SQ Level Four - The D

Underworld Level IV

While Level Three lacked a challenge for us, Level Four is where the game starts to pick up the pace (a little too late because now Link begins to gain the equipment he needs to charge through the game at a lightning pace).  This level introduces the biggest pain-in-the-butt novelty that the second quest has to offer.  Bubbles were an incredible annoyance in the first quest, and when strategically placed, made a room much more difficult than necessary to pass through.  However, their effects were temporary, so it wasn't incredibly awful.

In the second quest, not only do we have our original bubble friends returning, but now we also have red and blue bubbles.  Red bubbles are nasty, detestable creatures that, upon touching Link, permanently take away his sword.  There is but one cure for this: touching a blue bubble, which is oft found in the same room with his cousins, or in a room far off in the same dungeon.  Does saving cure Link?  No.  Does dying cure Link?  No!  Does exiting the dungeon cure Link?  Absolutely not.  Does visiting a fairy cure Link?  Sorry, try again.  (Anything which would logically give Link his sword back does not.)  There is only one cure for touching a red bubble.  And they love to chill in swarms.

The next thing about this dungeon is that it offers you this choice within its depths:

Leave Your Life or Your Money

I Think I Value Life Over Money, I Think...

While it is an obvious choice, the possibility of someone giving up a heart container to this bastard just sends shivers up my spine.  On top of all of this, this dungeon is positively huge with a major amount of rooms to explore (rivaled only by the final dungeon), and each one packs the action that you can expect of the second quest.  With the shape of a D, also, and an immense number of illusionary walls and a couple of stairs, this dungeon is probably the first that spells out a major puzzle.  While irritating at times, this dungeon is definitely a fun time, giving you all of the elements of the Zelda series.

The really cool thing about this level is that it presents something that no other dungeon in this game does (and I can only think of one dungeon off the top of my head that presents anything like this in the series) where something you need to uncover in the dungeon actually lies BEYOND the boss chamber...the Triforce chamber is not the finishing point of the dungeon.  Granted in this dungeon all you get is the magic book and raft, but I've been getting used to this at this point, so I'm too upset.  We're fast getting to the point where we'll have to find the items because we'll run out of dungeons, so I'm looking forward to it.

Triforce of Wisdom #4