Palace of Twilight

Having survived the City in the Sky, slain Argorok, and moved ahead, you now come to the Palace of Twilight. Now, it’s just two dungeons, this one and Hyrule Castle, and your quest will be over with. If you make it out that far, then you are the Hero of Legend indeed as has been foretold in all Zelda prophecy. This is your time to prove it ---  are you with me? 

This eighth dungeon will not be easy. But you will not be foolish in your advance. You are now armed to the teeth with weapons, skills, knowledge and courage to keep facing whatever you must, having that the end of everything is at the doorstep…..just a little further to go. The Twilight Realm is where you can find this palace ; it is where the original Royal Family had lived, of which Midna was Princess, just before evil Zant took over and turned their lives into a nightmare. Evil - doers are known to do that. 

Zant somehow managed, in time past, to take over the Shadow Realm, as well as Midna’s rule and authority, not to mention her throne overall. He was not a very nice tyrant as you can see from the description. The Mirror of Twilight can get you to the Twilight Realm I just mentioned, and you can only get to the Mirror of Twilight (or, I should say, inside of the Mirror of Twilight) once you have gotten all of its broken shards, of which you now finished getting the last one at the City in the Sky. 

Piece these shards together, and you’ll get an awesome cut scene that shows them coming together, and you can walk through the Mirror of Twilight (just as if walking in through a time portal) and make it to this palace. You’ll see the original, Royal Throne and more once inside. Midna may get emotional from just remembering the thought of all this...after all, it was her past. 

The Twili people have been unjustly possessed, corrupted against their will, by no fault or scheme of their own. And here in this semi - final dungeon, you have to restore them to their original form, bringing back the good that they are made of. These innocent, possessed creatures are the ones who have been roaming the land, as dark shadows that you have had to fight off as a wolf. And now, it is finally their turn to come back to the light….if you manage to get them there. 

You also get to make your Master Sword the Light Sword in this dungeon, another element that fans did get mixed reactions with. Some Zelda lovers enjoyed seeing this new ‘twist’ while others saw it as a disrespect and an insult to the all - sufficiency of the classic Master Sword (just the way it was, without seeking to add anything to it or change it to another sword, which apparently is ‘better’ or more useful). There will be many dark, little Shadow Keese roaming all throughout, so kill them early if you can spot them in hiding. Do not give them a chance to come to you, but you know you shouldn’t already…..

These little guys fly around and can even scare you, from behind, if, in case, you hadn’t noticed them anywhere in the room. They can camouflage well in those darker, more shadowy, less lit rooms. SO BE CAREFUL, whatever you do ; it is no fun when they knock you off a ledge, because you did not see them soon enough and got scared like crazy when you saw them.

The Shadow Baba Serpents, dark black and red, will not mess around or think twice about hurting you in a heartbeat, either. Watch yourself. Make them drop before they drop you. You are the faster, smarter and stronger creature, but they need to know it…..prove it to them. 

Your light - infused Master Sword here (I know, not like the original Master Sword, which it seems they have to keep adding stuff to) will expel the darkness. You’ll need it in this dungeon and beyond. To get it, just fight off a little Phantom Zant, which is a small ‘practice version’ of his greater predecessor, the original. He is the same concept that Phantom Ganon is with Ganon --- same idea taken from Nintendo here and applied to a different baddie.

He’ll throw his dark matter balls at you, which can take any form they choose and come to life as villains, sometimes Keese, sometimes Shadow Beasts, sometimes Shadow Deku Babas. After these guys spawn, and you slice them down, Phantom Zant will do his little warping move and warp from spot to spot throughout that room. When he spawns more creatures to life, then you have a short window of opportunity to attack him ; he can’t do two things at once, in this case, spawn new baddies while fending you off. So hit him fast and hard. 

Kill him. You will then get your Sol. This takes you back to the palace entrance, and you keep moving ahead…..

Finally, at dungeon’s end, Usurper King Zant shows up, and it’s time to fight like a big boy. You can do it. Show him what you showed to Phantom Zant, but take your game up a few levels….play with your best speed, accuracy and tenacity. This hooded sorcerer hides his true face from you, but it appears Midna already knows it too well and doesn’t care what he looks like, nothing that he is an evil liar and nothing more. You will fight Zant in four unique phases --- are you ready to do it, now?

If so, then try to figure out your best strategy through some trial and error. Bring plenty of fairy bottles before entering the fight, and pre - stock your health and supplies. Also, consider having a strategy guide next to you when playing.  Be patient, stopping him from one phase to the next, and he’ll be no more…..