Three Heart Challenge
The Three Heart Challenge is a challenge where the player completes a Zelda game without gaining a Heart Container or a Piece of Heart throughout the entire game, keeping the three heart health bar that most Zelda games start out with in the beginning of a game, hence the name of the challenge. It is possible to perform this challenge in most of the Zelda titles except for a few. In other titles such as The Adventure of Link or Skyward Sword, the game starts out with more than three health bars or hearts, but is still possible to perform the challenge, as the point of the challenge is to not increase Link's maximum life bar. Most challenges would want to increase the challenge of the game by adding restrictions, such as no fairies or magic potions.
Restrictions and Variations
This challenge cannot be done in A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, and A Link Between Worlds without the use of a cheat device. These games require that Link must collect a Heart Container after defeating a major boss in order to progress further in the game. This is because in Link's Awakening, the boss room doors won't open until Link collects the Heart Container and in A Link to the Past, the Pendants of Courage, Power, Wisdom and the Crystals will only appear after collecting a Heart Container after the boss's defeat. A Link Between Worlds features two Heart Containers that are mandatory to collect; like in A Link to the Past, the Pendants of Power and Wisdom will not be granted to Link until he picks up their respective Heart Containers. All others, however, can be skipped over.
There are also Low% Three Heart Challenges, in which the player tries to only get necessary items and avoids optional items in addition to avoiding Heart Containers, an example being The Legend of Zelda in which the Silver Arrows are required to complete the game, whereas an item such as the Book of Magic is not.
Games in which the Three Heart Challenge can be done
- The Legend of Zelda
- The Adventure of Link (game starts out with four life bar panels, and leveling up Life is optional)
- Ocarina of Time
- Majora's Mask
- Oracle of Seasons
- Oracle of Ages
- The Wind Waker (one Piece of Heart must be acquired in order to complete the game; however, the player does not have to complete a Heart Container)
- The Minish Cap
- Twilight Princess
- Phantom Hourglass
- Spirit Tracks
- Skyward Sword (technically a Six Heart Challenge as the game begins with this many hearts)
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