Tag: Legend of Zelda

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.

Once again, it’s time to play some Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on SNES. Last time, I made my way through the East Palace to grab the first of three pendants. The elder also gave me the pegasus shoes, which let me run real fast.

This time, I had to journey west into the desert…of mystery!

Of course, everything has to be mysterious or dangerous. When’s the last time you visited the Desert of Sand or Joe’s Desert? But once I got to the dungeon entrance, I couldn’t go inside. It’s apparently because there was a book written in another language, and Link can’t read squiggly.

So I had to go back up to the village. The library had a mysterious book on top of the bookshelf, but poor little Link can’t reach it! He’s just a little elf, you know. But fortunately, Link knows how to use his head. So I had him charge up using the pegasus shoes and ram his head into the bookshelf at full speed. Now that’s a smart guy! The book fell to the floor and Link picked it up.

With the book in hand, I was able to return to the dungeon. I translated the text, made a wish, and then I was inside. I made my way through the sandy rooms, eventually finding the power glove! It lets me play NES pick up and carry rocks.

To proceed, I actually needed to go outdoors and use my new gloves to lift some rocks that were blocking a door. I was then able to advance to the boss room, where three large sand worms for waiting for me.

I don’t understand why three big worms needed a pendant when they were happy to just play in the sand, but I had to defeat them anyway. They weren’t very hard to beat, so I grabbed the Pendant of Power without a problem.

I still need one more pendant, and it’s up on Death Mountain. So that’s where I’ll be headed next time!

When I left off last time, I was in Kakariko Village. A boy told me the location of the elder I need to see. So today, I headed east to find him. He told me his name is Sahasrahla (bless you!) and he said I need to find three pendants before I can wield the legendary sword. He asked me if I really wanted to find it. The choices were “yeah” and “of course.”

I responded with a yes, and he told me I needed to first retrieve the pendant of courage from the East Palace. So I made my way there. And even though I haven’t played A Link to the Past in years, I remember this palace well. I also love the moody, atmospheric music in here.

After avoiding an endless stream of bowling balls and defeating wimpy skeletons that fly backwards every time you swing your sword, I acquired the big key. A couple screens later, I used it to open the treasure chest and I got a bow! I like how it tells me I can shoot arrows until I run out.

I then advanced to the ball room.

At least, that’s what it should be called. But these are no ordinary balls. They will hit you hard if you run into them, yet they have the magic ability to pass through other balls as if they were ghosts.

Anyway, I continued on to the boss room. You have to defeat these six armored knights that bounce around the room in patterns clearly choreographed by Paula Abdul.

They dance quite well considering all that armor they’re in, and they’ve obviously been rehearsing for weeks. But Link is able to break up their routine with his sword and arrows (until he runs out). Once five of them are defeated, the last one gets reeeeeeally angry at you and starts stomping around. I think he knows his dancing career is over at this point. Once he’s gone, Link gets a heart piece and the pendant of courage.

I then returned to Sahasaharahalaharalara the elder, who told me I need to recover the other pendants. He also gave the pegasus shoes, which let me run real fast and crash into stuff.

He also told me that a helpful item is hidden in a cave on the east side of Lake Hylia. I went to check it out and I got a cool ice rod.

That’s all for today, but this Link to the Past will continue in the future. See you next time.