Ganon's Castle

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Ganon's Castle,(OoT | TWW)[1] also known as Ganon's Tower,(OoT | TWW)[2][3][4] is a recurring Dungeon in The Legend of Zelda series.[note 1]

Overview

Ocarina of Time

Main article: Inside Ganon's Castle

Ganon's Castle replaces Hyrule Castle over the seven years that Link sleeps after he withdraws the Master Sword from its Pedestal of the Master Sword. Ganon's Castle floats over a large lake of Lava, rendering it inaccessible until the Six Sages are awakened and create a Rainbow Bridge that allows Link to enter Inside Ganon's Castle.

A Great Fairy's Fountain can be found at the end of the road. However, it is blocked by a Monolith that cannot be moved unless Link possesses the Golden Gauntlets from Inside Ganon's Castle. Inside, the Great Fairy will enhance Link's Defensive Power, reducing the damage he takes by half.

Minor Enemies

The Wind Waker

Entrance to Ganon's Castle

Ganon's Tower is the last dungeon in The Wind Waker and is located underneath the Great Sea in the now-forgotten land of Hyrule.[6] Link gains access to it after the Master Sword retrieves its full power and the Triforce of Courage is complete. When these two conditions are met and Link goes back to Hyrule Castle to ensure the princess's safety, he realizes that Ganon kidnapped her and fights two high-class Darknut soldiers. Afterward, the young hero goes outside and breaks the barrier that made Ganon's lair previously inaccessible.

The path to Ganon's Tower is full of enemies such as Peahats, Moblins, and even Darknuts, although they can all be easily avoided. Some chasms have to be crossed with the Hookshot as well.

Themes and Navigation

Once inside the tower, Link will find himself in a room with five doors. The main door leading deeper into the tower is initially blocked off by a magic seal. As such, the young hero must explore the areas behind the four remaining doors. Each area is based on one of the four main dungeons, and they all require the extensive use of its respective main dungeon item. In clockwise order, the routes are:

  • Dragon Roost Cavern: It revolves around crossing a large sea of lava. There are several items that are helpful for that purpose, including Deku Leaf, Grappling Hook, and Ice Arrows.
  • Forbidden Woods: It revolves around crossing an endless pit with the help of movable platforms and tongue-shaped elevators.
  • Earth Temple: It revolves around running through a prolonged passage guarded by undead enemies. Occasionally, the young hero must find a way to keep some switches pressed.
  • Wind Temple: It revolves around crossing a wind-operated obstacle while dodging an airborne Wizzrobe. Items like Deku Leaf, Iron Boots and Hookshot are required.

At the end of each mini-dungeon, Link must once again defeat its corresponding boss in order to dispel a part of the barrier (respectively, Gohma, Kalle Demos, Jalhalla and Molgera). Once all of the four bosses have been defeated, the seal blocking off the door to the inner part of the dungeon will be broken.

Next is a puzzle room of sorts where Link can both open a quick exit to the Forsaken Fortress and enter a maze where Phantom Ganon confronts him incessantly; in the end, the young hero finds the Light Arrow upgrade, which defeats Phantom Ganon once and for all. This causes the phantom to leave its sword behind that Link must use to bust open a brick wall, leading to a room with a long flight of stairs infested with Moblins and Darknuts. After dispatching each of these enemies with the help of the Light Arrow, Link pushes past a large door and enters an extremely high and wide room where Princess Zelda sleeps on a bed, guarded by Ganondorf. Here, Link fights Puppet Ganon, who transforms into multiple shapes in 3 phases. After victory, Link climbs the room to finally reach the fortress's roof to fight Ganon in a final round.

Just like the rest of Hyrule, Ganon's Tower is flooded after King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule makes his wish using the Triforce.

Minor Enemies

Other Appearances

Ocarina of Time (Himekawa)



Trivia

Nomenclature

ZW Nomenclature Asset.png Names in Other Regions ZW Nomenclature Asset 2.png
LanguageNamesMeanings
Japan
Japanese
ガノン城 (Ganon-jō) (OoT)[10]Gannon/Ganon Castle
The Federal Republic of Germany
German
Ganons Schloss (OoT)[11]Same as English.
The Italian Republic
Italian
  • Castello di Ganon (OoT | OoT3D)[7][8]
  • Torre di Ganon (TWW)[9]
  • Ganon's Castle
  • Ganon's Tower
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

Gallery

See Also

Notes

  1. Ganon's Castle was referred to as Ganondorf's Castle in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time—Official Strategy Guide by BradyGames.[5] However, as this contradicts the name given in-game, it is not considered Canon.

References

  1. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 149 (OoT | OoT3D) & 153 (TWW | TWWHD)
  2. "Link...can you hear me? It's Rauru, the Sage. We six will gather our power to create a bridge to the castle where Ganondorf dwells... The castle's keep, which is known as Ganon's Tower, is protected by six evil barriers. Bring down the six barriers and save Princess Zelda!!" — Rauru (Ocarina of Time)
  3. "Long ago, Ganon's Tower was an impenetrable fortress that not even the daring and dauntless Knights of Hyrule could hope to assail." — King of Red Lions (The Wind Waker)
  4. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 197 (TWW | TWWHD)
  5. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time—Official Strategy Guide, BradyGames, pg. 20
  6. "Long ago, Ganon's Tower was an impenetrable fortress that not even the daring and dauntless Knights of Hyrule could hope to assail." — King of Red Lions (The Wind Waker)
  7. Enciclopedia di Hyrule, Magazzini Salani, pg. 149
  8. "Castello di Ganon" — N/A (Ocarina of Time 3D, Italian localization)
  9. "Torre di Ganon" — N/A (The Wind Waker, Italian localization)
  10. Nintendo Official Guidebook—The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Shogakukan, pg. 155
  11. "Ganons Schloss" — N/A (Ocarina of Time)