NeoFirst Development Diary

[Russ]

Awesome! The hookshot and switch hook in one! Any hints as to the other items that do this?

[Nicholas Steel]

_L_ you do know that in Links Awakening there is a "a piece of heart" puzzle that requires the bomb arrow? nothing else can solve the puzzle. another example of a similar secret would be in LttP, bombing over the ledge in Ganons Fortress is undocumented but REQUIRED if you want to reach that secret.

You are suggesting some features that are not REQUIRED for anything and instead just used for sequence breaking and making stuff easier.

[_L_]

another example of a similar secret would be in LttP, bombing over the ledge in Ganons Fortress is undocumented but REQUIRED if you want to reach that secret.

Not quite true. The Pegasus Boots knockback (which is much more evident to the player) works just as well.

Awesome! The hookshot and switch hook in one! Any hints as to the other items that do this?

Well, do any other possibilities immediately spring to mind?

I'd quite like to add an extra purpose to the Power Glove - something that, amazingly enough, does not involve lifting - but whether or not it would be a secret ability is another matter.

[_L_]

Previously, I revealed the existence of secret abilities that various weapons have concealed within themselves - abilities so secret that the player may never encounter them in the game at all.

This next technique is not one of those secret abilities. It is, in fact, something that the player will be expected to discover, by accident or by word-of-mouth, if they want to uncover certain lost treasures or pathways.

But, this technique is also inspired by the ingenious Bomb Arrow technique from Link's Awakening, in that it involves the combination of two seemingly unrelated items in a marvellous fashion.

And so, let me reveal the not-so-secret to setting your own arrows on fire:

It may not make much sense in the real world, but in the abstract videogame land of Zelda Classic, where boomerangs can grab objects, and flames and arrows are about the same size, the player can easily accept it.

Also, the land of Zelda Classic contains obvious distinctions between active objects (enemies and weapons, which move around and vanish when you change screens) and passive objects (that is, combos). Thus, I believe the player will accept that their arrows can interact with 'active fire' (Link's fire weapon) but not with 'passive fire' (torch combos).

Hey! D-don't tell me it works for bombs, too!

I wonder what you'd be capable of if you used Remote Bombs...

[Shoelace]

OMG I love you. That gives me so many puzzle ideas... I really hope Neofirst still is unpassworded when it comes out, as I could use some of these scripts with my ideas too. ;_; That is genius!

[Din]

Ever played Bowmaster Prelude? Whoo-hoo, a bomb arrow! Urgh, I need a demo... to go on... *collapses*

Seriously though, this is a whole new dimension as far as Zelda Classic goes! I am going to be enticed by the scripts in this quest...

[Nicholas Steel]

Not quite true. The Pegasus Boots knockback (which is much more evident to the player) works just as well.

that does not work in the PAL release of the game. facing right, start charging, face up, bounce but never go over the black pit... (that or you fell short) it was the first thing i tried oh so many years ago! I never worked it out until many years later that bombs was the key.

[_L_]

I can assure you all that you will be able to play through the first Triforce dungeon again soon. Very little remains awaiting refurbishment.

And among those few tasks is the finalisation of some newly assembled enemies to populate this bizarre building. Permit me to reveal several such creations to you:

Flying Book

Flying books! The spells inside these tarnished tomes must be motivating the books to take to the air. These ensorceled volumes are bound in even-harderback, so your sword and boomerang won't injure them very effectively. But remain unconcerned: a mortal fear of dampness dissuades these abberations from ever appearing outdoors.

...What did you say? Cheat codes? I don't know what you mean! You must be thinking of another game!

Stum & Stumclops

These ugly wooden perils are the undead corpses of once-grand trees, now uprooted and wandering in anguish. Their offensive abilities are minimal, but their thick bodies are tremendously unyielding to attacks. You'd have to slice one at least 32 times before it'd cease its sorrowful strolls.

Fortunately, as you may have noticed, the variety known as Stumclops has a single feeble eye atop it. This might be a secret place where the landing of a single strike will fell the fiend!

But, as you can see, it is incapable of being struck by Link's horizontal attacks. Is there a vertical attack that Link can use against it?

(This may sound crazy, but I'm more interested in seeing if Stum's eyeless face could possibly serve as a makeshift platform, if Link could only leap upon it...)

Green Stalfos

A Stalfos wearing the tunic and hood it wore in life. Why is that restless spirit inhabiting these bones still? ...You can't help but wonder if this is what lies in Link's future, should he fall victim to the dungeon's dangers.


...Such an uncommon bestiary. An auspicious dungeon should contain thematic obstacles and threats, no?

[lucas92]

Woot Banjo-Kazooie Cheat code book? :p

[Din]

Huh, so it's kind of a "haunted nature" feel. That seems pretty interesting, but where do the books come from? That last enemy seems ever eerie however, I wonder where they'll come in. Maybe just a trap in the forest to "spook" Link? Plus at this point the poor boy is a bit chicken-hearted, I'm guessing, so Link is not conquering his fears the easy way. There are some interesting enemies, and I'm looking forward to being able to play through the first level!