Zelda A Link to the Past - Lv1 Dark Palace

I get into the Dark World and suddenly the video length doubles. No coincidence, because the Dark World dungeons are longer and harder, but that also means the videos will be more interesting and helpful now.

The Dark Palace is one of those dungeons with a crapload of small keys and you can spend a long time wandering around in search of them. However, it becomes much simpler once you know where they are. I show the optimal route here, which involves only a small amount of backtracking.

The turtles in this dungeon are just plain awesome, by the way. I almost feel sad when I crush their soft underbellies with the hammer. Incidentally, the hammer is actually more powerful than the Master Sword, doing the same amount of damage as the Tempered Sword.

Helmasaur King is the first truly hard boss in the game, on account of it being able to do a lot of damage very fast. But it's still no match for me and I can usually get through the fight with no damage taken. I usually just use the sword after I've broken its mask but this time I decided to use the bow as well. When it stops moving to spit fireballs or whip its tail you can unload about five arrows into it if you're quick.

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Zelda A Link to the Past - Lv1 Dark Palace

My complete Level 1: Dark Palace walkthrough for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Played in real time on Snes9x v1.43+ with re-records used to optimize video length.

Equipment checklist: 10 Hearts, 20+ Bombs

You can increase your bomb and arrow carrying capacity by throwing rupees into the Pond of Happiness on the island in the middle of Lake Hylia.

[01:03] Goriyas
These enemies are called Goriyas and they mirror your movement. The green ones aren't dangerous but the red ones will shoot a fireball if you face them straight on.

[03:38] Fall-away bridge
Dash across this bridge or else it will begin crumbling tile-by-tile into the pit below.

[07:29] Turtle room
Be careful in here; it's very easy to accidentally flip turtles right side up again while killing others.

[08:03] Boss: Helmasaur King
Use bombs to break the Helmasaur King's mask and only resort to using the hammer if you're out. After its mask is broken, hit the green spot on its head with the sword or bow to damage it but watch out for its faster movement. When it spits fireballs, stand to the side or above/below them to avoid them when they split. If its tail starts swinging back and forth fast, move up close to avoid being whipped.

I also have another no damage video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DbIfwSkN88

Guide: 08/14/08 | By: Desbreko | 6 comments | Zelda | Tags: video games, youtube, zelda

Zelda A Link to the Past - Hyrule Castle

Now here's something a little more fun. Hyrule Castle is pure combat all the way up the tower to Agahnim so I get to show off my leet sword beam spamming skillz. I always abuse sword beams to the max in Hyrule Castle because I've just gotten the Master Sword and need to get that godlike feeling out of my system. But I probably won't use them as much in the Dark World dungeons because 1) I'll actually be getting hit in them due to their higher difficulty and 2) it's unlikely that most people will be able to stroll through dungeons with full hearts.

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Zelda A Link to the Past - Hyrule Castle

My complete Hyrule Castle walkthrough for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Played in real time on Snes9x v1.43+ with re-records used to optimize video length.

Equipment checklist: 9 Hearts, Bug-Catching Net

You can get the Bug-Catching Net from the sick kid living in the house just north of the bar in Kakariko Village.

[00:06] Sword beams
The Master Sword shoots sword beams when you have full hearts. Abuse this power whenever possible.

[01:48] Red guards
Be careful around the red guards; their tridents have longer range than your sword.

[02:28] Statue blockade
The blue guards' arrows can't pass through the statues from the front but they will go through from the side. Swing your sword as soon as you enter the room to alert them, so that they won't circle around and flank you.

[03:24] Boss: Agahnim
Agahnim can only be hurt by reflecting his own red fireballs back into him with either the Master Sword or the Bug-Catching Net. Always stand to the left or right of him so that if he throws a blue fireball ring it will be blocked by your shield after you split it with the Master Sword. If Agahnim moves to the top-center and faces downwards, run up beside him because that means he's about to use his lightning attack.

I also have another no damage video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVlCF2Ebo3U

Guide: 08/12/08 | By: Desbreko | 3 comments | Zelda | Tags: video games, youtube, zelda

Zelda A Link to the Past - Mountain Tower

Only one more Light World dungeon left, and it's very short. And Agahnim is stupidly easy. I should be able to get the video for it up tomorrow and then we'll get to the good part.

Again, not much to say about this dungeon because it's easy. The only parts that aren't straightforward are knowing to leave the red blocks down and which holes to drop down. The Moldorm can be a pain, though, and it managed to get a hit on me. I was just a split second too late charging up the spin attack and couldn't block it in time. However, I did the entire dungeon and boss without using any re-records this time which was pretty awesome.

I changed how I encode my videos with this one, which will make the high quality versions look better. I think it may have also reduced the quality a bit on the standard version but it's hard to tell if that's due to the encoding difference or simply because of the Mountain Tower's floor tile pattern. LttP doesn't encode into FLV too well (which is what YouTube standard quality videos are) because of all the small details on the floor tiles combined with lots of full screen scrolling. In any case, it was about time I stopped being lazy and got MeGUI instead of using the Video for Windows version of x264 for encoding.

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Zelda A Link to the Past - Mountain Tower

My complete Mountain Tower walkthrough for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Played in real time on Snes9x v1.43+.

Equipment checklist: 8 Hearts, Flippers, Magical Boomerang, Red Shield

The Flippers must be bought (for 500 rupees) from King Zora in Zora's Waterfall, in the far north-east corner of the overworld. Once you've obtained them you can then access the Waterfall of Wishing, just outside Zora's Waterfall, where a great fairy will upgrade your boomerang and shield.

[00:36] Flying floor tiles
Don't bother trying to dodge these or time your sword swings to cut them out of the air, just hold your sword out in front of you and the tiles will shatter on it without being able to reach you.

[04:02] Hidden fairies
These fairies will re-appear as many times as you need them.

[04:08] Heart reserves
Each pot enclosed in the orange switch blocks contains a heart, which is why the orange blocks should be left down while climbing the tower.

[04:13] Boss: Moldorm
This huge worm can only be damaged on its tail and touching its body will bounce you away. Be careful not to get knocked off the edge or it will regain its full health when you climb back up. Spin attacks are effective due to their wide range, plus Moldorm won't damage you if it runs into your sword while it's held out.

I also have a no damage video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WzC-6N0GxM

Guide: 08/10/08 | By: Desbreko | 1 comment | Zelda | Tags: video games, youtube, zelda

Zelda A Link to the Past - Desert Palace

Another day, another video; I'm going to try to keep up that pace. ... It would be nice if I could keep up that pace. ... I probably won't keep up that pace once I get into the Dark World dungeons. ... Who am I kidding, the Ice Palace and beyond is going to be a bitch and take at least two days each.

Yeah, another easy dungeon here. There's a couple tricky parts in the Desert Palace but still nothing bad if you know how to handle them. After a couple test runs I went through the entire dungeon without using any re-records, used one to cover a stupid pause mistake outside the boss room, then used two more to get a good take of the Lanmolas, for a grand total of three. At least the Pegasus Shoes let me zip through it fast.

Edit: Wow, I must still have Super Metroid on the brain. I wrote "Ice Beam" in the Lanmolas strategy instead of "Ice Rod."

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Zelda A Link to the Past - Desert Palace

My complete Desert Palace walkthrough for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Played in real time on Snes9x v1.43+ with re-records used to optimize video length.

Equipment checklist: 6 3/4 Hearts, Ice Rod

The Ice Rod can be found in a cave on the north-east shore of Lake Hylia.

[02:32] Piece of Heart
This is why I recommend having 6 3/4 hearts before you enter, so that you can complete your 7th mid-way through the dungeon.

[03:07] No place to hide
Be quick about getting through this room because the only safe point is behind the statue at the very bottom. Just keep running even if you get hit.

[03:49] Boss: Lanmolas
The Ice Rod will make quick work of these giant sand worms—if you can hit with it. The Ice Rod's shots travel very slowly and the Lanmolas can only be damaged on their heads, which makes timing your shots difficult. Otherwise, use your sword and remember that the dirt clods will always fly out diagonally until there's only one Lanmola left, at which point they'll fly out in all eight directions.

I also have another no damage video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaDt1_WbbWc

Guide: 08/09/08 | By: Desbreko | 6 comments | Zelda | Tags: video games, youtube, zelda

Zelda A Link to the Past - East Palace

New video project, yay! I decided to play through Zelda: A Link to the Past again (for, like, the fourteenth time) and record walkthroughs for the dungeons. The first dungeon here is easy, to the point that I rarely even get hit in it, but you gotta start somewhere. Once I get into the Dark World dungeons the videos should be a lot more interesting.

I'm also now encoding my videos so that there will be high quality versions available.

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Zelda A Link to the Past - East Palace

My complete East Palace walkthrough for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Played in real time on Snes9x v1.43+ with re-records used to optimize video length.

Equipment checklist: 5 Hearts, Magic Powder

To obtain the magic powder, go to the Lost Woods, find the mushroom, and bring it to the witch living across the river to the east of the graveyard.

[00:13] Running the gauntlet
Duck into one of the side alcoves if a large ball comes out.

[04:33] Anti-fairy into fairy
Sprinkling some magic powder on an Anti-fairy will transform it into a normal fairy, which can be a great source of hearts in dungeons.

[05:23] Boss: Armos Knights
Use your new bow and arrows on the Armos Knights and they'll die in three shots each. Retreat to a bottom corner of the room to avoid getting hit when they spread out into a ring and punch a hole through their formation when they form a line at the top of the room.

I also have another no damage video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA57EPQxoaY

Guide: 08/09/08 | By: Desbreko | 4 comments | Zelda | Tags: video games, youtube, zelda