As I mentioned yesterday, the first thing I did today was get the chest I was about to get before my Switch so rudely decided to die. After that, I saw a ring of rocks nearby, and thanks to my brother mentioning it a few days ago, I knew it was a Korok puzzle. You throw a rock into the center. Pretty easy concept, but it was a little way into the water and there were no ledges nearby, so I had to bounce the rock off a Cryonis block I made.
Then I went exploring more, and decided to test how easy it is to catch a horse when you sneak up on them from above rather than behind. Turns out, pretty easy, because you can drop right onto them! This changes everything. Unfortunately, I can't find a horse with better stats than Brunblitz, even though I know they exist.
Shortly afterward, I managed to come across a fairy, but quickly used it up thanks to some stupid electric Keese. Unlike previous games, fairies are an item like any other, so you don't need to put them in a bottle or anything like that.
From here, I planned to go finish exploring the area around the Lake Tower, since I saw some of it getting there but quickly ditched it for the shrine a few days ago. But along the way, I was distracted by some concertina music. The concertina is not an instrument typically associated with forest settings, so I went exploring to learn whether this was just the ambient music for the Faron Woods or if someone in the area was playing a concertina.
I didn't get the answer to that question right away. I did, however, save a woman named Meeshy from a group of Bokoblins and she gave me a curry as thanks. I ran into Meeshy a couple more times over the course of the night, and she had interesting stuff to say. Like Totsuna, she wants to be an adventurer, but Meeshy is just starting out and gets frightened easily.
Turns out, the concertina was being played by a Rito named Kass. I feel the need to point out that Ritos in this game look a lot different than they did in Wind Waker. In that game, they look like humans with beaks. They don't even have wings, and can only fly if they have a scale from the dragon Valoo. In this game, they're straight up bird people. Wings, talons, the whole nine. I don't know what to make of that yet.
Anyway, he tells me the Forest Dragon lives close by (in Damel Forest) and that I should look for him. This unlocks a quest called The Serpent's Jaws, and I believe this is the dragon Totsuna was looking for. I'll have to tell her where to find it.
From here, I planned to go finish exploring the area around the Lake Tower, since I saw some of it getting there but quickly ditched it for the shrine a few days ago. But along the way, I was distracted by some concertina music. The concertina is not an instrument typically associated with forest settings, so I went exploring to learn whether this was just the ambient music for the Faron Woods or if someone in the area was playing a concertina.
I didn't get the answer to that question right away. I did, however, save a woman named Meeshy from a group of Bokoblins and she gave me a curry as thanks. I ran into Meeshy a couple more times over the course of the night, and she had interesting stuff to say. Like Totsuna, she wants to be an adventurer, but Meeshy is just starting out and gets frightened easily.
Turns out, the concertina was being played by a Rito named Kass. I feel the need to point out that Ritos in this game look a lot different than they did in Wind Waker. In that game, they look like humans with beaks. They don't even have wings, and can only fly if they have a scale from the dragon Valoo. In this game, they're straight up bird people. Wings, talons, the whole nine. I don't know what to make of that yet.
Anyway, he tells me the Forest Dragon lives close by (in Damel Forest) and that I should look for him. This unlocks a quest called The Serpent's Jaws, and I believe this is the dragon Totsuna was looking for. I'll have to tell her where to find it.
I keep on exploring the woods and notice a lot of ruins and statues of dragon heads. I can't tell if that's the whole statue or it's all that remains of a larger statue. Either way, I really like the woods. They have their fair share of monsters, but they're also really pretty and peaceful and have a lot of items to get.
It wasn't long until I ran into Meeshy again, and she told me a legend she heard about something called the Spring of Courage. No thanks, Meeshy. That sounds like some "Cave of Ordeals" shit and I'm not having it.
It wasn't long until I ran into Meeshy again, and she told me a legend she heard about something called the Spring of Courage. No thanks, Meeshy. That sounds like some "Cave of Ordeals" shit and I'm not having it.
I wasn't prepared for what I saw next, and I'm not sure you will be, either. Are you ready for this?
Stalhorses.
You heard me.
Stal.
Horses.
Stalhorses.
You heard me.
Stal.
Horses.
And you can ride them! At first I thought there was just a random herd of Stalhorses, so I mounted one and took it to see if I could register it (you can't; it disappears at dawn). But as a rode to the Highland Stable, I realized these horses were there to make it easier to face the Bokoblins who were also mounted on Stalhorses. I ignored them instead.
After the Stalhorse disappeared, I went back to explore more of the Woods. And, in the distance, I saw the life meters of two monsters being depleted. I'm all the way over here, so who's attacking those monsters? An NPC, that's who!
He's a good dude named Tye who killed a Bokoblin all by himself and then gave me a meal as thanks for killing the other one. He and his wife, Sorelia, are traveling across Hyrule to look for a flower called the Silent Princess. They hear that anyone who declares their love in front of that flower will stay together forever, or something like that. They have a tent nearby. It's really sweet. I don't know if you can tell, but I really dig the characters in this game. They don't have a ton of story to them (not yet anyway), but they have juuuust enough that they're compelling and you care for them. It's like Majora's Mask. All the characters in that game have personalities, so you really feel for them and WANT to save the world.
I got a game over shortly after this and when I went back to save Tye again, he didn't say all the dialogue he did the first time. He didn't give me a meal like he did the first time, either. It makes me wonder what other kind of dialogue I have or might miss out on.
I learned I could mount elk and deer, but haven't yet. They're too quick. You can't register them, but man, riding an elk through the forest would be majestic as hell.
After the Stalhorse disappeared, I went back to explore more of the Woods. And, in the distance, I saw the life meters of two monsters being depleted. I'm all the way over here, so who's attacking those monsters? An NPC, that's who!
He's a good dude named Tye who killed a Bokoblin all by himself and then gave me a meal as thanks for killing the other one. He and his wife, Sorelia, are traveling across Hyrule to look for a flower called the Silent Princess. They hear that anyone who declares their love in front of that flower will stay together forever, or something like that. They have a tent nearby. It's really sweet. I don't know if you can tell, but I really dig the characters in this game. They don't have a ton of story to them (not yet anyway), but they have juuuust enough that they're compelling and you care for them. It's like Majora's Mask. All the characters in that game have personalities, so you really feel for them and WANT to save the world.
I got a game over shortly after this and when I went back to save Tye again, he didn't say all the dialogue he did the first time. He didn't give me a meal like he did the first time, either. It makes me wonder what other kind of dialogue I have or might miss out on.
I learned I could mount elk and deer, but haven't yet. They're too quick. You can't register them, but man, riding an elk through the forest would be majestic as hell.
Korok puzzles usually pass in these recaps undiscussed. For every one I mention, there's two or three I don't. When I do mention them, it's for one of two reasons: (1) they're a kind I haven't seen before, or (2) they're time consuming. This bitch right here is both, but it's also my favorite so far. You see, in a river that flows through the Woods, there are three rocks. Two of those rocks have boulders on top of them. One of those boulders has a chain attached to it, which told me to use my Magnesis, and when I did, I saw another boulder on the riverbed. Which is attached to the same chain. So you have to get all three boulders on all three rocks, but every time you move a boulder the chain's attached to, the other one moves to. After a lot of trial and error, and I mean A LOT, the solution I came to was to get a boulder on a rock, Stasis it in place, and then Magnesis the other boulder in place before the Stasis wears off. Tricky in description, even trickier in execution, but it was so, so satisfying when that Korok appeared.
And since I'm talking about Korok puzzles, I'll go ahead and mention that the last major thing I did today was get my 50th Korok Seed. Ten of those were just from today! I was a seed-getting fool. It makes a lot of sense they'd be more concentrated near wooded areas. I wonder if that'll continue to play out on other parts of the map.
Other things I noticed:
Other things I noticed:
- People give you cooked items when you save them
- When you eat something, it animated Link bringing his hand to his mouth. When you eat things quickly, he uses both hands.
- Link is still right handed
I don't like this. Until Twilight Princess, Link was always left-handed. For that game, he was left-handed in the GameCube version but right-handed in the Wii version, to make it match the hand most players would be using their Wiimote in. This continued in Skyward Sword for the same reason. Meanwhile, in non-Wii games like A Link Between Worlds and TriForce Heroes, he was still left-handed. But suddenly in this game, he's right handed again! What gives? Breath of the Wild is available on Wii U and Switch, neither of which uses a Wiimote. Is this how it's going to be now? Right handed in home console games and left handed in portable games? I know it doesn't really matter in the long run, but it's the principle of the thing.
17 games can't be wrong.
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