Link to rest of blog: http://www.teamliquid.net/blog/LoN
Alright, hey hey, im here for another week of A Year in Legend of Zelda. Today will be a bit shorter than usual but hopefully it will entertain .
At the end of last weeks blog I was just finishing up face shrine, so lets start from there shall we. So from here, I go to the phone guy for a hint and hes like, Get song from frog with orcarina, and im like well fuck me I don't have the orcarina. So I run around looking and looking and I finally come back to this cave in the middle of town, which I already explored the hard way with the feather and timed jumps and got 300 rupees. However, I missed the part that required me to smash through with my boots, and there it was the orcarina. Fuck.
So I immediately run to the fish I remember visiting after the water dungeon who said get an orcarina. I grab his song and then peace out to look for the frog. So I go to one of the only parts of the map I don't have explored and I find these signs which are like this way -> and such. And I follow the signs and read every sign in order probably about 20 which opens a secret underground lake where the frog is. Nice. So I get his song, and it says, Can bring life to even the most dead things so im like AIGHT.
Hell yeah dancing and singing frogs
Go back to phone, he tells me that there used to be a rooster to that would fly around with the kids. So I take my orcarina and play the soul song in front of the rooster statue like in link to the past. It doesn't work. I don't learn and get pissed and do it 10 more times. Obviously nothing changes. I get made and just run into the statue, push it away go downstairs and bring the bird back to life. With this bird I head back up to a cave I seen before that had a big gap, that looked impossible to go about. Find the eagle key hell yeah. Like seriously what a cool thing, hold a magic bird and fly.
This dungeon was really confusing to me. It reminded me of level 3 in Lttp. Alot of falling through holes and switches and such. Finally go most of the chests and the mirror shield but still couldn't get past this one part. Re-read a clue about the pillars. Don't get it. Run around like an idiot for 30 minutes. Go back to that room, realize you can pick up black ball, realize there is pillars. Break em all. And the 4th floors morphs into the 3rd floor. Badass. Reach the boss who reminds me of the boss from megaman who you fight on a roof. I kept falling off and had to start over, trying to use the boots. Finally realized I should probably use the item I found in the dungeon. QQ After that boss was EZPZ.
Probably hardest boss yet, and still easy
With my new shield, it is obvious what I must do. Go back to that fucking cave with the flamethrower. And aha! it worked. I see the turtle head and ponder what to do. Do the try everything strategy as there is no key hole in site. Playing the soul song brings turtle to life and I just sword swipe repeatly to kill him. Pretty cool idea, killing a mini boss to enter dungeon.
This dungeon was LOOONG. Which is expected being the last one and all. I get through probably 40% easily, then get stuck for a while. Run in circles and try everything I can think of, missed a bomb wall. Also missed a clue to fill in all the holes. Find coolest item in game, magic rod. Fight a lot of old bosses as mini bosses, do some neat ice puzzles that require me to flame correctly to reach the ledge. I make it to the boss and spam my new item, which is weird cause it looks like fire hurting fire. It eventually kills him and I am left with half a heart. Damn that was close but pretty easy as I didn't really do anything but mash a button.
CRACKLE-FWOOOSH! You're finished! I will never let you play the Instruments of the Sirens!!
So I get the last instrument, go talk to the bitch girl and get the last orcarina wind fish song. I go up to the egg and wake him up. I was expecting a boss battle right then and there. But nope. It just opens up, and im like fuck another dungeon what. The dungeon starts with just a pit you fall into, then you get into a lost woods type part, which requires the right directions or you stay in the same room. So Im like fuck it I need help.
I call buddy for help and hes like I DONT KNOW, maybe read it in a book? So I hit up the library and read the secret book of all dark secrets. But wait I can't read it its too small. I figure I need some sort of item from trading sequence. So I go talk to everyone I know in the game trying to give away this necklace. I give it to a mermaid who gives me her scale. I immediately remember a statue without a scale.Go there, go underground, get magnifying glass. I thought it was really cool how this huge game long trading game, lead to an important endgame item.
Go back to egg dungeon and reach boss. I dont expect anything too hard, but I buy extra life just incase from crazy tracey, the lady who lives with rats. First part of the boss is just a black blob. I guess this represents like the darkness of your nightmares? I dont know lol. Can't hurt him, so try a bunch of stuff and realize magic powder does it. Then he transforms into aghaims shadow from link to the past, and the battle is the exact same as that one. Then he transforms into the annoying worms shadow and the boss is the same, except super fast. Then he finally transforms into ganon, who is the exact same as link to the past basically. Except I cant hurt him, wtf. So I try a bunch of shit and it doesn't work, until I run into him with my sword and boots, aha! does the trick. I kill him and the game is over. Overall hardest boss in the game.
Coulda used shadow link 2.0 imo
There it is the game is over, also I forgot to mention I beat the colour dungeon and took defense. Here it is just to be a bit more complete.Not nessecary to beat game, but cool addition to game .
Overall Opinion/Review:
Pros:
-Really similar link to the past
-Set the bar high for handheld gaming
-Pretty long
-Good controls, fun items, fun puzzles, big map, memorable game
-Animal Town Music
-Trading sequence
Cons:
-Didn't like the courage or acorn
-some music was off, like the music in the first woods
-Bosses were very easy, less epic
By todays standards, with updated graphics similar to link to the past, I would give this game a 9/10. By the standards when it came out I would give it 9.5/10. What a great game for the game boy. Does everythign right, a good time killer for sure. I understand why people love this game so much now.
Overall Progress:
Legend of Zelda (Completed) - 10 Hours
Zelda 2: Adventure of Link (Completed) - 16.5 Hours
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - 8.75 Hours (Completed)
Links Awakening - 10.5 Hours (Completed)
Coming up Next:
OoT