The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Hyrule Castle

Opening
The game opens with a telepathic message from the imprisoned Princess Zelda. Link's uncle hears it and sets off to rescue her. However Link also heard it; naturally he leaves the house to go save her. To leave the bed press any direction. Go open the chest to get the Lamp, an item that will be very useful later on. Head outside.

You can't really go anywhere at the moment as the guards bar your way. Eventually Princess Zelda will tell you there's an entrance hidden in the garden. Find it.

Once under the castle you'll come across your Uncle, fatally wounded. With his dying breath he gives you his sword and shield and teaches you how to perform a 360° slash; for reference, simply hold down the attack button (B on SNES, R on GBA) until the magic sparks reach the tip of your sword. Head down and to the right for a chest and some magic meter refills. The guards in this room won't attack you but you do take damage if they touch you. The chest contains a Lamp; if you've already got one you get a Blue Rupee (worth 5). If you wish you can use the now-powered lamp to light the room, but this does nothing. In other rooms however lighting one of those floor lamps will almost always reveal a secret or open a door.

When you're ready head up the stairs to leave. Outside, slash the bushes out of your way. As before the gold-shield guards don't attack but there is a new guard type who will home in on you if he spots you. Make your way to the double doors exactly west of your starting position.

Hyrule Castle
First off, save the Princess, and pick up some goodies along the way. From the entrance room head east and then north. Take either path, both lead to the dungeon. Once you reach the door head west and down the northern stairs. Kill the guard for a key, and open the chest for the Map. You can now view the map at any time (X on SNES, L on GBA). Unlock the door and head south.

In this new area you can knock the enemies off the edge with a little effort, but make sure they don't do the same to you! Follow the path until you reach the room with the horizontal overpass. Go to the far left here and up through the door. Kill the guard and the doors will unlock. Head right. Kill this guard for the key and open the chest for the Boomerang. This either stuns enemies (such as the soldiers) for a short time, or else injures or even kills them. Head back to the left and then up through the door. Go down the stairs and down the other stairs, and prepare for battle! This miniboss wields a morningstar-like weapon that he can swing quite a distance. The boomerang will stun him, but unlike other enemies he shakes himself straight away and therefore recovers almost instantly. The pots in the left-hand cell all contain hearts, so refill there if you need to. However he can still attack you through the bars so you aren't safe there. After eight hits he goes down. Grab the Big Key and use it to open Princess Zelda's cell. If you haven't got one already, there's a Lamp in the chest. Be sure to get it if you didn't before, as you can't progress without it.

Now with the princess in tow, return to the central room of the castle. From the southern entrance go directly up and don't stop until you come to the ornamental shelf. Zelda explains you can push it. Go in.

Sewers
Once inside the sewers it's very dark. Watch out for rats in this room. They typically run in a straight line and turn at right angles meaning they're mostly at the edge of the room, but they do run into pots or across the central areas. Make your way up and to the right and through the door to the next area. This one has snakes. They move much the same, but if they see you they'll dash towards you at faster than usual speed. The door is directly to the left of the one you came through.

In the next room are more snakes, as well as a chest with a small key. The moment you come to a fork in the room's layout head right to find the chest. The door it opens is directly north of where you entered from.

In the next area all the rats are on a northern stretch of flooring. They can't swim so won't bother you as much as in the previous rooms. A solitary rat runs madly around on a tiny island in the middle.

The next room is much the same. The moment you enter head up and then left. You'll only encounter a Keese this way, the other enemies are all on other floor areas. You can smash the pots scattered around the room for hearts if you wish. Anyway head north.

In this room a rat to your left has swallowed a key. Get it and then head to the top-right corner for the door, watching out for the Keese and the two other rats.

In the next room you can see again. Take note of the cracked walls on the left-hand side, once you have bombs you can knock them down. For now just kill the rats and head up and through the door.

In the next room just head down, killing or avoiding rats on your way. But now you're presented with a choice. The left-hand lever releases seven snakes, while the right-hand one opens the door.

Now you get a short cutscene where more of the story is revealed. Once they finish yapping open the chest for a Heart Container. Sweet! Anyway, head off west to explore Kakariko Village.

Kakariko Village and Sahasrahla
Head to the X and talk to the old lady in the house there. Unfortunately it turns out the wise man has disappeared, so now you have to find out where. To do this you'll need to talk to people in town.

During your time in Kakariko watch out for the women patrolling outside the north-west and north-eastern houses; they'll cry out if they see you and a soldier will attack.

But first, goodies! The house to the left of the wise man's has chests full of red rupees just begging to be taken. But what about that cracked wall? Well, first you need some bombs. Fall down the well in the north-western corner of the village for a chest full of bombs. Blow down the wall directly above it for your very own Piece of Heart! Now head back to the thieves' hideout and bomb that wall for a second Piece.

If you have at least a hundred Rupees, head to the marketplace and buy a Magic Bottle. It isn't a necessary item but it's very useful.

Head to the bottom of the village and look for some chickens, called cuccos in the Zelda universe. Talk to the boy there and you'll find out where the old man's gone.

Now the spot where the old man is hiding is marked on the map. To get there, exit town trough the south entrance, you will come to a screen with some other houses (a library, a chest game and a house of two twins). Exit through the southeast then go south. From here go east, then north to where your house is located. Keep going east until you come to a bridge to the north. Cross the bridge and go east from there, following the road. In the next screen go north and you will enter the palace area. Now just keep going north until you find a small, fat T shaped building, Sahasrahla resides here.

Talk to the old man and he will task you with getting the first pendant, in the East(ern) Palace, just a bit to the (you guessed it) east. Now exit the house, go up the stairs to the north and make your way east while fighting (or avoiding) the Armos Statues that come to life and the octorocks, until you come to the palace entrance.

East Palace
At last you are inside the East Palace. You are in a room with three exits to the north. The northwest and northeast ones lead to a big hole in the floor and the middle one is closed. Lift the pot in the middle and you will reveal a switch, step on it and the middle door opens. In the new room there are three blue and red enemies that just move randomly so are pretty easy to avoid and fall to your sword really fast. The door you just came in and the door to the north both are closed, but there is a tile on the floor that look different. Step on it and both doors open, continue north. Go to the bottom floor and proceed north avoiding the little black balls coming at you. Every 5 balls a big ball appears and you need to use one of the gaps in the wall to avoid it. If you go west then south you can go up a flight of stairs and open a chest containing 100 rupees. Exit the room though the north door.

You now come to a big room, but you are limited to move in an upper floor balcony. There are doors both east and west, and the switches to open them are in between pots, one to the west, one to the east. Hit a switch, go throught the east door. You come to a room with 3 Blue Stalfos, and 2 of the blue and red monsters and 2 doors to the east. The Stalfos get kind of tricky, they jump back to avoid your sword slashes. Either corner them or hit them with the boomerang. Exit through the northern door. In the next room you find a closed door to the south, 5 post and an anti-fairy, who reduces not only your hearts, but also your magic power if it hits you. Lift the middle pot to reveal the switch that opens the door. Go throgh the door. You find a chest with the map of the dungeon (X on SNES, L on GBA to access it). Jump down, climb the stairs and go west 2 rooms.

Hit the switch to open the doors, go west. Avoid or fight the Blue Stalfos and go to the next room. Doors close, four Blue Stalfos appear after a while. Defeat them (throwing pots at them it’s the easiest way) and the doors open. Go north. Take the compass from the chest, go down the stairs, go east. You can talk to Sahasrahla (magically?, telepathically?) by touching the tile in this room. Go east again. You come to the main room, but in the bottom floor now. You can reach, but no open (yet) the big chest. There is a new enemy here, they look like blue statues but open their eyes and stalk you if you get too close. You can go up the stairs and fall down one of the holes to collect (or imprison) fairies. Exit through the door to the east.

You have been in this room before, but from another angle. Go south, up the stairs and through the door. You come to a dark room. Move east fast to try to avoid the anti-fairies, then south. Kill the blue/red thing hit the switch then go through the door to the east. Another dark room, with Blue Stalfos and pots. The pot in the east wall, the top one holds a key. Exit the room the way you came. Keep going south, then west then north until you come to a locked door. Use your key. Another room you have also already been to. Go west.

Notice the anti-fairies not moving around, just guarding a pot. Kill every other thing that moves in the room (2 blue/red things, 2 Blue Stalfos, and one of those armored Cyclops you need to hit in the eye). After the massacre, the anti-fairies scatter. Pick up the pot, hit the switch, open the chest, acquire big key. Use the key to go north. Push the block in the right, keeo going north, exit through the eastern door. Now you can open the big chest and reclaim the bow. Four Stalfos drop down to make your life (even more) miserable. Just use your sword to fend them off, they will leave soon enough. Get more fairies if you need them, and exit north.

Yet another dark room, but this one is way more dangerous. There are about 8 of the blue/red tencacle things and 2 armored Cyclops. One of the Cyclops has a key you need to advance. Your new weapon is very effective on eyes, or you can use the pots on the Cyclops. There is a door to the northeast with lots of rupees guarded by anti-fairies, get them then go back to the previous room. After getting the key you can exit to the northwest.

Welcome to the second floor. The southwest pot hides a switch that opens the door. Go west. The southern Cyclops hides the switch you need to open the doors. Make him move hit the switch and go west. There are lots of cannonballs moving non stop in this room, though there is a safe spot in the middle. Hit the northwest switch to open the doors, exit west. In this new room you meet a new enemy, a Red version of the Cyclops you have come to know and love. This one can only be beat by arrows in the eye, and it takes two this time. Dispatch of the enemies and go north. Kill the six blue/red tentacle things and the two Red Cyclops. Use the contents of the pots to refresh you life/arrow supply and head north.

Boss room! 6 blue statues come alive in the room, dancing with joy in a big circle. Each one takes about 6 hits from your sword or 3 arrows to go down, I recommend the arrows. After a while of the circular dance, they form a line and come bouncing with joy to the bottom of the screen, although they are pretty easy to avoid all the time, being such slow movers. After you beat 5 of them the last one turns red and all revengeful, trying to stomp you into submission. Just keep plucking arrows in his direction and you should have no problem. Congratulations! You have the pendant of courage, take it to Sahasrahla! Two pendants remain!

Into the desert
With pendant in hand, go back to Sahasrahla to show him that you can collect these things. He will give you the Pegasus Boots and talk about some item hidden in a cave beyond Lake Hilya. Go back to the library in Kakariko Village and use your new found smashing prowess to tumble the green book off of the shelf.

Your next stop is the desert, but you should go and pick up the item Sahasrahla mentioned. From your house, go all the way south, you will come to a lake with a dam. Go all the way east, then all the way north. You should see a cave and a suspicious looking wall, and what do we do with suspicious looking walls? That’s right, bomb them. Go inside, open the chest and reclaim the Ice Rod, extremely useful in the next dungeon.

Go back to the dam we saw before and go west from there, until you come to a desert, then go northeast until you reach the dungeon entrance. Use the green book to translate the writing on the stone and the way will open. Proceed into the Desert Palace.