When I last played, I had just finished the Arbiter's Grounds (desert/sand dungeon). When I picked the game back up this time, I once again spent time just sort of wandering around looking for golden bugs, hidden grottoes, repairing the western bridge, and doing other similar things. As is usually the case, I soon grew bored and decided to make my way to the next dungeon. I was informed that a snow beast had been seen in the Zora domain and given a picture of said monster. After asking around, I learned that he had a rare fish in his hands that only the Zora prince was known to be able to catch. I made a quick trip to Kakariko and then ported back to the Zora domain to do a little fishing.
Now, let me explain something: nearly every time I've gotten stuck on a puzzle or problem in this game, it has somehow been related to the wolf senses. I knew that I needed to catch a Reekfish and use it somehow to "guide" me through the blizzard. In my mind, this involved catching a fish and then using it as bait for the yeti so he could come and fetch me (or something similar). With that idea in mind, I caught multiple fish and then tried everything I could think of to pick this fish up. I realized (soon, but not soon enough) that I was barking up the wrong tree. I did notice that when I caught the fish he left a little "stink" cloud on the ground. I figured that I must need to either bottle the scent or get it on me. I decided that the water was washing it off, so I devised a route from the fishing spot to the snow area, caught a fish, ran through the cloud, and then made my way to the snow region. That, of course, was also a failure. It was only after I had given up and was reading through a fishing FAQ did I learn I needed to sniff that stink cloud as a wolf to learn the scent. If my daughter had been home at the time, I'm quite certain I would have woken her with the sound of my palm colliding with my forehead.
With the scent "learned," I was able to navigate the blizzard and make it to the top of Snowpeak Mountain and have my first meeting with the yeti. He wasn't a bad chap and provided me with the means to sled my way down the mountain. One mini-game later left me at his doorstep. As I walked in, I saw the usual introduction cutscene with the text "Snowpeak Ruins." I was a little confused by that as I figured it was just this guy's house. I sort of assumed that it was just a small area that I was to go through to open up the way to the dungeon proper; I was wrong.
As it turned out, his house WAS the dungeon. His "sick" wife sent me on some random wild goose chases after the mirror shard, which did little more than provide some new ingredients for the yeti's soup (which I helped myself to gratuitously).
All throughout this dungeon, there were icy blocks and barriers that I was obviously meant to break through later. I was certain that I was going to be obtaining the fire arrows (or something similarly on fire) and went about my merry little way.
Not long later, I found myself fighting the dungeon mini-boss. A mean suit of armor with a spiked ball on a chain, he provided me with a definite amount of annoyance until I realized that I could grapple behind him and swat his tail. To my surprise, the weapon I was granted was his ball and chain! Whilst equipped, Link's run speed is slowed as the ball is quite large. By pressing and holding the use button, he swings the ball above his head. Release the button and he sends it flying towards it's target. By using this weapon, I was able to destroy the ice walls and monsters and even cause some hanging platforms to start swinging. I was VERY impressed by this new item and was pleased that the game had once again surprised me with its dungeon item.
The rest of the dungeon was relatively uneventful. I really enjoyed the general setting of the place as it was a very non-dungeon style setting. This was most evidenced by the fact that I didn't even realize it was a dungeon until I was a third of the way through it. The end boss was quite easy and simply involved me throwing my ball at various sized blocks of ice.
Afterward, I did a little bit more exploring and soon received a letter inviting me back to Snowpeak for some sled racing. Always a sucker for a good mini-game (with rewards), I ported back and raced the yeti down the hill. After beating him quite soundly on my first attempt, I was quite disappointed to discover that there was NO reward. I brushed it aside and headed towards the next dungeon.
Next on my list was a trip back to the sacred grove area where I had obtained the Master Sword. To my utter consternation, I again found myself face to face with that very odd little guardian guy who kept summoning those weird puppet monsters. I still have NO idea what is up with that guy, but once again, he proved to be little challenge.
After besting him, I flipped the "Master Sword Switch," unlocked a new warping location and called it a night.
At this point, I'm definitely looking forward to these last few dungeons as the post-mid-game dungeons so far have been stellar. I'm also really hoping for a couple more cool items and not more "lame" upgrades (although I'm pretty sure I'm due for a
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I was a little more giddy on my first playthrough, but I have enjoyed your last few posts. I've always hated the watr temples. I thought the spinner was weird, but it's fun and unique. The ball and chain rocks because of how strong it is, I love it. I'm still interested in how you'll feel about the desert, air, and Twilight temples. They were the least predictible, albeit familiar to the Zelda series.
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