Month: October 2013

Zelda LTTP: Death Mountain

I was overdue to resume my adventure in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for SNES. I needed one more pendant, and it just happened to be up on Death Mountain. So I headed up that way, when I ran into an old man who insisted on following me into a dark cave. If Fi was in this game, she might have told me that she’s 95% certain that going into dark caves with a stranger isn’t the best idea. But she’s not, so I did.

zlttp-oldmanIt turned out okay though. He gave me directions on when to turn and he warned me of hazards along the way. He was like my GPS (Grandpa Positioning System).

zlttp-watchstepOnce we made it out of the caves, he gave me a magic mirror.

zlttp-magicmirrorHe told me to gaze into it if I ever wander into a magical transporter. Uh okay, sure, gramps. He then asked me what channel Matlock was on. I quickly ran away from him and continued climbing the mountain.

Eventually, I reached…a magical transporter. Oh. Stepping into it transported me to a strange, mysterious place: The Dark World. This is one of the most memorable parts of the game for me. Link turns into a bunny, and there are two characters there. One of them kicks the other one around like a ball.

zlttp-bunnyStrategic use of the magic mirror allowed me to reach the next dungeon, the Tower of Hera. Throughout the dungeon, there are numerous switches that raise and lower blue and orange blocks. Likewise, there are star switches that you can step on to change the location of holes in the floor. They add some puzzle elements to the action.

zlttp-switchesA large treasure chest holds the Moon Pearl, which allows Link to retain his normal shape when entering the Dark World. This allows him to use his normal items, which he can’t do in bunny form.

zlttp-moonpearlThe boss of this dungeon is Moldorm, a large yellow worm that you must fight on a relatively small platform with no walls.

zlttp-moldormIt’s quite easy to be knocked of this platform, so it can be frustrating if you’re fighting him for the first time. Fortunately for me, I’ve played this game several times before. So I remembered to use spin attacks and attack his tail, and I didn’t have much trouble with him this time. Once I defeated him, I received the Pendant of Wisdom. (Where exactly was the worm storing this pendant?)

zlttp-wisdomI can now head to the lost woods to acquire the Master Sword! So that’s where I’ll be headed next time.

Pikmin 3 – Distant Tundra

It had been a while since I played Pikmin 3, so I decided to continue my adventure tonight. Just to be clear though, don’t mistake my long gaps without playing to mean that the game isn’t good; in fact, it’s great so far. Anyway, it was Day 6 for me, and I headed off to the Distant Tundra area. As our ship descended, we hit a rock and Brittany fell out of the ship. So once again, Alph and Brittany were separated. It felt like a cheap plot device, but it allows Brittany to discover the yellow Pikmin. Yellow Pikmin are lighter and can be thrown farther, but they can also conduct electricity.

p3-ypBrittany begins the level in a cave. The first main goal of the level is to reunite Alph and Brittany. Both of them must find pieces of a bridge and have their respective Pikmin build their half of the bridge. But the Distant Tundra is a large level, and each character’s bridge pieces are scattered in different locations. There is a spot where the river that separates them isn’t very wide, and the characters are able to toss Pikmin across to the other.

p3-tossOf course there are enemies to fight, and you need to keep recovering fruit as well. But I didn’t reunite the two explorers until my third day in the tundra. But once I had the bridge built, it was much easier to navigate around the level.

p3-bridgeI’m having a blast just exploring and finding new areas.  I’m also really liking the map on the Wii U gamepad. You can scroll the map to see where you need to go, and it automatically pauses the action when you do. You can direct a group to go to a certain area automatically, and it’s very helpful when you’re multitasking with two different groups. I’m already looking forward to the next time I play it.