory here: I believe that the kokiri and the deku scrub's are one and the same. The kokiri are obviously part of the lineage of the kikwii in Skyward Sword and the koroks in every Zelda game since Wind Waker. But it's weird that an obvious tree-related species were once human enough to be mistaken for hylian children. Well, the kokiri can change shape because they are simply spirits of the woods. But the interesting thing is that they are always guarded by a DEKU TREE. Weird, huh? Basically, the idea is that the dekus are the real kokiri but some had changed to look human for Link's sake when the Great Deku Tree promised his dying mother that he would raise him. Also be sure to note that while there are deku BABAS, there aren't any deku SCRUBS anywhere else but in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.

Anyway, so Link shouldn't really be afraid of them. The other observation is that before you reach Clock Town, there is a dead scrub at the entrance, later revealed to be the Deku Royal Court's butler's son, who had left home in search for adventure. At the end of the game we see the advisor had found his son's corpse and grieved for the loss.

(Remember this cause I'm gonna come back to this later.)

The goron and zora masks are easier to explain.

The Goron Mask comes from soothing the spirit of a strong leader and champion of the gorons, Darmani. He grieves having died while on his way to the Snowhead Temple to bring back Spring. Apparently he was pushed off the cliff by a goron who was under the influence of Majora. All he wanted was to save his people from starving in the dead if an unnatural Winter.

The Zora Mask comes from the spirit of Mikau. A strong and talented guitar-playing zora who dies RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. His death is the result of a tragic love story. He dies, broken hearted, after having just fought a band of pirates that took away his and his girlfriend's future children. He never got to say a proper goodbye to his girl. Their relationship may have been a secret to everyone else, but those children, their future, was gone. He dies of exhaustion, fatal wounds, and a broken heart.

Now, what does any of this have to do with Link? What could the hidden meaning be to this, if there is any at all? Well.. There is. And it opened up a whole new understanding of Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and the entire Child Era Timeline.

What I took from the masks, and their tales, aren't anything to do with Link in particular, but rather the people he was closest to in Ocarina of Time and how they all died.

Majora's Mask takes place in the Child Timeline, meaning that you save the day, beat Ganon, go back in time, tell Kid Zelda that opening the Door of Time is a bad idea, and leave it at that. At this point, you would be at the time just after leaving the Kokiri and before going to collect the other two spiritual stones and that has some serious consequences for the works of Hyrule, and the results of his actions, years later when he takes his time to grow up again, are represented in the masks.

The Deku Scrub mask represents Saria. Among the Kokiri, it's said that those who leave the Kokiri Forest die. They are kept safe by the Deku Tree who had already died. Since you don't open the Temple of Time, you don't go to save her in the Forest Temple. You don't save the Great Deku Sprout, and therefore don't ensure the protection of the Kokiri, especially Saria. Saria leaves the woods and dies. (Likely in an effort to find Link)

The Goron Mask, represents Darunia. Telling Zelda that gathering the spiritual stones is a bad idea means you never go to the Goron City. Which means you never help Darunia with his depression. His people starve because of the Dodongos Ganon already unleashed on their mines and as the leader, it's up to Darunia to go and face King Dodongo. But clouded by depression, he dies. He dies trying to provide for his people.

The Zora Mask represents, you guessed it, Ruto. You never go to help her get the Zora's Sapphire. She never meets you and never falls in love with you. If she doesn't die because of Jabujabu, she dies old and alone, never knowing true love, never hoping for a beautiful future with you. She dies with a broken heart.

Now I'm sure by now you've noticed there was one more mask I hadn't mentioned. The Fierce Diety. There is no tragic backstory to this one. In Majora's Mask, you go to the Moon, play with the kids, then go to speak with Majora, who hands you Fierce Diety. He wants to play Heroes and Villains and you're the villain.

This mask, this fierce warrior you become, is Link. It's the adult version of Link. The one who faced down ultimate evils and saved the world. The Hero of Time that Link had...ran away from.

And doesn't that help put things into perspective?

Link never asked to be the Hero of Time. He didn't want to kill the Deku Tree. He only fulfilled the Tree's dying request and then BAM! Life kept making decisions for him! Zelda tells him, insists that he's a hero, and asks him to gather the stones. Darunia asks him to go to Dodongo Cave. The King Zora asks you to save his daughter. Ruto forces you into a relationship. Zelda trusts you with the ocarina. Sheik tells you to save the sages and hell, why not just go kill the big baddie that already destroyed the world while you're at it?? So given the chance, of course he would leave that behind! He had gone through puberty so many times, time traveled, watched people die, interact with the dead, was scared shitless both as an adult and a child and all of Link's friends, including Zelda, all couldn't be his friends anymore when they awoke as Sages. (As is explained by several characters.) They all had duties that they were responsible for. A duty he was responsible for. He saved the world and was never even thanked for it. His life, from the beginning of the game to the end was SHIT.

And this is even worse cause he wasn't ever made aware of the reincarnations or the legends like other Links. Any other cycles were either called upon by an oracle (like Impa back in the early days) or had the legends drilled into their heads to a point where it would be believable when it happened. (Link to the Past, Botw, & Wind Waker for examples)

Link goes back in time and does everything he can to prevent the future he just saved. Prevents having to grow up and face the music Ganon so cheerfully plays for him leading up to the final battle. As a result, Saria gets lost, Darunia dies, Ruto never knows real love, hell, you could argue and say the entire Ikana Kingdom is the result of never stopping Ganon.

The stones or not, Ganon still attacks the castle and destroys Castle Town. And where was Link? Why didn't he stop it? Link had abandoned his duty as the Hero of Time and ran away.

And I think that's who the Skull Kid is. Skull children are kids who wander into the woods to escape adults and growing up, as Navi describes.

So Link's childish follies, his affinity to fairies, his selfish desire for fun and refusal for responsibility, is represented by Skull Kid. And remember, the moon child standing in for Skull Kid said that he was the GOOD guy and the Adult Link is the BAD guy. Growing up was a burden in Link's eyes. Growing up meant dying. Growing up meant watching you lose friends. Why wouldn't he want to run away from it all when all the future had in store for him was pain and suffering?

So Link ran away into the woods hoping, praying, he could go back to Navi, or maybe even Saria, and play as a happy innocent child once again. But without the protection of the Great Deku Tree, Link gets lost, and inevitably dies.

Link then has to face a means of purgatory where he is subconsciously reminded of all the things he had abandoned in his life. And that starts with the Skull Kid. A selfish brat who didn't want to lose his friends and didn't want to grow up, but ended up pushing everyone away anyway.

And it’s funny cause when Link started this adventure, he again, wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of being thrown into another adventure.

But then The Happy Mask Salesman, out of all the songs to play, teaches Link the Song of Healing. A song that soothes upset spirits and distraught people. And yeah it was mostly for the sake of the dead Deku clinging to his face, but I think the song had an effect on battle-weary Link as well.

When Link faces down Majora, he’s basically staring Death itself in the face to fight for a second chance to live.

On a side note, that’s very appropriate for Majora to play the role of, Death. Because Majora simply uses Skull Kid and this whole world as a puppet theater for Link to tell him that basically he’s gonna be damned to hell if he doesn’t shape up. But the swamp, the Deku Princess, Lulu and her babies, Darmani’s tribe, the spirits of Ikana who are finally at peace, Pamela’s father, Kafei and Anjuu, Romani and Cremia, nobody mattered at all. Everyone was just a puppet to teach Link about responsibility and facing the consequences of your lack of actions. That you shouldn’t hide behind a mask and turn a blind eye to people suffering.

After defeating Majora, Link returns to Hyrule. He helps the gorons and zoras, collects the Spiritual Stones, still doesn’t unlock the Temple of Time but instead readies himself and trains so he can be ready to fight Ganon and savs Hyrule yet again, without needing to time travel hundreds of times. This time when Link dies, he is a proud warrior and head of the Royal Guard. Forever known as the Hero of Time.

Then, Link continues on after death. While his spirit is reincarnated into the next life, a piece of him, an echo of who he is, an echo of the Hero of Time, remains in purgatory, to teach future generations. He lives on as a ghost, waiting for the next Hero so that the past is never forgotten and never abandoned. If you don't learn from your past, you'll be doomed to repeat it.

So, answer?

The Deku mask represents Saria

The Goron mask represents Darunia

The Zora mask represents Ruto

The Fierce Diety mask represents Link's future

All four transformations are connected to the courageous deeds Link performed in OoT:

Courage to leave home.

Courage to provide for those in need.

Courage to fight for love.

Courage to accept Death.

Ikana Canyon represents the Kingdom of Hyrule if Link never stayed to fight Ganon.

Skull Kid represents Link's desire for childhood innocence.

Majora is Death and Termina is purgatory.

Everything in Majora's Mask is about the consequences of Link abandoning Hyrule and his existential dread of growing up in the Child Era. He's given a second chance, and then he barely exists after death to teach Twilight Link and others past him which could have interesting consequences for future games...

[pocketseizure]

The Legend of the Princess, Chapter Twelve

The Eyes of the Beholders 

In which two invitations are offered and accepted while strange things happen outside the castle.

(Chapter Twelve on AO3) (Story Tag on Tumblr) (Cover Illustration)

* * * * *

When Zelda returned to herself, she was once again in the familiar library of her own time. A moment later, a gust of wind blew through the room, lifting the pages of her stationery from the dusty surface of the table in front of her. She clamped her hand down on the paper to keep it from flying off, almost dropping the ocarina in the process. As she moved, the fabric of her clothing felt rough against her skin.

Her nightmare of the white tower had filled her with trepidation and caused her to wake in a cold sweat, but she had received an entirely different impression when she saw it with her own eyes; the destruction had been strangely beautiful. Now the library felt stuffier and more claustrophobic than ever. She desperately wanted to know where to find the tower within the history of Hyrule, but she yearned for the open sky.

Zelda gathered her unfinished letters and stuffed them haphazardly into her satchel as she got up to leave. She wanted to resume her conversation with Impa, but even more than that she wanted to go outside. An hour or two of riding in the forested hills to the north of the castle was just the thing she needed to clear her mind.

She paced out of the library, not even pausing to make sure that the old oak doors didn't bang shut behind her. As soon as she entered the hallway she saw Ganondorf walking toward her. He raised his hand in a greeting.

"Zelda! I'm glad I was able to catch you!" he called out.

Ganondorf was dressed in his usual dark colors, but his face was as fresh as the dawn. He seemed energetic despite the early hour. Unsure of how to address him after what she had just seen, Zelda stood still and waited for him to come to her. How dare he speak to me in such a cavalier manner, a voice hissed in the back of her mind, but she silenced it. As she had told Ganondorf in the garden yesterday afternoon, he was her equal, and there was no need for him to bow to her. It was rare for anyone to demand her attention this early in the morning, but her resentment at the intrusion on her privacy was mixed with curiosity over why he had sought her out.

And there was something else keeping her in place, an almost electric current between them. Even if she had wanted to, she could not look away from him.

"Would you like to go riding later?" he asked her with no prelude as he approached. "Barghest told me that it's been weeks since your horse has gotten any proper exercise."

Barghest? It took Zelda a moment to place the name before she realized that Ganondorf was referring to the stable master. She had so rarely saw him speak to anyone, and the familiar way he used the Darknut's name gave her little context. She supposed that it would make sense for Ganondorf not to have been idle during the time he'd spent in her castle, and she found that she was interested to learn what he had been doing.

"I would love to," she answered. She had obligations, but they could be delegated. It struck her as only natural that Ganondorf's desire to leave the castle echoed her own.

"I was hoping you would agree," he said. "I'm not used to spending this much time indoors, and I've been looking for an excuse to explore more of the area around the castle. I heard it from a reliable source that no one knows the northern forest better than you."

A reliable source? "Did Link tell you that?" she asked, remembering how he'd once teased her about spending so much time riding that he worried she had gotten herself lost.

"He did," Ganondorf confirmed. "And he should know. He's an excellent rider. I think he might even be able to compete with the Gerudo. I haven't had much of an opportunity to speak with him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's spent some time in the desert."

Like the man in her vision, Ganondorf spoke calmly and pleasantly, with poise and confidence. Her encounters with him during the past few days had been strained, to say the least, but he was royalty, and he had probably received elocution training similar to her own. Zelda watched his face carefully, searching for traces of the wizard – a twist of his eyebrows, or a hint of a scowl at the corner of his lips. What she saw instead were the fine lines already forming around his mouth and eyes. She mapped the wizard's face onto Ganondorf's, and she could easily imagine what he would look like decades from now. He was actually quite handsome, she decided.

Zelda wasn't used to studying people's faces, and it took her a moment to realize that Ganondorf had stopped speaking in order to watch her look at him. She dropped her eyes, simultaneously embarrassed and frustrated by her shame. After all, a princess should be able to look at whomever she pleases.

Glancing down from his face, she noticed that he was wearing a sash at the waist of his tunic. It was dyed with a circular pattern that she had seen before. At first she couldn't remember where, but in a second it flashed into her head. This was the same pattern that had been engraved in red pulsing light on the gauntlets of the wizard in her vision.

"That pattern, on your sash," she ventured. "What does that symbol mean?"

"It's the crest of the Gerudo, although it's not used much these days," he responded. "Some people say it represents the false eyes on the back of the king cobra, a poisonous snake that lives in the wastes beyond the city walls. Some people say that it represents the divine eyes of the golden sand goddess, who sees everything that happens under the sun. And some people say that it represents the wide eyes of the Gerudo dragonfly, swarms of which gather in the oases along our trade routes."

"Now that you mention it," Zelda said, suddenly remembering, "I seem to recall that your mother once wore a hair ornament with the same crest, with golden hairpins in place of wings."

"She did." Ganondorf nodded. "The crest also represents of a deep bond between two people, with each being a part of and balancing the other, as two eyes create perspective on a single face. I believe it was actually the late queen who gave that set of jewels to my mother."

"I see," Zelda said simply, not knowing how to respond. Her mother had been very close friends with his, but the way he described the crest seemed more like a symbol of marriage.

"Anyway." Ganondorf looked away, perhaps sensing the awkwardness of his explanation. "Your hair looks good this morning. I like it when it's down like that."

"When it's down?" Zelda ran a hand over her head and realized that her hair had fallen half out of its bun at some point. She was mortified that she had been caught in such a state of disarray, and by Ganondorf of all people.

"I'm sorry. I have some correspondence to attend to. Please excuse me." Zelda dipped her chin in apology and began to turn away before Ganondorf caught her with his next words.

"So I'll see you at the stable after your afternoon audiences?"

Despite herself, Zelda smiled. "I'll be there," she said.

▲      ▲      ▲

When Zelda returned to her rooms, Impa was in the antechamber, perched on an overstuffed chair and polishing a long dagger. The blade glinted in a ray of light that fell through a slit in the room's heavy curtains, which had not yet been drawn.

"Good morning, Impa," Zelda greeted her. "Could you possibly look more sinister? I don't think you're quite scary enough to frighten off my attendants."

Impa grinned as she spun the knife around her fingers. "It helps me relax," she replied, shrugging her shoulders before hiding the weapon in a discrete sheaf at her waist.

Zelda sat down on an ottoman. "I'm glad you're here," she said as she undid the small band holding her loose bun. She began to comb her hair with her fingers. "I wanted to ask you – do you know anything about a tower?"

"A tower?"

"An enormous white one with smooth walls like a lighthouse, and not too far from the castle."

"An enormous tower right in the middle of Hyrule?" Impa leaned back into her chair and steepled her fingers in front of her face as she searched her memory. Zelda waited patiently, relieved that Impa did not question her motive for asking.

"I think I remember an old story," Impa finally said. "Very long ago, so far back that even the Sheikah records are nothing more than legends, there was something called the Tower of the Gods. It was supposed to be a symbol of Hylia's covenant with her people and her promise that she would always protect them from evil."

"Evil?" Zelda frowned. Hylia was a goddess of light and order, which she brought with her everywhere she graced with her presence. She was not associated with anything dark or threatening, and she certainly wasn't associated with war. "What sort of evil?"

"If I'm recalling the story correctly, I believe the tower was located on the site of a great battle immediately preceding the founding of your kingdom. A demon was sealed within the earth, and it needed to be destroyed before the land could be consecrated. A hero fought and defeated it, and Hylia gave him and his descendants her blessing, marking their right to the land by building a tower so tall that it served as a bridge to the sky."

"Although I have to warn you," Impa added with a wry grin, "the same story holds that the Hylians once lived on islands floating in the clouds, so you may want to take it with a grain of salt. And no such tower is still around today, obviously. If such a structure really existed, I can't even begin to imagine what sort of force could have destroyed it so thoroughly that there aren't even any ruins. The whole thing seems so farfetched that I never paid any attention, so I'd have to ask one of the elders to make sure I'm getting the details right."

"Please do," Zelda said softly, remembering the ozone crackle in the air as the wizard in her vision had summoned a bolt of lightning.

Impa sat back up and clapped her hands on her knees. "In the meantime," she said, "I came to ask if any messages were delivered overnight. Have you heard back from Ruto?"

"I... haven't had a chance to write to her yet."

"Then you can write to her while I braid your hair. You look like you were standing outside in the middle of a windstorm."

"Is this urgent? Did something happen?"

"I would say so. I heard a troubling bit of information last night from Kaepora."

Zelda took a deep breath. Her father had inherited Kaepora as an advisor from her grandfather. Although the Sheikah elder was still of sound body and mind, he was older than anyone she knew, and he terrified her with his masklike face. If he had let something slip within Impa's earshot, then he had done so deliberately, and it couldn't possibly be good news.

"It seems that one of the Goron mines has become infested with dodongos," Impa said, gesturing for Zelda to turn around.

Zelda did as she wished, putting her back to Impa so that she could pleat her hair.

"Aren't dodongos gentle? Or at least not a threat to Gorons?" she objected.

"That's usually the case," Impa agreed. "If they're becoming more aggressive, this must mean that something is bothering Volvagia. First Jabun and now this? There seems to be a pattern."

"I think we need more information before we can come to any sort of conclusion," Zelda said. She glanced back at Impa over her shoulder. "I wonder what Telma has to say about this."

"As do I. Let's go out tonight, shall we?" Impa responded, winking at Zelda as she began to comb her hair. "If nothing else, I could use a drink."

"Say, Impa?" Zelda spoke up after a minute or two had passed in companionable silence.

"Yes?"

"I have a strange question."

"Stranger than your question about a mythical tower?" Impa teased.

"This is something I've wondered for a while now," Zelda admitted. "The Sheikah crest represents an eye, supposedly since the Sheikah warriors have sworn themselves to serve as the eyes of Hyrule. But why is there only one eye? Wouldn't it make more sense for there to be two? In order to have a greater depth of perspective?"

"That's an interesting question," Impa replied, "but I don't think it has any special meaning for there to be only one eye. Instead of worrying about arcane Sheikah lore, why don't you get started on that letter to Ruto?"

"You're right. I've put it off too long," Zelda agreed. She knew that Impa had deflected her question with an almost insulting lack of subtlety, but she decided to let it slide. She already had enough mysteries to puzzle over, and she could trust no one if she didn't trust Impa.

( Chapter Thirteen )

[ebonwinged-nova]

Breath of the Wild day one impressions, the really articulate version:

(Includes spoilers for the beginning of the game.)

(I will be referencing events up until talking to Impa at Kakariko for the first time.)

Okay so. I am really, really impressed with this game so far. I’ve purposefully kept my expectations low even after I saw enough to convince me that Nintendo handled changes made to the classic Zelda formula well, and now my mind is blown. But let's go through it chronologically.

After the initial waking up sequence I opted to go talk to the old man straight away, and here I have to mention, I got attached to him almost instantly. I don't know what it was, he just grew on me really quickly. (I also called him being the ghost of the king of Hyrule almost instantly.) Either way, he doesn't really tell you much at that point, so I went off wandering around until more story stuff happened.

I quickly got into a battle or two, with some chu-chus and bokoblins, armed with a couple of tree branches and an oversized axe. Gameplay feels fluid and the controls are tight, even though it took some time until I got used to the different control scheme. I also realised at that point that this game is herb picking paradise. I love it.

The game eventually guides you to raise the first Shiekah tower, and then the old man will prompt you to clear the first four shrines in exchange for his paraglider so you can get off the Plateau. And here I was really pleasantly surprised that the game let me fumble around, because you're supposed to find the shrines from the tower with the shiekah slate's zoom function and then mark them on the map, and I... don't really like the zoom function. It zooms in too much with no option to adjust and it moves too fast, so I had some trouble with finding them at first... but not only did nobody butt in to help you regardless of whether you wanted it or not, the old man even tells you that you need to learn to be self-sufficient if you talk to him about it. After the excessive handholding in Skyward Sword that was great.

One of the shrines on the Plateau is in a cold region, so I had my first experience with cooking and it is sooooo much fun. Watching the food bounce around with a little jingle and then Link's excitement at having made food is great and I love it and it also makes me really hungry because the food art looks delicious.

On the way to that shrine I died for the first two times out of... a bunch. Seriously. I died more often just today than I usually do in an entire blind Zelda playthrough. One was because I jumped into ice water (oops) and the other was when an enemy straight up OHKO'd me. People weren't kidding when they said this game is harder than other Zeldas—but it's also very forgiving with saves, so even with all the deaths that happened I've never actually lost any progress.

The first shrines themselves are brilliantly executed tutorials that don't look like tutorials whatsoever. They give your four shiekah slate abilities (bombs, making ice blocks, magnet and time stop) and then require you to solve puzzles using these abilities. It's very intuitive how you need to use them and it teaches you the basics of what you can do with them much better than some onscreen text could. The abilities themselves are really fun to use too, and they do lend themselves to really unexpected uses! There's an area on the plateau where a couple of stationary guardians will snipe you if you're not careful. I grabbed an iron door that was lying around and used it as a shield with the magnet ability. It was a bit finnicky because you can't turn the object you're levitating around, but it actually worked!

All shrines being done I went and met the old man at the ruined Temple of Time, where, unsurprisingly, he revealed himself to be the ghost of the old king of Hyrule from 100 years ago. At this point I was actually a bit sad, because as I mentioned I grew attached to him and as you might expect, he did not stick around afterwards. RIP, old man king, RIP.

Either way, he dropped some exposition on what happened 100 years ago and I... I'm really into it so far. Partly because the voice acting really adds to cutscenes, but also...

THEY'RE DEPICTING ZELDA AS A BADASS COMMANDER AND IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY.

Seriously. She's the commander. Link's her sworn knight. She's calling the shots. She's the one going to face Ganon all on her own. THIS IS GREAT. I LOVE IT.

Also, Hyrulean mechas.

So yeah. After that cutscene I went and explored the rest of the plateau before leaving and promptly ran into the talus, then proceeded to run away very quickly. Then I timed my departure so I could fly off into the East into a beautiful sunrise (man, does this game have beautiful lighting), and then completely ignored the directions the old man gave me and wandered off in search of cool things. And ho boy did I find them.

The world is teeming with details and things to check out. I was worried about that becase some of the footage made the game look a bit barren, but I've almost found myself wishing there was *less*, because it just. Never. Ends. I keep finding more stuff. It's the ultimate OOOOH SHINY experience. Thank god for map marking.

I found my way to the outpost stable that I think they showed on Nintendo Treehouse? I like that the NPCs say a thing as you walk past. Adds a bit of life to them. I also really like that the game tracks sidequests. It would have been a pain to remember the tiny errands they want you to run. I went and tried to tame a horse nearby, but the amount of stamina you start out with doesn't seem to be enough, so I gave up and moved on.

From there on I wandered around more or less aimlessly. There's so much freedom in navigating the environment that it's just really fun to travel around. I did a few more shrines (they really are everywhere), I saw a lot of cool things like accordion playing birds and cute foxes to murder in cold blood and a centaur that murdered me in cold blood... Because death is just not a big deal, I never had to worry much about consequences and did whatever I felt like. It led to a couple "I immensely regret my decisions" moments (like the time I jumped right into a bunch of guardians—that ended just as well as you might imagine) but that was a lot of fun too! This is a game where you can feel free to try out whatever crazy thing you think of and aren’t punished for it, I think.

I did eventually make my way towards Kakariko, like the old man said. I don't *think* you were supposed to climb straight over the mountain, but hey, YOU CAN DO THAT NOW. It's awesome. Link is basically spiderman. See that surface? You can climb on it. Even if it’s a solid ice block.

Kakariko turned out to be a very Japanese-looking village. I wasn't expecting that, given how Kakariko looked in past games, but I don't mind at all! It's very pretty. I encountered my first shops there and the way shopping works is really immersive. You don't select items from a shopkeeper list, they're displayed in the store in correct numbers, and if you don't buy the entire stock only the corresponding amount of items vanishes. I love that.

The player economy in this game is a bit... different. It doesn't seem like you can find rupees as easily anymore—I couldn't find any outside of some treasure chests. You can sell any items you collected though, and they do fetch quite a bit of money, so I assume they intended that as the main repeatable way of getting money. I like it. Makes more sense.

The music in this game takes a very different approach. It's mostly confined to stray piano notes or chords (although I haven't exactly seen a lot of it yet, so other areas may be different in this). Amazingly, this didn't strike me as odd or out of place in the least. It just makes the game all the more immersive.

So! There you have it. These are my day one impressions, or at least the ones I can still remember.