Hyrule Field

Hyrule Field ‘tis a special place, special because it is unlike any other. Special because it stands for hope, a bright future, and a land full of green. And greed, as well, when Ganon comes to town. But all in all, Hyrule Field, in its many variations, is usually an open - world type of land that all Zelda lovers have come to know by heart --- I will never forget it in any of its iterations. 

Hyrule Field, in Ocarina of Time, can be freely roamed either on foot or with steed --- the latter is always preferred, of course, since you can not only move faster but will also be able to shoot down enemies with your bow as you ride Epona, and even knock some down who are in your path (that is, if you are going fast enough, of course). To the very north of this version of Hyrule Field, you have Hyrule Castle Town (and Hyrule Castle itself just behind it), and to the very south end of the playing field, you have Link’s original home, Kokiri Forest. And to the left and right, you have many swell places to stop in between….part of the adventure. 

These places include Kakariko Village, seen slightly SouthEast of Hyrule Castle Town (when facing North from Kokiri Forest), Zora’s Domain just South of that, Kokiri Forest but a little further South, and Gerudo Valley to the Far West, just South of Hyrule Castle Town. And this does not even begin to cover all the neat little places (some hiding spots with plenty of treasure) in between, in addition to the characters. Speaking of which, you can’t miss the amazing ranchers over at Lon Lon Ranch, just directly South of Hyrule Castle Town, in the very center of Hyrule Field (interestingly enough, planted neither to the West nor to the East, but right in the heart of the whole establishment, respectively). 

Now let’s talk for a bit about some of the other Hyrule Field versions, which are each different from this original one we’ve discussed --- they all slightly or drastically alternate from the main prototype. Let’s start with the Hyrule Field from The Minish Cap, to pick a different title --- in The Minish Cap, Hyrule Field gets broken down more easily and is more simple, with less room to explore. This might be simply because it’s a Gameboy type 2D version, and on a smaller game and screen. But let’s check it out nonetheless…..

First of all, Hyrule Castle Town is actually found on a different spot, than it was in Ocarina of Time, this time. Interestingly enough, it’s found right smack dab in the middle of the two main areas of Hyrule Field : South Hyrule Field and, of course, North Hyrule Field. And in this special little game, Link can actually get to or from the two parts of Hyrule Field by one of several regions: by Eastern Hills, by Trilby Highlands, by Lon Lon Ranch, by Western Wood, or by Hyrule Town / Castle. In The Minish Cap, Link originates from South Hyrule Field, living with his Grandpa, Smith ; much similarly to how Kokiri Forest (his home of origin in Ocarina of Time) is just South of Hyrule Field in the last game we just talked about, Ocarina of Time. 

His home in this part of Hyrule Field, though, does look different from how it did in the last game ; and in Ocarina of Time, Link lives by himself, in a little treehouse. Octoroks are one of the main enemies in this region of the field, and in Ocarina of Time, they were usually found a bit more north, just before hitting Kakariko Village. So that’s an interesting difference the game designers went with here. But another similarity, on the other hand, is that few enemies lurk about, here and there, in both versions of Link’s original home area. 

And in The Minish Cap, you can find Tingle out and about in South Hyrule Field, as you could not in Ocarina of Time (he was not even in the game, to begin with --- his character was created in Majora’s Mask, the game that came after it). Just to the East of Link’s home, in The Minish Cap, you can see Tingle. He’s shown standing right on a tiny tree stump. You can’t miss him!

North Hyrule Field is the central path leading to Hyrule Castle, in this game, just as the Northern region of Hyrule Field, in Ocarina of Time, served the same purpose. The more North  in Hyrule Field you choose to go, in both games, the closer you will be getting to Hyrule Castle and its town, just before it. It’s inevitable. And in both games, more villains will lurk about (especially at night) the further North you go….this is especially true in Ocarina of Time. 

Greatblade’s Dojo is found on the North end of Hyrule Field in The Minish Cap. It’s a nice little area. It adds a new touch to things here…..

The Twilight Princess region of Hyrule Field, on a completely different note, is about at least five times as big as (if not a little bigger, even) than Ocarina of Time’s Hyrule Field. It is, as such, a whole lot easier to get lost here. And, once again (thankfully), you can roam about either on foot (walking or running), as a Wolf, or with your horse, Epona. The last two options, of course, will get you moving along a lot faster…..but if you want to stop and explore the land, slowly, then you might even consider just exploring by foot. 

In the Twilight Princess Hyrule Field, Faron Woods is South (just as Kokiri Forest and Lost Woods were in Ocarina of Time). There’s three main regions : They are the Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru provinces, respectively ; each is unique in its own way. Kakariko Village (and Kakariko Gorge), once more, is just NorthEast of the woods.