Hyrule Castle

Hyrule Castle is the seat of Hyrule's monarchical government and the home of the Royal Family of Hyrule, which usually includes Princess Zelda and the normally unseen King of Hyrule. The castle first debuted in A Link to the Past, the third game in the series. Each game that contains Hyrule Castle either features a different layout or denies Link access to parts that are available in other games. Near the castle is Hyrule Castle Town, which serves as the city's marketplace where Hyruleans come to engage in business and trade.

Hyrule Castle is usually directly in the center of Hyrule's layout in each game, serving as the crown jewel of the kingdom. It is often one of the most important places for Link during his numerous adventures in Hyrule and many times is the site of the final confrontations, usually serving as a level or dungeon of sorts. Being the head of Hyrule's government, the Castle is known to being prone to conflict multiple times and has been the subject of invasion more than once throughout its depiction in the Zelda series usually due to its rather weak and penetrable security.

There are grounds for speculation that the castle is actually a different castle in each game, or perhaps it is the same castle but was changed in each game for aesthetic or gameplay purposes.

A Link to the Past
Marking its first named appearance in A Link to the Past, Hyrule Castle is home to the Royal Family of Hyrule until shortly before the events of the game. Agahnim, after becoming the King's second-in-command and chief adviser for solving Hyrule's problems with his magic, killed the monarch and took control of the castle.

During the game's opening scenes, Link is telepathically spoken to in a dream by a voice belonging to Princess Zelda, who was taken hostage by Agahnim. Following her request in his dream, Link finds his way to the gates of Hyrule Castle, completely unarmed against Hyrule's corrupted soldiers. Unfortunately, the castle is well-guarded and inaccessible from a direct approach. In the courtyard, Link luckily uncovers a hidden hole beneath a bush that leads him into a Secret Passage. Link's Uncle is soon found, slumped against a wall and mortally wounded. Already exhausted and beaten, he grants Link their family's sword and shield, instructing him to save the Princess. Link then progresses through the castle, fighting off any monsters and soldiers who attempt to stop him.

The rest of Hyrule Castle plays out similarly to a standard dungeon, but it is much shorter than any others in the game and features no dungeon boss. Guarding Princess Zelda's cell is the Ball and Chain Soldier, whom Link must defeat in order to free Zelda from her prison. After Link saves Zelda from the sorcerer's clutches and brings her to the Sanctuary, Agahnim makes the upper levels of the castle inaccessible by creating an electrical barrier that cannot be bypassed. It isn't until Link retrieves the Master Sword from the Lost Woods that the young hero can access the upper area of the castle by slashing the barrier with the Blade of Evil's Bane. After reaching the top of the castle, Link witnesses Agahnim as he sends Princess Zelda to the Dark World. The young hero battles against the evil wizard who, upon his defeat, sends Link to the Dark World. It is at this point that, in the Light World, a portal is created beneath the main gate of the Castle that sends anyone who passes through it into the Dark World.

In the Light World, Hyrule Castle is found in the center of the Overworld map, and is surrounded by an impassible moat. In the Dark World, it is replaced with Ganon's Pyramid of Power, which is surrounded by pits similar to Hyrule Castle's moat.

Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, Hyrule Castle is the second northernmost location in Hyrule, second only to the Death Mountain located directly east of it. It can be accessed by passing through the adjacent Hyrule Castle Town, which is protected by another moat and a drawbridge. Since monsters roam the field outside of town at night, the bridge only lowers during the day and is promptly raised as soon as night falls. The royal castle is home to Princess Zelda, the King of Hyrule, and other members of the Royal Family. Due to the actions of a certain foolish man who wanted to see Princess Zelda, the castle guards have increased their security and won't allow anyone into the castle. The castle's grounds are guarded day and night by Hyrulean Guards, each of which will throw out any intruders they can find. The entrance to the castle itself can only be reached with the aid of a drawbridge, although is never lowered throughout the entire game and thus impedes Link from accessing the entire castle.

After Link obtains the the Kokiri's Emerald from the dying Great Deku Tree and first leaves Kokiri Forest, Kaepora Gaebora advises him to visit Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle. Once Link successfully sneaks past the castle guards, and has assisted Malon in waking up her father Talon, Link can enter the Castle Courtyards via a secret passageway. Here, Link must sneak past even more guards to reach his destination. Coincidentally, guards in the field outside always throw Link out past the castle's main gate, but guards inside the castle throw him right outside the secret entrance, where Link would still be trespassing anyway.

Princess Zelda's Courtyard
By sneaking past the guards Link eventually reaches the castle's inner courtyard, where Princess Zelda awaits him. It's a small, octagonal enclosure with the sky serving as its ceiling. There are three windows, all equidistant from each other, and the passageway from which Link arrives.

Contrary to events in A Link to the Past, this time Princess Zelda has a dream about Link, in which she foresees his arrival. Through her prophecy, Zelda believes Ganondorf is an evil man attempting to overthrow her father, the King of Hyrule. During their conversation, she shows Link what the man looks like through the center window; he is seen walking towards and bowing to, presumably, Hyrule's King.

By following this and other proficiencies Zelda speaks of, Link will eventually set out on a journey to obtain two Spiritual Stones in addition to the one he already holds, the Kokiri Emerald. Once the two finish conversing, Zelda's personal guardian, Impa, guides Link out of the castle.

Ganon's Castle
Over the remaining events of the game, after Link obtains all three Spiritual Stones, is given the Ocarina of Time by Princess Zelda, and lies dormant for seven years after first drawing the Master Sword, the castle plays minuscule roles. Once Link enters his slumber however, he accidentally grants Ganondorf access to the Sacred Realm. With the power he finds inside this realm, the Royal Family's betrayer tears down Hyrule Castle, building a castle of his own in its place.

The Wind Waker
Before the events of The Wind Waker, the remains of Hyrule were drowned beneath the rain waters of the Great Sea as a cause of the Great Flood. Hyrule Castle however, was magically ensnared in a large barrier of energy, largely protecting it from any harm; however, this also caused time itself to stop, leaving the hordes of enemies who were attacking the castle at the time frozen as well. Hyrule Castle is home to the Master Sword, which is hidden in a basement chamber protected by a giant statue depicting the Hero of Time. The hidden chamber is decorated with stained glass windows that illustrate the Sages of Ocarina of Time, and at the center of the basement is the Master Sword resting in its pedestal. Link can only travel beneath the Great Sea into the castle once he has completed the trial of the gods and has been acknowledged as a true hero. A gateway will then open leading to the flooded land of Hyrule, where Link is allowed access to the inner part of the castle to retrieve the Blade of Evil's Bane. Once the young hero retrieves the Master Sword from its pedestal, the flow of time returns to normal, and the enemies who were assaulting the castle come to life once more. Link must defeat all of the enemies before he is allowed to exit the castle and return to the Great Sea.

Hyrule Castle serves as a prominent location in the storyline, since it is where Tetra discovers her true identity as Princess Zelda, and it is also where she stays in hiding while Link and the King of Red Lions embark on a quest to assemble the Triforce of Courage. Later on in the game, with the Triforce of Courage in hand, Link returns to the castle's basement only to find that Ganondorf has kidnapped Princess Zelda and taken her to his tower.

High above the inner walls of the castle is a wall portrait depicting Princess Zelda along with several of her courtiers, each of them bearing a striking resemblance to the members of Tetra's Pirate Crew.

Four Swords Adventures
In Four Swords Adventures, Hyrule Castle is the third and final stage of Level One, Whereabouts of the Wind, which houses the boss Phantom Ganon. The castle's interior and exterior, for the most part, greatly resembles the one from A Link to the Past, although it is considerably larger and contains even more rooms than its predecessor. Outside the castle walls are two soldiers who patrol the entrance to the castle from high atop, throwing bombs to anyone who comes near. The Links must find an underground entrance to the castle to activate a switch that opens the gate to the castle. At the castle's courtyard, the young heroes will encounter a Chief Soldier as well as a horde of Hyrulean Soldiers that will try to stop him from gaining access to the inside of the castle.

Link, once inside the castle, will have to explore its various chambers as well as the roof in order to open the main door situated at the center of the castle, where he comes upon a large arena that forces him to fight and defeat a Ball and Chain Trooper as well as various Hyrulean soldiers. After their defeat, Link can access the next area, where he finds a River Zora looking for help. The frustrated Zora asks that the Links help him find his other half in order to help him return to its former shape. Once Link finds and merges the two, the River Zora will reveal to actually be the Fairy Queen. She immediately assists the young heroes by smiting all on-screen soldiers and even shattering a magical barrier that previously blocked their way. The Fairy Queen then thanks the Links and promises to tell the other Great Fairies to help them whenever needed.

Link must continue to go in and out of the castle to solve all of its puzzles and eventually come face-to-face with the level's boss: Phantom Ganon. Upon its defeat, the Blue Shrine Maiden is freed and aids Link.

Hyrule Castle makes an appearance again as the final part of Near the Fields, this time called Infiltration of Hyrule Castle; however, the level is set during the nighttime, and its environment is similar to that of The Wind Waker's Forsaken Fortress where Link must evade the searchlights to prevent from getting caught and thrown into prison. At the end of the level, Link fights Jalhalla, after which the castle makes no other appearances. 

The Minish Cap

 * See also: Dark Hyrule Castle

In The Minish Cap, Hyrule Castle is home to the Elemental Sanctuary that links Hyrule to the Minish Realm. As such, Link must return to Hyrule Castle each time he finds new Elements to upgrade the White Sword in the Elemental Sanctuary.

Link first visits the castle when his grandfather asks him to deliver a sword to Minister Potho, and it is in the Hyrule Castle Gardens that the award ceremony of the tournament's champion, who happens to be Vaati, takes place. Although Link is allowed to enter the castle as he wishes early on in the game, he is only granted access to a few rooms such as the throne room, a bedroom, and a few hallways. As the story progresses, Vaati takes control of the King of Hyrule, forbidding Link to enter the castle and thus the Elemental Sanctuary itself. Due to this, the young hero is required to use his stealth abilities and make his way past the guards in the gardens to discover a secret entrance to the sanctuary located beneath some bushes in the northwestern section.

After Link restores the power of the White Sword with the four Elements and transforms it into the Four Sword, Vaati, disguised as the King of Hyrule, learns that the Light Force rests within Princess Zelda. He turns everyone in the castle into stone, locks the King away, and takes the princess onto the roof, transforming the castle into Dark Hyrule Castle. Link must navigate the complex interior of the castle to free Princess Zelda from Vaati's curse and seal Vaati away.

Overview
In Twilight Princess, Hyrule Castle is seen in its largest incarnation to date and remains at least partially visible from almost anywhere in Hyrule. Twilight Princess is also the first game in the series that allows Link to explore almost all of the castle's areas to its fullest, and as such, the castle plays an important role in the game since it is where most of the plot develops. It consists of a main tower composed of four floors, and the main tower is connected to six other smaller towers, three on each side. On the highest floor of the main tower is the throne room, where Princess Zelda resides. Just like in Ocarina of Time, the castle is located just north of Hyrule Castle Town, and the castle itself is accessed by crossing a small bridge over a moat where two giant doors lead to the enormous and spacious castle courtyard, which surrounds the castle in its entirety. Spread throughout the first area of the courtyard are three tall monuments depicting each of the three pieces of the Triforce. On both sides of the courtyard are two separate entrances that lead to the rest of the areas of the garden, where the right door eventually directs to the castle's graveyard located at the very back of the structure.

A passageway in Telma's Bar grants access to the castle's sewers, which is also where the prison cells are located. It is here that Link first catches a glimpse of the colossal castle since he finds himself imprisoned early on in the game after he is transformed into a wolf. A short while after, he meets Midna, who frees him and guides him to one of the outside towers, where he meets the imprisoned Princess Zelda for the first time. During the meeting, Princess Zelda informs Link of Hyrule's current state, and explains to him how it all came about. Prior to the events of Twilight Princess, Hyrule Castle was invaded by the the King of Twilight, Zant, along with his horde of Shadow Beasts. Although Princess Zelda tried to fight back, she was forced to surrender to Zant's demands, which led to Hyrule being completely covered in Twilight.

He returns to Zelda's room after collecting all of the Fused Shadows (and losing them due to Zant), again in wolf form. This time, he brings a dying Midna to Princess Zelda, who saves Midna's life by giving Midna her life force. After this second meeting, Hyrule Castle is encased in an enormous gold colored barrier, much like in The Wind Waker. Link and Midna cannot enter the Castle again until they have defeated Zant and regained the Fused Shadows. When these are obtained, Midna uses the power of the Fused Shadows to obliterate the castle barrier, granting them access to the castle's entrance.

Dungeon
It is at this point that Hyrule Castle now serves as the game's final dungeon. Link must explore all of the castle's areas in order to reach the fourth floor of the main tower, which is where Ganondorf has taken Princess Zelda hostage. In one of the courtyard's areas, the young hero is forced to have his last fight with King Bulblin who, after his defeat, gives Link the key that opens the main door to the interior of the castle.

The main hall of the castle consists of a large room with various chandeliers that Link must Clawshot to in order to access the rest of the castle's chambers. Once he enters one of the rooms of the main hall, the young hero will encounter a Darknut and, after his defeat, Link will have the option of either taking the left or right path of the castle. Both paths lead back out to the balcony of Hyrule Castle, where Link battles against an Aeralfos to retrieve the Boss Key. Just as the young hero walks over to the west side of the castle, a group of enemies springs an ambush against Link; however, "The Group", which consists of Shad, Ashei, Auru, and Rusl, come in to save Link from a seemingly fatal attack.

In the middle of the balcony is another door that leads to the final area of the dungeon, making way to the third and fourth floors. As Link progresses through these last two floors, he must use his abilities as Wolf Link to make it safely across various traps; moreover, since the stairs leading to the upper floors have been destroyed, Link will have to use both the Double Clawshots and the Spinner to successfully reach the fourth floor. The door on the fourth floor, which leads to the outside of Hyrule Castle and eventually to the throne room, is blocked off by a Darknut, whom Link easily defeats.

At the throne room, Link and Midna come face-to-face with Ganondorf, who uses Princess Zelda as his puppet in an attempt to defeat the young hero. Link, equipped with the Master Sword, promptly defeats Puppet Zelda, and Midna uses her powers to extract Ganondorf's evil influence from the princess. It is here that Ganondorf transforms into the Dark Beast Ganon. After defeating Ganondorf's beast form, Midna will attempt to finish him off, warping Link and Zelda to Hyrule Field. The two witness a giant explosion which seemingly destroys the castle, but Hyrule Castle later appears intact during the credits sequence.

It is speculated that Hyrule Castle was rebuilt north of where it originally stood, and Faron Woods grew up around the old Castle Town. This is primarily based on the fact that the Master Sword is in the ruins of the Temple of Time in Twilight Princess, but nowhere near Hyrule Castle as it was in Ocarina of Time. Another reason to support this is in Twilight Princess when Wolf Link is traversing on top of Hyrule Castle there appears to be scaffolding as if Hyrule Castle was nearing completion of being built or possibly re-built.

Link's Crossbow Training
The Hyrule Castle Courtyard appears in a Defender Mode scenario in Stage 4 of Link's Crossbow Training. Link stands in one place to slay oncoming Stalfos and Keese. Several fairies glowing green can be shot for the Automatic Crossbow Upgrade.

Spirit Tracks
Hyrule Castle reappears in Spirit Tracks in the re-established kingdom of Hyrule. The castle's look borrows heavily from its predecessor that was drowned beneath the Great Sea along with the rest of the original Hyrule, retaining its blue roofing and white stone build. The castle area is also home once more to Castle Town, which lies directly in front of Hyrule Castle itself as in its previous incarnations. The entrance is accessed by crossing a small bridge which runs above a moat, leading to the castle gardens and eventually to the inside of the castle itself.

At the beginning of the game, Link needs to go to the castle in order to receive his train engineer's certificate from Princess Zelda and thus officially become a Royal Engineer. The Throne Room is revealed to contain a large stained glass window of Tetra, the incarnation of Princess Zelda in her day and one of the founders of the reinstated kingdom of Hyrule. It is here as well that Princess Zelda slips him a note during the ceremony which gives Link directions to her private quarters in the northeastern section of the castle. Later on, Link and Princess Zelda sneak out of the castle in order to travel to the Tower of Spirits and find out why the Spirit Tracks have begun to disappear. After they are waylaid by Chancellor Cole and Byrne, Link finds himself and Alfonzo back in Hyrule Castle and finds Zelda's spirit wandering its corridors, he being the only person able to see her mysteriously. Link would continue to visit the castle several times throughout his adventure to defeat Cole and stop the return of the Demon King Malladus.

It is in Hyrule Castle where Link receives the Recruit's Sword from Russell, the guard captain. Unlike some games where Link's access to the castle is usually prohibited, the young hero can wander around the castle's hallways provided that he has the Recruit Uniform, which allows him to blend in with the rest of the castle guards.

Super Smash Bros.
Hyrule Castle is also a stage in the Nintendo fighting series Super Smash Bros.on the Nintendo 64, and has a similar appearance to its model seen in Ocarina of Time. Small tornadoes frequently pass through the stage, sending anyone who comes in contact with one flying up in the air. This is the largest stage in the game, a tradition that would continue with the Hyrule Temple stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee on Gamecube. The Twilight Princess version of Hyrule Castle can be seen in the background of the Bridge of Eldin stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii.