Volume V: Q & A
Q:
Why did you avoid names for the starring character of TWW?
A:
Because I'm not sure he's meant to be another Link. While in ALttP it is stated several times
the the starring character is a descendant of those who protected Hyrule, this game goes to
great lenghts to point out the opposite; that there is no relation between the boy and the Hero
of Time. You can even wear some unusual clothes, a first in the series. However, the manual and
Ganondorf's statement that you are the Hero of Time reborn seem to refute this. In the end, it's
just a detail to speculate upon.
Q:
How can Outset be a village of fishermen if the Great Sea yields no fish? (And the Mermen?)
A:
Odd isn't it? But the only fishes seen in Outset are the sharks (or Gyorgs) in Orca's room;
maybe that's what they fish. The Mermen I would guess are creatures of benign magic just as
Gyorgs are of malevolent one; I mean, normal fishes do not talk.
Q:
So this game happens in a different timeline than MM? What about the Legend of the Fairy found
in the Tower of the Gods? And the scrolls showing Link leaving Hyrule on horseback, as well as
the King saying the Triforce abandoned him when he left Hyrule?
A:
We do know TWW follows the adult ending because Ganondorf and (the new) Zelda have the Triforce
parts they were left with in the adult timeline. And yet we have these Majora's Mask
references. Well, I don't believe they pose much of a problem.
Termina is another universe, which is, after all, pretty much the same thing as an alternate
timeline. We don't really know much about Termina's creation, it could even be a split timeline
that resulted because of an event which occured ages before OoT. But that's not the point really,
what I'm trying to say is that just the same way as Link went from his timeline to Termina,
another portal in Termina could lead into Hyrule's other timeline. Termina is just too mysterious
for us to lay down rules for it and how it relates to Hyrule. Besides, if there existed a Termina
for each timeline... who would have saved the one in the Adult timeline? So no, I don't believe
the split in Hyrule may have influenced Termina, which means there's no reason it should be
connected to only one of the two timeline Hyrule now exists in.
Even so, a question remains: who from Termina could come to the future timeline and reveal that
Link lost his Triforce upon leaving Hyrule (since none in Termina knew about his Triforce to
begin with)? While showing him on a horse, the Hylian text in the intro says he "traveled the
stream of time and left the country behind" which could either mean he left it behind in going
back (to the past) or after doing so. But the king of Red Lions apparently knows Link lost the
Triforce upon leaving Hyrule and embarking on a new adventure, not when going back in time. How
does he know?
Well, the solution may be simpler than we think: the King of Hyrule ought to know all myths about
the Triforce (Sheik/Zelda demonstrated this kind of knowledge in OoT). Tales of Link's adventure
in Termina, and more than that, apparently did reach the future of TWW (said legend of the fairy,
the postman's descendant etc.). So if the King had heard of Link's adventure in Termina, away
from Hyrule, he may also know that this would have caused the Triforce to abandon him.
This explanation seems to works perfectly well, but otherwise, we could either assume the only
reason we are told is because we, the players, need to be told, or that the whereabouts of the
Triforce of Courage were revealed by an oracle from the gods. So it's no big deal.
Q:
Do the Rito really descend from the Zora? Water is their element, why change them?
A:
Truthfully, as Zoras they could live the same lives as mailmen and travelers of the sea, but
they could also dive down to the sealed land of Hyrule. That's probably the main reason the
Zoras' care was (supposedly) entrusted to Valoo by Jabun; thus causing them to change from water
creatures to sky ones. Because the Gorons left, unable to live in a land where a mistaken step
meant no return sinking, the bird like Rito could settle on the height of Death Mountain
crater, or Dragon Roost Island if you will (they may even have inherited the Goron's spiritual
stone).
Q:
Shouldn't the Koroks have faeries?
A: (Minor spoilers)
The game does not tell why the Kokiri lost their guardian faeries upon becoming (or returning
to be) Koroks. Maybe it was the faeries that made them appear like kids?
Q:
How was it that Ganondorf managed to escape the Seal of the Sages? And from that of the
gods?
A:
In ALttP, Ganon attempted to break the Seal when the memory of his imprisonment begun to fade.
I see no reason to doubt that he behaved likewise in this other timeline, using the powers of
the Sages' descendants upon stealing their souls.
As for escaping the seal of the gods (becoming a habit, uh?) that is not entiraly clear; but
the Japanese version does not state that the Master Sword was sealing off his magic or anything
about him, just his army. So that explains how he was able to (eventually) create a portal to
the world above, because he wasn't frozen in time, only trapped under the sea.
Q:
Sages of Wind and Earth? Praying for the Master Sword? How did we get to this?
A: (Caution spoilers)
The game does not even hint at the descendants of the other Sages nor their elements. These two
Sages are obviously enough descendants of Ruto and Saria, yet they do not reside in the Water and
Forest temple. Seeing how important their instruments seem to be for keeping the Master Sword
empowered, I would guess that those roles (and perhaps Tetra/Zelda's who could be a praying
sage as well) could be additional to a Sage's typical duties and shifting over time (meaning
Rauru and Zelda, the only Sages that are already aware when Link takes the Master Sword, would
have used to be in that role). Either that, or the sword did not need any prayers during OoT
(thus being there no need to take up those roles yet). I'm not even going to try and explain how
this could influence ALttP; but it is a fact that there's plenty of Wise Men descendants in that
game. The fate of the other descendants remains therefore a mystery. Ganondorf most likely
carried out his revenge on all seven and these two could be the only ones invaluable to oppose
him in TWW (or the only ones that had living descendants? Or maybe the only ones the King of
Red Lions could guide Link to).
Q:
Why does the King not use the whole Triforce to wish for Ganondorf to instantly be turned to
ashes, but rather chooses to drown him with Hyrule, damn him? And why was Link able to take on
scimitar wielding Ganondorf after he just got owned by him bare handed? Argh!
A:
According to ALttP, the Triforce's expression of a wish is relative to how strong that wish is
within the heart of the one who touched it. The King is a gentle ruler, so as much as he hates
Ganondorf, it was uncertain, maybe even unlikely, that such a wish from him would have the
strenght to overcome Ganon's power. But hope for those two children and their world, that is
something he can wish from the very bottom of his heart. And it worked: Link found within
himself the strenght to overcome his seemingly ubeatable opponent (with some help from Zelda).
Q:
Why is it that in TWW, after the Triforce appears as a whole, Zelda and Ganondorf still bear
their Triforce marks while nothing appears on Link's hand? Do they still have control over the
Triforce?
A: (Major Spoilers)
There are two possibilities.
What I believe is that the programmers forgot to remove the mark from their hands. When they
want the mark on Link's hand they have to change some values in the code to make it show up (and
it does only in cutscenes anyway), however every single time you see Zelda (not Tetra) and
Ganondorf in the game up to the final battle they are always in possesion of their Triforce part
(and it shows even outside of cutscenes). So while to make the mark appear on Link they have to
change a value, with the other two it would be the opposite and to make it NOT show up they
would have had to go out of their way and program it.
Alternatively, it could be that the mark actually stays even after you lose the Triforce and thus
they keep their marks after losing their parts to the King... who kept it for all 10 minutes of
life he has left at least, after that, who knows what became of it. Perhaps it rests under the
waves together with its ancient land. In that case, the mistake would be Link lacking his mark...
either way, there's no sensible way to explain why two of them have the mark and one doesn't
besides saying the programmers screwed up.
