Many SPOILERS are contained throughout these posts. You have been warned!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Wind Waker Part 11: Awakening of the Wind

Barriers of Ice and Wind

The 2nd Master Sword Temple at Gale Island is blocked by a strong gust of wind.


Just like the Earth Temple, you need to go somewhere else first to find the required item to get into it. A nearby fish tells you the exact location of this item:

Are you thinking you want to get into that cave, small fry? The one that's protected by the crazy winds on that island? Heh heh heh! OK, then. Let me tell you a little secret... If you go five squares south and one square east from here, you'll reach Ice Ring Isle, where you'll find an item that will make you as heavy as stone! If you get that item, you won't have to worry about getting blown over by winds!

Thanks to the only clue in the game, finding this item is really easy. If it weren't for that fish's directions, it would be a matter of exploring every square until you happened to come across the right place.


Yep, that seems like a ring of ice alright...


The fire arrows take down the ice barrier for a limited amount of time. Then there's a kind of slippery platforming segment leading up to a cave...




The path leading up to the chest is blocked by wind, of course, so you gotta take the long way...


And this leads to the iron boots!


The Earth Temple required an item that enables you to lift heavy pieces of earth off the ground. This next temple requires an item that makes you yourself heavy enough to stand up to the force of wind...


Only by becoming as heavy as a giant, can the barrier of wind be crossed. With the iron boots and skull hammer, I can smash that generator and enter Gale Island.

Waking the Wind


Another stone tablet... this one has the Wind God's Aria written on it. When I play this tune, gusts of wind blow in from the entrance, responding to the song, and the ghost of a young boy garbed in green appears before me.


Fado: Are you the new hero? I am Fado of the Kokiri tribe. I know I appear to you as a child, but the eyes can oft deceive. I am a most esteemed sage.

I had been praying here so that the power to repel evil would continue to be contained within the blade of the Master Sword... But I was attacked by the evil Ganondorf... and this is what happened to me.

You wish to return the power to your blade, don't you? In that case, look for the one who has the same instrument that I hold, and teach him the song you just played. Once you do, I'm certain the holder of the instrument will feel the blood of the sages awaken within his veins.

That Wind Waker you hold was used long ago to conduct us sages when we played our song to call upon the gods. In those days, it was always the king who conducted for us... Please... Tell the king that I will still play...even in the next world!

According to this sage, the king of Hyrule was the previous wind waker before Link... He passed down his wind waker powers to Link after he saw him escape from the Forsaken Fortress... That all probably has something to do with how Daphnes became the King of Red Lions...

The one Fado is referring to who has the same instrument as him, is the little Korok musician at Forest Haven, Makar. Let's conduct his leafy face and get him over here.

Makar: Why, is that a conductor's baton? Link! Are you a maestro?!

That's incredible! Are you going to conduct for me, Link? What kind of song is it? I can't wait to hear it! Please, conduct!


Makar: Hmmm... Does it go something like...this? Strange... Why does it feel like I already know this song..?




It is my fate to return the power to repel evil to your Master Sword... And to ease the regrets of my ancestors. Oh, Link, please! You must take me with you to the Wind Temple.

Okay, just don't get eaten by any harmless carnivorous plants this time...

I noticed while playing through this that the themes of the Earth Sage and Wind Sage combine together to form the game's opening themes.

Here's the theme of Laruto, the Earth Sage:


And the theme of Fado, the Wind Sage:


The sad tone of Laruto's theme, combined with the grimness Fado's theme come together to form the prologue's theme, Legendary Hero:


Here's the theme of the new Earth Sage, Earth God's Lyric:


And the theme of the new Wind Sage, Wind God's Aria:


Earth God's Lyric + Wind God's Aria = Wind Waker title theme.


Again it's the slower earth theme mixed with the energetic wind theme. It seems like Koji Kondo was going for a soundtrack that contrasted the 2 elements of earth and the skies... a perfect fit for Wind Waker.

Speaking of the skies, it seems that Skyward Sword has also got some surprises up its sleeve with its soundtrack. Here's the SS trailer music played backwards:


Sounds familiar, doesn't it? It's the Zelda's Lullaby theme! It's these great little subtleties that make Zelda games that much more amazing...

Needs more brown

Now with Makar in tow, we can infiltrate that Wind Temple...

King of Red Lions: Link... As was the case with Medli, I have no doubt that Makar, too, has some special role to play in these events. Discovering that role is your duty. I am certain that by cooperating, the two of you can overcome the dangers and pitfalls of this temple...

I see, despite his size, he's gonna have to prove himself useful in the upcoming dungeon. Makar plays the Wind God's Aria, and sounds of wind coming from behind the tablet echo louder as the entrance to the Wind Temple opens up...


This temple has a very earthy, organic atmosphere, ironically, unlike the Earth Temple which seemed more like an actual temple.


The walls of the Wind Temple are made of Earth, yet most of the puzzles involve floating or propelling yourself through the air...


More of those mace wielding stalfos...


For now Makar makes a good paperweight. Just like Medli, he can fly up to unreachable heights and stand on switches to activate stuff. Other than that... well...


Okay... planting trees is great and all but I don't see how that accomplishes much in this WIND temple now... I guess I'll have to wait and see...


Oh no, Makar got captured... again...


Makar: The stone that blocks the entrance seems extremely heavy. The only way you could move it, Link, is if you were to become as heavy as the Great Deku Tree himself.

Ahh, if only the Great Deku Tree were here right now...

Yeah, well trees are rooted to the ground, at least their supposed to be... I have to become as heavy as the Deku Tree... my Iron Boots can do that, but I seem to be missing something else still... I seem to be unable to rescue Makar, so I guess I'm on my own for now...


The large, windmill-shaped room that Makar is locked up in is actually a huge tower. A fan blows from the bottom which acts as a wind elevator, Link can ride up it with his Deku Leaf. I'm not sure how this temple manages to go so high up, when Gale Island didn't seem anywhere near as tall as this...


Toucan Sam... I mean Wizrobe... is much more common in this temple as well...



This Wizrobe is the real deal!



He even has reinforcements... I would've preferred something original for a miniboss... it's still way too easy to deal with 2 wizrobes and a darknut all at the same time.


Now with the hookshot I can make use of those trees that Makar plants in the ground.


The hookshot is also used to pull this statues off the wall and reveal what's behind them. By using my iron boots to become as heavy as the Deku Tree, I can pull down that big statue that Makar is trapped behind...


Planting trees did turn out to be useful after all. With both of us working together, Makar can fly up to unreachable areas, plant a tree on them, and enable Link to hookshot up to them. Makar harnessing the power of the earth, Link staying rooted to the ground by becoming as heavy as a tree with the iron boots... the element of earth is a vital key to getting through the Wind Temple.

At the very top of the wind tower is where the boss key is hidden. Then to get to the boss...


You go to the bottom of the tower, below the fan, breaking through the wind barriers...


Another final wind barrier before the boss... protected by spike traps...


Makar, showing his bravery, attempts to follow me into the boss room, as I arrange the crates to block all of the spikes... almost there...




In comes Molgera, the giant flying sand worm! Unlike the classic worm boss of previous Zelda games, Molgera's weak spot isn't its head or its tail... instead it's his tongue. This boss is actually more like a combination of Volvagia and Morpha.

This is a really fun boss, but still really easy... it charges in and out of the ground, creating quicksand and sends little pieces of itself out of the ground to attack you while it lunges at you with its main body... then flies around the room some more... basically just wait until he opens his mouth and then hookshot his tongue and slash it... piece of cake.



At the end he flies around and then stops mid-air and disintegrates, just like Volvagia. Ah, whatever, 2nd last dungeon complete!


Gotta love that victory music!



When the Wind God's Aria is played by Makar, a gentle breeze flows into the Master Sword, giving it back its mystical powers.


Makar: Link, I have fully restored the power to repel evil to your Master Sword... And my ancestors are most satisfied. I shall continue praying to the gods here.

Link, please step into the light and return above ground. May the winds of fortune be at your back.

So Makar is probably just gonna stay at this temple and pray, just like Medli... just enough to keep the Master Sword at full power... was this what the OoT sages meant when they added their power to Link and gave him the medallions? There's obviously a lot of missing info here... hopefully Skyward Sword will give us some more backstory on the Sages and their connection to the Master Sword.

Once you go outside, a boat is having a conversation with a fish... you don't get to say that every day.

King of Red Lions: ...I see. So...the Forsaken Fortress has already...

Fishman: Ahh, like a molting snake that casts off its dead skin!

That place is so empty and quiet... one can almost hear the echo of dead leaves falling to the cold, cracked ground!

King of Red Lions: ..........

Fishman: Why? What ails you? What? Lose the long face! The monsters are gone from the world! Doesn't that make you a little happy?
(swims off)

King of Red Lions: Link, I have troubling news... Ganon has not shown himself above the seas since Valoo unleashed his fiery wrath upon him. And what's worse, there is not a creature stirring his base of operations in this world...the Forsaken Fortress.

...I cannot imagine how it is possible, and yet I cannot shake this foreboding feeling I have about the princess, Zelda.

Link, you must search for all the Triforce shards so that we can head back to Hyrule without delay!

Hmm... it is a wonder what happened to Ganon after his hideout on the Forsaken Fortress got burned down. How would he have gotten back into Hyrule anyway? Well... I guess he does literally own the place... Even after I get the Triforce of Courage, will that be enough to find Ganon? Could Ganon have already found Zelda's hideout and taken her Triforce of Wisdom?

The gods of Earth and Wind have been awakened by the music of the new sages, and through their prayers they were able to restore power to the Master Sword. Now that Link has the power to repel evil, he can defeat Ganon once and for all and recover the complete triforce, which has been lost ever since OoT Link first drew out the Master Sword in the Temple of Time...

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