The Legend of Zelda: Waking of Ancients is a new installment in the Legend of Zelda series. Unlike previous entries in the series canon, Link is not a male Hyrulian but a Gerudian woman. The genders of other recurring characters (such as Zelda and Ganondorf) are not switched.
Setting[]
Hyrule is the setting again but this time it is inspired a bit by ancient Egyptian buildings for desert areas and ancient Japan for areas around Hyrule Kingdom. The trees near Hyrule Kingdom are pink and similar to that of Sakura trees.
Gameplay[]
Waking of Ancients is a 3D action-adventure game with role-playing and puzzle elements. Waking of Ancients is known for its mysteries, deep story, gameplay and a lot of controversy. The player controls Link from a third-person perspective. Link primarily battles with a sword and shield, but she can also use projectile weapons such as arrows, bombs, and magic spells. When battling, the player can cause Link to focus on an enemy through a feature called "L-targeting". When using this technique, the camera will follow the target and Link will constantly face it until the button is released. Projectile attacks will be automatically directed at the target and do not require manual aiming. Although much of the game is spent in battle, some parts encourage the player to use stealth to sneak past guards; a then-uncommon situation for the series, which would later be integrated on a larger scale in future installments. If spotted, Link is thrown out or imprisoned, and thus forced to start over.
Link gains strength and new abilities through the collection of items and weapons found in dungeons or in the overworld, not all of which are required; like all games in the series, Waking of Ancients contains several optional side-quests; minor objectives that the player can choose to complete or ignore. Completing side-quests usually results in rewards, normally in the form of weapons or abilities. In another side-quest, Link can acquire a lizard beast. This allows her to travel faster, but attacking while riding is restricted to archery and getting the creature to attack with it's lanky arms.
Link is given several different outfits that allow her to access different areas of the game as well as effecting how NPCs react to you. In the second fourth of the game, Link must travel to the Realm of the Ancients and put in missing pages.
From the third dungeon onward (a total of eight in the game), they can be done in any order, with the dungeons changing based off what you got from previous dungeons. Smaller dungeons, with no real specific theme, can also be found around the world and may contain artifacts or other items.
There is a online mode called "Infection of Darkness". If your friend is playing this game and has enabled this mode, you can play as Dark Link and head out in their world, attacking cities and Hyrule. Once you've gained enough dark energy, you can seal off a town which can only be freed with Chains of Light, which your friend will need to get in order to unseal the towns you've sealed with darkness. If you manage to seal off towns, you will gain stamps. Sealing them all off will give you the Blade of Darkness, which will automatically level your attack with your enemy.
Plot[]
The Blue Mask[]
Waking of Ancients is set in a new timeline that currently has an unknown place on the timeline chart. The game is set initially in a Geurdo village. Link is initially part of a thieves' guild and is sent into a dungeon with three other members of the thieves' guild, however they mysteriously disappear as they enter into the dungeon, leaving Link on her own to get the valuable object.
As Link finishes the dungeon and makes her way to the valuable object (The Ancient Scarab), she notices that a man in a blue porcelain mask has already beaten to her to it, exiting via a secret trapdoor. Link exits out the trapdoor, but is unable to find the masked man.
After failing to show up with the valuable item, the thieves' guild attempt to vote her out but the leader of the guild gives Link one last chance to steal something; something off the pockets of Princess Zelda, who is planned to show up in the nearby Desert Market.
Link travels to the Desert Market and comes across Princess Zelda. Link cannot bring herself to steal from the princess after seeing the effect she has with the townspeople, and is caught by her. Princess Zelda, believing Link to be a beggar, gives her some cash and sends her on her way.
The thieves' guild keeps Link in, but give her petty jobs to do, making her climb up the ladder of the guild again. As Link travels home to her hut one night, she sees the blue masked man again, this time digging up something in the sand. He uncovers it, revealing the Giant's Knife. As Link chases after him, he vanishes into the night.
The next day, the Thieves' Guild meets with Ganondorf, their kindly king. He wishes to disband the Thieves' Guild as it gives the Geurdo race a bad name, and the leader of the Theives' Guild appears to accept his wish, but is secretly planning to assassinate. Link attempts to warn Ganondorf, but is stopped by a fellow guild member, who saw what really happened with her and Zelda and blackmails Link. The assassination attempt fails, but Link gives up her dignity and trust with the guild in the process by telling Ganondorf about it. Ganondorf realizes Link's sacrifice and gives her a place in the Geurdo fortress.
One night, Link notices that the blue masked man is back, this time uncovering wheels from a train. She chases after him, only for him again to disapper.
In a attempt to look for him, she uncovers yet another dungeon, the Earth Dungeon. At the end of it, she finds the Master Sword lodged into a stone. She pulls it out with relative ease, and as she puts it in her scabbard, the man in the blue mask comes out. He says only the hero of time could have pulled it out, as the spirit who resides inside only assists her heroic master. He then pulls out the clothes of the Hero of Time and gives it to her and invites her to his house, which is made out of ruins from the Twilight Realm.
There, she is introduced to his daughter Lana (a reincarnation of Lana from Hyrule Warriors). He then explains he is a "grave robber", and is obsessed with finding things relating to the Hero of Time and Hyrule's past. He urges Link to see if Ganondorf is up to any evil plans, which surprises Link as she only knows him as a kindly king.
The next morning, the grave robber and Lana take Link into town, letting the people know about her being the hero of time. It does not go well, as people throw rotten food at her, saying there's no way a lowly Geurdo could be the hero of time, who has been, according to them, a Hylian male. The food flinging stops as Zelda rushes in front of Link and demands they stop. The people do, and as Link goes to thank her, she disappears. Saddened by the events, she joins the grave robber in digging up more relics of the Hero of Time.
The Awakening[]
The Grave Digger and Link head out into the desert, looking for more artifacts and info about the hero of time. The Gravedigger comes across a black book with strange writing on it that is very different from Hylian. As he opens up the book, the words fly off and form into a portal. Link and the Grave Digger step back as giant titans made from green text step out, their eyes gleaming like black crystals.
The titans, named the "Impereon", head towards the domain of the Zora and begin to infect it. As the Grave Digger flips through the book, he realizes some of the pages are missing, and a map is enclosed inside. The map has three locations marked, although no numerical order, so Link sets off to the locations on the map.
From this point on, Link can either go to the:
- The Winterhold - Half dungeon, half prison. It is located in the Freezelands, and completing the dungeon will give you the Fist of Ice. You need to get a Freezelands Coat in order to venture into the Freezelands and get into certain parts of the dungeon.
- Wind Temple - Located in the sky, where you'll need to find the invisible steps and jumping point, which you can see with the Goggles of Bree. You'll get the Wind Wings dress in this dungeon.
- Twilight Sanctuary - A dark based dungeon that will require the Twili Armor. This dungeon shifts between a dark world and a light world, and interacting with objects in either world will effect the other. You'll get the Mirror Shield from this dungeon.
After all the pages are brought together, the Impereon are sealed. Link grabs it and gives it to Ganondorf. Link has become slightly know for her feats, and some of them begin to accept her as the Hero of Time.
King of Evil[]
The Grave Digger sends Lana out with Link as he twisted his ankle while searching for more artifacts. Lana states that while she likes the artifacts, she's not a fan of looking for them. She also states he's been acting rather strange, talking about looking for a lost black page.
Lana and Link encounter another dungeon, this one being a rather surreal city-like dungeon filled with lost advanced technology. Link gains the Gravity Suit, which allows her to go up the antigravity paths. Lana is grabbed by some kind of robot, who drags her into the labyrinth. After defeating the robot, they come across a black page with the writings of the ancients.
Link gives the black page to Ganondorf, believing that it belongs to the book. The next night, the book begins to open itself up and start heading towards the Hyrule Kingdom. Ganondorf runs after the book and the book shocks him. Wanting to prevent damage from being done to the Hyrule Kingdom, he searches the books in the Gerudo kingdom and finds info about a Sky World and the mighty power of a demon lord "Ghirahim" who has been kept in a seal for thousands of years. However, he is unable to control Ghirahim's power after freezing the book place and Ghirahim takes control of Ganondorf.
He sends the Gerudo out to war with Hyrule. As Link goes to warn Princess Zelda, she cannot get in as Zelda's guards will not allow her, forcing her to sneak in. Zelda is a bit suprised to see Link, but learns that Ganondorf has become evil. She sends out her guards to guard against the Gerudo forces as she heads with Link to grab the book. Just as they exit the castle, Ganondorf appears and reveals he can summon the Impereon. He summons one, which captures Link in a black crystal. Zelda runs away, and attempts to recall if she can find anything to save Link.
Crystal Power[]
Items[]
Tunics[]
Link can collect a variety of different clothes in this installment. All of them have a practical purpose.
- Thieves' Guild Outfit - Makes you blend into the night, allowing you to steal items off NPCs.
- Hero of Time Clothes - The iconic Hero of Time's clothes. This doesn't really offer anything special, being more of a jack of all trades.
- Freezelands Coat - A white coat that will protect you from the freezing temperatures of the Freezelands.
- Wind Wings - A dress that creates wings that allow you to float in the wind, required for the Wind Temple and other things.
- Twili Armor - Armor that allows you to blend in with the darkness and access dark world and light world stones.
- Gravity Suit - A suit created by a advanced race that was surpassed by their own robots. It allows Link to travel on Anti-Gravity paths and to reverse gravity for objects, making for some strange puzzles.
Artifacts[]
Things dug up by the Grave Robber that you can buy off him or discover on your own that have appeared in previous Zelda games. The Grave Robber or his daughter Lana will tell you all about them.
- The Giant's Knife - ???
Characters[]
| Character | Info |
|---|---|
|
Link |
Link has been reincarnated into a Gerudo woman this installment. While she still retains most of the things that would easily identify her as Link, her appearance and upbringing is very different compared to past Links. |
Princess Zelda |
A kindly princess that plays a key part in the story. More info to be added later. |
Lana |
The daughter of the Grave Digger. She likes the artifacts, but isn't a fan of digging them up. She briefly accompanies you for a while. |
Dark Link |
Whenever there is a Link, a Dark Link is sure to follow. She is a character exclusive to the online only mode Infection of Darkness, in which another player can play as her as she attempts to infect the lands of Hyrule with darkness. She has all the same abilities as Link does, including amiibo ability. Since the two are mirror copies of each other, they will have the same equipment and powers no matter what. |
Amiibo[]
Scan these Amiibos to get bonus items or enchantments.
| Amiibo | Info |
|---|---|
 Link
|
Enchantment to the Master Sword that allows it to swing 2x faster. |
 Zelda
|
Get Zelda's Dress, which allows you to cast crystal magic. |
 Wii Fit Trainer
|
Get the Fitness Outfit, which allows you to attack enemies with the power of Fitness! |
 Inkling
|
Get the Paintball Crossbow, which allows you to attack enemies with a paintball crossbow/mark areas. |
 Takamaru
|
Get the Samurai blade, which is faster and allows you to disappear into smoke. |
Concept Art/Fan Art[]
