Desert of Mystery
From Zelda Wiki, the Zelda encyclopedia
| Desert of Mystery | |
|---|---|
| |
| Game(s) | A Link to the Past |
| Other media | A Link to the Past comic |
| Inhabitant(s) | Aginah Average Middle-Aged Man |
| Item(s) | Piece of Heart Bombos Medallion |
| Related place(s) | Desert Palace Swamp of Evil |
The Desert of Mystery is a desert located in the southwest corner of Hyrule in A Link to the Past.
Contents |
Features
The Desert of Mystery is a wide open area filled with cacti. It is the location of the second dungeon in the game, the Desert Palace, which contains the Pendant of Wisdom. The only other features are a few cliffs and caves, one which is the home of Aginah.
The area is swarming with Vultures and Geldmans, as well as bombs that explode at close range, making it somewhat of a nuisance to traverse.
On a cliff in, only reachable with the Flute, there is a portal to the Dark World hidden under a rock. This is the only way to enter the Dark World equivalent of the Desert of Mystery, the Swamp of Evil. On another cliff is a tablet where Link can get the Bombos Medallion.
Non-canon appearances
| Non-Canon Information | hide |
A Link to the Past comic
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The Desert of Mystery is also featured in the A Link to the Past comic. Before Link can head out to the desert Sahasrahla's Wife warns Link that traveling through it will not be easy since the "fierce winds and shifting sand" have bested even the most capable adventurers.[1] The young boy who Sahasrahla left in charge of his wife gives Link a hang glider that he can use to traverse the Desert of Mystery with ease.[2]
Using the "miracle wings", Link flies over the Desert of Mystery and locates the ruins of the Desert Palace.[3] Using the Book of Mudora to translate the runes he finds,[4] the ruins begin to sink to reveal a scorpion statue that has the Pendant of Power hanging on it.[5] Before Link can approach it, he sinks into the quicksand and resurfaces on top of a Lanmola. Link tries to attack it with his sword but to no avail;[6] he however manages to retrieve the Pendant of Power from the statue and uses it to defeat the Lanmola.[7]
Trivia
- The Japanese name for the Desert of Mystery (あやしの砂漠) is the same as the Japanese name for the Desert of Doubt in Four Swords Adventures.
- According to The Great Hyrule Encyclopedia on www.zelda.com, the Destert of Mystery is a newer name for the Haunted Wasteland.[8]
References
- ↑ "I should warn you that traveling in the desert is no simple matter! The fierce winds and shifting sands have buried more able adventurers than you!" (A Link to the Past (Nintendo Power), pg. 7)
- ↑ "Hey, buddy! I just remembered! I have something that may help! Sahasrahla showed it to me! It's a bird that you can ride on!" (A Link to the Past (Nintendo Power), pg. 8)
- ↑ "The desert ruins! And this must be ancient Hylian script! The book, the script, the desert... it's just like in the legend!" (A Link to the Past (Nintendo Power), pg. 11)
- ↑ "Maybe I am the legendary hero after all! I suppose if I look it up in the book, the writing should make sense..." (A Link to the Past (Nintendo Power), pg. 11)
- ↑ "Hanging on that strange statue! It's the pendant!" (A Link to the Past (Nintendo Power), pg. 12)
- ↑ "This is hopeless! Its skin is like armor!" (A Link to the Past (Nintendo Power), pg. 15)
- ↑ "Nice move, ugly! But now you're playing with the Pendant of Power!" (A Link to the Past (Nintendo Power), pg. 16)
- ↑ "Known as the Haunted Wasteland when Link was a boy, this vast arid expanse in southeastern Hyrule has slowly become known more commonly as the Desert of Mystery." — The Great Hyrule Encyclopedia, Zelda.com
| Locations in A Link to the Past | |
|---|---|
| Locations in the Light World | Locations in the Dark World |
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