Before going to Animal Village, there’s some fun to be had with Marin in Mabe Village. She reacts with horror if Link abuses the Cuccos, but sometimes encourages him… probably hoping he gets divebombed. She seems to love watching him dig, but isn’t so graceful following him down the well. The best one is if Link takes her to the claw game, which she wants to play, and it’s well worth the 10 rupees to let her have her fun.
But eventually we run out of things to do, so Marin needs to go wake the walrus. The walrus wakes at her song, then promptly keels over into the water. Then a rabbit comes asking Marin to sing for Animal Village, so she leaves while Link continues his quest. Before heading into the desert, there’s one more thing to get: a seashell west of Animal Village, via south and back north across a bridge, then buried next to an owl statue that hints at a secret under the bridge.
Yarna Desert
The desert is home to yet another Mario crossover character: Pokey, the cactus monster. In the southeast corner of the desert, there’s a seashell hidden under rocks. But the reason to come here is in the northwest corner: a Lanmola guarding the key for the next dungeon. This Lanmola is apparently upset that Moldorms have gotten all the attention for resetting boss fights, because it fights in a giant area draining sand toward the middle, and if Link ends up in the center, he falls through to a cave underneath.
After defeating the Lanmola, it’s easiest to let Link and the key fall through to the cave, because the northern wall can be bombed, revealing another heart piece. Coming up from the cave, Link finds another one of those owl statues, and this one’s even stranger than usual.
“SEA BEARS FOAM, SLEEP BEARS DREAMS. BOTH END IN THE SAME WAY CRASSSH!”
After I stopped trying to figure out what the pancake sleep bears are, this became probably my favorite quote in the game. It’s a bit of foreshadowing about what we’ll learn about Koholint Island and the game’s ending, and somehow quite evocative. Anyway, Link has the key, so we’re done here, and the owl comes to visit again, confirming that the next destination should be a waterfall.
Tal Tal Heights and Angler’s Tunnel
Unlocking Angler’s Tunnel is pretty easy, but the trip there takes a roundabout route. The journey through Tal Tal Heights is mostly a preview of things to come nearer to the end; for instance, a heart piece Link can’t get to just yet. About the only significant encounter that can be finished on the journey to the waterfall is meeting Papahl, who, true to his word, has gotten lost in the mountains and is starving. Link gives him the pineapple, and he gives Link a hibiscus, which if he talked to everyone in Animal Village, he’d know where that’s going, but that can wait till after the dungeon.
Finally, Link reaches the top of the waterfall, and following the owl’s advice, does a Richard Kimble to reach the dungeon entrance. This is the first dungeon that doesn’t look like anything to me; I can maybe see a castle tower, or a saguaro cactus, or a hand, but none of those relate to the theme of the dungeon. Given the location and the amount of water in the dungeon, I don’t think there can be any doubt what the treasure in this dungeon is going to be, and sure enough, it’s the flippers. There’s a pretty neat puzzle in the dungeon where Link has to step on tiles in one room in a certain order, then remember that order for a different room with the same tile layout.
New enemies include Cheep-Cheeps, Helmasaurs, and guys who walk around with their arms and legs splayed way the hell out. The miniboss is called Hydrosaur1, and runs around a track; Link can jump over him and hit him from behind, or thwack him when he corners, or any number of other strategies. He’s pretty easy, but not the easiest boss in the dungeon. That dishonor goes to the giant Angler Fish who’s the Nightmare this time and… okay, I have no idea what they were going for here, but unless it was “there’s no fscking way you’re losing this fight unless you’re not ready for what lies beyond anyway,” they failed miserably.
The fourth Instrument of the Sirens is the Surf Harp, and the voice informs him that his road leads into the bay next.
Next: Catfish’s Maw.