#people talk a lot about how dark majoras mask is and I agree that its definitely one of the darker Zelda games

[lolathepeacocklord]

Twilight princess is the best Zelda game ever btw

[only-by-the-stars]

the annotated Tome of the Wild

Part five: Babes in the Wood!

- A half-moon the color of yellowed pages hung high in the sky above the figures on the ground OH LOOK IT’S THAT SAME DAMN MOON AGAIN. DESPITE THAT DAYS HAVE GONE BY AND IT DEFINITELY WOULDN’T LOOK THE SAME AT THIS POINT.

- “Idiot child. Perhaps I should've done something to make you more intelligent, instead of just transforming your body.” And here we have confirmation that it was Koume that changed her into this.

- Of course, the centerpiece of this scene is the reveal of what Midna’s been up to this whole time. In the show, the situation for Beatrice is similar: she thought that Adelaide just wanted a couple of kids to do household chores, and was fine with just turning them over to her in exchange for the item she needed to break her and her family’s curse. Until, of course, she grew to like them and have second thoughts, as Midna does here. Which of course lines up with how Midna initially thought to just use Link in TP to help herself and her people, until his actions and Zelda’s made her reconsider her disdain for the people of the world of light. Here it’s her bond with Aryll and Link that makes her hesitate to hand them over: she really likes Aryll, and after a rough start with Link they’re now getting along, and she feels a lot of sympathy for his situation with Mipha. She doesn’t want to keep them from getting home even for a little while, and when she finds out about Koume’s true intentions she draws the line, as her moral code won’t let her hurt others for her own sake and she knows Zelda wouldn’t want her to hurt anyone on her behalf either. This conflict and growth are exactly why I had an easy time casting Midna in this role, and I loved being able to write her and develop the dynamics she has with Link and Aryll.

- “Only the voice of the shadow that lurks in the woods, the king of darkness that rules the night, concerns me...” King of Darkness is one of Ganon’s titles in the series.

- “There is only his way.” A line that will be echoed by the Beast himself much later.

- “Aryll, I know!” Link froze as soon as the words were out of his mouth. We’re at the point where Link is snapping at his beloved baby sister, showing just how stressed out he is right now. He was able to relax more when Midna was around, but now her betrayal is driving him further along that path to despair I’ve been mentioning. He immediately apologizes, to his credit, but he’s still starting to crack.

- “You are in grave peril, and your fate, your very lives depend on if you heed my words or not! The Beast stalks you, seeking your fall into his grasp... but you must not allow him to capture you, you must not give in to despair!” He’s not wrong! Listen to him!

- The shadow laughed, a long, low sound that seemed to ooze up from the deepest depths of the earth where eldritch creatures slumbered, forgotten by time and the gods alike. Calamity Ganon emerges from deep beneath Hyrule Castle.

- “You forget, do you not, that your daughter's safety depends upon keeping me happy?” The first hint of the deception that the Beast is working on Rhoam.

- Aryll is now calling her frog Alfonzo, after the engineer in Spirit Tracks.

- AND THEN THERE’S NAYRU AND KOTAKE. This was one of the most FUN things I got to play with. The episode this portion is an adaptation of is probably my favorite in the show, and I had an utter blast toying with expectations here just as the show did. Maybe even more! The show leads you to believe that the character Kotake replaces is the sinister and evil one, preying on the hapless young girl that Nayru is replacing, only to yank the rug out from under you and reveal that the girl is possessed and trying to eat the brothers.

now, Nayru is from Oracle of Ages. You meet her at the beginning, whereupon she quickly becomes possessed by the evil sorceress Veran. Kotake, meanwhile, is present as a villain in OOT and a linked Oracle game, and as a friendly shopkeeper in Majora’s Mask. We just saw the villainous version of her sister at the beginning of this chapter. So... is she evil too? If you’ve never seen the show, have played OOT and MM but not the Oracle games, you probably got taken in just like a first time viewer of the show is. Only to find out too late, as does Link, that Nayru is the people-eating one, and not Kotake, who is indeed her MM self and not evil.

- Nayru laughed too, a pleasant sound reminiscent of harp strings being played. Nayru gives Link the Harp of Ages in OOA.

- Aryll has switched the frog’s name to Dr. Calip, after the NPC in BOTW who gives you the Cursed Statue shrine quest.

- “It is thanks to you that I shall finally be free to roam the outside world, after all.” DANGER DANGER, the evil spirit wants to roam free and EAT MORE PEOPLE.

- Aryll spots the danger, but mistakes it for her desire to see Link end up with Mipha and no one else. Which we all agree with, of course, but it’s not the real reason she’s uncomfortable. Link, meanwhile, is oblivious to it, at least partially because he’s sinking deeper into despair and contemplating just letting Mipha go out of his intensifying self-hatred over what he’s done to her.

- Nayru's eager whisper broke into his thoughts. He glanced up and saw her eyes gleaming with a sort of hunger as she gazed across the room at him. DANGER DANGER, SHE WANTS TO DEVOUR YOU. Again, I choose my descriptive words very deliberately.

- Eerie purple light glowed around Nayru as she hovered in the air, and her face had been twisted into something that resembled a ReDead mask. Veran’s spirit form is indeed purple, and nobody who’s ever played OOT, MM, or WW can forget the ReDeads. my favorite monster I want them back dammit

- “Link?” Aryll pressed herself against his side and clutched at his arm. “There are a lot of skeletons in here...” Remember how Aryll was so excited about digging up a single skeleton back in Ikana? Not so fun anymore.

- In the show, the whole sequence of trying to avoid being eaten was creepy, but a bit more comedic too. I leaned fully into the horror that it truly would be here, not just because I wanted to write something scary, but also because I needed something that would traumatize Link enough to push him into the breakdown he has in the woods afterwards, setting the climax of the story in motion. His feelings of failure mirror what I headcanon he must’ve been going through just before he fell in Blatchery Plain as well, the despair he would’ve felt over being unable to prevent the fall of the kingdom, the deaths of his friends (especially Mipha, who he’s grieving the most), and knowing that he’s at his limit and about to die before he can get Zelda to safety. Which is another way that the appearance of that painting in the last chapter ties in.

- Aryll’s dream sequence! OH BOY. In the show, this is an entire episode, done in the style of 1930s animation, with musical numbers and everything. That doesn’t quite translate to prose, though, so I had to change and abridge it. More interestingly, though, there’s subtle hints in the show that the dream is not real, and is intended to lure Greg, the younger brother, into the clutches of the Beast. I decided to run with that. One of the hints in the show is that the gates you see seem to be made of ivory; in Greek myth, dreams pass through one of two gates, either horn or ivory. True dreams come through the gates of horn, while false ones pass through the gates of ivory. So naturally Aryll walks through gates of ivory to reach the tower.

The tower itself is the one located in the Cloud Tops in Minish Cap. Which, here, is ruled by Princess Hilda from Link Between Worlds, who has Aryll save her kingdom from the evil Yuga. This is all a HUGE hint that this is false, a trap. Because in ALBW, Hilda was conspiring with Yuga in a desperate bid to save Lorule. And who took over Yuga’s body as part of that plan? Ganon. BAM.

- And now the frog is being called Ezlo, after the talking cap in Minish Cap.

- Link is now so deeply in despair that the dekuwood is starting to grow around him, which is what motivates Aryll to make her deal with the Beast that brings everything to its eventual conclusion.

- A dark shape emerged from the curtain of snow; it was a small, plump man with a beard that covered the entire lower half of his face, rowing a rickety little boat. His eyebrows went up as he took in the sight of Midna lifting the unconscious Link into the air with her prehensile hair. “That is one strange fish you've caught there, missy...” This is the fisherman from Link’s Awakening.

- What Midna sees in the distance is the Great Deku Tree, but I wasn’t about to reveal that just yet.

and that does it for part five!

[theultimateegghead-blog]

My top 10 least favorite bosses.

I love boss battles, they are a great way to challenge the player and to wrap up a level or a game. Not all bosses are made equal though, for every great boss there is a mediocre one as well. These bosses got on my bad side due to various reasons. Now, this list is subjective and my opinion, not every boss on this list is terrible from a design standpoint, and there may even be some on this list you may not agree with. This is fine, your free to have your favorites or least favorites. In fact, I would love to see your least favorite bosses in the comments if you would please. Secondly, no bosses from my top 50 list will be on this list. This is to avoid redundancy. Lets take a look at some of my least favorite bosses.

NUMBER 10 - Xande (Final Fantasy 3)

This just goes to show that not every boss on this list is bad. On a purely technical note, Xande is a perfectly fine boss, however to describe this foe in one word would be “disappointment”. Xande is built up as the ultimate bad guy in Final Fantasy III. His magic literally tearing the world apart and just causing havoc. He is so strong that approaching his tower before it is time results in a game over. He seems to be almighty, or so you would believe. After conquering one of the longest and most difficult dungeons in one of the hardest numbered Final Fantasy games, Xande is just lackluster. He is an incredibly basic magic oriented boss with lukewarm stats, he is barely threatening. His death introduces the true final boss so he just serves as a Segway to the cloud of darkness. Despite being the primary antagonist of Final Fantasy III, he isn’t even given a spot in the dissidia roster. Talk about a let down.

How this boss could have been better – Beef him up to final boss status and just get rid of the could of darkness.

**********

NUMBER 9 - Ghost of Lady Comstock (Bioshock Infinite)

This boss is an infamous one for sure. I am one of those people who was disappointed by Bioshock Infinite. It was a great game but it just lacked the special atmosphere that made Bioshock 1 great for me. Enemies felt more bland and uninspired, and the ghost of lady Comstock is a boring boss to take down. The battle drags on forever with the ghost just teleporting around and constantly reviving fallen enemies to fight alongside her. She is fought several times and each time she is just annoying. She can take a lot of punishment and it is hard to break her out of reviving everyone you just defeated. Whats worse is that my game crashed the first time I beat her, causing me to have to fight her twice, then the second time my power went out! I fought this boss more times than necessary…and I didn’t like it at all.

How this boss could have been better – If it weren’t so long…

**********

NUMBER 8 – Final boss (Ninja Gaiden II)

There are a number of bad NES era bosses. Though I cannot necessarily say its totally unforgivable, because of the era there was no norm, no bar that was set when it came to boss quality. Though, what is bad is when you take a pre-existing boss that was fine and make it worse. The final boss of Ninja Gaiden II for the NES is a three part endurance test. The first form is a humanoid enemy that floats around shooting tons of fireballs and is a general nuisance to hit. The second form is a large room with a ceiling that drips dangerous liquid and a giant head that shoots lasers, this part is tough and can drain health fast. Stage three is essentially a repeat of the final boss of the first game, now with hands. After destroying its head, you must destroy its core while it shoots attacks everywhere. What makes this so bad? YOU NEED TO DO THIS WITH ONLY ONE HEALTH BAR! If you die, you need to redo the final stage, its unnecessarily punishing.

How this boss could have been better – If it either restored health between stages or allowed you to restart from the beginning of the fight.

**********

NUMBER 7 - Krauser QTE fight (Resident Evil 4)

Ill keep this one brief because most gamers know about this fight. Resident Evil 4 is an action horror game with occasional quick time events. Up until this point these events were for either outrunning boulders or avoiding enemy attacks during fights. This fight occurs during a cutscene and comes out of virtually nowhere. The window of time to react is very small and a single error will cause you to have to restart the cutscene. Its just so out of place and unnecessary…

How this boss could have been better – It could have been an actual fight…

**********

NUMBER 6 - Alpha 152 (Dead or Alive 4)

Fighting game bosses can be some of the most unfair and frustrating things a gamer has to overcome. While the majority of final bosses from fighting games could make this list, I decided to pick Alpha 152 from DOA4. Alpha is a clone of Hitmone, but her moveset is unique. She can turn the battle on its head at any moment and cut your health down to nothing in one massive combo. She is fast, she is aggressive, she can counter most attacks and she can teleport. The combos I mentioned are insanely long and hard to avoid. She serves as the final boss for most characters story mode, in story mode she isn’t as bad. In arcade mode however, she is a nightmare, her aggression is through the roof and she must be defeated twice in order to win! This boss is frustrating to fight and can be downright unfair at times. Nothing stings worse in DOA4 than having her down at 10% health while you have high health, only to be destroyed by her.

How this boss could have been better – If her combos were toned down just a bit.

**********

NUMBER 5 - Doc Robot (Mega Man 3)

Doc robot is perhaps the most unnecessary boss of all time. This dude is a cheap gimmick made to try to expand the run time of Mega Man 3. You have to fight him 8 times, 8 times! Each time he gets a new gimmick stolen from the Mega Man 2 robot masters and uses them in a far more annoying way. He tends to just hover over you to deal continuous damage, which is something I really do not like. This boss is just pointless padding and gives no reward to be beaten. I don’t like this boss because he is annoying and overstays his welcome.

How this boss could have been better – If he were encountered once, but used multiple boss attacks, it would have been much more memorable and tolerable.

**********

NUMBER 4 - Gyorg (Majora's Mask)

This is referring to the N64 version of Gyorg, because the 3DS version is substantially better. Gyorg is the worst boss of the worst temple in Majora’s Mask. A giant shark like monster that swims around a platform that Link is standing one. While on the platform, the beast will try to knock Link into the water, so they can eat him. In order to beat Gyorg, you have to use the Zora mask and fight it underwater, occasionally stunning it to hit it. Here lies the problem, your underwater so your dealing with those kind of controls. The second problem is that Gyorg recovers to quickly and the camera tends to shift away from them when you try to escape, often meaning you get eaten. So basically the camera ruins this boss and makes it a total chore to fight. I had to restart the great bay temple at least 3 times because I ran out of time trying to beat this thing on my first run of Majora’s Mask oh so many years ago…

How this boss could have been better – It actually is better in the 3DS remake, Nintendo learned from their mistakes.

**********

NUMBER 3 -Elana The squalid Queen (Dark Souls 2)

This boss was perhaps the most sour point of the Crown of the Sunken king dlc. To make a long story short, shes a shard of a great evil named Manus and is probably responsible for the downfall of her kingdom. Shes essentially the main antagonist of the DLC even though she is overshadowed by the Dragon. The first gripe with her is the fact that, unless you know where a secret bonfire is, dieing to her will send you back far. She fights similar to the final boss, but has a knack for teleporting around and using magic attacks when your not looking. This isn’t so bad, but she has a lot of health, does a lot of damage and summons help. The summoning is why I hate this boss, she summons enemies that can inflict toxic. She can summon skeletons, which is not so bad, but she can also summon another boss that can tear you apart. This boss is badly designed and is one of the bosses that made me legit angry. I was extremely relieved when I finally bested her, only to meet a dragon face to face literally a minute after.

How this boss could have been better – Just get rid of her summoning ability, its just not fair having her summon another boss.

**********

NUMBER 2 - Sir Arthur (Sonic and the Black Knight)

King Arthur is the primary antagonist for the majority of the mediocre Sonic and the Black Knight. His presence is virtually none-existent until the boss fight. He fights you on horseback and spends most of the fight running away and pestering you with magic and warping swords. If he gets enough distance he will turn around and charge.  All of his attacks are annoying but not very hard to dodge or avoid. So why is he this high on the list? Three words… Quick Time Event. In order to damage him you have to swing the wii mote to parry him. The timing is almost inhumanly precise and more often than not it doesn’t matter if you do is spot on, you will fail. If you beat the game you know which QTE in particular makes this boss horrible. If you don’t, watch the game grumps play through, because it shows this boss’ absurdity at its greatest. This boss is for me the worst sonic boss yet.

How this boss could have been better – If the quick time event was removed, this boss would be off the list. Though even then it would still be a very mediocre boss.

**********

NUMBER 1 - Clyde's Machine (Pac Man World 2)

This is a boss I despise. Clyde’s machine is the third ghost robot boss and the fourth boss of Pac-Man World 2. These bosses can only be damaged by jumping on their heads, usually this isn’t to hard of a task, but Clyde ups the difficulty to 11. On an uneven platform surrounded by lava, a single misstep will result in a dead Pac-Man. And boy oh boy, how often that happens. Pac Man seems to just want to take a lava bath! You stand still, you die because one of his attacks pushed you in the lava. You move? You die because you fell into the lava. You stay in the middle of the platform? Isnt it wonderful how all his attacks just hit you head on when you do that? You try to rev roll? Hello Lava my old friend… The worst part is that even attacking him might send you flying into the pit for no reason. The only saving grace is that this boss has checkpoints…

How this boss could have been better – If it didn’t exist.

**********

Thank you for reading my list! What bosses got under your skin? Feel free to share in the comments! Next time we will be taking a more positive turn to look at my top 10 favorite grass type Pokemon, see you then, ciao!

[wandering-chronicler-blog]

The Wolf of Farore - Chapter 22

An Ongoing Zelda/Witcher Fusion Fic - Updates Wednesdays/Thursdays

[First] [Previous] [Next] [Archive]

Summary:

War has come to The Kingdom of Hyrule.  The people cry for a savior as monsters and spirits stalk the once green fields of the provinces.  Famine grips the populace as the Gerudo Tribes and their blin allies strike along the borders.  Hope for peace begins to drown in the blood spilled in No Man’s Land.  But Hyrule doesn’t need another hero.  It needs a professional.

AUTHOR NOTE-OCTOBER 4, 2017:  Hey everyone, just a quick little alert that we’re nearing the end of the first ‘season’.  I will be going on a hiatus of posting chapters end of October/beginning of November.  However that time will not be spent idle.  There’ll be editing and writing other future pieces scheduled for December or January for regular posting once more.  I’ll also be doing short companion pieces and possibly even prompts!  Additional details will be forthcoming.  All that said, again thank you to everyone who has read so far, liked and reblogged.  You guys are awesome!

The Story So Far:

Slipping out of the refugee camp outside of Kakariko, Link and Midna made their way to Castle Town and to see his friend, the scholar Shad.  Their arrival was tense however as they heard him speaking with none other than the general Impa and Princess Zelda.  Shad however was curious and listened to Link’s tale since returning from The Castor Wilds and No Man’s Land...

CHAPTER 22:  CRAFTING A COVER

“…And that’s the long and the short of it,” Link said, finishing his tale of escape and desire to find a way to end the war. “I can’t keep working with the army if they are carrying out acts like that massacre. But I can’t support what The Tribes are doing either with escalating retaliation becoming the norm. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to leave my home to this blood bath.”

Shad rubbed his glasses with the napkin as he sat back down. The fireplace burned and lit the room with an orange light. Midna floated with her legs crossed in a sitting position next to Link as he sat opposite of Shad. The scholar nodded a little. “I can perfectly understand those concerns,” he said. “Can you trust Medli though?”

“Just like I trust Midna and Ravio; with my life.” He rolled his shoulders a little and sat forward. His elbows rested on his knees. “She’s one of Valoo’s Handmaidens after all. And the Dragon Roost Tribe are couriers. So she has access to that information network. And not like they’re the ones on the Tabantha Frontier, so less risk of people finding any useful information.”

“I would assume then she told you about the refugees.” Link nodded in response. Shad chuckled a little. “You’re the only Chosen I know of who has such extensive contacts outside of Hyrule.” He looked at Midna for a moment. “And ones from beyond this world.”

“You’ve got a lot too,” Link said. “Surprised that Impa the Elder hasn’t had you dragged off to be questioned about them.”

“Well, I almost was. I think it was Zelda who covered for me, but I’m sure she’s running out of patience for the princess.” He wiped his mouth with the napkin and looked at his now empty plate. He stood up and took it to a tray near the fireplace and left it there before turning to face Link again. “There’s been some difficulties as well recently with her brother and some new advisor. With everything that’s been going on, I haven’t had a chance to talk much with her outside of the business of running a nation.”

“She never mentioned the massacre?” He glanced briefly to Midna, who was floating next to him in a sitting position. She appeared bored, inspecting her nails.

“No, but I’m not privy to military actions. I’m cleared to discuss major events and the like with Chosen or a Tower Mage, but any movements are strictly forbidden.” He folded his arms then. “You know what it was like. Everything compartmentalized. Chosen and Military actions remain mostly with them, diplomacy was its own department and then The Sheikah with their spies and inquisitors.”

“Yeah, we’ve probably not seen everything,” Link agreed. He felt a pang in his chest as he thought back on the choice he’d made weeks ago, wondering if it was still right, but nodded slightly before looking back to Shad. “Zelda’s just trying to do what she can with the information she has and we’re all in the dark a little. And have to make our choices as best we can.”

“Yeah. And even then a lot of people have not been discussing it with me anyways. I think it’s because of my contacts in the desert.” He looked down at his feet for a moment before looking back up at him. “I completely lost contact with all but two or three of them a few weeks before Ganondorf’s forces crossed the Zora River last year. I fear that they were hanged.” He sighed and shook his head as he went back to his chair. “Academia and rationality is usually one of the first casualties of hysteria.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“Not meanin’ to interrupt this social call, but I do need to get back sooner rather than later or else this war is going to get a whole lot worse when my people come looking for me.” Midna said. “We’re the reason why people are so superstitious of mirrors after all.”

“Right, sorry,” Shad said. “From what you’ve told me and the notes you’ve brought, it looks like this was a piece of a popular old ballad.” He went to one of the shelves and started looking along the book spines. “A tale about the masks we wear to hide our pain. Our failures and fears and overcoming them. A number of different scholars have written works on it actually. One historian from Holodrum actually had…”

“We don’t need all the details,” Link said. “Just what elements of it are true so we can figure out which song will break the curse.”

“That’s what I’m trying to find, old boy.” Shad pulled one of the books from the shelf and started to flip through it. “Most of the time, the truthful elements will be what is common in each story. For instance every Hero was supposedly blessed by Farore herself. Now, we don’t know for sure if she actually did or they earned her blessing through the trials they overcame, but The Hero of Legend is always associated with The Goddess of Courage.”

“We know that though,” Midna said.

“Well, sometimes it’s things that are only in the oldest stories. If you can trace it though, you can reasonably determine what is likely to be true and what is likely embellished or false.” He handed Link the book after he’d opened it to roughly the middle. “This book covers some of those details. Given the popularity of The Hero even, he was worked into this tale. Or maybe it was that way to begin with.” He pulled another book then from the shelf. “Something absolutely fascinating though is the similarities in the three primary stories. One with a deku scrub, the one with the goron that you found in the village on Death Mountain and the one with the zoras Link was able to get. Like they could have been completely independent of one another with a different hero in each one. They could have all been just tied together by another bard who found turning it into an epic connected with Majora’s Mask was something to gain fame with.”

Link looked to the imp. “Can you read any of this?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said, floating over his shoulder. “This looks like the goron one. And your song is mentioned again.”

“It’s not uncommon of for the old tales to involve music to break curses.” Shad said, looking at the book in his hands. “You can even hear the exact songs used in some in tales.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Link asked.

“Well, without the proper training or a medium for the magic, it’s just talking,” Midna said. “Like why in some cases saying the magic words to a spell doesn’t actually do anything. Like your signs. You have to will them and focus a little to make them go off. Otherwise whenever you made a gesture you’d be throwing magic everywhere.”

“Good point.” He flipped the page after a moment to look at the next one. “So, we need the song and an instrument.”

“Unless one of you has formal singing,” Shad said, pulling down a couple more books. He checked each one before putting them on the table. One he took back to his chair. “The notes have to be right and channeled with magic.”

“Don’t look at me,” Midna said. “I don’t sing. I dance. And because my magic is the way it is in this shape it might not be strong enough to break it if I even could hit the right notes.”

Link let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes. “Okay. And knowing how powerful that mask was…”

“We’d need an equally powerful instrument then.”

Shad dropped one of the books he was holding. It landed on his foot and he let out a soft curse. “You’re not going to do what I think you’re going to do?” he said with a wince. Shad limped slowly back over to his chair, picking up one of the books.

“And what’re we planning?” Midna asked, smirking.

“You’re planning on taking The Goddess Harp. Right out from Zelda’s chambers!”

The imp laughed a little. “You’re already talking to a deserter if the wanted posters are any indication. What was it? A thousand rupees for whoever brought you in alive to be hanged?”

Link looked up at her with annoyance for a moment, catching her grinning. He looked back at Shad then. “Not the harp,” he said. “I don’t know how to play it anyways.”

“Then…” Shad shook his head then and looked down. He looked back up at them a second later, teeth barred and brow lowered. “I have half a mind to go get that guard downstairs right now. The Ocarina of Time?! The mere fact that you are thinking of breaking into the castle to steal one of the most valuable relics in the entire kingdom is… Insane!” He pointed at them both. “There is a reason why such an instrument has been kept within The Royal Family for generations! Just like the harp! To protect that power…”

“That power from those who would cause harm with it,” Midna said with him. “Majora’s Mask was safely locked away in one of our vaults when some idiot stole it out of them. Know all about that whole spiel.” She folded her arms. “And if it weren’t for the politics, I’d have suggested using one of ours. As it is though, me showing up like this could spark them wanting to get involved in the war.”

“That may be, but this is an act that goes way beyond what Link was already doing. We… accept that there are some unsavory actions that we must take given the course of this war. Some of it is not things we are happy with, but we have to make those sacrifices for the greater good. There are still ways we can try and handle this without needing to resort to something like this. It’s why I haven’t left yet. Still hoping that maybe I can convince the nobles to come back to the table.”

“It is,” Link said. “But what choice do we have?” He looked to his companion. “Longer she stays, the riskier it’ll be for everyone. I’ve already worked with the Zoras of Snowpeak’s Domain who want to stay neutral in this. And the gorons of Death Mountain who we’ve had a broken alliance with in the buildup to this war.” Link looked back to Shad. “I’m already wanted for desertion as it is. For doing what I was trained for; to be among those chosen to keep Hyrule right. And if it is wrong to set it right. There are no stories of The Hero walking his path to set The Kingdom right when they have committed crimes. So that’s where I’m standing right now.”

The room was silent for a minute. Link kept his eyes on his friend. It pained him to have put Shad in a position like this. He knew he was thinking of going to get the guard then. Midna drifted down between. “We have another problem though,” she said. “You’ve talked to Zelda and we just showed up here. It was coincidence, but The Sheikah Inquisitors might not see it that way.” Shad’s face lost all color at that. “I’m just saying that’s what might happen given how jumpy everyone is around here. You said it yourself. People are scared of spies and their neighbors. We have to do this. And you’re going to probably be the first person they come asking.”

“I can’t stay then…” Shad said. “Even after everything I’ve tried.” He shook his head slowly. “They’ll come for me.” He looked up at Link, anger in his eyes. His lip curled down in a sneer. “All because you had to…”

“Shad, I’m not going to hang you out to dry,” Link said. “You don’t have to give us the songs or any other information.” He held his hands up. “If you need to get out of here, we’ll get you out. Have a place you can even go and continue your research on the sky tribes.”

The anger left his face, replaced with clear suspicion, but Link recognized the curiosity in his eyes. “You’d do that?”

He nodded. “Your help during my career as a Chosen has been invaluable. As has your friendship. And I’m aware of how bad a place I’ve put a lot of people in. I think about what this has done to Lana and Cia. What’s going through the heads of Master Horwell and Swiftblade. Or my fellow Chosen like Pipit and Groose. For all I know I gave Rauru a stroke when he heard what I’ve done.” Link sighed. “Trust me. I’m aware of this. And I want to try and make sure I put as much of it right as I can.”

“And you can’t go back…” Shad nodded slowly. “You thought a lot about this before deciding.”

“I did. Hardest decision I ever made.” Link stood slowly. “Won’t force you. But if you do want to help us, we’ll make sure you can pursue your passion. Get you out of the castle and make a big enough distraction that they’ll come looking for me rather than you.”

“Right…” He rubbed his eyes, slipping a hand under his glasses. He was quiet for nearly a minute. Midna moved to speak, but Link held up a hand and looked at her. His eyes wider than usual and the long shape of his mouth told her everything, so she stayed quiet. Finally, Shad ran a hand back up through his hair, looking at a leatherbound journal on a table next to his chair. “So, if I were to agree, where would I be going to continue my work? It’s a daft idea to wander Lanayru or Eldin Province without any sort of an escort. Especially the southern reaches of Lanayru. Called No Man’s Land for a reason out there.”

“Death Mountain. An archeologist there by the name of Gorko has been researching the sky tribes for probably as long as you have. He helped Midna get this information.”

Shad’s head snapped to look at Link. “Wait, THE Gorko?!” The scholar seemed completely surprised. “I thought he was still wandering! I’ve read some of his work. My father had a couple of his papers!”

“You know of him?” Midna asked. Link caught the hesitance in her voice.

“He’s one of the leading experts on the sky tribes! I think I have one of his papers around here actually. My personal paper, not just borrowed from The Archives. About The Isle of The Goddess. It was a massive city in the clouds, built by a tribe of ancient hylians known as The Oocca.”

The imp gave Link a look as she planed her hands on her hips. He had to smile a little. It was nice to see Shad excited. “Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves yet,” Link said. “That’s only if you want to help us. After all, leaving Castle Town is going to be difficult.”

“I know. Yes. We must think this through properly,” Shad said. “I do this and I lose my tenure and ability to research at the Royal Library. Leave Zelda to this entire conflict.” He picked up one of the books off the floor. “Or I abandon it and have a chance to learn more and discuss my work, my father’s work, with an expert and maybe publish a paper that becomes world-renowned…” He clenched a fist and bowed his head to rest his chin on it. “And perhaps survive long enough to actually help bring about an end to this dreadful war rather than end up in a cell or hanged…”

“Don’t make this choice lightly,” Midna said.

“I’m not.” Shad handed Link the book then. “We leave tonight. You can get into the castle on your own I’m sure.”

“Are you sure?” Midna asked. “A minute ago you were thinking about going to get the guard.”

“You’re giving me an opportunity. A chance to prove my theories right. To prove my father’s work was not in vain and escape possible problems here until I can find a solution. When he died, his theories were not accepted. But he had enough that it survived. And if Gorko is still working on this, I can bring some of my father’s books. His research. Together we might find something. Something that vindicates all the time and effort he put into this. I can’t do all my work in the library after all. Have to eventually go out and dig in the field. Speak with other scholars.” He started digging through his books. “Maybe that’s one of the solutions to ending the war. No one’s talking anymore. If I can get to my desert contacts maybe we can start that again. Small steps to start to get us back to the table.”

“We leave tonight then,” Link said. “There’s a way we can get into the castle beyond its walls.”

“Let me gather my packs. Would you be so kind to gather the books I will require?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.” Shad was smiling again. “When we’re beyond the walls, I’ll show you the songs.”

“Okay, so we need a plan now,” Midna said. “How’re we going to get you out of here undetected? I can’t cast an illusion over both of you.”

“I’m open to suggestions,” Shad said. “I can’t swim, and with all the books I have I’d sink like a stone.”

“I can carry the books, don’t worry about that.” She demonstrated, her hair extending and shaping into a hand to pick one of the ones from his chair up. The red hand twisted around and the book broke into tiny black squares that vanished. Midna gave him a grin.

“Fascinating!” He began to pull several more books down to take.

“Hey, don’t go overboard.” She bobbed in the air a little. “You’re gonna be carrying these when you’re out there as we’ve gotta get back in the castle still.”

“We’ll still need a way out,” Link said. “The guard out front is still there and curfew is in effect.”

The scholar nodded a couple times as he pulled another book from his shelf. “Well, you were able to escape with a trainee’s tunic and a helmet,” Shad said. “Do you still have them?”

“They’re back at Death Mountain.”

“But I could get one!” Midna said. “And in this shape too I wouldn’t have to hitch a ride in someone’s shadow like when I had to get Link’s. I can just float up to the top window and get in through there.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, easy. I’ll get you some of those chain shoulders as well like you had when you were wearing blue instead of green.”

“Okay. And when you get back you put the illusion back around Link while I wear the recruit’s armor?” Shad asked.

Link nodded. “I’ll slip out when she returns and act like a guard come to relieve him. Once he’s gone, you’ll come out. They won’t question a guard escorting a trainee.”

“Okay,” Midna said. “Be ready when I get back.” She floated towards the doors to the balcony and opened one. She slipped out and was gone.

The scholar pulled a couple more books, organizing them. “Have you done something like this before?” he asked.

“A couple times. But didn’t have help with illusions. And we had more time to prepare and build a cover in case something did go wrong.” He looked at Shad then. “Which is what we need to do a little work on even if you’re wearing a helmet for most of this…”

“What do you mean?”

“You still have that dark shoe polish?” Link picked up the small shovel for the fireplace and pulled some of the ash and soot out with it. “By the time Midna gets back you won’t even recognize your own face.”

After sneaking out the back once more, Link shook as best he could to get the water off him. Link looked at his shadow. He wrung his hat out in the moat and pulled it back on. He glanced at his shadow for a moment after adjusting the chain spauders he now wore. It was comforting to have them again on his shoulders and upper arms. “Ready?”

“Ready,” his partner said. He felt a slight tingle of magic and glanced down at his hands. The leather gloves and armor turned to black squares for a moment before they flipped over. He now appeared to be in the chainmail of a soldier. He had the blue and white tabard over his body as well and greaves over his shins.

“Do I have a helmet?” he asked in a whisper.

“Of course!”

“Okay.” He took a deep breath and stepped out of the alleyway, right foot first as if he was marching. He stood with his back straight as he could, eyes glancing about quickly to ensure no one else was around. Six guards walked by with spears shouldered in a straight line. They walked right past him without realizing he was the most wanted man in Hyrule. Link turned a corner and soon came to the front of Shad’s house. The soldier stood there, leaning against the wall and spear tucked in his arm. He rubbed his hands together and pulled his leather gloves back. Link approached them. They instantly stood at attention when they heard him.

“Sir!” he said.

“I’m your relief,” Link said.

“Oh, good… I’m starting to freeze out here.” He pulled his visor up. “Do you know what this guy did to get a visit from General Impa?”

He shook his head. “Not a clue. I think I overheard Princess Zelda say it was a matter of national security though.” Link almost added that they were supposed to keep him there, but he didn’t know the actual orders of the guard. Any little detail he got wrong he knew would get caught. “Go hit the bunks.”

“Gladly. Stay warm.” The guard pushed off the wall and walked away.

“Thanks.” Link remained tense. His hands had been ready to coil into fists and clobber them in the jaw. He’d have gone for a kick to their knee as well while they were focused on his fist. When they turned the corner though and were out of view he let out a sigh of relief. He waited a minute before knocking on the door three times. He heard footsteps inside and the door opened. Link got a look at his handiwork. The scholar was barely recognizable. His hair was darkened and had been messed with to make it look like he had spent the night in a stable. Ash had been peppered on his face and there was a fresh gash still on his chin. He dabbed it with a handkerchief a couple times before adjusting his glasses once more.

“Was it really necessary to cut myself? I look like I tried to take my chin off while shaving,” he said.

“It just has to look like you got in a fight,” Link said. “Slouch a little more and relax your eyes. You’re a recruit who’s had too much to drink at The Plush Unicorn after being given his first post.” He smirked slightly. “Maybe his first visit too.”

“I am slouching and…” It was clear he wasn’t relaxing his eyes. “I say! Why would I even visit…”

“Shhh!” Midna hissed from the shadows. “The next patrol will be through soon!”

“Sorry, this is just a lot.” He took a deep breath and looked at his feet. “I don’t know how you’re able to do this sort of thing for a living, Link.”

“I know,” Link said. He put a hand on Shad’s shoulder. “When in doubt just let me do the talking. I’m your superior here. Tabards say so.” He looked carefully over his friend. “Helmet on. Slouch a little more.”

He obeyed and Link gave a nod. “How do I look?”

“Perfect for this. Let’s go.”

[charlie-the-uncreative]

Gladly! I love these games so I’d be happy to talk about them.

First, spoilers ahead for both games, so if you haven’t played just skip this post. Second, I haven’t played many Mario or loz games, mostly just the 3D Zelda and Mario games, as well as a few of the Mario rpgs, so if there is a game that fits better, then I’d love to hear about it. Thirdly, this post is pretty long, so if you don’t wanna read through an entire essay, you can skip.

Of course, the world ending is a big thing in both games, but it can also be found in other games so that’s not really the main point. What I was thinking is just how dark and depressing both games are, MM more than SMP but they both still have it. In general MM does a better job at handling its themes, but that’s not what we’re talking about. Anyway, both games just have very dark and horrifying stuff.

An important connection is the origin of the transformation masks and the origin of the pixls. Since it can be just a throwaway piece of dialogue a lot of people don’t remember, I’ll remind ya that pixls are made by using the soul of someone deceased. Even though pixls don’t exactly transform you, they’re all still very important to completing the game like the masks.

Another thing, at least when I played, is that you don’t really feel the gravity of the situation until you experience it. In MM that’s either if you slip up and let the moon fall, or during the final hours. In SPM that’s Sammer’s Kingdom. It’s kinda terrifying to see the destruction and devastation of both worlds.

While we’re on the topic of the world-ending catastrophe, let’s talk about the villains that caused that. Specifically Majora and Dimentio because Bleck wasn’t really around for the game, it was mostly Dimentio causing the team problems. Both can be considered comic villains at first. Dimentio in his jester garb and Skull Kid/Majora’s kinda silly first encounter, with him hiding the stolen ocarina behind his back in a really silly manner. It isn’t until later that you see how terrifying they can really be, but they both keep their air of silliness. I mean, Dimentio murders your entire team while smiling, and after Skull Kid transforms you into a deku scrub he laughs.

I also feel like the Anju and Kafei quest and the love story between Blumiere and Timpani (specifically during when the game takes place, not really the flashbacks) are similar. Both Kafei and Timpani have their form changed and, while Timpani simply doesn’t have any memory, they both can’t/won’t return to the one they loved. When both couples finally meet up, they can finally make their vows and spend the rest of their now very short lives together. Honestly, I just find both very bittersweet.

Anyway, that’s the end of my essay lol. Way more than I thought I’d write if I’m being honest. If ya still don’t agree, that’s fine with me. It’s just my own observations. Thanks if you read through this whole mess. Usually not what I write. Have a gucci day!

Super Paper Mario is the Majora’s Mask of Mario games

[aion-rsa]

15 Hardest N64 Games of All-Time

https://ift.tt/3vP67uN

It may not be the first console you think of when you hear the term “Nintendo Hard,” but the N64 is the quiet home of some of the hardest games in the impressive history of Nintendo consoles.

While hardly the “last great console” so far as hard games go, the N64 is one of the last consoles that consistently featured the kind of games that were so hard that you honestly wondered if they were broken. Well, some of them were actually broken (you know which one we’re going to talk about), but in most cases, they really were just that difficult.

Thanks largely to the contributions of developer Rare, these are the hardest N64 games ever made .

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

15. StarCraft 64

The N64 port of StarCraft isn’t going to make you forget the PC version of the game, but it’s honestly not that bad considering that there’s no way this game should have been even remotely playable on the N64 controller

That said, the N64’s controls really highlight how tough StarCraft could be. It’s an old-school RTS that demands rapid reaction times and the kind of micromanagement that many other games just don’t prepare you for. 

14. Indiana Jones and The Infernal Machine

This somewhat underrated early 3D Indiana Jones game is also one of the N64’s most surprisingly difficult experiences.

This game’s puzzles and labyrinthian level design are arguably enough to earn it a spot on this list, but what really puts this game over-the-top is the action. Somewhat imprecise controls and absurdly powerful late-game enemies join forces to bring your blood to a boil. You should also forget about trying to 100% this game unless you’re a glutton for punishment.

13. Conker’s Bad Fur Day

If you’ve only ever played the Xbox remake of this famously mature (or, more accurately, immature) 3D platformer, you may be shocked to learn that the original Conker’s Bad Fur Day is a shockingly tough game to beat. 

“Beat” really is the word to keep in mind here, as Conker’s final levels force you to navigate a series of challenges that destroy the difficulty curve so thoroughly that you’ll start to wonder if something has gone wrong. The underwater maze section alone is enough to make even a patient gamer put a controller sized hole through their TV.

12. Perfect Dark

GoldenEye’s harder difficulty levels and hidden challenges were tough, but Perfect Dark was a downright cruel FPS experience that sometimes doesn’t get enough love from fans of hard games.

Playing Perfect Dark on Perfect Agent difficulty is the kind of difficult gaming experience that’s so absurd that it’s honestly hard to be angry at it. Nearly everything can kill you instantly, and the game’s already confusing level design is made that much worse by the presence of additional objectives more demanding than any of the game’s main objectives.

11. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil

Turok 2 may not immediately spring to mind when you think about the hardest FPS games of a golden era of hard FPS games, but make no mistake that this somewhat underrated N64 title belongs in that elite class.

This sequel’s absurdly difficult boss fights are enough to make most sane gamers call it quits, but what makes this game legendary among challenge seekers are its incredible long and surprisingly complicated levels. It’s that combination of not knowing where you’re going and constantly dying while trying to figure it out that makes this one so special. 

10. Mischief Makers

While it didn’t get a lot of love when it was released in 1997, Mischief Makers has gone on to become a true cult classic among those who appreciate its bizarre style and the kind of fast-paced gameplay developer Treasure is known for. 

Of course, by “fast-paced gameplay developer Treasure was known for,” I really mean “incredibly difficult gameplay.” Mischief Makers isn’t Treasure’s hardest game, but its combination of tough 2D action and sometimes confusing platforming/puzzle segments means that it keeps you on your toes in a way that other games simply do not.

9. Body Harvest

While I’m actually in the camp that thinks Body Harvest is another worthwhile, largely overlooked N64 gem, the only thing tougher than recommending this bizarre title is the difficulty of the game itself. 

Body Harvest’s confusing mechanics (which the game honestly does a poor job of explaining) are bad enough, but the real issue here is the relative lack of save points. You could spend hours figuring out what you’re supposed to be doing, fall into a hole you didn’t know was there, and lose all your progress. Body Harvest may boast the most intimidating learning curve in N64 history.

8. Doom 64 

Much like StarCraft 64, some of Doom 64’s difficulty can obviously be “blamed” on the challenges of playing what is essentially a PC title on the N64 controller. However, Doom 64 surprisingly manages to retain much of its difficulty even when you play it on a mouse and keyboard or modern console controller.

Blame some of that on the title’s surprisingly challenging puzzles and secrets, but what really separates Doom 64 from other Doom games is the power level of the average enemy. They’re tougher to kill, they hit harder, and the game makes up for featuring fewer of them by ensuring that the ones it does throw at you are more than prepared to end you by themselves. 

Read more

Games

25 Most Underrated Nintendo 64 Games

By Chris Freiberg

Games

Nintendo Leak Reveals Secrets About Classic N64 and SNES Games

By Matthew Byrd

7. Superman 64

What do we do about Superman 64? Like some of the other difficult games we’ve talked about in the past, there’s no denying that many of Superman 64’s technical problems are the biggest contributors to its difficulty. Superman 64 is simply broken, which obviously makes it quite challenging. 

With all of that out of the way, let me just say that this could be the most frustrating game ever “designed” by a team of “professionals.” Superman 64 is like the home for bad gameplay ideas. Time limits, confusing objectives, rebellious controls…even if you summon the urge to beat this game, it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever do so.

6. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is arguably best remembered for its Hoth level that essentially recreated Empire Strikes Back’s opening battle with stunning accuracy, but it should perhaps instead be remembered as one of the toughest Star Wars games ever made.

If you ever wanted to be reminded just how hard the early days of 3D platforming were (especially platforming sections in an action game) Shadows of the Empire is the jalopy that will take you down memory lane. The only thing that beats falling off a cliff for the hundredth time is realizing it’s the end of the game and you still don’t know how to properly use the jetpack.

5. Blast Corps

I love Blast Corps, and I’m thrilled that it seems like more people got a chance to play this truly original demolition game when it was re-released as part of the Rare Replay collection. I also kind of hate Blast Corps and wouldn’t wish parts of this game on my worst enemies.

The core Blast Corps gameplay is tough enough due to the strange way it combines elements of action titles and particularly challenging puzzle games, but oh man, the late game medal challenges may just be some of the toughest objectives in video game history. The story goes that the game’s QA teams challenged each other to ensure that these objectives were only technically possible to beat. Blast Corps designer Martin Wakeley previously described them as “insane” and said that he has only ever beaten a few of them himself.

4. Donkey Kong 64

We continue our journey through the “Rare” portion of the program by looking at one of the last 3D platformers of a kind of golden era for 3D platformers. Of course, Donkey Kong 64’s difficulty is arguably part of the reason that style of gameplay design went on a bit of a popularity hiatus following this title’s release.

As we’ve previously discussed, trying to complete Donkey Kong 64 means accepting a journey into the mouth madness. Donkey Kong 64 took the idea of a “collect-a-thon” platformer to an entirely different level with its absurd backtracking requirements and a list of requirements so long you couldn’t fit them onto a CVS receipt.

3. F-Zero X

You know, it’s not often we get to talk about a racing game when we’re talking about the hardest games ever made, but it’s also rare that racing game demands as much from its players as F-Zero X does.

Yes, F-Zero X was fast, but what made it so truly difficult was the fact that you could be knocked off the track at pretty much any time by even the slightest error or bump. If you want to beat this game’s toughest races, you essentially need to become an F-Zero X playing machine that is able to complete almost literally perfect runs.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

The sometimes divisive Majora’s Mask tends to split gamers over the use of its “time loop” mechanics which sometimes put a soft timer on the game. Some loved the idea, while others feel it interrupted the classic Zelda adventure they were looking for. 

One thing that most people seem to agree on, though, is that this game’s time loop mechanics make some already difficult puzzles and dungeons that much more complicated. This would still be a fairly difficult traditional Zelda game, but constantly needing to consider a ticking clock while also trying to overcome some substantial obstacles proves to be too much for many players.

1. Jet Force Gemini

The debate over which game is the hardest in a console’s library is almost always a vicious one, but in the case of the N64, the overwhelmingly popular consensus is that Jet Force Gemini is more than worthy of this honor.

This game’s pacing and requirements almost make Donkey Kong 64 look tame. The amount of backtracking required to do pretty much anything in Jet Force Gemini is enough to make you glad that mechanic isn’t nearly as prevalent as it once was, and the fact that you have to complete so much content that would be optional in other games simply to progress is reason enough alone to simply give up. Jet Force Gemini is designed to wear you down, and it accomplishes that goal better than most other games ever made. 

The post 15 Hardest N64 Games of All-Time appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/34OH671