Puzzles are at the core of Adventure gameplay, they provide challenges for you to overcome with brains rather than brawn. For Action Adventures, they offer a break from the hacky-slashy-stabby-shooty element of title.
Every week I’ll bring you a new puzzle, drawn from some of the best and worst adventure or puzzle games I’ve ever played. Every once in a while I’ll even leave you one of my own for you to solve. If you do, I’ll find a way to reward you!
Last week I presented you with a fun puzzle-y scenario, three in fact and they’re still open. Go check them out and let me know what your solution is!
This week’s puzzle is from one of my favourite games of all times, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. In the Dark World’s 7th dungeon, Turtle Rock, you come up to a room with a pit, two doors—one of them locked—a railway track and a bunch of unlit torches. With the help of the Cane of Somaria you create a platform on the rails to light the torches floating over the void. The problem is you need to use the Rod of Fire and the torches don’t stay lit for very long.
This can be a frustrating puzzle but I love it just because of that reason. It’s the last ‘traditional’ dungeon—the next one, Ganon’s Tower I consider ‘endgame’—the game it throws everything it has at you, to stop you from rescuing the last maiden, Princess Zelda, and this starting puzzle is a perfect example of how intense Turtle Rock is. The Rod of Fire takes a big chunk of magic per use and the torches light out quite fast, so you need to figure out the right moments to light them with as few blasts as possible and still get to the door before the torches die out. It takes some good thinking, a little strategy and some luck!
A Link to the Past has many fun and engaging puzzles. Hell, the entire Ice Cave is one big layout puzzle, but I had to mention one of them and this was the most memorable one for me. How about you, any interesting Zelda memories?
It is indeed a great puzzle.
My biggest Zelda memory has got to be finding out the Stone Tower Temple could be turned upside-down. I was shocked!
That one was awesome!
Oh, man. I remember having so much trouble with the statue puzzle outside of the Sacred Grove in Twilight Princess. I had to use a guide, which is saying a lot, because I hate having to use guides. But on my second play-through, I made it through without any help, and was pretty happy with myself.
The Sacred Grove is such an amazing place. I remember how I felt the first time I stepped into the Temple of Time.
And I remember that puzzle. It was one of the best in the game.
Thanks for stopping by!