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.
It 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).
Once we made it out of the caves, he gave me a magic mirror.
He 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.
Strategic 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.
A 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.
The boss of this dungeon is Moldorm, a large yellow worm that you must fight on a relatively small platform with no walls.
It’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?)
I can now head to the lost woods to acquire the Master Sword! So that’s where I’ll be headed next time.