Here are some of the best secret sub-quests in the game, and also some of my favorite tricks and hints for better play. As far as I'm concerned, for one to truly beat the game, they must finish all of the intended quests. Well, this game is a paradise for those people who enjoy them! There are some really great rewards for those who have the time to do the missions. So without any further ado, let's get down to business!
Link Sounds a Little Bit Horse
Do you remember the little pony that came to you as a kid when you played 'Epona's Song'? Her name, of course, is Epona. And she was meant to be yours! However, you have to get her in a special way. This isn't really required, but it's important to the special quests, and she's great to have- she saves you a lot of walking time.
- As soon as you grow up, you're ready to get Epona. Go first to Lon Lon ranch and ask around a bit to catch up on old times.
- After talking to Ingo, ask to ride a horse and get the hang of it really well.
- The second time you ride, play 'Epona's song'. She'll find you and you can ride her! Now, go up to Ingo and challenge him to a race! The stakes are pretty high-fifty bucks- but you have a good chance of winning if you use your carrots wisely!
- After you win the race, ask to ride again. Go into the middle of the corral and play 'Epona's Song'. She'll come up to you. Hop on!
- Challenge Ingo to a race while on Epona. This one's tough, but if you keep your cool and try as hard as you can, you'll win it! However, Ingo has other ideas...
- As soon as you win Epona, Ingo locks you in. The remedy? See those high fences around the ranch? If you use your carrots wisely enough, you can jump right over a fence! That's what you'll need to do to get back into Hyrule Field. She's yours now!
The Biggoron's Sword
This is, quite possibly, the most sought-after hidden item in the page. It's fairly important, because it deals twice the damage of the Master Sword. Quite frankly, it's my favorite weapon (I never use my shield) and so I think that it's pretty much essential to the game. However, it's pretty hard to get. You need some other stuff first, namely Epona, and you need to have planted a magic bean in front of Dodongo's Cavern. Also, you need to have un-frozen King Zora after completing the Water Dungeon. It's pretty tough, because a lot of the stuff you need to do is timed. Therefore, I'd recommend not wearing your Hover Boots for this quest! Good luck. Then again, if I could get it on my first try, so can anyone else!!!
- Do you remember that crazy Cucco Lady in Kakariko Village? And how she traumatized you in childhood by making you find her cuccos? (I wonder what Freud would say about that!) Anyway, it's time for her to make her 'second entrance' in the game. Talk to her to get the Pocket Cucco. You'll need to use it to awaken people who like to sleep too much.
- This is the part I had the most difficulty with...isn't that disgusting? Anyway, you need to use the Pocket Cucco to awaken the perpetually sleeping Talon. But where is he? I must have searched all of Hyrule before I found him! He's in Kakariko Village, in that house where the carpenters stayed at night when you were a little kid. Use the Pocket Cucco to wake him up!
- Now, return the Pocket Cucco tho the Cucco Lady and she'll give you Cojiro, the crowless (and really weird looking) rooster in return. Use it to wake up the carpenter's son, sleeping at the Skull Kid's tree in the Lost Woods. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's the first left in the Lost Woods. See the guy? Use Cojiro on him and then take the mushroom he gives you to the witch in back of the Kakariko Potion Shop. Hurry up, though. This is timed! The only way you can do it is to use Epona! She'll get you there in more than enough time!
- The old witch will quickly conglomerate an odd potion for you. However, the people of Hyrule are quickly becoming health-conscious, like us, so they don't use preservatives! You'll be given a time limit for this too, so hurry up! Personally, I don't see why the witch couldn't have thrown it into suspended animation or something. Oh, well.
- Even if you're on time, when you return to the Lost Woods, the guy will be gone. There will be a little Kokiri girl in his place, though. (And don't worry, she's not Link's type!) Talk to her, and give her the Odd Potion. She'll give you the Poacher's Saw in return. Note-if you need a little rest, now's the time to do it!
- Take the Poacher's Saw to the carpenter boss in the little tent in Gerudo Valley. He's so happy that he'll give you...What's this? A broken sword? What a piece of junk! But... it will help you! Anyway, don't turn the game off, but pause it and take a couple of deep breaths and maybe give the knuckles a good crack- this next part's rough.
- Take the broken Giant's Knife to Biggoron on top of Death Mountain. Finally, he says that he'll fix it. One problem-he can't see because of the recent Death Mountain eruption. Therefore, he gives you a prescription for the eye drops he needs. What are you- Link the delivery boy or something? Oh, well, it's karma! And if you want that sword, you'd better do what he wants.
- Go to Zora's Domain. Talk to King Zora and show him the prescription. He'll give you the ingredients for the eye drops-a poor little Eyeball Frog. (It looks like a combination between Kermit and Keroppi, if you didn't notice- sorta cute!) The frog needs to be kept cold, though, so you'll have a nasty time limit. Make sure you have Epona ready to race to Lake Hylia!
- Hop on Epona and go to the Scientist's house on Lake Hylia. Give him the frog, and he'll whip up some Special Eye Drops. What a health nut- who ever heard of medication with no preservatives? Anyway, you need to get these back to Biggoron ASAP!
- You can do it- you're on the home stretch! Hop on Epona and race to Kakariko. Then, run up to Dodongo's Cavern and hop on the leaf. It will float you up to Biggoron! That way, you'll get there with time to spare! Give him the eye drops and he'll fix the sword in three days. You can either wait that long or play 'the Sun's Song' six or seven times, whatever you want to do. But you did it! Grab the sword and have fun with it! It looks pretty cool, too!
- However, if you're feeling mischievous.....there's a nifty little cheat you can do here that'll make the quest for the Biggoron's Sword a whole lot easier. While you have a timed item, save the game and then turn it off. When you turn it back on, that item will appear in its spot in your inventory...albeit without a timer!! Therefore, you'll have as much time as you need to complete that item's particular task.
The Scarecrow's Song
At certain points in the game, Navi glows green with excitement upon high ledges that apparently hold some sort of treasure. This is where the "Scarecrow's Song" comes into a play! It summons Pierre, the Travelling Scarecrow, to assist you by providing some sort of anchor on which to hookshot to. It's essential in finding all of the Golden Skulltulas! Here's how to get it-
- As a child, I would recommend first composing and practicing the melody which will be the "Scarecrow's Song". It's unusual in that you compose it yourself, but it's also important that you don't hesitate too much when you first play it to set it. Otherwise, the hesitations will show up and waste your time!
- During childhood, two scarecrows sit in the field on Lake Hylia- Pierre and Bonooru. Talk to them- Pierre asks you to play for him, and Bonooru boasts about his memory.
- When you talk to Bonooru, play the melody that you composed for him. Make sure you write it down! This becomes the "Scarecrow's Song", which you can use only as an adult.
The Coolest Trick of All!!!!
Ok, here you go! I just got this trick from one of my visitors, and I thought it was incredibly cool! It allows you to get another bottle-but be warned! It uses an item spot, and you will never- I mean never- reclaim that item. Ok- here goes!
- Go into an area of shallow water where you can catch a fish in a bottle, such as inside a hole, or in Zora's Domain.
- Now this is the tough part. In mid-swing, hit "start" to get to your "Items" menu. Make sure you haven't completed the swing yet!
- Now, choose an item that you can live without. My suggestion? Deku Nuts. Put that item in the bottle's place on your "C" button.
If you did this right, an empty bottle should replace the item that you chose on your subscreen. Make sure it's not something important, like your Bow, Longshot, or any dungeon item!
The Chicken Trick
This isn't really all that important to the game, but it's just one of those stupid little things that crack people up! First, make sure your hearts are filled. If not, you will get killed doing it. Go up to a chicken (or cucco- whatever.) and start stabbing it. Hang for a minute or two and see what happens..and then run for it! Don't say I didn't warn you first.
Which Hand?
This is really not important to the game, but it's still an interesting fact-No one knows for sure what hand Link prefers. In most of the games he's shown as left-handed- unless facing a certain direction. Then, he's a righty! And all of the special weapons- including the Bow- are used in a right-handed fashion? Weird! The old excuse was that Link always kept his shield facing Death Mountain, but that doesn't apply here!
Getting in Trouble and Weaseling Your Way Out
Ok- did you ever break a window? Luckily, I never did, but I have broken stuff. And what do you have to do? Replace it! And the same thing applies in Hyrule.... You know the signs that are placed randomly around towns, in front of shops, and in other places? If you strike them with your sword, they'll break. Ooooh- you're gonna get in trouble!!! Maybe not, though.... there's another application of "Zelda's Lullaby". When you break a sign and play the song in front of it, it becomes magically repaired! Pretty cool, huh.
And One for the Musically Inclined.....
Did you know that when you play the Ocarina, you don't have to stick to just the plain notes? You can, in fact, play the minor scales, and even trills! Mess around a little with the Control Stick and Z Button while playing the Ocarina- although it's not any official song, you can play some cool stuff.
Messin' around
And here's one for the hacker.... Rumor has it that there really truly exist codes and such with which you can alter the game. Good luck finding 'em! I haven't yet.
Just a little diversion... Nintendo and Nutrition!
I've been playing Nintendo since I was eight or so, and after SNES came out, I became a regular Nintendo junkie! So, I'm pretty much a seasoned veteran by now. But when you're sitting there all day playing, you still need to satisfy basic needs, right? And what's that most basic need common to all teenagers? Food. I've been 'testing' different foods while playing for some nine years now, and I've come to a conclusion- it's possible to eat and play at the same time depending on what you're eating! Some of my picks and pans-
- Probably the best things to eat while playing are grapes. They're healthy, and don't get your hands all greasy!
- And of course, I have to include my all-time favorite candy- Swedish Fish, the perfect Nintendo food! No grease, and they're easy to pop while you play! (Especially when you're playing a part that has to do with fish and you get really frustrated! Bite down on one as hard as you can-you won't believe how good it feels!)
And some of the things I wouldn't recommend...
- Wanna hear a funny story? Last year, I was playing 'Final Fantasy VII' when I got a terrible craving for sushi, my absolute favorite food in the world. Wouldn't you know, my mom walked in at that moment from the store with a container of sushi for me? I couldn't resist. But I didn't want to quit playing, either. So I grabbed the sushi, sat down in front of the TV, and resumed play. Even with my chopsticks, the rice made an ungodly mess ( you really have to watch what you're doing with something like that)! It took forever to clean it off the controller, which leads me to my conclusion- never, never eat sushi while playing video games!
Don't forget- if you need any hints that I didn't put on here, e-mail me!
