Round 3 – FIGHT!

With his Agahnim disguise1I’m not sure whether Agahnim was a real person Ganon possessed and used to weaken the seal, or just an alternate form he created that was somehow able to pass through the barrier. Given that there’s a body left behind when Ganon’s spirit flees, I’d assume there was something real there. destroyed, Ganon now confronts Link in his true form, the familiar pig-demon thing from The Legend of Zelda. The first three phases of the fight really aren’t all that hard; the second phase, where he surrounds himself with a ring of fireballs that turn into blazing bats and shoot at Link is the worst of the three. In the third phase, he destroys the outer ring of the floor, and the battle resets if Link falls through2Annoyingly, he goes through his whole introduction again on a rematch.. This gives Link a way to escape if he’s losing; jump out, go to the Light World, restock on potions, and come back. Not very like the Hero, though.

For the fourth and final phase, he turns out the lights. The lights blind him when Link uses the Fire Rod (or Lamp) to turn them back on, and he’s weakened enough that being hit further stuns him. While stunned, he’s susceptible to Silver Arrows. It takes four shots to finish him off, and a door opens to the north.

The End

“Welcome, Link. I am the Essence of the Triforce. The Triforce will grant the wishes in the heart and mind of the person who touches it. If a person with a good heart touches it, it will make his good wishes come true. If an evil-hearted person touches it, it grants his evil wishes. The stronger the wish, the more powerful the Triforce’s expression of that wish.
“Ganon’s wish was to conquer the world. That wish changed the Golden Land to the Dark World. Ganon was building up his power here so he could conquer the Light World and make his wish come completely true. But now, you have completely destroyed Ganon. His Dark World will vanish.
“The Triforce is waiting for a new owner. Its Golden Power is in your hands. Now, touch it with a wish in your heart.”3As with the intro text, this is lightly edited.

Link takes the Triforce, and we’re treated to a montage of Hyrule now that it’s passed from evil hands to good ones. In short: Zelda and the other maidens are free of the crystals; people who were trapped in the Dark World are brought back to Hyrule; everyone recovers, even people who died, like the King, Link’s uncle, and the Sanctuary sage; life goes on as usual for people like the lumberjacks, smiths, Zoras, and faeries; Sahasrahla returns to Kakariko Village; and Link returns the Master Sword to its pedestal where it’s said to sleep again forever.

The endings of the games keep getting better and better. This one has a great sense of accomplishment, along with some beautiful music that may well be my favorite music from any video game. The credits end with a majestic version of the main/overworld theme playing4That kicks in just as composer Koji Kondo’s name appears in the credits., and then a death count that’s oh so satisfying to see at 000.

Final Thoughts

At this point, I am way too familiar with the game to have much chance of changing my opinion of it. The difficulty’s a step down from the first game and a leap from the second, and while I find it quite easy now, that’s again because I know it so well. I don’t remember my initial “games played” count – certainly in the double digits, and I used a lot more potions that time, making numerous trips to the rupee room near the Desert to be able to afford restocking.

So that’s my favorite of the four games I’ve played. It’ll be interesting to see if anything can overcome the nostalgia filter to displace it as my favorite. I’ve heard good things about numerous later entries in the series, so there’s a chance.