Thursday 20 December 2012

The Legend of Zelda - The Triforce Prophecy

Occasionally, I just get the urge to design a game based on someone else's franchise. This is one such case. I am just putting my designs here, as is, for your perusal.

Overall, I like this game design, although I would probably differentiate it more from Ocarina of Time, especially considering how experimental recent Zelda titles have been. I am very pleased with the characters Kaigan and Gaigan, and may even reuse them in another game (since this one is unlikely to ever be published)

Also, for reference, this was written before Twilight Princess came out, so any similarity to it is mostly coincidental.

Plot:


Within the kingdom of Hyrule, it is said that the Children of Triforce will be born, three chosen individuals will gain the power of Courage, Wisdom, and Power respectively.
The specifics of who will be chosen depend on who you ask, the only true (and highly inaccessible) prophecy is that the Gerudo King will wield the Triforce of power.
It is also said that the light of the Triforce will not shine until all of its champions are born and ready to fulfill their destiny.
The Gerudo King is born much before the Champions of Courage and Wisdom, though due to the remoteness of the Gerudo it is almost unknown to the general public.
The inciting incident is the shining of the Triforce Light. The three champions are revealed to be Link, Zelda, and Ganon.
The Princess Zelda’s championship is glorified and publicized by the Hyrulian royals. Link is, at the time, a farmhand. Ganon is with the Gerudo, as their King.
It should be noted that Link can be named by the player, and he has a identity conflict between the farmhand named by the player, and the Triforce Hero Link.
Link’s championship is revealed only to him, which he later reveals to his grandfather. His grandfather gives him some leather gloves to hide the Triforce symbol and advises him to seek the princess.
Link leaves his home to seek out Zelda, and enroute to Hyrule City discovers the Shadow Kingdom’s influence in the realm. The forest path that he must follow is twisted out of its normal shape, and it turns into a maze to get out of.
Upon reaching Hyrule City, you approach the castle and convey your desire to see the princess. You can only get by the guard by removing your gloves and showing him your Triforce.
You meet Zelda, and as you introduce yourself, guards burst into the room, and proceed to seize and arrest you. It is explained that the meeting of two champions will signal the beginning of a great conflict, and will initiate the rise of the Shadow King. Wishing to prevent such things from happening, as well as to ensure the safety of Zelda, they wish to imprison Link. Despite the protests of both Champions, Link is thrown in jail.
That night, Hyrule Castle is attacked by a force made up of Shadow-Creatures. Zelda takes it upon herself to get into the prisons to help you out of there. The two of you break out of there, to help the soldiers, but as you approach the battlefield, the siege is already over, as a Gerudo force led by Ganon had arrived and defeated the Shadow force.
Ganon introduces himself as the Gerudo King and the Triforce Champion of Power. Link and Zelda meet and greet Ganondorf, and so the three Triforce Champions unite.
With the knowledge that all three Triforce Fragments are required to defeat the Shadow King, the Triforce Champions set off.
In order to find the Shadow King, they must reach the Shadow Realm. To get there, they require the six Elemental Medallions, guarded by the six corresponding Elemental Demons. Each Demon is one of the Elemental Guardians, corrupted by the shadow. The location of the first Demon is determined by Link to be the twisted forest he travelled through before. After restoring the Guardian and receiving the Earth Medallion, the party is given Zelda’s lead about the Light Temple’s corruption.
Within the light temple is the Light of Truth and removes the shadow of untruth (much like the lens of truth), but also repels creeping shadows and death fog. It will also let you see where a Shadow Gate leads, by letting you view what is on the other side of it.
After restoring the Light Guardian and receiving his Medallion, Ganon reveals the third, the Wind Medallion, hidden in the deserts by his Gerudo Kingdom, and with the Light of Truth, they should be able to find it.
When they return to Hyrule City with the Wind Medallion, you are greeted by Zoran and Goron ambassadors, to report Shadow infestations in their respective homes.
The Zorans come first, as the Shadow Gates block the river and there is no way to get to the Goron’s lands.
After the Water Medallion is secured, your party proceeds to the Gorons, whose network of tunnels has been twisted by the Shadow Gates. After you restore the Fire Guardian, the Goron Chief gives you the location of the City of Shadows, at the heart of which is the Gate of Shadows; the location of the final Medallion.
You recover the Darkness Medallion, and use the lot of them to open the Shadow Gate to enter the Shadow Realm.
You travel by the Light of Truth, warding off the shadows as you travel through the realm.
The journey is roughly one dungeon’s length, and its nightmare key reveals an empty throne room. Highly confused by this, the party pokes around the room and tries to understand where the Shadow King is that they’re supposed to be defeating.
Ganon takes this turn of events better than the others, as he approaches the vacant throne and sits in it. Upon doing so, the shadows in the room begin to swirl and almost seem to be celebrating their new King. Ganon revels in his betrayal, making note of the finer points of his scheme, revolving around the Gerudo’s superior knowledge of the Triforce Prophecies, and that as both the Shadow King and a Triforce Champion, he is invulnerable - as it takes all three Triforce Fragments to defeat the Shadow King; and that they even opened the Shadow Gate for him to allow his newly acquired forces into Hyrule to flood the land with darkness.
He orders his Shadows to destroy Link and Zelda, and the two of you must escape before they can catch you.
Outside the Shadow Gate, the City of Shadows has been returned to darkness and its Guardian is nowhere to be seen.
Your party must continue its retreat. You first pass the volcano, and witness Volvagia and a host of Goron soldiers battling the Shadow Monsters.
You are contacted by the Goron Chief, who gives you the Goron’s Ruby, and tells you to use it along with Zora’s Sapphire and the Kokiri Emerald to unlock the Master Sword, which is, for reasons to be explained later, the key to defeating the Shadow King and sealing his realm.
You encounter the brother Guardians of Light and Darkness in Kakariko Village, who are surprised that you have the Goron’s Ruby and that you are seeking the Master Sword. They explain that the Master Sword is the key to the Sacred Realm, and also unlocking the true power of the Triforce, a risky, but necessary course of action, as the Shadow King controls the third Triforce Fragment.
Link, Zelda, Kaigan, and Gaigan proceed to Zora’s Domain, to get Zora’s Sapphire. Through teamwork and with ample Light of Truth related problems, you recover the gem.
With the Kokiri Emerald in your sights, you set off for Kokiri Forest. You must find the hidden Kokiri Village, and unveil its secrets to get the final gemstone.
You take the lot of them to the Temple of Light and unlock the Master Sword. When it is released from its pedestal, the Triforce Fragments resonate, and Link wields the sword.
While the Master Sword unlocks the Sacred Realm, you must uncover the Nemesis Sword, its counterpart, which is the key to the Shadow Realm, and can only be wielded by one of the Shadow, and therefore will be wielded by Gaigan.
In case it seems like a wild goose chase, allow me to explain: the Shadow Realm was unlocked years ago and was sealed behind the Shadow Gate because it endangered the realm. Having broken the seal and without the means to make another one, they must lock the Realm Gate itself, requiring the Nemesis Sword and the full power of the Triforce. The Master Sword was necessary both to unleash the Triforce and to survive the Trials of Nemesis.
The Nemesis Sword is hidden in the desert, through the Eye of Time. The Eye of Time is a massive hurricane-shaped sand storm that is said to be half of a magical hourglass, but that isn’t really important. Only those intended to wield the two Swords (Master and Nemesis) can pass through the Eye of Time and survive, so only Link and Gaigan make the trip.
Within the Eye of Time, you cannot use magic or magic items, so Gaidan’s Eye is useless here, and he must be guided by the Light of Truth. After a series of puzzles and fights against various time-related monsters, you secure the Nemesis Sword and travel back out of the Eye. Your party regroups and heads to the City of Shadows. Kaigan and Gaigan wait outside the Shadow Realm, as the Nemesis Sword is of the shadows and will not betray its King, and only the united Triforce can defeat the Shadow King, so Kaigan has no place there either.
With that, Link and Zelda make their final trip into the Shadow Realm to confront Ganondorf. They proceed to the Shadow Throne to face Ganondorf, who is happy to face you, still confident in his invulnerability.
The battle is hard fought, but ultimately won, as in its final moments Link cuts off Ganon’s hand, and its Triforce with it, which Zelda quickly gathers and unites the Triforce then uses her most powerful spell, which is amplified further by the Triforce, petrifying Ganon, with the final blow struck by the Master Sword.
They return to the normal world, and seal the Shadow Realm by the power of the Triforce and the Nemesis Sword, restoring peace and order to Hyrule.

Characters:

Link

The famous Link. You know who he is, but let’s look at him in a different context. In this game, he is the farmhand turned hero who is probably the underdog among the Champions, as Zelda has her magical training, and Ganon is well, freakishly strong. Link relies on his items more than the other characters, who use their innate abilities.

Link is an overall average character, his health, mana, attack, and defence are all average. He has a variety of attacks that are useful in various situations. A sort of Jack-of-all-Trades if you will. His mana expenditure will not be in ‘spells,’ rather, enchanted items, such as the Light of Truth (which is not technically magical, but consumes mana to power its light), and various elemental arrows, as well as his famous sword special attacks.

Link’s Items

Tunic - Rather than wear armour, Link wears Tunics enchanted with various powers to enhance his defence.
Gloves - From his first Leather Gloves, these adorn his hands. Some are enchanted to enhance grip (and climbing ability) or allow him to carry hot or otherwise dangerous things.
Boots - What he wears on his feet. From your basic boots to the heavy Iron Boots to even enchanted boots.
Weapon - Link will go through a number of weapons throughout the game, which include bows, swords, hammers, and others. They can be one or two handed, ranged or melee, conventional or enchanted, and are generally useful for hurting bad guys.
Shield - A shield will occupy the other hand while using a one handed weapon, and it will stop enemy attacks without hurting Link, or even reflect some attacks. There are several types of shields throughout the game.
Other - A collection of other items, including bottled goods, musical instruments, and other generally usable but unconventional items.
Event Items - These are mostly key type items, which are only used under certain circumstances, and are not directly equippable. They are listed in your inventory, usually in their own section.

Zelda

Zelda is the Hyrulian Princess, and the Triforce Champion of Wisdom. She is fairly well known as well, so let’s examine her role in this game a little deeper. She is going to be the main magic user for the Triforce Prophecy, and is therefore going to require a whole bunch of mana and mana regeneration things. But I digress.

She is a support character, who has less health, but much more mana than Link. She is great at supporting the team, but a poor front line fighter. She has a variety of spells, some of which will replace her basic attack and serve in place of a weapon.

Zelda’s Items

Dress - Zelda wears an elaborate dress, which is usually integrated with armour for protection. Some dresses are enchanted for bonus effects.
Tiara - Zelda usually wears some form of head gear, for both aesthetic and protective purposes, although they are often enchanted for other effects.
Attack - This is an attack, rather than weapon, as it is often filled with magic rather than a sturdy weapon. It can be weapon or spell in this spot.
Accessory - Zelda frequently wears enchanted amulets, earrings, or whatever else for the magical effects imbued on said items.
Medallion - Yes, the quest-critical Elemental Medallions are equippable by Zelda. They change her elemental alignment and are required for some spells.

Ganon (or Ganondorf)

Ganon is the Triforce Champion of Power, and while he does serve a long time in your party, he is ultimately the main antagonist and the King of Shadows. He is a brutally strong character, who is by far physically stronger and bigger than the other two champions (likely combined!). Did I mention he was strong?

He is a melee fighter, and loves nothing more than looking an enemy in the eyes while destroying it in some brutal manner. He is incredibly tough, with huge health and his master crafted Gerudo Armour, and is an incredible front-liner. He has less mana than Link though, and he will use it on his combat moves only.

Ganon’s Items

Armour - This stays the same throughout, it is always the Gerudo Armour. Nothing else even comes close to the quality, and the capes cover any elemental resistance needed.
Cape - Ganon’s cape is the only piece of armour he changes throughout the game, and it protects the same way as Zelda’s dresses and Link’s tunics.
Weapon - Ganon is a very strong fighter, even without a weapon. Put something metal in his hands, and watch him go. He won’t use a shield, because he is way too tough for that.
Focus Stone - The large stone on his forehead, it can be exchanged for various stones for various, usually passive effects. 

Kaigan

Kaigan is new to the Zelda series, he is brother of Gaigan, and serves as both the Light Guardian and an ally in the game. You first fight him when he is possessed as the Demon of Light. The defining feature of the Guardian Brothers is that they are both blind, and have different methods of compensating for that. Kaigan wields the Staff of Light, which allows him to see whatever it illuminates.

Kaigan is an all around fighter, as he has several Light spells, and he is skilled with his staff in combat. He is especially effective against Shadow Monsters, given his alignment. His stats are fairly average, although he has less defence and more mana than Link.

Kaigan’s Items
(these may change depending on the character’s appearance)

Cloak - Kaigan wears a full cloak over his body. It may be enchanted for additional protection or for elemental resistance, or whatever else.
Staff - This will almost always be filled by the Staff of Light, as he is completely blind without it. It is a good staff, with decent damage. He can wield other staves, but only the one lets him see.
Face - Given as how he is blind, Kaigan often wears visors, masks, or other face-covering devices, both for psychological advantage and magical effect. 

Gaigan 

Gaigan is also new to the Zelda universe, and is Kaigan’s brother. He serves as both the Shadow Guardian and an ally in the game. He first must be defeated as the Demon of Shadow, then he later joins your party. He is also blind, and uses his magical eye to see, which allows him to see only truth.

Gaigan is also a general type fighter, he has a variety if Shadow spells, and he uses various weapons in combat, including the Nemesis Sword. His Dark-type attacks will not affect certain Shadow Monsters, due to their common alignment. His stats are comparable to his brother’s.

Gaigan’s Items
(these may change depending on the character’s appearance)

Eye - This is filled by Gaigan’s magical eye. Nothing else really goes in there, as it is basically the only item of its type.
Cloak - Gaigan also wears a cloak, which serves the same purpose as any other. Only a few cloaks are character specific, due to their elemental alignment.
Weapon - This is filled by whatever weapon Gaigan is using. He can wield most weapons in the game, excluding certain character-specific items (such as the Master Sword)
Dagger - Gaigan uses a dagger in addition to his other weapon, which he uses either in combination with his other attacks or as a surprise or melee attack. He has several spells and abilities revolving around his dagger.


Key Mechanics:

Shadow Gates -

A major mechanic of this game, they are essentially a door made of shadows that sends you to somewhere other than where you would normally go. When under the influence of the Light of Truth (or when seen through Gaigan’s eye), it will show where it is going instead of just being black (ideally using the Portal technology).

Shadow Gates are used to convert ordinary locations (including Kokiri Forest, Zora’s Domain, the Goron Tunnels, the Gerudo Fortress, the City of Shadows, and the Temple of Light) into dungeons. They are useful for forcing the player to complete a dungeon before advancing.

Light of Truth -
Based on the Lens of Truth, the Light of Truth is essentially a torch whose light will only illuminate Truth, essentially eliminating illusions and chasing off Shadows. It also wards off Death Fog and Creeping Shadows (which are described below). It will drain mana slowly, possibly even not at all, due to the incredible amount of use it will see throughout the game.

Death Fog -

Death Fog is essentially a purple cloudy substance that kills anyone who breathes it in (an instant death). Ways to get past it include the Light of Truth, as well as dispelling it (by such methods as blowing it away with a fan).

Creeping Shadows -

These are just enemies who only exist as shadows. They are invulnerable to normal attacks, and are only destroyed by Light. They can only attack from shadows, and their range outside into light is restricted both by their size and whether or not it is the Light of Truth.

Shadows -

Darkness is a major theme in the Triforce Prophecy, as many monsters and magical spells are based on Shadows, as well as numerous puzzles and abilities are based on Light. Shadows should be emphasized in the game engine, to allow for clearly defined light and shadows, as well as the possibility of dynamic shadows and shadow-based animations, objects, and enemies.

Blindness -

As both Kaigan and Gaigan are blind and both join your party for a short period, it should be noted that their methods of viewing are different from others. They can always see themselves, as even if they are blind, their other senses keep them informed of what they are doing. Gaigan can always see a circle section of the screen (much like the circle section revealed by the Lens of Truth), in addition to anything illuminated by the Light of Truth. Kaigan can only see things illuminated by the Light of Truth, but he carries the Staff of Light, which illuminates his immediate surroundings.
I’m toying with the idea of letting them see things that are making noise or that have a particular scent, as their other senses would probably be heightened. It’s pretty iffy right now, as such things would be too subjective, and no doubt some hardcore fans would object to whatever exceptions would occur.

Music -

No doubt Link’s ocarina will make an appearance, and it should be able to perform similar feats to those in previous Legend of Zelda games. Zelda may also have her Sheik Harp and who knows, maybe even Ganon will play his organ or something.
The effects of said ocarina will probably also be similar to past instalments, with a Hyrule Royalty Song, maybe even a Gerudo Anthem, a few generic or specific songs for particular occasions, maybe even a warp spell or two (though I think those would have to be fairly restricted).

Inventory -

Due to the partied nature of this game, the inventory will work slightly differently than normal. Some items will be character exclusive (most items in all likelihood) while others will be able to be transferred between characters. There will be a common inventory, which is likely to contain mostly quest items, such as any collectables, bottles, keys, rupees, and other such party inclusive items.
Each character will have an inventory of character specific items, which will likely include the majority of the items in the game (in terms of types, not quantity). Some equippable items are exchangeable, such as some cloaks, bottles, and some other specific items.

The Eye of Time -

A strange singularity in the game, the Eye of Time is a collection of the Trials of Nemesis that one must overcome to obtain the Nemesis Sword. It has a major time theme to it, as rooms and objects get rapidly younger and older. It also has the unique property of disabling most magical items, including Gaigan’s magical eye. The Light of Truth remains active inside however, as Gaigan shouldn’t be totally useless inside of it.

Shadow Monsters -

Frequently mentioned throughout these design documents, Shadow Monsters are evil beings from the Shadow Realm. They vary in appearance and - well, basically everything. They are weak to light in almost all cases, although most have other vulnerabilities as well. Some are purely shadow, others are just dark and scary monsters, some are undead (including skeletons, vampires, and ghosts [poes]), and some are just unfortunate, cursed souls or creatures forced to do the bidding of the shadow.

Teamwork -

As so much of the game involves multiple characters, it will inevitably be a major part of gameplay that you can control your party to some degree. I’d like to make it multiplayer, with a system similar to the X-Men RPGs, so that other players can just join in and play and leave freely, and so that swapping characters is as easy as possible.
You should also be able to have indirect control of your party, to be able to give orders to your allies without having to directly control them, and to prevent them from disrupting whatever you might have accomplished while controlling them!
I think that there should be a central button for controlling your party, from which other commands and actions should be accessible from there, such as ordering them around or changing characters.

Dying -

There are essentially two types of death - instant and actual. Instant death is usually just a slap on the wrist, falling into a bottomless pit then respawning with 1 heart fewer. Actual death is the running out of hearts, and is usually a more serious matter.
When one of the characters suffers instant death, they will just respawn with 1 fewer heart. They will spawn from their last safe location before their fall.
When a character suffers actual death, that character will fade out and remain out of the game until restored by a fairy. If all characters are dead, the player loses.
When you save and then load, all your characters get 3 hearts, regardless of how many they had before and whether or not they were dead.

Shadow Dungeons -

Shadow Dungeons are a derivation of the classic dungeon. They are made out of an ordinary area by means of shadow gates. By scrambling an ordinary region, a Shadow Dungeon is created. They serve much the same purpose as conventional dungeons, with the containing of essential items, and the gathering of elemental medallions, and general game progression.
Every Shadow Dungeon contains the following: a Shadow Map, a Demon Key, and a Demon. The Demon serves as a boss, his Key is required to fight him, and the map shows you the dungeon’s layout as described below.
When viewing the map within a Shadow Dungeon, you will see all shadow gates noted, however you will see the regular map unless you possess a Shadow Map for the region (much like previous Dungeon Maps), which will allow you to view the scrambled region as it is.
Not all dungeons are Shadow Dungeons, but I think that most of them will be. The six Elemental Medallions are all in Shadow Dungeons.

Defence and Attack -

Throughout the items section, there are several references to the attack or defence of an item. Your defence is the sum of all the defences of all your items. Your attack is the attack rating of your weapon.

All enemies have an attack value, and their damage is proportional to that. If your defence meets or exceeds this value, the damage is halved. This is only applicable for non-elemental attacks. If the damage exceeds your defence, you take a half-heart of damage for every attack point; if it does not exceed your defence, you take a quarter-heart of damage.
Your damage is proportional to your attack. In the case of Gaigan (who wields a dagger in addition to his regular weapon), his attack is displayed as the sum of the two attacks, but each is resolved individually.

Elemental Alignment -

Your elemental alignment has several interesting perks. All damage you take of your alignment is halved, while all that of the opposing element is doubled. You may have 1 alignment per elemental pair (earth/air, fire/water, dark/light). You may not wield any items of opposing elements or damage types. Note that Ice and Water are both the same type.

Only Kaigan and Gaigan have any innate alignment, that of Light and Dark respectively. Link, Zelda, and Ganon all derive their alignment from their items.
Zelda’s Elemental Dresses do not change her alignment, but do halve the damage from that element. They can be worn so long as you are not of the opposing element. If you are the same element, their effects are combined, so that you take one-quarter of the regular damage from your native element. Zelda’s Elemental Earrings and Amulet of Light are similar, except that their bonus is for the casting of spells rather than defence. They enable otherwise elemental exclusive spells. They cannot be equipped if you are of their opposed element. Ganon’s Dark Stone increases the damage of his special Shadow Attacks (his special attacks). Ganon cannot change his alignment to light, so that is not a concern for him.
Note that elemental alignments work differently for enemies, whose weaknesses may not coincide with any alignments.

Capture Fire – 
One of Zelda’s earliest and most useful spells throughout, capture fire essentially takes an orb of fire from an existing source, then holding onto it for later use. It can be used on conventional fire, the Light of Truth, as well as Blue Fire, and other specialized types. She can only hold onto a single orb at a time, and doing so takes mana. It acts as a light source; this is especially true for the Light of Truth, whose illumination holds special properties.
Taking an orb of fire does not extinguish the source, with the exception of Storage Orbs, which are a special type of light that just holds orbs of fire, which are not truly extinguished, as they were just a hovering orb of fire in the first place. Storage Orbs cannot be illuminated except by using of Captured Fire, as even fire arrows, spells, and fireballs will not light them up. Storage Orbs are essentially glass orbs whose only magical property is holding Captured Fire. They are ethereal to orbs of fire, and corporeal to all else. It is entirely possible that a boss will have lit Storage Orbs for eyes, and you will be able to blind him by removing the fire from them.
Capture Fire is useful in almost all fire-manipulative puzzles, it is also essential in interacting with Storage Orbs. It is a useful, if awkward, weapon against most enemies, and is even useful as a light source. It’s low mana cost makes it practical for common use, and being available so early makes it a key game mechanic.


Armoury:

Tunics

Tunic - Defence 1
Fire Tunic - Defence 2, Fire Alignment*
Ice Tunic - Defence 2, Ice Alignment*
Kokiri Tunic - Defence 4, Earth Alignment*
Zoran Tunic - Defence 3, Water Alignment, Underwater Breathing*
Goron Tunic - Defence 3, Fire Alignment, Extreme Heat Protection*

Cloaks

Cloak - Defence 1
Earth Cloak - Defence 2, Earth Alignment*
Air Cloak - Defence 2, Air Alignment*
Cloak of Shadows - Defence 3, Dark Alignment*
Cloak of Light - Defence 3, Light Alignment*

Gloves

Leather Gloves - Hides Triforce
Steel Gloves - Defence 1*
Silver Gloves - Heavy Lifting*
Golden Gloves - Super-heavy Lifting*
Fire Gloves - Fire Handling*
Climbing Gloves - Climbing Ability*

Capes

Cape - Defence 1
Fire Cape - Defence 2, Fire Align*
Wind Cape - Defence 2, Wind Align, Enables Floating*
Water Cape - Defence 2, Water Align, Underwater Breathing*

Dresses

Dress - Defence 1
Fire Dress - Defence 1, Bonus against fire, Non-water Alignment
Water Dress - Defence 1, Bonus against water, Non-fire Alignment
Royal Dress - Defence 2*

Boots

Leather Boots - Provides basic protection
Iron Boots - Enables Sinking, Heavy Weight*
Hover Boots - Water Walking, Short ‘Hover’ off of surfaces, No Traction*
Protective Boots - Provides advanced protection, slower movement*

Tiaras

Tiara - Defence 1*
Diamond Tiara - Defence 2*

Earrings

Fire Earrings - Bonus to Fire, Non-water Alignment*
Water Earrings - Bonus to water, Non-water Alignment*
Wind Earrings - Bonus to air, Non-earth alignment*
Earth Earrings - Bonus to earth, Non-wind alignment*
Triforce Earrings - Greatly increases maximum mana*

Amulets

Amulet of Protection - Defence 1*
Amulet of Life - +1 Heart*
Amulet of Light - Bonus to Light, Non-dark Alignment*

Swords

Short Sword - Attack 1
Fire Sword - Attack 1, Adds fire damage*
Ice Sword - Attack 1, Adds ice damage*
Sword - Attack 2
Master Sword - Attack 3*
Nemesis Sword - Attack 3*
Deku Sticks - Attack 1, Limited Durability, Flammable

Hammers

War Hammer - Attack 2
Battle Hammer - Attack 3
Megaton Hammer - Attack 4*
Gigaton Hammer - Attack 5*

Long Swords

Long Sword - Attack 3
Goron Knife - Attack 5*

Staves

Staff - Attack 1
Quarterstaff - Attack 2
Staff of Earth - Attack 2, Adds Earth Damage*
Staff of Air - Attack 2, Adds Air Damage*
Staff of Light - Attack 2, Adds Light Damage*

Daggers

Dagger - Attack 1*
Glass Dagger - Attack 2, Limited Durability
Black Dagger - Attack 2, Adds Dark Damage*

Shields

Wooden Shield - Defence 1
Hyrule Shield - Defence 2*
Mirrored Shield - Defence 2, Reflective*

Visors

Visor - Defence 1*
Forged Visor - Defence 2*

Masks

Mirror Mask - Shows the face of the onlooker.*
Demon Mask - A scary mask to exorcize poe.*
Keaton Mask - A cute mask of a popular character.*
Mask of Truth - A mask that lets you hear thoughts and read gossip stones.*

Arrows

Arrows - Attack 3
Fire Arrows - Attack 3, Adds fire damage*
Ice Arrows- Attack 3, Adds ice damage*
Light Arrows - Attack 3, Adds light damage*

Instruments

Ocarina*
Harp*

Medallions

Earth Medallion - Earth Alignment*
Wind Medallion - Wind Alignment*
Fire Medallion - Fire Alignment*
Water Medallion - Water Alignment*
Dark Medallion - Dark Alignment*
Light Medallion - Light Alignment*

Focus Stones

Life Stone - +1 Heart*
Dark Stone - Bonus to Dark Attacks*
Mana Stone - Increases Mana*

Bottles (and bottled goods)

Bottle (Empty) - Grabs and Contains certain objects.
Fish
Insect
Red Potion - Restores full health
Fairy - Restores full health or revives you on death
Green Potion - Restores full mana
Blue Fire - Melts Red Ice
Poe

Unique

Hookshot - Grapples and Stuns, Attack 0*
Bow - Fires damaging arrows*
Boomerang - Retrieves and Stuns, Attack 1*
Gaigan’s Eye - Shows only Truth*
Bombs - Explodes. Damage 8, but works differently on some things.
Gerudo Armour - Defence 5*

Powerups

Recovery Heart - Restores 1 heart
Lesser Mana Potion - Restores 10 MP
Greater Mana Potion - Restores 40 MP
Arrows (1) - Gains 5 arrows
Arrows (2) - Gains 10 arrows
Arrows (3) - Gains 15 arrows
Bombs - Gains 5 bombs
Deku Stick - Gains 1 Deku Stick
Fairy - Restores health completely
Rupee (green) - Gains 1 rupee
Rupee (blue) - Gains 5 rupees
Rupee (red) - Gains 20 rupees
Rupee (purple) - Gains 50 rupees
Huge Rupee (gold) - Gains 200 rupees


Magic:

Elements: Fire, Earth, Air, Water, Dark, Light

Fire:

Capture Fire: (MP1/Duration)
Takes fire from a source (without extinguishing that source) and allows you to use it. Useful in many puzzles and as a weapon. You first summon the fire to yourself, then throw it where you will. It will remain with you unless you pass through certain zones, even if you change your active spell. It will drain mana slowly while you hold the fire.

Fireblast: (MP6/Fire Align)
Creates and throws a fireball that creates a massive explosion on impact. Use with caution.

Fireball: (MP1)
Fires a slow moving, but relatively powerful ball of fire. It does not explode on impact.

Earth:

Photosynthesis: (Passive/Earth Align)
Recharges mana while exposed to light. Only counts for direct sunlight, so outdoors or in specific locations where light shines through.

Entangling Root: (MP4)
Sends a massive root to grab and ensnare your opponent. Will not work on certain surfaces, such as stone, as it requires soft ground in order to penetrate. Makes a distinct noise when it fails. Under certain circumstances it will grab and retrieve items for you.

Natural Force: (MP8/Earth Align)
Summons a powerful force that varies depending on location.
Forest Area - Tree Army: Trees will become animated and attack your enemies when they can. This might animate existing trees or summon new ones, depending.
Earth Area - Golem: Summons a powerful ally made of clay
Fire Area - Molten Coffin: Traps the target in a molten prison, trapping and damaging them, and usually killing them.
Desert - Sandstorm: Summons a sandstorm that blinds and damages enemies over time
Water Area - Morpha: Summons amoebic tendrils to grab and drown your opponents.
Unnatural Area - None: This has no effect in some unnatural areas, such as some dungeons.

Air:

Wind Blades: (MP4/Air Align)
Creates a cyclone of wind blades around the caster, which only damage enemies. Has a fairly short and intense duration.

Gust: (MP2)
Fires a concentrated beam of wind that damages and greatly knocks back the target. May be useful for moving some objects.

Leap: (MP2)
This will fling the caster to the target, assuming that it has a legitimate target. You will deliver a kick on impact, but the leaping is the important part. It can target enemies, allies (you won’t kick them), and specific targets (for puzzle purposes).

Water:

Ice Armour: (MP8/Water Align)
This will protect you from damage for its duration. It is not infallible, and some attacks (fire especially) will penetrate it. Taking huge amounts of damage will reduce its duration, while being in or near water will increase it.

Water Walking: (Duration)
This allows you to walk on water as if it were a solid surface. It will be cancelled if you are forced underwater for whatever reason, and cannot be cast while swimming.
Note: If you are of Water Alignment, you may cast this to climb out of the water while treading water, but it costs MP2. You may also choose to cancel Water Walking at any time.

Ice Dagger: (MP2)
Throws a fast moving and moderately powerful dagger made of ice. It is less powerful than a fireball. It will freeze those particularly vulnerable to ice.

Dark:

Invisibility: (MP4/Duration/Dark Align)
Renders the caster invisible. This will not fool anyone with True Sight, and will be countered by the Light of Truth. It will also leave the caster partially visible after attacking or casting spells. The caster is immune to several light based spells and traps, as well as being invisible to most enemies.
Gaigan does double dagger damage during his Invisibility.

Hand of Darkness: (MP6/Gaigan Exclusive)
Causes your shadow to extend itself and grab an enemy, immobilizing and damaging it. The caster must remain still for the duration, but allies may hack at the paralysed enemy freely. This will not work in bright areas.
If the target is close, Gaigan may get a free stab with his dagger.

Shadow: (MP10/Dark Align)
Summons a shadow duplicate. It has all the same moves and items as the caster. They have a limited duration, determined by their health, which starts the same as the caster, but drains over time. You may only have 1 shadow per caster. Shadows may not pick up items or power-ups. They will however, duplicate the caster’s actions on a few scripted occasions (such as a synchronizing based puzzle).

Light:

Light-Thrower: (Duration/Kaigan Exclusive)
What is essentially a Light of Truth/Flamethrower. It drains mana fairly quickly, but is quite powerful, especially against Shadow Monsters.

Beam of Light: (MP15/Light Align)
Fires a powerful beam of light at the target. This is devastating against Shadow Monsters and very powerful against all others. This will be reflected by mirrors, so use it carefully.
Note: This is the spell used to petrify Ganondorf in the plot, except it will be in the shape of a Triforce instead of a generic beam for that shot.

Divine Light: (MP4/Light Align)
Creates a beam of light from the sky above to damage or illuminate. It is ridiculously effective against Shadow Monsters and only average against others. It can only be used outdoors or somewhere with an open roof.

Controls:

Wii

Thumbstick - Move
D Pad - Quick Item
A - Use/Interact/Roll
B - Use Item
Z - Target/Strafe
C - Party Button
Minus - Inventory
Home - Menu
Plus - Map
Swipe Wiimote - Draw Sword
Aim With Wiimote

Party Controls

Bring up Party Screen - C
Issue Order - A
Select Character - D Pad
Party orders will be given by moving the nunchuck.




I rather like it; I feel that it brought new mechanics and directions to the series, although I admittedly would have to rework the party system somewhat, as it really doesn't make much sense to play Zelda as a group. Until next time,

-Colin Souva

PS. Merry Christmas