After avoiding the Talus again –
really don’t need him waking up right now – I find myself back at the Old Man’s campsite in the Forest of Spirits. And he is understandably not here, the fire long since gone out. All of his other stuff is still here though. I know I’ve been on my own this whole time, but knowing he’s not just out here in the forest anymore…it’s actually kind of lonely. I’m the only living person on the plateau.
 |
| Just me and the fireflies. |
I reach the ruined fountain, the Sheikah Tower to my left and the Temple of Time straight ahead. I take my time wandering through the ruins. Everything here is dead, either 100 years ago or by my hands. Actually…shouldn’t these guys have respawned by now? I don’t think I’ve seen a single monster I’ve killed before respawn. Do they STAY dead? Oh god, I hope not, that sounds so fucking creepy… Maybe the distance for respawning is just REALLY far? Or maybe it’s because I’m still in the “tutorial?” I’ll find out eventually I guess. Or I will forever wander a desolate digital landscape.
 |
| *chorus of angels sings* |
Eventually, I reach the temple proper. Still creepy. I swear if something jumps out to scare me, I quit. I walk through the main doors to…find nothing. Well, no Old Man, but the statue in the back is glowing, and these Spirit Orbs are burning a hole in my pocket. I make my way back, the glow dying out as I get close, and I pray. Either the goddess or the statue – I’m not really clear on how this works, if it’s a conduit to the actual deity or if it just works for the goddess - offers to increase either my hearts or my stamina in exchange for four orbs. So it’s basically this game’s version of heart pieces. I
go with a
Heart Container the first time, as I still feel waaaay too squishy.
As soon as I’m finished with the statue, a voice calls out to me. There’s the old man. He’s on the roof, and wants me to meet him out there. Sure, that’s normal. Sighing for Link, I exit the temple and begin to search the perimeter for the best way up. The walls are all fairly even, so I pick a spot towards the southern corner and hop up. I still have the stamina restoring meals on me if I need it. I cut it even closer than I did with the stone tower, but make it up nonetheless.
I watch as poor, exhausted Link struggles to catch his breath as I walk across the roof.
It’s a mess. One side of the roof is a death trap, full of holes and without a clear path, but the other half is solid, and I walk my way to the center beam. To my left is what I suppose would be the temple’s bell tower, and I can see what appears to be the Old Man’s form glowing within.
 |
| "Just...pretend I'm not on fire." |
The cut scene starts as I approach. I will avoid explaining too much of the plot details, but here is the gist: Ganon tried to destroy the world, I’ve been asleep for 100 years, the Old Man is really the ghost of the King of Hyrule,
King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule, and the voice that was speaking to me earlier was
Princess Zelda, who is now trapped in
Hyrule Castle holding back Ganon. And now that I’m awake, it’s up to me to stop him and save Zelda. Also I still can’t remember anything. A solid if not clichéd call to action for our hero. I’m invested, even if Link isn’t yet.
Seek Out Impa
After the King finishes his tale, he finally grants me the use of his paraglider. He tells me going after Ganon now would be suicide, and instead points me to a path to the east, towards
Kakariko Village. I know that place! There I will meet Impa, who will be able to help me further. Also, there are apparently a pair of mountains called “
Dueling Peaks” and all I can picture is boobs fighting each other. So now you get to think about that too!
With a final plea, the king fades away, flickering into blue flames and then nothing. Once again I am alone on the plataeu. There’s not much left to do here, though I’m sure I’ll be back soon. There’s bound to be plenty of things I missed. Chests, Koroks, hell I still have to kill that fucking Stone Talus. And those are just the things I know about, who knows what else this game has to throw at me.
Actually, there’s a chest up here with me. Carrying a
very nice
Soldier’s Bow. Gonna save that one for something big.
 |
| Okay this is pretty cool. |
I walk out of the bell tower and onto the roof. Before I leave, there’s one last stop I want to make – The Woodcutter's House. The King’s house. The King’s cabin? The Cabin in the Woods. James Woods. Woody Harrelson. What was I doing? Right, woodcutter. I run across the roof and leap, ready to put my new paraglider to use. I pull out the glider and drift towards the cabin in the distance.
I find the cabin in the same state as the campsite. No one home. I putter around for a bit, picking up the stray ingredient here and there. I give the Old Man’s diary another read. He actually updated it after I gave him the recipe. The first new entry is still in the style of a diary entry, but the second, he speaks directly to me. Aww. He’s sorry for hiding his identity. It’s okay ghost man, you were just doing what you thought you needed to.
 |
| I'm honestly not sure how I missed this one. |
I wrap things up here pretty quickly. Any stray mushrooms outside are gathered, and a shimmering bundle of leaves on the roof draws my attention.
Korok! There’s got to be a ton of these guys I missed. Once I feel stronger, I’ll see about tracking them all down.
I walk back north, towards the north eastern side of the plateau. God that’s a long drop down… The fog has cleared so I can see the ground, but it’s still just as daunting. I think I can make out what looks to be bokoblins or bokoblin adjacent, so a straight drop down isn’t the smartest idea. I use my scope to check out the path. I can see the Dueling Peaks off in the distance. There’s a bridge over a river, and some ruins on the way.
 |
| Oh god(dess). There's so much to do. |
I’m right next to the sheikah tower, and I’m thinking I could jump from the top. I see some kind of wooden structure standing above the small forest below. Like a hut or cabin on stilts. No signs of movement, so hopefully it’s safe. I warp to the top of the tower and position myself facing our landing pad, before running and leaping off. I pull out my paraglider and float towards my target.
Hyrule Kingdom
The name flashes on my screen as I land, next to a chest and some explosive barrels. Oooh,
Fire Arrows!
I think we’re off to a good start.
Heart Containers: 4
Koroks Found: 9
Shrines Completed: 4
Relationship Status: Lonely
Ghosts: Hunted
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