============================================================================== ________ ___ __ /\_____ \ /\_ \ /\ \ \/____//'/' _\//\ \ \_\ \ __ //'/' /'__`\ \ \ /'_` \ /'__`\ //'/'___ /\ __/\_\ \_/\ \L\ \/\ \L\.\_ /\_______\ \____Y\____\ \___,_\ \__/.\_\ \/_______/\/____|/____/\/__,_ /\/__/\/_/ /\__ _Y\__ _\ \/_/\ \|/_/\ \/ \ \ \ \ \ \ \_\ \__\_\ \__ /\_____Y\_____\ ______ \/_____|/_____/ /\__ _Y\ \ \/_/\ \| \ \___ __ \ \ \\ \ _ `\ /'__`\ \ \ \\ \ \ \ \/\ __/ \ \_\\ \_\ \_\ \____\ ______ __ \/_/ \/_/\/_/\/____/ /\ _ \ /\ \ /\ \__ \ \ \L\ \ \_\ \ __ __ __ ___\ \ ,_\ __ __ _ __ __ \ \ __ \ /'_` \/\ \/\ \ /'__`\/' _ `\ \ \//\ \/\ \/\`'__Y'__`\ \ \ \/\ \/\ \L\ \ \ \_/ /\ __//\ \/\ \ \ \\ \ \_\ \ \ \/\ __/ \ \_\ \_\ \___,_\ \___/\ \____\ \_\ \_\ \__\ \____/\ \_\ \____\ \/_/\/_/\/__,_ /\/__/ _\/____/\/_/\/_/\/__/\/___/ \/_/\/____/ /'___\ /\ \ __ /\ \ ___ /\ \__/ \ \ \ /\_\ ___\ \ \/'\ / __`\ \ ,__\ \ \ \ _\/\ \ /' _ `\ \ , < /\ \L\ \ \ \_/ \ \ \L\ \ \ \/\ \/\ \ \ \\`\ \ \____/\ \_\ \ \____/\ \_\ \_\ \_\ \_\ \_\ \/___/ \/_/ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/_/\/_/\/_/ A Walk-Through by glass_soul Dedicated to Laura Campanelli Hi Lampshade! Final (C) 2006 =============================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS 1)Introduction 2)Controlling Yourself 3)The Point System 4)Items, Spells, and Sword Techniques 5)Death Becomes You 6)Baddies, Bad Stuff, and Bosses 7)The Walk-Through 8)Secrets 9)In My Opinion... 10)Acknowledgements and Legal Stuff =============================================================================== 1)INTRODUCTION The Zelda series is host to some of the greatest titles ever releases on any system. Years ago, I can remember practically foaming at the mouth waiting for Zelda II to come out as it experienced delay after delay (come to think of it, that's eerily similar to what's going on with the current Zelda in production). Anyways, Zelda and Zelda II are the only two carts in the series that are linked ("linked"? har har) by anything remotely resembling sense story-wise. It goes down as follows. Six years have passed since the Triforce of Wisdom was resembled and the mighty Ganon was destroyed. Peace reigned through Hyrule. But that doesn't make for a very interesting game though, does it? What are you supposed to do, plant water lilies down at the beach for points? No! It seems that Ganon's minions have just been regrouping in order to better terrorize Hyrule all over again. Further more, they have discovered that they need but sprinkle the blood of he who slew Ganon on Ganon's ashes to revive Ganon so that Ganon can start breaking things again. Ganon-rific! The "he-who-killed-Ganon" in question is none other than Link, who is now 16 and is also aware that things are starting to fall apart again. On his way to Hyrule Castle, he notices a strange symbol on the back of his hand, shaped like three Triforces. Three Triforces? But there are only two! Once at the castle, Impa, Zelda's nursemaid, sees the odd runes and tells Link that it means he's the chosen one... or something like that. My memory of the instruction booklet is a little foggy on that point. Anyway, she informs Link that the princess Zelda that he rescued years ago was not, in fact, the real Zelda, but a replacement put on the throne to conceal an awful truth: Zelda has been cursed into a magical slumber for the last 20...10...I forget how long. Anyway, it's been awhile. Only the third Triforce, the Triforce of Courage, can awaken her. And that magical artifact is held deep within the bowls of the Great Palace, which no one has ever entered. The palace is held shut by a magical binding force that can only be released by replacing the mystic stones in the statues of the six palaces in and around Hyrule. These palaces are guarded by fearsome warriors, loyal to an unknown sinister force. Needless to say, no one's ever attempted to right this wrong. The symbol on the back of your hand means you're the only one who can do it. Adjust your shield, grab your sword. Your quest awaits... 2) Controlling Yourself Zelda II contains two main modes of play, and each has a specific set of controls for navigating it. THE OVERWORLD MAP When moving from one area of Hyrule to the next, you'll be staring at this overhead map. There's a variety of terrain on the map screen, from forests to grasslands to mountains. Mostly, the differences are merely cosmetic, however when you walk through swamps, your movement is slowed down considerably. Controls are as follows: A - Uses Hammer (when you get it) B - Uses Flute (when you get it) D-Pad - Moves Link Select - Does Nothing, So Quit Touching It Start - Pauses Game While wandering around the overworld, baddies will take notice of you if you stray from the roads. Random encounters are represented by three different icons that will trigger a fight sequence. They are: Fairies - Looks like a fairy, not actually an enemy encounter, as these little pixies will heal you Strong Enemies - Looks like a black, malevolent, humanoid Weak Enemies - Looks like a little black blob What kinds of enemies you'll fight depends on what kind of terrain you're standing on (swamp, grassland, etc.) and what part of which continent you happen to be standing in (northern, southern, etc.). Once the encounter is activated, the game switches to a side view, action-type game. All dealings in palaces, caves, towns, etc. are executed through this mode. Controls are as follows: A - Jump B - Attack Down - Crouch, Downward Thrust (while jumping) Left/Right - Move Left/Right Start - Call Up Sub-Screen Select - Cast Spell Up (while jumping) - Upward Thrust As with the previous installment of LOZ, when you are at full health, Link can throw his swords. Actually, I really don't know why they included that feature in this game; your tossed blades don't go far at all and most of the enemies you'll be facing don't that take damage from them. But Anyhow, its there. As far as defending yourself goes, Link's shield is always raised to block enemy attacks. Crouch for low attacks, stand for high ones. Not exactly rocket science. The caveat here is you can't attack and defend at the same time, so swing your sword and you're vulnerable. Plus there are enemy attacks that you can't block with your normal shield, so you need to be careful. Controls in town are identical to those listed above for combat, except talking to people, reading signs, or examining items, is the B button. 3)The Point System Apparently not satisfied with blending an action and adventure game together, Nintendo decided to add some RPG elements as well. You get points for killing enemies in this game, as well as for picking up point bags (more about those below). As these points add up, you get to increase the level of one of three stats. Attack - This determines how much damage you can inflict with your sword. Obvious enough. Life - This doesn't actually increase your life meter, but it does reduce the amount of damage you take from enemies. Magic - Increasing this stat decreases the amount of magic it takes to cast spells. Stats have a maximum level of 8. As might be expected, each time you level one of your stats up, the amount of points needed to reach the next level increases. You get an automatic level up each time you complete a palace. At every 9000 points after you've reached level 8 on all three stats you get an extra life. 4)ITEMS, SPELLS, AND SWORD TECHNIQUES There's a wide variety of stuff out there that will help you get the job done. Some are critical items, some seem rather pointless. In any case, here they all are. ITEMS Blue Magic Jar - Dropped by defeated foes, these will replenish your magic meter by the equivalent of one square. Boots - Magical shoes that let you walk on water (on the overworld, that is; falling into water during a battle is still death). Candle - Allows you to see in caves, which is nice. Child - A side quest item, you need this to learn the spell Reflect. Cross - This makes all invisible enemies, um, visible. Fairy - Can be encountered in the same way enemies are on the overworld. They also tend to haunt single patches of forest as well certain areas of the palaces. Touching one will completely refill your life. Flute - Plays a nice little tune. However, this doesn't do too terribly much, but it will get rid of the River Devil for you. Hammer - Allows you to break rocks and chop down trees on the overworld (it's also a pain in the posterior to obtain, but more on that later). Handy Glove - Enables you to break stone blocks with your sword, giving you access to areas and items you otherwise wouldn't be able to reach. Heart Container - These increase the size of your life meter by one block. There are four total in the game. Key - A "palace only" item, one key will open one locked door. Link Doll - Hidden all over Hyrule, picking one of these up will grant you an extra life. Magic Container - Similar to the heart container, these will increase the size of your magic meter by one block. Four of these also. Point Bag - Some of these are dropped by enemies, some are just lying around in caves, forests, and anywhere else. They range from 50-500 points, a nice little bonus. Magical Key - Once in your possession, you can open any locked door in the palaces. That's right; no more worrying about collecting those damn keys. Raft - Once acquired, you can travel from one continent to the next via the docks. Red Magic Jar - Better than the blue, these will completely refill your magic meter. Sometimes dropped by tougher enemies, and can be found in various places as well as hidden in statues. Trophy - A side quest item, you need this to learn the spell Jump. Water of Life - A side quest Item, you need this to learn the spell Fairy. SPELLS Zelda II was the first of the series to introduce magic casting. There are eight towns total in the game, and in each one you need to learn a new spell. Spells take magic energy, represented by your magic meter, and how much energy required is determined by the level of your magic stat. To cast a spell, press start to pull up the sub-screen. Use the arrows to highlight the spell you want to use. Press start to exit the sub-screen, then press select. Link (and sometimes, the whole screen) will flash, indicating that the spell has been cast. Fairy - Transforms you into a flying pixie. Fire - Enables you to shoot fireballs out the tip of your sword. Jump - Doubles the height of your jumping power. Life - Refills about three blocks of your energy meter. Reflect - There are some projectiles and weapons that you can't block with your regular shield. Casting Reflect stops them cold, and will even send spells back in the face of wizards. Shield - Reduces the amount of damage that enemies inflict by about a half (also turns Link red). Spell - Casting this will turn all the enemies on-screen into Bots (see below to find out what the hell a Bot is). Thunder - The most powerful spell (and most magic-consuming). It will destroy every enemy on screen. SWORD TECHNIQUES Over the course of the game, you'll come in contact with two knights. Each has a piece of combat lore to teach you that is incredibly useful and will greatly increase your chances of survival. Downward Thrust - Allows you to attack anything below you with a sword swipe. Very useful; you can actually sit there and bounce repeatedly on enemies with this until they're dead. Upward Thrust - Allows you to attack anything above you with a sword swipe. Not as all-purpose as the Downward, but it has its moments, as you'll see. 5)DEATH BECOMES YOU You start the game with three lives to live. When you run out of these it is, of course, game over. You are given the option to save or to continue your quest. If you save, the game will go back to the title screen. Continuing typically starts you back at the North Castle with a fresh batch of lives to live. You can also get to the save screen by pausing the game on the overworld map, then pressing Up+A on the second controller. 6)BADDIES, BAD STUFF, AND BOSSES Here's a complete rundown of everything that you'll meet, how they'll try and kill you, and what to do to stop them. The creatures that you meet in the dungeons, caves, and other special event squares are fixed; that is, they won't change from game to game. What you'll be dealing with in random encounters depends on what kind of terrain you were on and whether you were hit by a strong enemy or a weak one. Some enemies will drain your points as well as your life if they hit you, I have indicated these with a *.Enemies in this game are also color-coded to indicate strength; orange (or yellow) for weak, red means intermediate, and blue is strong. This list is alphabetized so you can put your finger without delay on which enemy just murdered you. BADDIES Ache - Points: 3 Blue bats that swoop down from the ceilings of caves and forests. Mildly annoying at best. Can be hurt by your thrown swords. Ache Man - Points: 10 These are red bats, and they seem to attack just like their blue counterparts. However, once near the ground, they will morph into a humanoid shape and spit a fireball at you. You can't block their shots with your regular shield and fire, needless to say, hurts. Still, not much of threat. Effected by thrown swords. *Bago-Bago - Points: 3, 5 Skeletal fish that leap out of water and pools of lava to attack. Pretty weak, and not too hard to avoid. Most spit rocks as well, but some will shoot fireballs. 3 pointers are in the overworld and 5 point versions inhabit the palaces. Thrown swords hurt them. Basilisk - Points: 50 Dog-like lizards that spit bullets at you. Though their shots are easily deflected, their armor is too tough for your sword alone. Use the Fire spell to put them down. Bird Knight - Points: 70, 150 These only infest the Great Palace and thank any and every God for that. Imagine a tougher Ironknuckle that not only is faster and throws all of their swords, but can jump as well. Sound like fun? I didn't think so. Going toe to to with these jerks is a losing proposition at best. A better strategy is to block their shots at a short distance, then hit them with an Upward Thrust as they try to jump over you. This doesn't work like a charm all the time, but it's probably the best method of dealing with these monstrosities and living to tell about it. Bit - Points: 2 Red globs that slither around the battlefield. Hardly worth noting at the beginning of the game, even less so as you progress. Take damage from thrown swords. Boon - Points: 50 A large, fly-like bug that buzzes around and drops rocks on your head. Not too terribly hard to deal with (an Upward Thrust or two will do the trick) though they are fairly quick. Bot - Points: 2, 10 These blue globs will haunt you throughout the entire game. They can actually hop around and, as such, pose slightly more of a threat than the Bits do. The stronger, 10-point versions infest the Great Palace. Can be hurt by thrown swords. Bubble - Points: 50 The bubbles from LOZ are back. But this time, rather than preventing you from drawing your sword, they hurt you AND drain your magic meter. This can definitely be a hassle on the later levels where timely and precise use of magic becomes a must. They also take insane amounts of punishment to destroy (11 hits at an attack power of 8) and are thus better off simply avoided. Cyclops - Points: 50 I can't find a proper, Nintendo-endorsed moniker for this guy, so I'm just going to call him what he looks like. The Cyclopes are found only in palaces and usually act as guardians of keys and point bags. They toss spiked clubs in an arc and can take a decent amount of punishment. Wait for an opening in the club-stream, then dash in and chop them to bits. Daira - Points: 70, 100 These guys are going to be the entire reason why your quest through Death Mountain will become a living nightmare. Daira are crocodile men armed with axes which you can't block (without Reflect, anyway). They are tough as hell and deal some serious damage. The weaker ones are best dealt with using hit and run tactics. And unless you have learned Downward Thrust, don't even bother trying to fight the red ones (who throw their axes). Deeler - Points: 2, 3, 5, 10 Giant spiders that inhabit the forests. Red ones will use a thread to drop down to attack, then climb back into the trees. The blues will drop from the treetops and hop around on the ground. Another not so tough foe. You can hurt them with your thrown swords. The 5 and 10 point versions are found on the second continent, though they really aren't any tougher than the normal ones. Doomknocker - Points: 100 This jerk shows up in the later palaces. Though he doesn't have a shield, Fartknocker throws boomerang maces that you can't block without the help of Reflect and can also jump around, making him all the more difficult to dispatch. This knight's a tough one. Fire Hawk - Points: 200 Another Great Palace exclusive, and for a good reason too. These guys spit out an endless stream of damaging fire in an arc. So, like the Cyclops, get inside that arc and you're safe, right? Not so in this case, as the fire can actually go OVER your head and slide back TOWARDS you from behind. Not fair, is it? Floating Eye - Points: 20 Again, no word on what these are actually supposed to be called, so let's just go with the obvious. Though slow-moving compared to the Moas, these guys do quite a bit more damage when they touch you. They're invulnerable when their lid is closed. Occasionally though, they'll stop and peek out to see where you are. That's when to strike. Geldarm - Points: 5 Giant centipedes that inhabit the desert areas. Act more like obstacles than sentient enemies. Hit them a few times to make them retract into the sand, then go for the kill by attacking their heads. Giant Bubble - Points: 0 These are larger, slower, and surprisingly weaker versions of the little bubbles. Found only in the Great Palace, they pose almost no threat whatsoever. Goriya - Points: 20, 30 Rat-faced demons who chuck boomerangs. They'll either throw them high or low, usually alternating back and forth. Sort of hard at the outset, but quickly eclipsed by other, nastier baddies. Ironknuckle - Points: 50, 100, 150 Ironknuckles are the Darknuts of this game. And if you're a veteran of the first Zelda, you know what that means. They're tough, powerful, and all over the damn place. Equipped with a shield, these knights will run at you, swinging their weapons and attempting to block your own attacks. As if that weren't enough, the blue ones actually chuck their swords at you. Alternate your sword swings high and low in an attempt to hit them when their guard is down. Leever - Points: 10 Another hold-over from the first game, Leevers inhabit the desert on the second continent. They burrow into and out of the sand with their sharp spines and are very painful to the touch. Fortunately, the Downward Thrust is the perfect counter to these beasties. Lizardmen - Points: 50, 100, 150, 200 Think of these as bastard children of the Dairas and Ironknuckles. They carry shields, and either have spears (orange), clubs (red), and throw the clubs at you (blue). The spears and wielded clubs can be blocked without any outside help, but the thrown clubs need Reflect to stop them. There is also a variety of lizardman at various roadblocks that peaks out from behind the hills and heaves stones at your head. Lowder - Points: 3 Giant beetles that scuttle back and forth across the floors of caves, bridges and wherever else. Low attacking power and easily slain. Injured by thrown swords. Magician - Points: 200 Yellow garbed spell casters that only appear in the Ocean Palace. They'll warp in, unleash a slow-moving, short-ranged, fireball at you, and then vanish again. Typically, they can be easily ignored and avoided. Megmat - Points: 5 Little creatures that resemble a cross between a rat and a kangaroo. Their hopping about endlessly can make them hard to hit, but they really don't have that much in the way of attacking power. Takes damage from thrown swords. *Moa - Points: 10, 50 Floating eyeballs that generally haunt graveyards. They fly in erratic patterns, making them sort of hard to hit. The orange ones only inhabit the palaces and have the extra bonus of being able to drop fire at you. The pack of these creature in Old Kasuto will be invisible unless you have the Cross. *Moblin - Points: 0, 10, 20, or 30 The spear-wielding, bulldog-faced goblins are back. As you can tell by the point scale, there are several varieties of these goons. The weakest are worth nothing, but will drain your experience points if they touch you. Moblins attack with a spear, sometimes throwing them at you. One of few enemies that can be injured by your thrown swords. *Moby - Points: 2 Giant birds that drop from the sky before attacking you. These can be tricky to hit but thankfully aren't that tough. Mother Bot - Points: 0 Found only in the Great Palace, Mother Bot is, as you may have guessed, a gigantic Bot. Trust me, you'll know her when you see her. When hit once, she'll split into six regular bots. Myu - Points: 3, 5, 10 Small, spiked globs of slime that move around like bots. They're so tiny, you really can't attack them effectively unless you've learned Downward Thrust. 3-point versions are in encounters outside palaces, 5 for inside, and the tough 10 pointers are found only in the Great Palace. Octorok - Points: 10, 20 The land-dwelling octopuses return. They still spit rocks, which are easily deflected with your shield. Sometimes they scuttle around too, but still nothing to get excited about. Rope - Points: 20 Snakes with big mouths and no discernable eyes that inhabit the palaces. Blue ones spit rocks, the red ones fireballs. Ropes can sometimes move about as well and also have the ability to jump. Scorpion - Points: 150 The name says it all, a one-eyed scorpion. Not even fire can penetrate its shell; you have to wait to attack when it opens its eye. Scorpions fire fireballs from their tails. They're typically more trouble than they're worth to take down; since it's easier to avoid these arachnids all together, you're better off taking that route. Stalfos - Points: 30, 50, 70 Skeleton soldiers armed with swords and shields. They're not as adept at blocking as other shield-equipped foes, but later on in the game they do learn the downward thrust, as well as start wearing helmets to protect against a thrust of your own. *Stone Head (Dragon) - Points: 20 These gargoyle heads will swoop into the screen at an arc before flying off. They're not too hard per se (especially once you learn the Downward thrust) but they do have a nasty tendency for showing up in areas with lava, where one accidental hit can knock you to your death. *Stone Head (Cougar) - Points: 5 These slow moving enemies will come at you in an up and down pattern, spitting bullets at you as you go. They're a cinch to defeat; just block the shots, walk forward and stab them. Tektite - Points: 50 The Tektites have gotten a bit of an overhaul since the first installment of the series. They still look like big spiders and they still jump around, but now they also spit bullets at you and are immune to your sword. Their shots can, however be blocked by your shield, and Fire is the cure for most anything that gives you a headache later in the game. Such is the case here. *Tinsuit - Points: 0 Dog soldiers that mindlessly trot back and forth through the bowls of the various palaces. Unbelievably weak and vulnerable to your thrown swords as well as a good, old-fashioned, stab in the face. Wizard - Points: 100 I distinctly remember in Nintendo Power that these were referred to as Wizards and NOT Wizrobes. Feel free to mail me and correct me on that one. At any rate, these white-robed sorcerers will warp around the halls of the later palaces and cast spells at you. You can block the spells with just your normal shield, but to get rid of these guys (you can't stab them) you need to use Reflect. HAZARDS There's also a small repertoire of non-living things that will try to kill you as well. Here they all are! Binding Force - Keeps unwanted visitors out of the Great Palace. Only lifted once you've beaten the 6 other palaces. DON'T touch it. Bubbles - Different from the undead Bubbles discussed above, these are simply cute little air bubbles that happen to hurt you for some reason if you touch them. Not all that harmful by themselves, they do tend to show up in areas where a hit can send you falling to your death. Collapsing Floors - Certain floors within the palaces will crumble out from under you if you stand on them too long. Sometimes, the result is just a little fall to a level down. More often, it's a one-way ticket to a lava bath. Falling Blocks - Certain rooms in the palaces feature blocks of stone (the same kind you can destroy after getting the Handy Glove) falling from the ceiling. If they hit you, needless to say, it will hurt. Fire - Little candle-like flames that are sprinkled throughout certain mazes. Avoiding them is easy enough, and they don't hurt too much if you touch them either. Gargoyle Heads - In parts of the palaces, there are stone heads (which look identical to the Dragon and Cougar discussed above) that are bolted to the walls. Some of these gargoyles will actually spit an endless stream of bullets at you. Be on your guard. Lava And Water - One's red, one's blue, identical in function; instant death at the touch. Rocks - Mostly in the desert, you'll encounter areas where the wind is randomly blowing them around. Rocks don't hurt all that much if they hit you, and are easily blocked by your shield or simply dodged. Toxic Goo - Some palaces have pillars that drip orange, poisonous slime in a steady flow. This stuff isn't good for you, so don't touch it. Also, sometimes they'll drop a blue glop, which has a fifty-fifty chance of turning into a Bot when it hits the ground. BOSSES And now for a brief run-down of the big boys. Barba - Points: 500 Barba is the Hidden Palace's overlord. He's a fire-breathing lava dragon that randomly pops out of three different pools. And that said, I really can't think of anything else to say. Carock - Points: 300 Maze Island's master. Carock's a big wizard, basically. He warps faster and can spit out more spells quicker, but still, he's just a big wizard. Gooma - Points: 500 In the Ocean Palace, you'll meet Gooma. He's a big, lumbering...THING armed with a morning star. Though slow and with a limited attack range, his armored head makes jump in attacks or hit and runs with the Downward Thrust impossible. Your only chance is to go toe to toe with him, and that's not a cheery prospect. Helmethead - Points: 200 Midoro Palace's master. Helmethead's a knight that will shoot fireballs at you from his helmet. He carries a sword too, but for what reason, I couldn't tell you since he never swings it. His weak point is his head; the kicker is that each time you hit him there, his helmet flies off. And each time he loses a helmet, that helmet returns to fly around the battlefield, Gleeok-style and pester you with fireballs of its own. Horsehead - Points: 50 Ruler of Parapa Palace. He's got a horse's head (hence the name) and that's his only weak spot. Horsey's fully armored otherwise and carries a mace to bash your skull in. Reubenok - Points: 300 The boss of the Island Palace. I remember reading something a long time ago that referred to this particular character as Reubenok. I like that name so that's what I'm going to call him. Reubie's just another blue Ironknuckle, except he gets an energy meter and starts the fight by trying to plow you over with an iron horse. Hit him enough times and he'll dismount and try and kill you like any normal blue Ironknuckle would. Thunderbird - Points: 1000 Every guide and FAQ I've looked up on this thing calls it the Thunderbird, so I guess I'll have to go with that name too. Although I personally prefer what my friends and I christened it years ago (I mean besides a wide variety of expletives): the Angel of Death. And rightly so. This boss is the toughest in the game, hands down. You'll run into this guy right before the final battle. He's incredibly durable and deals out insane amounts of damage. Proceed with the utmost caution. ...and finally... Shadow Link - Points: 0 (but you beat the game, so I guess that counts for something) Created by some creepy, unknown midget-wizard for the express purpose of wiping you off the face of the earth. Shadow Link is fast, agile, and capable of blocking most of your attacks. It's going to take all your sword-skill to come out of this fray on top. 7)THE WALK-THROUGH Okay kids! Fasten your seatbelts because it's show time! The game begins with you standing in the North Castle with Zelda, who's peacefully snoring on the alter (each time you continue or reload your game, this is the starting point). First head to the cave southwest of here, across the plains. It's dark in there since you don't have the Candle yet, but there are only a few Octoroks and Lowders to deal with, so the slight sight handicap shouldn't be a problem. Your reward is your first Magic Container, giving you an early and useful boost to your magic meter. Now head to the single patch of forest to the north near the desert and nab the point bag there to level up one of your stats. Once these errands are out of the way, head south to the town of Rauru. Talk with everyone in town to get information, if you feel like it. On the second screen, you'll come to a long gray house. Wait for the woman in blue to come out and have a word with her. She'll invite you in to speak with her father, who happens to be the town magician and teaches you your first spell: Shield. This is your one freebie; all the other spells in the game require you to complete little sub-quests of varying difficulties. Just as a heads up, all of the towns have healers. The ladies in the red dresses pacing back and forth in front of their houses will replenish your health, and the old crones in yellow will restore your magic. Some towns have only one or the other kind of healer, but most have both. Now, we continue. Onward and upward. Go north and then east to the cave in the forest. You still can't see, but this particular passage is blocked by a lone Lowder, so don't sweat it. Once through the tunnel, you'll be in Parapa desert. The first palace is to the north, but you have business south to attend to before you do anything else. There is a lone roadblock on the southern path, consisting of cliffs and bubbles. It's not too difficult navigate, you can pretty much just run through the whole thing. Once past that annoyance, continue south to the glade surrounded by the forest. Kill the Goryia and grab the whole point of this little side trip, your first Heart Container. Woo hoo! Life up Richie! Now double back and head to the palace. PARAPA PALACE First head left when the elevator hits bottom. Grab the key at the end of the hallway then back track to the elevator and go right. The next lift you come to only goes down. Pass it for now; keep heading right until you reach the elevator after that. Take it up (there's a fairy next to this particular lift, use it if you need to or save it for later). Head down this hallway grabbing the first key as you go. Kill the ugly, Cyclops-dude at the end of the hallway guarding the second key, then back track to the elevator you passed earlier. Take it down.(By the way, stabbing the statue behind the ugly dude will net you a Red Magic Jar if you're running low on magic juice or something.) Run through this bubble room like a monkey on speed. It's actually a common misconception about this game that you can't kill the bubbles. You can, it just takes an idiotically huge amount of hits and it's almost never worth the time or the hassle. Anyhow, run across the collapsing bridge (go for the point bag if you're feeling gutsy) and get your butt to the next room. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Ironknuckle (who, in various forms, is going to be a major pain in the ass for the rest of the game). There's also another one of those Cyclops-things in this room. Clear the enemies and grab your prize, the Candle. Now you can see in the dark! Double all the way back to the elevator with the fairy by it and take it down this time. Fight your way past the various Ironknuckles, Stalfos, and another Cyclops. Eventually, you'll see curtains. This is always your cue that it's boss time. Cast Shield and get ready to rumble. Horsehead - Horsehead will stroll leisurely out at you from the right. He's armed with a mace, which he'll try to use to bash in your head, but it doesn't have much reach. What you'll want to do is jump towards him and swing your sword at his noggin. Hitting him will send horse-boy reeling back a ways, putting you out of range of his counter attack. Miss and...well, you usually catch his mace swing with your face. Let's try not to do this. Keep it up, and he'll go down for good in no time. One down, five to go. Once your horse-play in the Parapa desert is finished with, head back through the cavern that got you there, and then go north to the other desert and the cave within it. Battle the beasties in here and grab the statue; you'll need this to get the next spell. That done, head to the town of Ruto. Talk with everyone again, trade the statue for the spell Jump, then head to the cave south of the town. This area isn't too horribly difficult, though there are some rather noticeably strong enemies lurking about. Once through the cave, head south (make a pit stop in the forest next to the cave's exit if you were hurt too badly; there's a fairy there). Along the way, you'll pass by a cave with a boulder blocking the entrance. One space to the left and one down from the boulder is a hidden Link Doll. Personally, I don't see much point to extra lives in this game since you get essentially infinite continues as well 3 lives per continue to boot. But I mention it just to say that it's there. Grab it if you feel like it and keep going south. Now begins one of the most important (and incredibly frustrating) tasks of your quest: finding the Hammer. The Hammer is in the Death Mountain area, accessible at this point only via a bridge in the town of Saria. The bridge keeper will tell you to shove off if you go there right now, so instead head to the northern woods by the bridges. Running around in here will turn up a cottage (2nd row, 6th space from the left). Living here is a schmuck named Bagu, who will give you a permission slip to cross the bridge in Saria. Now head south. (Just as a quick side note, these woods are infested with roadblocks that have tons of Megmats in them; nothing too dangerous, I simply mention it because they're there). There are two bridges connecting Saria with the rest of the land. Which you take is a matter of personal preference. I usually go on the one to the east of the town, as it only has Lowders and bubbles to deal with. The other bridge has those damn Bago-Bagos that drain your experience each time they hit you. Whatever you choose, once you're across go to the forest for a point bag then hoof it to town. One of the first people you meet in Saria will warn "The Eyes of Gannon are everywhere." Translation: talk to random people on the street, and they'll turn into Aches and try to kill you, so keep the chit chat to a minimum. Enter the first house in the second area and check the table. You'll find a mirror. Double back and return it to the blue woman, and she'll invite you inside to learn the Life spell (and trust me when I say this new bit of magic is about to become your best friend). There's a bit of a trick to casting Life: when you come across a red jar, grab it and use Life while your magic meter is filling. The meter will continue to refill a bit after the spell is cast. Very, very useful indeed, but I digress. At the end of Saria, show Bagu's note to the river man. He'll extend the bridge allowing you to cross into the Death Mountain area. Welcome to Hell. Death Mountain is a horrible maze filled with some very strong enemies. It actually isn't a bad place to rack up some experience to improve your stats. But without the Hammer or the Downward Thrust (you need the Hammer to get the thrust, and the Hammer is way, way at the end of this mess) it's a certifiable nightmare. Real quick, here's how to get to Spectacle Rock: right, only one way to go after that, ignore the elevator and exit this cave to the right, go right again, and there's only one way to go from here on in. Death Mountain introduces you to the wonderful creatures known as Dairas. You can't block their axes and they do huge amounts of damage, so you're in for a fun time. Spectacle Rock itself is more elaborate than any of the other minor caves you've been to so far. And considering the amount of damage you may have taken getting here, you might not want to do any extensive exploring until after you have that Hammer safely in your grips. Upon entering, go left till you hit the elevator. Take it down, and head left again. Stop! Hammer time! Once you (finally) have the Hammer, escape from Spectacle Rock and smash the rock next to you. Step onto the empty space that's left over from your little demolition exercise and watch yourself fall. Scoop up the Magic Container at the bottom of this little pit and continue on your merry way. Now you have another choice to make. You can either backtrack through Death Mountain to Saria, or you can head east and then north to a bridge that reconnects with the main part of the continent. I don't know about you, but I'm usually sick to death of Death Mountain at this point, and typically take the bridge for no other reason than a change of scenery. The cave leading to the bridge isn't that hard, though there are lots of opportunities to get whacked into a pool of lava. The bridge itself is guarded by a couple of Moblins and a Daira, but unlike in the caves of Death Mountain, you'll have plenty of space to maneuver around them here. Once back to the main area, head east to the port town of Mido (there's also another Link doll south of the bridge by the graveyard). In the middle of town, there's a church. Use jump to gain access to it, talk with the knight inside and he'll teach you the Downward Thrust. Now you're cooking with butter. Once the thrust is acquired, there are a variety of errands you can run before Midoro Palace, your next stop. The blocked cave to the north west has a Heart Container in it, and the one across from that holds points. More important is the blocked cave near where you found the Link Doll. That has the Water of Life inside of it. Once in your possession, head back to Mido, give it to the old lady in blue, and your reward will be the Fairy spell. Fairy turns you into a fairy (who'd have guessed, huh?). And like the Life spell, it has a neat little trick too. When in Fairy mode, you can actually fly through the locked doors of the various palaces. Anyway, back to the quest at hand. Midoro Palace is in the middle of the Midoro Swamp, oddly enough. Go there now (along the way on the little islands is a red jar, just so you know). MIDORO PALACE The statue at the front will give you a red magic jar if you hit it. Do so if you need to then take the lift down to the lowest level. Follow the hallway to its end, grab the key and head back to the elevator. Go up one level and head left to claim another key (mind the Stalfos; they've learned the downward thrust too) then go back to the elevator again and head up one more level. Head left, grabbing another key off the platforms over the lava, until you come to another elevator and then go down (the stone head in the room after the Ironknuckles will drop another red jar). Go left again at the next possible stop. The next room has a bunch of falling blocks that will fill up the area and block your path. You don't have any counter to this yet, so simply run through the room for now. In the next area, you get your first taste of combat versus red Ironknuckles. Once they're disposed of, grab the Handy Glove, and head back to the elevator. Now that you have the glove, you can break stone blocks with your sword. So, on your return trip through the falling rock area, let the room finish filling and then simply chop your way through. Take the elevator down and follow the hallway right. After a few screens of carnage and mayhem, you'll get to (don't be surprised) another elevator. Ignore it for now, continuing right. Beat the hell out of another Cyclops, grab the key he was guarding, and then go back to the elevator you passed and take it downward. No more doubling back or going up and down from this point in, so breath a sigh of relief. The point bag along the way is best acquired by clever usage of the Downward Thrust. And now it's boss time! Helmethead - This fight is going to be similar to dealing with Horsehead. Helmethead's a touch faster than horse-boy was, and he breaths fireballs at you as well, though for some reason, he never uses his sword. Cast Shield and Jump and use the Downward Thrust to attack his cranium. The first two hits will knock off two helmets, after which Helmet Head's actual head will show up for the party. Just use the thrust to bounce on his head till he drops. With all your chores in Mido done and Midoro Palace finished off, you now need to set your sights on the Island Palace. Head to the graveyard and King's Tomb (it's the cross in the middle, separated from the others) and go straight down from there. You'll drop into a secret tunnel which will put you on the island where the palace is. ISLAND PALACE The Island palace is a nice break from what you're used to; it starts out very straight forward, none of this ridiculous back-tracking that the first two palaces had. The statue at the front will give you a red jar (or a red Ironknuckle, so watch out), then fight your way to the first elevator. Pass it up first, in favor of another key to the right, then descend. At the bottom, go all the way left first (ignoring yet another elevator) for another key, then head all the way to the right (ignoring the same elevator again) for the raft. And meet the blue Ironknuckles who are the toughest of the bunch and *throw* their goddamn swords at you. Once the raft is safely in your possession, go back to the elevator you passed twice and take it down. The middle path leads to the boss (you'll know what I mean when you get there). Reubenok - Reubie's a blue Ironknuckle and behaves just like the rest of them do, except for one slight twist: he starts the fight mounted on a steel horse. Use Shield and Jump and hit him with the downward thrust as he charges back and forth. Once you've knocked off about five bars of energy, he'll dismount and the real fight will begin. Deal with him as you would any other Ironknuckle. One of the more irritating aspects of this fight is Reubenok will allow himself to be shoved off screen by your blows, where you won't be able to hit him but he'll still be capable of chucking swords at you. If this happens, back off, drawing him back onto the screen then jump over him to switch sides. Everything you can accomplish on his continent is done now. Go to the docks by Mido and use that raft to take your bad self to the next area. Once you make landfall, head for that lone square of woods if you feel the need for some points (as well as an example of just how damn tough everything is around here) then head east to the town of Nabooru. The red wench in this town wants a drink, so walk five steps to the left and check the fountain. Then, beverage in hand go talk to her again and receive the Fire spell for your troubles. I think it was in Ruto where some dude tells you "When all else fails, use fire." You're about to discover the hideous truth to that maxim; there are a ton of tough opponents around here that can only be hurt with fire. There's points in the cave to the south as well as the desert to the south east. After you're done, head for the cave to the north. Once through the cave, head east to the bridge (another Link Doll is south of this bridge). Cross the bridge and welcome to Maze Island. There'll be time for a more thorough investigation later. For now, take the southern-most path all the way east until it turns north. Follow the path north, and you'll be dropped into a secret area guarded by a lizardman. Once he's disposed of, pick up the Child (literally, pick him up) and head back west, leaving the island for now. Go all the way west to the town of Darunia. On the second screen of the town, cast Jump and use it to get on top of the buildings' roofs. At the first house on the screen, play Santa Claus and press down while standing on the chimney. You'll enter the house where another knight will teach you the Upward Thrust. Leave and proceed left to the third screen of the town. At the first house, an old woman in blue will emerge. Show her the kid, and she'll let you in to learn Reflect (critical for the next palace). Your tasks are finished here. Make your way back to Maze Island. Maze Island is, as its name implies, quite the maze. There's a plethora of roadblocks between you and the palace, and you're going to need to cast Fire quite a bit to survive. When passing the third bridge, taking the southern most path will net you another Magic Container. Now, onto the Palace! MAZE ISLAND PALACE The entrance to this one is not safe; there's a Moa guarding it and a red Ironknuckle will come out of the statue every time you swipe at it with your sword. So don't. Gives you some idea of what lies ahead, eh? Also, this particular castle is infested with wizards that cannot be injured by your sword. Instead, you have to cast reflect and bounce their spells back at them to do any damage. Now, on with the show. Head right when the elevator touches down, and take the next elevator you see down one level. Go right from here, using either jump or fairy to clear the large pit. Continue right until you reach a key, then backtrack to the pit. Fall in (trust me) and hold right on the d-pad control your fall in a further rightly direction. Land on the ledge to the right of the two collapsing platforms (right?) and head (where else?) to the right. Alright! Either defeat or sneak past the Ironknuckle here to snag the Boots, then head back to the pit room and drop down another level. Head right (again) for a key, then go all the way to the left for another key. All keyed out, take the elevator back to the first level and make your way back to the palace's first elevator. If you're following this, you're doing better than I am. Head left from the starting point (obviously, it's the only way you haven't been yet). Use the upward thrust to get the key in the chamber with the Bubble, then head all the way left for another key guarded by two armored guys. Once that's done, head back to the elevator you passed and take it downward. First go right (AGAIN?!) for one last key. Then head past the elevator to the left. From here, it's a straight shot to the boss man. Carock - Beating Carock is a cinch. Since he's really just a big wizard, cast reflect on your shield and crouch down behind it. The big silly will fire spells at you, only to have them be tossed back into his own teeth. You might need to move a bit if he decides to warp right on top of you, but even that's not too much of a problem. Heal if you need to and you've got this one in the bag. Your work on the northern part of this continent is now done, so beat feet back to Nabooru. Test-drive your new Boots by using them to walk on the river back to the entrance to maze island (and avoid all the roadblocks, by the by). Once to Nabooru, rest up if necessary, then walk out onto the ocean via the path to the east. Head in a northeasterly direction for another Heart Container, then head to the next palace. OCEAN PALACE For a variety of reasons, this is my least favorite level, not counting the Great Palace, of course. No magic in the statue at the beginning of this one, sorry. Like the Island Palace, this one starts out very straight forward, with only one direction to go. Use fairy to get through the area with the impossible jump, then double back for the key on the ledge there. After taking the first elevator you come to down, go left (there's nothing to the right). The next room over is another one of those block rooms with a key perched up too high for you to jump. Instead, wait till the blocks are finished dropping, then carve a staircase out of them. Collect your key and continue left. Take the next elevator down and go left again (and let me tell you, those yellow Ironknuckles are a welcome sight after dealing with the red ones and blue ones). Take the first elevator you come to after that down one level. Stop here, beat up the red Ironknuckle for his key, and head right until you come to a blue Ironknuckle that seems to be guarding a dead end. Either avoid him or kill him, then try jumping through the wall. Ooooh! Neat! Secret passageway! Keep going right, bypassing another lift in favor of yet ANOTHER lift at the end of this hallway. Take it up, take out some Stalfos for a quick key, then return to the passed elevator and take it down. Several nasty fights later, you'll have that wonderful Flute in your hands. Good for you, we're half done. Time to backtrack...AGAIN. Once back to the area where you fought the red Ironknuckle for a key, take the lift back up and head left. At the next elevator, go down first and after another long hall of nastiness, you'll receive yet another key. Head back to the lift and take it to the top floor. Only one way to go from here, and it leads to the end of the level again. Gooma - I hate this guy. I can remember hours and HOURS of frustration as a kid trying to beat him. Gooma is armored from above, so you can't use the downward thrust. Instead, use Shield for protection and Jump for a little extra mobility. Charge him and attack, and when he winds up with his morning star, jump straight up to avoid it. Maybe I'm just retarded, but getting the timing right on this took me forever. Both touching and being hit by his weapon do a large amount of damage and will literally send you flying backward, so I recommend you do neither. Get back to Nabooru and head south. See that weird, multi-armed, black looking thingy? That's the River Devil. Play your newly acquired Flute for him, and he'll disintegrate (mindless critic!), opening up the path to the southern part of this continent. There are several roadblocks along the path south past the River Devil. They mostly involve lizardmen heaving stones at your head, and they're not too difficult to zip through. Once past these three obstacles, you're free to explore around. The marsh cave to the north holds points, and a square to the west of it is hiding another Link Doll. The other cave, through the forest, leads to the hidden town of New Kasuto. Once through the cave, use the hammer to clear the trees in the second row, second block from the right. Surprise! New Kasuto. Whilst strolling through the town, talk to the old lady in blue who comes out of her house. She'll invite you in and give you the last Magic Container. Proceed onward and enter the third house on the second screen. Press up by the fireplace to reveal a secret room. Talk to the old man in there and he'll teach you Spell. Now go all the way to the right of the town where the street dead ends and cast Spell. A structure will rise from the ground. Enter it for the Magic Key. Now you can unlock any door! (Which is a good thing too, because the last palace doesn't have any keys.) You're finished here, so head back through the cave and go south to the desert. Search the eastern shore to find the final Heart Container, then go stand in the middle of the three stones and use the flute to cause the Hidden Palace to appear. HIDDEN PALACE The statue at the front is back to maybe-magic-maybe-Ironknuckle status so give it a try. The first level just contains points, so you really don't need to stop there. Head right after reaching the bottom, and use Jump to clear the large pit when you come to it. Keep heading right, past an elevator, until you get to a room guarded by Wizards and a Moa. Just past the third pillar is an invisible pitfall. Use jump to clear it, then proceed onwards. Next, you'll have an unexpected visit from another Reubenok. Deal with him as you did the boss of the third palace. Pop the door open and claim the Cross. Now head all the way back to the big pit (drop down through the invisible pitfall if you feel like it; there's some points down there). This is known as the "Bottomless Pit" because you'll keep cycling through the same screens over and over again if you don't do anything. The first level down has points. The second is where you want to go (to the right), fall three times for more points, and a fourth fall takes you back to the start. Anyways, fall through two screens and head right. Use Fairy when you come to the giant lava pool, and continue right. Next up is yet another Reubenok. Take him out like you did the last two and keep moving. You can use Jump or Fairy to pass the pit in the next room for a Link Doll, then fall like you did last time. As you're plummeting through the next screen, use fairy to arrest your fall and get safely to the passage on the right (falling all the way down will get you some points, but it will also necessitate you making your way back up to the pit you just leapt into). Say hello to Barba! Barba - The pools of lava make for a constant concern during this fight, so watch your footing. Again, cast Shield and Jump in preparation for this duel. Barba will pop out of the pools randomly and spit a string of fireballs at you. I find the best thing to do here is quickly get to the platform nearest to him when he pops his ugly mug out and whack him with upward thrust in the chin as many times as you can. Not a hard fight by any means. With that out of the way, you have one final task before your trek to the Great Palace. Head west from the Hidden Palace, cross the bridge, and enter Old Kasuto. It is unadvisable to come here without the Cross, as all of the Moas you see floating around would be invisible. Enter the first house and the wizard in there will teach you the final, most destructive spell, Thunder. Alrighty then. If your stats aren't maxed out yet, now's the time to do it. Pick a location (Death Mountain and Maze Island come readily to mind) and run around and kill things until you're up to full power. Now, it's onto the Great Palace we go. Get back to the graveyard north of Old Kasuto and head south from there. I know, you went all of two feet before you ran into a roadblock. Get used to it, there are quite a few between you and your destination. Heal as you go and try to stay alive. (Just to let you know, in the nook to the east of the first roadblock is a red jar; nab it if you need to.) GREAT PALACE Walk up to the palace's gates and the Binding Force will raise, allowing you to enter. (A friend of mind said he once tried to walk through the Binding Force with all of his stats maxed out and the sixth palace left to go. It killed him in two hits.) And let me assure you, this place sucks like class 5 tornado. The only nice thing I can say about the Great Palace is that when you continue, you start at the palace's entrance rather than way the hell back at the North Castle where Zelda's still napping. One quick bit of info: the Bird Knight statues scattered throughout the palace function the same way that the Ironknuckles statues did in the minor palaces. That is, if you stab them, you have a fifty-fifty chance of getting a red jar or releasing a red Bird Knight. Also, red jars (and red Bird Knights) have a habit of popping out of broken bricks here abouts, so you need to watch your step. Here's how to navigate through the halls. After taking the elevator from the surface, head left. This next room is split into two levels. There's a hidden pitfall right after the pillar on the lower level. Jump it, continue on, and descend. Head right when you hit bottom, take the elevator down again, and keep going right. When you hit the next elevator, go down three screens (incidentally, every time you see a huge elevator shaft in this palace, there's always a hidden room along the right wall) until you hit the bottom. Go right again, and keep going right, taking the odd elevator down or so. Eventually, you'll come to another long elevator shaft, take it downward. Now, you'll come to an area with lava and four ways to go: up (back the way you came), down, left or right. Left will lead you to a Link doll, and right nets you a fairy (which you'll probably need by now). Once you're done collecting your power-ups, go down some more. Head right once you leave the elevator. Break the bricks along the floor of the next room and stumble upon a hidden pitfall. Head right when you land and scurry across the collapsing bridge. See that hole in the lava? Aim for it and fall down yet another level. Search the blocks to your left for a red jar (there usually is one, although there's usually a Bird Knight too), then get ready for one of the toughest bad guys in the game. Deep breath. Psyched? Head to your right. Thunderbird - I actually think this fight is harder than the final one. Thunderbird will float onto the screen chucking fireballs left and right. Start by using Thunder; that will turn him blue make his head appear and that's his weak point. Now you have a choice to make. Your magic meter is going to be very low after the use of Thunder, only enough energy for one casting of Life or a combination of Jump and Shield. Either save your energy for when you're about to die, or give yourself a nice little edge now. I personally prefer the Shield/Jump combo, since the extra protection's always nice and with Jump activated you won't have to wait for him to float low enough for you to strike. Whatever you choose, the best way to deal with Thunderbird is to lure him from one side of the screen to the other, taking potshots at him as you go. You don't want to stay in one place; his fireballs are much easier to dodge when you are mobile. Be warned also that each time you hit this creep, he'll start spitting out more and more fireballs more and more rapidly. Good luck. Once that horrific fight is over (thank God), pat yourself on the back for getting this far, and continue to the right and to the final confrontation. The weird, old man I was telling you about will appear, along with the Triforce of Courage. He'll wave his wand, disappear, and your own damn shadow will leap out of your body. Yes that's right, the final boss is yourself. Shadow Link - There are two ways to deal with Shadow Link. One is you can engage in an epic sword battle, trading blows and jumping all over the place like a pair of sword-wielding spider monkeys until one of you drops. Or, if you've had it with this game by now (as I did) you can use method number two. Stand at the far left said of the screen. Crouch down, and hammer the stab button. If your evil twin ducks, your sword will connect with his shield and you will push him back. If he tries to chop your head off with his own blade, you'll hit him in the shins. (Note: for some reason, this doesn't work as well on the right side of the battlefield. Shadow Link will leap at you occasionally when you're over there, something he won't do when you're at the far left, and he'll land on your head. Like all other enemies, touching him hurts.) Eventually, you'll wear him down and he'll die. And that's all there is to it! The old weirdo comes out and gives you the Triforce (who IS he anyway?) and then you can sit back and watch the ending and the credits. (Upon re-reading and editing this FAQ, I fear I've made this game seem too easy. Let me assure you it isn't. You will die, multiple times. Trust me, your mortality rate is going to skyrocket when you reach the second continent. None the less, the game is totally beatable.) A SECOND QUEST? No, not really. Once you've beaten the game, you can save your profile and a little Triforce will appear next to your name. You can play the game again from the start, except you'll begin with all the spells, sword techniques, and the same status levels that you beat the game with last go round. Not a huge prize, but it is kind of nice to be able to walk all over certain enemies that gave you a serious headache last time around from the very start. 8)SECRETS I'm not so sure that these are actually intended secrets. They seem more like programming errors to me. At any rate, here are a few tricks that you can employ during your trip through Hyrule. Easy Experience - Load a previously saved game and fight your way through any palace of your choice. When you reach the end and return the stone, call up the sub-screen and use the quick save trick. Now start a new game or load a different one. The points you would have earned for completing the palace will be transferred to your new character. Worm Hole - In some palaces and during some battle sequences, you can jump above your status bar at the top of the screen. When you're above the rim like this, cast the spell Fairy. You'll get the fall animation and some potentially interesting results. Sometimes this will lead to you being stuck, so you may need to reset the game. 9)IN MY OPINION... It's no secret that the Adventure of Link is sort of the red-headed step-child of the Zelda series. Out of all of the games in that illustrious franchise (with the exception of two unlicensed titles that were released for some now defunct computer system), this one seems to draw the most ire. I feel the reason for this is three fold: it is very different from every other Zelda out there in terms game play, it complicates the traditional storyline, and it is much, much harder than any of the other Zelda games out there. Taken on an individual basis, most of the time sequels to video games play in a fairly similar manner to their predecessors. But going from Zelda to Zelda 2 demands a radical switch in your playing tactics. You leap from an overhead, puzzle-solving adventure game where the action is very strategic and the pace is very measured, to a frantic, side-scrolling action game where you can fall to your death or get murdered by powerful enemies in the blink of an eye. Instead of strategy, you need to rely on brute force more often than not. And then into this mess Nintendo also decided to add RPG elements, making the game more of an Action/Adventure/RPG hybrid. Hybrid games tend to be fairly innovative, but they also tend to be weak and sickly creatures, weighed down by the poor execution of their blend of concepts. I'd have to say Zelda 2 doesn't suffer from this problem, but I'd also have to say it's no wonder a lot of people didn't care for this game. The interesting thing about Zelda 2's interference with the Zelda chronology is that it's the only game in the series that is an actual, direct sequel to a previous game. (I suppose you could make the argument that Majora's Mask is a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, but then I can make the argument that everyone involved in the creation of Majora's Mask was obviously on drugs. We're way off track here.) All the other games in the series involve the same basic characters (Link, Zelda, Gannon, etc) but whisk them off to different versions of Hyrule or different lands all-together. By attempting to make a direct sequel to their first game, Nintendo inadvertently screwed their own timeline up. Follow that? Me either, which is why it's so confusing and off-putting to most Zelda fans. Moving on to point numero tres. Finally, Zelda 2 is about 10 times harder to beat than any of the other Zelda games out there. It's the Bayou Billy of the Zelda franchise (and any one who's played that God-awful game knows what a loaded metaphor that last statement was). Even with your stats maxed out, there are enemies that can mince you in a heartbeat, there's a huge amount of terrain you'll need to cross, and here are some secrets that, if you don't have a walk-through like the one I've given you, you'll simply never find. Other Zeldas can be confusing, and may take some brain work for you to puzzle your way out of a seeming dead end. But Adventure of Link, as I stated above, tends to make you rely on brute force. Personally, I find losing a fight more frustrating than simply being stuck. For all I've just torn this game a new one, it isn't that bad of a title. It was the first Zelda that introduced magic to Link's repertoire of weapons, adding a welcome dash of variety to your fights. A lot of classic enemies from the first Zelda made a reappearance as larger and deadlier sprites, which was a definite plus. Bosses are large and detailed, and the boss fights are very exciting; you'll definitely feel a sense of accomplishment when you take down some of the later bosses. The music is good, the graphics are actually very good for the year the game came out, and there's a lot to explore increasing the time you'll spend with the game. So there you have it. If you can get past the change in game play, the difficulty, and the monkey wrench it throws into the whole Zelda storyline, Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link is actually a pretty good game. Whether you're a rabid Zelda fan or you're just looking for an older game to eat up a few (dozen) hours of your time, you could do worse than pick this one up. 7 out of 10. =============================================================================== 10)ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND LEGAL STUFF Thank you Nintendo for creating Link, Ganon, Zelda, and everything else that makes this series so great. Most of he game play info of the walk through and the level codes was all acquired by me, through copious note taking and more than one wasted hour in front of my TV. I couldn't remember all of the enemy's names in the game off the top of my head, so I looked them up. In this endeavor, I found AceC-DC and Bsulpher's guides immensely enlightening. I also stumbled quite accidentally on the easy, cheap-o tactic for beating the final boss in BSulpher's Boss FAQ, while looking up Gooma's name, as well as the location of the Link Doll in the second continent's swamp. Codes found in the secrets area were gleaned off of the Cheat Codes and Secrets page for this game on GameFAQS.com, and therefore I must commend mog255 and terrisus for their great work. Also, I didn't remember how to do the quick save (though I knew there was one), so thanks Pyro Vesten for making that available. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. This document is Copyright 2006 glass_soul (that's me). Only GameFaqs, Neoseeker, and 1-up have permission to post this walk-through on their site (if they feel like it). Nobody else, person, entity, or otherwise, may post this document in part or whole on their website without my express permission to do so. Comments, questions, corrections and other forms of feedback in general are all welcome. I may be reached at elfuego767@yahoo.com. Be seein' ya. ===============================================================================