A new Zelda game has been released and that means it's time for another Mostly In-Depth Review. If you haven't started playing it yet, I highly suggest not reading this because there's a lot of great stuff in this game and here there be spoilers.
Are all the Johnny-come-latelys gone? Good.
As soon as you turn on the game, you see three spinning Triforce pieces come together and hear the Link to the Past theme play. This game, if you didn't already know, is a sequel of sorts to A Link to the Past, and if you refuse to press A when prompted, you'll get a nice recap of that game's events, accompanied by some nice paper-cutout-esque images. I guess I should go ahead and point out that A Link to the Past is one of only two Zelda games I've never completed, and it's because I don't really care for it. Some of you readers may be fainting from the blasphemy right now, but I just think that while it perfected the gameplay of the franchise, it hadn't quite nailed the story, background, and characters yet. But that's that game.
Before we officially get started, I should point out that when you start a save file, it's automatically named Link but you have the option of changing it. That's what most people use anyway, so I dig it.
Day 1: In The Beginning...
The game starts out just like several of its predecessors: Link is having a portentous dream and suddenly wakes up, he's a smithing apprentice, and he's late for something (in this case for work). He's woken up by his friend Gully, the son of his employers, who leads him to work because he's still too groggy to find his way there (along the way, also showing him the new save point, which is basically a Majora's Mask owl statue in the shape of the weather vane in Kakariko Town), which is a serviceable explanation for being railroaded. When we get to the shop, the Captain of the Guard is leaving with the shield he just bought, but forgot his sword, so it's up to Link to bring it back to him.
Now that I'm free to roam, I decided to explore as much as I could. "As much as I could" turned out to be a lot, in that I could basically go to every area except Lost Woods, Death Mountain, and Zora's Domain (I should note that the overworld map is almost exactly the same as Link to the Past, a first for the series, so all of these locations are in the north). Most areas had stuff blocked off of course, but it was still pretty wide open right from the get-go. And there were only a couple enemies here and there, all easily avoided or defeated by thrown bushes. It was while doing this, I noticed a joke I thought was clever: all the houses and shops are locked up and the few people you run into mention how early it is. Even Dampé calls you weird for being up so early. So it turns out you didn't even wake up late, just later than your boss would like! It was also during this initial exploration that I met a fortune teller who told me I came too early and I'm not supposed to come until I met the bunny. Ok, weirdo, whatever you say.
I finally made it to Hyrule Castle, but the Captain had already left to go to the Sanctuary. Officially it was to talk to the Priest, but Dampé thinks it's just an excuse to see the Priest's daughter, Seres. Dampé's pretty hilarious in this game, you guys. Either way it doesn't matter because there's a shriek from inside the Sanctuary, which means I have to take Dampé's lantern and travel through the catacomb under the graveyard to get into the Sanctuary the back way. Inside, a bad guy named Yuga - who's clearly a Gerudo but hasn't been called one yet - turns Seres into a painting and kidnaps her because she's a descendant of one of the Seven Sages. We've seen this rodeo before. On the bright side, the Captain fled in terror so I get to keep his sword. Yay! But Yuga knocks me out. Boo :(
Not to fret, as a passing salesman named Ravio found me and brought me back to my house, which, I'll go ahead and mention, has Majora's Mask hanging on the wall. Why? I have no idea. But I digress. I let Ravio stay there in gratitude, and to repay me, he gives me an heirloom leather bracelet that's really stinky. Before I can give him anything as thanks, he tells me to go talk to Impa and Zelda what happened, and for some reason I listen to this guy even though he's dressed like a purple rabbit. But as you know if you've read my Skyward Sword review, Zelda Can Wait.
Instead, I go re-explore with sword now firmly in hand. There are more villains now - still all easily defeatable - and they're in a nice, cartoony deformed style that really works for me. I guess all the characters are (sorta halfway between the Link to the Past sprites and the Wind Waker, et al., models), but it really stand out for the baddies. Also, all the buildings are open now, so I get to talk to people! I got a net from a nice guy in a bee costume, a shield from a shop, a bottle from a salesman, a new item called Hint Glasses from the fortune teller, and a piece of heart from the bottom of a well (using a cucco and very strategic floating; who says you need a power bracelet?). I also met a band in the milk bar who will play a random piece of Zelda music for ten rupees, and I think they may have been sirens because I almost just spent the rest of the night listening to them.
After that I got around to telling what happened to Impa and Zelda, and Zelda gives me a pendant that she says has been in her family for generations and has been entrusted to her since she was born. A baby isn't the first person I'd consider worthy to protect an important-sounding pendant, but that's why I'm not king of Hyrule. The pendant, by the way, feature a particular symbol that used to mean "Tune of Currents" but which now has been used in so many contexts that it really just means "1 of 3". At least we know what we're in for.
Zelda tells me to go to Sahasrahla - who some(magic)how is still alive - who tells me to go find his son at the Eastern Palace, but before I can do that, I have to borrow a bow from my houseguest. The bow, and all items I get from him, from the sound of it - come with a meter that depletes as you use it. It refills over time so it's more like stamina than magic, but it's a little weird. It doesn't really get in the way though, so whatever.
I meet the guy at the Eastern Palace and, long story short, he's a Sage descendant too! Now, I happen to know that Sahasrahla was not a Sage, so my theory at this juncture that almost everyone I've met so far in Hyrule is descended from the Sages in some way. At least that makes it easy for Yuga; no need to spend countless hours in a Hall of Records like the Penguin in Batman Returns. Anyway, I have to rescue him from Yuga.
Eastern Palace is quick and easy and really only there to get the player used to thinking three dimensionally. There's a lot of going over and under things, and it's easy to miss a lot of stuff if you're not paying attention. The boss, Yuga, is too easy to even talk about, but you ultimately lose: Orgus or Olrus or whatever is turned into a painting and so is Link! After Yuga disappears though, Link gets saved by his smelly bracelet gift and now he has the power to become a painting at will. This lets him reach new areas and protect himself from tricky platforms, which is really neat, but it also uses the stamina meter so I'll have to be careful. There's clearly something more to this Ravio guy and I can't wait to find out what it is.
Sahasrahla was disappointed I didn't save his son, but after seeing that Hyrule Castle is sealed off by some weird energy, he realized that Yuga is trying to recreate what Ganon did, so he decided to help me try again and save all the other Sage descendants as well. He also let me know that the 1 of 3 pendant is actually called the Courage Pendant and marked on my map where to get the other two. What a mensch. I know what I'll be doing tomorrow, though!
Day 2: Link Smith, Junior Explorer, and the Remaining Pendants
If I have a chance to explore in a Zelda game, that will always take precedence over advancing the game, and two things happened that made me put off heading straight to the Tower of Hera, which I totally had planned to do, you guys. The first was that I realized I could become a painting on ANY wall, not just dungeon walls, and the second was that I happened upon my house and saw that Ravio had hung out his shingle...by which I mean a huge purple banner.
I went inside and saw that he had a ton of items set out and we worked out a deal that let me rent them all for him, and also get an explanation of how renting works; basically, anything I rent I can keep until I die. Pretty good deal, I must say. And since that gave me access to the bomb, hammer, ice rod, fire rod, hook shot, boomerang, and tornado rod, which gives me plenty of room to reach new areas and find lots of stuff (and only fills up half my items menu!); I got six pieces of heart and about a million rupees for my trouble, and also found a couple neat treasure hunting games.
Another thing I did was meet a new character, a cool witch's assistant who gives me a bell that lets me warp to different weather vanes. Very helpful. But this gives me an opportunity to talk about a fault I have with this game: certain characters are obviously recurring, but don't have the right name. For instance, the Witch's assistant is clearly Maple from the Oracle games, but her name's Irene. The bald mustachioed milk bar owner is clearly Talon, but is just called "Milk Bar Owner". But oddly, Dampé is Dampé. I don't get it. It's not a big thing, but it sticks in my craw.
Anyway, I made my way to the top of Death Mountain to find the Tower of Hera. Along the way I got a power glove to lift rocks with, found some shiny rocks that spit out rupees if you hit them, and also some rupee-infused boulders that the volcano spits out. Neat stuff. It's Just Death Mountain, there's not a whole lot to say...yet.
The Tower of Hera is easy, but it further expands on the gameplay introduced in the Eastern Palace. Most of the things I remember from the trailers came from the Tower of Hera, so I think that says a lot. The boss is just a Moldorm, so there's not much to report there, unfortunately. Just hit the tail a bunch of time until it does. I got a Pendant of Power for my trouble.
Going east past the Tower, I cross a broken bridge with the help of my handy-dandy hookshot and come across my first true surprise of the game: lynels! Lynels are these lion centaur things, and they really shouldn't be a surprise because they were in Link to the Past, but they've never been in a 3D game before so I just wasn't expecting them. These lynels breathe fire though and are a pain to kill (haven't actually been able to yet) so it's a cold welcome. But after I make it past them, I start seeing signs for Rosso's Iron Mine, so I decide to check it out.
As it turns out, it's less of a mine and more of a giant, mountain-deep pit filled with lava, and you have to descend it by riding moving platforms and then making leaps of faith onto lower ones. There's also multiple paths to take, so you'll have to do this more than once to get everything: one leads to a piece of heart that's almost more trouble than it's worth, two lead outside, and a third also leads outside but to an area that you can meet a mountain climber. Jumping ahead a bit, I eventually found a message in a bottle in Lake Hylia from said mountain climber, requesting premium milk because he sprained his ankle, so I had to go through this rigamarole AGAIN to bent it to him. He let me keep in the bottle. Ridiculous.
After meeting him the first time, it was time to go to the House of Gales in Lake Hylia to get Pendant 3 of 3. I knew I needed the Flippers but couldn't figure out where to get them, and it took me way longer than it should have to realize I needed to go to Zora's Domain. Frankly I just forgot about it. On my way there, I run into a guy - literally - who has just stolen a stone from the Zora Queen, and without it she gets mega fat. Now, I've previously met this thief in Kakariko and I should've known he would be up to no good when I learned his name was Shady Guy, but Link likes to look for the best in people. Once I get it back, I bring it back to the Zoras and the Queen becomes hot...well, as hot as the fire-spitting River Zoras can look anyway.
They give me the flippers and I head for the House of Gales, but on the way I find two bottles for a total of three and meet somebody called the Maiamai Mother, who sort of looks like a pink octorok wearing a spiral shell. She's lost her children - all 100 of them - and she wants me to find them. Will do, ma'am, but it's going to take a while so it's not a pressing matter. She was kind enough to give me a map that shows how many Maiamai are left in each area of Hyrule, which is very helpful.
The House of Gales is the first themed dungeon, and it's also quite puzzle-heavy, as wind dungeons are wont to be. This means it's my current favorite, and it also means it was more difficult than the previous two dungeons, which is good. The boss was also neat. The way to defeat it was easy to figure out but challenging to accomplish, mainly because it was zooming around and trying to knock you off the platform you're both on. But the platform wasn't so small that getting knocked off was inevitable. Overall, it was a great boss experience.
Defeating it granted me my third pendant (wisdom), which will allow me to go to the Lost Woods and obtain the Master Sword. But that can wait until tomorrow.
Initial verdict: very impressed. It's too early to say for sure, but I think this is shaping up the be the new quintessential Zelda game.
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