#layer 4 the legend of zelda the wind waker
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Chapter 4.1: 0.0 Years
“….aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-”
SPLASH!
Ow.
“...ey… Hey… Hey…! Wake up…!”
My head was swimming as I slowly came to. I was soaked; I had washed upon a beach on a very green-looking piece of land. Various flotsam and jetsam were on the beach, though my eyes were drawn to the piece in the direction of the voice.
It was the closest, and it was a little bronze cage. Inside was a red ball of light with... fluttering wings.
“You’re awake!” came the voice from before. “You’ve been there for… I dunno how long, I was asleep when you washed ashore. Can you get up?”
“Just… give me a minute…” I got up. I don’t know why I was having trouble with this. For almost the last every ten years, I’ve been dropped roughly three times in a span of a week to a similar situation. Then again, even though I was winded after each of those, I was never hurt, and the voice said it was for his amusement. Maybe those were like… slapstick or something? I’m tangenting.
A few moments later, I got up to my feet and opened the cage door. The light inside flew out and fluttered around me joyously.
“Freedom!” it shouted. “Oh, I’ve been in that cage for weeks! I love getting to stretch my wings again!”
“You’re welcome, by the way,” I mumbled as I looked around at all the other stuff on the beach. On closer examination, there weren’t cut pieces of kelp or chunks of driftwood – they didn’t even seem to be damaged. The bottle looked the most like trash, and it had what looked like some kind of coupon inside it. Some strange red gem. A box that vaguely resembled a camera. A large shoulder bag, with the ends of apparently two scrolls sticking out, one a dull red and the other a more vibrant crimson. A fancy-looking hourglass, and a large old-looking mallet with an equally-old-looking shield right next to it.
“Oh, right, I haven’t introduced myself yet!” the ball stopped in front of me. “Thanks for letting me out! The name’s Twig! I’m a spirit of power – a fairy!”
I think I was mouthing “fairy” when it dawned on me. I turned to mouthing “Zelda” as I snapped my fingers.
I turned and looked around all my surroundings. Beyond the beach spread a vast ocean, stretching all the way to the horizon in every direction I could see it in.
Wind Waker.
I was in freakin’ Wind Waker.
“...So, are you going to tell me your name, or…?”
“O-Oh, my apologies,” I said, returning my focus to Twig. “I’m… Robert, sure, why not. Pleasure to meet you.”
“Same, Robert. You’re a weird one and really spacey, but you still rescued me, so I’m gonna stick around. So now that you’re awake, what are you gonna do now?”
“Well, for starters...” I looked around at the items that littered the beach. “I’m going to clean this up.”
“Is it all yours?”
“Knowing my life as I do, it probably is.”
“Good enough for me! I’m pretty strong, so I’ll help how I can!”
I rolled my eyes, but I appreciated the sentiment. I decided to get the bag first, for the obvious reason one gets a bag when collecting a lot of stuff.
When I picked the bag up, I found something was half-buried in the sand underneath it. “A giant scale…?”
Twig fluttered over to look at it. “I know this. This is one of the scales of the Sky Spirit, Valoo. Boy, you must be pretty mixed-up to be a Rito and not recognize it.”
“Wait, I’m a what?” I blurted out, but already my memories were stirring. I put my face to my hands and found my beak. How’d it taken me this long?
Felt my arms; no wings. Wait, were Rito wings always out? I reached for my memories of playing Wind Waker HD, but… dang, I played a lot of games just to experience them. Pokémon was something that was popular enough with me, and Banjo-Kazooie was important to my childhood (plus I had strategy guides for it), so I was able to recall details about those worlds with little hassle. But Wind Waker? I hadn’t played it until it came out on the Wii U; hell, I hadn’t played any Zelda game with anything resembling competency until the 3DS. I knew the critical path at a macro level and what each of the dungeons and bosses were, as well as the major characters, but I was drawing a blank on pretty much anything else.
“Seeing how out of sorts you are,” Twig said, “I probably need to fill you in on what should probably be obvious.”
“...Yeah, probably.” I mean, I wasn’t making any progress on my end.
“The first step to improvement is acknowledging there’s a problem.” He fluttered around the scale as he continued. “So, the Rito worship and attend to this super-old dragon, Valoo, that’s about as old at the ocean itself on their home on Dragon Roost Island. In exchange, the Rito get some of his scales. They do some kind of ritual with them, and that lets them grow wings so they can fly and get from island to island without a hitch.”
Right, that was coming back to me a little. “’Some kind of?’” I pressed.
“Hey, I don’t know everything or anything!” Twig answered, jerking up and down in an angry manner. “I have no idea how they use the scale. If you want your wings, we’ll probably have to take it to Dragon Roost Island and ask.”
“Works for me,” I said, putting the scale in the bag. Shouldering it – which was actually closer to the small of my back, but same effect – I started to pick up everything else. Twig actually wasn’t joking when he said he could help, but as he struggled to pick up the camera-box, it was clearly closer to exaggeration. I appreciate the thought.
When I picked up the hourglass, I took a moment to look it over. The sand that filled its bottom half reflected the sunlight with a beautiful gleam, looking less like sand and more like gold.
“Hey, Twig, you know anything about this?”
He fluttered around it for a bit, examining it. “I’m not sure… It feels familiar in some way, but I can’t put my finger on it. It definitely looks like a valuable treasure, though.”
“I’m kinda all about valuable treasures,” I said. “So I’m definitely holding onto it.”
It wasn’t too much longer before everything else was in there. I ruffled through everything and found that already inside the bag was the notebook. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest at this point. Like every other time, there was writing on the first page.
Layer 4:
You have ten years in this world.
Eight of your companions have been imported into native forms.
Two of your companions have landed in an alternate world. You will eventually be able to reach them.
Space will be made in the warehouse to ensure all purchased items will fit.
Entertain me.
“‘Ten years in this world’?” Twig asked from over my shoulder. “Are you sick or something?”
“No, I’m not- Wait… You can read this?”
“Yeah. Should I not?”
That was weird. As a test, I had previously shown the notebook to a couple of the Gray Jinjos, who unlike Team Firma I was certain were capable of reading English. However, they couldn’t make anything out but incomprehensibly cryptic scribbles, even the parts I had written myself – and my handwritng’s not that shit.
“No,” I answered. “I can’t explain it, but only me and a certain few people should be able to...”
Wait.
What the heck.
I just got here, I haven’t even seen a door yet, much less a locked one, and I’m pretty sure even without flawless memory I wouldn’t forget putting a fairy in a stasis pod.
“Hey, there’s more writing now!” said Twig. I looked back at the notebook.
Oh right, forgot to mention. One new companion has been chosen as able to join you without use of the stasis pod. You have the means by which to identify them. If they agree to join you, they will do so automatically.
“Oh come on, I’m not even allowed to choose my team anymore…?!” I grumbled.
“From everything you’ve said, I’m sure it’s talking about me,” Twig said. “Do you not want me, or…?”
“No, no, it’s not like that,” I said quickly. “Just… I’ve been jerked around a lot. I’ll explain more later, but… welcome to the team, Twig.”
“I won’t let you down, Robert!” His true fairy form was faintly visible in the light he admitted, and I saw him salute. “So, what’s the first order of business?”
“Well, if six of my companions are in this world, maybe some landed on this island too. Let’s go look for them.”
“Alright, I’ll follow your lead.”
“First off, any idea where we are, Twig?”
“I believe the residents refer to this place as Windfall Island. Dragon Roost is due east of here.”
“Wings are item number two. Let’s start exploring this place.”
Windfall Island is a large (for this world’s standard) and busy place, so finding stuff that was relevant information wasn’t easy. Most the Hylians – even though they don’t seem to call themselves that now – were nice enough, even though they kept assuming I was lost while trying to deliver the mail. To be fair to them, I was essentially carrying a mail bag around with me, but it made trying to figure out things that weren’t where people’s houses were a bit of a pain.
The first major bit of news I learned was that I was the second Rito on the island that no one had seen before. The first was female, a bit younger-looking than I did, but dressed in some expensive-looking clothing. She was last seen standing on the high cliff overlooking the ocean, the one with some kind of tombstone on it. For lack of better options, I decided to check it out.
I first saw her from behind when we got there. I was in more traditional – standard, I guess – Rito tunic, according to Twig. She, on the other hand, looked almost like royalty. Her body was covered with this almost form-hugging white dress. There was a short red cape flowing over her shoulders, more of a mantle than a cape, I guess. Her actual body, however, was far from mature; she honestly looked more than a little like a girl playing queen. The main things counting against this was her more-than-shoulder length hair that was mostly white but the tips were dyed red, and the halberd she was holding.
I started the uphill approach towards her. “Hi there-”
“Not another step.”
I stopped less from the command than from the sudden cold tone of it.
“...I didn’t think you would find me so quickly,” she said after a moment. “I would have put more thought into my ultimatum if I did. But I guess it’s better to rip that bandage off quickly.”
“That expression is stupid,” I blurted out. “Anyone that thinks it’s a better idea to rip a bandage off quickly doesn’t know how to take it off without uprooting more than a couple hairs underneath it.”
“I don’t think mouthing off to her is going to make her act nicer,” said Twig.
“Your new friend is right, Robert.” She started to turn around, revealing distinctive golden eyes.
“...Anita?”
“Correct.”
“...You look very nice.”
“Thank you, but flattery will not help you.”
“If she’s your friend, she’s kind of a mean one,” Twig whispered.
“Hmm, yeah...” I muttered. “She’s always been a little aloof, but...”
“It’s rude to just mutter to yourself while having a conversation,” Anita butted in.
“Doesn’t seem like much of a conversation to me,” I said. “What’s with the attitude, Anita?”
“What’s wrong with it? It’s a perfectly fine response to what’s been done to me.”
I wanted to ask what she was talking about, then I remembered Manaphy being Piddle before, as well as the idea of the two Terras that became one. I guess when you picked any arrival option besides the ones I was seemingly always shunted into, you got a background and memories to go with it. Problem was I had no idea what those backgrounds could be.
“OK,” I said. “I don’t think we’re getting anywhere like this. How about we take a deep breath, assume I’m an idiot, and you explain your perspective on this?”
“...Very well,” she replied. “But any sudden moves and I will not hesitate to strike.”
“Fine by me.”
She turned back to the cliff a little and took a deep breath of the sea breeze before facing me again. “Indeed, my name is Anita. I was born thirteen years ago on Dragon Roost Island. I’m sure even the idiot you want me to assume you are knows about their own species?”
“I know about the Rito,” I answered. “They need a scale from the great dragon Valoo to fly.”
“They also operate the mail system around the Great Sea,” Twig added. “Taking everyone’s letters and packages from the mailboxes, taking them to Dragon Roost to sort them, and then delivering them where they need to go. It’s a noble profession, and it helps connect those that can’t leave their islands.”
“Unfair, isn’t it?” Anita said suddenly. “A whole race dedicated to serving other races – and as the Korok don’t use the mail system, only the Hylians benefit. Only the line of attendants to Valoo himself do not have to undergo a mail Rito’s training. As a hatchling, I often wondered why the Rito would allow themselves to be used like this, so I dug through our history, even the parts that the chief would rather everyone not see. What I found blew my mind: the Rito didn’t always exist. Long ago, the Great Sea was a vast land, a kingdom, and living in that land was the race we once were: the Zora.”
“I’ve heard about that,” I commented. “When the Great Sea rose, the Zora tribe went onto land and evolved over time to develop wings, probably with Valoo’s help, and in turn became the Rito. Which never made sense to me – the Zora were aquatic creatures, and given the indication of ‘sea Zora,’ I was of the impression they could also live in salt water. If anything, the land turning into a sea would it make it better for them.”
“Well, despite being an ocean,” Twig spoke, “the Great Sea is remarkably hostile to intelligent life. We can still drink it after filtering, but the only ones that can live in it are the Fishmen. The occasional dumb monster get by just fine too. Any other living thing, though, can only swim in it for about thirty seconds at most before sinking like a rock, no matter how good a swimmer they may be. Almost as if the Sea itself was pulling them into its depths. Almost no one goes swimming at all anymore. Not voluntarily, at least.”
“Oh gheeze…” I winced. That was fucking terrifying to consider.
“The fairy speaks true,” Anita said, almost hugging her halberd to her. “Such a shame the Zora had to become these forms to survive. Their swimming was of great importance to them. Did you know that the Zora did not wear clothing? So dedicated to swimming they were, they wanted nothing to hold them back. They often had extra fins to give the impression of clothing. The only Zora to have clothing was the Zora king in traditional garb of red cloak, who was often extremely bloated and unable to swim anyway. I had to model my dress after the appearance of one of the past Zora queens.”
“.,.Boy, you’ve sure researched this a lot.”
“It has been my obsession.” Her eyes certainly seemed mad enough when she said it. “So much about them was washed away in the flood that created the Great Sea. So much lost… So much to discover. And once I have it all… I’ll be able to restart the old rites… and bring the Zora back.”
“Given the whole ‘ocean that hates sapient swimmers’ thing going on here-”
“Silence!” She brandished the tip of the halberd at us just only a second longer than it took to confirm I wouldn’t continue talking. “The Zora will return, I will make sure of it. No matter the cost. What cost could there be left, given I was banished from Dragon Roost for my research and for hoarding any Zora artifact I could find, including this halberd. And once they have returned, I shall be their new Queen in their gratitude. I know I will fit the role; I know that I am a reincarnation of a Zora Queen. It’s in my very soul to retrieve my people.”
Wisely, I decided to think to myself how absolutely deluded she sounded about that instead of saying it out loud.
“Or at least I thought I knew,” said Anita, her voice seeming to switch tracks entirely, “until at dawn today, when I suddenly woke up to the truth of my reincarnation. That, in a previous life, I was a monster under the ownership of an unworthy young man, and not the Queen I was sure I was. A life that I have full memories of as if I’ve lived it myself. As you might imagine, this makes me very upset. Especially at the one that I am now certain is the reincarnation of that young man.”
I could feel Twig looking at me.
“...Given my circumstances, ‘reincarnation’ might not be the right word...” I eventually said. My concern for my life was probably pretty apparent given none of what I said, well, said so.
“Regardless!” She swept her halberd in a large gesture. “While I still have my goals as the Anita I am, the Anita I was – or perhaps also truly am – has her own will to carry out, and seeing as it involves raking you over the coals, I’m inclined to go along with it.”
“Boy, Robert, your choice of friends leaves something to be desired,” said Twig.
“Shut up, Twig.” I groaned. “The hell you going on about? Why the hell would you – either of you – want to be so antagonistic?”
“Then I’ll be as clear as I can manage,” said Antia. “I’ve listened to all the stories you’ve given us inside that warehouse. You and everyone else you brought along and changed, enough accounts and evidence of the truth. You’ve been going around for three decades, doing crazy things and fighting monsters and getting treasure. Meanwhile, I’ve known you for a total of a little more than two weeks, as the fourth trainer in a row to win my Ball in a card game.”
I felt my soul wince at that. Only now, after Terra’s talk on how Pokémon view equality, did I truly realize that winning a Pokémon from a hand of poker would probably be the worst way to get a new trainer from the Pokémon’s perspective. “You don’t think I’m your equal. That’s it, isn’t it?”
“At least you have that figured out,” she replied, her words too bitter to even really be sarcasm. “I am done with being another trophy. So you’re going to prove to me that you are my equal, my way.”
“And what way is that?”
“I made a deal with the voice in the elevator,” she said. The dangerous vibe that surrounded her was the only thing keeping my temper regarding the asshole voice from shooting my mouth off. “I selected my choices towards its fulfillment. You have these ten years to show me you are worthy of my loyalty. If you don’t… I’m staying here.”
“Staying here…?” My eyes widened with the realization. “You don’t mean…?”
“I do. Your little jaunts across the universe continue without me.”
I wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to… hate? No, it wasn’t that. Pokémon didn’t broil themselves like that. She wanted me to prove myself her equal. She was challenging me. “Fine. So how am I supposed to prove myself then?”
“It’s quite simple,” she answered. “I have plans to carry out. Selfish plans that will no doubt ruin many lives in these oceans. You will have to stop me. But I’ll keep getting stronger; I don’t think you can do it.”
“If it’s a battle you want, I can give you one,” I said, getting into a fighting stance. “Right now. I’m a Pokémon too now. I’m pretty sure I could give you more than a run for your money.”
“Oh I’ve no doubt you’d win,” she said, not breaking her composure once. “Which is why you have to prove your dedication further than a mere single battle. It would not show the strength you’ve claimed to use in those two decades I slept through. No, foiling a much larger campaign is the only way. Of course, it wouldn’t surprise me if you declined, if you decided my value to your team isn’t worth the effort of taking me down.”
“...” What could I say to something like that…? Did she… really think I didn’t care…?
“But if you do truly value me… come and get me.”
And then, before I could react, she hopped backwards off the ledge.
“Anita!” I ran over to the ledge shouting, when it was crested by a large puff of red smoke as a red-and-white streak shot curving into the sky. The resulting burst of wind knocked me to the ground and sent Twig reeling into a nearby wall. By the time we recovered, she was gone.
“...OK,” Twig said, dusting himself off. “I am so out of the loop here that I’m completely off the necklace. Nothing about that made sense. What the hell is your deal? And her deal? And the general deal? And what the hell is a ‘Pokémon?’”
I was still getting my thoughts together when Twig’s interjection broke me out of my thoughts. “...Let’s get something to eat, to discuss it over. There’s a good bit to cover...”
“...So, you’re from another world where this world is some kind of game. And you weren’t always a Rito, but a human – which is like a Hylian but less pointy ears. And the voice of a jerk in an elevator because I don’t feel comfortable with the word you used is doing all this, they take you to a different world every ten years, and you use the notebook to talk to them.”
“That’s the short of it.”
“...Wow. And I thought the entire idea of this place not always being an endless ocean was farfetched. I mean, there’s the legend on the wind about the kingdom that disappeared, but I never thought we were right on top of it.”
We were – well, I was – sitting on the edge of a fountain the most town square-like spot in Windfall, eating a seaweed wrap. It took me awhile to get somewhat used to the taste of seaweed. Twig was used to it already, and had the occasional nibble from it.
I swallowed my latest bite. “If it’s ever too much for you, it’s fine if you jump ship. Wordplay not intended.”
“No, I think my curiosity insists on me sticking around. Besides, you could use my help against that girl Rito.”
“How so?”
“All we need to do is find a few gems like the one you have already!”
“The gem?” I asked. I ruffled through my bag a little before pulling out the small red gem.
“Yeah, that one!” Twig bounced happily. “That’s a Power Gem! See, you can see the mark of Power on it!”
I turned it over. Indeed, there was some wavy white mark on it.
“As a spirit of power, I can make use of these Gems!” he continued. “Once you have enough, I can absorb the energy within them, and I’d be able to grant you new strength!”
“I’m certainly going to need all the strength I can get if I’m going to win over Anita. Do you know where the others are?”
“If I knew where they were, well, I certainly wouldn’t be in my current state. I know there’s twenty altogether, but that’s it.”
I sighed. “That makes sense enough… First one of my companions goes rogue for perfectly reasonable reasons and now this treasure hunt… Not that I don’t like a good treasure hunt, but I’m feeling overwhelmed… I really could use one of my girlfriends right about n-”
It was at that moment the second major bit of news suddenly attached itself to my face. In the resulting shouting and flailing, I fell backwards into the fountain with a large splash.
“Robert!” said the leaf-faced creature that stood in front of me. “I’ve been looking all over the island for you!”
“Personal space!” I shouted, lifting the deceptively-lightweight living branch off me. “Who are you?”
“I’m Terra!”
“Terra?!” I brought the creature back down to hug her. “Boy I’m glad to see you- OK I’d like to get out of the water now.”
During the time I was drying off, we exchanged situations and got everything sorted out. First of all, Terra was now going by the name of “Elmily,” as the Korok (a species I’m like half-sure I actively tried to ignore the existence of back home) had names derived from trees. The second was that she already had an idea of what Anita was up to already. Due to being an elevator and not a meeting hall, the voice had each of the eight imported companions come in and make their builds one at a time, and it was very generous with talking about what those before had selected. As such, she had a general idea of what everyone before her was doing, which turned out to consist of the five teammates I had prioritized. It also turned out this time the voice was deciding the starting location for each companion individually of my own, at random.
First new thing we confirmed was, far as she knew, she was the only Korok and Anita and I were the only Rito; everyone else had chosen to be a Hylian.
“If two companions landed in a different world,” she said, “one of them was probably Maria. Her location was selected to be ‘World of the Ocean King.’”
“Ocean King...” I pondered for a bit. “I think that name came up in the sequel, Phantom Hourglass. It’s certainly not in the Great Sea, I’m certain of that.”
I heard Twig mutter “Phantom Hourglass…?” but Elmily continued talking before I could respond.
“One of those after me must have gone there too. Though I’m mostly concerned with one location in particular...”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, Cody landed on Outset Isle...”
“I think that’s the tutorial island, he’ll be fine.”
“...but Bolt and Shadow landed someplace called ‘Forsaken Fortress.’ And judging by how your eyes are bugging out, my concerns are well-founded.”
With that knowledge, the matter of transportation became very important. Turned out everyone had gotten a free boat, but the non-Hylians also had a flight item – i.e. Valoo’s scale – that could be received for free by foregoing said boat. All three known non-Hylians had done so, including me, and I had no idea how to use mine. Twig wasn’t big about flying across the ocean by herself, so Elmily offered to fly her Deku Leaf across to Dragon Roost Island while the wind was blowing that way and find a local adult Rito that could help me with that while also not asking too many questions.
Before she did that, though, we came to the consensus that “Robert” really wasn’t enough of a Rito name to pass casual inspection. After a couple hours of debate and getting as much info about Rito names out of Twig as we could, we eventually settled on “Naskema.” Hopefully it doesn’t mean anything bad.
Year 1, day 2: Elmily has come back with a Rito named Quill. He’s a little surprised that someone as old as I am hasn’t already undergone gotten my wings, but true to the plan, he didn’t ask too many questions. Guess I owe him a favor or something for this? Honestly, I’m already tired of this island and want off it already. At least it has locked doors and I found enough rupees hammering down the grass to pay someone to build a doorframe for me, so it wasn’t like I was sleeping outside.
(The new plate has an icon that looks like the Triforce with the Wind Waker overlaid over it and I think I see a hint of lime green; it’s only day 2, so the colored wedge is practically invisible. As well, the only light on the roster board that’s red is Bitbit’s, so everyone else was imported, and the two Terra didn’t know the builds of were Tooty and Manaphy.
I tried calling in Bitbit like I did Shadow before to make the trip instead of Elmily, only for nothing to happen. When I demanded answers to the notebook, it replied I could only have up to eight active companions by default. That sucks, missing a flyer in this setting, but there’s not really anything I can do about it.)
In the intermediate time, I more examined my belongings and found that the two scrolls in the bag are treasure maps! X marking spots and everything! Spots that are all in the ocean. I’m certainly not going swimming in the Psychonauts death water, but surely a sea-faring society such as this has access to some kind of salvage mechanisms that could be used.
Quill’s getting the necessary things set up in the other room now. Hopefully this will be quick and painless.
Year 1, day 8: THIS WAS NOT QUICK AND PAINLESS
I AM NEVER GROWING WINGS EVER AGAIN
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Rating every 3D Legend of Zelda sneaking level on a scale of 1 to 10
(Excluding the trials in Skyward Sword, while it is kind of sneaking, it’s also not)
Ocarina of Time (Soldiers)
6/10 It’s the first sneaking level, but it’s ridiculously easy. Early in the game which makes it fun. A classic, but we can do better. Logically, why the heck do they not kick him off that palace grounds? Funny as hell.
Ocarina of Time (Gerudo’s Hideout)
8/10 Mega fun, although pretty easy. The fact that they don’t kill you when you escape the second time. Hilarious having to save some simps from their own lazy stupidity. Sexy lady alone is worth +10.
Majora’s Mask (Deku Palace)
7/10 “Okay you fucked up this time, but you can still go in as long as you super promise not to go left or right” It’s actually kind of challenging, but in an annoying way. DekuLink taking a dive with a french horn and then sneakily trying to play a fucking horn, iconic
Majora’s Mask (Pirate’s Fortress)
10/10 We love some dumbass sapphics. Lets steal some fuckin eggs so we can maybe get a treasure from the middle of a hurricane. Yass ladies! Pass around that braincell!! Complex sneaking with lots of layers, perfection.
Wind Waker (Forsaken Fortress p1)
20/10 What the fuck! “Whoops we launched you too hard against a wall and your sword went flying” Girl what! When you get caught you get set on fire. Thicc booty boys shaking their ass and sniffing the ground. Early in game, not frustrating, surreal as fuck.
Wind Waker (Forsaken Fortress p2)
5/10 Not as wild as the first, but still solid. Thicc booty boys return, but this time you can eat their ass. Music is sick. You smash a bird’s skull with a hammer and save your sister.
Twilight Princess (Arbiter’s Ground)
1/10 Total shit and barely sneaking, BUT you do ride a cow through a burning building so get your clicks
Skyward Sword (Volcano Eruption)
9/10 Not sure I buy the premise and it’s WAY too late in the game, but when you get caught they smash the fuck out of you with a catapult. Idk, It’s good sneaking.
Breath of the Wild (Akkala Tower)
0/10 Fuck you, fuck this tower, fuck my hopes and dreams. It could have been so much more and it was NOTHING.
Breath of the Wild (Yiga Hideout)
4/10 The only game with actual sneak mechanics and this is all they came up with. Fun, yes. Boring, yes. Redeemed only by banana dance.
Breath of the Wild (Bonus: getting the electric arrows from the lynel)
10/10 Overdramatic, did not have to code this into the game. Fun. Stressful. Weird af. Why the fuck would the zora people troll Link like this?? Everyone else just gives you what you need but Sidon makes you steal arrows from a murder centaur.
#let me know if i missed any#loz#legend of zelda#majora's mask#botw#breath of the wild#skyward sword#ocarina of time#wind waker#link#zelda#twilight princess#hopefully this hasn't already been done...
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Gaming Kill-List (Some ARE done)(as of 09/07/18)
A
- Assassin’s Creed
- Assassin’s Creed 2
- Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
- Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
- Assassin’s Creed 3
- Assassin’s Creed: Liberation
- Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
- Assassin’s Creed: Rogue
- Assassin’s Creed: Unity
- Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate
- Assassin’s Creed: Origins
- Amnesia The Dark Descent
B
- Bioshock // Bioshock Remastered
- Bioshock 2 // Bioshock 2 Remastered
- Bioshock Infinite
- Borderlands
- Borderlands 2
- Borderlands: The Pre-sequel
- Batman Arkham Asylum
- Batman Arkham City
- Batman Arkham Origins
- Batman Arkham Knight
- Beyond Divinity
- Bloodborne
- Bravely Default
- Bravely Second: End Layer
C
- Crysis
- Crysis 2
- Crysis 3
- Castle Crashers
D
- Dark Souls // Dark Souls Remastered
- Dark Souls 2
- Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin
- Dark Souls 3
- Demons Souls
- Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen
- DOOM
- Dragon Age: Origins
- Dragon Age 2
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Dead Space
- Dead Space 2
- Darksiders // Darksiders Remastered
- Darksiders 2 // Darksiders 2 Remastered
- Divine Divinity
- Divine Divinity
- Divinity Original Sin
- Dishonoured: Definitive Edition
- Dishonoured 2
- Dungeon Siege
- Dungeon Siege 2
- Dungeon Siege 3
- Dante’s Inferno
- Darkwood
- Dues Ex: Human Evolution
- Dues Ex: Mankind Revolution
- Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
E
- Enslaved: Odyssey to the East
F
- Fallout 3
- Fallout 4
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Far Cry 3
- F.E.A.R.
- F.E.A.R. Extraction Point
- F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate
- F.E.A.R. 2
- F.E.A.R. 3
- Final Fantasy VI
- Final Fantasy VII
- Final Fantasy VIII
- Final Fantasy IX
- Final Fantasy X
- Final Fantasy XII: The Zodaic Age
- Final Fantasy XIII
- Final Fantasy XIII-2
- Final Fantasy XV
- Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
- FEZ
- Fist of Awesome
- FTL: Faster Than Light
- Fire Emblem: Awakening
- Fire Emblem: Birthright // Conquest
- Fire Emblem: Echoes
G
- Gears of War Remastered
- Gears of War 2
- Gears of War 3
- Gears of War Judgement Day
- Gears of War 4
- God of War
- God of War 2
- God of War 3
- God of War: Ghost of Sparta
- God of War: Chains of Olympus
- God of War: Ascension
- God of War (4)
H
- Horizon: Zero Dawn
- Half-Life
- Half-Life 2
- Hotline Miami
- Halo 3
- Halo 3: ODST
- Halo 4
- Halo 5: Guardians
I
- ICO
- Injustice: Gods Among Us
- Injustice: Gods Among Us 2
J
- Just Cause 2
- Just Cause 3
- Jak and Daxter: The Purcusor Legacy
- Jak 2
- Jak 3
K
- Killing Floor
- Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
- Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories
- Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
- Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
- Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix
- Kingdom Hearts Re: Coded
- Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
- Killzone 2
- Killzone 3
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
- Kid Icarus: Uprising
L
- Left 4 Dead
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Legendary
- LEGO Batman 2
- LEGO Batman 3
- LEGO MARVEL Superheroes
- LEGO MARVEL Avengers
- Limbo
- Life is Strange
- Life is Strange: Before the Storm
M
- Mortal Kombat
- Mortal Kombat X
- Metro: Redux (Last Light/2023)
- Metal Gear Solid
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Metal Gear Solid Peacewalker
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes
- Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- Mirrors Edge
- Mirrors Edge Catalyst
- Mount and Blade
- Mount and Blade: Warband
- Mount and Blade: Fire and Sword
- Mass Effect
- Mass Effect 2
- Mass Effect 3
- Mass Effect: Andromeda
- Medal of Honor
- Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate
- Monster Hunter: World
N
- Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
- Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
- Nier
- Nier: Automata
- Nioh
O
- Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssey
- Oddworld: Abe’s Exodus
- Oddworld: New n’ Tasty
- Ori and the Blind Forest
- Outlast
P
- Payday: The Heist
- Payday 2
- Portal
- Portal 2
- Post Mortem
- Persona 5
- Pokémon Moon / Sun
- Pokémon Alpha Sapphire / Omega Ruby
- Pokémon X / Y
Q
-
R
- Resident Evil Remastered
- Resident Evil 2
- Resident Evil 3
- Resident Evil Zero
- Resident Evil 4
- Resident Evil 5
- Resident Evil 6
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- ReCore
- Ratchet and Clank
- Ratchet and Clank 2
- Ratchet and Clank 3
- Ratchet Gladiator
- Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
- Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty
- Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time
- Ratchet and Clank Future: Nexus
- Red Dead Redemption
- R.A.G.E.
- Resistance: Fall of Man
S
- Shadow of Mordor
- Shadow of War
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
- Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
- Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast
- Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
- Star Wars Republic Commando
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2
- Shadow of the Colossus
- Spiderman: Edge of Time
- Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions
- Super Meat Boy
- Spec Ops: The Line
- Saints Row 3
- Saints Row 4
- Shadowgrounds
- Shadowgrounds: Survivor
- Still Life
- Still Life 2
- Sniper Elite 3
- System Shock 2
- Splinter Cell
- Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
- Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
- Starfox 64 3D
T
- Tomb Raider
- Tomb Raider: Legend
- Tomb Raider: Underworld
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary
- Tales from the Borderlands
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- The Walking Dead
- The Last Guardian
- The Last of Us Remastered
- The Evil Within
- The Evil Within 2
- The Witcher: Enhanced Edition
- The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
- The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt // Hearts of Stone // Blood and Wine
- The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD
- The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
- The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Tracks
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
- The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
- The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- The Legend of Zelda
U
- Until Dawn
- Uncharted: Drakes Fortune
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
V
- Valkyria Chronicles
- Vanquish
W
- Wolfenstein: The New Order
- Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
X
Y
- Yakuza 4
- Yakuza 0
- Yoshi’s New Island
Z
- Zombie Army Trilogy
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infinim.
Currently Playing.
Completed.
Digimon Cyber Sleuth - PS4
Dragon Quest XI - PS4
Final Fantasy VII - Steam
Final Fantasy IX - Steam
Final Fantasy X - PS2, PS3
Final Fantasy X-2 - PS2, PS3
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age - PS2, PS4
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings - NDS
Gone Home - Steam
Kingdom Hearts - PS4
Kingdom Hearts II - PS4
Life is Strange - Steam
Megaman Battle Network 3: White - GBA
Megaman Battle Network 4: Blue Moon - GBA
Megaman Battle Network 5: Team Protoman - GBA
Megaman Battle Network 6: Cybeast Falzar - GBA
Octopath Traveler - Switch
Persona 5 - PS4
Pokemon Red - GBY
Pokemon Blue - GBY
Pokemon Yellow - GBY
Pokemon Gold - GBC
Pokemon Silver - GBC
Pokemon Crystal - GBC
Pokemon Ruby - GBA
Pokemon Sapphire - GBA
Pokemon Fire Red - GBA
Pokemon Leaf Green - GBA
Pokemon Diamond - NDS
Pokemon Pearl - NDS
Pokemon White - NDS
Pokemon Soul Silver - NDS
Pokemon X - 3DS
Pokemon Y - 3DS
Pokemon Moon - 3DS
Portal - Steam
Portal 2 - Steam
Tales of Symphonia - GCN
Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World - Wii
Tales of Xillia - PS3
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - Steam
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC - Steam
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Steam
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel - Steam
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II - Steam
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker - GCN
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Wii
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - NDS
On Hold.
Dark Cloud - PS4
Dragon Quest VIII - PS2
Tales of Xillia 2 - PS3
Tales of Zestiria - Steam
Tales of Berseria - PS4
Backlogged.
Bravely Default - 3DS
Digimon World 3 - PSX
Final Fantasy III - NDS
Final Fantasy IV - NDS
Final Fantasy VIII - Steam
Final Fantasy XIII - Steam
Final Fantasy XIII-2 - Steam
Final Fantasy XV - PS4
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon - GBA
Fire Emblem: Awakening - 3DS
Life is Strange: Before the Storm - Steam
Tales of Legendia - PS2
Tales of Vesperia - Steam
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64, 3DS
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask - N64
Plan to Play.
Bravely Second: End Layer - 3DS
Dark Cloud II - PS4
Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright - 3DS
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - PS3
Persona 4 Golden - PSV
The Last of Us - PS4
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - WiiU
Plan to Purchase
Kingdom Hearts III
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Top 5 favorite games
Alright so here is the second, part I’ve been spending a lot of time working on this whole thing so I hope you enjoy!
Number 5:The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap Developer and Release year: Nintendo, 2004 Japan, 2005 NA What it can be played on: GBA/ Wii U Virtual Console
So I’m not gonna pretend like 4 of my top 5 picks aren’t Zelda games, that being said the Minish Cap is a game I played more recently, around last year, and at first after beating it I sort of just put it in my top 20, I loved it yeah, but I never really thought about it until now that, even though it was short, every thing about this game was solid and fun to me, the shrinking mechanic was challenging but very well done aesthetically, and the story was good, with the relationship between Link and Zelda, them being childhood friends and Link doing whatever it takes to have his friend back, and the villain Vaati was interesting in his relationship with the Minish (The inhabitants of the tiny world) and his final boss fight being very difficult for me, and the story wraps up nicely as usual, all in all it was a Zelda experience that I truly loved, and my favorite 2D Zelda game.
Favorite part(s): Definitely the Aesthetic and design of the tiny world, and all the charm around the entire game
Number 4:Sonic Adventure 2 Developer and Release year: Sega, 2001 What it can be played on: Dreamcast/Gamecube/PC/PS3/XB360
There it is, probably the most controversial pick on this entire list, unless maybe the next one is too i dont know, but I am a Sonic fan, which is something sort of rare these days, unless you like Mania which is pretty awesome but I’m more of a 3D guy, but this game is my favorite Sonic game because, even though the story is confusing I love it, it was dark and i legitimately felt like Dr.Robotnik was actually a major threat. There are 3 types of gameplay, the Classic Sonic/Shadow, The treasure hunting, and the robot/mech levels that make up the game, the best is the Classic gameplay of Sonic and Shadow, that usually isn’t up for debate, the other modes are pretty fun, but I love the game for the Sonic/Shadow levels, and the game to me really picks up on the Space Colony Ark in the Final Act. The *spoilers ahead* part where Shadow (who I forgot to mention is one of my favorite characters and not because I’m an edgy frick) turns to Sonic’s side and fights the Biolizard to buy them time, Shadow’s character arc was amazing in this game, and the final boss was really fun too, not to mention the soundtrack i mean, it’s a sonic game of course there’s a good soundtrack.
Favorite part(s): Shadow the Hedgehog, his levels, character arc, and general mystery surrounding the black and red anti-hero was amazing to me.
Number 3:The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Developer and Release year: Nintendo, 2011 What it can be played on: Wii/Wii U virtual console
I have defended this game in so many tweets and irl debates it’s incredible, Skyward Sword released to a 10/10 from IGN (that doesn’t matter to me much but it is an accolade) a 93 Metacritic score, which I do care about since it is an overall score and even got some Game of the Year awards in a year where Skyrim, Portal 2, Minecraft, Mario Galaxy 2, and many more were up for contention, but that proves nothing I just wanted to prove that I have argued about it enough that I know what I’m talking about. The main problem everyone has with this game is the motion controls, they say they are not accurate or don’t work, which can sometimes be true but, Scott Falco (he makes the “”with a side of salt series which he has some very good opinions on) says it the best, he said that he didn’t like it sitting down just waggling the wii remote, you’ve gotta stand up and play, then you fell immersed like YOU are the one doing it and not the wii remote, that is what i agree with and stand by anyway. Now past those criticisms I don’t think there are many more, some people don’t like the story, but to me this game has the BEST story in maybe any game I’ve ever played, the Link and Zelda relationship is better than any other game in my opinion and only Breath of the Wild comes close to that relationship in my opinion, now, the rest of the story is intriguing too, the origin of the master sword (I’m not going to comment on Fi, some people got too annoyed with her to focus on her amazing character arc in my opinion) the existence of Skyloft and the very first Link, Zelda, and Ganon in the form of Demise, all of it was done well and was very interesting to me. I liked the gameplay too, I think the new sprinting and stamina system was revolutionary to the series and made movement a lot more improved from previous entries in the franchise. The final act with the boss battle with Ghirahim and eventually Demise were very cinematic and awesome, and with Zelda’s life on the line during the whole thing it made it just that much more intense.
Favorite part(s): THE STORY, I can not say enough how much I love the story but also I loved the boss battles, Demise,Ghirahim,The Ancient Automaton, and all of them were fun to me.
Number 2:The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Developer and Release year: Nintendo, 2017 What it can be played on: Switch/Wii U
This game is a new staple in the Zelda series, the highest selling of all time, a new open world, a Game of the Year winner in almost all the awards shows, and even still people love to pick on this game a little bit, with all the weapon-breaking criticisms, and I know that can get annoying, but it does add a new layer of difficulty to an already difficult game, anyway Breath of the Wild was first known as Zelda for the Wii U, and it was revealed with a trailer at E3 2014 and was slated for release in 2015, of course it got pushed back and with Nintendo now finished with the switch they announced Breath of the Wild as a launch title, March 3rd, 2017 will always be one of my favorite days of all time, as I got my switch and had the first mainline Zelda game release as a fan of the series, and I did NOT stop playing it that night until about 1 AM (thats a rookie number now i mean c’mon I tweeted at 3 AM last night then went ahead and watched a movie) which was super late for me at the time though and I went to bed ecstatic about the game, I had gotten to a part where the story was starting to go forward and I couldn’t wait to finish it, about 6 or 7 days later I did and BOI let me tell ya I loved every second of that week, the gameplay is smooth and fun with combat being re-invented and then the Guardians were really fun because up until the end i didnt know about the shield thing so I would just bash them with all the brute force i had, the final boss fight was incredible (thats a common theme with my favorite Zelda games) and the Dark Beast Ganon fight was really atmospheric and entertaining as well and the ending with the re-uniting of Link and Zelda was so well done and just makes for a perfect ending.
Favorite Part(s): I loved the massive open world and all the secrets and new enemies and shrines to discover, it just made my time playing the game very enjoyable! Plus everything else like the story and the combat.
Number 1:The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Developer and Release year: Nintendo 2002 JP/2003/ 2013 HD What it can be played on: Gamecube/Wii U
The Wind Waker. My unwavering favorite game for who knows how long now, the first Zelda game I ever finished and my introduction to great single player games as a whole really. The Wind Waker released in December in Japan and followed up the next year World Wide, the art style of the cell-shaded characters had never been seen before in a Zelda game and people were skeptical about whether or not it would go down well. Well it released and the people of December in Japan and of March World wide were very pleased with the game and loved it for its gameplay, story, vast ocean and many islands to explore with many hours of gameplay to be put in discovering everything the game had to offer, as for me i wouldnt get to play it for a while longer considering i was VERY young at the time of its release, so I would get to play it when it re-released for the Wii U in 2013, about ten years after the release of the original, I didnt get it though until Christmas of 2015 (or 2014 Im not honestly sure) but it wasnt even my gift, as I’ve said before it was my brother’s and i just watched him play it for a bit and tried it myself after being intrigued, and I dont know if I stopped very much over the course of the time I played it, I was challenged by the puzzles, and from the very opening at Outset Island I loved the art style and loved the characters in the story, with the new unique take on Zelda as Tetra, having Link sailing instead of walking, heck even having Hyrule not even the setting (for most of the game anyway) was new to the series and as my first 3D Zelda game I was captivated by all of it, everything about my favorite franchise now was fresh and new and thats something I’ll never get to experience again which is probably why I remember and still play the Wind Waker which such a fondness today, because of how new everything was to me and how much I enjoyed all of it, not to mention the final boss fight (here we go again) was and is still my favorite, with the world being submerged around you and you and Zelda enclosed with no way out other than through Ganondorf, the games story as always (I hate how repetitive I am) ended very well and to this day it remains one of my favorite stories ever told, and I don’t know if anything will be able to top this game just because of the time in my life in which I got to experience it and with how solid the game as a whole is.
Favorite Part(s): The Wide-open sea and the islands are all so cool and creative, plus the Final boss fight still stands as my favorite to this day.
Thanks a TON for reading through all of this, I had started work on it some time last year and got super busy doing other things during all this time but it really means a ton to me that people would actually care enough to read what I write, or even just skim it,
Thanks -Ben :)
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The best WiiU games you can buy
The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
The Insider Pick:
The WiiU may not be as big as the Nintendo Switch, but there are still many great games for the console. Our favorites are “Super Mario 3D World,” “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD," “Super Smash Bros.," “Bayonetta 2," and “Pikmin 3."
Nintendo essentially invented the modern gaming console as we know it, so the company needs little introduction. This Japanese developer has earned its rightful place in the hearts and homes of hundreds of millions of people around the world, and Nintendo continues to enjoy massive global success today with its hugely popular 3DS and newly-released Switch systems.
From the original and now legendary Nintendo Entertainment System to the most recent consoles, Nintendo has had hit after hit with only a few stumbles along the way. Nintendo is nothing if not innovative: In 2006, the company shook the console market a second time with the launch of the Wii.
Thirty years after the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Wii once again re-defined what a home gaming platform could be with its unique motion controls. The Wii went on to become Nintendo’s most popular console ever – sales figures that are eclipsed only by the Game Boy and the Nintendo DS.
The Wii was a welcome hit, but Nintendo struggled to re-capture that “lightning in a bottle.” Its successor, the Wii U, had problems from the beginning. Its marketing campaign was nowhere near as good as that for the Wii, leaving people confused as to what exactly the Wii U was (is it an add-on for the Wii or a new console entirely?). The bulky touchscreen controller was also controversial, and the Wii U had much weaker hardware than its competitors, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
These factors, combined with a dearth of third-party titles, prevented the system from achieving the mainstream appeal of the original Wii. Nonetheless, the Wii U is an excellent system with a bunch of great games even if it never enjoyed the massive success of its predecessor, and we’ve narrowed the library down to the five best titles for the system.
Nintendo recently discontinued the Wii U earlier in 2017 in preparation for the launch of the new Switch console, so now is the time to grab some of these games before they go out of stock for good.
Read on in the slides below to learn why “Super Mario 3D World,” “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD," “Super Smash Bros.," “Bayonetta 2," and “Pikmin 3" are our favorite WiiU games.
The best platforming game
Nintendo
Why you'll love it: With “Super Mario 3D World,” Nintendo has proven that it can still innovate and improve on this timeless series while still delivering everything we love about the company’s mustachioed mascot.
It’s only fitting that a buying guide to Nintendo games begins with Mario, and “Super Mario 3D World” is a great one to kick things off. After almost three decades of this portly Italian plumber’s Goomba-stomping, brick-breaking, coin-collecting adventures, it’s hard to believe that the devs could continue to successfully re-invent the wheel with this long-running franchise, but few recent Mario titles – or other platformers, for that matter – are as innovative and fun as “3D World.”
Not all recent installments have been this fresh, however. The “New Super Mario” sub-series, while great in its own right, was rather derivative and didn’t really break new ground. By contrast, “3D World” never ceases to surprise you with its unique, clever, and extremely novel level designs. The game throws something new your way constantly, having you perform certain tasks or clear objectives in creative ways, but these sequences never over-stay their welcome.
Another new and addictive feature in “Super Mario 3D World” is its multiplayer mode that lets up to four people play at once. The character selection system from “Super Mario Bros. 2” returns here, letting participants choose from Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad, complete with their unique characteristics from that game.
You can complete the entire game solo if you wish, but playing with friends adds a whole new layer to the classic Super Mario gameplay, as you’ll be cooperating to clear levels while competing for points at the same time.
Fun new power-ups and abilities are peppered throughout the game as well. The Cat Suit is the clear favorite, letting you climb walls and pounce on enemies, and it’s one that you’ll be rushing to use every time you can.
The soundtrack is also incredible, something that should come as no surprise to Nintendo veterans. The music is a fresh mix of old and new (much like the rest of “3D World”) with familiar Mario melodies harmonizing seamlessly with upbeat jazz tunes that will get stuck in your head.
The Mario series has always set the standard for platforming games, and with “3D World,” it continues to do so. The original “Super Mario Brothers” put the genre (and the NES console itself) on the map, and sequels like “Super Mario 64” and “Super Mario 3D Land” – another one of our all-time favorites – only continued to push the envelope of innovative design.
“Super Mario 3D World” exudes this creative spirit, presenting everything we love about the series with a level of novelty and polish that only Nintendo could pull off.
Pros: Gorgeous and colorful graphics, intuitive platforming gameplay with a surprising amount of depth, innovative level design that keeps changing things up, fun new power-ups (especially the Cat Suit), a catchy soundtrack that will get stuck in your head, and great cooperative multiplayer
Cons: The zoomed-out camera can become a problem in multiplayer mode
Buy Super Mario 3D World on Amazon for $20
The best adventure game
Nintendo
Why you'll love it: “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD” is an immensely satisfying ride through a gorgeous oceanic fantasy world, proving that beautiful art direction, a compelling story, and great gameplay more than make up for the Wii U’s dated hardware.
As great as Super Mario is, there’s something special about The Legend of Zelda that sets it above other Nintendo franchises. The art, the music, the story, and the sheer sense of adventure that these games impart have earned the Zelda series a beloved status among millions of gamers, and with the recent release of the universally acclaimed and award-winning “Breath of the Wild,” that’s showing no signs of abating any time soon.
Zelda has had its ups and downs, but you’d be hard-pressed to find many people who can honestly say outright that any of the core titles are bad. Ever since “Ocarina of Time” brought the franchise into the third dimension on the Nintendo 64, each new game has been quite different than the last, introducing their own unique art styles, quirky characters (although with a few familiar faces popping up regularly), and worlds. Even the timeline gets confusing due to the unique nature of every story, as each one appears at a glance to be completely unrelated to the others.
“The Wind Waker” was particularly novel and even somewhat controversial when it launched on the GameCube. Its cel-shaded graphics and distinctive cartoon-like art style ruffled some feathers, but it proved to be a fantastic effort and has become a favorite among fans. Players were understandably excited to find out that an HD remake of this classic Zelda title was coming to the Wii U, and we’re happy to say that it’s a resounding success which remains one of the best works for the system.
Along with maintaining the unique art direction of the original, “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD” also stands apart with its breathtaking overworld. This consists of a sprawling sea peppered with islands and other aquatic locations where you’ll find towns, dungeons, bosses, and other Zelda staples.
The game was beautiful enough on the GameCube – lowly 480p resolution and all – but it really comes to life on the Wii U. You’ll want to spend just as much time sailing around in your talking boat, watching the sun rise and set on the horizon, hunting for treasure, and fighting pirates as you will clearing the many creatively designed dungeons.
One complaint with the GameCube version was that traveling between islands took awhile. Mercifully, the new Swift Sail greatly reduces your transit time when you’re in a hurry. No other content cut from the original was restored, sadly, so there aren’t many changes aside from the obvious graphical overhaul.
Nonetheless, “The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD” is a classic Nintendo treat that is made only sweeter by the Wii U. It’s well worth a visit whether it's you’re first time sailing on the Great Sea or if you’re just ready for a second journey through one of the most stunning installments in the Zelda series.
Pros: A gorgeous art style that looks even better with widescreen HD graphics, an immersive story with an endearing cast of characters, a beautiful aquatic open world that’s a joy to explore, and great gameplay whether you’re fighting or just sailing around
Cons: Cut content from the original game was not restored
Buy The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD on Amazon for $20
The best multiplayer game
Nintendo
Why you'll love it: “Super Smash Bros. for Wii U” is an absolute treasure, combining a huge cast of great characters with near-perfect gameplay that easily makes this high-speed multiplayer game the best entry in the series.
If the Wii U library can be narrowed down to a single title that makes the console worth owning, it’s “Super Smash Bros.” Despite being a relatively new Nintendo IP (at least when compared to titans like Mario and The Legend of Zelda), Smash Bros. has rightfully cemented itself as one of the company’s most popular first-party franchises.
Although the console it was developed for has struggled a bit, “Super Smash Bros. for Wii U” has not. It quickly became the fastest-selling title for the system and surpassed even the wildly popular “Mario Kart 8.” It’s not hard to see why: Its awkward title notwithstanding, “Super Smash Bros. for Wii U” delivers everything gamers love about this series of high-speed fighting games, and it presents it all with absolute perfection.
“Super Smash Bros. for Wii U” doesn’t change up the formula and it doesn’t have to. There are some new additions (namely, new characters and a few fresh game modes), but “Smash Bros.” stands out less because of its novelty and more because of how well it handles the fundamentals of the franchise.
Its HD graphics are gorgeous, the controls are tight and responsive, the combat is easy to learn but belies an impressive amount of technical depth, the stages are a well-designed mix of classic and new, and it’s all tied together with Nintendo’s signature polish for a beautifully refined multiplayer experience.
There are some interesting and welcome newcomers to the character roster, including some you might not expect – Pac-Man, the Wii Fit Trainer, Mega Man, and even Cloud from “Final Fantasy VII” fame are now available for you to play around with, among numerous others. There are also a few new fun single-player modes to help you to kill some time. But the one big stand-out addition to “Super Smash Bros. for Wii U” is, by far, its insane eight-player mode.
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Chapter 4.23: 10 Years
Year 10, day 365: Reportedly, after we got everyone back on L’ourse’s ship and my team briefed me of everything that was going on, I slept for three days. In the meantime, we reunited with Terra (very relieved we were still alive), got Cody to the warehouse medbay, and locked Anita’s Master Ball in the stasis pod for the time being – after also healing her too. Though I can’t help but doubt it would help any mental stress she clearly had from her Wind Waker self. Speaking of, I wanted to keep the Wind Waker myself, at least as a treasure, but Valoo (who was indeed rescued by Jabun) wanted it back. Though the Rito did see fit to make me a replica. That was nice of them.
(I also learned that Tooty’s shout just before the battle was half a bluff. Maria had somehow managed to hide in a barrel, even from the Poes, before the “Ocean Queen” was fully seized. Once the mass of monsters inside the ship had shrunk after arriving at the coliseum, she was able to sneak around it and free the others. Impressive. I need to work on not underestimating her.)
With Anita contained in an extradimensional space, the monsters lost all organization and the Windfall and Greatfish navies made quick work scrubbing them from the face of the sea. Over the following four months, everyone had managed to rebuild. None of the Rito had died, perhaps to be expected given Anita’s delusions, and funerals were held for all that had fallen in defense of them.
Peace had finally truly returned.
Only one thing remained on my mind...
“Why did you make that deal with Anita?!” I wrote rather sloppily in my frustration a few days after I awoke.
“She wanted to test you, and I saw the opportunity for excitement,” the notebook replied. “In honor of passing these trials, I will lift the excitement threshold for the next destination.”
How reassuring… I threw the notebook away over the side of the ship like a Frisbee. It didn’t rid me of it, but it made me feel a little better.
The Phantom Hourglass appeared in the warehouse a week after the battle. I promptly locked it away inside the ice safe.
Medli had fared well enough in that battle. Enough that I changed my mind and did ask her to join us. She turned me down; she was still Valoo’s attendant, it would be years still before she would have to find an apprentice of her own, and I couldn’t exactly say that that would never happen. Though that didn’t stop us from being friends. Or making out. Twice.
Kissing beaks is still weird.
(With permission from my girlfriends, of course. They were fine with what was basically a one-night fling.)
I left Firma Fortress in the care of Cody’s company, who himself liquefied the less precious treasures we had and put the resulting funds into the magic wallet (minus the cost of setting up a Chu breeding pen – it was actually kinda spooky how he managed to get that set up so quickly). The more valuable treasures were moved into the ice safe. There were no massive rounds of goodbyes this time – since the world would end and no one would experience anything past it, it seemed extraneous.
We parked our ships on one side of the island and went to sit on the beach on the other side, watching the sun rise and only getting halfway before everything dropped away.
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Chapter 4.22: 9.65 Years
Year 10, day 237: I’ve explored the most dangerous dungeons known to Pokémonkind, fought the most dangerous monsters, survived three weeks in Hell, and lasted two months in a constant game of cat-and-mouse with a cabal of witches. And yet this day, where everything came to a head, is perhaps the most intense day of my life.
Over the last week, the enemy fleet attacking the Hylian towns intensified, and Cody’s navy had its hands full defending them, which meant that none of them were available when a large force of enemy ships approached Dragon Roost at dusk today. The only ships available were Firma Fortress’s personal fleet, which set out the moment we received word. I was in said fleet, and had the Phantom Sword, with the Phantom Hourglass inside, in a scabbard at my hip and my hammer on the other side, and Twig keeping close to my shoulder. It hadn’t occurred to me then how strange it was that the ships attacking the Fortress were actually getting lighter in their assault over the same time period – the reason why is so obvious in hindsight.
We learned quickly that not only did the enemy have a bunch of ships, but a pair of Big Octos. Monsters like these haven’t been seen since Ganondorf’s death. Seriously, where has she been keeping these?! ...It only occurs to me now that there’s probably other islands out there. Hyrule wasn’t the entire world, after all. They thankfully didn’t take long to go down to cannon fire.
“There’s still a lot of ships out there,” I mentioned to L’ourse. “We only have five.” Cody and his shop boat were at Windfall so he could help the effort there; he was no military commander, but he was good at supply tracking and having a fuckton of metal flowers salvaged from the seafloor to use as cannon ammunition in a pinch. Maria was still on L’ourse’s ship, putting out fires that broke out from bombs that hit us, with her boat being piloted by one of L’ourse’s crewwomen.
“It not be an issue, Mr. Naskema,” she said. “My crew will bow to no monster!”
And that’s when a swarm of Miniblins broke out from below deck.
Elmily, Maria, L’ourse, and I took a moment to get over the surprise before we went in swinging. Maria resumed Azumarill form and started throwing down Bubble Beams, while Elmily took human form with one of the ancestrial swords to join L’ourse and me in hacking our way through the ambush.
More monsters started coming out of the hold. After the Miniblins came the Bokoblins and Moblins, and they fought relentlessly. We could only stim the tide; the hatch had been blown away and there was nothing we could use to block the door. Meanwhile, the cannon fire was still going on, and with the main ship distracted, the four smaller ships failed to hold the line and fell back to the shore. The warships sailed up and began deploying their monsterous crews onto Dragon Roost Island, separated from the Rito and their defenses only by a Manaphy, a pirate, and two swordsmen.
“What is this, the Ark of Yamato?!” I cried as I hefted a Moblin overboard. “How did they all get in there?!”
“Because it was within that I brought them out!”
And that’s when Anita emerged from the hold, flying into the air and holding her halberd in her talons.
“Anita!” I found myself shouting.
“I’d love to trade quips, Robert, but I have more pressing matters to attend to for my coronation. Don’t worry, I will attend to you soon.”
“Come back here!” I shouted after her as she turned into a Latias and flew off toward the island.
“Me crew can handle these beasties, Mr. Naskema!” L’ourse shouted over to me. “You get after that scallywag!”
“I’m coming with!” Elmily added, returning to Korok form to evade a pair of attacks and make them run into each other. “I’m still a better fighter on land!”
Taking Elmily in my talons, I flew off after Anita.
More than a few monsters had managed to sneak their way past the shoreline, but the Rito had heeded my warnings and prepared numerous traps that held them off and even killed several of them. While they did defend their island well, however, they had a tactical vulnerability that wasn’t their fault because I was the one that made the tactical error: they had no compensation for Anita turning into a Latias. They were birds, and when I had told them that she would be able to fly at tremendous speeds, they thought tremendous speeds for birds. But she was a jet engine. She blazed past their defenses before they could even finish aiming as she turned straight up towards the peak of the mountain.
“Just as I thought,” I muttered, flying as hard as I could. “She’s going after Valoo!”
The dragon hadn’t been sitting completely idle during the entire battle. He had been observing the action intently, but he hadn’t started to take direct action, however, until monsters landed on the shore, and a big guy like him took a while to get ready. A while enough that he only just managed to get airborne when Anita rammed him with a Dragon Breath, staggering him back. He screeched something at her, but the only ones who had any chance of understanding it weren’t around, and she was already circling around for another pass anyway.
The wind carried some of her words to me: “Like I haven’t practiced for this a hundred times.”
Valoo unleashed his fire breath, but she was too fast to hit and landed two more of her own in the process. Then she surprisingly broke off and pelted him with a Mist Ball. Enraged, he flew after her.
That’s what I realized what exactly she was doing: she was luring him away. “Wait, Valoo, stop!” I cried after him, beating my wings as hard as I could to catch up. “It’s a trap!”
But it was too late – at that moment, Anita shot up into what vaguely looked like a shuttle loop before coming down on Valoo’s back, right between his wings, with a Zen Headbutt. But after she made contact, she didn’t stop. She just kept pushing, pushing him downwards. His wings fought to lift, but even a dragon’s wings couldn’t match the raw power of Anita’s thrust.
Then it really hit me. She wasn’t luring him away from the island. She was luring him over the ocean.
Valoo slammed into the water with a mighty crash. Massive waves rolled out, bowling out a tsunami. Most of it was on the other side of the island from the beachhead, so the mountains took the worst of it, but water still washed up from behind and threw everyone on the beach off balance into a chaotic mess.
I could barely avoid falling out of the air in shock.
“T-This can’t work, right...?” Elmily said, the fear in her voice apparent. “Greatfish Island was named for Jabun, a giant fish. Surely Valoo won’t be affected by the curse…!”
I really wish I knew. I also really wished I could help, but I was barely to the mountain itself. As I tried to finish the journey, I could only watch helplessly as Valoo tried to get out of the water, only for Anita to blast him back under with Dragon Breath or Zen Headbutt again. Thirty seconds passed, and then he stopped coming back up.
I tumbled as I landed at the summit of Dragon Roost Island. Medli was there (not sure of when she arrived), and she was absolutely terrified. “Lord Valoo! Lord Valoo!” she was crying over and over to where the dragon had gone under, her eyes filled with tears. “I tried to warn you…!”
“Medli...” My mind was a blank. What the fuck do you say to someone who saw their god die?
“He will be fine.”
Anita landed before us, poofing back into her Rito form as she made contact.
“No doubt Jabun will be able to rescue him before he drowns,” she said as calmly as if she was discussing the weather. “But he will be out of my way. The Rito will not be needing a guardian entity anymore anyway; I will always be able to protect us.”
Medli’s eyes burned with wrath. “You… You monster!”
“A monster? Please,” she replied, her tone unchanging. “I’m just as much a Rito as you are. You’re just too domesticated to see it. In any case, you’ll no doubt find a much better job than attendant to an irrelevant god in my new world.”
“That’s far enough, Anita,” I interrupted, stepping forward in front of Medli and drawing the Phantom Sword, wreathed in flame from Twig’s power. “You and your army have done enough damage already. This… All of this… What’s even the point of it?”
“I told you, ten years ago,” she said, looking at me with eyes that even as gold as they appeared were bitter cold. “Prove you have the strength worthy to win my loyalty. So far, I am not impressed.”
I looked back to Medli. Her range was supplemented with confusion. “Get out of here and help the other Rito,” I told her. “We’ll handle her.”
She gave me a nod and hurried off down the mountain.
“If you hope to stall me for Valoo’s return, it will not work,” said Anita. “I have plotted every detail. Jabun cannot swim nearly so fast.”
“I’m here too, Anita,” Elmily said, turning back to a Torterra. “You can’t beat both of us.”
“You think so? I doubt it. After all, you’re stuck on the ground.” She flapped her wings, her halberd almost hopping to her talons, and she took to the sky. Elmily growled and try to erupt an Earth Power underneath her, but she was quickly out of range.
“She’s right...” she moaned. “None of my attacks have that kind of range.”
“I have an idea!” I told her. “Turn back to a Korok and take the Sword, and I’ll fly up there after her carrying you.”
“I don’t know… My human and Korok bodies are too different.”
“Just swing it at her when you get close and don’t let go! C’mon, we can’t let her get away!”
And a minute later, it must have been a strange sight, a Rito carrying a Korok wielding a magical sword while a red fairy fluttered nearby as the whole procession flew towards another Rito with a halberd.
“Alright, Anita, let’s end this-”
“Human, Sandslash, pangolin.”
“...Huh?”
“This is the only form you have with flight. The form where you either fly with your arms or use your hands to wield a weapon.”
“...I don’t like where you’re going with this- ACK!” I barely managed to dodge the initial halberd thrust of her attack against me. But it managed to scratch my leg, and in my pain, I released Elmily. She quickly managed to unfurl her Deku Leaf and began drifting away, but she had to drop the Sword to do so.
“Elmily!” Twig cried after her.
“You were a fool to follow me up here,” she said, attacking viciously with the weapon in her talons that I barely managed to avoid anything deeper than a flesh wound. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on you – on everyone, but especially you. You’re good with a hammer and that sword, but you’ve never learned how to fight in the air. You imagine me to be as dumb as a monster that makes itself vulnerable after some of its attacks?!” She attacked from a weird angle, and my attempt to dodge it let her cut my delivery bag from my back, where it fell down and missed the summit – and taking with it my Reviver Seed supply. “Even the other Rito would not have been able to help you. Look at them, laying traps for monsters instead of taking them head-on. This is what being relegated to Hylians’ postal workers has done to the species!”
“Look out!” Twig suddenly shouted.
She twirled in the air, swinging the non-bladed end of the halberd at me – and it was only as it was coming at me that I noticed that, attached to the other end with a chain, was a lantern that emitted sickly blue smoke. Thanks to Twig’s alert though, I managed to flap back to avoid the lantern itself, but the smoke grazed me and I ended up inhaling a bit of it.
I recovered from my brief bit of coughing to look up and see Anita… smirking. I quickly learned why when my arms started malfunctioning and I stared to fall out of the sky toward the rocky mountaintop below. The landing was really rough, but I’m thankful I didn’t go through the crack in the middle. My vision was swimming, and whatever that smoke did stacked on top of the exhaustion I was building up all day, and I couldn’t find the energy to get back up.
“Naskema!” I heard Elmily shout.
Twig was quickly next to me. “Naskema, get up! You gotta get up! She’s- oh no, she just set Elmily on fire!”
I tried, I tried my hardest, but I couldn’t. I was starting to black out.
Twig fluttered away. “She’s going down! She’s- oh sweet merciful goddess, she landed in a pool of water! I think she’ll be OK- H-hey, what’s Anita doing with that black smoke...?”
At that point, everything went dark.
I’ve had to rely on the testimonies of the others to understand what happened afterward.
Anita’s lantern was a Poe lantern, which could produce different kinds of smoke but didn’t work in direct sunlight – which explained why she waited until dusk to attack. The red smoke was basically fire, and she had used it to attack Elmily when she tried to get to me after I fell. The black smoke spawned Poes from where it landed, which she commanded to pick me up and deliver her my Phantom Sword – Twig recalled the line, “Even you will get your second chance. I will not have a single Rito left.”
L’ourse had just a rough a time. Multiple Poes and Redead broke out of the hull as soon as the battle with Valoo had begun, almost as if they were waiting for me to leave, almost as if they’d be sure my weapon that could hit the intangible wasn’t available. With no way to hit the Poes with consistency and the Redead locking them in place with their screeches, the ship was quickly overrun. I understand more than a few of them died. Everyone else was captured and tied to the mast below decks, including L’ourse and Maria.
The beachhead also broke down. The monsters somehow managed to recover from the tsunami faster and captured all of them as well.
It was an unmitigated disaster. The monster army took Dragon Roost Island and began rounding up the Rito. Many of them tried to fly away, especially after Valoo fell, but the Poes all intercepted them. They were all pulled to the ground and clapped in lines of chains.
That dark vision had come to pass...
But it seemed it wasn’t the island she was after. For after Anita had captured the Rito, she ordered them escorted aboard L’ourse’s ship. It was soon overcrowded with prisoners – the Rito race weren’t exactly numerous, but the ship really wasn’t intended to hold that many people. Nonetheless, the monsters found a way to cram them all into the holds, and as favorable winds started to blow, the ship set sail…
...for the World of the Ocean King.
I was jolted awake by a surge of energy I recognized as being a Reviver Seed. Which I guess was good, given ordinarily I’d spend the next several minutes groggily trying to figure out what was going on. Reviver Seeds, however, wasted no time getting your senses back in gear.
“That just figures,” Anita grumbled from where she stood in front of me. I tried to stand up, only to find I was tied to a pole. “It would explain why Terra was protecting them so fiercely.”
“What did you do to her?!” I demanded, struggling against the chains that held me. Not that I had any slack to work with – it was so tight I couldn’t force myself to change form.
“Don’t get in a tizzy, she’s alive. I didn’t need her, so I left her behind. If you ask nicely once I’m Queen, perhaps I’ll let you go meet her.” I only had time to freshly glower at her before she continued, “Speaking of, it’s time my coronation began,” and she turned and walked away.
And that let me focus on what was going on around me.
I was within the arena of a large coliseum. I remember exploring it when L’ourse and I were adventuring in the remains of the Cobble Kingdom. Every seat in the stands was filled with chained-up Rito, patrolled on the ground by Moblins and the air by Poes. A massive dais sat raised in the middle, a pedestal in the center holding up the Phantom Hourglass. I looked around; all my other tools and weapons, including the Phantom Sword, sat on a table off to the side, guarded by a Bokoblin.
Anita stood on the dais and turned to address her captive audience. “Fellow Rito, my esteemed flock, I am so happy you were all able to join me tonight for this momentous occasion – my coronation as your Queen and new ruler. My apologies for what seem like a sudden usurpation, chief, but even you must agree I deserve the position after what I have done and will continue to do for our people.”
To say the crowd was hostile would be an understatement. It wasn’t hard to imagine them flinging tomatoes if they had any and weren’t being held prisoner. The resulting uproar was so much that the monsters had to poke them back to being quiet.
“Clearly, my work is too brilliant for commoner minds to understand,” she continued, seemingly completely unphased by her hostility. “I shall explain it in simple terms then. For what I have already done, you need only look around you, for I have brought us to a new world! A world where the ocean is not cursed with spite! A world where the gods have not forsaken us! A world where anyone can swim freely! A world where we no longer have to pretend to be birds and slave away in service to the Hylians to survive day to day!”
The crowd was still mad; only outrage over being taken from their homes being the main topic seemed to change.
“As for what, I will continue to do, I have already hinted at it.” She waved her halberd towards the pedistal. “Behold – the Phantom Hourglass! An artifact capable of rewinding time, sitting in this circle of runes that’s visible to anyone not in the peanut gallery.” I just growled in response to the quick look she gave me. “The past ten years, I’ve poured into creation of this magical mechanism of spacetime resonance. With this, I shall rewind our evolution, and we… shall return to our true form – of Zora!”
“Literally not how evolution works!” I blurted out, drawing her attention. “There’s been generations between now and the first Rito! You can’t just hit undo on all that! Especially since the Hourglass can only go back twenty-fire minutes! It will never work, and you’re mad if you believe otherwise!”
“Oh ye of little faith,” Anita said, flashing a smirk at me. “It is true, it can only rewind twenty-five minutes… with the paltry amount of Sands of Hours it currently contains.”
I immediately didn’t like where this was going. Cody had told me that the Sands of Hours that filled the glass were manifested life force – almost like his Force Gems, but shrunk down to sand grains.
“You’re never going to find that much Sand!” I said, recalling something Bolt and L’ourse told me. “Massive monsters made entirely of Sand once lived in this world, and the amount they each had would last two minutes! There’s not enough life force in the universe to rewind generations!”
“Is there? Is there really? I remember something quite differently. Bring him in!”
A pair of Moblins entered from one of the arena doorways, between them dragging someone, also in chains and looking very beat-up, and threw him into the arena.
“Cody?!” poured from my mouth. (I would later learn a squadron of Poes commanded explicitly to capture him had managed sneak through Windfall’s defenses.)
“N-Naskema...” he barely got out before being cut off by Anita planting the butt end of her halberd on his back.
“I remember reading about the power this one possesses,” she said. “The ability to create Force Gems at will and have them be accepted as currency, as well as turn them back into energy later. But it never said that creating them costs energy in the first place.”
“T-That makes no sense!” I said. “It naturally follows that he would have to invest his own energy into the Force Gems he creates! Otherwise he would effectively have infinite money, and that’d be broken as fuck!”
“I-It does…!” he got out, only for her to push the halberd down on him.
“That is not what the text says. That is the only thing that matters. Sands of Hours are nothing more than grain-sized Force Gems. You, Cody, are going to provide all the Sand I need.”
“N-Never…!”
“That wasn’t a request. See, this rune circle has a secondary function. It will draw the Sand out of you automatically. And as a courtesy to my fellow Rito, since no one here will be leaving until after I’ve restored us to Zora, I have prepared a counterbalance to speed things up. Bring him here!”
The Moblins that brought Cody in were quickly on opposite sides of me. One of them sucker-punched me in the temple, dazing me enough that I couldn’t react between them taking me off the pole and cuffing me. They marched me over to the dias, not letting go as they brought me over a spot on the intricate magic circle that covered it.
“Being alien to all these worlds makes your Force quite interesting,” she said to me. “Your presence will let me draw minutes worth of Force from him in mere moments. It will probably be quite painful for both of you for the next, oh, several weeks, but it is a price I, in my position as Queen, am willing to pay.”
“Fucking hell, Anita! You’ve completely lost it!” I yelled as I struggled against the Moblins’ grips, only for them to beat up on me the moment I got close to breaking free.
“You are the one that have lost. Accept that, and let your failure be to the benefit of this world during your last moments on it. I will be sure to take good care of it.” She turned and started walking to the pedestal. “Well, no time like the present. It’s time my coronation properly bega-”
Suddenly, a swhing ran through the air, and a saw a bolt of metal shot past my vision. Anita must have saw it to, because she flinched back and stopped walking.
“What was…?”
And then the Phantom Hourglass shattered.
I’m not sure what happened right afterward. Some kind of… wave of something exploded out, killing all the monsters in the arena and blowing everyone else off their feet. The moment I got my senses back, I got back up, made easier from how they cuffed me in the front.
“What?! WHAT?!” Anita was screaming. “NO! The Hourglass!” The relic had become a pile of broken glass on the pedestal, and planted at the edge of the magic circle was the arrow that had shot through it. “How…?!” She looked where the arrow had come from, as did I. “I-It can’t be…!”
Standing at the top of the coliseum, lowering the bow from where he fired it, was Shadow, standing proudly and glaring down at with eyes alight with… I couldn’t make it out at that distance, but he told me he imagined it was justice.
“How…?!” Anita got around her choking on her rising anger.
“Because you made your choices to serve your own selfish interests,” he called down. “I made my choices to serve my team. Including the choice to know the exact moment I could definitively stop you.”
“You were tied up! I saw you tied up!”
“Arr, matey, but ye forget the first rule of pirating!” L’ourse’s voice came from the vomitorium below him. “Never imprison a pirate captain on her own ship! She might know how to get out of it!”
I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone scream as primally as Anita did. “GET THEM!!” she yelled before she turned into a Latias and barreled up and at Shadow.
The sound of L’ourse’s red ocarina sounded in my ears. “Have at them, lassies!”
With that, the island became a war zone.
The monsters were converging towards Shadow and L’ourse, only to be met by not only them, but their remaining allies. Shadow had Anita’s attention perfectly (and kept it with some well-timed Taunts) and they were launched away from the building, leaving the monsters little tactical knowledge to know not to run into the massive chokepoint that was the vomitorium. Hilariously, Zorro actually turned a couple of them into frogs.
Me, I had already turned into a Sandslash and broke out of my cuffs before grabbing the Phantom Sword and my bag, then flapping up to the swarms of Rito now trying to get away from the fight now that the monsters were distracted. Some of the Poes tried to attack them, but I slashed them away and cut through as many of their chains as they could.
“Get to safety, quickly!” I said, depositing Cody (who had fallen unconscious and I had carried up) into Quill’s arms.
Most of them were fine with that; they couldn’t fly with the chains on their wings, but picking up weapons from some of the fallen enemies, they were able to free more and get away on the opposite side of the coliseum. Medli, however, wanted to help. When she managed to take out a Bokoblin with a couple swipes of her harp, I was convinced.
That’s when it started raining. Given the night was quite clear to this point, I suspect Zorro’s Rain Dance – or, rather, Manaphy’s.
Using Dig, I got us to the front of the coliseum, behind ally lines. It took me a bit to take in the chaos that was the battlefield. L’rouse and her remaining pirates, along with Bolt, had been pushed back to the far end of the vomitorium. Out at a nearby patch of sea, Manaphy had just sunk one of the Big Octos while Maria the Azumarill held the other two back with an empowered Bubble Beam. Most of the bare land on this side was caught in a battle between Shadow and Anita… and a giant puppet of purple spheres that vaguely resembled a Latias.
God-fucking-dammit, I hated that boss. Honestly, most of the bosses you needed to fight with the Boomerang in Wind Waker were bullshit.
I knew I needed to help, but I wasn’t in much state after almost being used as part of a sand factory. Thankfully, after Medli and I flew up to join the pirates, they gave me cover enough to drink the blue potion in one of my Bottles.
“We got this here, Mr. Naskema,” said L’ourse.
“Last time you said that, you definitely didn’t have it.”
“Well this time, I mean it! Besides, the big boss be too busy dealin’ with Mr. Shadow to make more!”
That was a fair point. Leaving Medli with her against the subsiding tide of monsters, I took off to confront the mad Anita. I arrived just in time, as she just summoned herself some Poes with her lantern, which lasted about as long as the rest did against the Phantom Sword.
“You…!” she positively growled. Sounding a war cry, she came at me as her puppet charged an imitation Mist Ball.
Unfortunately for her, this time, we were on the ground, and she was out of surprises. Well, she had one last one – she had the Wind Waker. It was how she had blown Manaphy out to sea to keep him from trying to turn her into a frog. But I caught on quickly enough to take advantage of the times she left herself open trying to compose something and didn’t give her the chance.
With her focus on me, Shadow was free to fight the Puppet Anita. Though even then, he still struggled until Bolt managed to come over to assist us. Turns out electricity-filled Master Swords are as good as Light Arrows as far as weaknesses go.
I’d detail the battle further, but this has already gone on far too long. Suffice to say, the tide rarely turned, and once the puppet’s two forms were destroyed (which I think was actually a downgrade), Shadow and Bolt flanking Anita as I took her head-on was too much for even an aspiring demon queen to handle.
Dawn was breaking as Anita collapsed, her halberd clattering to the ground as the lantern’s flame went out in the sun’s rays. The other fronts had all wrapped up their battles, so there were no threats to blindside the moment. She was holding on with her last threads of consciousness as she looked up at me. I just looked down at Anita. I was mad, but I did my best to make my face show only disappointment.
All I said was, “It’s over.” She said nothing.
Then, in what must have felt like some anticlimatic joke, I pulled Anita’s Master Ball from my bag and bounced it off her back.
She made no effort to get out.
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Chapter 4.21: 9.0 Years
Year 10, day 1: Dawn of the final year, three hundred and sixty-five days remaining.
The wait itself is just… agonizing. I almost want Anita to make her move already just to break the tension. We’re as prepped as I suspect we’re ever going to be, but it feels more and more like holding a compressed spring down every day.
The monster attacks have stopped escalating, but they’re still strong. Windfall and Greatfish have all been fully fortified. Cody has enough industry and money that he’s been very generous with escort fees for any boats looking to travel; they’ve yet to truly match our better Ocean King cannons. Elmily and the other Koroks have planted enough Deku Trees on every inhabited island, including Zorro’s private oasis, and they’ve been doing a decent job of tree walls. She and I finished our training with Ocra some time ago, and am as accomplished a swordsman with the Phantom Sword as I think I could ever hope to be before the tension finally breaks.
God, I hate war. If the asshole voice puts me in another war zone, I’m going to learn how to strangle an elevator.
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Chapter 4.20: 8.47 Years
Year 9, day 172: The full set of twenty Power Gems has been assembled! I must get in contact with L’ourse immediately for another trip to the World of the Ocean King!
Year 9, day 175: So, here’s a revelation I wasn’t quite expecting.
Spirit Island is a pretty unassuming island. Small, one cave. Easily missed if we didn’t know what to look for – which we did, from a Gossip Stone on Mercay. Twig and I entered the cave alone.
Inside was this beautiful spring. It had some lovely luminescence going on, the sort of otherworldly beautiful glow that I’ve seen from the fairy fountains around the Great Sea. So it probably made sense that I could hear the same kind of voice.
“Greetings, traveler from another world.”
“Uh, hi.” Not even eight and a half years have sharpened my bluntness in social situations. Even after “learning” Tetra was a princess, I just shrugged it off. “I heard this is where Twig here needs to go to unlock his full power.”
“I see… I am the servant of the goddess of spirits that dwells in this spring. Do you have the Spirit Gems needed to grasp that which you seek?”
“I do,” I said, pulling the twenty red gems from my delivery bag and holding them up.
“You are indeed capable. I see why a servant spirit would follow you. With these twenty Power Gems, your spirit’s true strength shall be awakened. Come, Spirit of Power. With these gems, search yourself for the full depths of your power.”
Twig fluttered until he was hovering above the surface of the water, and the Power Gems floated out of my hands and circled around him, bobbing slowly. Ripples formed on the water, moving inward to a point below him.
“Hmm,” I heard the voice suddenly say. “This explains many things, and yet almost nothing...”
“What is it?” I asked.
“This spirit… It is very similar to one that was here some years ago, but oh so notably different.”
“What…?” Twig said. “Could you tell me more? Something… Something about this world has been bothering me, some inkling of familiarity I can’t quite grasp...”
“I believe I can help soothe those worries, Spirit of Power...” And so she began her tale.
“Long ago, this world was a land known as Termina. The realm of a fallen kingdom, it was destroyed when its moon was pulled to earth by a spirit of evil known as Majora’s Mask. The guardians of that land were dormant and could not save them, and so when they awakened from the impact they beat down on the Mask, driving it into the ground and stopping its destruction, but in the process burying the land beneath the sea and leaving only ocean behind, the mountains turned to islands. Saddened by how their actions led to this tragedy, they sacrificed their lives. Their blood revived many of the fallen into new life, and they repopulated the world, while their power came together to form a new being, a new guardian deity you know as the Ocean King.
Peace reigned for long after that, but it would eventually break. Majora’s Mask, still embedded in the seafloor, eroded and broke, releasing the dark malevolence it contained. It took on the form that came to be known as Bellum and started seeking life force to fully restore its power, including attacking the Ocean King. I suspect you know the story from there: a hero from another world came and defeated Bellum, restoring the Ocean King’s power and bringing peace back to this world.
Spirits span the boundaries between worlds, so I am aware you are probably seeing many parallels. Indeed, Termina, and this World of the Ocean King, are a shadow world – a distorted reflection of the land of Hyrule and the Great Sea. Many things that exist there have a counterpart of similar appearance and role within this world.”
“Are you saying that...” I said, “...that Twig is the reflection of the Spirit of Power that helped Link during his adventure here?”
“It is more accurate to say that Leaf, said Spirit of Power, is the reflection of this spirit.”
“I-I’ve heard those stories,” Twig said. “Link had three spirits help him. But if I’m the counterpart to one of them… where are the other two?”
“...Unfortunately, I must be the one to break the news to you… The Spirits of Courage and Wisdom known as Skye and Nym that initially accompanied you in your service were returned to the goddess of spirits in Hyrule’s destruction.”
I could easily guess what “returned” was a euphemism for.
“Wait, they were in Hyrule when the ocean fell on it?!” Twig shouted. “That… That’s terrible! How…?!”
“I am only a servant. While I am aware of the Great Sea, I cannot know that fine a detail.”
Somehow, I can tell Twig drooped from hearing this. “Then… why was I spared…?”
“Twig...” I started, but he kept going before I could continue.
“No… I know why… Because he used me… I remember now… I got some feeling of it when I was trapped in the Forsaken Fortress, but it’s clearer now... When Ganondorf made his escape from Hyrule to the surface, he… he put me in a lantern and used my light to guide his path… and once he got there, he just left me to drift... His piece of the Triforce overwhelmed me… That’s why I couldn’t remember until now… That and the shame...”
“Twig, don’t you start taking blame for anything Ganondorf did,” I commanded. “He was a monster with a capital M, a demon king with a capital DK. He exploited everyone around him for his own benefit. You’re a victim here. You’re not responsible for anything he did. Do you understand that?”
“Naskema...”
“You’ve helped my team fight off darkness every day since we met. You’ve been one of the most helpful people I’ve known, and the idea of you beating yourself up hurts me. Don’t go getting down on me just because the big bad exploited you; it’s not your fault. And if it’s not that… I never knew Skye or Nym, but deep down, you probably do. Even if they’re not here now, I don’t think they would have wanted you to mope around and despair when there was dark ass to kick in the world. No one wants that. The Rito need saving, Twig, and we need your help doing it.”
A few moments passed before… “...Yeah… Yeah, they wouldn’t… I’m going to miss them, now that I remember them… but I’m going to keep going. For them, for the world. We’re going to give Anita what for. Let’s do this!”
“That’s the spirit!”
Oh thank god that worked, I was just letting my mouth run for the most part.
The Power Gems glowed brightly, and a large drop of water fell from the center of the ripples and upwards into Twig. He shone brightly enough I had to cover my eyes.
“It is done,” the servant in the spring announced. “The true power of the Spirit of Power is now fully awakened.”
“Naskema,” Twig said, flying back to me as the Power Gems pooled at my feet. “I’m going to work as hard as I can to help you and your team.”
“Happy to hear it, but don’t forget: you’re part of the team too.”
I think he smiled. I couldn’t see it, but an exploration team leader learns how to tell such things.
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Chapter 4.19: 7.84 Years
Year 8, day 307: I can’t believe it’s taken me nearly eight years to figure something out: if Anita’s goal is to turn the Rito back into Zora, she’s going to have to do something about Valoo. The large ancient dragon was the catalyst of the transformation, after all, and their biggest defender. Which begged the question of what exactly Anita could do about him.
I wasn’t going to delude myself into thinking he was invincible – many Links across the various timelines had fought and defeated dragons before, ones that built themselves for battle. Anita not only had over eight years so far to prepare for such a battle, but the form and power of a Legendary Pokémon. And I don’t know if Pokémon type matchup logic still applied here, but she had a Dragon-type move.
What sparked this revelation? Yesterday, the Dimensional Scream showed me an image of a picture of Valoo with a dagger stabbed into it.
As soon as I figured it out, I took flight for Dragon Roost Island – no longer an easy trip with how dangerous the waters have become – got an audience with the chief, and I warned them to the best of my abilities. The best estimate I could give for when was sometime in the next two years and almost sixty days, the amount of time this world had left. They promised to start preparing defenses against Anita’s return, especially around Valoo.
Before I left, Medli came to talk to me. While we had seen plenty of each other since the defeat of Ganondorf, I was too stressed with the Anita situation to be anything more than acquaintances. Indeed, the topic she wanted to discuss was the threat to Valoo, as she was still his priestess and was very worried for him. I told her Anita may have some breath-weapon power that could do serious harm to the dragon, though I couldn’t go into further detail.
A shame to leave such a thing of beauty behind to be destroyed – she had developed into a magnificent specimen of a Rito woman, considering they never gain a whole lot of weight up there, if you know what I mean – but I’m no kidnapper. She’d be happier with her tribe than being pulled around the universe with someone that was… well, more interested in her body than her as a person. I mean, I literally just referred to her as a specimen. Bringing her along would be solely for my own gratification. One might argue that was also the case for Tooty, but I am sure Medli wouldn’t herself be gratified by the experience of joining the team across the multiverse, unlike my adventure-loving girlfriend.
Thankfully, being shot at by cannons kept me from brooding about lost opportunities as I flew back home.
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Chapter 4.18: 7.22 Years
Year 8, day 81: Two more Power Gems have been found during excursions to the World of the Ocean King. That’s eighteen now. Twig’s learned of an island there with a spring that’ll be able to fully grant him the Gem’s power, though it won’t be of substantial use until we get all twenty. I’ve showed him Din’s Pearl, which had the icon of Power on it like the Gems do, but he said he couldn’t find anything like what the Gems have in it. That’s a right shame – I could use a goddess-level boost for this.
Cody is upset. Navies are expensive, and business is slowing down significantly now that monster threats are more active. The citizens are trying to get by and continue with their lives, but the escalation is making that harder than ever. Shadow and Bolt have both been going around and killing monsters whenever they show up, though they can’t cover everything. A lot of them are wondering where that boy that fought all the monsters before was; my best guess was finding the new Hyrule by now. Elmily tried planting a new Deku Tree at Greatfish some time ago and it’s been holding up, but here’s hoping the island’s still standing by the time it’s made defenses.
Goddammit, L’ourse and I have both individually gone over the entire Great Sea. She can’t turn invisible far as I know. Where has Anita been hiding this entire time?!
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Chapter 4.17: 7.07 Years
Year 8, day 26: Trips between the two worlds are becoming more regular as we go about our different businesses. L’ourse has started charging us, though Cody’s covering the costs; it’s all roughly going to the same place anyway. Now that she’s her own adventurer, L’ourse is keen on keeping her own trophy case of treasure, and hell if I’m going to stop her.
Seafood, grilled Toona included, has become a smash sensation in Windfall and Greatfish. It definitely helps distract them from the daily cannon roar. God, the worst wars are the tedious ones; they make you more likely to drop your guard.
Form Firma is still holding strong, as is the navy that Cody’s been funding to defend the towns, but the dark forces just seem to be getting stronger over time. If someone, including myself, can’t find the source and snuff it out, no amount of thick fire-resilient trees is going to save us. Hoo, what are we going to do…?
I’ve been trying to distract my own mind with dates with my two girls. Elmily doesn’t become a Torterra much these days due to the whole monster scare, but we’ve enjoyed our time together trying out Salvatore’s minigames or just going about on the wind for awhile. L’ourse and I consider our treasure hunting adventures as dates, and we had plenty of smooching done atop the pile of (surprisingly comfortable) Rupees in her ship’s treasure hold. Though, she doesn’t like making out with my Rito form. Apparently, kissing a beak reminds her too much of Kazooie to remain in the mood. Thank god I can become a pangolin again at will.
Though there’s something strange I should note. There’s something… unsettling lately with below decks on L’ourse’s ship, like someone’s always watching me. When I’m with her, it dissipates. I’m not sure what it is, since her crew doesn’t seem to notice; I could just be finally snapping, for all I know.
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Chapter 4.16: 6.6 Years
Year 7, day 220: Y’know, I hadn’t actually been questioning the treasure circles appearing to me. Only I could see them, so I dismissed them as a hallucination caused by some stress or another. But as I mentally compared the undersea treasures we’ve gotten on the map with them, I finally managed to make the connection.
Between Zorro becoming Manaphy again being able to swim and the two submersibles, most of the undersea in the World of the Ocean King was free reign. Well, there were still wild beasts, giant fish, and more than a handful of sentient mines… somehow… but the sense of freedom I got was comparable only to my escape from captivity by Ganondorf. We almost didn’t need all those salvage arms; I found a treasure circle on the surface, the Submersible and Zorro went under the water, and came back up with whatever booty laid beyond.
I’m still surprised all this salvaging has resulted there still being things to salvage. More Rupees! Thank god the World of the Ocean King still uses the exact same currency as the Great Sea – maybe L’ourse's ancestors brought it over?
Not that that was the only treasure we found. Cody actually has plans to expand his business, as the ocean in this world has something that the Great Sea desperately lacks: fish. Well, there’s a few fish, but the curse rarely makes fishing worth it. No curse here means a lot more and better fish to go around, and they ain’t no small fry. The main plan consists of a restaurant of some kind as a subsidiary company to sell seafood, including that tasty grilled Toona. The main obstacles so far lie in 1) finding a reliable and cheap seller or two that he could purchase ample supply from, and 2) convincing Tooty to let him use her galleon of exploration as a fish barge. Best of luck to him on that front.
But it was today that I finally held the Wind Waker in my hands. Unlike the Master Sword, its divine power has not waned; I can still feel it, the dragon scale embedded in me vibrating. It actually hurt a little, but I’m tough.
I’ll have to start learning how to conduct when we get back to the Great Sea.
Year 7, day 221: The Wind Waker’s gone.
I woke up this morning to find it missing from my cabin. We investigated as best we could, but we couldn’t find it anywhere. We may have (almost) all been veteran explorers, but we weren’t detectives and couldn’t find any clues. It had just vanished into thin air.
It’s a shame, but I won’t beat up myself or anyone else about it. For one of the most valuable artifacts in both worlds, I did get it a little too easy, and I wasn’t yet sure how it would fit into my anti-Anita plans anyhow.
Though I can’t still help but wonder… who took it? How? And why? I’m not sure I’ll ever know.
Nonetheless, we’re going back home today. I just need to pick up a souvenir for Shadow real quick.
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Chapter 4.15: 6.56 Years
Year 7, day 203: Having satisfied her wanderlust, L’ourse has docked with us at Firma Fortress for the last few months. I’ve since managed to brief her and Maria about Anita’s deal and look over their initial purchases.
Along with her magical and large ship, as well as another Bottle and the ancestral weapons of sword and boomerang, L’ourse had her own version of the duller-red treasure map, which she had made heavy use of over the years – and didn’t seem to ever reflect mine, not that we were hurting for money in any capacity. She had the other of a pair of Gossip Stone fragments, which could communicate between each other on an open frequency that anyone else with a Gossip Stone – which were plentiful enough in the World of the Ocean King so as to be useless for stealth, but there were none of to be found in the Great Sea, especially with Hyrule destroyed. I regret not knowing enough about Anita to know whether or not she might find a way around it. L’ourse also had three extra jars that automatically filled with each of the three potion colors every day, though they only refilled if they were consumed. Lastly, she had an ocarina made of bone dyed red; playing a song on it could be heard by all allies with no limitation on distance and give them extra power towards getting to that point, and letting the wind play it allowed it to act as a proximity detector for treasure.
Maria actually had two empty bottles, bringing our total count to ten. Her boat was just a simple one-man tub with no addons, and Tooty’s crew were using it as a lifeboat; as such, they never bothered naming it. Compared to everyone else’s, there wasn’t much of anything stand-out; another set of those flower decorations (which she had never attempted to sell, liking the three she had just fine), another color Pictobox, and another red-stained bone ocarina. The only unique item was that one of her weapons was a bow (the other another shield), which served to remind me of how little of our personal armory had any kind of range.
The most valuable thing that they were able to bring along were honestly the cannons. Great Sea goers basically had to salvage the cannons from defeated warships in order to have them, just due to lacking technology. The World of the Ocean King, on the other hand, had a mechanist that was capable of creating them, and almost every ship worth their salt had one to defend against pirates and ravenous sea life. Zorro’s been able to examine them and the salvage arms on the Ocean King ships, but while he could figure out how to install them on the rest of our ships, he didn’t have the resources or tools to create new cannons for us that were as powerful as these.
With not only that as a reason, but also retrieving the rest of the Power Gems, a trip to the World of the Ocean King is in order. Shadow will be able to guard Firma Fortress in my absence.
Year 7, day 205: I’m still getting my head around seeing land I haven’t seen before. I’ve been all over the Great Sea hunting treasure and Power Gems, and I’ve easily been able to memorize the entire sea chart. Guess I somehow became not used to seeing new land after six and a half years.
I explored Mercay Island with Twig and Elmily while the others took the ships to the nearby Cannon Island to get our entire fleet upgrade with cannons, which managed to use some ammo besides bombs unlike Great Sea cannons. We’re good with salvage arms, but maybe those could get upgraded too. We drew a crowd pretty quickly; apparently, neither Rito nor Korok were native to the World of the Ocean King. I really didn’t like how they decided it would be OK for them to tug on my feathers.
We also checked out the first floor of the Temple of the Ocean King; with Bellum gone, it was perfectly safe. The explorer in me wants to raid the entire thing, but I held myself back. There’s too much going on right now. Also, the deity that occupied this temple was still present and I’m not an idiot.
Twig’s been pretty quiet the entire way. He tells me there’s a nagging sense of familiarity he has with this world, but the memories just won’t come to him. It makes me wish I knew more about Phantom Hourglass so I can do something about it, but as it stands, again, there’s too much going on.
The ocean here is so alive. I haven’t seen this many fish since our expedition for the Aquamonica. Compared to the Great Sea’s sterile cursed waters, it’s breathtaking.
It wasn’t long after we got back to town that the others arrived in their ships, all outfitted with the latest in navel combat and exploration technology. We had a little party there, having fun and playing music and trying out grilled Toona for the first time as we laid out the plans for finding the remaining Power Gems. L’ourse may have been a royal pirate queen in this world, but in the cosmic view she was still a pretty new adventurer and wasn’t nearly as organized as the original Team Firma with her expedition notes.
Bolt was reneging us with his tales of his adventure in this world when he said something that caught my attention.
Link had the Wind Waker on him when he boarded Bellum’s Ghost Ship, but had lost it when he washed up ashore on Mercay.
That meant there was a non-zero chance that the Wind Waker had fallen into the Ocean King’s seas.
The Wind Waker’s power could be dangerous in the wrong hands, but I still remember at least a couple of the involved songs – or where to look for them. And with a Rito’s knowledge of the wind and how it flows, I’m certain I would be able to master its power, at least enough to stop Anita’s scheme. Those powers would be of great benefit to protecting the Rito from her.
I think that cinches it. We were going to run a full treasure-hunting expedition in search for the Wind Waker.
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Chapter 4.14: 6.05 Years
Year 7, day 18: Great news is welcome after holding back the reinvigorated forces of darkness for a year and a half.
A large ship, one of a scale no one’s seen since Tetra’s departure, arrived in the Great Sea today. It flew a pirate flag and read “Ocean Queen” on its hull, but its cannons only opened fire on the warships threatening Windfall. The moment I learned Bolt and Timothy were sailing alongside it, I was on the wind in a heartbeat.
I arrived to find a crowd gathering around the dock the large ship had landed at, landing at the back. As I was now at least twenty-one years old as a Rito, I was tall enough to see over them. They were looking at a group standing on the boat’s near side, seeming to be made entirely of diverse and attractive woman. At the head of them was a tan blonde Hylian, about eighteen years old, wearing a sea captain’s coat and a tri-pointed hat.
“Avast ye hearties! I be known as Captain Scuttledy, and this be me crew of fearsome all-female pirates!”
It took me a couple moments to get over the terrible fake pirate accent before I realized it was Tooty.
Cody managed to break the crowd up and get them to go back home, allowing us to get on board so we could find out where she’d been, what had she been doing, and why the heck her name for this world was a pseudo-pun that demanded to be put out of its misery.
The first bit of news is that Maria was with her, as a short-for-her-age and plump Hylian. Tooty had actually received the option of choosing where to start the decade in. Upon learning that Maria was in a completely different world from everyone else, she chose the World of the Ocean King as well to avoid leaving a squadmate alone, and outfitted her boat with the ability to travel between the two at will. It had taken so long to make use of said ability because she wanted to explore every inch of that world, as much as she could, before going to explore another one.
That led to the second bit of news: she had found one of the Power Gems, and recognized the place the crimson map currently pointed towards.
I knew the plot of Phantom Hourglass involved some creature named Bellum, who was the villain and final boss of the game. He and his Ghost Ship (seemingly no relation to the Ghost Ship in the Great Sea, I hope) had terrorized the waters about two and a half years after arrival, kidnapping people and feeding on their life force. It came after Tooty’s ship. A lot.
“Apparently I’m secretly royalty here and have a lot of latent life force?” Tooty had told me. “I don’t really get it. I couldn’t follow Ochus’ explanation at all.”
Maria did, thankfully; apparently, not long before the Great Flood, the Hyrule royal family bloodline branched, and that branch moved out of the kingdom and into the World of the Ocean King – or whatever it may have been before that, if it was anything like the Great Sea. Even though this branch broke away from the cycle of reincarnation of the princess as the goddess Hylia (thank you, Chuggaaconroy’s Let’s Play of Skyward Sword), it still possessed a fair good bit of magical power. They didn’t know anything about anyone else that might be on that branch – for all they knew, she was the last of them, and they didn’t feel like looking more into it.
In any case, several months ago, Link and Tetra were carried into the World of the Ocean King by the Ghost Ship, and Bolt somehow managed to follow. A rip-roaring adventure involving amnesic fairies, charismatic cowardly helmsmen, and the most despised dungeon in Zelda history ensued. Bolt was second-banana to Link in his quest to rescue Tetra, but he didn’t seem to mind that much, just enjoyed participating. Tooty’s crew had approached Link’s ship with intention of attack, but ceased hostilities once she saw Bolt and became allies with them, providing some maps of the sea as they had available. After Bellum was destroyed, Bolt remained with Tooty and Maria while Link and Tetra were returned to their original world by Ochus (who was, in fact, the Ocean King for which the temple was named).
Also, praise the goddesses, “Scuttledy” was just something she came up with to sound more like a pirate. Her actual birth name in this world was L’ourse (the branch had apparently abandoned the tradition of naming every princess “Zelda”). Maria had kept her name.
I explained the delicate situation going on here in the Great Sea as best I could, hoping its emphasized importance would convince L’ourse to not just run off to explore the Great Sea for the next four years, and if she could come to Firma Fortress tomorrow after her crew has rested so we could make plans, that would be great. We really need to get on the same page here and assess what gear L’ourse and Maria have; Zorro, for all his smarts, never bothered to memorize their purchases, and Elmily had forgotten herself. Being the only one with perfect memory sucked sometimes.
Year 7, day 19: God dammit.
I guess she just loves being a pirate captain that much.
I hope she doesn’t mind me using the Gossip Stone she slipped into my pocket yesterday to yell at her. She said it’ll just be like a couple months to do a surface run and get a whole sea chart together, and if someone goes wrong she can just call me over it, everything will be fine. Boy, she’s new to this whole “not tempting fate” thing.
Fine, she can do that, but no smooches for a month afterwards. ...OK, one because I missed her, but that’s it.
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