Hyrule Castle



Hyrule Castle is the home of the royal family of Hyrule, usually including Princess Zelda and the normally unseen King of Hyrule. The castle's first appearance was in A Link to the Past, the third game in the series. Each game that contains the Castle either features a different layout, or denies the player access to parts that are available in other games. 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.

Hyrule Castle is usually directly in the center of Hyrule's layout in each game, serving as the crown jewel of the kingdom.

A Link to the Past
Marking its first named appearance in A Link to the Past, Hyrule Castle was 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 advisor 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, his body 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 passage that leads him into as 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.

Coincidentally, the uncle's last words were, "Princess Zelda is your..." It was this scene that first lead many fans to believe he meant "sister", but it was later confirmed he was trying to say something more along the lines of, "Princess Zelda is your destiny".

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. There is, however, what could be considered a mini-boss guarding Princess Zelda's prison cell. Although the Ball and Chain Soldier appears later in the game as a fairly common enemy, the music change that takes place when the first one brawls with Link could indicate him as meant to be something more. 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 until it is slashed with the Master Sword. After Link's first battle with Agahnim, (when you've been drawn into the Dark World) you can no longer enter the Castle at all. In the Light World, a portal that sends anyone who passes through it into the Dark World had been created underneath the main gate of the Castle.

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 with impassable pits similar to Hyrule Castle's moat.

Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, Hyrule Castle can be accessed by passing through the adjacent Hyrule Castle Town. Both the castle and town are guarded from intruders by tight security and a moat, which can only be crossed with the aid of a drawbridge. (Castle security had been tightened, due to the actions of a certain foolish man who wanted to see Princess Zelda).

Monsters roam the field outside of town at night, so guards will raise the bridge to Castle Town once the moon rises.

According to the in-game map, it is the second northernmost location in Hyrule, second only to the Death Mountain located directly east of it. The royal castle is home to Princess Zelda, the King of Hyrule, and other members of the Royal Family. The castle's grounds are guarded day and night by Hyrulean Guards, each of which will throw out any intruders they can find.

After Link obtains the the Kokiri Emerald from the dying Great Deku Tree and first leaves Kokiri Forest, Kaepora Gaebora advises him to visit Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle. After sneaking past the castle guards, and gaining the assistance of Malon in waking up her father Talon, Link can enter the castle's garden via a secret passageway. Once inside, 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 the Royal Family's child, 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 a passageway from which Link arrived. If the player angles the game's camera correctly, portraits of Mario, Yoshi, Princess Peach and Luigi can be seen in the courtyard's right window. If Link shoots a slingshot seed into the left window, someone will throw a bomb in his general direction and tell him not to cause trouble.

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 coversation, 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

 * Main Article: Ganon's Tower

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. Hyrule Castle however, was magically ensnared in a large barrier of energy, cast by Ganon. Through the power of the Master Sword what remained of Hyrule was frozen in time. When Link takes the sword, the entire Castle comes to life once more, but is filled with powerful monsters such as Darknuts and Moblins.

Hyrule Castle is the home of King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the last King. Hidden within the castle is a portrait of Tetra's ancestor, together with her servants (who are remarkably similar in appearance to Tetra's crew of Pirates). The castle also has the six Sages from Ocarina of Time depicted on stained glass windows in the lower windows.

Hyrule Castle is the main magic source of the Great Sea.

Four Swords Adventures
In Four Swords Adventures, Hyrule Castle is the last part of level one, Whereabouts of the Wind. It houses the boss, Phantom Ganon. There, Link also meets a Great Fairy who assists him on the level, and allows Link to have help from other Great Fairies. Hyrule Castle makes an appearance again as the final part of Near the Fields, this time called Infiltration of Hyrule Castle where Link fights Jalhalla, after which, the castle makes no other appearances.

The Minish Cap


In The Minish Cap, Link will not be allowed into the castle for most of the game. He is allowed early on, but after Vaati takes control of the King of Hyrule, Link is not permitted entry. Later in the game Vaati's power consumes the castle, making it the Dark Hyrule Castle. Link must navigate the castle to free Princess Zelda from Vaati's curse and seal Vaati away.

Twilight Princess
Hyrule Castle is seen in its largest incarnation to date, and remains at least partially visible from almost anywhere in Hyrule. Link finds himself imprisoned in Hyrule Castle early on in Twilight Princess, after transforming into a wolf. It is here he meets Midna for the first time. She guides him to the top of the castle where he also meets Princess Zelda for the first time. He returns there again after collecting all of the Fused Shadows, again in wolf form. This time, he brings a dying Midna to 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. Link and Midna cannot enter the Castle again until they have defeated Zant and regained the Fused Shadows. Midna will destroy the barrier with their power.

The Castle now serves as the game's final dungeon. As the player progresses through the castle, the music slowly changes from Hyrule Castle music to Ganondorf's Theme. After defeating Ganondorf's beast form (Dark Beast Ganon), 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.

Super Smash Bros.
Hyrule Castle is also a stage in the Nintendo fighting series Super Smash Bros., 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.

Trivia

 * The Hyrule Castle in Twilight Princess bears a striking resemblance to the Baron's Palace in the games Jak 2 and Jak 3 from the Jak and Daxter series.