If you thought the game was hard up to this point… hoo boy.
Three-Eye Rock Palace and Back to Kasuto
Let’s wait until the murder ghosts become visible before going back to Kasuto, and tackle the Three-Eye Rock Palace. Well, first get the last heart container, then tackle the palace. The good news: no more Magos. Wizards are back, and Doomknockers, and there’s still the usual assortment of Iron Knuckles (including two more mounted ones), but Magos are frozen inside the Palace on the Sea where they can rot. There’s a 1-up here, guarded by two bubbles and a blue iron knuckle in a tight space. I managed to get it without dying1, but unless that one life is the one that’s going to put you over the top for the rest of the game, it’s really not worth it2. The last boss is Barba, and it’s pretty easy. Use jump, pogo on its head with the downward thrust, and repeat until it’s dead. I’ve seen videos of people managing to take it out with one set of pogoing, but every time I try I fall in the lava. Better to just hit him once, land safely, and continue the fight.
The treasure in the palace was a cross, which makes the Blue Moas visible. Armed with that and with Three-Eye Rock growing an extra eye, Link can safely return to Kasuto and get the thunder spell. Like spell, it’s got one specific use, aside from which it’s too expensive to use. But Link can’t beat the penultimate boss without it, so he’d better go get it. Then back across the Bago-Bago bridges, cross a graveyard, and it’s time for the Great Palace approach.
The Great Palace
Just getting to the Great Palace is a tough task in and of itself. The hazards:
- Lava pits. Of course.
- Moas and Girubokkus, because what fun is crossing lava pits without something trying to knock you in?
- Gerus, which now come in red and blue flavors, which combine the worst traits of Dairas and Iron Knuckles.
The Great Palace is actually fairly deserted, but what enemies there are, man… Okay, first, we have the Fokkeru, hopping birds that spit fire at Link, and if he sneaks under the stream, the fire tries to move back at him. It’s like a cross between a Guma and a Mago, but aside from requiring several hits to die, they’re really not that bad. Then there’s Fokkas, bird knights that take the place of iron knuckles and have the same fighting style, with the added twist of jumping over Link’s head. These guys suck, and the best way I’ve found to kill them is do your best to block their attacks, then jump thrust them as they jump over Link. It’s still tough, and only worth it in that they will not be deterred from chasing Link and I usually take about the same amount of damage fighting as running.
Near the end of the palace we meet what’s got to be the funniest critter in the game: a giant Bot. One jump thrust as it tries to fall on Link splits it into about half a dozen Bots, which still take a bunch of hits to kill. Then it’s time for the real bosses.
Boss #1: Thunderbird. To make him vulnerable, Link has to cast thunder, which strongly limits what else can be cast. Shield saves more life than life can restore, so let’s go with that, jump, and reflect. Even with shield active, Thunderbird can kill Link in fewer hits than it can take from him, so this is not a forgiving fight.
Boss #2: Dark Link/Shadow Link/Link’s Shadow. I probably used the corner trick before, but no more! This time I’m going to stand in the middle and duel him as God intended! The vulnerability he has here is when he lands from jumping over Link. Unlike Thunderbird, the only spells that really help here are shield and life, which if used together with full magic and life meters, let Link take over three times as many hits from Dark Link as Dark Link can take from him. It’s a long fight, but quite fun.
The Ending
After Dark Link is defeated, the keeper of the Triforce of Courage presents it to Link. Armed with the third piece of the Triforce, Link is able to safely return all the way back to the North Castle and use the Triforce to awaken Sleeping Zelda.
“You saved Hyrule and you are a real hero!”
There’s a short scene where the curtain lowers on Link and Awakened Zelda, and when it’s down so just their feet are showing, Awakened Zelda appears to give Link a kiss, “The end” appears in the lower right corner, and the credits roll.
“Thanks a million.
“Push Start to replay.”
So, yeah, that’s about as I remembered: nastily difficult, some really annoying gameplay, but fencing with iron knuckles and Dark Link is so much fun I’ll forgive a lot of it. It’s the weakest of the four games I’ve played, but still a worthy entry in the series.